Workplace Guidelines Improving Ergonomics -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Workplace Guidelines Improving Ergonomics? Answer: Introduction The reports deal with the case study of the Streakers hair and beauty salon. The owner had sold the salon to a new owner. The owner plans to appoint one of the current staff as manager. The owner aims to assure safe workplace. As he is himself not the hairdresser, he is uncertain about the safety associated with the equipments used in the work place. Therefore, he plans a comprehensive plant risk assessment. Plant refers to the appliances, machinery, equipments and tools. In reference to the case study the report identifies the plant hazards at Streakers. Further, risk assessment is conducted in relation to three of the plant hazards, using the WHS CouncilCode of Practice on Risk Management. The report then presents the appropriate control measures to minimise the risk of each identified plant hazards. The control measures would be based on the hierarchy of control. Risk assessment and control risks are necessary to avoid hazards abiding by legal requirements. It will help ensure tha t the workplace is in alignment with WHS regulations (Armstrong et al. 2009). Identification of hazards using relevant guides and documentation The following plant hazards are identified in the chosen organisation- Biological hazards- are known to be agents of biological source such as microorganisms, or their toxins that may affect the human health. Hazards due to biological materials are known as biohazards (Archer 2015). Exposure to infected scalp through washing hair, without gloves, working with wet hair may lead to dermatitis and others disease among staff. Biological hazard may occur by mishandling or inappropriate disposal of sharps like scissors, syringes, razor blades, and others. The risk of cuts and wound is very high and may lead to spread of blood borne infections (Wshc.sg 2018). Physical hazards- are designed as the factors or agents within the environment that may cause harm with or without direct contact (Archer 2015). Electrical hazards- may occur due to use of equipments such as hair dryers, straightners, and others. It may cause serious health and safety risks in wet conditions. There are frequent incidents of Electrical shock that results in burns and injuries. It is mainly attributed to the exposed live parts such as conductors, and electric fire mainly results from heating equipments and overloaded circuits (Wshc.sg 2018). Slip and fall injury- there is an increase risk of slips and falls due to use of spray products and excess hair. It makes the floors slippery and not using the shoes increases the risk of injury. Hairdressers spend a lot of time on feet and make repetitive movements with upper arms and hands. It leads to repetitive stress injuries such as bursitis. Hairdressers are at risk of musculoskeletal disorders of the neck and shoulders (Wshc.sg 2018). Chemical hazards- are the type of hazards at occupational place that occur due to exposure to harmful chemicals that may have detrimental effects on health (Archer 2015). Workers may be exposed to wide range of chemical products used in hairdressing that may lead to various health effects such as dermatitis, asthma, or cancer. The chemicals may include bleaches, dyes, shampoos, oxidative colourants for hair, perm solutions, sterilising liquid, etc. The chemicals may be harmful due to corrosive and reactive nature. Dyes splashing on unprotected hands may lead to skin irritations (Wshc.sg 2018). Assessment of risks and recommendation of controls Risk assessment is the process of the gaining knowledge of potential risks associated with the identified hazards in order to develop the control measures. In this process the likelihood of occurrence of harm is measured. In order to assess the risk for identified hazards the risk level matrix will be used by Archer (2015, p. 124). Risk assessment would be conducted for three of the above mentioned plant hazards. Risk assessment for chemical hazards- likelihood is likely. There is medium risk of non-significant injuries such as irritations for short duration that may not require medical interventions. Minor injuries- can be of high level risk due to customers and staff eye irritations, allergic reactions/infections or temporary period requiring minimal medical interventions. There s low risk of major injuries due to chemical such as permanganate damage caused bleaching agents. The risk of severe consequences is low. Risk assessment for the biological hazards- likelihood is likely. There is high risk of major injury such as contracting HIV through cuts and gazes to staff and clients. There is high risk of blood borne infections without any protective equipment. Risk assessment for the physical hazards- the likelihood is likely. There is medium risk to staff due to minor injuries such as electric shock or burn. There is a moderate risk of severe injury such as fire and fatality due to electric hazard. The risk of nonsignificant injuries due to electric hazard is very low and minor injuries are medium. Control of hazards and risks The hazards can be controlled using hierarchy of control which is the system to minimise the hazard exposure. In the order of decreasing effectiveness, the control measures are- Eliminations- eliminating the source of the hazard by removal of equipments/agents Substitutions- replacement of the source of hazard with another agent that may reduce hazard Engineering controls- In this process people are isolated from hazards using certain barriers Administrative controls- is the change