Barriers of Safety - Braymen

B.1 Seven Barriers of Safety
What separates you from the hazard
Moving Machine Parts have the potential to cause severe
workplace injuries such as crushed fingers or hands, am-
putations, burns or blindness. Safeguards are essential for
protecting workers.
B.1.1 - SEVEN BARRIERS OF SAFETY
Nathan Braymen
THEORY
When the operation of a machine or accidental
contact can cause potential injury to the operator or
others in the vicinity, the hazards must be eliminated
or controlled. Any machine part, function, or process
that may cause injury must be safeguarded.
DEFENSE
Moving machine parts have shown to be a major
cause of workplace injuries as they account for 13%
of all injuries.
Figure A – A worker’s loose clothing snags on a
piece of machinery and gets pulled in.
Enclosure
If a hazardous substance or work process cannot be
eliminated or substituted, then enclosing it so workers
are not exposed to the hazard is the next best method
of control.
• Complete enclosure is ideal over partial
• Guards should fit as close as possible
• Guards should still allow for visibility
Isolation
Can be effective if a hazardous job can be moved to
a part of the workplace where fewer people will be
exposed.
• No single method is effective on its own
• Should be used in combination
• Access to work area should be restricted
Figure B – Machine guards protecting gears and
pulleys on a piece of equipment
Ventilation
Can be used for two reasons:
• Control humidity and temperature
• Prevent contaminates from entering area
Without good general ventilation, hazardous agents in
the air can accumulate to a dangerous level.

Nathan Braymen
Safeguards must meet these minimum general
requirements:
• Prevent Contact: The safeguard must prevent
hands arms and any other part of an operator’s
body from making contact with dangerous moving
parts
• Secure: Operators should not be able to easily
remove or tamper with the safeguard
• Protect from falling objects: The safeguard should
ensure no objects can fall in to moving parts.
• Create no new hazards: A safeguard defeats its
own purpose if it creates a hazard such as a shear
point, jagged edge, or an unfinished surface that
could cause a laceration.
• Create no interference: Any safeguard that
impedes an operator from performing the job
quickly and comfortably might soon be overridden
or disregarded.
• Allow safe lubrication: If possible, workers should
be able to lubricate the machine without removing
the safeguards.
THEREFORE
There are as many hazards created by rotating,
twisting and spinning machine parts as there are types
of machines. Safeguards are essential for protecting
operators from preventable injuries.
Figure C - Safety sign warning employees of a
machine hazard
REFERENCES
International Labour Organization. Controlling
Hazards. Accessed online 04/11/12. Retrieved
from http://actrav.itcilo.org/actrav-english/
telearn/osh/hazard/hamain.htm
Windau, J. (1997). Worker fatalities from being
caught in machinery. Office of Safety, Health
and Working Conditions, Bureau of
Labor Statistics. Accessed online 04/11/12.
Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/
cfar0028.txt

Occupational safety and health training is expected to con-
tribute to the goal of reducing occupational risk of injury
and/or disease.
Nathan Braymen
THEORY
If you have been working in the same job managing
the same routine errands over and over again it is
likely your alertness will be dulled and you will have
a relaxed attitude as you progress through your job.
When job tasks are performed with little conscious
thought, the odds of the ever-present hazards causing
harm to you increase. Furthermore, if you have been
working the same job for many years training may
not seem very important because an accident may
have never happened to you. Training serves as an
important reminder to the dangers and how no one is
immune to accidents.
Employees who receive safety training should be able
to immediately practice and apply new knowledge
and skills. If any employees do not understand the
safety training well enough to use it on the job, the
training is ineffective. It is important for workers to
understand the purpose of safety training sessions
as well as why it will be useful and any possible
consequences that may result from not following
safety rules and procedures.
DEFENSE
Figure A – OSH training (center) as connected to
other employer programs.
Occupational safety and health training in many
companies (especially in manufacturing facilities
or other industries with multiple prevalent hazards)
is a central focus in the organizational goals and
objectives.
Although it has been attempted by many, it is very
difficult to ascertain the true effectiveness of training
due to the complex nature. However, when tied to
other efforts (such as an ergonomics program for
example) safety training has been found by at least
one study to contribute to the prevention of 25% of
the avoided injuries.
One review of relevant literature suggests evidence
has yet to be clearly established when comparing
reduced injuries resulted from knowledge gain
and behavior indicators. Due to the fact training is
never the only factor at play in a safety program it is
difficult to study it alone.

