GENERAL SAFETY – Lesson 7

Employer to Assess & Respond to Risk

The Employer must:

• Identify the hazards to health or safety to which employees may be exposed while they are at work;
• Assess the risks to health or safety to which employees may be exposed while they are at work;
• Record the significant hazards identified and risks assessed and
• Make those records available for inspection by employees.

Every Employer must consult with the Health and Safety committee at the mine to determine the measures to: 

• eliminate any recorded risk
• control the risk at source
• minimise the risk
• in so far as the risk remains –

 (i) provide for personal protective equipment; and
(ii) institute a program to monitor the risk to which employees may be exposed.

Every Employer must:

• periodically review the hazards identified and risks assessed, including occupational hygiene measurements and medical surveillance, to determine further control requirements.
• consult with the Health and Safety committee on the review

General duties of the employer:

• Ensure that the employee know and understand hazards
• Maintain equipment (serviceable & hygienic)
• Provide information, training, instruction and supervision
• Participate in decision making of Health & Safety.

HAZARDS AND RISKS

Explain the Requirements in terms of the Employer’s Responsibility to assess and respond to Hazards?

We at Barberton Mine undertakes to:

• Identify the relevant Hazards and assess the related Risks to which persons may be exposed
• Supply all the  necessary Health and Safety Equipment and Health and Safety facilities to each Employee
• Maintain as far as is reasonably practical that Equipment and those facilities in a serviceable and hygienic condition

What is a Hazard?

• A hazard is something with the potential of causing harm.
• Hazards that impact occupational safety; physical, mechanical, electrical and chemical.
• Consequence; contact, impact, shock, burns.
• Hazards that impact Occupational Health; Biological, Ergonomically, Chemical, Physiological, Psychological.
• Consequence; Ingestion, Inhalation, Absorption, Stress and strains.

HAZARDS AND RISKS

• Explain the Legal Requirements in terms of the Employer’s  Responsibility to assess and respond to RISK?

What is a Risk?

• RISK is the chance of loss or harm occurring.

Explain the meaning of Tolerable Risk?

• It is the acceptable level of a Risk

What is an Incident?

• An incident is an unplanned event that could or does result in harm or loss.

What Is Reasonably Practical?

Means practicable with regard to:

• Severity and scope of the hazard or risk concerned.
• State of knowledge reasonably available concerning that hazard or risk and of any means of removing or mitigating that hazard or risk.
• Availability & suitability of means to remove or mitigate that hazard or risk.
• Costs and the benefits of removing or mitigating that hazard or risk.

What is occupational health?

• Occupational health includes occupational hygiene and occupational medicine.
• Occupational hygiene means the anticipation, recognition, evaluation and
  control of conditions at the mine, which may cause illness or adverse health effects to persons.
• Occupational medicine means the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of illness, injury and adverse health effects associated with a particular type of work.

What is safety?

• Safety means the freedom from harm or loss.

HAZARDS & RISKS

• When will you do the following risk assessment ?
  Baseline – Identifying major risks.
• Issue Based – Accident, near miss or if any changes have occurred.
• Continuous – Audits, P.T.O’s and Checklists.

Explain how you will control a Risk:

• Control at the SOURCE
• Try to eliminate the Risk (e.g. bar down)
• Minimize the Risk (e.g. install support) by using P.P.E

What do you understand under the wording:

Risk severity and likelihood?

• Risk Severity = Is the magnitude of the loss occurring (level 1 – low, level 2 – minor, level 3 – moderate, level 4 – major, level 5 – critical)
• Likelihood = Is how regular does the loss occur (rare – once every 10 years, unlikely – once a year, possible – once in 3 months, likely – once a month, certain – every day

Baseline Risk Assessment

• A Baseline Risk Assessment is an overall (Helicopter) view of the Company to determine the current status of Occupational Health and Safety Risks associated with the company.
• Identify hazards, associated risks and develop controls to mitigate, minimise or control the associated risks.
• Introduction of a New Act, you assess where you are in terms of risk, identifying major risks, prioritise them and establishing a programme for future risk control.
• A baseline risk assessment needs to be comprehensive and may well lead to further, separate, more in-depth risk assessment studies.
• Baseline risk assessment is periodically reviewed, to ensure that it is still relevant and accurate.

