Risk Management: Manual Handling Hazards - Report Example

Risk Management Manual Handling Hazards 1. Place of Employment The place of employment is single storey health clinic located in the corner of (fill-in the address please). It has a floor area of approximately 180 m2 with wide car and truck parking space at the centre of the building. The design of the health clinic provides an enclosed courtyard that can serve as a waiting area. It has a secured gate for crowd control. Access to building is from the main road to the east. The health clinic has four interconnected examination rooms measuring about 3m x 3m each. It has a waiting room, a reception office, pharmacy and laboratory, recovery room, surgery and treatment room, miscellaneous room, and a utility room. From the car park, patients and clinic personnel have direct access to these rooms except for pharmacy, laboratory, and utility room. The building was designed to accommodate future expansion. 2. Hazard Identification- Manual Handling Hazard The term ‘manual handling is defined as the movement of a load by human effort alone (Hughes and Ferrett 2005, p.107). It is any activity that demand the use of strength by a person to lift, lower, shove, pull, carry or move, hold or control any living or non-living object (Taylor et. al. 2004, p.462). These exertions may be applied directly or indirectly using an aid. Manual handling may require the carrying of the load or the direct support of the load including pushing, pulling, carrying, moving by means of physical strength, and straightforward lifting. In a health clinic, patients are hardly materials but the principles are very similar. Furthermore, there is convincing and reliable evidence that workers in occupations involving manual handling report more back pain (Waddell 2004, p.103). 3. Risk Assessment and Prioritization Assessment of manual handling risk includes the following issues. Activities and movement, workplace and work station layout, working posture and position, interval and constancy of manual handling, arrangements of loads and distances moved, heaviness and forces, types of loads and equipment, work regulation, proficiencies and familiarity, age, clothing, and special needs (Taylor et. al. 2004, p.466). A hazard that is critical, realistically possible, and unfamiliar to a large proportion of workers should be given a higher overall prioritization score than a hazard that is less dangerous, very unlikely, and already recognized by workers (Proctor and Vu 2005, p.490). A systematic re-examination of the work process, in conjunction with an understanding of human limitations, provides the opportunity to appreciate further the high-risk areas within the working environment. As we become familiar with areas in the system that requires enhancement, we are in a position to consider a suitable policy (Taylor et. al. 2004, p.35). The typical hazards of manual handling: (Numbered by priority and rating) 1) Hazards caused by lifting a load, which is too heavy or too burdensome Manual handling operations can trigger a broad array of severe and recurring injuries to workers. Severe injuries on average results to sickness leave from work and a period of rest during which time the impairment mend. The most frequent injuries related with poor manual handling practices are purely musculoskeletal. Chronic injuries developed over a long period and are typically permanent producing diseases such as arthritic and spinal disorders (McKeown 2007, p.153). Back injuries because of lifting of heavy loads are extremely widespread and quite a considerable number of working days are lost every year because of such injuries (Jeynes 2000, p.72). “It is the greatest single cause of time loss attributed to work in industry in many countries” (Taylor et. al. 2004, p.464). According to McKeown (2007, p.153), generally, the back is the most likely body part to be injured, but it is not the only body part they can hurt. Many workers developed upper limb disorders particularly if they lift loads repeatedly at work. Low back pain in nurses and health workers is a well-recognised cause of long-term sickness absence. Contributory factors include the heavy or struggling patient, crowded and narrow work areas, lack of lifting aids, and poor techniques for lifting and carrying loads (Gardiner and Harrington 2006, p.300). 2) Hazards caused by poor posture during lifting. Ordinarily, pulling a load is much more convenient for the body than pushing one. If a load can be pushed, then pushing rearward with the back is less distressing on body muscles. Lifting a load from a plane at waist level is more comfortable than lifting from floor level and generally, injuries during lifting are caused by lifting and twisting simultaneously. Normally, a load is easier to carry at waist level and close to the body trunk. Some of the results of poor posture during lifting are muscular pains and strains attributable to stretched ligament or tendon consequential to excruciating soreness of the region distressed. Injuries to the discs situated between the spinal vertebrate that can result to severe and painful prolapsed disc lesion. This type of injury can also result to other distressing conditions called lumbago and sciatica where pains travel down the leg. Trapped nerve is also an injury of the back caused by other injury but exaggerated by poor manual handling. In addition, a condition called ‘Hernia’ where rupture of the body cavity wall in the lower abdomen causing a protrusion of part of the intestine. Finally, illness like rheumatism causing severe pain in the joints, which assumed to be the muscular strains produced by poor manual handling lifting technique (Hughes and Ferrett 2005, p.108). 3) Hazards caused by slipping, tripping or falling while carrying Workers lifting or carrying are susceptible to foot hazards such as cables, broken glass, rusty nails and wires, and slip hazards such as ice, water, and chemical residue (Small 2000, p.129). Injuries from falls are normally sprains and strains, followed by contusions, with the wrist, arm, ankle and back. The danger of heel slip and falling backwards when walking down a ramp is much higher than the danger of sliding during toe off and falling forward while climbing. Load carriage influences the centre of gravity, making it additionally strenuous to regain from imbalance. The possibility of slipping is very high while pushing or pulling because there are shear forces between the feet and the floor (Karwowski 2006, p. 2778). 