Don’t Forget Those Hidden Hazards in the Workplace
Safety E-QuickTips
U.S. Compliance Systems, Inc.
Monday July 19, 2021
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don’t Forget Those Hidden Hazards
Workplace safety hinges on identifying and mitigating hidden hazards. Recognizing these concealed risks is crucial for safeguarding yourself and your colleagues. However, uncovering and understanding these hidden hazards in the workplace can be a challenging task.
You might be skeptical about my perspective on workplace safety, but let’s delve deeper to understand why identifying hazards in the workplace is crucial.
Let’s say you’re working on a roof and it’s 16’ to the ground. It’s not too difficult to understand what the hazard is, right?
But what about when you’re working with a piece of equipment for the first time, in a confined space or working with a new chemical?
That’s when it just might get a little more difficult.
Let’s take a minute to look at a few work situations and some of the hazards associated with them.
Working with a forklift for the first time:
- Employees or pedestrians in the work area
- Lack of maintenance
- Unsecured loads
- Over loading
- Floor conditions
- Overhead obstructions
Working in a confined space:
- Hazardous gases
- Asphyxiation
- Combustible dusts
- Explosion
- Engulfment
- Becoming trapped
Working with a new chemical:
- Health hazards
- Short-term health hazards
- Long-term health hazards
- Irritation
- Carcinogens
- Physical Hazards
- Flammability
- Corrosion
- Explosion
As you can see, sometimes it takes a little more than just common sense to understand what you need to do to prevent accidents in the workplace; it takes a real understanding.
In the next couple Safety E-QuickTips we’re going to show you where and how to get the information you need, so stay with us. You just may learn something.
Employee QuickTip
To really protect yourself from hazards in the workplace, first you need to make sure you know all the hazards associated with the work you’re performing. Never perform any work without first knowing all the hazards. It could just save your life.
Employer/Management QuickTip
The first step to protecting employees from hazards in the workplace and preventing accidents is understanding ALL the hazards.
Have you received your first Safety E-QuickTip or just want to look at 500+ past issues? Check out our Safety E-QuickTips Archive Page on our website.
If you know of someone or a company that might benefit from receiving Safety E-QuickTips, please take a moment to share this with them so they can sign-up today.
Thanks for Reading and Please – Stay Healthy
