01 Feb Hazard Awareness – General Safety

Hazard Awareness – General Safety

A hazard is any condition, activity, or circumstance with the potential to cause injury, illness, property damage, or other loss. Hazards may already exist in the workplace or develop as conditions, equipment, personnel, or work activities change.

Preventing incidents begins with recognizing that potential before someone gets hurt.

Recognize the Potential

A serious incident does not require an obviously dangerous situation. A worker can fall a short distance and suffer a fatal injury, while another may survive a much greater fall. The outcome cannot be predicted, which is why safety must never depend on luck.

Complacency, familiarity, and taking shortcuts can allow hazards to go unnoticed or uncorrected. Just because a task has been performed many times without an incident does not mean it is safe.

Think Before You Start

Before beginning a task, ask yourself:

• Do I understand the work and its hazards?
• Do I have the correct tools and equipment?
• Have I inspected my tools and equipment for damage or defects?
• Is the work area arranged so the job can be completed safely?
• Are guards and other safety devices installed and functioning?
• Do I know the hazards of the chemicals or materials I will be using?
• Am I wearing the required PPE?
• Are energy sources properly controlled when lockout/tagout is required?
• Are there fall, electrical, struck-by, caught-between, or other hazards present?
• Could nearby employees, equipment, vehicles, or changing conditions affect the work?
• Is there a safer way to perform the task?

If conditions change while the work is underway, stop and reassess the hazards before continuing.

Correct Hazards—Don’t Work Around Them

Recognizing a hazard is only the first step. Once a hazard is identified:

• Correct it immediately when you are authorized and able to do so safely.
• Guard, barricade, or otherwise control the hazard when immediate correction is not possible.
• Warn affected employees.
• Report unsafe conditions to your supervisor.
• Stop work when an uncontrolled hazard could result in serious injury.
• Never remove, bypass, or defeat guards or other protective devices.
• Follow established procedures rather than improvising or taking shortcuts.

Everyone Has a Responsibility

Hazard awareness is not limited to supervisors or safety personnel. Every employee should remain alert to changing conditions and speak up when something does not look right.

Watch out for yourself and for the people working around you. A hazard you recognize and correct today may prevent someone else’s injury tomorrow.

Remember

Do not rely on luck to keep you safe. Identify the hazards, evaluate the risks, put the necessary controls in place, and reassess the job whenever conditions change.