4) Hazards caused by dropping a load and other heavy objects Hazards originating from material handling activities include sprains and muscle strains from inappropriate lifting. However, object and loads may fall and squeeze, break, cut, or crush workers’ hands, feet, and legs. Another is moving parts of a processing machine that can strike a worker, resulting in a serious injury. Speed and mass of the materials and equipment may also contribute to severe injuries. Workers may injure themselves and others by operating equipment too quickly or may be run over by motorized vehicles. Failure of lifting equipment such as a loose parts of a lifting device, may also lead to injuries (Levy et. al. 2006, p.230). 5) Hazards caused by lifting sharp-edged or hot loads resulting in hand injuries. External injuries like cuts, bruises, crush injuries, lacerations to fingers, forearms, ankles, feet, and abrasions produced by handling loads with exposed sharp corners or edges are normally not severe as the internal forms of injury, which include muscle and ligamental tears, ruptures, slipped discs, and damage to knee, shoulder, and elbow joints (Stranks 2007, p.257). However, regardless of the severity of the injury, workers health is affected and significant productive time is lost. 4. Risk Control Measures and Monitoring Activities In view of the fact that back injuries and manual handling accidents have the potential to cause severe and long-lasting disability, a prevention strategy must be adopted. “Gender, age, body weight, height, state of health and fitness, training, spinal structure, and other personal attributes all influence ease and safety of handling” (Taylor et. al. 2004, p.466). Hazards caused by manual handling are also related to some personal factors. The lack of physical strength or endurance for the job in hand for instance, staying power is a problem if a person cannot sustain a static muscle strain and falls consequently. The worker’s lack of fitness and failure to warm up or loosen up before a manual handling work commence. These defects are also intensified by incidents and factors such as loss of balance while lifting, jerking or twisting lifting motion, unanticipated weight impact, and limited space to manoeuvre. In addition, postural difficulties aggravated by ill-fitting uniforms, insufficient grip on heavy, uncomfortable, scorching, corrosive, pointed or oily objects, unstable footwear, greasy or irregular or littered floor surfaces, and uncoordinated team lifting (Taylor et. al. 2004, p.466; Paul 2004, p.49). Because the above factors can cause severe injuries, the following control measures are necessary. In the workplace, we must make sure that task involving physical exertion are properly planned and performed. Employees must be given enough training in the process of manual handling, as well as follow-up directives and preparation for any specific task. Identify handling hazards and commence remedial measures and opportunities for employees to contribute in suggesting these remedial measures. We must guarantee that safety and protective equipments is well matched with the tasks and does not add-up to any injury. Finally, since dropping a load often originate from unexpected weight impact; we must consider informing the working beforehand by marking the weight on packs that are to be moved manually. Hazards and Control Measures Hazards Injury Factors Affecting Safety Control Measures Monitoring Lifting a heavy load Severe back injury and upper limb disorders Lack of physical strength and endurance Lack of training. Physical fitness Adequate instructions in the skills of manual handling Weight marking on packs Jobs involving physical effort should be planned and carried out correctly. Lifting equipment Health Monitoring Environmental Monitoring Supervisor’s observations Checks on maintenance of control measures to ensure compliance Regular inspections Poor Posture muscular pains and strains caused by stretched ligament or tendon, lumbago, and hernia or rupture Lack of training Training for Manual Handling Task Physical fitness Slipping, Tripping or Falling Sprains and strains, and contusions with the wrist, arm, ankle and back Lack of training Unsafe workplace Insufficient safety equipment Protective equipment Identification and removal of possible hazards Training for Manual Handling Dropping a Load pinch, fracture, sever, or crush workers’ hands, feet, and legs Lack of training Physical strength and endurance Lack of weight markings on packs Training for Manual Handling Physical Fitness Mark weight on packs Lifting Shard-edged or hot loads Cuts, bruises, crush injuries, lacerations to fingers, forearms, ankles, feet, and abrasions Lack of protective equipment Lack of training Protective Equipment Training for Manual Handling Warning labels 5. Drugs and Alcohol Procedure and Policies (I’ve sent you a message about this part. Please clarify because this part seems not relevant to ‘manual handling’. However, I can write it in an hour, just clarify.-thanks) 6. References Gardiner K, Aw T. C., and Harrington Malcolm. 2006. Occupational Health: Occupational Health, Blackwell Publishing, Singapore Hughes Phil and Ferrett Ed. 2005, Introduction to Health and Safety at Work: The Handbook for the NEBOSH National General Certificate, Butterworth-Heinemann, Italy Jeynes Jacqueline. 2000, Practical Health and Safety Management for Small Businesses, Butterworth-Heinemann, U.K. Karwowski Waldemar. 2006, International Encyclopedia of Ergonomics and Human Factors, CRC Press, U.S. Levy Barry S., Wegman David H, Baron Sherry L., and Sokas Rosemary. 2006, Occupational and Environmental Health: Recognizing and Preventing Disease and Injury, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, U.S. McKeown Celine.2007, Office Ergonomics: Practical Applications, CRC Press, U.S. Paul Jane. 2004, Healthy Beginnings: Guidance on Safe Maternity at Work, International Labour Office, International Labour Organization, Switzerland Proctor Robert W. and Vu Kim-Phuong L.2005, Handbook of Human Factors in Web Design, Routledge, U.S. Small Robin. 2000, Production Safety for Film, Television, and Video, Focal Press, U.K. Stranks Jeremy. 2007, Human Factors and Behavioural Safety, Butterworth-Heinemann, U.K. Taylor Geoff, Easter Kellie, and Hegney Roy. 2004, Enhancing Occupational Safety and Health, Butterworth-Heinemann, U.K. Waddell Gordon. 2004, The Back Pain Revolution, Elsevier Health Sciences, China Read More