Hazard of electrical equipment
During the facility’s electrical inspections, the following hazards were noted:
- Instant access to the service panel is highly limited as it is blocked by various cardboard boxes. All parts of the electrical system should be easily and rapidly approachable for an electrical technician, especially in the case of an incident.
- The service panel was not labeled. This irregularity may be regarded as highly serious due to the absence of essential information concerning the panel’s previous check.
- The service panel has noticeable signs of corrosion. The inappropriate visual condition of equipment indicates the hazardous conditions for its exploitation that may lead to incidents and harm to health and life.
- Irrational and improper use of extension cords. The use of them as temporary power sources for a substantial number of fans may lead to overload and fire in the facility.
- Cords’ hazardous location. There is a high risk that extension cords will be damaged by people, doors, and forklifts and cause traumas, fire, and electric shock.
Elimination may be defined as the most common and effective control measure that may substantially reduce the likelihood of incidents. For instance, all unnecessary items should be removed from the way to the service panel to provide instant access to reduce. In addition, the service panel should be repaired and thoroughly checked concerning its operable condition. The use of extension cords for additional purposes should be considered limited as well. Moreover, administrative controls are essential within the framework of this facility. All electrical technicians should be instructed to label the service panel and record their executed work.
Hazards at a large home improvement store
Based on JHA on an employer who stocks shelves at a large home improvement store, the following hazards may be defined:
- As a worker manually unloads and stacks various types of boxes without handles by climbing up and down with them, the risk of injuries, scratches, strains, bruises, and fractures is considerably high. Twisting, turning, and bending are common movements that may lead to back injuries. In addition, when an employee makes multiple steps balancing with boxes, the risk of falling increases as well.
- As the loading dock is cluttered, such hazards as broken shelves and falling objects may occur. In this situation, if a worker is inside the dock, he may receive severe injuries as well.
To reduce the risk of various types of injuries, administrative controls and personal protection of workers are regarded as optional solutions. First of all, a worker should be instructed concerning proper lifting techniques. In addition, as he moves boxes manually, he should attach holders or handlers to loads. Moreover, an employee should wear appropriate personal protective equipment to eliminate the likelihood of an incident or minimize its severity in case of its occurrence. Protective equipment traditionally includes:
- Forearm and hand protection for loads with rough or sharp ages;
- Steel-toed safety shoes;
- Glasses for eye protection;
- Plastic, metal, or fiber metatarsal guards for the protection of the worker’s instep area from compression.
In addition, the elimination of hazards in the loading dock may be regarded as an effective, though not immediate, control measure. All boxes should be arranged on the shelves according to their size and weight to avoid overload.