Chapter 19. Occupational Safety and Health and the Protection Officer

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19. OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH AND THE PROTECTION OFFICER



WORK AND HEALTH

The World Health Organization (WHO)

has defined health as “more than just the

absence of disease. Rather, it is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being”

(WHO, www.who.int). It is important to

highlight this triple dimension of physical,

mental, and social well-being, plus the connotation of acquiring this balance in each

person.

Work has a direct influence over the worker’s

health, oftentimes a positive one (i.e., when one

develops the physical and intellectual capacities, thus obtaining a better quality of life); but

on occasion this influence can negatively impact

one’s health. Work conditions and workers’ acts

include many different variables that could be,

on some occasions, the most important source

of risk to workers.

Contemporary companies develop their

activities in an extremely competitive environment. The market demands that production

systems achieve social responsibility, profit,

growth, and even survival goals. Companies are

under pressure to develop “quality” products

that are constantly being improved. In many

cases, these constant improvements generate

changes in work conditions and require modifications in the way work is done. These changes

can affect workers’ health. When a company’s

processes, materials, techniques, employees

and even organization changes, it is necessary

to reassess health and safety conditions. Special

attention must be paid to the underlying organizational and psychosocial factors related to

change, as their consequences (distractions,

physical and mental fatigue, labor stress, dissatisfaction) are not usually as visible as those

of accidents and illness, but they can be just as

dangerous.

All elements that can negatively influence

the work conditions or the health and safety of

the workers, are referred to as “occupational

hazards.”



The consequences of occupational hazards

can generate losses such as:

●



●

●



●



●



●



●

●

●

●

●



Temporary/permanent absenteeism of the

wounded/ill employee

Medical treatments/medicine costs

Temporary/permanent replacement of

personnel, equipment, and materials

Insurance deductible costs and increase of

insurance premiums

Waste of time and resources on the

productive process

Governmental fines, temporary/permanent

closure, and even civil and criminal liability

Diminished motivation and productivity

Legal fees and investigations costs

Cost of redesigning processes

Administrative costs, managerial time

Increased scrutiny by governmental agencies

and insurance carriers



BASIC ELEMENTS OF AN

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND

HEALTH (OSH) PROGRAM

The protection officer should be familiar

with the basic elements of the OSH program at

his company because his activities may have an

influence on the program. The logic behind all

OSH programs follows similar priorities as with

any Enterprise Risk Management effort:

1. Plan the prevention, mitigation, and

response measures at the inception of the

business/design of the workplace.

2. Assess all risks periodically, updating the

assessment when circumstances change.

3. Avoid all unnecessary risks by redesigning

dangerous tasks or replacing hazardous

material, equipment, or surroundings.

4. Treat risks with positive measures to

eliminate and/or to control the risks that

have been detected.

• First target must be the source of hazard

• Second is the medium of transmission



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5.

6.



7.

8.

9.

10.



• Third is collective protection

• Fourth is personal protection of the

worker

Control the effectiveness of the adopted

measures.

Integrate preventive, mitigation, and

response measures in all company

programs.

Inform each and every worker about the

risks their tasks entail.

Train the workers in self-protection.

Establish control and monitoring of health.

Plan for emergency situations.



It is important to note that each country,

state, and even city has specific legal requirements that need to be followed. This might

include statutory threshold limit values (TLV),

task procedures, and even organization and

resources that need to be dedicated to OSH

efforts. The protection officer must become

familiar with the standards of his or her region

and industry. In broad terms, an effective OSH

program should include at least six requisites:

1. Management Leadership

This is usually documented in a company

safety policy. A company safety policy is a

guide that outlines the responsibilities of all

employees, whether they are hourly workers,

supervisors, or managers, in the prevention

of accidents, injuries, and illnesses on and off

the job site. Without management leadership,

the reduction or elimination of accidents is

extremely difficult.

2. Assignment of Authority

Documented authority must be assigned to

nearly everyone in the company.

