Hazards are anything that poses a danger, threat, or risk to the health and safety of people in a workplace. Farms are often full of hazards ranging from machinery hazards to livestock hazards, and these are often the root cause of on-farm incidents. It is always important to be on the lookout for hazards when you are working!
What are root cause? Root causes are the primary issue or hazard that led to an incident occurring. Some common root causes are improper training, disorganization in the workplace, improper storage procedures of chemicals and pesticides, and many others.
What are near misses and close calls? Near misses are unplanned events that had the potential to result in an incident, but does not actually result in human injury or harm to the environment or equipment.
How do we identify hazards? Follow the six steps outline by OSHA for identifying and addressing hazards!
- Collect information about the workplace. The main part of this step is determining what types of hazards could potentially be present in the workplace, and who would be exposed to those hazards.
- Inspect the workplace for safety hazards. During this step, inspect all operations, equipment, work areas, and facilities to locate safty hazards. Be sure to take photographs and document where each hazard is.
- Identify health hazards. Be on the lookout for “unseen hazards,” things such as gases and vapors, odorless hazards, or hazards that only appear after long-term exposure.
- Perform incident investigations. Review documented incidents and near misses that have happened at the workplace and determine if necessary steps have been done to resolve the hazard.
- Identify hazards that are assocaited with non-routine and emergency situations. Emergencies and non-routine or infrequent tasks can present hazards that are not always present.
- Characterize the nature of identified hazards, identify interim control measures, and prioritize the hazards for control. Evaluate each hazard by considering the severity of potential outcomes and the likelihood of an event or exposure to occur. Also consider how many workers may be exposed if an incident occurs.
Hierarchy of Controls: various means to address hazards in the workplace. Elimination is the most effective means; however, the most common means to mitigate hazards is engineering controls.
