Demcak, Martin
Occupational Health & Safety Management System Specialist, Safety Lead Auditor
U. S. Steel Kosice, s.r.o. Director QMS Department
VA USS Kosice- Saca 044 54 S lovak Republic Phone: +421 55 673 4828. fax: + 421 55 6732486
e-ml: mdemcak@sk.uss.com
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT
Based on OSHA definition the ergonomics can be defined simply as the study of work. More specifically, ergonomics is the science of designing the job to fit the worker, rather than physically forcing the worker's body to fit the job. Adapting tasks, work stations, tools, and equipment to fit the worker can help eliminate or reduce risk related to physical stress on a worker's body and eliminate many potent ially serious, disabling work-related musculoskeletal injuries and disorders (MSDs).
Industries increasingly require higher production rates and advances in technology to remain competitive and stay in business. As a result, jobs today can involve:
- Frequ ent lifting, carrying, and pushing or pulling loads without help from other workers or devices – the negative effect of workforce optimization;
- Increasing specialization that requires the worker to perform only one function or movement for a long period of time or day after day;
- Working more than 8 hours a day;
- Working at a quicker pace of work, such as faster assembly line speeds; and
- Having tighter grips when using tools.
These factors —especially if coupled with poor machine design, tool, and workplace design or the use of improper tools —create physical stress on workers' bodies, which can lead to injury or disorder.
If OHS Risk Management does not include ergonomic approach, workers may have exposure to undue physical stress, strain, and overexertio n, including vibration, awkward postures, forceful exertions, repetitive motion, and heavy lifting. Recognizing ergonomic risk factors in the workplace is an essential first step in correcting hazards and improving worker protection.
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
The case for effective management of occupational health and safety (OHS) is now overwhelming. Not only is it a regulatory and ethical issue: studies have shown there are also sound economic reasons for reducing work- related accidents and ill health and for improving the quality of the work environment.
The British Standard BS 8800 Guide to Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems [1] was the first standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems impleme ntation and came into effect on 15 May 1996. It was prepared by Technical Committee HS/1, comprising representatives from trade associations, regulatory bodies, trade unions, safety bodies, professional safety experts and commerce. The aim of BS 8800 is to improve the occupational health and safety performance of organizations by providing guidance on how management of OHS may be integrated with the management of other aspects of business performance. BS 8800 is a guide and not an OHS management system spec ification against which existing management systems can be assessed and certified. In response to a need for a management system standard an international consortium of certification bodies produced OHSAS 18001 and 18002.
Although OHSAS 18001 and 18002 are not recognized as either British or international standards all the major certification bodies are now certifying to OHSAS 18001 using OHSAS 18002 to give generic guidance.[1]
OHSAS 18001 - Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series specification and the accompanying OHSAS 18002, Guidelines for the implementation of OHSAS 18001, have been developed in response to urgent customer demand for a recognizable occupational health and safety management system standard against which their management systems can be assessed and certified.
OHSAS 18001 has been developed to be compatible with the ISO 9001:1994 (Quality) and ISO 14001:1996 (Environmental) management systems standards, in order to facilitate the integration of quality, environmental and occupat ional health and safety management systems by organizations, should they wish to do so.
OHSAS specification is applicable to any organization that wishes to:
a) establish an OHS management system to eliminate or minimize risk to employees and other interested parties who may be exposed to OHS risks associated with its activities;
b) implement, maintain and continually improve an OHS management system;
c) assure itself of its conformance with its stated OHS policy;
d) demonstrate such conformance to ot hers;
e) seek certification/registration of its OHS management system by an external organization; or
f) make a self- determination and declaration of conformance with this OHSAS specification.
Continual improvement
Management review
OHS Policy
Planning
Checking and corrective
Implementation and operation
Figure 1- Elements of successful OHS management based on OHSAS 18001.[1]
Clearly, effective OHS management will not just simply happen. From the outset there needs to be commitment at the highest level and a proactive approach from the organization to addressing all OHS issues. This involves taking positive action to introduce and establish an OHS management system that is supported at every level throughout the organization, at all times.
Initially, it may be perceived that OHS can be a serious drain on resources, offering little in financial return. In practice, it has been shown that reducing accidents, occupational illness, equipment and plant damage, etc will outweigh the costs. Benefits include:
- reductions in staff absence and in claims against the organization;
- reductions in adverse publicity;
- improved insurance liability rating and improved production output;
- a positive response from customers wanting to deal with an organization that has a successful
- OHS track record and which is unlikely to be disrupted by costly accidents or plant shut downs.
Management review
• Management
review
 |
|
Checking and corrective action
Policy |
Act Plan
Continual improvement
Check Do
Planning
- OHS risks
- Legal requirements
- Objectives
- OHS program(s)
Implementation and operation
- Structure & responsibility
- Training, awareness and competence
- Consultation and communication
- OHS documentation
- Document & data control
- Operational co ntrol
- Emergency preparedness & response
- Auditing
Figure 2 - Elements of OHS management system in PDCA Cycle.