2.1. Safety and Health Directors and

Managers: These are change makers

who can implement all the necessary

decisions via company resources

(organizational, technical, and people).

2.2. Safety Committees: This is a vital

component of a successful OSH



219



program, as they carry out the following

basic functions which enhance the

overall safety program:

• Discover unsafe conditions and

unsafe practices, identify hazards,

and make recommendations to

control or eliminate them. Discuss

safety policies and procedures with

recommendations for management.

• Teach safety to committee members

who will in turn teach safety to all

employees.

• Review accident reports and

recommending appropriate changes.

2.3. Individual Operations: Each employee

must look after their own safety and

health; protection officers must perform

several duties:

• Preventive—identifying unsafe

conditions, practices, and hazards;

acting upon and reporting on a

continuous basis.

• Mitigation—by inspecting

occupational hazards during patrols

and even while performing “standby”

duties for the duration of a dangerous

activity that is taking place.

• Response—activating alarms and

performing emergency procedures,

administering first aid, etc.

3. Maintenance of Safe and Healthful

Working Conditions

The protection officer should remember that

inspections are one of the best methods to prevent accidents and safeguard employees.

3.1. Inspection of Work Areas: The

protection officer should be familiar

with safety audits or inspections

because these procedures are a principal

method of discovering accident causes,

unsafe conditions, and unsafe work

practices. They also provide the means

of promptly correcting these unsafe

conditions and work practices.



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19. OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH AND THE PROTECTION OFFICER



• A safety program that initiates

regular safety inspections or

audits demonstrates to employees

management’s interest and sincerity in

accident prevention. Also, inspections

enable the individual worker to make

contact with loss control personnel on a

one-to-one basis.

• The worker can point out unsafe work

conditions unique to his work area

that would otherwise go undetected.

When a worker’s suggestions are

acted upon, he realizes that he has

made a contribution to the safety

program and his viewpoints are taken

seriously.

3.2. Fire and Specific Inspections: Normally,

when specific inspections are conducted,

checklists are used. Each company,

plant, or department usually develops

its own checklist. Items usually included

on an inspection report are as follows:

housekeeping, material handling,

material piling and storage, aisles and

walkways, machinery and equipment,

electrical and welding equipment, tools,

ladders and stairs, floors, platforms

and railings, exits, lighting, ventilation,

overhead valves, protective clothing

and equipment, dust, fumes, gases

and vapors, explosion hazards, unsafe

practices, hand and power-driven

trucks, firefighting equipment, vehicles,

guards and safety devices, horseplay,

and maintenance.

3.3. Maintenance and Fleet Safety Program:

Depending on the nature and type

of company, the loss control or loss

prevention department may organize a

complete program for motor vehicle/

fleet accident prevention and operator

education.

3.4. Job Safety and Health Analysis:

Performed by safety engineers to



determine potential hazards and the

means to protect employees at their

place of work.

3.5. Health Surveys: Performed by industrial

hygienists to control and monitor

the appearance and development of

potential illnesses as detected by the job

analysis.

4. Establishment of Safety and Health

Training

4.1. Safety Training: An effective company

safety program is based on proper

job performance. When employees

are trained to do their jobs properly,

they will do them safely. Supervisors

should know how to train an employee

in the safe and proper method of doing

a job. The immediate task of accident

prevention falls upon the supervisor,

thus the need for supervisor safety

training. Most companies give extensive

OSH training to supervisors.

4.2. Awareness and Motivation: OSH

requires constant and skillful

promotion. Some methods of awareness

and motivation that are common

in the industry, and the protection

officer should be aware of include the

following:

• On-the-job safety and health

discussions and safety meetings.

• Safety contests with awards are

effective in increasing employee

safety awareness and motivation,

stimulating pride among

departmental employees, and

improving the safety record.

• Posters and displays.

