Elimination and Substitution
Elimination and substitution are higher order controls. These control strategies are considered first because they have the potential to completely eliminate the hazard, thus greatly reducing the probability and severity of an injury/illness. While being the most effective control strategies, they 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 may be inexpensive and simple to implement. However, for an existing process, major changes in equipment and procedures may be required.
Some examples of these strategies include:
- Elimination: Removing the source of excessive temperatures, noise, or pressure. Removing the need to work at elevation.
- Substitution: Replacing a toxic substance with one that is a less toxic.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
8-3. _____ completely removes the source of excessive temperatures, noise, or pressure.
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