Safety: Hazard Control, Energy Isolation, and Emergency Response
Safety fundamentals
Safety questions reward knowing which control comes first and who owns a hazard. The hierarchy of controls runs: eliminate the hazard, substitute something safer, engineer it out (guards, interlocks, ventilation), apply administrative controls (procedures, training, job rotation), and use PPE last. PPE is the last line of defense - a frequent trap asks whether PPE is the preferred control. It is not.
Hazard communication. Under OSHA's HazCom standard, chemical information travels with the material: labels with GHS pictograms and signal words, plus a 16-section Safety Data Sheet available to every worker on every shift. Section 8 (exposure controls/PPE) is the one workers most often need.
Lockout/tagout. Energy isolation follows a fixed order: notify affected employees, shut down, isolate every energy source (electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, gravity, thermal, stored), apply your own lock and tag, release stored energy, then verify zero energy by attempting startup. Only the person who applied a lock removes it; a supervisor does not cut a lock for convenience.
Fire and egress. Extinguishers are classed by fuel: A (ordinary combustibles), B (flammable liquids), C (energized electrical), D (combustible metals), K (kitchen grease). Use PASS - Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep at the base of the flame.
Worked rule of thumb: before any task, ask in order - can the energy be eliminated? If not, is it guarded? If not, is there a procedure? If not, what PPE closes the remaining gap? Report near misses as well as injuries; a near miss is free data about a hazard that already reached your area.