Hazards and Risks

                        Visual Aid  3.4.3: Hazards and Risks

Forms of hazards and potential risks of injury Obvious hazards: unguarded moving parts of machinery, dangerous fumes, electricity, working at heights, moving heavy loads etc. Less obvious hazards, causing many accidents include untidy workplace and poor maintenance.   Some common hazards and risks include: - Manual handling (heavy, awkward or hard to reach loads) - Falling from height (from scaffolding) - Material falling from above - New machinery - Fire (from flammable or combustible materials, hey, waste material) - Electricity (poor wiring or no protection by residual current devices) - Maintenance of equipment and workplace (roof, windows or gutters) - Hot substances or surfaces - Hand tools (noise, eye injury, electrocution) - Poor housekeeping and poorly maintained workplace - Suffocation by drowning or from exposure to carbon monoxide - Pressure system (steam boilers) Note: Hazards need to be identified and cannot be generalised for all sorts of occupational areas.

Employees’ safety and health is important and cannot be neglected. Occupational risks and hazards need to be minimised and controlled so that employees feel safe, remain healthy and productive.