Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

...Some job sometime produce more than one type of hazards, it’s depending on the characteristic and the complexity of the job. More hazards created from the job, more potential loss /injury this can be...

PPE is equipments that being used by operators to protect them from hazards which possible to expose them in their working environment while they are working. This hazard can be a physical, chemical, or even a biological one. Some job sometime produce more than one type of hazards, it’s depending on the characteristic and the complexity of the job. More hazards created from the job, more potential loss /injury this can be.
PPE is not the best and the first step to control and manage the hazard. But it is the last one. There are engineering and administrative control before it. The best and the first step to control the hazard are by using mechanical or engineering control. If those steps can be applied well, this will stop hazard from its source. But, this is sometime cannot be applied well since sometime the engineering control will stop or at least reduce the function of the tools or equipments that have been modified. Sometime it is also annoying the operator to do the job well. An eye protector that has been made from transparent acrylic for sawing machine will reduce their visual. In certain condition, this will create another hazard than become a protection, at least this will make their productivity less. That is way combination between two or three control steps sometime need to be applied in order to create safer working environment for the operator.

There are several weaknesses of this steps, they are:

•It’s need regular and effective supervising to ensure all operator wear the PPE in proper way.
•All operator must be trained well regarding on how to use PPE properly
•And off course it is required more money to buy all the PPE.
•The PPE will reduce the comfortable of operator while they work, in some case if the usage is not wear properly then it will raise a new hazard.
•Sometime, if training is not given to the operator they may think that all the hazard already eliminate from their working area but it’s NOT.

PS : Picture taken from :www[dot]wildlandfire[dot]com

Administrative Control

...Administrative control will not eliminate the hazard to expose to the working environment, but with the proper implementations, this control will protect the operator from having direct contact with the potential hazard...

When Re-engineering steps (people often call this as mechanical or engineering control) as the best and the first step of hazard management and hazard control does not work to reducing the risk and hazard level, the administrative control are need to be applied. Administrative control will not eliminate the hazard to expose to the working environment, but with the proper implementations, this control will protect the operator from having direct contact with the potential hazard. But, again.. please keep in mind this will NOT eliminate the hazards itself. This only prevents the operator by stopping them from having direct contact with the hazard if only the term and condition of protection are fulfilled.

Several administrative controls that can be made i.e.:

•Hazard identifications and socialization from risk assessment’s result
•Job Safety Analysis drill for every operator to create safety behavior and safety minded
•Safe Standard Operating Procedure
•Training and meeting, such as toolbox meeting, evaluation meeting, etc
•Safe Work Instruction
•Safety sign and safety alert tools
•Job rotation and work shift schedule
•Incidents -Accident sharing and review, including accident statistic’s review
•Incident sharing
•Safety training and induction
•Safety promotions – safety contest
•Working environment measurement, such as noise measurement, heat measurement, dust measurement, etc.
•Recruitment based on safety aspect

This step usually applied as combination with the other control. Because of this cannot stop the hazard itself. Sometimes, it doesn’t enough to use only one step to control hazard. This is because some step control can’t properly applied 100%. Some machine will no longer run effectively when the modification being applied, and the other side some job will not run smoothly when job rotation being applied or existing safety sign and work instruction was not properly applied.

The weaknesses of this control are:

1.The administrative control required employee’s participation. Because they are the one who will be acts as subject and therefore they must participate actively. Without their cooperation all the system (read: administrative controls) you have been made means nothing.

2.Its need to be regularly socialized. To ensure all the employee are still have fresh memory on this.

3.It’s not stop the hazard itself, it just manipulate from the operator side.

PS: Picture taken from : www.masternewmedia.org

Engineering or Mechanical Control (Re – engineering)

..The best control is control from its source. The engineering or mechanical control is the first step, a very important thing to stop hazard at the starting period, when the hazard appears at the first time...

The best control is control from its source. The engineering or mechanical control is the first step, a very important thing to stop hazard at the starting period, when the hazard appears at the first time. It is strongly recommend to including the safety aspects into engineering or mechanical process. Both its purchasing and also maintenance process. When both if this already applied, the safety aspects are already including into its function. While keeping safety aspects into maintenance is also important to ensure that the entire machine is running based on the safe way according to its first condition, the original way when it’s bought at the first time.
Some of engineering or mechanical control for example:
1. Isolation
It’s by covering, isolating or giving limitation of the hazard interfere working environment/ ambient/ surrounding. Some time by closing permanently the machine, or just create a simple cover to stop the hazard expose to the operator. This isolation can be made for whole of machine’s body or just for small parts of the machine that considered can produce the hazard, such as: rotary parts, sharp edge, hot surface, chemical fume, slippery or dusty area, etc. All of those parts must be controlled by isolating them in order not to create hazard for the operator. This isolation technique must be done properly by considering the function of the machine so that isolation will not create the new hazard for the operator, i.e.: for operator who work in the covered and isolated room with those potential hazards.

2. Modification
The other solution to control hazard through engineering or mechanical control is by making some modifications to the machine that will reducing hazard’s exposure to the operator. For example by re-design the old machine which already missing its hand stopper or needle guarding for manual switching machine, or face shield or eye protector for molding machine to protect grams of steel dust spread into naked eye. This modification technique must also being done properly by considering the function of the machine so that modification will not create the new hazard for the operator.

3. Elimination
The elimination is the fastest way to control any unnecessary, any additional process that will create the potential hazard reach and exposed to the operator. This technique cannot be applied to all machine and process. Because the process which can be eliminate is not the main process, the process which without it’s, the production still can be done and reach the target.

4. Substitution
But sometime, when a process which considered as a primary problem which can lead to substandard condition and then create the accident, this then become an alternative solution then elimination technique, especially when those process can’t be deleted since those process is the primary process or vital one.

PS: Picture taken from : www[dot]validest[dot]com