**4. Safety management through hazard identification**

In high-risk industrial sectors, workers are constantly exposed to various types of occupational hazards due to the nature of their work and condition of the work environment. The first step in accident prevention is the identification of hazards. The improvement of safety performance requires the implementation of proactive worker hazard identification and prevention programs. In many industrial sectors, the safety performance of workers is predominantly measured based of their ability to proactively identify and respond to hazards in the work environment [36]. Hazards are related to the improper release of energy. Accidents result from the interaction of energy, equipment or materials, and one or more people, and the potential hazards associated with such interaction can be identified based on the energy sources recognition.

Being oblivious of the presence and magnitude of an energy source often results in an accident. As a result, it is important to identify highly innovative and effective hazard recognition strategies such as implementing techniques to avoid future

**71**

*Industrial Safety Management Using Innovative and Proactive Strategies*

when hazards are not identified and assessed on a typical project.

accidents [36]. Because hazards can be caused by different energy sources, the awareness of all the energy sources is key to identifying potential hazards and creating a safe environment. The risk associated with hazardous conditions or situations in a work environment can only be analyzes for accident prevention if the related

In construction, for instance, workers are constantly exposed to hazards that are difficult to measure due to the nature of the work environment and the way construction tasks are performed [28, 37]. Statistics indicate that fatalities and incidents rates in the construction industry remain significantly higher than the all-industry average in many countries. This makes the construction industry one of the most hazardous and accident-prone industries and the majority of the accidents experienced occur due to the inability of the workforce to predict, identify, and respond to hazards at the workplace [38]. The dynamic nature of construction work and task unpredictability on projects make hazard recognition difficult [39]. The energy required to accomplish work tasks on projects if released inappropriately may cause loss-of-control which can get construction workers injured [40]. The probability of accidents will increase

In the steel manufacturing industry, employees continuously work in highly hazardous work environments characterized by limited visibility, hazardous proximity situations between heavy equipment and pedestrian workers, and the dynamic nature of manufacturing tasks. The working conditions typical of steel manufacturing environments include increased amounts of repetitive work tasks [41], elevated temperature [42], noisy surroundings [43] and an overall rugged work environment [44]. These conditions tend to cultivate conditional and behavioral hazards that increase the probability of employees experiencing an incident in the form of an injury, illness, or fatality. The choice and the implementation of specific measures for preventing workplace injury and illness in the iron and steel industry depend on the recognition of the principal hazards and the anticipated injuries and diseases, ill health, and incidents [11]. Although hazard identification provides a useful method for mitigating hazards, the impact of specific hazards categories on injuries, illnesses, and fatalities has not been quantified [44]. To proactively identify hazardous situations and conditions, details from safety incident data can be analyzed to identify predictor variables of future incidents in

An injury occurs whenever energy is released from one or more of these sources and transferred to the human body. For instance, a suspended load is a source of gravity and motion because it has the potential to fall and swing. If a worker is struck by this suspended load, motion energy will be transferred from the load to the worker and absorbed by the worker's body, causing an injury. Other examples of energy sources in industrial work environments include radiation from welding, hot and cold objects and environments, compressed gas cylinders, hazardous substances, moving and noisy equipment and vehicles, and objects and bodies at height [45]. Certain hazard sources and activities may be associated with multiple hazards. For example, an electric cable on the floor may be associated with a trip hazard and an electrical hazard. Industrial work environments may contain hidden or dormant hazards that are not expected or perceived as imposing any imminent danger. Such hazards often remain in work environments as latent or stored energy for extended periods without causing any harm. However, the unexpected release or trigger of these latent sources of stored energy can result in dramatic injury and illnesses.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93797*

steel manufacturing environments.

**4.1 Energy source recognition**

hazards can be correctly recognized or identified.

#### *Industrial Safety Management Using Innovative and Proactive Strategies DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93797*

*Concepts, Applications and Emerging Opportunities in Industrial Engineering*

observation process, job site audits, housekeeping program, stop work authority, safety orientation and training, etc. Leading indicators consist of both passive as well as active measures. Passive measures are those which can be predictive over an extended period while active measures are those which can initiate corrective steps in a short period. These two measures of leading indicators are further described as

Passive leading indicators are those that provide an indication of the probable safety performance to be realized within a firm or on a project. While they may be somewhat predictive on a macro scale, they are less effective as being predictive on a short-term basis. This implies that the process being monitored by passive leading indicators cannot generally be altered in a short period of time [27]. Measures of passive indicators are usually binary in that the organization implements them or does not [35]. The most reliable information that passive indicators provide when properly analyzed and applied is a simple qualitative measure of the knowledge or skills base of personnel which is useful in implementing a comprehensive safety

