No matter how small or large, every employer needs to create a safe working environment. This obligation not only stands as a moral imperative and a legal obligation but also makes financial sense. Here are five types of environmental hazards that employers need to inform workers about, courtesy of https://www.casinoadvice.io/.
- Safety Hazards
These safety hazards can vary depending on the type of lone worker job. For example, working at height can be a safety hazard for lone worker jobs in construction, window cleaning, or cable repair. The Journal of Health & Safety International reports that “working at height remains one of the biggest causes of occupational fatalities and major injuries.”
Other types of safety hazard can be directly linked to the equipment required for the job or type of task at hand. This can range from working with heavy machinery to slippery floors. It is important for companies to first identify all safety hazards related to the job. Once identified, the next step is implementing adequate safety equipment and guidelines to minimise the chances of an accident from happening in the first place or minimise injury should an accident happen.
2 Biological Hazards
Biological hazards can include exposure to viruses or bacteria that threaten health. This category of environmental hazard can be tricky to navigate because of how difficult it can be to identify, trace, or eliminate biological hazards. One could classify biological hazards into two classes: identified and unidentified. COVID-19 is an example of an identified biological hazard. As the coronavirus has been classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organisation, employers hold the responsibility to ensure their lone workers are protected by the issued standard operating procedures and access to testing.
3 Chemical Hazards
Chemical hazards include any type of solid, liquid, or gas that is capable of causing immediate injury or illness to the lone worker or leading to acute or chronic health effects in the long term. Similar to biological hazards, chemical hazards can be difficult to eliminate completely. Thus, it’s important for employers to identify the chemicals a lone worker would—or could—be exposed to, then take the necessary safety and protection measures. Protecting lone workers from exposure to the danger of chemical hazards is not just limited to protective gear. Regular maintenance of equipment to prevent chemical leaks, such as in a laboratory, is just as important. Employers must also be prepared for potential chemical hazards that can threaten a lone worker, such as an explosion of gasses in mines. This is one of the most threatening hazards, according to experts from online casino gambling, and you should try as much as possible to stay away from them.
4 Physical Hazards
Physical hazards expand beyond the dangers of physically handling equipment. It can also include exposure to radiation, bad visibility due to weather, extreme cold or hot weather, high levels of noise, slippery or icy roads, and so on. Lone workers who work outside of a traditional office environment will have a higher chance of being exposed to physical hazards that can directly impact the safety and performance of their job.
5 Natural Hazards
Natural hazards such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, tsunamis, and avalanches can cause injury or trap lone workers in confined spaces. While many natural hazards can be impossible to predict, it does not liberate the employer from the responsibility of ensuring a lone worker can easily communicate their location and status in the case of a natural disaster or emergency.
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