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Admas University
Mekanisa Campus

Basic Clerical Works Level- I

Learning Guide
Unit of Competence: Participate in OHS Processes

Module Title: Participate in OHS Processes

TTLM Code: EIS BCW1 01 0812

LO1: Work safely

LO2: Implement workplace safety requirements

LO3: Participate in OHS consultative processes

LO4: Follow safety procedures

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LO1: WORK SAFELY

1.1 Safety procedures

Information Sheet -1

1 Why Do We Work Safe?

Some people say they work safe because they don’t want to get hurt while others say they
worksafe because they don’t want the Company/job to lose its’ safe work days.
Some people say they work safe so they can get their safety bonus or safety award and others
saythey work safe because if they don’t they will get fired.
What you don’t hear people say very often is that they work safe for themselves and for
theirfamilies.
2 When someone gets hurt at work who suffers?
The first level of suffering is the injured person suffers the physical pain of the injury.
The nextlevel of suffering is emotional pain and suffering. The injured worker worries if they
will be ableto return to their job in the same capacity. The injured worker worries if over the long
run if theywill still be able to provide for their family as they did prior to their injury.
The injured worker’s family suffers from having to see a loved one go through the physical pain.
Although the worker and their family receives compensation benefits it’s probably not as
muchincome as it would be if the worker was still working at their trade. As time passes the
workerbegins to lose their self-esteem and doubt their role as a provider to their family and their
placein a productive society. The children see a Father or Mother who is not quite the same as
prior tothe injury and the wife or husband sees a spouse who is uncertain about their future.The
quality of life can decrease depending on the limitations the injury presents.
Pre injuryactivities such as playing ball with the kids, hiking, camping, fishing, golfing can all be
lost to aninjury.

The preceding dialogue is pretty depressing, but it represents real life situations that can and
dodevelop from work place injuries. Just look at the provincial and national statistics on how
manyworkers are injured each and every day in this country, it’s staggering. The injuries range
fromminor to serious to crippling/disabling and yes, even fatal. The word statistic was used,
statistics
don’t have families or loved ones, statistics don’t suffer physical and emotional pain, people do.
You are not just a number on a payroll or a statistic in a file; you are a person who in the
courseof your employment has the right to expect a safe work environment. Part of the
expectation andprobably the largest part of that expectation are your own actions. You and you
alone have thegreatest impact on your own personal safety. That means that each and every day
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that you go towork you are committed to do everything possible to ensure that at the end of the
shift you return
home to your family the same way that you left.
You have to think about each and every thing that you do. Follow all safe work practices
andprocedures, wear all the required PPE and never take short cuts with your safety, not even for
asecond. When something goes wrong it happens in a heartbeat and there are hundreds
andhundreds of injured workers out there that say to themselves every day “if I had only done it
theway that I was supposed to”.
In closing just remember that when you work safe don’t do it for a safety trinket or a safetybonus
or to maintain a company safety statistic, you are more than a statistic you are a person.
Work safe for yourself and for your family, because that’s who is most important in your life.
Take it one day at a time, let’s all get home tonight without any injuries or incidents,
tomorrowwe can start all over again and get through that day safe.
When you get home just take a look at your kids and your family playing, happy, smiling,
enjoying life and then you can say to yourself:
“That’s Why I Work Safe”

