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Occupational health and safety are conditions and factors that affect the wellbeing of employees, temporary workers, contracted 
personnel, visitors and any other person in the work place. Although there are statutory acts laid down to govern health and safety, in my opinion, it is an obligation that the company owes to its employees and visitors to its premises.
It is important to create a comfortable working environment so that workers feel less exhausted and stressed in places where they have to spend long hours. Creation of a comfortable working environment is also believed, will enable workers to put their abilities to use more effectively and revitalise workplaces. Hazards may cause a risk to health and safety.
What is hazard?
When we refer to hazards in relation to occupational safety and health the most commonly used definition is ‘A hazard is a potential 
source of harm or adverse health effect on a person or persons’.
The terms hazard and risk are often used interchangeably but this simple example explains the difference between the two.
If there was a spill of water in a room then that water would present a slipping hazard to persons passing through it. If access to that area was prevented by a physical barrier then the hazard would remain though the risk would be minimised.
What is risk?
When we refer to risk in relation to occupational safety and health the most commonly used definition is ‘risk is the likelihood that a person may be harmed or suffers adverse health effects if exposed to a hazard.’ This is one main reason why, in developed countries, ‘asbestos’ is not used as a building material for any premise where humans reside.
Workplace hazards
A perfectly safe and healthy workplace would have no hazards. There would be nothing that could harm you. Unfortunately, many workplace hazards are so familiar that we ignore them and put ourselves, and sometimes others, at risk.
Example: A 33-year-old factory worker didn’t know that the gloves he was wearing had been in contact with gasoline. When he struck a lighter, the gloves caught fire and he received third degree burns to his arm and back.
Safety hazards
A safety hazard is anything that can have an adverse impact on workers safety. There are a lot of safety hazards in the world for example: result in broken bones, cuts, bruises, sprains, loss of limbs, etc, working conditions where harm to the workers is of an immediate and violent nature, the harm results in some kind of injury to the worker, associated with poorly guarded or dangerous equipment and machinery
Health hazards
A health hazard is a warning against what could potentially adversely affect one’s health. It could come in the form of a symbol if there is a slippery floor i.e. a yellow ‘caution wet floor’ kept in the middle of the wet floor. It could also be the notice on a packet of cigarettes, a warning that cigarettes can seriously damage your health.
In short then, warnings in writing or spoken over a loud speaker are given in the short or long term whenever there is a danger of a person doing something that might run counter to their health or puts them in danger or causing an accident to themselves or others.
How do you find a hazard?
Ask yourself what if questions:
nWhat if I bump into the open containers of hot oil?
nWhat if the forklift tips over on my co-worker in a fast turn?
nWhat if I inhale the toxic fumes from the toilet cleaning chemicals?
Learn to spot a hazard – before an incident happens – is the first step to staying safe. Every job will have slightly different hazards. Wherever you work, there are four main types of hazards and some examples:
Categorising risk
The level of risk is often categorised upon the potential harm or adverse health effect that the hazard may cause, the number of times persons are exposed and the number of persons exposed. For example, exposure to airborne asbestos fibres will always be classified as high because a single exposure may cause potentially fatal lung disease, whereas the risk associated with using a display screen for a short period could be considered to be very low as the potential harm or adverse health effects are minimal.
Hazard identification
Identify and evaluate hazards, evaluate and assess risk, identify unsafe acts, identify unsafe conditions, recommend feasible improvements, investigate all near misses and accidents, investigate workers complaints – collective or individual.
Risk assessment
Risk assessment is where the severity of the hazard and its potential outcomes are considered in conjunction with other factors including the level of exposure and the numbers of persons exposed and the risk of that hazard being realised. There are a number of different formulae used to calculate the overall risk from basic calculations using high, medium and low categories to complicated algorithms to calculate risks at nuclear power stations and other high risk work locations.
It is important to ensure that the residual risk following implementation of control measures is ‘as low as is reasonably possible (ALARP). For a risk to be ALARP it must be possible to demonstrate that the cost involved in reducing the risk further would be grossly disproportionate to the benefit gained.
