Practicing Occupational Health and Safety Procedures

PRACTICING OCCUPATIONAL
HEALTH AND SAFETY PROCEDURES
CCS
Hazards and Risks
What is a hazard?
◦ A hazard is any source of potential damage, harm or adverse health effects on something or someone.
Workplace hazards also include practices or conditions that release uncontrolled energy like:
• an object that could fall from a height (potential or gravitational energy),
• a run-away chemical reaction (chemical energy),
• the release of compressed gas or steam (pressure; high temperature),
• entanglement of hair or clothing in rotating equipment (kinetic energy), or
• contact with electrodes of a battery or capacitor (electrical energy).
What is risk?
Risk is the chance or probability that a person will be harmed or experience an adverse health
effect if exposed to a hazard. It may also apply to situations with property or equipment loss, or
harmful effects on the environment.
What is risk assessment?
Risk assessment is the process where you:

• Identify hazards and risk factors that have the potential to cause harm
(hazard identification).
• Analyze and evaluate the risk associated with that hazard (risk analysis,
and risk evaluation).
• Determine appropriate ways to eliminate the hazard, or control the risk
when the hazard cannot be eliminated (risk control).
What types of hazards are there?
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.
Control hazards and risks
What are Control Measures?
A simple control measure would be the secure guarding of moving parts of machinery
eliminating the potential for contact. When we look at control measures we often refer to the
hierarchy of control measures.
Eliminate the hazard
◦ Remove completely any hazard that you spot on the workplace or at home to
ensure safety
Substitute the hazard with a lesser risk
◦ Substitute the hazard with of those which are less hazardous.
Isolate the hazard
◦ Isolate the hazard from people, similarly placing noisy equipment in a non-
accessible enclosure or room isolates the hazard from the person(s).
Use personal protective equipment
◦ PPE is usually seen as the last line of defense and is usually used in conjunction with one or
more of the other control measures. An example of the weakness of this control measure is
that it is widely recognized that single-use dust masks cannot consistently achieve and
maintain an effective facepiece-to-face seal, and cannot be adequately fit-tested and do not
offer much, if any real protection against small particulates and may lead to a false sense of
security and increase risk.
TECHNICAL GUIDELINES ON SAFETY AND
HEALTH FOR CALL CENTERS
◦The Guidelines addresses the following health and safety concerns associated with the typical
tasks performed and common working conditions in call centers in the Philippines:
1. Computer-related health disorders
2. Hearing and voice problems linked to telephone use
3. Prolonged night work
4. Stress at work
Computer-Related Health Disorders
◦Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs)

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are disorders of the muscles,
nerves, tendons, ligaments, joints, cartilage or spinal discs partially
caused, aggravated, accelerated or exacerbated by adverse working
conditions.
◦ Visual Fatigue
Computer use is demanding to the eyes since work is done at a close
distance over long periods of time. Reduced blinking rate and widening
of the eye surface area when working with the computer result to drying
of the eyes, thus increasing eye discomfort. Symptoms of eye strain
include smarting, itchiness, redness, tearing or dryness, and eye pain.
◦Repetitive Voice Injury
Call center operators are at risk for voice problems because of the nature of their
job and certain individual factors. The manifestation of this disorder is not just an
inability to speak but also includes pain, tension, croakiness, irritating cough,
inability to modulate, poor or no vocal power and breathing difficulties.
Injury to the ears

◦ Operators in call centers use headsets to attend to calls. These headsets may be
fitted to one or both ears. The main problems related to this work practice are
exposure to noise and biological agents that can cause ear infection.
Psychosocial Stressors at Work
◦ Stressful work environment in call centers has been associated with varying degrees of
physical and psychological adverse health effects that include anxiety, depression, job
dissatisfaction, irritability, gastrointestinal disorders, and WMSDs.
Prolonged Nightwork
◦ The call center work schedule in the Philippines is mostly set at nighttime or “graveyard
shift” to coincide with the regular business hours of clients in Northern America or Europe. .
Many have been known to experience health problems such as sleep disorders, eating
disturbances and gastrointestinal disorders, mental problems and probably cardiovascular
disturbances.

Practicing Occupational Health and Safety Procedures

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Practicing Occupational Health and Safety Procedures

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PRACTICING OCCUPATIONAL

HEALTH AND SAFETY PROCEDURES

Risk assessment is the process where you:

What are Control Measures?

◦Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs)

Injury to the ears

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