Workplace

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# Sample company safety and health policy statement The safety and health of our workers is this company's most important business consideration. Workers will not be required to do a job that they consider unsafe. The company will comply with all applicable Oregon OSHA workplace safety and health requirements and maintain occupational safety and health standards that equal or exceed the best practices in the industry. The company will establish a safety committee, consisting of management and labor representatives, whose responsibility will be identifying hazards and unsafe work practices, removing obstacles to incident prevention, and helping evaluate the company's effort to achieve an incident-and-injury-free workplace. ## The company pledges to do the following: - Strive to achieve the goal of zero incidents and injuries. • Provide mechanical and physical safeguards wherever necessary. • Conduct routine safety and health inspections to find and eliminate unsafe working conditions, control health hazards, and comply with all applicable Oregon OSHA safety and health requirements. • Train all workers in safe work practices and procedures. • Provide workers with necessary personal protective equipment and train them to use and care for properly. it • Enforce company safety and health rules and require workers to follow the rules as a condition of employment. • Investigate incidents to determine the cause and prevent similar incidents. ## Managers, supervisors, and all other workers share responsibility for a safe and healthful workplace. • Management is accountable for preventing workplace injuries and illnesses. Management will consider all worker suggestions for achieving a safer, healthier workplace. Management also will keep informed about workplace hazards and regularly review the company's safety and health program. - Supervisors are responsible for supervising and training workers in safe work practices. • Supervisors must enforce company rul…

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# How long should an inspection take to do? It is difficult to accurately estimate how long each inspection will take. The time required depends on what is found, how many questions are asked, and how large and complex the work area is. Inspections are ineffective when the given time allows for only a quick look. When it is impractical to inspect the entire workplace at once, consider assigning smaller inspection zones to more teams, or rotate which section of the workplace is inspected each month (if allowed by jurisdictional safety regulations). ## How frequent should inspections be done? The purpose is to keep the workplace free of hazards. The schedule should state: - when to inspect each area or item within the workplace - who carries out the inspection - what degree of detail to inspect each area or item How often inspections are performed will depend on several factors: - legislative requirements for your jurisdiction - past incident records - number and size of different work operations - type of equipment and work processes - number of shifts - the activity of every shift may vary - new processes or machinery High hazard or high risk areas and activities should receive extra attention. It is often recommended to conduct inspections as often as committee meetings. Do not conduct an inspection immediately before a committee meeting but try to separate inspections and meetings by at least one week. This time allows for small items to be fixed, the inspection report to be written, and gives the committee an opportunity to focus on issues requiring further action. ## How are inspections actually done? Discuss the planned inspection route before undertaking the inspection. Review where inspection team members are going and what they are looking for. For example, during the inspection, "huddle" before going into noisy areas. This discussion eliminates the need for arm waving, shouting and other unsatisfactory methods of communication. For inspect…

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WORKER HEALTH AND SAFETY A CAUTION 0 Hearing protection required. A CAUTION Eye protection required. # Foundation for a safe workplace OSHA Oregon OSHA Department of Consumer and Business Services

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CCOHSOCCHST Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Centre canadien d'hygiène et de sécurité au travail # Prevention and Control of Hazards # Effective Workplace Inspections ## On this page <table><tr><th>Why are workplace inspections</th><th>Should supervisors be on the inspection</th></tr><tr><td>important?</td><td>team?</td></tr><tr><td>What is the purpose of inspections?</td><td>How long should an inspection take to</td></tr><tr><td>How do you plan for inspections?</td><td>do?</td></tr><tr><td>What types of hazards do we look for in a workplace?</td><td>How frequent should inspections be done?</td></tr><tr><td>What type of information is needed to</td><td>How are inspections actually done?</td></tr><tr><td>complete an inspection?</td><td>What should the final report have in it?</td></tr><tr><td>Are there other types of reports that may</td><td>What should I know about follow-up and</td></tr><tr><td>be useful?</td><td>monitoring?</td></tr><tr><td>Who should be on the inspection team?</td><td></td></tr></table> ## Why are workplace inspections important? Workplace inspections help prevent incidents, injuries and illnesses. Through a critical examination of the workplace, inspections help to identify and record hazards for corrective action. Health and safety committees can help plan, conduct, report and monitor inspections. Regular workplace inspections are an important part of the overall occupational health and safety program and management system, if present. ## What is the purpose of inspections? Inspections are important as they allow you to: - listen to the concerns of workers and supervisors - gain further understanding of jobs and tasks - identify existing and potential hazards - determine underlying causes of hazards - recommend corrective action Effective Workplace Inspections CCOHS

