BUSINESS IN MOTION: MANAGING MATERIAL HANDLING HAZARDS
WSPS.CA
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STEP 3: Why is this task hazardous?
Material handling tasks can pose many different hazards to workers performing the task.
It is important to understand the potential injury or illness to apply controls to safeguard
against these hazards. There are some tasks that may have different potential hazards
which may require multiple controls.
REVIEW EACH TASK AND LIST THE POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARDS TO
THE WORKER.
Examples of common workplace hazards associated with Material handling include:
Musculoskeletal injuries from lifting, pushing, or pulling heavy items, or awkward posture
and repetitive motion
Crush-by hazard from things collapsing, falling, or tipping over
Struck-by hazard from workers being hit or driven into my equipment or vehicles
Entanglement in moving parts and pieces of equipment
Electric shock from not de-energizing equipment before performing maintenance
STEP 4: Implementing Controls
Now that we have identified the task, where it is located, and why it can pose a hazard,
we can proceed with controls. When it's not possible to eliminate the hazard, we focus on
controls starting from the source of the hazard itself. By reviewing the worker's exposure
to the hazard, we can determine the layers of controls needed to prevent injury and illness.
By applying controls based on the hierarchy of controls, we can successfully reduce the
risks linked to material handling hazards in the workplace.
