Practice Occupational Safety

• Hazard

  • anything you find at work that can hurt you either physically or mentally
  • can cause harm or adverse effects (to individuals as health effects or to organizations as property or equipment losses).
• Causes for Workplace Hazards

  • thing
  • substance
  • material
  • source of energy
  • condition
  • process
  • practice
• thing


  Example: shears

  Harm Caused: cuts
• substance


  Example: fabric dye

  Harm Caused: skin irritations
• material


  Example: fabric slips

  Harm Caused: falls
• source of energy


  Example: electricity shock

  Harm Caused: electrocutions
• condition


  Example: poor lighting

  Harm Caused: eye strains
• process 


  Example: cutting fabric

  Harm Caused: strain on hands
• practice


  Example: sitting for hours

  Harm Caused: backaches
• Types of Hazards

  • Chemical
  • Electrical
  • Ergonomic
  • Psychological
  • Biological
  • Physical
• Chemical


  It refers to any substance that can cause harm, primarily to people.
• Electrical


   It is dangerous when a worker makes contact with energized equipment or conductors. The energy can sustain an injury from shock, or there is a potential for the worker to receive an arc flash burn, thermal burn, or blast injury
• Ergonomic


  This hazard may occur when the type of work, body positions, and working conditions strain the body.
• Psychological


  This type of hazard relates to the mental health and behavioral disorders. They are associated with workplace issues, such as workload, lack of control or respect, and so on
• Biological


  It comes from living organisms (i.e., pollen, fungi, animals, insects, bacteria, and viruses). The exposure could be a threat to someone's health.
• Physical 


  This refers to substances present in your work environment that could cause physical injury. This hazard includes exposure to slips, trips, falls, electricity, noise, vibration, radiation, heat, cold, and fire.
• Risk


  It is defined as the chance or probability that a person may be harmed or experience an adverse health effect when exposed to a certain hazard.It is defined as the chance or probability that a person may be harmed or experience an adverse health effect when exposed to a certain hazard.
• Ergonomic Hazards in Dressmaking may include:

  • Holding the wrist in an awkward position while cutting with scissors can cause injury to the wrist;
  • Workers holding their neck, trunk and arms in an awkward position or movement as they strain to see detail in an object;
  • Improperly adjusted workstations and chairs;
  • Frequent lifting materials;
  • Poor posture;
  • Having to use too much force, especially if you have to do it frequently; and
  • Vibration.
• There are different ways that may be used in carrying out a risk assessment in the workplace. For example the assessments could be carried out by:

  • looking at each activity which could cause injury, e.g. material handling, sewing, scissors work, etc;
  • grouping hazards and risks, e.g. machinery, transport, substances;
  • looking at each department or section; or
  • a combination of the above.
• Factors That Can Influence the Degree of Risk

  • how much exposed a person is to a hazardous thing or condition
  • how the person was exposed to the risk (e.g., breathing in a vapor or skin contact)
  • how severe the effects are under the conditions of exposure
• Risk Assessment


  It refers to a thorough look at your workplace to identify those things, situations, processes, etc. that may cause harm, particularly to people.
• Adverse Health Effect


  It refers to any change in body function or the structures of cells that leads to disease or health problems.
• Examples of Adverse Health Effect

  • bodily injuries, diseases, changes in the way the body functions, grows, or develops
  • effects on a developing fetus (teratogenic effects, fetotoxic effects)
  • effects on children, grandchildren, etc. (inheritable genetic effects)
  • decrease in lifespan
  • changes in mental condition resulting from stress, traumatic experiences
  • exposure to solvents, and so on
  • effects on the ability to accommodate additional stress
• Control Hazards And Risks

  1. What hazards are present?
  2. Who might be harmed, how, and to what extent is a person exposed to these hazards?
  3. What kind of effect could result from the specific exposure a person experienced?
  4. How severe would the damage, injury, or harm (adverse health effects) be from the exposure?
  5. Are the existing precautions adequate, or should more be done?
• Hazards and Risks in the Textile Sectors

  • exposure to chemical agents
  • exposure to dusts and fibers
  • exposure to biological agents
  • exposure to physical agents
  • accidents
  • psychosocial issues in the textiles sector
• Safety in the Sewing Room

  1. Before workers start working, ensure that the work areas are clean and organized.
  2. If possible, workers should not eat or drink in the sewing room to prevent spills over machinery and electrical cords.
  3. Employers should provide ergonomic chairs.
  4. Fresh air and good ventilation can also prevent headaches, dizziness, and fatigue.
  5. Schedule frequent, short breaks to stretch or change positions. Short breaks will also minimize boredom.
  6. Pack away sharp objects.
  7. Equipment chords should be laid on the floor properly to prevent tripping.
• How to Avoid Injuries Using a Sewing Machine

  Before using the sewing machine, examine it to ensure it is fully assembled and well-maintained.

  Evaluate the ergonomics of your workspace.

  Turn on a light when working.

  Follow the instructions.

  Wear protective eyewear.

  Learn how to sew correctly.

  Avoid using fingers to feed fabric into the machine.

  When threading the machine or changing the needle, remove your foot from the treadle and place them on the floor.
• Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)


  A government body whose duty is to provide laws and guidelines to ensure that workers in all industries work in a safe and healthy environment.
• Management’s Obligation

  • Provide a safe environment to work in, such as safe equipment, materials, and procedures.
  • Provide constant information, instruction, training, and supervision to employees to ensure they can work safely as possible.
  • Be proactive in identifying unsafe situations and taking immediate corrective action before problems arise.
  • Take action to investigate any accidents and provide measures to prevent them from happening again.
  • Ensure that the work done does not cause harm to any person.
• Employees’ Obligations

  • Obey all reasonable safety instructions.
  • Take reasonable care of their health and safety and for the safety of others in the workplace.
  • Report any dangerous situation.
  • Work with the employer to improve their safety at the workplace.
• Safety Groups

  1. Safety Officers
  2. Health and Safety Committees
• Safety Officers


  Safety officers are trained to help manage the health and safety of a workplace.
• Health and Safety Committees


  They assist with health and safety planning and developing safety plans, procedures, and documentation.
• Supervisors


  are tasked with ensuring that the people under their responsibility are given the safety orientation and training they need to perform their jobs safely.
• The best methods of controlling exposure to a particular hazard will depend on what it is. In general, methods of control can be placed in four categories:

  1. Engineering Controls
  2. Work and Hygiene Practices
  3. Administrative Controls
  4. Personal Protective Equipment
• Contingency Plan

  • It is an action plan developed to help an organization respond effectively to a significant future event or situation, like catastrophic events that may or may not happen.
  • It includes standing policies to lessen the gravity of a natural calamity’s potential impact.
• Four Steps to Preparing a Contingency Plan

  1. Complete a risk assessment. Identify what is considered or defined as a critical incident.
  2. Develop the plan. An outline of time periods is made and disseminated to keep employees updated.
  3. Maintain the plan. Conduct training and drills for old and new employees.
  4. Review and assess. Keep copies of the plan where they are easily accessible in case of emergencies.
• Safety Signs

  1. Prohibition symbol
  2. Mandatory signs
  3. Warning symbol
  4. Emergency sign
• Prohibition symbol


  This symbol provides information about dangerous actions, stops, shutdowns, emergency stop devices, or evacuations. It may be in a black pictogram with a white background or a red circular frame with a red diagonal line.
• Mandatory signs


  These signs tell you about a specific conduct or action. They are usually round-shaped signs with a white pictogram on a blue background