OHS Risk Management
OHS Risks are the most important element of OHS Management System. Main reason to implement OHS risks management is:
- Protecting shareholder value by managing risk.
- Minimize loss & maximize profit.
- Legal and systematic requirement.[2]
What is risk? Risk has many definitions:
- The expectation of loss.
- An expression of the combined severity and probability of loss.
- The longterm rate of loss; the loss rate value.
Risk Management looks at a broader range of losses than is typically considered by the traditional industrial safety practitioner. It allows the analyst (and management) to gauge the impact of various hazards on potential "targets" or "resources," including workers, the public, product quality, productivity, environment, facilities, and equipment.
Risk Management relies on analysis, and not solely on past experience and standards. When designing a new product or new job, no information may be available concerning previous mishaps; a review of history will have little value to the designer. As standards writing is a slow process relative to the development of new technology, a search for -and review of- relevant standards may not uncover all of the potential hazards posed by the new technology.
The Risk Management is built on Analytical Approaches:
1) TYPES of analysis address Where, When, or What to analyze?
2) Analytical TECHNIQUES address How to analyze? [3]
Some Analysis TYPE:
- Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA),
- System Hazard Analysis (SHA),
- Subsystem Hazard Analysis (SSHA),
- Operating and Support Hazard Analysis (O&SHA),
- Occupational Health Hazard Assessment (OHHA),
- Software hazard analysis,
- Many others.
Some analytical TECHNIQUES:
- Preliminary hazard analysis,
- Failure modes and effects analysis,
- Fault tree analysis,
- Event tree analysis,
- Cause consequence analysis,
- Sneak circuit analysis,
- Probabilistic risk assessment,
- Digraph analysis,
- Hazard and operability study (HAZOP),
- Management oversight and risk tree,
- Many others.
Many analytical techniques support the identification of hazards and an assessment of their associated risk, with an aim to controlling that risk to acceptable levels. The Risk Management Process is the heart of Risk Management.
Act
How to improve next time?
Unknown Hazards
Inputs
Check Did things happen according
to plan?
Do
Do what was planned!
Plan What to do? How to
do it?
Outputs
Controled Risks
Figure 3 – Process Approach to Risk Management.
Risk Management Process [4]
 |
|
Start123 |
YES4 5
NO
6
7 8
- 1. Definition of examined area
- 2. Analysis of examined area
- 3. Identification and analysis of dangers and hazards
- 4. Can the identified danger or hazard be eliminated immediately?
- 5. Elimination of a danger or hazard
- 6. Identification of hazard targets items
- 7. Probability determination (through RAM)
- 8. Severity of consequence determination (by RAM)
- 9. Determination of the risk magnitude (by RAM)
- 10. Is the risk acceptable?
- 11. Risk control
- 12. OHS risks register
RAM – Risk Assessment Matrix
9
11 10
NO
YES
12
End
Figure 4 - Risk Management Process
What is Hazard Identification? The answers for the next questions
- Is there a source of harm? (danger)
- Who or what can be harmed? (hazard target)
- How can harm occur? (hazard )
How to Identify Dangers and Hazards?
Identification and analysis of dangers and hazards is based on detection of real and potential dangers, hazards and their characteristics. The dangers and hazards can be identified:
a) performing of Job step analysis,
b) reviewing the legal and other requirements,
c) examining a previous practice / experiences with operation of this system,
d) review of documentation – Safe Job Procedures, PPE regulation, operationalregulation J.O.B.S., operation orders, project documentation, and so on.,
e) by brainstorming, observations, inspections, anticipation,
f) looking for Energy Sources and means of harmful release,
g) monitoring and measuring of workplace factors,
h) investigation of accidents and incidents (near misses),
i) looking for energy sources and a way, how an undesired leakage of the energy mayhappen,
j) using the occupational injuries database, using employees intuition and experiences,
k) using analytical techniques, using Check list ,
l) so on.
ERGONOMIC RISK FACTO RS
Ergonomics hazards represent very significant group of risk factors with negative effect on people. Ergonomists seek to understand the person- machine and person-workplace environment interface by answering question such as the following:
What sort of physical burden is this job placing on the employee? How can this work area be improved to reduce that burden? What are the risk factor that contribute to the ergonomic burden?
What are the environmental factors (heat/cold stre ss, lighting, air quality, noise and vibration. [5]
Some typical ergonomic risk factors: repetitive motion, forceful exertions, vibrations, noise, light, air temperature, chemicals, sustained or awkward postures, mechanical compression, lifting heavy obje cts, slip, fall from above/on ground level, unsuitable design of job, tools, work stations and workplaces, etc.
RISK ASSESSMENT
Risk assessment can be defined as overall process of estimating the magnitude of risk and deciding whether or not the risk is acceptable. On general level it is effective to use a simple technique for risk assessment, such as Risk Assessment Matrix.
