Abstract
Safety competence is an important process operator skill. Due to hazardous work assignment and environments, skills in assessing the risks related to occupational safety and health (OSH) are especially important. Carrying out risk assessments can be difficult, and several problems have been identified. The aim of this study was to discover how well process operator students are able to assess OSH-related risks. Risk assessment exercises with observations were carried out for students (n = 35) in three vocational education and training (VET) organizations. The results showed that all students were able to identify at least some hazards. The students identified the most probable, high-risk, and easily observable hazards. Those with previous training or experience in work and risk assessment were more capable of identifying a wide range of risks. We conclude that successful risk assessment requires related competence, which should be developed via theoretical and practical learning during VET.
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Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the Finnish Work Environment Fund for the funding of this study and the teachers and students of the cooperating VET organizations for their contributions.
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Appendix A: Results of the Hazard Identification by Hazard Category
Appendix A: Results of the Hazard Identification by Hazard Category
Categories and items in the checklist | Target 1a | Target 2a | Examples of identified hazards by category | ||
Accident hazards | Sb | Tc | Sb | Tc | |
Slipping, stumbling, falling (down/over) | 4 | Y | 7 | Y | Crushing fingers between the sheet press; Dropping the weights of sheet mold; Stumbling on the platform used on sheet mold; Pieces of rocks can hurtle from the mill; Suffocation because of dust and allergic reaction |
Fall of a person/falling from height | 4 | Y | 3 | Y | |
Electric shock or static electricity | 3 | Y | 6 | Y | |
Reduction of oxygen, suffocation | 0 | N | 5 | N | |
Goods transport and other traffic | 1 | N | 4 | Y | |
Objects being dropped or falling over | 5 | Y | 8 | Y | |
Objects/material being hurtled around or hit by a moving object | 1 | Y | 9 | Y | |
Being crushed between objects or entangled in a moving object | 6 | Y | 6 | Y | |
Being slashed, cut, or stabbed | 0 | N | 6 | Y | |
Physical hazards and strain | S | T | S | T | |
Noise | 3 | N | 9 | Y | Lifting heavy weights of the sheet mold in a circular motion repeatedly; The devices in the crushing room are noisy; Lifting the rock material in heavy buckets and using poor lifting postures; The crushing room can be hot |
Hot and cold objects and surfaces | 2 | N | 1 | 1 | |
General and local ventilation | 0 | N | 3 | Y | |
Lightning | 1 | Y | 1 | N | |
Vibration | 1 | N | 6 | Y | |
Radiation | 0 | N | 0 | N | |
Poor working postures, repeated movements, and lifting or carrying with hands | 2 | Y | 7 | Y | |
Usability of tools, machinery, and devices | 1 | N | 4 | Y | |
Organization and personnel activities | S | T | S | T | |
Exceptional situations and disturbances (e.g., unexpected starting of machine) | 2 | Y | 6 | Y | Unexpected descent of sheet press when compressed air opened; Not obeying instructions |
Unsafe activities | 1 | Y | 8 | Y | |
Safety arrangements | S | T | S | T | |
Personal protective equipment (PPE), safeguarding (condition and use) | 1 | Y | 4 | Y | Requiring more strictly the use of PPEs; Emergency exits are not clear (objects stored); Rehearsing emergency situations |
Alarm and rescue equipment | 2 | Y | 2 | N | |
Walkways and corridors and their safety and indicator lightning | 2 | Y | 6 | Y | |
First aid arrangements and equipment | 2 | N | 7 | N | |
Chemical and biological hazards | S | T | S | T | |
List of chemicals | 0 | N | 1 | Y | Chemical register only available in teachers room in the laboratory; Dust from rock and ore material in the crushing room |
Labeling of chemical packages | 0 | N | 0 | N | |
Hazardous or harmful chemicals (allergenic, carcinogenic, flammable, explosive) | 0 | N | 2 | N | |
Dust and fiber | 1 | N | 7 | Y | |
Gases, vapor, fumes, and smoke | 0 | N | 1 | N | |
Other hazard | 0 | Y | 3 | N | Cramped workspace |
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Nenonen, N., Nenonen, S., Tappura, S. (2020). Process Operator Students’ Abilities to Assess OSH Risks. In: Ahram, T., Karwowski, W., Pickl, S., Taiar, R. (eds) Human Systems Engineering and Design II. IHSED 2019. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 1026. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27928-8_86
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