Pre-Start Systems and Equipment Checks

Information Sheet -2

Health and Safety

Legal responsibility for identifying and correcting health and safety hazards rests on the
shoulders of all workplace parties (employers, contractors, owners, workers, supervisors,
selfemployers
persons and suppliers). The Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations
require everyone in the workplace to work together to identify and control health and safety
hazards.
Employers
Since employers have the most control over the conditions of work and how it is done, they
havethe greatest degree of responsibility for the health and safety of workers. They must:
 Provide a safe and healthy workplace;
 Establish Occupational Health Committees or representatives and consult and cooperate
 with them in resolving health and safety concerns;
 Ensure workers are not exposed to harassment;
 Comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations;
 Provide required safe work procedures;
 Ensure equipment is provided and maintained;
 Ensure workers are trained; and
 Ensure supervisors are competent.
Employers are also required to have a copy of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 and
the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 1996 readily available to both workers and
management.
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Supervisors
Supervisors are critical to safe workplaces because they are closest to the actual work being done
and can address and resolve worker concerns. They must:
 Understand the Act and Regulations
 Understand their company's safety program
 Understand the need for and safe use of personal protective equipment
 Understand emergency procedures required under the legislation
 Comply with the Act and Regulations
 Ensure workers they supervise understand and comply with the Act and Regulations
 Support and cooperate with the Occupational Health Committee or Representative
 Workers
 Workers also have an important role in making the workplace safe. They must:
 Take reasonable care to protect their health and safety and the health and safety of other
 workers
 Not harass other workers
 Comply with the Act and Regulations
 Use the orientation and training provided to them
 Follow safe work practices
 Use protective equipment provided to them.
 Support and cooperate with the Occupational Health Committee or Representative
Everyone is responsible for fire safety at work, Employees and Employers.
Fires at work kill people and businesses, so it makes good sense for everyone in the workplace to
consider fire safety.
In October 2006 the Government updated the fire safety legislation that applies in England and
Wales by enacting the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Further information on
firesafety legislation can be found on the employers' responsibility
The following paragraphs provide an overview of employees and employers
responsibilitiesunder the new legislation concerning Fire Safety at Work.

In addition East Sussex Fire & Rescue

Service offer a number of Commercial Courses to help businesses in the area tackle fire
safetyissues.
Your employer has a responsibility to ensure that all employees in the workplace are safe
shoulda fire break out. You, as an Employee also have a duty under Health & Safety Regulations
foryour own safety and that of your work colleagues.
This includes:-
 Full cooperation with you employer in implementing and maintaining good Health
&Safety practice at work.
 Using equipment and tools correctly.
 Consideration for you and your colleagues Health & Safety.
 Inform your employer of any dangers or issues that might jeopardize your
workenvironment.
 Know what action to take on discovering a fire.
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 Familiarize yourself with all escape routes.

 Know the locations of Fire Extinguishers, their type and method of operation.

Information Sheet -3 Office Safety Do’s And Don’tsDO

 Keep cabinet, desk and file drawers closed when not in use.
 Know where all exits and fire extinguishers are located.
 Make sure you have adequate lighting at the computer, and remember to take breaks.
 DON’T:
o Run or be in too much of a hurry.
o Ignore electrical hazards such as overloaded outlets or frayed cords.
o Forget to change positions frequently while you work.

Safely working at your desk

 Paying close attention to how you work at your desk can prevent potential problems
suchas eyestrain or a sore back.
 Here are a few tips for working safely at a computer:
o Sit comfortably upright, keeping your shoulders relaxed, your elbows close toyour
body, and your feet flat on the floor.
o Make sure your keyboard is at elbow height or slightly lower and that your chairis
adjusted to the right height.
o Keep your forearms, wrists and hands in a straight line when using the keyboard.
o The top of the monitor screen should be slightly below eye level.
o Keep the monitor at least 20 inches away from your eyes.
o Use a holder for documents. Place it as close to the screen as possible and at
thesame height and distance.
o Take breaks from the computer. Get up and move around.
o Blink your eyes several times if they begin feeling dry.
 Whether or not you work at a computer, it’s important to sit comfortably at your desk
butnot slouch; hold the telephone to your ear, rather than propping it between your head
andshoulders; hold your pen or pencil lightly, keeping your fingers relaxed; and use
yourbreaks to get up, walk around, and exercise your muscles.
More office safety tips
o Try to relax and set a reasonable pace for your activities.
o Change positions frequently while you work and rotate job tasks.
o Walk, don’t run. Being in too much of a hurry can result in serious injury.
o Pay attention to where you’re going, especially around stairs and doorways.
o Don’t take shortcuts. Shortcuts can lead to accidents.
o Only smoke in designated smoking areas.
o Use a ladder to reach items in high places.
o Never use electrical equipment when your hands are wet.
o Don’t carry more than you can handle, and practice proper lifting techniques.
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IMPLEMENT WORKPLACE SAFETY

REQUIREMENTS
LO2:

