
Physical hazards
- Temperature hazards. Extremely cold or hot temperatures can be dangerous to employee health. ...
- Air quality. Air in a workplace can present problems depending on its quality. ...
- Noise. Many things in a workspace, such as equipment or moving vehicles in industrial and manufacturing environments, can create noise.
What are the types of hazards in the workplace?
Types of Workplace Hazards and How To Manage Them
- Chemicals. Chemicals at the workplace can range from cleaning products to chemical production. ...
- Ergonomic. Ergonomic hazards are present in work environments from offices to construction sites; this includes injuries or strains from repetitive strains, strains from lifting/pushing/pulling, standing, shiftwork or slips and ...
- Physical. ...
- Psychosocial. ...
What are the most common workplace hazards?
The six main categories of hazards are:
- Biological. Biological hazards include viruses, bacteria, insects, animals, etc., that can cause adverse health impacts. ...
- Chemical. Chemical hazards are hazardous substances that can cause harm. ...
- Physical. ...
- Safety. ...
- Ergonomic. ...
- Psychosocial. ...
What are the types of occupational health hazards?
Types of occupational health and safety hazards
- Physical hazards – Types of occupational physical hazards. ...
- Chemical hazards – Types of Occupational chemical hazards. ...
- Biological hazards – Types of occupational biological hazards. ...
- Mechanical and electrical hazards – Types of occupational mechanical / electrical hazards. ...
- Psychosocial hazards – Types of occupational psychosocial hazards. ...
Are you aware of these 6 types of workplace hazards?
The guidance covers a range of different work types, including all offices, factories and labs.

What is a health hazard example?
Health hazards group: based on the ability of the product to cause a health effect – such as eye irritation, respiratory sensitization (may cause allergy or asthma symptoms or breathing difficulties if inhaled), or carcinogenicity (may cause cancer).
What is the most common health hazard found in the workplace?
This is the most common type of workplace hazards. Examples of physical hazards include slips, trips, falls, exposure to loud noises, working from heights, vibrations, and unguarded machinery. Every occupation places certain strains on a worker's body.
What are the 4 common workplace health hazards?
Workplace hazards can incur great costs for a company, but if identified and assessed properly, they can be controlled and prevented, or at least minimised. We've listed out the 4 most common ones - physical, ergonomic, chemical, and biological.
What are the major types of health hazards?
The six main categories of hazards are:Biological. Biological hazards include viruses, bacteria, insects, animals, etc., that can cause adverse health impacts. ... Chemical. Chemical hazards are hazardous substances that can cause harm. ... Physical. ... Safety. ... Ergonomic. ... Psychosocial.
What is an example of a workplace hazard?
They include: Anything that can cause spills or trips such as cords running across the floor or ice. Anything that can cause falls such as working from heights, including ladders, scaffolds, roofs, or any elevated work area. Unguarded and moving machinery parts that a worker can accidentally touch.
What are common hazards in the workplace?
Five common office health and safety hazardsHazard 1: Slips, trips, and falls. Slips, trips, and falls are one of the most common hazards across all workplaces, not just office environments. ... Hazard 2: Ergonomic injuries. ... Hazard 3: Stress. ... Hazard 4: Eye strain. ... Hazard 5: Fire safety. ... How The Health & Safety Dept can help.
What are 5 examples of hazards?
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.
What are the 5 major types of hazards?
Understand and know the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) five types of workplace hazards and take steps to mitigate employee risk.Safety. Safety hazards encompass any type of substance, condition or object that can injure workers. ... Chemical. ... Biological. ... Physical. ... Ergonomic.
What are the 4 types of hazards give an example of each?
There are four types of hazards that you need to consider:Microbiological hazards. Microbiological hazards include bacteria, yeasts, moulds and viruses.Chemical hazards. ... Physical hazards. ... Allergens.
What does health hazard mean?
Health hazards are chemical, physical or biological factors in our environment that can have negative impacts on our short- or long-term health. Exposure can occur through touch, inhalation, and ingestion. Understanding the risks of these hazards can help us to take action to avoid or mitigate these risks.
How many health hazards are there?
There are 16 physical hazards and 10 health hazards: each hazard is then further divided according to different severity levels. Chemical manufacturers, importers, and distributors are required to classify their chemicals using the updated HazCom 2012.
What are the causes of health hazards?
Health and Ecological Hazards Caused by Hazardous Substancesbehavioral abnormalities,cancer,genetic mutations,physiological malfunctions (e.g., reproductive impairment, kidney failure, etc.),physical deformations, and.birth defects.
What are the hazards of work?
Work Organization Hazards. Work organization hazards are stressors that cause tension, anxiety, or strain to workers. These can be experienced in short term (stress) or long term (strain) that is associated with workplace issues such as workload, lack of control and/or respect, etc. Here are work organization hazards examples: Workload demands;
Why is it important to identify workplace hazards?
