Lesson: Practicing Occupational Health and Common Hazards Found in the Workplace and

Safety Procedures Control Measures

Pre-test: A. Electrical Hazards – hazards from electrical

components come from accidental contact with
Instruction: Identify if the following are hazards or faulty electrical equipment and damaged power
risks. Write H if it is a hazard and R if it is a risk on the cords and switches. Electrical hazards could be
space provided. fatal. Exposed wires and electrical appliances
_____1. Knife _____6. Pricks are sources of these hazards.

_____2. Spills _____7. Fire Prevention:

 Put off all electrical appliance before
_____3. Medicines _____8. Slips
leaving the workplace.
_____4. Electrical cord _____9. Blender  Always check any electrical equipment
before use
_____5. Falls _____10. Cleaning materials
 Use heavy duty electrical cord. Check the
cord before plugging.
 Check all electrical outlets before leaving
What is a hazard? the workplace.
It poses a potential damage, harm or adverse  Have a qualified electrician check all
health effects to someone under certain conditions at electrical equipment in the workplace.
work. The effects can be acute depending on how the  Avoid using electrical octopus – a device
person comes in contact with hazardous agent in the using one outlet with a number of cords.
workplace.
B. Falls, Slips, Trips
What is risk?

It is the chance or probability that a person will a. Falls – use only a ladder or step tool to reach
be harmed or will experience adverse health effect if high shelves.
exposed to hazard. Risks posed by health hazards can b. Slips – caused by loss of balance due to little
be controlled. friction between a person’s foot and the
walking surface.
 c. Trips – they accidentally happen when you  If an item is too high, use a stepladder
miss a step, hit an object, and lose your or stool to help you.
balance.  Provide fire extinguisher in the
workplace.
C. Chemical Hazards – the use of chemicals in the
Fire safety in the workplace
workplace is indispensable. The Threshold Value
(TLV) of chemical substances is used by the There should be an emergency exit route in
American Conference of Governmental Hygiene the workplace. This is the easiest route by
to express the level of chemical substances which the clients and caregivers can leave
where the caregiver is exposed day after day. the building safely.
The caregiver should exercise caution in using
chemicals because it causes skin irritation and Control measures:
respiratory problems. Information on chemical - Keep all escape routes and fire exits
hazards are found in the product label and clear. Check regularly to ensure they
material safety data sheet (MSDS). are safe to use
- Fire extinguishers should always be
D. Physical Hazards – it involves the activity that available and located in a specified
requires the use of force exerted by the location
caregiver to lift, push, pull or carry appliances - Store chemicals away from sources of
found in the workplace. This can result to heat.
injuries on any part of the body. Improper - Switch off and unplug all electrical
handling of tools may cause harm or injury. The appliances after every use.
most common types of physical hazards are:
Fire, explosion, chemical reactivity, sharp or E. Ergonomic Hazards – Ergonomic is the science
pointed tools and equipment. of designing and arranging things so that people
can use them safely and easily. It aims to
Prevention: reduce stress, injuries, and disorders associated
 Lift the load smoothly, do not jerk. with the space, equipment, furniture, and
 Plan the lift before you push. physical design of the workplace.
 Keep the load as close to your body as
possible F. Psychological Hazards – any hazard that affects
the mental well-being or mental health of the
 worker by overwhelming individual coping workplace. There are several ways to recognize
mechanisms and impacting the worker’s ability hazards. They include:
to work in a healthy and safe manner. This kind
- Workplace inspections
of hazard troubles an individual very much to an
- Accident/incident investigation
extent that his/ her general well-being is
- Material safety data sheet
affected.
- Job safety analysis
- Observance of work processes
Recognizing Hazards and Risks in the Workplace - Past experience

