Hazard Recognition (Essentials)-Handout

Handout

Pdf Summary

The OEM Essentials course on Hazard Recognition: Evaluation and Control emphasizes the critical importance of identifying, assessing, and managing workplace hazards to protect worker health and safety. Presented by Dr. Rachel Leibu, Medical Director of Occupational Medicine at Atlantic Health System, the course covers key concepts including anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of workplace hazards, guided by OSHA’s hierarchy of controls.<br /><br />Occupational medicine focuses on preventing diseases linked to workplace exposures, while environmental medicine examines how broader environmental factors impact health. Occupational illnesses range from cancers caused by substances like asbestos and benzene, to respiratory diseases, neuropathies, cardiomyopathies, infertility, and musculoskeletal disorders from repetitive motion. Priority occupational health issues include lung diseases, cancers, injuries, cardiovascular and reproductive toxicities, neurological disorders, hearing loss, skin diseases, and psychogenic illnesses.<br /><br />Comprehensive occupational health and safety programs incorporate hazard identification, OSHA compliance, medical management, communication, insurance, workers’ compensation, smoking cessation, employee assistance, health promotion, education, and medical surveillance designed for early injury detection.<br /><br />Industrial hygiene plays a vital role in anticipating and controlling environmental stressors at work through workplace monitoring and medical surveillance to ensure compliance with regulatory exposure limits, such as OSHA’s Permissible Exposure Level (PEL) and the ACGIH’s Threshold Limit Values (TLVs).<br /><br />Hazard control follows a hierarchy starting with elimination and substitution of hazards, followed by engineering controls (e.g., ventilation, automation), administrative controls (e.g., work practice modifications, training), and personal protective equipment (PPE). Risk factors include worker health, environmental conditions, and job activities.<br /><br />Workplace monitoring employs air sampling and biological assessments to measure exposures via inhalation, skin contact, or ingestion. Effective recognition and proactive hazard management, including inspection and investigation of incidents, underpin successful occupational safety programs to prevent injuries and illnesses.

Keywords

Hazard Recognition

Occupational Medicine

Workplace Safety

OSHA Hierarchy of Controls

Industrial Hygiene

Occupational Illnesses

Medical Surveillance

Exposure Monitoring

Personal Protective Equipment

Risk Management