• Safety campaigns serve to focus

the attention of the entire plant

on one specific accident problem

(e.g., campaign may be undertaken

to promote use of safety glasses).



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OCCUPATIONAL RISKS



• Educational materials (films,

newsletters, booklets, leaflets, etc.).

5. Accident Record/Data Collection System

5.1. Accident Investigation: Accident

investigation is essential in the

prevention of future accidents. An

effective investigation should produce

information that will lead to the

development of countermeasures which

will prevent or reduce the number of

accidents.

5.2. Accident Analysis: The near accident

or incident should be investigated to

determine cause in order to prevent

the possibility of a future accident.

Near accidents or near misses are

much more common than completed

accidents. Near accidents usually

indicate deficiencies in the system. A

thorough investigation can reveal these

deficiencies, as well as contributory

causes.

• For purposes of accident prevention,

investigations should be factfinding and not fault-finding. The

investigation should be concerned

only with the facts. The investigating

officer, who may be the protection

officer, is best kept free from

involvement with the discipline

aspects of their investigation.

5.3. Records, Rates, and Countermeasures:

A comprehensive data management

system is mandatory in virtually any

safety legislation.

6. Emergency Management, First Aid, and

Medical Systems

6.1. EMS: Proper resources must be in place

to respond accordingly; protection

officers must remember that

their security tasks must not be

neglected while providing OSH

assistance.



6.2. Medical: First aid and professional

health care needs to be arranged.



OCCUPATIONAL RISKS

All workplaces have an almost infinite number of potential hazards; it is only because of the

presence of risk factors associated with them

that negative consequences actually occur. A

risk factor is an unsafe/unhealthy condition or

action (also referred to as substandard actions

or conditions) that enables the hazard to produce harm (accidents, illness, discomfort).

In order to differentiate accidents from illness, we must pay attention to the “hardness”

of the aggression and to the “speed” of the production of damage. Occupational illnesses are

normally caused by long-term exposure to substandard conditions (physical, chemical, biological, mechanical risk factors); these are physical,

psychological, and even ergonomic.

Aggressions that act only once and produce

injuries of a temporary, incapacitating, or even

mortal nature are called occupational accidents.

Generally speaking, there are four major

causes of occupational accidents and illness.

1. Limited managerial understanding of the

human consequences and economic losses

attached to them.

2. Unsafe/unhealthy conditions—any

condition of structures, materials, tools,

equipment, machinery, or other conditions

of a worker’s environment that cause

or contribute to an accident or illness.

(Examples: inadequate lighting, poor

housekeeping, chaotic or badly organized

surroundings, or lack of warning systems).

Unsafe/unhealthy conditions increase the

probability of an accident occurring.

3. Source causes—any unsafe/unhealthy

condition has a source cause. A source

cause can contribute to or cause an unsafe/

unhealthy condition that could lead to



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19. OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH AND THE PROTECTION OFFICER



an accident. (Examples: normal wear and

tear, pipes corroding from within, ropes

becoming rotted creating an unsafe/

unhealthy condition, or lack of preventive

maintenance). The source cause sets the

stage for an accident; it makes the accident

possible.

4. Unsafe/unhealthy acts—Human behavior

action(s) by the worker that deviate from

the accepted safe work procedure that cause

or contribute to an accident. (Examples:

horseplay or workers not wearing proper

personal protective equipment.) Unsafe acts

are often what trigger an accident. They may

complete the cycle so that the accident event

occurs. Personal factor causes often serve as

the reason for unsafe/unhealthy behavior.

Personal factor causes are any personal

characteristic or conditions that may cause

or influence a worker to act in an unsafe/

unhealthy manner. Examples of personal

factor causes include physical or mental

conditions, extreme fatigue, intoxication,

poor attitude, and tense relationships in the

workplace.



THE ROLE OF THE PROTECTION

OFFICER IN OSH PROGRAMS

The protection officer is trained to observe

and identify potential hazards. The majority

of large companies maintain a loss prevention

department with protection officers on duty

24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The protection

officer is in a position to report and correct

unsafe acts, unsafe conditions, and potential

hazards while conducting routine patrols.

