PACH 111

Topic 4 Knowledge questions

Question 4.1
4.1.a When should a process to identify hazards take place?

4.1.b Why is systematic hazard identification required before and during the installation or alteration
of machinery and equipment in a work organization?

4.1.c Describe a three-step process for conducting hazard identification in a workplace.

Question 4.2
4.2. a What is the difference between a risk and a hazard?

4.2.b List five possible hazards that might apply in any workplace.

4.2.c Nominate two workplace tasks in the industry in which you work or intend to work. List the
associated hazards and estimate the risk—likelihood of injury and degree of harm. Develop a risk
management strategy for each.
Hazard Identification Tool

Task, activity or work area Hazard Risk Cause/ management

4.2.d
What should you do if a colleague mentions to you, they have identified a hazard in the workplace?
The colleague mentions this whilst in the lunchroom; you are unsure if they have completed a hazard
identification tool/ register or told the HSR or supervisor.

Question 4.3
In the Central Sterile Supply Department (CSSD) of a large metropolitan hospital, enrolled nurses are
required to prepare and pack theatre trays for sterilization and dispatch to the hospital’s operating
theatres. The procedure requires the nurses to bend over a large, deep sink to wash various steel
instruments and trays in warm soapy water. The tiled floors in front of the sink are often wet, and
slips are not uncommon.
After washing and drying the instruments and trays, the nurses package them according to theatre
requirements. They wrap the instruments of varying sizes and weights in cloth and carry them from
the preparation area to the high temperature sterilizers, where they lift them onto racks, ready for
sterilization. On completion of the sterilization process, the nurses remove the trays from the
sterilizer and carry them past the preparation bench to load them onto trolleys for transfer to the
theatre.
Due to budget cuts some months earlier, the number of CSSD staff has been reduced by three.
However, due to increasing waiting lists for elective surgery, the hospital administrators have
decided to increase the number of operations carried out by 15%. To help, a nurse’s assistant was
employed two days before the scheduled increase in theatre use.
The increased workloads mean that the nurses are unable to provide a formal job induction to the
new employee. The employee is assigned the job of packing the washed instruments onto the trays
using a checklist.
In theatre, staff are finding incorrect instruments on the trays.
1. List the hazards associated with this scenario.

Hazard Identification Tool

Task, activity or work area Hazard Risk Cause/ management

2. In the table, document the risk level for each hazard identified. Use the risk assessment matrix
provided.
Show how you came to your final risk assessment. For example, Likely + Minor = High.
Risk assessment matrix

Probability Consequences

Negligible Minor Major Critical Catastrophic

Almost certain High High Extreme Extreme Extreme

 Likely Moderate High High Extreme Extreme

Possible Low Moderate High Extreme Extreme

Possible, but unlikely Low Low Moderate High Extreme

Improbable Low Low Moderate High High

For example:

Hazard Level of Risk

3. Use the risk priority table to list the hazards in priority order—from most urgent to least urgent.

Question 4.4
A college that trains people for the hospitality industry operates a number of kitchens and restaurants.
A large food store supplies the cookery lecturers, who place food orders and collect them daily for
the classes and the restaurants.
An industrial washing machine is located in the food store near the service desk. Tea towels used in
the kitchens are washed daily in the machine.
The washing machine is quite old and food store staff have started to complain about the noise it
generates. The initial response to this complaint was to put the food store staff in hearing protectors
(earmuffs or earplugs).
However, since their work is of a service nature, they need to be able to communicate with the
cookery lecturers and other staff.
1. List at least one control measure at each level of the hierarchy of control.

Level Control category Control measures

1 Elimination

2 Substitution

3 Engineering controls
 4 Isolation

5 Administrative controls

6 Personal protective equipment

2. What is the most important requirement regarding control in a situation like this?

3. What method of control should be adopted and why?

Question 4.5
4.5.a
How can the effectiveness of controls be monitored?

4.5.b
List seven questions you can ask to identify inadequacies in control measures.