Nathan Braymen
THEREFORE
Although there is not conclusive evidence showing
exactly how effective occupational safety and health
training can be, there is evidence supporting that
is does contribute in a positive way to help reduce
injuries in the work place if done in an effective
manner.
Occupational health and safety training, while it is
unclear exactly how much benefit it actually does
contribute, should still be an integral part of any
industrial health and safety initiative/program. Due
to the fact OHS training is embedded within a larger
overall hazard control program of an organization it is
likely its effectiveness in reducing workplace illnesses
and injuries depends largely on other factors. One of
the major factors influencing the effectiveness of the
training is culture and upper management’s influence
in company safety culture. With great commitment to
safety from upper management, trickling down to the
regular employee, it is more likely that safety training
will be effective.
Future studies ought to further investigate
effectiveness of a variety of safety programs in order
to determine how the multiple factors all play together
and which, if any, of the training programs are the
most effective.
REFERENCES
Blomberg R, Levy E, Anderson, A. (1988)
Assessing the value of employee training.
Hlth Care Manage Rev 13:63-70Hazard
Control (2012) Canadian Centre for
Occupational Health and Safety. Retrieved
from http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/
hsprograms/hazard_control.html
Bureau of Labor Statistics (1997).
Occupational injuries and illnesses: Counts,
Rates, and Characteristics, 1994. Bulletin
2485, U. S. Department of Labor, Washington,
DC
Fiedler FE, Bell Jr. CH, Chemers MM, Patrick D.
(1984)
Increasing mine productivity and safety
through management training and organization
development: A comparative study. Basic &
Appl Psychology 5:1-18.

Engineering Controls reduce or eliminate exposure to a
chemical or physical hazard in the workplace and are usu-
ally the most effective way to protect workers because they
make changes at the source of the hazards.
Nathan Braymen
THEORY
Engineering Controls reduce or eliminate exposure
to chemical or physical hazards through one of the
following methods:
• Elimination of a hazardous technique process or
material
• Substitution of a more hazardous technique,
process, or material for a less hazardous one
• Segregation of people from hazards
• Ventilation of the workplace and the source of
contaminants
• Repair or replacement of faulty equipment or
machinery
Figure A – Mold Containment with negative air
pressure
DEFENSE
Employers have a duty of due diligence and are
responsible for taking all reasonable precautions,
under the particular circumstances, to prevent injuries
or accidents in the workplace.
Furthermore, some hazards and their controls
are specifically outlined in legislation and OSHA
regulations along with multiple voluntary standards.
Figure B – An example of a common engineering
control; a fire sprinkler

Nathan Braymen
THEREFORE
Engineering controls are a very reliable way to control
worker exposures. It is important to monitor both the
hazard and the control method to make sure that the
control is working effectively and that exposure to
the hazard is reduced or eliminated. Monitoring the
hazard can include asking some or all of the following
questions:
• Have the controls solved the problem
• Is the risk posed by the original hazard contained?
• Have any new hazards appropriately controlled?
• Are monitoring processes adequate?
• Have workers been adequately informed about the
situation?
• Have orientation and training programs been
modified to deal with the new situation?
• Are any other measures required?
• Has the effectiveness of hazard controls been
documented in your committee minutes?
REFERENCES
Blink (2010). Engineering Controls for Laboratory
Safety. University of California.
Retrieved from http://blink.ucsd.edu/safety/
research-lab/laboratory/engineering.html
Hazard Control (2012) Canadian Centre for
Occupational Health and Safety. Retrieved
from http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/
hsprograms/hazard_control.html

