Elimination and Substitution
Elimination and substitution, while most effective at reducing hazards, also tend to be the most difficult to implement in an existing process. If the process is still at the design or development stage, elimination and substitution of hazards may be inexpensive and simple to implement. For an existing process, major changes in equipment and procedures may be required to eliminate or substitute for a hazard.
Eliminate the Hazard
These strategies are considered first because they have the potential to completely eliminate the hazard, thus greatly reducing the probability of an accident due to the hazard.
Some examples of these two strategies include:
- Removing the source of excessive temperatures, noise, or pressure - this is "elimination".
- Substituting a toxic chemical with a less toxic or non-toxic chemical - this is "substitution".
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
2-3. Which of the following hazard control strategies is considered most effective in protecting employees from injury or illness?
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