Active leading indicators are those which are more subject to change in a short period. Active leading indicators can either be quantitative, but the measures can also be qualitative. Quantitative measures may be preferred as they are more objective and may result in more consistent interpretation. Nonetheless, when no other means are available, qualitative measures should not be avoided [27]. The leading indicators of safety performance essentially disclose what aspects of the safety program are going well and, if there are any weaknesses, these will be identified, and implementation of change can be initiated. Active indicators are generally continuous in that they occur at a frequency or are measures of quality of implementation [35]. Active leading indicators represent both a qualitative and quantitative measure of the actual implementation of the processes within a comprehensive safety

In high-risk industrial sectors, workers are constantly exposed to various types of occupational hazards due to the nature of their work and condition of the work environment. The first step in accident prevention is the identification of hazards. The improvement of safety performance requires the implementation of proactive worker hazard identification and prevention programs. In many industrial sectors, the safety performance of workers is predominantly measured based of their ability to proactively identify and respond to hazards in the work environment [36]. Hazards are related to the improper release of energy. Accidents result from the interaction of energy, equipment or materials, and one or more people, and the potential hazards associated with such interaction can be identified based on the

Being oblivious of the presence and magnitude of an energy source often results in an accident. As a result, it is important to identify highly innovative and effective hazard recognition strategies such as implementing techniques to avoid future

**70**

follows.

*3.2.1 Passive leading indicators*

management system [27].

management system [27].

energy sources recognition.

**4. Safety management through hazard identification**

*3.2.2 Active leading indicators*

accidents [36]. Because hazards can be caused by different energy sources, the awareness of all the energy sources is key to identifying potential hazards and creating a safe environment. The risk associated with hazardous conditions or situations in a work environment can only be analyzes for accident prevention if the related hazards can be correctly recognized or identified.

In construction, for instance, workers are constantly exposed to hazards that are difficult to measure due to the nature of the work environment and the way construction tasks are performed [28, 37]. Statistics indicate that fatalities and incidents rates in the construction industry remain significantly higher than the all-industry average in many countries. This makes the construction industry one of the most hazardous and accident-prone industries and the majority of the accidents experienced occur due to the inability of the workforce to predict, identify, and respond to hazards at the workplace [38]. The dynamic nature of construction work and task unpredictability on projects make hazard recognition difficult [39]. The energy required to accomplish work tasks on projects if released inappropriately may cause loss-of-control which can get construction workers injured [40]. The probability of accidents will increase when hazards are not identified and assessed on a typical project.

In the steel manufacturing industry, employees continuously work in highly hazardous work environments characterized by limited visibility, hazardous proximity situations between heavy equipment and pedestrian workers, and the dynamic nature of manufacturing tasks. The working conditions typical of steel manufacturing environments include increased amounts of repetitive work tasks [41], elevated temperature [42], noisy surroundings [43] and an overall rugged work environment [44]. These conditions tend to cultivate conditional and behavioral hazards that increase the probability of employees experiencing an incident in the form of an injury, illness, or fatality. The choice and the implementation of specific measures for preventing workplace injury and illness in the iron and steel industry depend on the recognition of the principal hazards and the anticipated injuries and diseases, ill health, and incidents [11]. Although hazard identification provides a useful method for mitigating hazards, the impact of specific hazards categories on injuries, illnesses, and fatalities has not been quantified [44]. To proactively identify hazardous situations and conditions, details from safety incident data can be analyzed to identify predictor variables of future incidents in steel manufacturing environments.

#### **4.1 Energy source recognition**

An injury occurs whenever energy is released from one or more of these sources and transferred to the human body. For instance, a suspended load is a source of gravity and motion because it has the potential to fall and swing. If a worker is struck by this suspended load, motion energy will be transferred from the load to the worker and absorbed by the worker's body, causing an injury. Other examples of energy sources in industrial work environments include radiation from welding, hot and cold objects and environments, compressed gas cylinders, hazardous substances, moving and noisy equipment and vehicles, and objects and bodies at height [45].

Certain hazard sources and activities may be associated with multiple hazards. For example, an electric cable on the floor may be associated with a trip hazard and an electrical hazard. Industrial work environments may contain hidden or dormant hazards that are not expected or perceived as imposing any imminent danger. Such hazards often remain in work environments as latent or stored energy for extended periods without causing any harm. However, the unexpected release or trigger of these latent sources of stored energy can result in dramatic injury and illnesses.

Because of the importance of hazard recognition, employers adopt several methods to improve hazard recognition levels. One of these methods is the retrospective hazard recognition method which is based on deducing or extrapolating knowledge gained and lessons learned from past safety incidents (i.e. accidents data) to new situations and projects [46, 47]. Despite these significant advancements, there is still a dearth of research that investigates the scientific extension and practical application of hazard energy within occupational safety [48].
