1
➢ Assessing risks and designing appropriate interventions to address risks.
➢ Types of potential hazards in general industries and ways to prevent them.
➢ Personal Protective Equipment Safety Tasks.
2
contents
the topic pages
Why do we care about occupational health and safety? 5
The purpose of having occupational safety and health programs 5
Employers' Responsibility 5
Employee Responsibility 5
Risk assessment and design of appropriate interventions to address risks 5
Risk assessment 5
The goal of risk assessment 6
What are the necessary steps for the risk assessment process 6
First: Evaluation of the capabilities and limits of the employer’s activity 6
Second: Identify the risks 7
Third: Determine the level of risk 7
Risk categories 7
Risk assessment 8
Types of potential risks in public industries and ways to prevent them 9
Electrical hazards 9
Prevention of electrical accidents 10
Second: Fires and how to combat them 11
Causes of fires 12
Combustion process (combustion theory) 12
Types of fires 13
Fire Extinguisher 15
Extinguishment theory 15
General rules for extinguishing fires 16
Fire extinguishing equipment and devices 16
How to use fire extinguishers 18
Installing the fire extinguisher 18
3
How to use a fire extinguisher 20
Fire Prevention Guide 20
Safety and security requirements that must be met when repairing a fire prevention plan 21
First: Recommendations related to the building’s components 22
Second: Recommendations related to escape routes 22
Third: Recommendations related to lighting and electrical equipment 22
Third: Hearing Protection Program 23
OSHA Hearing Protection Program 24
Fourth: Manual counting risks 25
Safety Instructions and Guidelines (OSHA) 25
Hazards of dealing with machines and equipment 26
Common types of injuries when handling equipment 26
Some means of protection against potential hazards from machines and equipment 28
Fifth: Work and walking surface hazards 28
Prevention of hazards related to working and walking surfaces 28
Personal Safety Precautions 29
Protective clothing 31
Head protection equipment 32
Hearing protection equipment 34
Respiratory protective equipment 35
Hand protection equipment 39
Foot protection equipment 41
Face and eye protection equipment 42
Fall protection equipment (safety belts) 46
Fall protection equipment (safety belts) 46
4
❖ Occupational Safety and Health:
➢ Why do we care about occupational health and safety?
• Improving working conditions.
• Providing a suitable, appropriate, and safe working environment.
• Adopting occupational health and safety behaviors and providing a safe working
environment that has positive outcomes at the facility, employee, and community levels.
❖ The purpose of occupational safety and health programs:
• Developing and implementing training courses to increase awareness of occupational
safety and health.
• Working to develop regulations and procedures for occupational safety and health, and
raising awareness to participate in implementing these regulations.
• Encouraging workers and employers to follow and apply occupational safety and health
procedures to reduce work risks.
• Defining the responsibilities and duties of employees and employers regarding
occupational safety and health.
• Maintaining permanent records to track work-related injuries and illnesses with the
aim of taking steps to avoid the recurrence of similar injuries in the future.
➢ Employer Responsibilities
• Commitment to following and implementing occupational health and safety laws and
specifications.
• Providing a workplace and work environment free from any hazards that could lead to
injury or death among workers.
➢ Employee Responsibilities
• Adhering to regulations and following and implementing occupational safety and health
procedures and instructions.
• Assisting the employer in developing an occupational safety and health program.
❖ Risk assessment and design of appropriate interventions to address risks
➢ Risk assessment process
Risk assessment:
• Comprehensive monitoring of all work (equipment, chemicals, machinery, work
environment, location, and site visitors, such as maintenance)
• Monitoring the potential for a problem to occur.
• Risk assessment, degree of severity, and for whom.
• Comprehensive examination, i.e. searching for the problem that may exist.
5
➢ The goal of risk assessment:
1- Reducing the level of risk (trying to improve the negative impact to a positive impact).
2- Eliminating that risk.
➢ What are the steps required to perform a risk assessment process?
Determine
Implosment
Control
Measures
Measures
Monitor
Area Risks
and Review
Identify
Risks
❖ Risk Assessment Cycle
➢ First: Assess the capabilities and limitations of the employer's activity
• The risk assessment must be conducted on a participatory basis.
• The risks must be assessed and the necessary requirements identified in a manner that
includes the employer and employees.
• Start discussing with the employer the risks that he sees as a problem.
• Questions raised during discussions may include the following:
1- What are the actual or potential risks related to the activity or workplace that the
business owner or workers perceive?
2- What actions have been taken in the past to improve safety aspects?
3- Have there been successes in improving safety aspects in the past?
4- What aspects of the workplace/activity would you like to change to ensure greater
safety in the future? (Actions or changes).
➢ Second: Identifying Hazards
• When identifying hazards, all aspects of the job must be examined, such as operating
various machines, working with electrical equipment and tools, working positions
(sitting, standing, reaching, or handling objects), and the diversity of work tasks.
• Non-routine activities, such as maintenance, repair, or cleaning, must also be included -
these activities can be more hazardous than routine activities.
