2
Being able to recognize, evaluate and control health hazards at their core is a very important responsibility to all safety professionals. Although it may be a difficult task at times, it is crucial to be able to identify any hazards that may be on the jobsite. After identifying the issue,
safety personnel are responsible for evaluating the hazard and the risk it poses to employees. Following this, they must eliminate the issue or create safety protocols to avoid employee risk of exposure to the hazard. Two areas of concern for example, confined space and noise within Waldorf Widget Factory. To begin with, “A confined space is any area with limited means of entry and exit that is large enough for a person to fit into but is not designed for occupancy (Goetsch, 422)”. With that being said, confined spaces bring multiple hazards to attention in regard to confined space entry. In order to identify health hazards when assessing confined spaces, it is important for all safety professionals to be knowledgeable of the OSHA Confined Space Standard (29 CFR 1910.146). The confined space standard not only gives information on confined space but identifies standards that eliminate many hazards. Not only can confined spaces contain toxic chemicals, but they can also pose a physical threat to employees who are working within them. In order to identify whether or not there is a physical or chemical threat to employees, safety personnel should use equipment to monitor the air within the space and verify that daily inspections are done in the confined space. After identifying the active hazard within the confined space, it is important to evaluate the hazard and the risk it poses to employees. For example, if the hazard identified was the stability of the confined space upon entry, it would be a huge risk to employees’ safety and the space would need to be closed off. Lastly, control measures would be implemented following the evaluation of the identified hazards level of risk to employees. In continuation of the previous hazard example, stability of the confined space
