Basic Clerical Works Level I: Occupational Standard

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Training, Teaching and Learning Materials
INFONET COLLEGE
Occupational Standard
BASIC CLERICAL WORKS LEVEL I
Unit of Competence: Participate in OHS Processes

Module Title: Participating in OHS Processes
LG Code: BUF BCW1 01 0812
TTLM Code: BUF BCW1 M01 1212
LO1 Work safely
TTLM Development Manual Date: october 12,2016

Compiled by: Abel Ephrem, Acct department
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1.1 Safety procedures

Information Sheet
1 Why Do We Work Safe?

Some people say they work safe because they don’t want to get hurt while others
say they work safe 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 say they 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 their families.
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 next level of suffering is emotional pain and suffering. The injured worker
worries if they will be able to return to their job in the same capacity. The injured
worker worries if over the long run if they will 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 much income as it would be if the worker was still working at their trade. As
time passes the worker begins to lose their self-esteem and doubt their role as a
provider to their family and their place in a productive society. The children see a
Father or Mother who is not quite the same as prior to the 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 injury activities such as playing ball with the kids, hiking, camping, fishing,
golfing can all be lost to an injury.
The preceding dialogue is pretty depressing, but it represents real life situations
that can and do develop from work place injuries. Just look at the provincial and
national statistics on how many workers are injured each and every day in this
country, it’s staggering. The injuries range from minor to serious to
crippling/disabling and yes, even fatal. The word statistic was used, statistics

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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 course of your employment has the right to expect a safe work environment.
Part of the expectation and probably the largest part of that expectation are your
own actions. You and you alone have the greatest impact on your own personal
safety. That means that each and every day that you go to work 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 and procedures, wear all the required PPE and never take short cuts with
your safety, not even for a second. When something goes wrong it happens in a
heartbeat and there are hundreds and hundreds of injured workers out there that say
to themselves every day “if I had only done it the way that I was supposed to”.
In closing just remember that when you work safe don’t do it for a safety trinket or
a safety bonus 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, tomorrow we 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”
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Information Sheet
2 pre-start systems and
equipment checks

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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 have the 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.
Supervisors
Supervisors are critical to safe workplaces because they are closest to the actual
work being done
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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 fire safety legislation can be found on the employers' responsibility
The following paragraphs provide an overview of employees and employers
responsibilities under 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 safety issues.

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Your employer has a responsibility to ensure that all employees in the workplace
are safe should a fire break out. You, as an Employee also have a duty under
Health & Safety Regulations for your 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 work
environment.
Know what action to take on discovering a fire.
Familiarize yourself with all escape routes.
Know the locations of Fire Extinguishers, their type and method of operation.
Self Check
Information Sheet Office Safety Do’s And Don’tsDO

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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:
Run or be in too much of a hurry.
Ignore electrical hazards such as overloaded outlets or frayed cords.
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 such
as 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 to
your body, and your feet flat on the floor.
o Make sure your keyboard is at elbow height or slightly lower and that your chair
is adjusted to the right height.
o Keep your forearms, wrists and hands in a straight line when using the keyboard.
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 the
same 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 but not slouch; hold the telephone to your ear, rather than propping it between
your head and shoulders; hold your pen or pencil lightly, keeping your fingers
relaxed; and use your breaks to get up, walk around, and exercise your muscles.
More office safety tips
Try to relax and set a reasonable pace for your activities.
Change positions frequently while you work and rotate job tasks.
Walk, don’t run. Being in too much of a hurry can result in serious injury.
Pay attention to where you’re going, especially around stairs and doorways.
Don’t take shortcuts. Shortcuts can lead to accidents.
Only smoke in designated smoking areas.
Use a ladder to reach items in high places.
Never use electrical equipment when your hands are wet.
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Don’t carry more than you can handle, and practice proper lifting techniques.
Self Check
Implement workplace safety

Lo2 requirements
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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 What are Control Measures?
Control measures include actions that can be taken to reduce the potential of
exposure to the
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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

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.
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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 in conjunction with other factors including the level of exposure and
the numbers of persons exposed and the risk of that hazard being realised. There
are a number of different formulae used to calculate the overall risk from basic
calculations using high, medium and low categories to complicated algorithms to
calculate risks at Nuclear power stations and other high risk work
locations.
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 to demonstrate 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
publication Guidelines 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 small or seemingly ordinary that they're easily overlooked, and every
worker is placed at risk in some way.
A workplace hazard denotes any kind of object or situation that could result in
injury, disease or death. Some indicators are things we wouldn't immediately
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consider -- age, for instance. Young workers 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 that same 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:
Cleaning up spills immediately after they occur
Positioning equipment to avoid cables crossing pedestrian routes
Keeping walkways clear of rubbish and other debris
Securing all rugs and mats so that they won't move and their edges won't curl
Providing handrails, floor markings and sign age in areas where the flooring
slopes
Making sure workers have the proper footwear for the workplace
Other specific workplace hazards include:
Moving vehicles such as forklifts
Collapsing platforms or equipment
Confined-space work areas
Falling objects
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Workplace violence
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
already in place?
An effective safety program involves:
Promoting safe work practices as part of the company's work policies
Keeping all tools and machinery in a safe condition
Ensuring that all internal facilities, including bathrooms and eating areas, are
clean and germ free
Providing information, training and supervision for all workers
Involving workers and supervisors in all decisions relating to health and safety
Designating a safety supervisor for all facility areas
Conducting regular safety meetings
Self Check
LO3. Participate in OHS consultative processes