6
• Ask the business owner and employees about any accidents or losses that have occurred
or could have occurred.
• Review all possible emergency situations (such as power outages or emergencies) and
how they might impact risk control procedures.
• Evaluate different groups of workers, including young workers, inexperienced workers,
and differences in gender, etc.
➢ Third: Determining the Risk Level
A - Risk Classification (What types of risks are defined?)
• In order to determine the level of risk, it must be identified and then interventions
designed to mitigate these risks.
• They must be classified into different categories based on the nature of these risks.
• There are seven categories of actual or potential risks in the workplace.
➢ Hazard Categories:
1- Accident Hazards: Such as accidents caused by wet or
uneven surfaces, cutting tools, electrical machinery and
equipment, vehicles, or machinery.
2- Chemical Hazards: Such as exposure to smoke, exhaust
fumes, dust, or toxic chemicals.
3- Cold, electricity, and poor ventilation.
4- Ergonomic hazards: such as lifting, carrying, and
moving heavy objects, repetitive movement, incorrect
postures, and sharp or poorly designed tools and
machines.
5- Biological hazards: such as contact with biological
waste or animals and plants.
6- Workplace risks: such as long working hours, lack of
security, and inadequate health and housing.
7- Psychological risks: such as abuse, humiliation, isolation,
lack of educational opportunities, stress, or pressure.
B - After you have classified the risks, you must determine the level of risk to
determine which risks should be focused on or not.
➢ Risk Assessment Tool:
- The risk assessment tool is used to determine the level of actual and potential risks in two ways:
• Likelihood: How likely is the risk to occur?
• Risk severity: How severe is the risk if it occurs?
7
➢ Risk assessment tool
Probabilities of
Pointing degree Risk factor
occurrence LH =
S = Severity (consequence) RR = Risk Rating Priority
Likelihood
1 Rare 1 First aid 1-3 No additional measures are
required, provided that the
current measures are effective.
2 Far away 2 Minor injury that requires 4-6 Monitoring the
treatment or medical care implementation of work and
the effectiveness of existing
procedures is required.
3 Accidental 3 Moderate injury leading to 8-12 Corrective action is required
work stoppage within a specified period.
4 Likely 4 One death 15-20 Urgent action is required to
control the risks.
5 Recurring 5 More than one case of death or 20-25 Stop work immediately
complete damage to the
stomach
probability Description
Rare It can happen once every 20 years.
accidental possibility It can happen once every 10 years.
Show It can happen once a year.
Likely It can happen once a month.
frequent It can happen once a week
➢ Intervention Design
How do we design appropriate interventions to address the assessed risks?
• Address high risks first, when possible.
• Consider the importance of designing simple and inexpensive solutions first.
• The interests of all stakeholders or participants must also be considered.
• Solutions that involve radical restructuring of production may be successful in reducing
or eliminating risks, but the likelihood of implementation may be lower.
➢ Types of potential hazards in general industries and ways to prevent
them (according to OSHA).
Definition of OSHA:
- The acronym stands for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a US
Department of Labor agency responsible for issuing occupational safety and health
legislation and related standards, as well as monitoring and enforcing their
implementation in various workplaces in the United States
➢ First: Electrical Hazards
General Requirements:
• All electrical appliances and equipment must comply with occupational health and
safety specifications.
8
• The markings on them must be clear and easy to read.
• All fuses and circuit breakers must be numbered on the electrical panel to facilitate the
identification of each fuse or circuit breaker on each piece of equipment. This is a
mandatory requirement from OSHA so that it can be used in an emergency.
The Nature of Electricity:
• For electricity to work, a complete (closed) circuit must exist, starting
from the source and returning to the source.
• Current always seeks the path of least resistance to flow.
• A person always represents the least resistance to current and forms
a complete circuit when in contact with the ground.
• Electricity always flows and moves toward the ground.
➢ Electricity Hazards:
1- Electric Shock
The extent of the impact of an electric shock on the human body depends on:
• The amount of current passing through the body and the path
the current takes
• The length of time the current remains in the body, the health
condition, weight, gender, and age of the person exposed to the
shock
• The degree of skin moisture.
2- Sparks and Pops:
• Occurs when static charges are discharged.
• Sparks and pops also occur when a high current jumps from one conductor to another
while the circuit is being switched on or off.
• To prevent the risk of sparks and pops, electrical circuits must be switched on or off
with the left hand to keep your face away from sparks and pops should they occur.
3- Fires and Explosions:
• In the event of an overload on electrical circuits, the temperature of the electrical wires
rises, which may cause the insulating material to melt and burn, thus scorching the
plastic parts surrounding the wires and electrical equipment, leading to a fire.
• In the event of sparks and popping, and flammable materials are present, they will ignite
and explosions may occur
Preventing Electrical Accidents:
• Occupational Health and Safety regulations require the use of a device that cuts off the
power to the circuit if it detects a current leakage of 5 milliamps. The device disconnects
the power within 1/40 of a second. This device is called a GFCI.
