Workplace Hazards: what are they, and where can we find them?

Did you know that more than 120,000 serious accidents and incidents occurred in the workplace in Australia in 2020? According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, around 194 of these ended up as fatalities (read more here). While we do need to take the Covid-19 situation into account, these are still staggering numbers. 

However, thankfully due to better awareness, identification and control of hazards in the workplace, these numbers are decreasing every year. But, there is always more that can be done.

What is a Workplace Hazard?

Before you can identify and work toward preventing the hazards in the workplace, you have to know what you’re looking for. Hazards come in many shapes and sizes, some more severe than others. They will also vary depending on the working environment. 

Workplace hazards can be grouped into six categories:

• Safety

These are hazards that should be completely removed from the workplace. They are core safety issues such as unsecured cords, worn cabling, unguarded heights, etc.

• Physical

Physical hazards can cause harm without the worker coming into direct contact with them. Issues such as high noise levels, extreme temperatures, or radiation fall into this category.

• Biological

Biological hazards are created by exposure to any biological agents that may result in injury or disease. These will be especially prevalent when working in healthcare industries, but they shouldn’t be ignored in any workplace. Hazards in this category include bacteria, bodily fluids, human or animal waste, insect bites or viruses (looking at you, Covid-19!).

• Chemical

Chemical hazards are created by the handling or exposure of chemical agents, vapours, or fire risks.

• Ergonomic

Ergonomic hazards are risks that may not cause immediate injury but can cause long-term problems. Incorrect seating or desk heights, excessive vibrations, regular heavy lifting, or similar issues are possible things to look out for here.

• Work Environment

Working environment hazards are mostly mental health issues that may result from factors in the workplace such as stress due to work demands, harassment, and other workplace disrespect. 

How to Identify and Prevent a Hazard

Now that you know the types of hazards that may be present in the workplace, how do you identify and prevent them? It doesn’t happen with a single act — in order to protect your workplace and staff to the fullest, it’s crucial to implement and follow through with a workplace safety plan.

• Develop a plan

The first step in preventing hazards is to identify them. In order to determine the hazards, develop a plan for identification that can be implemented and followed consistently. 

• Utilise existing information

Information that may already be available can help to highlight the hazards and risks associated with features in your workplace. This could include instruction and operating manuals for machinery, chemical safety data sheets (SDS), or simply reviewing warning labels and signage.

• Analyse prior incidents

Likely, your workplace has already suffered accidents in the past. Even if these were small and didn’t result in injuries, they can provide valuable insights into the hazards present in your workplace.

Analysing prior incident reports, workers' compensation claims, and the results of analysis and reports in both your workplace and related industries can all be excellent ways of collecting information on hazards that are already known.

• Report/record incidents diligently

Collecting information on incidents when they occur will help build a profile of the types of hazards and risks present in your workplace. Reports should document the type of incident, any injuries that were suffered, the contributing hazards or risk factors, and any action that will be taken in the future to mitigate them.

• Regularly reassess the workplace

Reporting reactively can only go so far in protecting the workplace. Proactive and regular assessment of the workplace, such as weekly walkthroughs, will help to flag both existing and newly developed hazards.

• Listen to your team

This is especially important in industries where management may not be regularly present in the primary workplace with the highest risk factors, e.g. construction or factory settings. The staff who experience the hazards will likely be the first to notice them, so create systems to collect and act on feedback from staff.

The Importance of Identifying Hazards

Accidents and incidents in the workplace account for hundreds of thousands of injuries and many fatalities every year. Identifying hazards is the first step in removing or mitigating risks. 

It may seem obvious, but there are important reasons to do this:

• Injury and Fatality Prevention

This is by and large the most important reason for identifying hazards in the workplace. It’s impossible to remove or mitigate something you’re unaware of, so you must be diligent in identifying and handling hazards properly to reduce or eliminate the risk of injury or death.

• Responsibility

Working towards a safer working environment should be a goal of all businesses, regardless of size, industry, or legal obligation. A proactive and responsible stance on hazard identification and mitigation is the reason the statistics for work-related injuries or fatalities are getting lower and lower. 

Additionally, being a responsible employer by taking an active role in worker safety will reflect better on the company both in the market and community.

• Legal Obligations

The Work Health and Safety Act for Australia makes it the legal responsibility of every employer to ensure that their team is working in the safest environment possible. Employers must legally take a proactive role in identifying, reporting, and taking steps to mitigate hazards. Non-compliance can result in stiff financial penalties for offending employers and, in the case of fatalities, possibly criminal prosecution.

• Downtime and Costs

Accidents invariably cause downtime in any workplace environment. Between paperwork, clean-up, and production restarts, lots of factors can cause downtime when an accident that was preventable occurs — and that’s assuming nobody was injured. Injuries that result from an accident can cause further short-term and long-term downtime in productivity. There is also the likelihood of increased running costs when hiring and training temporary replacement workers to cover team members that have time off for recovery.

• Efficiency

While not directly related to hazard identification and prevention itself, analysis of the workplace, its processes, and the associated risks can help reveal ways that efficiency can be improved.

Remember, even with the most thorough and detailed hazard identification and prevention techniques, accidents and incidents will still occur. But, by being aware of the potential risks, you can prevent accidents and keep your team safe.

Want to learn more about hazard identification and risk elimination? Get in touch with Conserve today, and subscribe to our newsletter for regular updates and insights!