Nsanje Hills Training Institute [Duly registered with TEVETA: No.

TVA/1151)]
In partnership with Purdue University, USA

LESSON 8 OHS
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Workplace and work equipment safety

Working with some types of machinery (equipment) can be particularly dangerous because machines with
moving parts can cause injuries in many ways.

All machinery will have been designed with safety as a key consideration. This will typically include measures
such as guards and safety controls, as well as instructions for safe use, inspection and maintenance.
Employers need to ensure that any safeguards are properly fitted and that staff use machines as per the
manufacturer’s instructions for use.

The working environment

The general conditions in the workplace also have an effect on the health and safety of users.

You need to assess:

• Noise levels- the equipment shouldn't be so noisy that it distracts the user. If you can't use quieter
equipment, consider soundproofing or moving the equipment. You could use sound-insulating
partitions between noisy equipment and the rest of the workstation as an alternative.
• Lighting- surrounding windows must have curtains or blinds which users can adjust to prevent
reflected glare. If needed, provide users with lighting appropriate to their tasks and particular
workstation. Users should have control over their lighting to prevent reflected glare.
• Temperature- the equipment should not give out so much heat that the user becomes
uncomfortable.
• Humidity- it's important that you maintain ventilation and humidity at a level which keeps the user
comfortable.

What is Work Equipment?

Many businesses and self-employed workers use a range of equipment at work on a daily basis. The exact
type and amount of equipment in any business will vary according to the kind of work carried out.

Examples include:
 • Hand tools, including hammers, chisels, screwdrivers, spanners, knives, meat cleavers, saws and
scissors.
• Computers and display screen equipment
• Portable electrical equipment — equipment which is usually moved around, such as portable
power tools, floor polishing machines, vacuums, kitchen appliances and heaters.
• Fixed machines, including drilling machines, power presses, circular saws and photocopiers.
• Lifting equipment and lifts including forklift trucks, vehicle hoists and lifting slings.

Work Equipment Risks

There are many hazards involved in the use of workplace equipment.

Examples of the risks involved in using work equipment include the following.

• Puncture wounds and cuts caused by sharp equipment such as scissors, needles, paper
guillotines, knives, chisels, saws, planes and screwdrivers are the most common risks.
• Cutting equipment or equipment with moving parts may cause serious injuries if there are
insufficient safeguards in place.
• Equipment that uses heat, such as ovens and grills in catering businesses, could cause injuries
ranging from minor scalding to disfigurement and serious burns.
• Equipment that transmits vibrations into the hand or arm could cause long-term illness or
disability.
• Parts of the body can be drawn into or trapped between the rollers, belts and pulley drives of
machinery
• People can be crushed by moving parts.
• Parts of a machine can be hot or cold enough to cause burns or scalds, as can leaks of steam
• Electrical faults in equipment can lead to electrocution.
• People can be hit and injured by moving parts of machinery or ejected material.

Employers are required to consider how their employees use work equipment to carry out their tasks. After
consideration, employers must take steps to reduce or eliminate the risks to their workers.

Employers Duties

The general duty requires employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and
welfare of employees, including their safety when using work equipment.

The Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999 introduce further requirements for assessing
and controlling risks, including risks relating to work equipment, and for providing employees
with adequate health and safety information and training.

Employers should comply with the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)
and ensure that:

• Equipment is suitable for the intended process and conditions of use.

• Equipment is safe for the intended use, e.g. regular maintenance must occur and safety inspections
must be carried out as required.
• The person who is to use the equipment has received suitable health & safety training and
information about the equipment’s operation.
 • Equipment is fitted with appropriate warning signs, marks, safety bars or guards.
• Ensuring that equipment is suitable for use, and for the purpose and conditions in which it is to be
used
• Properly installing any fixed equipment or machinery, including ensuring that any safeguards are in
place
• Producing a safe system of work for using and maintaining machinery
• Ensuring that, where necessary, equipment is regularly inspected by a suitably competent person so
it continues to be safe for use
• Only using equipment for its intended purposes
• Maintaining equipment in good condition
• Ensuring that people using, supervising or managing equipment are provided with appropriate
safety information and training
• Taking account of working conditions and health and safety risks when selecting work equipment
(e.g. flooring conditions, stairs and space)

Employees Duties:

• Take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of other people who may be affected
by their work.
• Co-operate with their employers on health & safety matters.
• Follow health and safety instructions and report any hazards or faults.
• Attend any required training or instruction.
• Always operate machinery or equipment properly in accordance with the manufacturer's
instructions for the safe use of equipment.
• Perform a user safety check before use.
• Wear appropriate personal protective equipment.

Risk control of machinery and equipment hazards

Risk control of general hazards

Where exposure to machinery and equipment hazards cannot be eliminated or substituted for machinery
and equipment of improved design, risk controls must be applied to the hazards to prevent or reduce the risk
(chance) of injury or harm. Workplace health and safety laws require the highest order control be applied.

Higher order machinery and equipment risk controls are preventative by nature, are effective and durable
for the environment it is used in, and deal directly with the hazard at its source.

Lower order machinery and equipment risk controls, such as personal protective equipment (PPE), can
prevent injuries, but are generally not as effective as higher order controls, as they rely more on worker
behaviour, maintenance programs and supervision.