• The power must be disconnected from any equipment or device before any
maintenance work is carried out, and a sign must be placed at the disconnection point
so that the power cannot be restored by anyone.
• Do not touch anything metal near electrical circuits.
• Do not use metal ladders or uninsulated hand tools when working with electrical
equipment.
• Use explosion-proof lighting in hazardous areas, such as areas where flammable gases
and vapors accumulate.
9
• Do not overload the power supply, as this may cause a fire.
• Check fuses and circuit breakers to isolate the electrical circuit. Do not attempt to
restore power until the fault and cause of the malfunction have been repaired, the fuse
replaced, and the power restored.
• Do not run electrical cords through windows or doors, under carpets, or hang them on
nails or near a heat source.
• must be trained to use extinguishers appropriate for use in electrical fires and not to
use water extinguishers or those containing a conductive material, or carbon dioxide
extinguishers.
• Don't ignore worn wires; they must be replaced or re-insulated.
• Do not attempt to touch the person who has suffered an electric shock if they are still
connected to the power. Try to turn off the power first. If you cannot turn off the power,
pull or push the person away from the power with a piece of wood, a dry rope, a piece
of cloth, or any other non-conductive material.
• Electrical material for current
• When charging batteries with acid, appropriate protective equipment must be used
(face shield, gloves, plastic aprons).
• In case of contact with battery acid, flush the affected area immediately with water.
➢ Excavation Hazards
Potential Hazards in Excavation Operations
1- Cave-ins
• The most serious and fatal hazard.
• This occurs due to weak soil or inadequate reinforcement.
2- Falling into a hole
• Workers or equipment falling into the hole.
Note to be included in the emergency plan:
✓ A ladder or safe means of egress must be provided inside every hole deeper than 1.2 meters.
✓ Periodical inspection of the hole must be conducted by a safety officer or site engineer.
3- Objects falling from above
• such as tools, stones, or construction debris.
4- Exposure to toxic gases or oxygen deprivation
• especially in deep or confined spaces.
5- Exposure to underground utilities
• such as electrical cables, gas, or water pipes.
6- Groundwater or water leaks
• which may cause the pit to collapse or drown workers.
7- Using heavy equipment near excavations
• May cause vibrations that could lead to collapse of the sides.
8- Movement of equipment and machinery
• May collide with workers or cause accidents.
➢ Second: Preventive measures to be included in the plan
1- Reinforcement of excavation sides (shoring/benching/sloping)
• Depending on the soil type and excavation depth.
10
2- Do not work inside excavations without a permit.
• A permit to work is mandatory.
3- Install barriers and fences around excavations
• to prevent personnel and equipment from falling.
4- Soil inspection before and during excavation
• By a qualified engineer.
5- Identify underground utilities before excavation
• Using maps or detectors.
6- Drain water from the excavation
• Using pumps or drainage channels.
7- Provide adequate ventilation in closed excavations
• and measure oxygen and gas levels.
8- Move heavy equipment away from the excavation edges
• to a safe distance.
9- Use personal protective equipment (PPE)
• such as a helmet, protective footwear, and belt.
10- Train workers about drilling hazards
• and familiarize them with the emergency
Note to be included in the emergency plan:
✓ A ladder or safe means of egress must be provided inside every hole deeper than 1.2 meters.
✓ Periodical inspection of the hole must be conducted by a safety officer or site engineer.
Welding and Cutting Hazards
1- Thermal Hazards
• Exposure to high heat generated by the welding process.
• Possibility of severe burns to skin or clothing.
• Ignition of flammable materials in the work environment.
2- Toxic Fumes and Gases
• Toxic fumes and metal particles are released during welding, such as:
- Nitrogen dioxide. - Chromium oxides.
- Carbon monoxide.
• Affects the respiratory system and may cause poisoning or chronic illness.
3- Ultraviolet and infrared radiation
• Causes eye damage (such as keratitis or temporary blindness).
• Skin burns similar to sunstroke.
4- Fire and explosion hazard
• Presence of flammable materials (oils, fuels, gases).
• Welding sparks can ignite fires, especially in confined or poorly ventil
5- Electric Shock
• Possibility of electric shock due to uninsulated equipment or unsafe connections.
• Electric welding is an immediate electrical hazard.
6- Risk of Falling Objects or Tripping
• Use of heavy equipment or exposed cables.
• Possibility of tripping or dropping welding equipment.
7- Explosions in Enclosed Spaces
• Poor ventilation can lead to the accumulation of flammable or toxic gases.
11
Safety Procedures for Welding and Cutting
1- Obtain hot work permits before starting any welding operation.
2- Use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):
- Welding mask with filter.
- Heat-resistant gloves.
- Non-flammable welding clothing.
- Safety shoes.
3- Ensure good ventilation or use fume hoods in enclosed spaces.
4- Remove flammable materials from the welding area.
5- Provide fire extinguishers at the workplace.
6- Regularly inspect and maintain welding equipment.
7- Train workers on safety procedures and proper equipment use.
8- Turn off the power when work is complete.
9- Ensure a safety monitor is present during welding in hazardous locations.
12
