The Most Dangerous Hazards at the Workplace - Case Study Example

HR Occupational health and safety of the of the of the Introduction Workplaces have hazards associated with it. Workplace hazard is anything that has the potential to cause harm to the persons working in the workplace. Workplace hazards causes disruption in the flow of work at workplace causes loss of money, time and human resources. It is the duty of the management of the organization to ensure a safe workplace for the employees and to ensure adequate precautionary measures in order to avoid the occurrence of any hazard at workplace. Although no organization wants hazards at workplace still it is almost impossible to avoid hazards. So the best that an organization can do is to maintain necessary precautionary or preventive measures to prevent hazards from occurring and limiting the damage caused by a hazard. Some of the hazards are easy to identify but there are certain types of hazards that are difficult to identify and can affect the health of the workers years after they have left their work. Most common types of hazards at workplace includes Safety hazard, biological hazard, physical hazards, ergonomic hazards, Chemical hazards and work organization hazards. Out of the different hazards just stated the safety hazard is the most common at workplace and the ergonomic hazard is the highest to identify. Biological hazards come from working with other infected individual or animal or plant at workplace. In the following pages one of the common workplace hazards is described at length. The discussion involves fire hazard. The discussion includes the causes of fire hazard and the way this hazard can be prevented in the workplace. Discussion Fire is one of the most dangerous hazards at workplace (NT work safe). Fire is one of the greatest hazards that can occur in a business. The most important problem that is associated with fire hazard is that it can start anywhere and at any time and can destroy everything in its path. The dangerous element of the fire is not the blaze itself but also the smoke that arises from fire. The smoke that arises from fire contains at many times carbon monoxide. The carbon monoxide combines with hemoglobin of blood to form a complex compound carboxy-hemoglobin. The compound that is formed with the combination of hemoglobin with carbon monoxide is unable to carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body and causes slow death to the victims. The causes of fire are varied and it varies according to the type of industry that one is talking about. It is also seen that some of the industries are more prone to fire than other due to the type of materials that these businesses deals with. Earlier it was stated that the most important cause of fire are the cigarettes. However the government in various countries has now enacted laws that prohibit smoking at workplaces. So now days there are other causes and other sources that lead to fire at workplaces. Every year lot of fire breaks out at workplaces in different countries. These fires cause serious damage to property and are responsible for causing injury and death. In the UK every year there are about 20000 fires that are reported in non residential places. Most of the non residential fires that are reported occur at the workplaces. There is variety of reasons explaining why fires break out at workplace and negligence is one of the most serious of reasons. Since negligence is one of the reasons that explain as to why fires breakout at workplaces providing stuffs with proper training is the way to prevent fires. Fires are classified into different type in accordance with the sources that causes fire. A list of these types is shown in the following figure It is noted that the working environment of different business is different and hence there are several causes that leads to fire. Some of the common causes of fire at workplace are listed below. Causes of Fire Wastage and combustible materials In many workplaces and in particular offices it is noted that there is a collection of waste in the form of paper and other combustible materials that build up on the site and are not properly disposed off. These materials provide an easy source of fuel that can easily burn or aid in spread of fire (Regional District of Bulkey- Nechanko). As these are combustible materials so just a single spark of fire in the form of burnt cigarette butts or other sources can cause huge fire to spread throughout the premises and can cause loss of life and materials. Electrical fires Advancements in the life of people means that the present generation and businesses in general has meant that a lot of electrical and electronics equipments are used now a days in businesses these days. Although these electrical devices and equipments are originally meant to make the lives of the humans easier and ensure better and efficient running of the businesses, they also bring in additional fire hazard along with them (Lichfield district council). One of the biggest causes of workplace fires these days are faulty electrics. Faulty electrics may be in the forms of loose cables, plugs and extension boxes that are overloaded, outdates electric equipments etc. Out of the different types of fires that are caused by electrical appliances and equipments, overloading of the power sockets is one of the most common causes of electrical fires. This might be caused if too many appliances are plugged into the same socket or if extensions cords that are used are faulty. This may result in overheating of the electric equipments or sparks to come out which may come into contact of an inflammable material and may cause fire in an instance. Another thing that may occur is that if the electrical equipments are not kept at a safe distances from the wall or there is no proper ventilation that is allowed then overheating of the electrical equipment may cause fires to breakout. Flammable liquids and vapors This type of fire hazard is more prominent in some workplaces and does not apply equally to all workplaces. The particular areas which might be affected by these types of fire are the places like industrial warehouses and factories (Seatle Fire department fire prevention decision). It is at these places that large amount of flammable liquids and vapors are generally stored there by increasing the risk of these places. This risk can also occur in certain other places like hotels, garages etc. where there is a chance to find flammable liquid being stored. The flammable liquids can ignite whenever they come into contact with a spark. Vapors are also dangerous as it spreads out very quickly and has the risk of explosion associated with it. Explosions, if they occur can have devastating consequences. Human errors and negligence Human error and negligence contributes as one of the most important factors towards causing fire at workplace. Human errors that can