Hierarchy of hazard control

  

Date Posted: 2/27/2018 12:52:20 PM

Posted By: a_jerobon  Membership Level: Silver  Total Points: 522

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Hierarchy of hazard contol

Hazards are substances which have the
capability of causing undesirable
consequences on people. They may also be said to be that inherent feature of a substance, energy source, situation or agent which is able to bring harm to people. On the other hand, hazard control is a group of activities that are spearheaded towards the elimination of hazards or reducing their effect. There are five ways of controlling hazards from the most effective to the least effective method.

1.Elimination

The most effective method of hazard control is the elimination of the hazard. It is the most effective since the hazard's effects are not only reduced but also removed completely. For example, a farmer realizes that his crops are wilting due to a certain fertilizer. The most effective way of controlling this hazard is by stopping the use of the given fertilizer.

2. Substitution

In situations where the elimination of the hazards is not feasible, the second most effective method to do is to substitute the hazard with a less hazardous counterpart. The two work in the desired manner but one has less or no effect compared to the other on the expected outcome or during the process of use. For instance, a painter realises that painting with a solvent based paint produces paintings which are easily washed away by rain. The best thing to do is to replace the solvent based paint with a water based paint.

3. Engineering control

Engineering control is a type of hazard control which involves the modification of the physical appearance of the work area in order to eliminate or minimize the worker's exposure to hazards. It involves activities such as the isolation of hazards, ventilation of work rooms, enclosure of the hazards and redesigning of the workplace or equipments.

4. Administrative controls

This is a category of

hazard control which utilises the involvement of management authority or administrative structures in order to eliminate hazards or reduce their effects. This is in the case of occupational environments which have a governing structure. This method entails such activities as rotation of jobs, having work and rest schedules, enrichment of jobs and having worm rates.

5. Use of personal protective equipment(P. P .E)

P. P. E are any devices that are worn by people in order to protect themselves against hazards. They include ear plugs to prevent noise pollution, safety goggles to protect eyes from too much light or particles such as dust, hard hats to protect the head and gloves in order to protect hands from being exposed to hazards. This is the least effective method of hazard control and is only effective in the following situations:
- When engineering control do not eliminate the hazards.
- At the time when engineering control are being put in place.
- When the administrative controls are not enough.
- During occurrence of unplanned events and accidents.

Mark you, we are all living in an environment that is filled with different sources of danger. We should all be aware of the ways of controlling this hazards so that we are not caught up in the moment of an emergency.

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