What is a Hazard?
When we refer to hazards in relation to occupational safety and health the most commonly used
definition is ‘A Hazard is a potential source of harm or adverse health effect on a person or
persons’.
The terms Hazard and Risk are often used interchangeably but this simple example explains the
difference between the two.
If there was a spill of water in a room then that water would present a slipping hazard to persons
passing through it. If access to that area was prevented by a physical barrier then the hazard
would remain though the risk would be minimised.
What is Risk?
When we refer to risk in relation to occupational safety and health the most commonly used
definition is ‘risk is the likelihood that a person may be harmed or suffers adverse health effects
if exposed to a hazard.’
Categorizing Risk
The level of risk is often categorized upon the potential harm or adverse health effect that the
hazard may cause the number of times persons are exposed and the number of persons exposed.
For example exposure to airborne asbestos fibers will always be classified as high because a
single exposure may cause potentially fatal lung disease, whereas the risk associated with using a
display screen for a short period could be considered to be very low as the potential harm or
adverse health effects are minimal.

Information Sheet -1 What are Control Measures?

Control measures include actions that can be taken to reduce the potential of exposure to the
hazard, or the control measure could be to remove the hazard or to reduce the likelihood of the
risk of the exposure to that hazard being realised. A simple control measure would be the secure
guarding of moving parts of machinery eliminating the potential for contact. When we look at
control measures we often refer to the hierarchy of control measures.
1. Eliminate the hazard
Elimination of the hazard is not always achievable though it does totally
remove the hazard and thereby eliminates the risk of exposure. An example
of this would be that petrol station attendants in Ireland are no longer
exposed to the risk of chronic lead poisoning following the removal of lead
from petrol products sold at forecourts.

2. Substitute thehazard with a lesser risk

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Substituting the hazard may not remove all of the hazards associated with
the process or activity and may introduce different hazards but the overall
harm or health effects will be lessened. In laboratory research, toluene is
now often used as a substitute for benzene. The solvent-properties of the
two are similar but toluene is less toxic and is not categorised as a
carcinogen although toluene can cause severe neurological harm.
3. Isolate the hazard
Isolating the hazard is achieved by restricting access to plant and equipment
or in the case of substances locking them away under strict controls. When
using certain chemicals then a fume cupboard can isolate the hazard from
the person, similarly placing noisy equipment in a non-accessible enclosure
or room isolates the hazard from the person(s).
4. Use engineering controls
Engineering Controls involve redesigning a process to place a barrier
between the person and the hazard or remove the hazard from the person,
such as machinery guarding, proximity guarding, extraction systems or
removing the operator to a remote location away from the hazard.

5. Use administrative controls

Administrative controls include adopting standard operating procedures or
safe work practices or providing appropriate training, instruction or
information to reduce the potential for harm and/or adverse health effects to
person(s). Isolation and permit to work procedures are examples of
administrative controls.
6. Use personalprotective equipment
Personal protective equipment (PPE) include gloves, glasses, earmuffs,
aprons, safety footwear, dust masks which are designed to reduce exposure
to the hazard. PPE is usually seen as the last line of defence and is usually
used in conjunction with one or more of the other control measures. An
example of the weakness of this control measure is that it is widely
recognised that single-use dust masks cannot consistently achieve and
maintain an effective facepiece-to-face seal, and cannot be adequately fittested
and do not offer much, if any real protection against small
particulates and may lead to a false sense of security and increase risk. In
such instances an extraction system with fitted respirators may be