Hazards and risks vary from one workplace to How are hazards evaluated?
another. Even in day care or nursing homes where
Hazards are evaluated on the basis of risk. Risk
work routines may be the same, hazards will differ
is the potential loss of people, equipment, materials
depending on the type of building the establishment is
and environment. It is based on probability and
situated, and the attitudes of caregivers, clients, or
severity. Probability is the likelihood the hazards will
employers. The following are some ways for a
result in injury, illness, or property damage. Severity
caregiver to determine health and safety problems:
can be wide-ranging. As the probability and severity
1. A caregiver should observe the workplace increase, there is a greater likelihood for loss of
2. A caregiver may examine complaints from people, equipment, materials and environment.
his/her co-workers.
There are several ways to control hazards;
3. A caregiver should check accident records.
however, the order of preference is as follows:
4. A caregiver should examine chart on results
of inspections done by the employers or
private organizations.
5. A caregiver may use checklists and inspect  Engineering controls (elimination,
the workplace substitution, and isolation) – their
6. A caregiver may study reports or any other advantage is they have built-in protection
vital information about the nursing home. which does not require continuous
intervention. There are three main types:
How are workplace hazards recognized?
o Elimination – completely
Recognizing hazards is the first step in
preventing illness, injury and property damage in the removes the hazard. The
most effective way of
 protecting workers and  Personal protective equipment (PPE) – an item
should always be considered worn by the caregiver to protect him/her from
as the first option in exposure to hazards during work.
controlling hazards.
1. Gloves – used to reduce the number
o Substitution – replaces the of microorganisms getting on the skin
hazard with less hazardous of the caregiver during certain
one. This should only be situations where there may be high
used if elimination is not numbers present.
possible. 2. Aprons – used to protect the uniform
from becoming soiled with body fluids
o Isolation – separates and to reduce the number of
hazards from workers; for microorganisms getting on uniforms,
example, installing screens particularly from the waist to knees
to protect workers from area, when giving care and to reduce
dust, using distance to chance of transfer of microorganisms
separate noisy machines to other patients and to caregiver’s
from workers or building hands from contact with the uniform.
soundproof enclosures 3. Face/eye protection – used to prevent
around noisy machines, and microorganisms present in aerosols
etc. and sprays of body fluids, from having
contact with mucous membranes.
 Administrative controls – encourage safe work
Disposal of Health care Wastes
practices. They include:
In order to reduce the problem of disease,
1. Controlling workers exposure by job health care wastes should be managed properly.
rotation, work assignments and limited Whether a caregiver is working in a hospital, a day
duration in hazardous area or performing care, or even at home, proper disposal of medical
hazardous tasks. wastes should be of great concern.
2. Establishing operating procedures
1. Human waste products – these wastes should
3. Providing systematic and formal training
be flushed down in the toilet without delay and
 should not be discarded in the street or in any Instruction: Fill in the blanks.
public places.
1.______________is anything that may cause harm
2. Blood and bloody fluids – these must be
to an individual, such as chemicals, electricity, open
removed right away. It is best if they can be
drawers, and inadequate ventilation.
directly flushed down the toilet. If clothes are
contaminated, they should be washed 2.______________is the possibility that somebody
separately using hot water and should be dried. could be harmed by these and other hazards and the
3. Needles (sharps) – sharp needle should be kept indication of how serious the harm can be.
in a container which is not easy to pierce like
metal. 3.______________is an area concerned with the
4. Medical equipment – if the equipment is safety, health, and welfare of people engaged in work
contaminated, it should be thrown away. It is or employment.
ideal that the equipment be double-bagged and 4.______________are unsafe working conditions that
disposed of based on the existing regulations in can cause injury, illness, and death.
the community.
5.______________include exposure to harm or
Proper Handwashing disease associated with working with animals, people,
Keeping hands clean through improved hygiene or infectious plant materials.
is one of the most important steps we can take to 6.______________are the most normal occurrences in
avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. in workplaces.
1. Wet hands and apply soap. Rub palms together 7.______________occur when the type of work, body
until soap is bubbly. positions, and working conditions put a strain on your
2. Rub each palm over the back of the other hand. body.
3. Rub between your fingers on each hand.
4. Rub your hands with the fingers together. 8.______________are present when a worker is
5. Rub around each of your thumbs. exposed to any chemical preparation in the workplace
6. Rub in circles on your palms. Then rinse and dry in any form (solid, liquid, or gas).
your hands.

Post-test
9.______________is any hazard that affects the
mental well-being or mental health of the worker by
overwhelming individual coping mechanisms and
impacting the worker’s ability to work in am healthy
and safe manner.

10.________________is an item worn by the

caregiver to protect him/her from exposure to hazards
during work.