Work Safety Analysis

According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, employers are responsible for securing the work environment from hazards so that employees may perform their jobs safely. Conducting a work safety analysis is an effective way to identify and eliminate known hazards.

Environmental Hazards

• Work safety analyses are conducted by an organization's safety or risk manager and are performed to examine the workplace for environmental hazards. Many observers devise checklists of specific safety hazards to look for, such as electrical hazards or slip-and-fall hazards. Examples of electrical hazards include frayed cords, defective electrical equipment or generators that could overheat.

Performance Hazards

• Work safety analyses not only inspect the work environment, but they also evaluate the duties that employees perform on a regular basis. Heavy lifting is an example of a job function that could cause injuries or accidents. As such, this activity may be inspected to make sure employees doing the lifting have the proper training to do so safely.

Ergonomic Hazards

• Work safety analyses should evaluate workstation ergonomics, since an ergonomically incorrect chair or workstation can cause office employees to experience musculoskeletal aches and pains. The workstation should be set up in a way that allows the employee to perform his tasks comfortably and safely.