preferable where the hazard may have significant health effects from low
levels of exposure such as using isocyante containing chemicals.
3.7 What is Risk Assessment?
Risk Assessment is where the severity of the Hazard and its potential outcomes are considered
inconjunction with other factors including the level of exposure and the numbers of
personsexposed and the risk of that hazard being realised. There are a number of different
formulae usedto calculate the overall risk from basic calculations using high, medium and low
categories tocomplicated algorithms to calculate risks at Nuclear power stations and other high
risk work
locations.
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It is important to ensure that the residual risk following implementation of control measures is‘as
low as is reasonably possible (ALARP). For a risk to be ALARP it must be possible
todemonstrate that the cost involved in reducing the risk further would be grossly
disproportionate
to the benefit gained. Further guidance on risk assessment can be found in the
publicationGuidelines on Risk Assessments (2.1 Mb)
Workplace Safety: Recognizing and Eliminating Hazards
Hazards can be found everywhere in the workplace. Some are quite apparent. Others are so
smallor seemingly ordinary that they're easily overlooked, and every worker is placed at risk in
someway.
A workplace hazard denotes any kind of object or situation that could result in injury, disease
ordeath. Some indicators are things we wouldn't immediately consider -- age, for instance.
Youngworkers new on the job (age 15-24) have more of a chance of getting hurt than older,
experienced workers. Another invisible hazard would involve experienced workers who use
thatsame tool all day, every day. They're susceptible to repetitive strain injury.So employers and
floor supervisors need to develop the proper mindset to recognize hazards.
3.8 The Major Hazards
Many facilities have workplace health and safety issues that are specific to their own industry.
But some issues are common to almost every business. Workplace safety starts with knowing the
major hazards. These include:
Physical hazards that involve equipment, machinery or tools
Bio-hazards that involve bacteria, viruses, fungi, mold or plant materials
Chemical hazards that involve dust, fumes, vapors, gases or chemical mists
Electrical hazards
3.9 Watch your Step
The single biggest cause of injuries at any workplace is conditions that lead to slips, trips, and
falls. These are the most frequent causes of non-fatal major injuries in both manufacturing and
service industries. They comprise more than half of all reported injuries. Employers can help to
reduce slip and trip hazards looking around the workplace to spot uneven floors, electrical
cables, and areas where spillages may occur.
Ways to reduce such risks include:

sh and other debris

Other specific workplace hazards include:

-space work areas

Raise the Safety Bar High

Every employer has an ethical and legal duty to set a high standard of workplace safety. As part
of this, they should look around the work place and ask themselves questions about the
environment. Who comes into the workplace and how would they be at risk? Are the precautions
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already in place?
An effective safety program involves:

free
information, training and supervision for all workers
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LO3. PARTICIPATE IN OHS CONSULTATIVE PROCESSES

1. What is an occupational hazard?

An occupational hazard is a thing or situation with the potential to harm a worker.
Occupationalhazards can be divided into two categories: safety hazards that cause accidents that
physicallyinjure workers, and health hazards which result in the development of disease. It is
important to
note that a "hazard" only represents a potential to cause harm. Whether it actually does
causeharm will depend on circumstances, such as the toxicity of the health hazard, exposure
amount,
and duration. Hazards can also be rated according to the severity of the harm they cause –
asignificant hazard being one with the potential to cause a critical injury or death.The Ministry
publishes a series of hazard alerts, outlining precautions against hazards known to
have injured Ontario workers. Other hazard alerts are also issued by Canadian government
agencies and the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
11 What is a risk? How is it different from a hazard?
The hazard posed by some material or situation is its potential to cause harm. Risk is
theprobability, or chance, that it actually will harm someone. For example, crossing the
AtlanticOcean by plane or rowboat exposes the traveller to the same hazard of drowning, but the
risk ofdrowning is immeasurably higher in the rowboat. It is the risk of drowning (among other
things!)
not the hazard that discourages people from rowing across the Atlantic.
Removing occupational hazards is only one way of improving worker protection. What is
oftenmore practical is the control or management of the risks that hazards pose. Sometimes, in
addition to the probability of a hazard causing harm, risk includes a consideration of
theseriousness of the hazard.
The consequences of exposure to some hazards may be so harmful that, even if there is
littlechance of a worker being exposed, the risk is so great that extreme precautions must be
taken to
prevent even that small possibility.
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How should workplace health and safety hazards be

Information Sheet dealt with?

