PRACTICE OCCUPATIONAL health and safety procedures

Sound occupational health and safety policies are essential for employees, but they are also increasingly important for your customers and other stakeholders. Occupational Health and Safety Management systems certification to OHSAS 18001 is a strong sign of a organization’s commitment to employees’ health and safety.

Many organizations implement an Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) as a fundamental part of their risk management strategy to address changing legislation and protect their workforce and other persons working under their control.

OHSAS 18001:2007 addresses the following key areas:

• Hazard identification, risk assessment and determining controls

• Legal and other requirements

• Objectives and OHS program(s)

• Resources, roles, responsibility, accountability and authority

• Competence, training and awareness

• Communication, participation and consultation

• Operational control

• Emergency preparedness and response

• Performance measuring, monitoring and improvement

Occupational health: Concerns the physical and mental health of workers and includes the study of work methods, conditions of work and factors in the working environment that may cause diseases or injuries.

Occupational safety: Concerns the protection of worker’s lives and physical well-being by eliminating or controlling risks in the working environment or the system of work within which workers operate.

OHS Criteria and Indicators

7. OSH-MS, INTERNATIONAL SAFETY RATING SYSTEM AND OTHERS

• Copy of certification

The threshold limit value (TLV) of a chemical substance is a level to which it is believed a worker can be exposed day after day for a working lifetime without adverse health effects. Strictly speaking, TLV is a reserved term of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). However, it is sometimes loosely used to refer to other similar concepts used in occupational health and toxicology. TLVs, along with biological exposure indices (BEIs), are published annually by the ACGIH.

The TLV is an estimate based on the known toxicity in humans or animals of a given chemical substance, and the reliability and accuracy of the latest sampling andanalytical methods. It is not a static definition since new research can often modify the risk assessment of substances and new laboratory or instrumental analysismethods can improve analytical detection limits. The TLV is a recommendation by ACGIH, with only a guideline status.

As such, it should not be confused with exposure limits having a regulatory status, like those published and enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The OSHA regulatory exposure limits permissible exposure limits (PELs) published in 29CFR 1910.1000 Table Z1 are based on recommendations made by the ACGIH in 1968, although other exposure limits were adopted more recently.

Many OSHA exposure limits are not considered by the industrial hygiene community to be sufficiently protective levels since the toxicological basis for most limits have not been updated since the 1960s. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) publishes recommended exposure limits (RELs) which OSHA takes into consideration when promulgating new regulatory exposure limits.

Most workplace health hazards target a particular part of the body such as the lungs, skin or liver. A large number of workplace diseases and disease agents are recognized. Virtually any part of the body can be affected in some way by some workplace health hazard. An important consideration is how exposure occurs. For some hazards, there can be one type of effect from a single, high exposure (an acute effect) and a quite different result when exposure is at a low level, but repeated regularly over a prolonged time period (chronic effect). Acute effects depend on the degree of exposure.

It is therefore relatively easy to control exposure (keep it at a low enough level) to avoid acute effects. Or, to put it another way, if workers are experiencing acute effects, they know exposure to the hazard is not being properly controlled. With chronic effects there is no immediate warning. Where long-term exposure is known to cause disease without any warning of the hazard, it may be necessary to control worker exposure through regulations that prescribe occupational exposure limits (OELs).

Human factors and ergonomics (HF&E), also known as comfort design, functional design, and user-friendly systems, is the practice of designing products, systems or processes to take proper account of the interaction between them and the people who use them.

The field has seen contributions from numerous disciplines, such as psychology, engineering, biomechanics, industrial design, physiology and anthropometry. In essence, it is the study of designing equipment and devices that fit the human body and its cognitive abilities.

HF&E is employed to fulfill the goals of occupational health and safety and productivity. It is relevant in the design of such things as safe furniture and easy-to-use interfaces to machines and equipment. Proper ergonomic design is necessary to prevent repetitive strain injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders, which can develop over time and can lead to long-term disability.

Human factors and ergonomics is concerned with the “fit” between the user, equipment and their environments. It takes account of the user’s capabilities and limitations in seeking to ensure that tasks, functions, information and the environment suit each user.

To assess the fit between a person and the used technology, human factors specialists or ergonomists consider the job (activity) being done and the demands on the user; the equipment used (its size, shape, and how appropriate it is for the task), and the information used (how it is presented, accessed, and changed). Ergonomics draws on many disciplines in its study of humans and their environments, including anthropometry, biomechanics, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, industrial design, information design, kinesiology, physiology, cognitive psychology and industrial and organizational psychology.

Any project in the Philippines that poses a potential environmental risk or impact (such as mining, agriculture projects, and construction) is required to secure an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) from the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources – Environmental Management Board (DENR-EMB).

An ECC is issued by DENR-EMB after a positive review of the project’s application. This certificate indicates that the proposed project or undertaking will not cause a significantly negative impact on the Philippine environment. The ECC contains specific measures and conditions that must be met by the project proponent before and during the operation of the project. In some cases, conditions are listed to be performed during the project’s abandonment phase to lessen identified potential environmental impacts.

An ECC also certifies that the proponent has complied with all the requirements of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) System and has committed to implement its approved environmental management plan.

Clean Air Act

The State shall pursue a policy of balancing development and environmental protection. To achieve this end, the framework for sustainable development shall be pursued. As such, it shall be the policy of the State to:

The Philippine disaster management program has a broad scope covering disaster preparedness, organization and training, construction of disaster reduction facilities, disaster response and rehabilitation, public information, and research and development.