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# Effective Workplace Inspections (cont.) ## What types of hazards do we look for in a workplace? (cont.) - Ergonomic hazards caused by improper work methods, incorrect manual material handling_, and poorly designed workstations, tools, and equipment. These place physiological (repetitive and forceful movements, awkward postures, overloading) and psychological (workload, time pressure) demands on the worker that can lead to musculoskeletal injuries. - Physical hazards caused by noise, vibration, weather , heat, cold, radiation, pressure, combustible dusts, odours, and indoor air quality_ - Psychosocial hazards that can affect mental health or well-being such as overwork, stress, bullying,, or violence and harassment. ## What type of information is needed to complete an inspection? ## Diagram of Area Use drawings of the plant layout or floor plans to help you draw a diagram. Divide the workplace into areas based on the process. Visualize the activities in the workplace and identify the location of machinery, equipment, and materials. Show the movement of material and workers, and the location of air ducts, aisles, stairways, platforms, emergency response equipment, alarms and fire exits. Appendix A shows a sample diagram. Use several simple diagrams if the area is large. Ask workers and supervisors for their comments on the information - they know the area better than anyone else. Inspection diagrams should be reviewed periodically and updated as needed to remain accurate. ## Equipment Inventory Know what type of machinery or equipment is present. Review technical data sheets, or manufacturers' instructions and safety manuals. Read work area records to become familiar with the hazards of the equipment. Be aware of any engineering safety controls required to safely operate the equipment. ## Hazardous Product or Chemical Inventory Determine which products are used in the workplace and whether safety data sheets are available. Find out if all sources of expos…

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# Effective Workplace Inspections (cont.) ## What is the purpose of inspections? (cont.) - monitor the steps taken to eliminate hazards or control the risk (e.g., engineering controls, administrative controls, policies, procedures, personal protective equipment) - meet regulatory and management system requirements ## How do you plan for inspections? Planning is essential for an effective inspection. ## What to Examine Every inspection must examine who, what, where, when and how. Pay particular attention to items that are or are most likely to develop into unsafe or unhealthy conditions because of stress, wear, impact, vibration, heat, corrosion, chemical reaction or misuse. Include areas where no work is done regularly, such as parking lots, rest areas, storage areas and locker rooms. ## Workplace Elements Look at all workplace elements - the people, the environment, the equipment, the materials, and the process. - People include the number of workers, demographics, shift schedules, and supervision. - Environment includes the workplace structure and setting, and the conditions that surround the workers such as noise, vibration, lighting, temperature, and ventilation. - Equipment includes machinery, tools, and apparatus for producing a product or a service, as well as safety devices and personal protective equipment (PPE) that may be required. - Materials include items such as parts, ingredients, chemicals, services, and wastes. - Process involves how the worker interacts with the other elements in a series of tasks or operations. ## What types of hazards do we look for in a workplace? Hazards can occur due to unsafe workplace conditions and practices involving the workplace elements. Types of workplace hazards include: - Safety hazards such as those caused by inadequate machine guards, hazardous energy_ (mechanical, electrical, gravitational, pneumatic, etc.), vehicles, machinery_, tools, lack of fall protection, confined spaces , and housekeeping_…