Dr. Aaron Amponsah, a Medical Practitioner has advised workers and employers that, Safety awareness as well as safe practices and procedures is a constant realization that everyone should have at all times.
According to him, being constantly aware of how you work, and being able to recognize the hazards it comes with, is essential in mitigating safety-related risks.
Speaking on Plan B FM ‘ApomudenFie’, with Nana Konadu Okontie, he stated that workers must be constantly aware of the safety risks associated with their work.
“Managing safety and health is an integral part of managing a business and businesses need to do a risk assessment to find out about the hazards and risks in their workplace(s) and put measures in place to effectively control them to ensure these hazards and risks cannot cause harm to workers. Hazards and risks to workers’ safety and health should be identified and assessed on an ongoing basis. Preventive and protective measures should be implemented. Employers should provide for appropriate personal protective equipment, including clothing, at no cost, and should implement measures to ensure its use and maintenance,” he said
He went on to explain some of the causes of health and safety hazards, he indicated that, these hazards can appear due to factors such as people, equipment, material, environment, and processes at the work place.
“People’s actions, whether they display them or not, have a significant impact on workplace health and safety. Therefore, actions become one of the major factors that cause health and safety hazards. Equipment include tools and machines that people work with. Further, equipment includes those to which people are near. Equipment can include fixed machines, vehicles, material handling devices, hand tools, protective equipment, and personal gear”.
“Moreover, some equipment can potentially emit harmful chemicals. Certain equipment can produce physical agents such as heat, noise, vibration, or radiation during operation at their work place. Material include raw material, products, hazardous chemicals, and other substances that workers use, process, or handle. Therefore, it is important to be aware about the damage material can cause to the property. These damages could be owing to spills, corrosions, burns, or explosions,” he added
In conclusion, he stressed that unsafe or poor conditions such as overcrowding and poor ventilation become important. Hazards caused by physical agents such, as light, temperature, and noise are vital to analyze. Maintenance hazards such as blocked stairs, debris on stairs, and blocked floors and exits are critical for hazard analysis.
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