Identifying workplace safety issues can help prevent the likelihood of workplace incidents, accidents, or near-misses. OSHA identifies the 6 most common hazards in the workplace as follows:
What is Hazard Identification?
Hazard identification is a risk assessment practice that aims to identify and record safety risks and work hazards to ensure the safety of workers and personnel. Hazard identification is usually done: when new processes, equipment, and/or machinery are introduced into the standard workflow; before each shift;
What are ergonomic hazards?
Ergonomic Hazards. Ergonomic hazards occur when the type of work, body positions, and working conditions put a strain on the body. They are the hardest to spot since you don’t always immediately notice the strain on the body and the harm that these hazards pose.
What is the responsibility of an employer to inform, educate, and train employees about workplace hazards?
It is the employer’s responsibility to inform, educate, and train their employees about workplace hazards. It is paramount to ensure a safe and healthy environment not just for employees but for clients as well. Early detection of hazards and implementing safety practices will help the business in achieving its goals.
What are some examples of work organization hazards?
Here are work organization hazards examples: Workload demands; Workplace violence;
What is a pen and paper hazard assessment?
A traditional pen and paper-based hazard assessment involve carrying around numerous paperwork and a camera to manually document the identified hazard in the facility . This process involves a manual compilation of gathered data that is cumbersome and prone to errors . These hassles can be avoided with iAuditor by SafetyCulture an inspection software and mobile app solutions.
Who is at risk for workplace violence?
OSHA addresses some of the workers who are at increased risk for workplace violence: Workers who exchange money with the public. Workers who deliver goods, passengers, or services. People who work alone or in small groups. Workers who work late at night or early in the morning. Workers who work in high-crime areas.
How to make safety part of job description?
Make safety part of an employee’s job description; in other words, hold employees accountable for always practicing safety at work. Understand how the health (or lack of health) of your employees contributes to or takes away from the bottom line and implement policies and programs to assist in this effort.
What is hypostress in a job?
Hypostress is the lack of eustress or distress in someone’s life. Remember, some stress can be good and pushes us to work harder. We see this type of stress with people who may work in a factory or other type of repetitive job. The effect of this type of stress is usually feelings of restlessness.
What is the learning objective of OSHA?
Learning Objective. Be able to explain health concerns that can affect employees at work. While OSHA covers many areas relating to health and safety at work, a few other areas are also important to mention. Stress management, office-related injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, and no-fragrance areas are all contemporary issues surrounding ...
Does stress affect HR?
As you have already guessed, stress on the job creates productivity issues, which is why it concerns HR professionals. We know that stress can cause headaches, stomach issues, and other negative effects that can result in lost productivity but also result in less creative work.
Is job instability a source of stress?
Job instability is on the rise as a source of stress: nearly half (49 percent) of adults reported that job instability was a source of stress in 2010 (compared to 44 percent in 2009).
Does stress affect health insurance?
Stress can raise health insurance costs and cause employee turnover. Because of this, according to HR Magazine (Tyler, 2011), many employers are taking the time to identify the chief workplace stressors in employees’ lives. With this information, steps can be taken to reduce or eliminate such stress.
What are the health problems caused by chemicals?
Hazardous chemicals: Whether a facility is manufacturing chemical substances or simply using cleaners with harsh chemicals, hazardous chemicals can cause a litany of health problems including rashes, eye injuries, burns, organ damage, or even death.
What are the six primary hazard categories?
These health hazards can fall under one of the six primary hazard categories: physical hazards, chemical hazards, biological hazards, ergonomic hazards, and behavioral hazards.
What is the first step in OSHA?
The first step is to conduct a risk assessment of the facility to identify all potential health risks. After all hazards have been identified, the next step is to implement hazard controls.
What Does Health Hazard Mean?
A health hazard, within the context of occupational health and safety, refers to any chemical or substance for which there is adequate research or statistical evidence to suggest that it can trigger health effects in those who are exposed. These effects may be acute or chronic.
WorkplaceTesting Explains Health Hazard
Exposure to a health hazard can produce a series of changes in the body, which triggers a series of signs or symptoms in the exposed employee.
What is a workplace hazard?
A workplace hazard is anything which has the potential to harm the health and safety of a person. These hazards can can take the form of work practices and systems which are used to perform work - as well as physical, biological and even psychological aspects.
What are the most common hazards that all workers need to be aware of?
The most common 'categories' of hazards which all workers need to be aware of are: Some general rules of thumb which help all workers to better identify hazards in the workplace include: Looking at every aspect of the work including cleaning and maintenance, not just normal operations. Looking closely at the physical work environment, equipment, ...
How to identify hazards?