Issue-based Risk Assessment

• An Issue Base Risk Assessment deals with specific Issues or Circumstances (need) and a separate risk assessment studies will need to be conducted e.g. standards, equipment or working methods.
• An Issue Base Risk Assessment will need to be carried out when, for example:
  • A new machine is introduced into the mine.
  • A system of work is changed or operations are altered.
  • After an accident or a ‘near-miss’ has occurred.
  • New knowledge comes to light and information is received which may influence the level of risk to employees at the mine.
• Identify hazards, associated risks and develop controls to mitigate, minimise or control the associated risks.
• An Issue Base Risk Assessment will normally be associated with a Change Management System
• During this process specific hazard identification techniques are used to identify all possible hazards related to a specific issue.
• The results of an issue based risk assessment are used for developing training programmes, standards, procedures, codes of practice and management systems.

HAZARDS AND RISKS

How do we prioritise our hazards ?

• From the highest risk rating to the lowest and according to the level of authority

Why is Teamwork so important when conducting Risk  Assessments?

• It will encourage teamwork. It will make all aware of hazards and risks.
• You will need all the experience you can get from lowest to highest.
• Hazards are Identified and Risks are Assessed.

Hazard identification and Risk Assessment within a workplace

• Promote Positive Interpersonal Interaction
• Communication with persons must be friendly, but firm and clear in terms of understanding.
• Willingness to perform tasks must be evident.
• No delays are caused as a result of negative interaction.
• Promote Effective Teamwork.
• Assist other persons where required.
• Encourage team members to work together.
• Avoid dysfunctional conflict.
• Do not aggravate conflict situations.

HAZARDS & RISKS

• Proven method of hazard identification
• Go through the hazard check in a planned way, follow these steps:
• Start by identifying the hazards.
• Assess the risks that could come out of those hazards, taking into account what controls are already in place, evaluating the likelihood and consequence of any event happening and respond accordingly.
• Look at what actually happens in the workplace and, in particular include things that do not happen often.
• Include all employees, visitors and contractors.
• Always keep a written record of the assessment, including all actions you take and recommendations you make.

PRE-WORK RISK ASSESSMENT

Remember:  Stop, Look, Assess & Manage!!!

Before commencing any work employees must always adhere to the Stop, Look, Assess and Manage (SLAM) process so as to prevent injuries, ill health and other types of losses.

• Firstly stop and look around by using your senses.
• Always know what is going around you and be alert for potential hazards.

PRE-WORK RISK ASSESSMENT

Ask Yourself the Following 9 Questions Before Starting any Job:

• Am I trained to do the job?
• Do I know the procedure/standard for the job?
• Do I have the correct PPE for the job?
• Do I have the right tools for the job?
• Are the tools safe and in good working condition?
• Has anything changed since I last did this job?
• Is there anything around me that can injure me?
• Is there anything or anyone working around me?
• Is a serious accident possible if I continue with the job?

When to perform  Pre-Job Risk Assessment:

• The Pre-Job Risk Assessment must be performed prior to performing any tasks that is not preceded by any form of continuous risk assessment.
• These continuous risk assessments include the following:
• Safe Declaration by the “Team Leader” (TL).
• Any Pre-Use Inspection Checklists conducted i.e. Pre-Use Inspection Checklist, Battery Loco, Front End Loader (LHD) Car Operator’s Pre-Use Inspection Checklist etc.
• The Pre-Job Risk Assessment must further be performed:
• If the task about to be performed has been changed, modified, altered or amended.
• Prior to performing a non-routine task (task that is non-repetitive, not regular or performed every day).
• After an incident has occurred.

Who to perform Pre-Job Risk Assessment?

• The Responsible Line Supervisor is responsible to conduct a Pre-Job Risk Assessment where required. Line Supervisors include:
• Team Leader, Artisan etc.
• Miner, Artisan etc.
• Shift Boss, Foreman, Safety Officer etc.
• Mine Manager, Engineer, Safety Officer.

Check and ensure adequate to perform the task:

• The responsible Line Supervisor must ensure that employees are trained on intended tasks and have relevant knowledge of applicable standards and procedures to perform the intended tasks.

Escalation Process:

• When the Responsible Line Supervisor who is conducting a Pre-Job Risk Assessment are in doubt regarding the control measures or additional control measures required to eliminate, minimize or control the risk, or cannot conduct the Pre-Job Risk Assessment due to illiteracy, he/she must stop the intended work and request assistance from his/her line supervisor level i.e. to report to the mine and the mines to report to the Shift Boss etc.

