Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA) is an early-stage risk evaluation method used to identify, assess, and prioritize potential hazards in a system, process, or project—before detailed design or implementation begins—so that key safety controls can be planned proactively. It answers essential questions: What can go wrong? How likely is it? How severe could the outcome be? … Read more
The three main reasons for unsafe acts in the workplace are lack of proper training and safety awareness, fatigue and psychological stress (including complacency and frustration), and organizational and environmental pressures or culture. These factors consistently contribute to unsafe behaviors, as supported by authoritative sources such as BLR, NIOSH, and peer-reviewed safety literature. Reasons for … Read more
Failure analysis is the systematic process of investigating why a product, component, or system failed to perform as intended. To start failure analysis, you gather a complete history of the failure, inspect samples, form hypotheses on root causes, test those hypotheses using appropriate methods (e.g., microscopy, chemical analysis), and then draw conclusions to prevent recurrence. … Read more
A Safety Tour is a systematic walk-through of a workplace, facility, or job site by trained individuals—such as safety officers, supervisors, or team leads—to observe working conditions, processes, behaviors, and hazards in real time. The purpose is to detect and correct unsafe conditions or risky behaviors before incidents occur, embed a safety culture, and continuously … Read more
You can follow a step-by-step Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) technique by: Selecting the job to analyze (especially high-risk or frequently incident tasks), Breaking the job into specific steps, Identifying hazards at each step (physical, chemical, environmental, ergonomic, etc.), Determining preventive controls (elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, PPE), Documenting the analysis and training of employees, Reviewing and … Read more
A safety violation is any action, omission, or condition that fails to meet established safety standards, regulations, or protocols—placing individuals, equipment, or the environment at increased risk. In workplaces, schools, public spaces, or construction sites, safety violations can range from minor oversights, like failing to post a hazard sign, to major breaches, such as disabling … Read more
The DART rate—which stands for Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred—is an OSHA-mandated metric that measures how many workplace injuries or illnesses result in either days away from work, restricted duty, or a job transfer per 100 full-time equivalent workers. It is calculated using the formula: DART Rate = (Number of DART incidents × 200,000) ÷ … Read more
Heat Stress is a condition that occurs when the body’s ability to cool itself is overwhelmed by excessive heat and humidity, leading to symptoms ranging from mild discomfort to life-threatening emergencies like heat stroke. Simply put, heat stress happens when your body stores more heat than it can dissipate. You’re dealing with it if you … Read more
Safety procedures are structured, step-by-step instructions or systems designed to prevent accidents, injuries, illnesses, or property damage by guiding people on how to perform tasks safely. These procedures—tailored to hazards in environments like workplaces, healthcare, construction, or laboratories—set out what must be done (and how), who is responsible, and under what conditions tasks should stop … Read more
An aspiration hazard in the workplace refers to a chemical or substance—when swallowed or vomited—that enters the trachea and lower respiratory system (lungs), potentially causing severe outcomes like chemical pneumonia, lung injury, or even death. In simple terms, aspiration hazard means a harmful substance makes its way into your lungs, usually through the mouth or … Read more