in the pattern of work conducted by the staff. It may include installation of safety equipments, procedural changes, employee training. These controls only limit the exposure to the hazard. Personal protective equipments- include gloves, goggles and safety footwear (Archer et al. 2015). Applying the hierarchy of control the chemical hazards can be controlled in following manner- Eliminating- nickel plated equipment for hair dressing, eliminating products contributing to dermatitis Substitutions-replacement of chemicals with safer alternatives, provision of health information for employees, replace bleaches with non-dusty bleach Engineering controls- local exhaust ventilation, use of safety glasses Administrative controls flammable chemicals stored in cool place Personal protective equipments- provision of gloves, aprons, safety data sheets, covered shoes when handling corrosive agents (Wshc.sg 2018, Mom.gov.sg 2018). Applying the hierarchy of control the physical hazards can be controlled in following manner- Elimination - removal of faulty electrical equipments Administrative control- employee training on the reporting of faulty electrical equipments or exposed wiring, creating employee awareness on the evacuation assembly point, provides fire safety instructions, and handling of fire extinguishers. Display of safety signs wherever needed PPE- use gloves for all the wet works (Wshc.sg 2018, Mom.gov.sg 2018). Applying the hierarchy of control the biological hazards can be controlled in following manner- Substitutions- replace the reusable equipments such as razor, tissues, blades with single use purpose Engineering control- work environment designed that does not contain clean and contaminated instruments. Reinstallation of the fittings, implement hand hygiene practices Administrative control- employee training should be provided by supervisors, on first aid to protect from sharp injury, mandatory training on risk of blood-borne diseases (by enlisting MOM assistance) (Mom.gov.sg 2018). Implement the procedures for cleaning, sterilising and disinfectant of equipments. Effective disposal instructions for disposing sharps and other equipments must be provided. PPE- use of gloves for contacting the bloody substances and contaminated equipments, face masks and eye protection during cleaning (Wshc.sg 2018, Mom.gov.sg 2018). Occupational health legislations shall be implemented for controlling all three hazards (Pereira et al. 2016). Monitor and review The controls will be monitored using the risk assessment form during the audit. The form ensure that the controls were actually implemented and were effective. It will include checking for any additional controls (Archer 2015). The sample review form is given in the Appendix - The review process for three of the hazards using the above framework is as follows- Physical hazard may be caused by the fire due to faulty electrical equipments. The staff may suffer burns and shocks. The existing controls in this category are employee training on reporting of faulty equipments and removal of the same by the person in charge. There is fire extinguisher in place. Therefore, there is medium risk of hazard. The additional controls may be checking of water thermostats every year and other electrical equipment by electrician every five years. It may reduce the risk to low level. The person to implement the additional control would be the owner of salon (Mom.gov.sg 2018, Wshc.sg 2018). Biological hazard may be caused by- wet hand works such as washing hair and use of contaminated sharps. The possible injuries include severe dry skin, infection and increased sensitivity. The staff may be affected during hair cleaning, spa or hair dye. The risk is moderate due to existing controls such as substitutions of sharps with single use, PPE, and administrative controls such as first aid training to staff and safe disposal techniques. The risk is moderate and with additional controls it may be low. It may include checking of compliance guidines by owner as well as regular health check after any injury. Initiative can be taken by owner (Singapore Workplace Safety and Health Council 2015, Mom.gov.sg 2018, Wshc.sg 2018). Chemical hazard may be caused by activity of using hydrogen peroxide/bleach product/oxidative colourants. It might harm the staff. The possible risk injury is the skin irritations or allergic reactions on hands. Existing controls are the use of PPE, engineering controls- use of safety glasses, and administrative controls flammable chemicals stored in cool place. The risk likelihood is medium risk. The additional control may include owner to take control of skin assessment of staff every three months. The risk would then decrease to medium level. The implementation of the control would be the owners responsibility from the date of the commencement of new control (Singapore Workplace Safety and Health Council 2015, Wshc.sg 2018). For serious risks the control measures will be reviewed more frequently to check compliance with OSH legislations (Quinlan et al. 2010). Re-assessment of risk based on ALARP principles Using the WHS CouncilCode of Practice, the safety in design checklist will be used to reassess the physical, chemical and biological hazard. Reassessment for the controls using the risk assessment table is as follow Risk assessment for chemical hazards- likelihood is Unlikely for the staff. There is low risk of non-significant injuries. Minor injuries- have low level risk. There is no risk of major injuries or of severe consequences. Risk assessment for the biological hazards- likelihood is unlikely. There is low risk of major