Workplace Safety

10 Common Workplace Safety Issues or Workplace Hazards

Workplace safety can be ensured through occupational health and safety management systems. Workplace safety is generally considered the primary requirement of a healthy workplace. It has a valuable impression in the case of occupational health and safety of any organization. Workplace safety issues are generally observed in every workplace. But the major concern is how effectively those hazards are being managed by the organization. Commonly observed workplace safety issues or workplace hazards are as below-

  1. Chemical Hazards
  2. Biological Hazards
  3. Ergonomic Hazards
  4. Physical Hazards
  5. Safety Hazards.

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Workplace Safety Issues or Workplace Hazards

  1. Chemical Hazards

Generally, chemicals are classified into 2 categories- hazardous and non-hazardous. Hazardous chemicals are mostly harmful to the human body and also to the natural environment. Most of the chemicals may be liquid, semi-liquid, gaseous, or in powder form. But if chemicals are not managed properly then a lot of problems may arise for the employees who directly handle chemicals. Some common health problems related to chemical hazards are- skin irritation, breathing problems, asthma, etc.

Some precautions or measures should be taken for the proper management of chemical substances which are as below-

  1. Chemicals should be stored with proper Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), Label, Safety Sign, and Compatibility Chart.
  2. Sufficient safety equipment like emergency response kits and fire prevention materials should be available in the place.
  3. All chemical users should be properly trained regarding storing and handling chemical substances.
  4. A Periodical mock drill should be conducted as well.

 

  1. Biological Hazards

Biological workplace hazards are well-known as biohazards. Biological substances that could harm humans are biological hazards such as bacteria and viruses, mold, insect bites, plants, birds dropping, body fluid, etc. Biological hazards can cause death or discomfort and affect the health and performance of employees in the long run. We have to be vigilant in preventing and controlling biological hazards in order to make the work environment safer and healthier. The use of personal protective equipment is a common and useful way to safeguard your employees from biological hazards.

 

  1. Ergonomic Hazards

Ergonomic hazards are harmful to the human body and have both short-term and long-term effects. Common short-term exposure to ergonomic hazards is “sore muscles”. But the long-term or extended exposure to ergonomic hazards can cause serious health hazards. Some common ergonomic hazards are-

    1. Poor posture
    2. Frequent lifting
    3. Awkward movement
    4. Improper workstation etc.

 

  1. Physical Hazards

Physical hazards are known as environmental hazards or occupational hazards which include radiation hazards, high exposure to sunlight, vibration hazard, heat, noise hazards, etc. All kinds of Physical hazards are harmful to a healthy workplace.

 

  1. Safety Hazards

Safety hazards are common workplace issues. Some of the commonly observed workplace health and safety issues are as below-

Confined Space: Confined space is a major workplace safety issue or workplace hazard which is the potential to create high-category risk. Generally, confined space remains outside of risk assessment because compliance personnel or risk assessor didn’t go for in-depth risk analysis of confined space, only a few safety measures are taken in place. As a result, the overall atmosphere of the confined spaces remains unknown.

In order to ensure health and safety in the workplace, organizations should take immediate action to conduct an effective risk assessment of confined spaces, circulate the risk to the employees, and ensuring of safety precautions around confined spaces as well.

 

Poor Housekeeping: Poor housekeeping may be an obstacle to a clutter-free workplace. Many kinds of health hazards are found in the workplace only due to poor housekeeping like aisles blockage, improper storing of goods, slippery floors, etc.

 

Work at Height: It’s a workplace safety issue and needs proper management to avoid any unwanted things like falling from ladders or heights.

 

Electrical safety and related hazards: Electrical safety is very important for every workplace because lots of incidents occurred due to poor electrical installation. Damage to wealth and death of the employees are a few results of electrical hazards. Burn injury also may happen due to electric shock. Improper electrical wiring may cause workplace hazards which must be addressed properly.

 

Machine safety and related hazard: Moving machine parts are the major source of machine hazards. Due to improper management of moving machine parts, it can cause serious health hazards like cutting off hands or even death in the case of a large machine.

 

Building safety and related hazard: This is one of the workplace health and safety issues that need to be corrected immediately after the findings. Otherwise, major health hazards may happen.

 

Fire Safety and related hazards: Common workplace safety issues related to fire safety are- storing combustible materials, aisles blockage, exit without a directional sign, exit sign without proper illumination, insufficient emergency team, etc.

 

Slippery Floor: Slippery floor is taken as one of the workplace safety issues, because serious incidents may happen for it.  You should use the necessary floor mats to avoid any occurrence due to slippery floors.

 

Waste Materials Management: Different kinds of waste are generated due to the production activity of the industry. But unfortunately, waste management strategy is very poor in most cases. Sometimes, wastages are burned in the open air or throughout rivers and canals. This kind of activity causes huge environmental damage.

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A safe and healthy workplace can ensure sustainability in business. Above workplace safety issues can create obstacles to business growth and sustainability. So, quick preventive measures must be taken by considering the importance of workplace safety issues. Management should form an SOP for managing the above issues and circulate them. So that every employee can follow the actual guidelines in order to ensure business sustainability.

 

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