HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORKPLACE

PRESENTED BY

Gordon Nyakiti Embu Agricultural Staff Training College - Embu

April 25, 2013

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INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

Issues relating to Health ,Safety and Welfare at Work place are regulated by Occupational Safety and Health Act - 2007. Further, the Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services under the Ministry of Labour and Human Resources Development has also developed recommendations under Legal Notice (LN) No. 31 of 2004 outlining workplace safety , health & welfare in relation to corporate objectives. Requirements under these regulations on Health , Safety & Welfare at work places aim to ensure that workplaces meet the health, safety and welfare needs of all members of workforce, including pple with disabilities:

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Work Place Factories, Shops, Offices, Schools, Hospitals, Hotels , entertainment places, Common Parts of Shared Buildings, Private Roads, Temporary Worksites except construction sites Work Means work as an employee or self employed Premises Means any place including an outdoor place Domestic Premises Means private dwelling Regulations do not apply to domestic premises Occupational Anything connected with a persons job or profession Health State of being physically and mentally fit Safety State of being safe and protected form danger or harm Occupational health and safety - Is health and safety that is connected with a persons job or profession.

Definitions of Pertinent Terms

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 Hazard -

Is any condition or situation that has potential for causing harm or damage to exposed persons or property The probability/likelihood of occurrence of an adverse effect from a substance on pple or environment combined with the magnitude of the consequence of that adverse effect.

Risk -

Dangerous Situation or condition whose risk is high.

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HEALTH

Measures outlined under here contribute to the general working environment of pple in the workplace. The measures are as below: 2.1 Ventilation
Workplace must be adequately ventilated. Fresh clean air should be drawn from a source outside workplace Ventilation should remove and dilute warm, humid air and provide air movement which gives a sense of freshness w/out causing draught Windows or other opening provide sufficient ventilation but where appropriate, mechanical ventilation should be provided

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Indoor Temperatures
Individual personal preference makes it difficult to specify a thermal environment that satisfies all ( Thermal comfort)
For sedentary activities i.e. office work , temp should be at least 16oC For intense activities, temp should be at least 13oC

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Work in Hot or Cold Environments

Risks to workers increase as the conditions move further from acceptable levels Risk conditions such as high temp areas like foundries, glass works and laundries may result in heat stress Cold stress may emanate from working in cold stores, food preparation and open air spaces during winter

Mitigation measures to address the two extreme environment conditions may include - Insulation of hot radiant sources

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- Orientating buildings to reduce the effects of solar loading or use of blinds, shutters on windows - Excessive sweating workers should have rest breaks in btwn and facility to change into dry clothing - Medical pre-selection of workers to withstand conditions - Use of suitable protective clothing (heat resistant or insulation) - Acclimatisation of workers to the environment - Training in the precautions to be taken

- Supervision to ensure that precautions identified are taken

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Lighting

Lighting should be sufficient to enable pple to work and move about safely If necessary, local lighting should be provided at individual workstations and crossing points especially on traffic routes Automatic emergency lighting, powered by an independent source, should be provided where sudden loss of light would create a risk

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Cleanliness and Waste Management

Every workplace should be kept clean Surface floors, walls and ceilings should be kept clean Wastes should be disposed in suitable receptacles ( bins, waste baskets etc)

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2.6

Room Dimensions and Space

Workroom should have enough free space to allow pple to move about with ease Volume of the room when empty divided by the number of pple normally working in it should be at least 11 cubic metres All or part of a room over 3 m high should be counted as 3 m high 11 cubic metres per person is a minimum and may be insufficient depending on the layout, contents and the nature of the work

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Workstations and Seating

Workstation should be suitable for the pple using them and for the work they do Pple should be able to leave workstations swiftly in an emergency If work can or must be done sitting, seats which are suitable for the pple using them and for the work they do should be provided Seating should give adequate support for the lower back, and footrests should be provided for workers who cannot place their feet flat on the floor

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3.0 SAFETY
Measures outlined under here contribute to safe and uninterruptible general working environment of facilities and pple in the workplace. The measures are as below: 3.1

Maintenance

Maintain workplace and equipment in efficient working order Equipment requiring such maintenance include mechanical ventilation systems and devices which would cause a risk to health, safety or welfare if a fault occurred Condition of buildings should be monitored to ensure appropriate stability and solidity for their use

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3.2

Floors and Traffic Routes

bay or

Traffic Route Means a route for pedestrian traffic, vehicles or both and includes any stairs, fixed ladder, doorway, gateway, loading ramp