Control measures
Control measures include actions that can be taken to reduce the potential of exposure to the hazard, or the control measure could be to remove the hazard or to reduce the likelihood of the risk of the exposure to that hazard being realised. A simple control measure would be the secure guarding of moving parts of machinery eliminating the potential for contact.
Eliminate the hazard, substitute the hazard with a lesser risk, isolate the hazard, use engineering controls, use administrative controls and use personal protective equipment
Work-related disease
An occupational disease is any chronic ailment that occurs as a result of work or occupational activity. It may be difficult to establish whether a specific disease is attributable to work or other causes. A causal connection may be particularly difficult to demonstrate if a person has changed jobs several times. . An occupational disease is typically identified when it is shown that it is more prevalent in a given body of workers than in the general population, or in other worker populations.
Noise
Noise exposure is the commonest preventable cause of occupational hearing loss. Whilst occupational noise induced hearing loss is entirely preventable, once acquired it is irreversible. Hearing losses from different causes are at least additive and interactions can occur between noise exposure and toxic chemicals and drugs.
Non-work factors also cause hearing loss, most commonly the ageing process. With older employees, the effects of work-related noise may be difficult to distinguish from age related hearing loss without access to previous audiograms.
Noise assessment
The noise assessment is the start of the process, not the end. Assessments shouldn’t just be filed away, but used to carry out the employer’s duties to reduce the risk of hearing loss and control noise exposure.
Protect people by:
Extreme temperature
Workers who are exposed to extreme cold or work in cold environments may be at risk of cold stress. Extreme cold weather is a dangerous situation that can bring on health emergencies in susceptible people, such as those without shelter, outdoor workers, and those who work in an area that is poorly insulated or without heat. What constitutes cold stress and its effects can vary across different areas of the country. Whenever temperatures drop decidedly below normal and as wind speed increases, heat can more rapidly leave your body. These weather-related conditions may lead to serious health problems. Consider people working up-country.
Workers who are exposed to extreme heat or work in hot environments may be at risk of heat stress. Exposure to extreme heat can result in occupational illnesses and injuries. Heat stress can result in heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, or heat rashes. Heat can also increase the risk of injuries in workers as it may result in sweaty palms, fogged-up safety glasses, and dizziness. Burns may also occur as a result of accidental contact with hot surfaces or steam. Workers at risk of heat stress include outdoor workers and workers in hot environments such as fire-fighters, bakery workers, farmers, construction workers, miners, boiler room workers, factory workers, and others. Workers at greater risk of heat stress include those who are 55 years of age or older, are overweight, have heart disease or high blood pressure, or take medications that may be affected by extreme heat.
Vibration
Mechanical vibration arises from a wide variety of processes and operations performed in industry, mining and construction, forestry and agriculture, and public utilities. Hand-transmitted vibration occurs when the vibration enters the body through the hands, e.g. in various work processes where rotating or percussive power tools or vibrating work pieces are held by the hands or fingers. Whole-body vibration occurs when the human body is supported on a surface which is vibrating, e.g. in all forms of transport and when working near some industrial machinery
Whole body vibration
Chemical hazards
A chemical hazard is any substance that can cause harm, primarily to people. Chemicals of all kinds are stored in our homes and can result in serious injuries if not properly handled. Household items such as bleach can result in harmful chlorine gas or hydrochloric acid if carelessly used. Gasoline fumes from containers for lawnmowers or boats can result in major health hazards if inhaled.
Health effects
(Nalin Jayasuriya is the Managing Director & CEO, McQuire Rens & Jones (Pvt) Ltd. He has held regional responsibilities of two multinational companies, of which one, Smithkline Beecham International, was a Fortune 500 company before merging to become GSK. He carries out consultancy assignments and management training in Dubai, India, Maldives, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh. Nalin has been Consultant to assignments in the CEB, Airport and Aviation Services and setting up the PUCSL. He is a much sought-after Business Consultant and Corporate Management Trainer in Sri Lanka. He has won special commendation from the UN Headquarters in New York for his record speed in re-profiling and re-structuring the UNDP. He has lead consultancy assignments for the World Bank and the ADB. Nalin is an executive coach to top teams of several multinational and blue chip companies. He is non-Executive Director on the Boards of Entrust Securities Plc and Eswaran Brothers Exports Ltd.)