The protection officer who observes a

safety violation by a worker should do the

following:

●

●



Record the worker’s name.

Notify the worker’s supervisor, advising him

or her of the violation.



Document the safety violation and

forward a report to appropriate

management.

●

The protection officer who observes an

unsafe condition, or a safety hazard should

do the following:

●

Correct the condition or report it to

someone who can correct it.

●

Mark off the condition as a hazard

where immediate corrective action is not

possible.

●

Document the unsafe hazard or condition

and the action taken, forwarding the

report for appropriate action.

Unfortunately, most health-related hazards

and risk factors can’t be easily/directly observed.

The officers must be aware of the potential

symptoms and consequences associated with

their workplace in order to report them for early

diagnosis.

●



Common Safety Hazards

There are numerous safety hazards that the

protection officer should be made aware. Some

of the frequently encountered safety hazards or

conditions include the following:

1. Fire protection

– violation of no smoking regulations

– unusual odors, especially smoke

– obstructed passageways and fire doors

– inadequate exit signs

– obstructions in front of hydrants, alarm

boxes, extinguishers

– electrical heaters and coffee pots left

turned on

– improper disposal of waste

– flammable gases and liquids which are

uncontrolled in areas where they may

pose a hazard

– paint or painting areas poorly ventilated

and not properly secured

– gas pumping areas close to operations

where an open flame may be used



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KEY FACTS IN ACCIDENTS



2.



3.



4.



5.



– use of flame-or spark-producing

equipment near flammable substances

– missing fire protection equipment

Housekeeping

– missing handrails on stairways

– debris on grounds

– inadequate containers for trash

– broken glass

– obstructions on walkways, such as snow

and ice

– oil spills or slippery substances that may

cause slipping and tripping

– cables, pipe, electrical wires across aisles

– aisle obstructions

– litter accumulation on shop floors

– cracks, holes, breaks in parking lots,

roadways, and sidewalks

Doors and emergency exits

– burned out or missing emergency lights

– doors that don’t fit properly that would

hinder emergency exit

– improperly fitting door frames

– equipment or debris blocking emergency

doors

– improper panic hardware for doors

Vehicle and fleet safety

– improper audible warning devices for

backing up

– improper wheel chocking for parked

vehicles

– speeding violations

– improper preventive maintenance

procedures

– vehicles parked in fire lane or blocking

emergency exit

– vehicles without proper signaling devices

or lights

– improper tires for road conditions

Personal protective equipment

– improper personal protective equipment

for the job

– protective eye goggles not worn

– safety-toed boots not worn

– protective gloves not worn

– hearing protection not utilized



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– respiratory protective equipment not

maintained

– proper protective clothing not worn

6. Machinery maintenance

– lack of adequate guarding

– worn belts, pulleys, gears, and so on

– frayed electrical wiring that may result in

short-circuiting

– workers operating machinery with loosefitting clothing

– dangerous machinery lacking automatic

shut-off devices

7. Other hazards

– first aid supply improperly stored and

maintained

– emergency routes not adequately marked

– improper labeling of dangerous goods

– broken or damaged equipment not

adequately tagged

These are the more common safety hazards

encountered by the protection officer on routine

patrol. A good rule of thumb is that the protection officer should devote one complete patrol

during his shift to safety. Dedicating one patrol

to the observation and reporting of unsafe acts,

unsafe conditions, and safety hazards is a good

practice.



KEY FACTS IN ACCIDENTS

Definition—an accident is an unexpected

event in which physical contact is made

between a worker and some object or exposure

to a substance that interrupts work.