injury such as contracting HIV through cuts and gazes to staff and clients. There is no risk of blood borne infections using protective equipment. Risk assessment for the physical hazards- the likelihood is rare. There is low risk to staff due to minor injuries. There is low injury such as fire and fatality due to electric hazard. The risk of nonsignificant injuries and minor injuries are low. The new risk ratings are acceptable and it confirms to the ALARP principle. It refers to As low as reasonably practicable. Yes it is cost effective to introduce the new controls. After introducing the controls the risk is minimised and in future the chemical and biological hazards would be unlikely to occur. The physical hazards are rarely likely to occur (Archer 2015, p. 127). It is reasonable as in most cases there are very few models that are completely eliminated. In some cases the engineering controls does incur cost and aligns with the ALARA, as low as reasonably achievable principle. Moreover, some of the controls are assumed to already exist in the organisation, which means overall cost is balanced. Risks are eliminated based on the RPN [risk prioritisation number] for acceptability. If the risk level has high RPN only then risk is eliminated. Wherever possible, risks are reduced to at least a Medium level by additional controls (Singapore Workplace Safety and Health Council 2015). Plant purchasing policy for future purchases The policy may state the objective clearly as the plant procurement represents value for money. The objective is to promote health and staff of community. Purchasing requirements must state who is authorised to purchase the plant. The policy will state the requirements pertaining to monetary thresholds, any conflicts of interest so that the purchasing decision must be transparent. The buyer must have information on categories of diverse suppliersthat the organisation recognises and circumstances of waiver for bidding (Monczka et al. 2015). The proposed plant purchasing policy may enlist requirements that can be agreed upon by the seller and buyer before purchasing. The requirement may include safety information and its alignment with the national standards, hazards identified, risk assessment, the existing control measures in place and documentation of modifications to the workplace (if any). To ensure safety the requirements that will be included in the policy before purchasing plant are details on the employee training and review of information pertaining to compliance with ALARP principle (Archer et al. 2015). The policy will highlight the confidentiality of the information to be maintained, after the procurement organization has established a contract with a supplier. The confidentiality may be related to the supplier terms, and internal supplier preferences. The policy will also contain checks so that the buyer may be ensured of safety information necessary to handle the plant, stable condition of the plant, safe maintenance and safety procedure and safe implementation of the risk controls for identified hazards. It will help the buyer to know the existing controls in place and need of any additional control or administrative control such as employee training. Lastly, the plant will include details on retention of procurement records and duration to retain (Archer et al. 2015). Refer to Appendix for checks on purchasing policy. Conclusion The assignment presented the identification of hazards, assessment of risks for the Streakers hair and beauty salon. Appropriate controls are recommended and then re-assessd based on the ALARP principles. For future appropriate plant purchasing policy is highlighted. It can be concluded that risk should be controlled by eliminating as much reasonably possible. Irrespective of several guidelines mentioned in the textbooks, OHS regulations must be implemented regardless. Duty holders are obliged to control risks to ensure health and safety. References Archer, R, Borthwick, K, Travers, M Ruschena, L 2015, WHS a management guide, 4th edn, Cengage Learning, South Melbourne. Armstrong, J., Crosland, A., Green, M. and Nordmann, L., 2009.Salon Services: The Official Guide to the City and Guilds Certificate in Salon Services. Cengage Learning EMEA. Mom.gov.sg 2018.WORKPLACE SAFETYHEALTH PROFILE 2014. [online] Mom.gov.sg. Available at: https://www.mom.gov.sg/~/media/mom/documents/safety-health/reports-stats/wsh-profile/wsh-profile-2014.pdf [Accessed 10 Mar. 2018]. Monczka, R.M., Handfield, R.B., Giunipero, L.C. and Patterson, J.L., 2015.Purchasing and supply chain management. Cengage Learning. Pereira, M.J., Straker, L.M., Comans, T.A. and Johnston, V., 2016. Inter-rater reliability of an observation-based ergonomics assessment checklist for office workers.Ergonomics,59(12), pp.1606-1612. Quinlan, M, Bohle, P Lamm, F 2010, Managing occupational health and safety: A multidisciplinary approach, Palgrave Macmillan, South Yarra. Singapore Workplace Safety and Healthcare Council 2015, Code of practice on workplace safety and health (WSH) risk management, 2nd Revision, Published by the Workplace Safety and Health Council in collaboration with the Ministry of Manpower. Wshc.sg 2018.Improving Ergonomics in the Workplace. [online] Wshc.sg. Available at: https://www.wshc.sg/files/wshc/upload/event/file/Improving%20Ergonomics%20in%20the%20Workplace.pdf [Accessed 10 Mar. 2018]. Wshc.sg 2018.Workplace Safety and Health Guidelines Improving Ergonomics in the Workplace. [online] Wshc.sg. Available at: https://www.wshc.sg/files/wshc/upload/cms/file/2014/WSH_Guidelines_ImprovingErgonomicsintheWorkplace.pdf [Accessed 10 Mar. 2018].