Controlling Hazards
The remaining three strategies attempt to eliminate or reduce exposure to existing health hazards when elimination, substitution, or engineering controls are not adequate. These controls work only as long as employees comply.
Hierarchy of Controls
Warnings: To raise awareness of hazards, employers use warnings such as signs, alarms, signals, labels, placards, and cones.
Work Practice Controls: Work Practice Controls eliminate or reduce exposure through the use of safe procedures and practices. Following safe procedures while operating production and control equipment, good housekeeping, and safe practices like not eating, drinking, or smoking in regulated areas are all good examples of work practice controls.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): When elimination, substitution and engineering controls are not feasible, appropriate PPE such as gloves, safety goggles, helmets, safety shoes, and protective clothing may be required to protect workers. To be effective PPE must be individually selected, properly fitted and worn, and replaced.
Interim Measures
Using a lower priority hazard control method over another higher priority control strategy may be appropriate for providing interim (temporary) protection until the hazard is abated permanently. If you can't eliminate the hazard entirely, the interim control measures will likely be a combination of control methods used together. OSHA believes that feasible interim measures are always available if higher-level control methods are not possible.
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1-5. Why are exposure control strategies less effective in preventing injuries than hazard control strategies?
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