10 What is an occupational hazard?
An occupational hazard is a thing or situation with the potential to harm a worker.
Occupational hazards can be divided into two categories: safety hazards that cause

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accidents that physically injure 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 cause harm 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 – a significant 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 the probability, or chance, that it actually will harm someone. For example,
crossing the Atlantic Ocean by plane or rowboat exposes the traveller to the same
hazard of drowning, but the risk of drowning 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 often more 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 the seriousness of the hazard.
The consequences of exposure to some hazards may be so harmful that, even if
there is little chance of a worker being exposed, the risk is so great that extreme
precautions must be taken to
prevent even that small possibility.
Information Sheet

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12 How should workplace health and safety hazards be 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. Recognition involves both identifying a hazard and determining if there
is a possibility of workers being affected 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 the worker, 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 for employers.
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 sectorspecific regulations under OHSA which apply to the following sectors:
Industrial Establishments
Construction Projects
Mines and Mining Plants
Health Care and Residential Facilities
Certain types of hazardous work are covered by their own regulations:
Diving Operations
Window Cleaning
Offshore Oil and Gas Production
Health hazards are either covered by the sector regulations or separate hazard-
specific
regulations, including:
Two designated substance regulations:
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
Regulation respecting the Control of Exposure to Biological or Chemical Agents
Regulation respecting X-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
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hazard in the workplace and can include respirators, hearing protectors, protective
clothing,
footwear and face and eye shields.
PPE is also required in specific situations and dealt with in regulations made under
OHSA. For example:
Section 7.2(2) of the Regulation respecting the Control of Exposure to Biological
or Chemical Agents requires respirators to be provided when engineering controls
are not practical; and
Section 139(8) of the Regulation respecting Industrial Establishments, requires
that a worker
wear hearing protection if exposed to sound levels over a certain limit.
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LO4 Follow safety procedures

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15 What is an occupational health hazard?

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 is defined in OHSA Section 1 as a condition that results from
exposure in a workplace to a physical, chemical or biological agent to the extent
that the normal physiological mechanisms are affected 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 or liver. A large number of workplace diseases and disease agents are
recognized. Virtually any part of the body can be affected in some way by some
workplace health hazard. An important consideration 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 a prolonged 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 acute effects. Or, to put it another way, if workers are experiencing acute
effects, they know exposure to the hazard is not being properly controlled. With
chronic effects there is no immediate warning. 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

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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. In general, methods of control can be placed in four categories:
Engineering controls are methods of designing or modifying plants, processes
and equipment so as to minimize workers' exposure to the hazard. They are
preferred because they work independently of workers.
Work and hygiene practices are on-the-job activities that reduce the potential for
exposure.
Administrative controls are things like job rotation schedules, work-rest cycles
and timing of
maintenance procedures, which can be used to limit the amount of time an
individual is
exposed to a hazard.
Personal protective equipment includes items like respirators, hearing protectors,
safety
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:
Substitution includes the use of a less hazardous material, a change in the process
equipment used, or a change in the process itself. Care must be taken to ensure that
the substitution actually does result in less hazardous conditions.
Isolation is a method of limiting exposure to those employees who are working
directly with the hazard, often by enclosing them within a containment structure.
While isolation will reduce 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 with uncontaminated outside air. There are two types: local exhaust
and general dilution. A properly designed local exhaust system can capture a

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contaminant where it is generated and remove it before it is dispersed into the work
environment.
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INFONET college

Training, Teaching and Learning Materials

Unit of Competence: Participate in OHS Processes

LO1 Work safely

TTLM Development Manual Date: october 12,2016

1.1 Safety procedures

1 Why Do We Work Safe?

TTLM Development Manual Date: october 12,2016

TTLM Development Manual Date: october 12,2016

TTLM Development Manual Date: october 12,2016

Health and Safety

and can address and resolve worker concerns. They must:

In addition East Sussex Fire & Rescue

TTLM Development Manual Date: october 12,2016

Information Sheet Office Safety Do’s And Don’tsDO

TTLM Development Manual Date: october 12,2016

Safely working at your desk

Implement workplace safety

Information Sheet What are Control Measures?

2. Substitute thehazard with a lesser risk

5. Use administrative controls

6. Use personalprotective equipment

Workplace Safety: Recognizing and Eliminating Hazards

LO3. Participate in OHS consultative processes

TTLM Development Manual Date: october 12,2016

TTLM Development Manual Date: october 12,2016

12 How should workplace health and safety hazards be dealt with?

LO4 Follow safety procedures

TTLM Development Manual Date: october 12,2016

15 What is an occupational health hazard?

TTLM Development Manual Date: october 12,2016

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

TTLM Development Manual Date: october 12,2016

TTLM Development Manual Date: october 12,2016

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