The protection officer must be knowledgeable

of the key facts in accidents. Whether or not all the

key facts are present will depend upon the particular case. Key facts are taken from “Accident

Prevention Manual for Industrial Operations”

(National Safety Council 1980, p. 154):

a. Nature of injury—the type of physical injury

b. Part of body—the part of the injured

person’s body affected by the injury



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c. Source of injury—the object, substance,

exposure, or bodily motion that directly

produced the injury

d. Accident type—the event which directly

resulted in the injury

e. Hazardous condition—the physical

condition or circumstance that permitted the

occurrence of the accident type

f. Agency of accident—the object, substance, or

part of the premises in which the hazardous

condition existed

g. Agency of accident part—the specific

part of the agency of accident that was

hazardous

h. Unsafe act—the violation of a commonly

accepted safe procedure that directly

permitted the occurrence of the accident

event

Other items of information closely related to

the key facts that the protection officer should

be aware of include age, sex, type of occupation, and type of work.

Remember: The protection officer must be

knowledgeable of the eight basic elements of a

safety program:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.



Employer or client safety policy

Safety rules

Safety committees

Safety audits or inspections

Safety training

Safety awareness and motivation

Motor vehicle or fleet safety

Accident investigation



The protection officer should have some

basic knowledge of accident types and accident

causes because he may be involved in accident

investigation.

These are the three elements to remember

about accidents:

a. An accident is an unexpected event.

b. Contact is made.

c. Work is stopped or delayed.



Accident Types

Accidents normally involve physical contact or exposure between the worker and some

object or substance. With this in mind, accidents

are categorized into the following basic types:

struck by

example: struck by a falling tool

contacted by

example: contacted by

hot steam

struck against

example: banging your

head against a low beam

contact with

example: touching a hot

pipe

trapped in

example: trapped in a tank

caught on

example: pant cuff caught

on a board, causing a fall

caught between

example: finger caught in

a car door

different level fall example: falling down

stairs

same level fall

example: slipping or tripping

exposure

example: exposure to toxic

gasses

overexertion

example: back strain



Key Terminology

Accident—an unplanned event that results

in harm to people, damage to property, or loss

to process.

Accident causation—The many factors that

act together to cause accidents. They include

personal factors, job factors, and lack of management control factors.

Personal factors:

●

●

●

●



Inadequate capability

Lack of knowledge/skill

Improper motivation

Stress

Job factors:



●

●



Inadequate leadership or supervision

Inadequate engineering



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●

●

●

●



Inadequate purchasing

Inadequate maintenance

Inadequate work standards/procedures

Inadequate hazard controls

Lack of management control factors:



●

●

●

●



Inadequate program

Inadequate program standards

Inadequate compliance with standards

Inadequate hazard controls



Accident Investigation—The process of

systematically gathering and analyzing information about an accident. This is done for the

purposes of identifying causes and making

recommendations to prevent the accident from

happening again.

Accident Prevention—The systematic application of recognized principles to reduce incidents, accidents, or the accident potential of a

system or organization.

Administrative Controls—A category of hazard control that uses administrative/management involvement in order to minimize employee

exposure to the hazard. Some examples are:

●

●

●

●

●



job enrichment

job rotation

work/rest schedules

work rates

periods of adjustment



Danger Zone—An area or location where the

probability of injury is high (e.g., in the vicinity

of saw blades).

Due Diligence—The taking of every reasonable precaution under the circumstances for the

protection of the health and safety of workers.

Emergency Plan—Detailed procedures for

responding to an emergency, such as a fire or

explosion, a chemical spill, or an uncontrolled

release of energy. An emergency plan is necessary to keep order and minimize the effects of

the disaster.

Engineering Controls—A category of hazard

control that uses physical/engineering methods



225



to eliminate or minimize the hazard. Examples

of engineering controls include ventilation, isolation, elimination, enclosure, substitution, and

design of the workplace or equipment.

Environment—The surrounding conditions,

influences, and forces to which an employee is

exposed in the workplace.

