Occupational Safety, Health and Hygiene
This domain covers workplace hazards, safe machine practice, chemical safety, fire prevention, ergonomics and personal hygiene. The exam tests whether you can identify a hazard and choose a control that protects people and products.
Core concepts
- Common hazards: needle pricks, moving machine parts, electricity, hot irons, chemical dyes and solvents, fibre dust, poor lighting, repetitive strain and slippery floors.
- Machine safety includes guards, correct threading, keeping fingers away from the needle, switching off before cleaning, and lockout/tagout during maintenance.
- PPE may include finger guards, eye protection, masks, gloves and aprons. PPE supplements engineering controls; it does not replace guards.
- Chemical safety: store dyes and solvents in labelled containers, use ventilation, never mix unknown chemicals, and follow safety data sheets.
- Fire safety: keep exits clear, store flammable material safely, know extinguisher locations and never block electrical panels.
- Hygiene: wash hands, keep food away from production areas, cover hair, report illness, and keep toilets and work surfaces clean.
- Good housekeeping reduces slips, trips and dust.
Worked example
A needle breaks and a fragment lands near the machine. Switch off and isolate the machine, wear eye protection, remove the fragment with a magnet or tweezers, place it in a sharps container, and record the incident. Do not blow the fragment away with compressed air, because it can enter eyes or be inhaled. The reasoning prioritises isolation, safe retrieval and reporting.
Traps
- Bypassing a machine guard to speed up work.
- Using compressed air on clothes or skin.
- Storing chemicals in unlabelled bottles.
- Treating PPE as a substitute for machine guards.