There is a three-step process for dealing with workplace hazards. First they must be
recognized;then they must be assessed; and finally, if necessary, they must be controlled.
Recognitioninvolves both identifying a hazard and determining if there is a possibility of
workers beingaffected by it. If there is such a possibility, it must be assessed and if it is found to
be significant,
the hazard must be controlled.
Control can be applied at the source of the hazard, along the path between the source and
theworker, or at the worker. Control at the source is preferred. Hazard recognition is an
important
role of the Joint Health and Safety Committee; the control of hazards is a general duty
foremployers.
13 Are there Ontario laws requiring the control of exposure to specific workplace hazards?
Legal requirements governing exposure to various safety hazards can be found in the
sectorspecificregulations under OHSA which apply to the following sectors:

Certain types of hazardous work are covered by their own regulations:

Health hazards are either covered by the sector regulations or separate hazard-specific
regulations, including:

o the Designated Substances Regulation, O. Reg. 490/09; and

o Designated Substance - Asbestos on Construction Projects and in Buildings and Repair
Operations, O. Reg. 278/05

-Ray Safety

14 What are the legal requirements for personal protective equipment (PPE)?
PPE should be provided to workers wherever there are health (or safety) risks that cannot be
adequately controlled in other ways. PPE can reduce or prevent a worker's exposure to a health
hazard in the workplace and can include respirators, hearing protectors, protective clothing,
footwear and face and eye shields.
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PPE is also required in specific situations and dealt with in regulations made under OHSA.
Forexample:
specting the Control of Exposure to Biological orChemical
Agents requires respirators to be provided when engineering controls are notpractical; and

wear hearing protection if exposed to sound levels over a certain limit.

LO4: FOLLOW SAFETY PROCEDURES

15 What is an occupational health hazard?

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The term "hazard" refers to the potential to cause harm. In the case of a workplace health hazard,
the harm is to a worker's health and usually takes the form of an illness. Occupational illness
isdefined in OHSA Section 1 as a condition that results from exposure in a workplace to
aphysical, chemical or biological agent to the extent that the normal physiological mechanisms
areaffected and the health of the worker is impaired.
Hazards also include an occupational disease for which a worker is entitled to benefits under the
Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997. An occupational health hazard can therefore be
thought of as something in the workplace that is capable of making a worker sick. The "sickness"
can vary in severity from a headache or skin rash to a fatal illness such as cancer.
3.16 What kind of health effects can exposure to workplace hazardslead to?
Most workplace health hazards target a particular part of the body such as the lungs, skin orliver.
A large number of workplace diseases and disease agents are recognized. Virtually any partof the
body can be affected in some way by some workplace health hazard. An importantconsideration
is how exposure occurs.
For some hazards, there can be one type of effect from a single, high exposure (an acute
effect)and a quite different result when exposure is at a low level, but repeated regularly over
aprolonged time period (chronic effect). Acute effects depend on the degree of exposure.
It is therefore relatively easy to control exposure (keep it at a low enough level) to avoid
acuteeffects. Or, to put it another way, if workers are experiencing acute effects, they know
exposureto the hazard is not being properly controlled. With chronic effects there is no
immediatewarning. Where long-term exposure is known to cause disease without any warning of
the
hazard, it may be necessary to control worker exposure through regulations that
prescribeoccupational exposure limits (OELs).

Information Sheet

17 How can the risks posed by health hazards be controlled?

The best methods of controlling exposure to a particular hazard will depend on what it is.
Ingeneral, methods of control can be placed in four categories:

as to minimize workers' exposure to the hazard. They are preferred because they
workindependently of workers.
-the-job activities that reduce the potential for exposure.
-rest cycles and timing of
maintenance procedures, which can be used to limit the amount of time an individual is
exposed to a hazard.

clothing and protective clothing. It can reduce a worker's exposure but must be used properly
to be effective.
18 What are engineering controls?
Engineering controls are the preferred method of controlling exposure to workplace hazards.
They can be placed in three categories:
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Substitution includes the use of a less hazardous material, a change in the process
equipmentused, or a change in the process itself. Care must be taken to ensure that the
substitutionactually does result in less hazardous conditions.
Isolation is a method of limiting exposure to those employees who are working directly
withthe hazard, often by enclosing them within a containment structure. While isolation
willreduce the risk to those outside the isolated area, it should be accompanied by appropriate
controls to ensure that those within are not faced with an increased exposure to the hazard.

Ventilation is most important for the control of airborne hazards. It involves the removal
(from the workplace) of air that contains a hazardous contaminant and its replacement
withuncontaminated outside air. There are two types: local exhaust and general dilution.
Aproperly designed local exhaust system can capture a contaminant where it is generated
andremove it before it is dispersed into the work environment.