Thursday, October 11, 2007

Happy Aidilfitri!!!

I would like to wish all muslim a Happy Aidilfitri which is only about 2 days left. Although it is a festive season, please do take care of yourself and your family either while driving, cooking, or decorating the house.

When you are driving, please follow all traffic rules and speed limit to ensure that you will arrive safely to you destination. Make sure you are also well rested and have enough drink to prevent any accidents. Don't be to eager to go back to see your family although i know it'll be a lot of fun once you are there. As they say, better late then never...

Cooking, it a major cause of fire to occur at home. I know during this Aidilfitri there will be a lot of cooking everywhere and almost all the time. So, to ensure we all would still have a home to celebrate Aidilfitri with, remember don't leave your cooking or kitchen unattended for too long. Make sure all the electrical appliances are in good condition, wiring not expose, proper plug and connection, wire not trailing across the floor to prevent tripping.

Make sure also, while hanging those beautiful decorations and lights, to always use proper tools, use good and firm ladder standing on firm ground, keep all equipment in proper storage when you are done, clear all obstructions on your pathways, don't block the entrance/exit (of course you would want the guest to come and go easily, especially when they are going..hehe).

Those are a fews simple things that you can do to make sure you and your family have a very pleasant Aidilfitri this year without any mishap or misfortune. Lastly, Happy Aidilfitri to all and remember...Safety First...rendang, lemang, and ketupat second...hehe

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

What is risk?

Risk is the chance or probability that a person will be harmed or experience an adverse healtheffect if exposed to a hazard. It may also apply to situations with property or equipment loss.

For example: The risk of developing cancer from smoking cigarettes could be expressed as "cigarette smokers are 12 times (for example) more likely to die of lung cancer than non-smokers". Another way of reporting risk is "a certain number ,"Y", of smokers per 100,000 smokers will likely develop lung cancer" (depending on their age and how many years they have been smoking). These risks are expressed as a probability or likelihood of developing a disease or getting injured, whereas hazards refer to the possible consequences (e.g., lung cancer, emphysema and heart disease from cigarette smoking).

Factors that influence the degree of risk include:

how much a person is exposed to a hazardous thing or condition,
how the person is exposed (e.g., breathing in a vapour, skin contact), and
how severe are the effects under the conditions of exposure.

What is a hazard?

The meaning of the word hazard can be confusing. Often dictionaries do not give specific definitions or combine it with the term "risk". For example, one dictionary defines hazard as "a danger or risk" which helps explain why many people use the terms interchangeably.

There are many definitions for hazard but the more common definition when talking about workplace health and safety is:

A hazard is any source of potential damage, harm or adverse health effects on something or someone under certain conditions at work.

Basically, a hazard can cause harm or adverse effects (to individuals as health effects or to organizations as property or equipment losses).

Sometimes a hazard is referred to as being the actual harm or the health effect it caused rather than the hazard. For example, the disease tuberculosis (TB) might be called a hazard by some but in general the TB-causing bacteria would be considered the "hazard" or "hazardous biological agent".

A common way to classify hazards is by category:

biological - bacteria, viruses, insects, plants, birds, animals, and humans, etc.,

chemical
- depends on the physical, chemical and toxic properties of the chemical.

ergonomic - repetitive movements, improper set up of workstation, etc.,

physical - radiation, magnetic fields, pressure extremes (high pressure or vacuum), noise, etc,

psychosocial - stress, violence, etc.,

safety - slipping/tripping hazards, inappropriate machine guarding, equipment malfunctions or breakdowns

Human Factors Theory of Accident Causation

Attributes accidents to a chain of events that were ultimately the result of human error.

Three broad factors leading to human error:

1. Overload
2. Inappropriate Responses
3. Inappropriate Activities

1. Overload

Worker’s Capacity -
Natural Ability, Training, State of Mind,
Fatigue, Stress, Physical Condition

Environmental Factors -
Noise, Climatic, Lighting, Distractions, etc

Internal Factors -
Personal Problems, Emotional Stress, Worry

Situational Factors -
Level of Risk, Unclear Instructions, Novelty, etc

2. Inappropriate Responses

Ignores a suspected hazard

Disregards established safety procedures

Circumvents safety devices

Includes incompatibility with person’s workstation
(Size, Required Force, Reach, Feel, etc)


3. Inappropriate Activities

Performing tasks without requisite training

Misjudging the degree of risk