Disaster preparedness is an essential element of the disaster management program. Disaster management plans of key agencies and organizations have been prepared, review and updated. These plans are properly documented and are regularly tested for continuing relevance.

Organizations and training are continuing disaster preparedness tasks which are preformed by various disaster coordinating councils. Over the past few years, various emergencies services necessary during disaster have been developed in all the region and provinces. Designated organizations have been oriented in their various roles in the disaster management Local chief executives, particularly those elected to their posts for the first time, have been provided training on disaster management to equip them effectively lead their local disaster coordinating councils. Specialized skills in search and rescue, evacuation, disaster medicine, vulnerability analysis, damage assessment and first-aid have been widely undertaken. In 1995 alone, 159 training sessions on various aspects of disaster management have been conducted all over the country.

The Philippines conducted 103 drills were conducted in 1998 alone. Other disaster preparedness measures have also been undertaken such as disaster drills and exercises, and establishment of disaster management operations centers. Disaster management operations centers have been established with capabilities of a wide range of emergency services which include rescue, evacuation, emergency housing and relief services.

The Philippines has also devoted considerable resource to the construction and provision of disaster reduction facilities such as river dikes and sea walls, as well as non-structural measures like warning systems for typhoons, floods, tsunamis, volcanic eruption and lahar flows. Flood control projects and watershed management projects, in additions to the broader reforestation effort, are all geared to mitigate the worst effects to natural disasters.

In the event of disasters, plans and capabilities prepared beforehand are activated. The improved quality of planning, coordination and high state of preparedness have been responsible for a more and rapid and comprehensive disaster response capabilities in various areas of the country. Volunteer workers with proper training , and reaction teams with proper equipment and skills have been invaluable in the various military and civil agencies of government as well as those in the private sector. In addition, the communications and warning capabilities of the government have also been augmented by the media organizations and the corporate communication capabilities of large Philippine enterprise. Together these resources have provided which are the essential safety margins during disaster of uncertain and unexpected destructive force.

Public information before, during and after disaster is an important aspect of disaster management in the Philippines. Both through training and public education campaigns the disaster coordinating councils maintain and enhance public awareness of disaster reduction. Manuals and bulletins provided to media professionals help keep disaster preparedness in the public agenda. Special events like civil defense day, fire prevention month, disaster consciousness week, and the day for the international decade for natural disaster reduction help to mobilize civic consciousness.

Since the knowledge base of disaster management remains inadequate, the Philippines has also included research and development in disaster reduction techniques as part of its national disaster management program. Current priorities in this area include meteorological and hydrological disaster researches being conducted by the Philippine weather bureau(PAGASA) such as the tropical cyclone research on typhoon movement prediction, typhoon surface structure research, typhoon formations and intensification research and meteorological and hydrological hazards assessment. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology(PHIVOLCS) is also conducting studies on the seismicity of Luzon and Visayas island as well as the volcanic hazards of Mindanao island.

Hereunder are some of the programs/projects/activities which PAGASA and PHIVOLCS undertake related to National Disaster Reduction;

PAGASA

1. Special Tropical Cyclone Reconnaissance Information Dissemination and Damage Evaluation (STRIFE) a quick response team (QRT) to conduct in the spot investigation in areas affected by landfilling TC’s, tornadoes, storm surges etc.

2. Provision of Farm-Weather Forecast and Warning Services-Provides Weather Information related to plant growth/development and farming operations including livestock and crop production.

3. Information and Education Campaign(IEC) Program for natural Disaster Reduction. Include the level of awareness/preparedness of the people on natural hazards and disasters through the development of hi-tech audio-visual and multi-media technology, conducts seminars/workshops, lectures and training’s throughout the country.

PHIVOLCS

1. Volcanic Hazards Identification and Mapping-identify, catalogue and characterize activities and potentially active volcanoes.

2. Hazardous Volcanic Products and Process: to map extent of emplacement, thickness of deposition, stratigraphy and source vents to these hazardous volcanic products which may give an overview of the anticipated hazards and risks from future eruptive episodes.

3. National Lahar Mapping Program: this involves mapping out the possible extent of emplacement and distribution of lahar deposits from past explosives eruption. The ultimate aim of this program is to generate lahar hazard maps for selected active volcanoes which shall identify possible routes and areas that can be affective during a particular lahar flow incidents.

Disaster response in the Philippines is truly a multi-sectoral and mass-based endeavor. A major contingent to the disaster management structure is composed of civic organization, non-government organization, people’s organizations, and all forms of religious and social voluntary groupings. Partly because of their democratic political experience, the high public awareness of the destructiveness of disaster, and partly because the institutional framework for disaster management has encouraged it, popular participation of the Filipino people in disaster response is very broad, sustained, enthusiastic, organized and ultimately decisive.

Reference:

• https://gselodelmsapp.wordpress.com/online-courses-page/occupational-health-and-safety-procedures/practice-occupational-health-and-safety-procedures/lesson-02-evaluating-hazard-and-risks/

• https://gselodelmsapp.wordpress.com/online-courses-page/occupational-health-and-safety-procedures/practice-occupational-health-and-safety-procedures/lesson-03-control-hazard-and-risks/

• https://gselodelmsapp.wordpress.com/online-courses-page/occupational-health-and-safety-procedures/practice-occupational-health-and-safety-procedures/lesson-04-maintain-occupational-health-and-safety-awareness/