Unit 002 - Ensure Your Actions Reduce Risks to Health and Safety
A hazard or a risk is something that could potentially put an employee, a client, or anyone in the area in danger of being harmed, either directly or indirectly. For example, a direct risk might be somebody hitting their head on a low ceiling; whereas an indirect risk might be an electric plug sparking and causing a fire, which has the potential to harm more than just one person in the process.
To assess and evaluate a potential risk, a risk assessment may be carried out. There are two basic elements to consider in a typical risk assessment:
Probability: The likelihood of something causing harm.
Harm Caused: The level of harm something would inflict.
The two elements are measured on a scale of 1-3, with 1 being the lowest and 3 being the highest, and are multiplied together to reach a total risk score of 1-9. For example, our previous scenario of an electric plug might be laid out like this:
As a score of 6 is quite high on the scale, the next step is to attempt to change the scenario so that the score is as low as possible. In this case, the next steps might look like this:
By greatly reducing the risk of a fire, the probability rating has been changed to a 2, which changes the over-all rating to a much safer 3.
The key hazards and risks in my workplace are as follows:
These are a trip hazard, so any loose wires must be directed in places where somebody is least likely to trip on them, for example making sure no wires are stretched across open spaces or elevated above the ground. If no safe options are available, the wires can be taped to the floor, or an extension lead can be used to relieve the tension in the cable.
When a studio light is either placed on a boom arm or has a particularly heavy modifier on it (for example, a beauty dish or a large softbox) there is a risk that the stand might topple and fall on somebody or damage the equipment. To rectify this, in any situation where there seems to be a risk of this happening, a sandbag or a weight is placed in appropriate places on the stand to counter-act the potential topple risk.
The paper backgrounds in the studio presents a trip hazard when rolled out fully if the end of the paper is left free. To prevent this, when the studio background is unrolled, it should at all times be taped down to the studio floor securely to prevent anybody tripping over loose edges.
In my work I am sometimes required to lift and move heavy loads, such as the equipment cases and stand bags. To prevent back injuries or any other strain injuries, the basic guidelines for lifting should always be followed. These are as follows:
Feet shoulder width apart.
Bend knees and keep back straight.
Lift with legs rather than back.
Never bend back to pick something up.
(From http://orthopedics.about.com/)
An average day in the studio involves long hours in front of a computer. This poses a risk of developing injuries in muscles or bones. This is the correct way you should sit at a computer if you are trying to avoid injuries:
Spine: Ears are in line with tops of shoulders, and shoulders in line with hips.
Shoulders: Upper arms hang relaxed and close to the body.
Wrists: Hands are in straight lines with lower arms.
Other useful tips to prevent injury include:
Keep your fingers relaxed while typing and using a mouse.
Use a soft touch on the keyboard instead of pounding keys with unnecessary force.
Avoid holding a pen or anything else in your hands while you type or use the mouse.
Relax your fingers and hands between bursts of typing or mousing using a flat, straight wrist posture.
(From http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/)
My own responsibilities relating to health and safety include ensuring all the safety procedures mentioned above are adhered to, and also using my own common sense to detect when something might pose as a health and safety risk.
On location, my main responsibilities include carrying and fetching equipment for the main photographer. When carrying the large equipment cases, stand bags or tripods, I must be aware of my surroundings and take care to prevent anything accidentally making contact with my surrounds and potentially breaking something. Additionally, when the shoot is in progress and I am not needed to fetch things for my boss, I must make sure that the equipment is tidy, and is not acting as a potential trip hazard. To do this, I ensure that it is taking up as little space as possible and is in a place where people are less likely to be walking through.
In my workplace, we rely solely on digital methods of photography. As such, we have no use of darkroom chemicals which may need to be regulated under COSHH rules. COSHH stands for Control of Substances Hazardous to Health. Additionally, all our printing needs are carried out by external labs, so we do not have a printer in the studio. This means COSHH rules for the regulation of inks and other printing substances do not apply to us. However, if we did provide in-house printing services, the Health and Safety Executive website explains ways of preventing exposure to harmful substances:
Provide good general ventilation of the workroom.
Enclose the process as far as possible and when necessary extract harmful vapours and mists.
Avoid contact with harmful substances and minimise leaks and spills.
You may also need to provide personal protective equipment like respirators, gloves and eye protection.
Practise good hand care – remove contamination promptly, wash hands properly, dry thoroughly and use skin creams regularly.
(From http://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/industry/printing.htm)
http://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/industry/printing.htm
http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/backpain/ht/lift.htm
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00261