Health and Safety Representatives

• Report all incidents to them
• Investigate complaints
• Represent employees on all health and safety aspects

General duties of the employee

• Protect own Health & Safety and other persons’
• Use and take care of PPE
• Report Health & Safety risks
• Right to leave dangerous area of work
• Participate in decision making of Health & Safety

EMPLOYEES CARE FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY

Every Employee at a Mine, while at that Mine, must:

• Take reasonable care to protect  their  own  Health  and  Safety.
• Take reasonable care to protect  the  Health  and  Safety  of  other persons who may be  affected  b y any  act  or  omission  of  that  employee;
• Use and  take  proper  care  of  protective  clothing  and  other  Health and Safety  facilities  and  Equipment  provided  for  the  protection,  Health  or Safety  of  that  Employee  and  other  Employees.
• Report promptly  to  their  immediate  Supervisor  any  situation  which  the Employee  believes  presents  a  risk  to  the  Heath  or  Safety   of  that Employee  or  any  other  person,  and  with  which  the  Employee  cannot properly  deal with.
• Co-operate with any person to  permit compliance with the duties and    responsibilities placed on that person in terms of the Act and
• Comply with prescribed Health and Safety Measures.

Employee’s right to leave/withdraw from a dangerous working place.

• It is the duty of all employee’s to report/complain any sub-standard – unsafe condition & behaviour which will endanger health & safety of any worker/s to his/her immediate Supervisor.

The Employee has the right to leave/withdraw from any working place whenever:

• Circumstances arise at that working place which, with reasonable justification, appear to that employee to pose a danger to the health and safety of that employee.
• The health and safety representative responsible for that working place directs that employee to leave that working place.

Leave/withdraw from a dangerous working place in accordance with the mine’s withdrawal procedure.

• When withdrawing from an unsafe work place, remove all employees to a safe area.
• Barricade the area off to prevent inadvertently entry into the dangerous working place.

Employee’s right to leave/withdraw from a dangerous working place

Action to be taken when there is a danger to the health or safety of employees.

• Whenever it appears that there is a danger to the health or safety of any employee, the immediate Supervisor must be notified, together with the Health and Safety Representative for the designated workplace.

Action to be taken by the Supervisor when there is a complaint regarding the safety of a working place

• The immediate Supervisor will notify the Health and Safety Representative and will personally, accompany the Health and Safety Representative for the designated working place.
• Inspect the affected area.
• Assess the danger make that part of the working place safe.

Employee’s right to leave/withdraw from a dangerous working place

Action to be taken by the Supervisor when there is a complaint regarding the safety of a working place.

• Any instruction given in the interest of health and safety to render the working place safe must be carried out.
• Such task must be carried out under direct supervision of the Supervisor responsible for that working place.
• Any work or action to resolve perceived danger must be commenced from a safe area.
• The suspect area will only be declared safe once the immediate superior, in consultation with the Health & Safety Representative has approved such area, and a person who is the holder of a blasting certificate agrees that the area is safe.
• Once the area is safe, the immediate Supervisor may instruct the Employees to resume work.

Employee’s right to leave/withdraw from a dangerous working place

Actions to be taken if the area is still believed to be unsafe

• If it is found that the danger is such that the area cannot easily be made safe, or if the employees continue to believe that there is a danger, the Shift Boss/Foreman will immediately be notified.
• The Shift Boss will examine the part of the working place concerned accompanied by the Full time Health & Safety Representative. He will assess the danger, and if he considers it to be unsafe, he will take the appropriate steps to make it safe. If he determines that the part of the working place concerned is not unsafe, either after the examination or after making safe thereof, he may, in consultation with Full time Health & Safety Representative, require the Employees to resume work.

No discrimination against employees who exercise their rights.

No person may discriminate against any employee for:

• Exercising a right in terms of Health and Safety.
• Reporting unsafe acts and conditions.
• Identifying hazards and risks in the interest of Health and Safety.

Negligent act or omission

• Any person who, by a negligent act or by negligent omission, causes serious injury or serious illness to a person at a mine, shall face disciplinary action.
• Any person, other than an employer or employee, who, by a negligent act or by a negligent omission, endangers the health or safety of a person at a mine shall be disciplined.