Ergonomics—An applied science that studies the interaction between people and the

work environment. It focuses on matching the

job to the worker, incorporating biology and

engineering into the process. Ergonomics helps

to prevent repetitive motion injuries such as

carpal tunnel syndrome.

First Aid—The immediate care given to

a person who is injured or who suddenly

becomes ill. It can range from disinfecting a cut

and applying a bandage to helping someone

who is choking or having a heart attack.

Hazard—The potential of any machine, equipment, process, material (including biological and

chemical) or physical factor that may cause harm

to people, or damage to property or the environment. A hazard is a dangerous condition, behavior, or object that can cause harm or injury.

Hazardous Material—Any substance that

may produce adverse health and/or safety

effects to people or the environment.

Health and Safety Policy—A policy is a

statement of intent, and a commitment to plan

for coordinated management action. A policy

should provide a clear indication of a company’s health and safety objectives. This, in turn,

will provide direction for the health and safety

program.

Health and Safety Program—A systematic

combination of activities, procedures, and facilities designed to ensure and maintain a safe and

healthy workplace.

Incident—An unwanted event that, in different circumstances, could have resulted in harm

to people, damage to property, or loss to a process. Also known as a near miss.

Incident Investigation—The process of systematically gathering and analyzing information



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19. OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH AND THE PROTECTION OFFICER



about an incident. This is done for the purposes

of identifying causes and making recommendations to prevent the incident from happening

again.

Industrial Hygiene—A science that deals

with the anticipation, recognition, evaluation,

and control of hazards in the workplace. These

hazards may cause sickness, harm to employee

health, discomfort, and inefficient performance on the job. Also known as occupational

hygiene.

Job Design—The planning of a job and the

establishment of procedures for performing that

job so that the potential for injury and illness is

reduced or eliminated.

Job Enrichment—Adding one or more

related tasks or functions to an existing job.

These may include some managerial functions

(e.g., planning, organizing, controlling).

Loss Control—Measures taken to prevent

and reduce loss. Loss may occur through injury

and illness, property damage, poor work quality, and so on.

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)—

A form that contains detailed information about

the possible health and safety hazards of a

product and how to safely store, use, and handle the product. Under the federal Hazardous

Products Act, suppliers are required to provide

MSDSs for all hazardous materials as a condition of sale. Organizations that use hazardous

products are required to keep an MSDS onsite

for each product. This is a provision of the Right

to Know Act.

Medical

Surveillance—The

systematic

approach to monitoring health changes in workers to identify and determine which effects may

be work-related.

Nature of Injury or Illness—The main physical characteristics of a workplace injury or illness (e.g., burn, cut, sprain, dermatitis, hearing

loss).

Occupational Health—The development,

promotion, and maintenance of workplace

policies and programs that ensure the physical,



mental, and emotional well-being of employees.

These policies and programs strive to:

●



●



●



●



●



Prevent harmful health effects because of the

work environment

Protect employees from health hazards while

on the job

Place employees in work environments that

are suitable to their physical and mental

make up

Address other factors that may affect an

employee’s health and well-being, such as:

●

Ineffective organization of work

●

Harassment and violence in the workplace

●

The need to balance work and family

responsibilities (e.g., elder care, child care)

Promote healthy lifestyles



Occupational Illness—A harmful condition

or sickness that results from exposure in the

workplace to a biological, chemical, or physical

agent or an ergonomic hazard.

Occupational Safety—The maintenance of a

work environment that is relatively free from

actual or potential hazards that can injure

employees.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)—Any

device worn by a worker to protect against hazards. Some examples are respirators, gloves,

ear plugs, hard hats, safety goggles, and safety

shoes.

Physical Agent—A source of energy (e.g.,

noise, radiation, vibration, heat) that affects the

body, a part of the body, or any of its functions.

The effects may be beneficial or harmful.