There should be sufficient traffic routes, of sufficient width and headroom to allow people and vehicles to circulate safely with ease Swinging barriers should be locked open or locked shut preferably by padlock so that they do not swing open and constitute a risk to oncoming vehicles Electronic Gate If pple and vehicles have to share a traffic route, use kerbs, barriers of clear markings to designate a safe walkway and for crossing, provide a clearly marked crossings points with good visibility, bridges or subways Set appropriate speed limits and ensure that traffic rules are adhered to Provide route markings and signs so that drivers and pedestrians know where to go and what rules to apply

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 Loading bays should have at least one exit point from the lower level Where a load is tipped into a pit or similar place, and vehicle is liable to fall into it, barriers or portable wheel stops should be provided at the end of the traffic route Floors and traffic routes should be sound and strong enough for the loads placed on them and traffic expected to use them. Floor surfaces should be even, non slippery and kept free of obstructions Open sides of staircases should be fenced with an upper rail at 900 mm or higher and lower rail. A handrail should be provided on at least one side of every stair case and on both sides if there is a particular risk. Additional handrails may be required down the centre of wide staircases Access btwn flrs should not be by ladders or steep stairs

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3.3

Falls into Dangerous Substances

The consequences of falling into dangerous places are so serious that a high standard of protection is required
Dangerous places include tanks, furnaces, pits etc Dangerous structures should be securely fenced or well covered Traffic routes associated with them should also be securely fenced

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3.4

Transparent or Translucent Doors, Gates, Walls & Windows

3.4.1

Windows

Openable windows,skylights and ventilators should be capable of being opened, closed or adjusted safely and when open should not pose any undue risk to anyone Windows and skylights should be designed so that they may be cleaned safely

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3.4.2

Doors and Gates

Doors and gates should be suitably constructed and fitted with safety devices if necessary Doors and gates which swing both ways and conventionally hinged doors on main traffic routes should have a transparent viewing panel Power operated doors and gates should have safety features to prevent pple being stuck or trapped and where necessary should have a readily identifiable and accessible control switch or device so that they can be stopped quickly in an emergency Upward opening doors or gates need to be fitted with an effective device to prevent them falling back counterbalance springs and similar counterbalance or ratchet devices to hold them in position are acceptable

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3.4.3

Escalators and Moving Walkways

Should function properly and safely Be equipped with any necessary safety devices Be fitted with one or more emergency stop controls which are easily identifiable and readily accessible

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3.0
3.1

WEFARE
Sanitary Conveniences and Washing Facilities

Suitable & sufficient sanitary conveniences and washing facilities should be provided at readily accessible places Washing facilities should have running hot or cold or warm water, soap and clean towels or other means of cleaning or drying Depending on the requirements of the type of work, showers should also be provided Ladies and gentlemen should have separate facilities unless each facility is in separate room with a lockable door and is for use by only one person at a time

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3.2

Drinking Water
Provide adequate supply of high quality drinking water with an upward drinking jet or suitable cups Provide water in refillable enclosed containers where it cannot be obtained directly from a mains supply The containers should be refilled at least daily ( unless they are chilled water dispensers where the containers are returned to the supplier for refilling) Bottled wate/water dispensing systems may still be provided as a secondary source of drinking water Drinking water does not have to be marked unless there is a significant risk of pple drinking non drinking water

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3.3

Accommodation for Clothing & Facilities for Changing

Provide adequate , suitable and secure space to store workers own clothing and special clothing As far as reasonably practicable, the facilities should allow for drying of clothes Provide changing facilities for workers changing into special work clothing. The facilities should be readily accessible from workrooms and washing and eating places The facility should ensure the privacy of the use, be of sufficient capacity and provided with seating

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3.4

Facilities for Rest and to eat meals

Provide suitable, sufficient, readily accessible rest facility Provide seats for workers to use during breaks Rest areas should be large enough and have sufficient seats with backrests and tables for the number of workers likely to use them at any time including suitable access and seating which is adequate for the number of disabled pple at work Where workers regularly eat meals at work, suitable and sufficient facilities should be provided for the purpose Work areas can be counted as rest areas and as eating facilities, provided they are adequately clean and there is suitable surface on which to place food Where provided, eating facilities should include places for preparing or obtaining a hot drink. Where hot food cannot be obtained in or reasonably near to the workplace, workers may need to be provided with a means for heating their own food (eg microwave oven) Canteens or restaurants may be used as rest facilities provided there is no obligation to purchase food Suitable rest facilities should be provided for pregnant women and nursing mothers. They should be near to sanitary facilities and where necessary include the facility to lie down.

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STOP PRESS:
Consider this statement from a Medical Doctor :

Before I got into medical school, I knew what I was going to do help people get healthy. But instead of becoming expert in health, I became an expert in Diseases.

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THANK YOU AND MAY I WELLCOME COMMENTS, CRITIQUES AND OBSERVATIONS.

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