Administrative controls use systems of work to reduce risk by providing a framework of expected
behaviours. Examples are rotation of staff to reduce exposure to a hazard, or a documented safe system of
work, such as ‘lockout tagout’. These types of controls rely on extensive instruction, information, training and
supervision. In terms of time and ongoing administration by managers and employers to ensure the desired
behaviour occurs, administrative controls can be the most expensive and least effective form of hazard
control.

International Labour Standards on Occupational Safety and Health

The ILO Constitution sets forth the principle that workers must be protected from sickness, disease and
injury arising from their employment. Yet for millions of workers the reality is very different. According to the
most recent ILO global estimates, 2.78 million work-related deaths are recorded every year, of which 2.4
million are related to occupational diseases.

The promotion of decent, safe, and healthy working conditions and environments has been a continuous
objective of the ILO since it was founded in 1919.

Key instruments on occupational safety and health

• Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006

As an instrument setting out a promotional framework, this Convention is designed to provide for
coherent and systematic treatment of occupational safety and health issues and to promote
recognition of existing Conventions on occupational safety and health .

• Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981

The convention provides for the adoption of a coherent national occupational safety and health
policy, as well as action to be taken by governments and within enterprises to promote occupational
safety and health and to improve working conditions. This policy shall be developed by taking into
consideration national conditions and practice. The Protocol calls for the establishment and the
periodic review of requirements and procedures for the recording and notification of occupational
accidents and diseases, and for the publication of related annual statistics.

• Occupational Health Services Convention, 1985 (No. 161)

This convention provides for the establishment of enterprise-level occupational health services
which are entrusted with essentially preventive functions and which are responsible for advising the
employer, the workers and their representatives in the enterprise on maintaining a safe and healthy
working environment.

Health and safety in particular branches of economic activity

• Hygiene (Commerce and Offices) Convention, 1964 (No. 120)

This instrument has the objective of preserving the health and welfare of workers employed in
trading establishments, and establishments, institutions and administrative services in which
workers are mainly engaged in office work and other related services through elementary hygiene
measures responding to the requirements of welfare at the workplace.
 • Safety and Health in Construction Convention, 1988 (No. 167)
The convention provides for detailed technical preventive and protective measures having due
regard for the specific requirements of this sector. These measures relate to safety of workplaces,
machines and equipment used, work at heights and work executed in compressed air.

• Safety and Health in Mines Convention, 1995

This instrument regulates the various aspects of safety and health characteristic for work in mines,
including inspection, special working devices, and special protective equipment of workers. It also
prescribes requirements relating to mine rescue.

• Safety and Health in Agriculture Convention, 2001

The convention has the objective of preventing accidents and injury to health arising out of, linked
with, or occurring in the course of agricultural and forestry work. To this end, the Convention
includes measures relating to machinery safety and ergonomics, handling and transport of materials,
sound management of chemicals, animal handling, protection against biological risks, and welfare
and accommodation facilities.

Protection against specific risks

• Radiation Protection Convention, 1960 (No. 115)

The objective of the Convention is to set out basic requirements with a view to protect workers
against the risks associated with exposure to ionising radiations. Protective measures to be taken
include the limitation of workers' exposure to ionising radiations to the lowest practicable level
following the technical knowledge available at the time, avoiding any unnecessary exposure, as well
as the monitoring of the workplace and of the workers' health. The Convention further refers to
requirements with regard to emergency situations that may arise.

• Occupational Cancer Convention, 1974 (No. 139)

This instrument aims at the establishment of a mechanism for the creation of a policy to prevent the
risks of occupational cancer caused by exposure, generally over a prolonged period, to chemical and
physical agents of various types present in the workplace. For this purpose, states are obliged to
determine periodically carcinogenic substances and agents to which occupational exposure shall be
prohibited or regulated, to make every effort to replace these substances and agents by non- or less
carcinogenic ones, to prescribe protective and supervisory measures as well as to prescribe the
necessary medical examinations of workers exposed.

• Working Environment (Air Pollution, Noise and Vibration) Convention, 1977 (No. 148)
The convention provides that, as far as possible, the working environment shall be kept free from any
hazards due to air pollution, noise or vibration. To achieve this, technical measures shall be applied
to enterprises or processes, and where this is not possible, supplementary measures regarding the
organization of work shall be taken instead.

• Asbestos Convention, 1986 (No. 162)

Aims at preventing the harmful effects of exposure to asbestos on the health of workers by indicating
reasonable and practicable methods and techniques of reducing occupational exposure to asbestos to
a minimum. With a view to achieving this objective, the convention enumerates various detailed
measures, which are based essentially on the prevention and control of health hazards due to
occupational exposure to asbestos, and the protection of workers against these hazards.
 • Chemicals Convention, 1990 (No. 170)
The Convention provides for the adoption and implementation of a coherent policy on safety in the
use of chemicals at work, which includes the production, the handling, the storage, and the transport
of chemicals as well as the disposal and treatment of waste chemicals, the release of chemicals
resulting from work activities, and the maintenance, repair and cleaning of equipment and containers
of chemicals. In addition, it allocates specific responsibilities to suppliers and exporting states.

Activity

1. How can workplace make safety a priority?

2. What are examples of administrative controls

3. What are the safety concerns associated with working shifts?