Hierarchy of Hazard Control
What is Hierarchy of hazard control
Hierarchy of hazard control is a system used in industry to minimize or eliminate exposure
to hazards.
The five stages of hazard controls in the hierarchy are in order of decreasing effectiveness
What is Elimination ?
Elimination is physically removing the hazard. It is considered the most effective of the
five sections of the hierarchy of controls because it removes the risk of incident altogether.
Example:
Weege and Toney run the risk of falling while repairing an overhead light. The management
eliminates the safety issue by forcing Weege and Toney to lower the light to the ground to
work on it.
Removing the source of excessive temperature, noise, or pressure
What is Substitution?
Substitution is replacing a material or process with another that is considered
to be less hazardous. substitution seeks to remove the causes of accidents
before an incident occurs. To be an effective substitute, the new process or
material must remove or at least mitigate the hazard.
For example: using water-based paints in place of lead-based paints is a good way of
substituting out a potential hazard. Lead paints can cause nervous system and kidney
damage, as well reproductive harm in adults.
Water-based paints used in substitution can help reduce such hazards for exposed
workers.
What is Engineering Control?
Engineering control is a compromise tactic between eliminating the problems and
leaving them completely unaddressed.
Engineering control is used to physically separate employees from harmful machines
or dangerous working conditions.
Example: Southwest Manufacturing’s employees complain of respiratory and allergy
issues from airborne particles on the factory floor.
The company installs a vent hood to circulate air and reduce air pollutants inside the
factory.
What is Engineering Control?
Engineering control is used to isolate workers from the hazard. The initial costs of engineering
controls can be higher than with some other methods, but the long-term operating costs are
frequently lower, and there are often additional cost savings in other areas.
Example: Installing machine guards that shield workers from airborne emissions is an instance of
engineering control implementation.
What is Administrative?
Administrative controls essentially change the way people work. This method
limits exposure to the hazard rather than removing it.
Administrative Controls can range from:
1. creating safer procedures
2. placement of warning signs throughout a facility
3. employee training programs
4. the use of safety tape
Administrative control is considered less effective than the previous three.
Personal Protective Equipment
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is any piece of additional equipment, like helmets, gloves, or
safety goggles, that protect employees from workplace hazards. The least effective of all the
safety controls is reliance on PPE.
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