Occupational Safety and Health

Excerpt

Occupational safety and health considerations are primary concerns of animal care and use program management regardless of the size of the program or facility. In order to appropriately address the associated safety and health concerns, a concerted effort of hazard identification must be undertaken. Each activity or job should be analyzed to identify the potential hazards associated with the performance of each activity. Once the hazards are identified and the associated risks assessed, they must of course be mitigated in some fashion to prevent accidents and injuries. The job hazard analysis (JHA) or job safety analysis (JSA) and subsequent risk assessment approach provide a proactive path toward injury and illness prevention associated with the animal care and use program. The JHA or JSA is a standard tool used in the practice of occupational safety and health, and information regarding its use is broadly available elsewhere (OSHA 2002; Blair 2014). The JHA or JSA focuses on the relationships among the worker, the task, the tools, and the work environment. It is also used as a tool to identify and mitigate hazards that have been associated with an accident, injury, or work-related illness. The mitigation of identified hazards should follow the broadly accepted approach using the “hierarchy of controls” strategy (OSHA 2005) (Figure 14.1). The hazard controls in the hierarchy are, in order of decreasing effectiveness,