The main 'times' when hazard identification should be done include: 1 During design and implementation such as when a new process or procedure is implemented or a new piece of plant or equipment installed 2 Before tasks are started or done using equipment and general checklists 3 While tasks are being done, be vigilant of changes in conditions 4 During inspections, which can be formal or informal inspections, performed by an internal employee or supervisor or an external party or auditor 5 After incidents and near misses, retroactively looking at which hazards caused the incident or injury and how those can be mitigated in the future
What is the first step in managing WHS risk?
Many workplace injuries and incidents are a result of unidentified hazards, or a lack of action on controlling the risk associated with a specific hazard. Identifying hazards is the first step in managing WHS risk:
What is Hazard Identification?
Hazard identification is a joint effort from the company, workers and other stakeholders, and it is an effort which is well-worth it. Reducing and mitigating hazards will always be the first line of defence and one of the most effective ways to reduce workplace incidents. If you are looking to identify hazards in your workplace, ...
Why is Hazard Identification important?
Hazard identification is the first line of defence in preventing workplace injuries, fatalities and safety issues. It is an absolutely necessary part of normal workplace operations.
Why is it necessary for everyone to participate in hazard identification?
It is necessary for someone (and ideally everyone) to participate in hazard identification, because everyone sees different things, spots different hazards and has their own set of expertise on the dangers associated with specific tasks.
What is a workplace hazard?
A workplace hazard refers to a situation within the workplace that has the potential to cause injury or adverse health effects for people and damage to the plant and/or equipment. Hazards are present at every workplace and come from a wide number of sources. Identifying and eliminating them is a major component of maintaining a safe workplace.
What are some examples of workplace hazards?
Safeopedia Explains Workplace Hazard. General examples of workplace hazards include any substance, material, activity or process that has the potential to cause harm or injury under specific conditions.
What are the hazards caused by the moving parts of machinery, plant or an equipment?
Physical: Exposure to noise, vibrations, radiation or a magnetic field. Ergonomic: Improper posture, repetitive movements, improper arrangement of workplace. Advertisement.
What are workplace hazards?
Workplace hazards are risks in a work environment that can harmfully affect or injure employees if not properly addressed. There are many types of workplace hazards that can affect employees physically, mentally and emotionally.
How to prevent hazards in the workplace?
One of the first steps to preventing hazards in the workplace is understanding what hazards exist and how a manager can successfully control or contain them. Methods for helping your employees avoid hazards may involve creating new workplace policies or requiring that employees undergo safety training.
How can management prevent stress?
Ways that management can prevent stress include managerial reviews conducted by employees or more employee input acknowledged in the workplace. Bullying or workplace violence. Bullying and workplace violence encompasses any form of assault or insult that occurs in the workplace.
What are some examples of psychosocial hazards?
Examples of workplace psychosocial hazards include: Stress. Stress in a workplace environment can arise from poor management, improperly communicated expectations or fluctuating or overbearing workloads.
How can management ensure proper air quality?
Management can ensure proper air quality by adhering to safety guidelines concerning temperature, chemical storage and gas storage. Repairing or replacing a ventilation system when it is not functioning properly can also help prevent any long-term workplace health issues. Noise.
What is a biological hazard?
Mold. Biological hazards due to insect, plant or animal life. To prevent illness from a biological hazard such as mold, for example, consider instituting workplace mandatory training that tells employees what they can do when they spot mold.
How can management prevent mental stress concerning inconvenient shift changes?
Ways that management can prevent mental stress concerning inconvenient shift changes is by adhering to shift policies that benefit employees. Preventing unexpected, extended workdays can reduce workplace fatigue and relieve stress.

The 6 Most Common Types
What Is Hazard Identification?
- Hazard identification is a risk assessmentpractice that aims to identify and record safety risks and work hazards to ensure the safety of workers and personnel. Hazard identification is usually done: 1. when new processes, equipment, and/or machinery are introduced into the standard workflow; 2. before each shift; 3. in the performance of work; 4. ...
Benefits
- It is the employer’s responsibility to inform, educate, and train their employees about workplace hazards. It is paramount to ensure a safe and healthy environment not just for employees but for clients as well. Early detection of hazards and implementing safety practices will help the business in achieving its goals. It would also help: 1. prevent numerous work-related injuries an…
How to Identify
- Failure to spot hazards can often lead to serious injuries and dangers in the workplace. All safety and health programs must consistently identify and assess hazards to ensure that all workers are safe and protected. A hazard identification procedure is done through a collaborative effort of employers and workers. A step-by-step procedure could be as follows: 1. Gather information ab…
A Tool to Spot Hazards Easily
- A traditional pen and paper-based hazard assessment involve carrying around numerous paperwork and a camera to manually document the identified hazard in the facility. This process involves a manual compilation of gathered data that is cumbersome and prone to errors. These hassles can be avoided with iAuditor by SafetyCulturean inspection software and mobile app sol…