Saturday 31 December 2016

Controlling Health & Safety Risks

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF PREVENTION


In order to control the risks identified by risk assessments, the employer and the self-employed need to introduce a risk control strategy of prevention. This is based on the following principles; 

1. Avoid the hazard/risk altogether - e.g. do not work at height, clean the windows from the ground level, so avoiding the risk of falling. 

2. Evaluating unavoidable risks - carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment and evaluate the risks. This will allow for prioritisation. 

3. Control the hazard at source - e.g. if steps are slippery, replace or treat them rather than just putting up a warning sign. Repair a hole in the floor rather than demarcating the area. 

4. Adapt work to the individual - consider ergonomics by improving design, organisation and working and production methods. Also when choosing work equipment or designing work areas. Eliminate monotonous work, where possible, by job redesign or worker rotation.

5. Adapt to technical progress - keep up to date and informed on new developments in ways of working that reduce or eliminate hazard/risk. Replace old noisy equipment with modern much quieter equipment. 

6. Replacing the dangerous by the less dangerous - for example substituting mains powered electrical hand tools with battery powered hand tools or substituting a solvent based chemical for a water based alternative. 

7. Developing a coherent policy - Developing a coherent overall prevention policy, which covers production, organisation, working conditions and social dialogue. 

8. Give priority to collective protective measures - isolate workers from the hazard/risk by enclosing the process rather than giving out protective equipment. Protect from falls by the use of nets rather than a harness and line. 

9. Providing appropriate information, instruction and training - workers need to understand what they need to do to protect themselves. 

10. Issue Personal Protective equipment only as a last resort - when all other methods of risk reduction fail to reduce the risk sufficiently. 

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