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PART A: Case Study Hazard Control Your co-worker has a broken chair in her offic

ID: 351492 • Letter: P

Question

PART A: Case Study Hazard Control Your co-worker has a broken chair in her office. If someone leans back in it, it could overbalance. Other staff members have suggested that she .Dispose of the chair .Replace the chair with another .Put the chair in a storeroom so that no one uses it Ask office services staff to fix it .Provide instructions on how to use it safely . Provide knee and elbow pads, crash helmet and a pillow. 1. Identify the hazard, assess the risk, and choose an appropriate action. 2. Provide some information about how you made decisions and arrived at the appropriate action

Explanation / Answer

The broken chair is a hazard. There is a high level of risk in that it may cause an injury. The suggestions related to steps in the hierarchy of hazard control. Depending on the specific workplace situation, one may have reached Step 4.

Step on hierarchy

Solution

No. Disposing of the chair may eliminate the problem; it leaves nowhere for clients to sit.

No. A substitute chair does not solve the problem. There is still a broken chair to consider.

Better. Putting the chair in the storeroom, with a sign on it to warn others, will prevent further use.

But could the storeroom become cluttered with broken chairs that workers could trip over?

Best. Asking Office Services staff to repair the chair is a good solution.

This example demonstrates the effectiveness of the applying the hierarchy of hazard control. A workplace may have specific procedures for maintaining, repairing or disposing of equipment that one would need to follow.

Step on hierarchy

Solution

  1. Eliminate

No. Disposing of the chair may eliminate the problem; it leaves nowhere for clients to sit.

  1. Substitute

No. A substitute chair does not solve the problem. There is still a broken chair to consider.

  1. Isolate

Better. Putting the chair in the storeroom, with a sign on it to warn others, will prevent further use.

But could the storeroom become cluttered with broken chairs that workers could trip over?

  1. Engineer

Best. Asking Office Services staff to repair the chair is a good solution.