Utilizing administrative controls are one of three different
approaches safety professionals can use to address a haz-
ard. They are generally considered to be the best choice be-
cause it is the least invasive and is also usually inexpensive.
Nathan Braymen
THEORY
Administrative controls limit workers’ exposures by
scheduling around hazards. For example, employers
will schedule shorter work times performing tasks
that are hazardous such as twisting a part on an
assembly. Performing a twisting motion too often can
cause ergonomic injuries. By rotating employees in
to this task-driven position the risk of injury is greatly
reduced because no one person will be performing the
task too many times. Other kinds of administrative
controls include work practices, education and
training and emergency preparedness.
Figure A – A cutaway of a hand showcasing
vulnerable physiology
DEFENSE
Out of the three available approaches used to mitigate
hazards (Administrative, Engineering and PPE),
administrative controls are usually the first option
a safety professional will pursue. Administrative
controls involve
• Scheduling maintenance and other high exposure
operations for times when few workers are
present (such as weekends) to reduce the possible
exposures to the hazard
• Using job-rotation schedules that limit the amount
of time a worker is exposed to the substance,
action or the noise
• Using a work-rest schedule that limits the length
of time a worker is exposed to a hazard.
Work practices are a form of administrative controls.
Safe work practices are very important. Some
elements of safe work practices include
• Washing hands after handling material and before
eating, drinking or smoking
• Avoiding touching lips, nose and eyes with
contaminated hands
• No eating or drinking in work areas
• Keeping hazardous chemicals in separate storage
from food or clothing items

Nathan Braymen
THEREFORE
Administrative controls, while are not enough on
their own to provide for an adequately safe work
environment ought to be a significant part of every
occupational safety program. When combined
with engineering controls and personal protective
equipment (PPE) administrative controls become a
valuable part of a safety program. Administrative
controls include additional relief workers,
exercise breaks and rotation of workers. However,
administrative controls are not without its flaws. They
are prone to human error and cannot be relied upon
to reduce exposure all of the time. Furthermore, the
hazard itself is not reduced- only the exposure to it.
In some situations administrative controls are not
sufficient to mitigate a safety hazard.
For example, if there are exposed moving parts
outside of a machine, there is a large risk for serious
injury regardless of how long a person is around it. All
it would take is one second or less to get injured and
therefore engineering controls or PPE measures ought
to be relied on instead of administrative controls.
Another example where admin controls are not
sufficient are if the workers are exposed to sound over
the level 140dB which is the short term exposure limit
as regulated by the Occupational Safety and health
Administration (O SHA).
Figure B – Picture of the Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR)
REFERENCES
Exposure & Controls, www.osha.gov/SLTC/
noisehearingconservation/evaluation.
html. Accessed 4/23/2012
Figure A. collected from http://www.heatedmouse.
com/mouse_hand_warmer_cold_hand_
mousepad_cold-hand-medical-conditions-
photo-album.html
Figure B. collected from http://www.
google. com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&b
w=653&bih=606&tbm=isch&tbnid=HyXZm
ZBum-LMMM:&imgrefurl=http://www.
silverwolfusa.com/industrialhygiene.ht
ml&docid=HONFKZtIg8hASM&imgu
rl=http://www.silverwolfusa.com/images/
index35.jpg&w=315&h=280&ei=hb2V
T6XNA5Cm8gTlwKGFBA&zo
om=1&iact=rc&dur=2&sig=1069637379832
14294584&page=1&tbnh=130&tbnw=145&st
art=0& ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0,i:7
4&tx=62&ty=63

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is required by govern-
ment regulations under a variety of circumstances. However,
PPE should be the last resort and be used only when admin-
istrative and engineering controls.
Nathan Braymen
THEORY
PPE is defined as: ‘All equipment (including clothing
affording protection against the weather) which is
intended to be worn or held by a person at work
which protects them against one or more risks to their
health and safety’.
PPE includes equipment such as safety footwear, hard
hats, high visibility waistcoats, goggles, life jackets,
respirators and safety harnesses.
Waterproof, weatherproof, or insulated clothing is
subject to the Regulations only if its use is necessary
to protect employees against adverse climatic
conditions that could otherwise affect their health and
safety.
Figure A – A man wearing PPE
DEFENSE
Although PPE is always the last resort and usually
causes discomfort among wearers, in many
circumstances, PPE is the only or last available option
to protect employees from exposure to hazards. In
other cases, however, choosing and wearing PPE is a
secondary safeguard to protect against the possibility
of exposure to hazards.
Figure B – A Chemical Fume Hood
For example, working with chemicals in a chemical
fume hood should not require eye protection or
respiratory protection due to the fact fume hoods
protect against leaking vapors or splashes. Wearing
PPE results in double protection when it is not used as
the only/exclusive solution to hazard protection.