Preventive Maintenance—A system for

preventing machinery and equipment failure

through:

●

●

●

●

●



Scheduled regular maintenance

Knowledge of reliability of parts

Maintenance of service records

Scheduled replacement of parts

Maintenance of inventories of the least

reliable parts and parts scheduled for

replacement



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EMERGING TRENDS

Despite the fact that the basic role of most

protection officers is currently somewhat limited to physical and logical security, many protection officers already perform several duties

in OSH programs. This will be more common in

the future as the need for loss control, financial

austerity, and competition among organizations

grows.

Enterprise Risk Management is the assessment and management of all risks that an organization faces. Business risks such as profit and

loss are being managed along with traditional



Procedure—A step-by-step description of

how to properly perform a task, job, or activity.

Risk—The probability of a worker suffering an injury or health problem, or of damage

occurring to property or the environment as a

result of exposure to or contact with a hazard.

Root Cause—The real or underlying cause(s)

of an event. Distinguished from immediate

cause(s) which are usually quite apparent.

Task—A set of related steps that make up a

discrete part of a job. Every job is made up of

a collection of tasks. For example, answering

a phone or entering data into a computer are

tasks of a secretary.

Task Analysis—A technique used to identify,

evaluate, and control health and safety hazards

linked to particular tasks. A task analysis systematically breaks tasks down into their basic

components. This allows each step of the process to be thoroughly evaluated. Also known as

job task analysis.



security and safety risks by packaging them

together into a single program. Such an approach

may be particularly helpful with international

operations: going into a foreign country presents

a whole new host of risks. Convergence with

other risk management functions within the

organization (health, environment, safety, and

quality) is quickly gaining momentum.

Laws and regulations vary greatly in different

regions of the world; nevertheless, major efforts

are taking place to standardize procedures, training, and risk management models globally.



Threshold Limit Value (TLV)—A threshold

limit value refers to the airborne concentration

of a substance to which it is believed that nearly

all workers may be repeatedly exposed day

after day (for 8 hours per day) without harmful

effect. Because of individual susceptibility,

however, a small percentage of workers may

experience discomfort from substances in concentrations at or below the threshold limit.

A smaller percentage may be affected more

seriously by aggravation of a preexisting condition or by the development of an occupational

illness.

Workplace Inspection—A regular and careful check of a workplace or part of a workplace

in order to identify health and safety hazards

and to recommend corrective action. Workplace

factors that have the potential to cause injury

or illness to employees include equipment,

materials, processes or work activities, and the

environment.



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S E C URI T Y QU IZ

1. The disciplines of safety and security are

dissimilar. They don’t share the same

common objectives in terms of the overall

protection process.

a. True

b. False

2. The protection officer must take continuing

education in HAZMAT and first aid.

a. True

b. False

3. The World Health Organization has defined

health as “more than just the absence of

disease.”

a. True

b. False

4. One aspect of a formal safety policy is to

prevent accidents and illness on and off the

job.

a. True

b. False

5. One of the main functions of a safety

committee is to administer effective rescue

training programs.

a. True

b. False

6. The safety committee has the authority

to make safety recommendations to

management.

a. True

b. False

7. The protection officer should carefully inspect

the work habits of members of the workforce

and report deficiencies detected.

a. True

b. False



8. A safety program that initiates regular

safety inspections (audits) demonstrates to

employees:

a. Management’s concern for improved

productivity

b. Management’s interest in accident

prevention

c. Management’s concern for the off-duty

worker

d. Management’s concern for an unsafe

workplace

9. When a safety recommendation made by an

employee is acted upon:

a. Management recognizes the employee’s

contribution to the safety program

b. The employee is likely to become a

member of the safety committee

c. The employee is likely to become less

safety conscious

d. Management perceives this kind of action

as interfering with the safety committee

10. A safety checklist is useful because (check

best answers):

a. It makes employees aware of safety

hazards

b. It can be used by various departments to

audit general safety procedures

c. It can be incorporated into security patrol

procedures

d. All of the above



V. SAFETY AND FIRE PROTECTION