182 Healthcare: Ethylene Oxide Safety

Hierarchy of Controls

Engineering Controls

The basic concept behind engineering controls is that the work environment and the job itself should be designed to eliminate or minimize hazards.

Engineering controls are based on the following broad strategies:

1. Design or redesign the tools, equipment, machinery, materials, or facility.
2. Enclose the hazard to prevent exposure in everyday operations.
3. If a complete enclosure is not feasible, establish barriers or local ventilation to reduce exposure to the hazard in everyday operations.

Well-designed engineering controls can be highly effective in protecting workers. They will typically be independent of worker interactions to provide this high level of protection. The initial cost of engineering controls can be higher than the cost of administrative controls or PPE. Still, over the longer term, operating costs are frequently lower. In some instances, it can provide cost savings in other areas of the process.

Designing general ventilation with sufficient fresh outdoor air to improve indoor air quality is an example of an engineering control used to reduce ethylene oxide exposure.

Administrative Controls

Administrative controls are frequently used with existing processes where hazards are not particularly well controlled. Administrative control programs may be relatively inexpensive to establish but, over the long term, can be very costly to sustain. These methods for protecting workers have also proven to be less effective than other measures, requiring significant effort by the affected workers.

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