Proper Risk Assessment of Potential Hazards Can Ensure Workplace Health and Safety
Copyright (c) 2010 Alison Withers
Whether they are selling consumer products, as in a supermarket, offering food as in a restaurant or café, storing products in a warehouse or manufacturing products using processes that involve potentially hazardous chemicals all businesses have a responsibility for all those people in their buildings.
A proper risk assessment schedule and putting safety mechanisms in place for any activity being carried out are therefore important for health and efficiency.
Of particular importance to overall health and safety is the quality of the air, particularly if the operation uses any substances that could potentially be hazardous, where safety systems to prevent leakage of chemicals and their fumes into the air are vital.
The Health and Safety Executive HSE) has a number of very useful models for different types of businesses to use when carrying out risk assessments before putting safety measures in place.
They include pinpointing potential hazards - in an office environment for example this might include ink cartridges and toners used in printers and the potential for inhaling solvents, skin contact with ink which can contain irritants, breathing in emmissions from photocopiers and the overall indoor air quality. The Hazards in a warehous might include the risk of inhaling fumes from battery acid in fork lift trucks or inhaling fumes from products stored there, such as pesticides.
Many businesses use ventilation systems to ensure the air quality and to remove potential contaminants so part of a proper risk management process is ensuring that such systems are running efficiently to ensure ventilation hygiene within the system and air hygiene in the surrounding environment.
The various regulations and guidelines relevant to ventilation system hygiene include the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 1992.
The HSE advises that mechanical ventilation systems (including air conditioning systems) should be regularly and properly cleaned, tested and maintained to ensure they are kept free from contamination.
An important component of ensuring this is to use a specialist commercial cleaning company. These companies are experienced in the rules as well as in the use of proper mechanisms for handling hazardous substances when maintaining or cleaning ventilation systems to preserve air quality within the building.
An experienced company will expect to be provided with a full risk assessment and a list of any substances that require special care so that it can assess and advise its client on how frequently the ventilation system, duct work and filters need to be checked, cleaned, repaired or replaced.
Proper risk assessment and maintenance, cleaning of extraction systems as part of a proper health and safety plan would benefit businesses by reducing insurance premiums and absenteeism, reducing litigation costs and staff turnover and lower sick pay costs.
Demonstrating proper concern for building occupants' health and safety is also good for improving corporate image and it can benefit a business through improved production/productivity rates, improved chances of winning contracts,lower accident costs and production delays,improved job satisfaction and morale and also reduced product and material damage.
About the Author
An essential part of good health and safety is risk assessments to identify potentially hazardous substances that could affect workplace ventilation hygiene. By Ali Withers. http://www.pro-ductclean.com/air-ventilation-hygiene.asp
Tell others about
this page:
Comments? Questions? Email Here