Nathan Braymen
THEREFORE
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
mandates the prescribed use of personal protective
equipment to reduce exposure of employees to hazards
when engineering and administrative controls are not
feasible in reducing exposures. A PPE program is
used by the employer to determine what PPE should
be issued. The PPE issued should reflect the hazards
present in the workplace and can protect a worker
from a variety of different injuries when utilized
appropriately. Gloves can prevent chemicals from
being absorbed in through the skin. Hard hats can
protect the head from dropped tools or other falling
objects. Steel toed boots can protect workers’ feet if
a heavy object is dropped. Safety glasses can protect
workers’ eyes from irritants or high speed projectiles.
These are just a few examples of PPE.
REFERENCES
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), (2012) NHS
Health Scotland. Accessed 4/24/2012
from http://www.healthyworkinglives.com/
advice/minimising-workplace-risks/
ppe.aspx#what
Respirators (2011) National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health, Center for Disease control
and Prevention. Accessed on 4/24/12 from
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/respirators/

Inspections, also called safety audits, are the first step in
most safety programs and are how safety professionals
identify hazards. Perhaps more importantly inspections
give safety pros a way to connect with employees and build
rapport.
Nathan Braymen
THEORY
By conducting safety audits, a safety professional
can identify potential hazards, flaws in current safety
systems, or missing safety components. Safety
audits/inspections are best done at regular intervals
to keep up with a diverse and ever-changing work
environment. Because employees know their jobs
better than anyone sometimes simply asking the
employee if he or she has any safety concerns can be
a great way to identify hazards and build a positive
working relationship with employees. Once hazards
have been identified and documented a safety
professional makes his recommendations to the area
supervisor for how to resolve any safety issues.
Figure A – Men performing a safety inspection
DEFENSE
Perhaps the most important aspect of a safety
inspection is working with the employee. The
employee knows their job better than anyone. They
are the subject matter experts of what they do.
Because safety professionals may not fully understand
the process of an employees job it is crucial to build
a positive working relationship in order to recruit the
employee to help you find hazards.
Figure B – Occupational Health and Safety
Administration Logo
Regardless of whether or not you believe safety
inspections can be effective they are mandated by the
federal (and many state) governments. It is highly
likely OSHA will issue citations to any company
neglectful of their duty to create a work environment
free of hazards by implementing regular inspections.

Nathan Braymen
THEREFORE
Whether you believe inspections are important to
reduce the risk of injuries or you believe inspections
are only important to meet OSHA’s minimum
requirements and to avoid citations and fines, there is
no denying safety inspections play an important role in
safety programs. Not only should inspections be done
to identify hazards, but they should be done to open
a channel of communication with employees. This
also emphasizes the need to build a positive working
relationship with employees so that the people who
are working around their equipment or chemicals or
processes every day will learn to openly communicate
their concerns and/or observations with the safety
professional so they can be properly addressed. If this
doorway for communication is not available the safety
program as a whole will suffer and it will likely stymie
the healthy growth of a culture of safety throughout
the entire establishment.
REFERENCES
Figure A collected on 4/26/12 from http://actrav.itcilo.
org/actrav-english/telearn/osh/com/using.htm
Figure B collected on 4/26/12 from http://www.
google.com/imgres?q=osha&um=1&hl=en&s
a=N&biw=653&bih=642&tbm=isch
&tbnid=uQbEYyTcfXMlyM:&imgrefu
rl=http://wellnessuncovered.com/joomla/index.
php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3
Darticle%26id%3D2332:osha-crashes-
mandatory-flu-shot-%26catid%3D43:
vaccination-articles%26Ite
mid%3D12&docid=wYHb40RX8yWsEM&i
mgurl=http://wellnessuncovered.com/joomla/
images/stories/osha.jpg&w=640&h=360&ei=
m4WZT6PkG4Oi9QSQkeGhBg&zoom=1&ia
ct=hc&vpx=98&vpy=335&dur=280&hovh=16
8&hovw=300&tx=170&ty=97&sig=10696373
7983214294584&page=1&tbnh=121&tbnw=2
15&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0
,i:144
Mattila, M., Hyodynmaa, M., (2002). Promoting job
safety in building: An experiment on the
behavior analysis approach. Journal of
Occupational Accidents.