Severity of
Consequence A B
Probability
C D E F
IMPOSSIBLE
IMPROBALE
REMOTE
OCCASIONAL
PROBABLE
FREQUENT
- I 3 CATASTROPHIC
- II 2 CRITICAL
- III 1 MARGINAL IV NEGLIGIBLE Risk Code / Actions Acceptable Risk
- 1 1 countermeasures aren’t required. Conditionally Acceptable
- 2 2 Risk requires written, time limited countermeasures.
3
3 countermeasures must be adopted andexecuted immediately.
NOTE: Personnel must not be exposed to hazards in Risk Zone 3 and should not be exposed to hazards in Risk Zone 2.
Figure 5 – Risk Assessment Matrix.
Risk assessment Matrix is:
- guides subjective Risk Assessments for Hazard Analyses.
- based on the Definition of Risk and the Principle of the Iso risk Contour.
- widely described in the literature, standards, and regulations.
The Matrix can only be used for Identified Hazards. The Matrix DOES NOT identify the hazards. The matrix from figure 4 is proposed in three risk level:
- ACCEPTABLE RISK In a case, that the risk is evaluated by Risk Assessment Matrix as acceptable (i.e. it is in the colorless zone and of amount „1“), no actions are required to control it.
- CONDITIONALLY ACCEPTABLE RISK In a case the risk as evaluated by Risk Assessment Matrix as conditionally acceptable (i.e. it is in the blue zone and of amount „2“), taking of time limited countermeasures to control it is required. People should not be exposed to any conditionally acceptable risk.
- NOT ACCEPTABLE RISK In a case, the risk is by Risk Assessment Matrix evaluated as not acceptable (i.e. it is in the red zone and of amount „3“), immediate action must be token to control it. Work activity, related to the not acceptable risk, is forbidden to
be performed until action decreasing risk size to a temporarily acceptable level at least are performed. The peoples must not be exposed to any not acceptable risk!
The consequences of risk related with ergonomic hazards are such as the following: low back pain, eye fatique and strain, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, changes in color perception, headache, neck strain, skin problems, stress, permanent hearing damage, cumulative trauma disorders, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc.
RISK CONTROL
Risk control is a part of risk management process focused at the control on unacceptable and temporarily acceptable risks with a goal to eliminate them or reduce them to an acceptable risk level.
1. TERMINATE (ELIMINATE)
4.
TOLERATE
RISK
2. TREAT (REDUCE)
3. TRANSFER (REMOVE)
Figure 6 – The options of risk control.
 |
|
1) The first choice: TERMINATE |
- used in isolation of the other „T’s“,
- refusal to expose organization to a risk in the first place,
- complete elimination of a risk that is already present.
2) TREAT
- „TERMINATION“ may not be practical or possible,
- include both prevention and reduction,
- risk still exists,
- more OHS activities involve TREATMENT.
3) TRANSFER
Insurance:
- finance losses through insurance,
- leasing, shipping agreements also common,
- not foolproof; most expensive way to pay for risk.
Non- insurance:
- contractors/sub contractors,
- proprietor often liable for losses, errors, and omissions.
4) TOLERATE
- it is a last choice of risk control,
- magnitude of this type of risk can reach up, as a maximum, level of conditionally acceptable risk,
- it is employed in cases:
- when it is neither possible to eliminate the risk nor lower it to an acceptable level by actual scientific or technical knowledge,
- potential severity of consequence is insignificant against the costs related with risk control.
In this context, ‘tolerable’ does not mean ‘acceptable’. It refers instead to a willingness by society as a whole – and in particular, by those affected in general - to live with a risk so as to secure certain benefits in the confidence that the risk is one that is worth taking and that it is being properly controlled. However, it does not imply that the risk will be acceptable to everyone, ie that everyone would agree without reservation to take the risk or have it imposed on them. [7]
REFERENCES
[1] M. Demcak: OHS Management System, Occupational Safety (Slovak Professional OHS Journal), III. volume, 3/2003, Ing. Miroslav Mracko, EPOS, ISSN 1335- 4078.
[2] M. Demcak: Risk Management Process, Occupational Safety (Slovak Professional OHS Journal), III. volume, 4/2003, Ing. Miroslav Mracko, EPOS, ISSN 1335-4078.
[3] System Safety and Risk Management, NIOSH Instructional Module, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, NIOSH, Ohio, 1998.
[4] M. Demcak: Risk Management – Basic Course, Textbook to Course, U. S. Steel Kosice s.r.o., Kosice, Slovak Republic, 2004, 1st Edition.
[5] P. Dennis: Qualit y, Safety and Environment, Synergy in 21st Century, ASQC Quality Press, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. 1997, ISBN 0- 87289-379-4
[6] M. Demcak: Risk Assessment Matrix, Preliminary Hazard Analysis, Occupational Safety (Slovak Professional OHS Journal), III. volume, 6/2003, Ing. Miroslav Mracko, EPOS, ISSN 1335-4078.
[7] REDUCING RISKS, PROTECTING PEOPLE, Health & Safety Executive , HSE Books, UK, 1999