lead to fire is the act of leaving combustible materials beside a source of fire, improper use of electric equipments or other equipments, spilling liquids etc. Improper use of electric equipments may include not adhering to the safety instructions as prescribed by the manufacturer of the equipment. This may also include using the equipment beyond its prescribed safety limits. Other human negligence factors that may lead to fire hazard at workplace are spilling of liquids over electric equipments or non careful handling of flammable liquids. Arson Another important cause of fire is arson or the act of vandalism which particularly may occur at shops or retail spaces may be the reason behind fires. The person either through arson or vandalism may cause tremendous amount of structural damage, along with posing a huge risk to the safety of individuals. Prevention of fire hazard Preventing fires from wastage and combustible materials Wastage and combustible materials can act as a major source of fire and a fuel for fire to spread easily. Care should be ensured to see that there is building of waste and combustible materials buildup inside the office premises. One thing that will ensure that combustible materials do not buildup inside the office premises is to go for regular cleaning of the area. Preventing electrical fires In order to prevent fires due to electrical equipments it is very important to follow certain thump rules of electric equipment usages. The electrical equipment should be kept at a safe distance from the walls of the facility so that air circulation is not hampered in any way (Northern Ireland fire and rescue service). When using electrical equipment it is very important that instruction manuals of the manufacturer of the equipment is adhered to regarding what are the precautions that are to be followed while using the equipments. It is very important to take into consideration the power rating of the equipments. The factors that need to be considered are voltage, ampere and wattage ratings. Other important factor that needs to be taken into consideration is that the room where electric equipments are placed should not be too dusty. This can be ensured by regular dusting of the electrical equipments to remove any dust and to provide an exhaust fan to remove any dust in the air and also ensure that the air is kept in circulation. Other factors that needs to be considered is the periodical checkup of the electrical lines and cabling once a year to detect and rectify any faults that may have occurred. Any outdated electrical equipments should be replaced with new ones. When the electrical equipments are not in use care should be taken to switch it off. It is better that the room in which electrical equipments are kept should be a separate one and separated from rest of the building especially office premises. Care should also be taken to ensure that there are no combustible materials that are kept besides the electrical equipments. Preventing negligence or human error as the cause Human factor is one of the main causes behind fire hazard at the workplace. In order to prevent fires from originating due to human error it is necessary that proper training should be provided to the human or the employees at workplace. They should be taught about how to deal with inflammable materials, how to deal safely with electrical appliances, etc. Training should also focus on instructing them not to smoke in the workplace or near inflammable materials. Disposal of hazardous materials should also be taught to the employees. Last of all they should be told the steps that they need to take in order to ensure that a fire does not spread once it has broken out and the steps that they need to take in order to run to safety in case a fire actually breaks out. Preventing fires from flammable liquids and vapors In order to prevent fires occurring from this materials and care should be taken in order to ensure that flammable liquids are not brought into contact with any spark or sources of fire. Extra care should be taken when handling with them and storing them. The room where these materials are stored should have an adequate provision of fire extinguishers that can used to prevent fire from spreading. The room in which the flammable liquids are kept should be isolated by means of fire proof doors and windows. Arson The way to prevent fire or other safety hazards that may be caused from arson is to install fireproof shutters at the front doors. Automatic sprinkler systems may also be used. Other things that might help to prevent the spread of fire can also be used. Some of these methods are compartmentalization of different areas, fireproof seals around internal doors, etc. It is important to note in case of preventing fire or arresting the spread of fire that not all fires can be controlled by water. In fact there are many types of fire in which water instead of dousing the fires can actually help to spread the fire. The following diagram tells according to the type of fire the reason as to why water is ineffective in dousing those fires. According the type of fire therefore there are different types of fire extinguishers. It is important to keep the appropriate type of fire extinguishers in the premises where that type of material is located. It is also important to train the employees regarding how to use a fire-extinguisher and which one of the fire extinguishers should be used at what time. Conclusion There are a lot of hazards that can occur at workplace. They can variety of types and dimensions. Some of the hazards are easier to point out as compared to others. Some take a toll on the metal health where as other affect the mental health in the long run. For some the effect is easy to be identified and immediate. For others the effect is not so prominent at the beginning and is felt after words. The above pages focuses on a detailed discussion of one of the hazard that can happen at workplace namely fire hazard. The discussion focuses on the facts that can cause a fire and the way in which it is prevented. We find through the course of discussion that there are several causes that lead to fire breaking out at workplace. However there is a way in which each type of fire can be prevented. The discussion leads to the fact for almost all the cases of fire hazard a little more care can prevent the hazard from occurring and also prevent the damage once a fire hazard has broken out. Works cited Lichfield district council, Fire safety in the workplace. 2014. Web. 19 April 2015. Northern Ireland fire and rescue service, Managing fire safety in the workplace. 2011. Web. 19 April 2015. NT work safe, Workplace Hazards. 16 April 2015. Web. 19 April 2015. Regional District of Bulkey- Nechanko, Common Causes of Fire in Businesses. 2012. Web. 19 April 2015. Seatle Fire department fire prevention decision, Workplace fire safety. 2009. Web. 19 April 2015. Read More