Safety culture encompasses the way in which safety is
perceived, consumed and managed in the workplace.
It reflects the attitudes, beliefs, perceptions and values
employees share in regards to safety in their workplace.
Nathan Braymen
THEORY
Safety culture involves an all-encompassing group
dynamic that reaches clear up to a CEO or President
of a company all the way down to the temporary
hourly worker. Furthermore, if a low level safety
manager and team are trying to promote a healthy
culture of safety, but the upper managers and CEO
do not support safety or put much toward promoting
safety then it is unlikely the culture with survive and
the safety of the business will suffer. Companies with
strong safety cultures tend to be self-governing so
instead of taking risks when safety engineers are not
around to find them out, they keep themselves and
one another to higher standards.
Figure A – Components of safety culture
DEFENSE
In my personal experience as a safety engineer,
working in a company trying to promote safety when
upper managers do not fully support you makes the
job exceedingly difficult. Being underminded by
upper management empowers the employees in a bad
way. It makes them feel as if they will not be held
responsible for unsafe actions or behavior. It makes
them feel as if they do not have to hold themselves
to a high standard because safety regulations are not
strictly enforced. One example of what can happen
when safety regulations are not strictly enforced is
what happened in our workplace in regards to a Lock-
ou Tag-out program that we were unable to strictly
enforce due to a lack of support. The employee knew
he was not to work on a machine before he had
unplugged it and locked it to prevent it from being
plugged back in. He intended to only look at the
machine and not touch. However, because he failed
to properly lock-out the machine before he started
assessing the repairwork needed to be done, he forgot
about the dangers and touched it with a screwdriver.
The electricity arced to his body causing serious
burns and temporary blindness. He spent over a year
in therapy to recover.
If the safety culture was stronger or more pervasive
then the injury could have been prevented.

Nathan Braymen
THEREFORE
Safety Culture, like culture, is sometimes hard to see
from the inside. It is like a fish swimming in water -
the fish does not really think too much about the water.
Therefore, usually Safety Culture surveys in most
industries are a combination of internal and external
perspectives: the ‘outsider’s view is used to help
make objective the insider’s viewpoint. That being
said, however, it is useful to have a ‘champion’ inside
the organization who can act as an interface between
the survey findings and the staff at all levels. This
champion is typically the Safety Director or Safety
Manager of the organization. An organization’s safety
culture is ultimately reflected in the way in which
safety is managed in the workplace. It is important to
note that an organization’s safety management system
cannot consist of a set of policies and procedures on a
bookshelf.
Safety Culture can have a direct impact on safe
performance. If someone believes that safety is not
really important, even temporarily, then workarounds,
cutting corners, or making unsafe decisions or
judgments will be the result, especially when there is a
small perceived risk rather than an obvious danger.
REFERENCES
Cox, S. & Cox, T. (1991). The structure of employee
attitudes to safety - a European example Work
and Stress, 5, 93 - 106.
Cooper, M.D. (1998) “Improving Safety Culture: A
Practical Guide’
Mattila, M., Hyodynmaa, M., (2002). Promoting job
safety in building: An experiment on the
behavior analysis approach. Journal of
Occupational Accidents.

Barriers of Safety - Braymen

Recomendados

Recomendados

Más contenido relacionado

La actualidad más candente

La actualidad más candente (20)

Similar a Barriers of Safety - Braymen

Similar a Barriers of Safety - Braymen (20)

Barriers of Safety - Braymen