INCIDENT AND ACCIDENT REPORTING

Definitions

A major incident is any emergency that requires the implementation of special arrangements by one or more of the emergency services.

• • The mobilization and organization of the emergency services and supporting organizations e.g. Fire Brigade
  • The initial treatment, rescue and transportation of the large number of casualties
  • The involvement either directly or indirectly of large numbers of people
  • The handling of large number of enquiries likely to be generated both from the public and the news media

A major incident in terms of medical services including ambulance service, is when any occurrence presents a serious threat to the health of the community, disruption to the service, or is likely to cause such numbers of casualties as to require special arrangements by the health services.

INCIDENT AND ACCIDENT REPORTING

Barberton Mines Plc has recognized the importance of the above two factors and has decided to put up a procedure in case of a serious road traffic accident involving a company vehicle outside our premises or any other serious incident involving other mobile equipment.

The procedure will outline the sequence of reporting an emergency at any time it occurs.  The sequence will be as follows:

The Caller will ring Control Room on the following numbers:
– Call center/Control Room – 911

INCIDENT AND ACCIDENT REPORTING

Safety will liaise with all the parties in the hierarchy which are Medical, Human Resources, Fire Brigade and Line Manager.

The Line Manager will inform the General Manager.

Mine Accident:

• The injured mine employee (Includes contractors as per Mine Health and Safety Act).
• Accident occurred within the normal scope of his/her duties/occupation.
• The accident occurred on property owned or controlled by the Mine (At site of work including change rooms, cages/chairlifts, etc.).

Fatality:

• A work related injury resulting in the death of an employee or contractor.

Lost Time Injury (LTI):

• Is a work-related injury resulting in the injured being unable to attend/return to work to perform the full or similar duties of his/her regular work, as per advice of a suitably qualified medical professional, on the next calendar day after the injury.

Medical Treatment Case (MTC):

• A medical treatment case is recorded when the injured person was admitted to the hospital or clinic as a result of a work related injury and the injured person is able to return to work the next calendar day.

Causes of Incidents:

• Personal Factors e.g. Fatigue
• Lack of knowledge and/or skill
• Physical and mental defect
• Improper Attitude or Motivation
• Job Factors
• Unsafe Conditions and Physical Environment
• Inadequate Work Standards

Reasons why incidents must be reported:

• Legal Requirement
• To prevent reoccurrence
• To establish safety trends
• Identify preventative measures

Reasons why incidents must be reported:

• Legal Requirement
• To prevent reoccurrence
• To establish safety trends
• Identify preventative measures

Why employees do not report incidents?

• Fear of discipline
• Concern about safety records
• Concern about reputation
• Fear of medical personnel
• Desire to avoid work interruption
• Avoidance of red tape
• Poor Understanding

Procedures

• Report all injuries (even minor ones), immediately to your Supervisor or Health and Safety Representative.
• The Supervisor and Health and Safety Representative must report the incident.

• All persons need to be aware of moving machinery
• No person is allowed to work on any moving machinery
• No person may walk on moving machinery
• Never move in between machines and structures
• Always listen to pre-start warning sirens and devices
• Remove all loose pieces of clothing and accessories before you enter the site and long hair properly fasten, as this might get caught in moving parts of machines
• In case of a power failure, please stand in a safe place
• Machines are safeguarded to ensure your protection, never remove any guards from equipment without permission
• Adequate illumination should be provided at all work areas to ensure the safe operation and maintenance of machinery and equipment.
• A risk assessment must be done before work is carried out in areas where there are low levels of illumination.
• Handle fluorescent tubes with care as these contain traces of fluorescent powder and mercury which can be harmful when inhaled or if absorbed into the body, for example, by a skin cut.
• Ensure that these are disposed off as per waste management procedure.

Symbolic Safety Signs

Change Management

How do you and your team manage change?

No work to commence prior to assessment of hazards and risks caused by the change in work organisation, work environment, tasks and or skills, new or designed changes to equipment or material/absence of key labour etc.

• Structure and communicate a plan of action.
• Do not rush into an action plan.
• Create understanding of risks and hazards.
• Ensure all risks and hazards are properly addressed.
• Do not attempt to execute tasks with high residual risks.
• Ensure all employees involved in the “change” understand the entire impact of such “change”
• If in doubt call for help.