One of the most critical fundamentals of Occupational Safety and Health and Process Safety, yet it is wildly unknown and rarely used in most workplaces we visit. Still, in the 21st century, we find employers handing out PPE like candy on Halloween without understanding the limitations of that PPE and even if the PPE protection level is adequate for the hazard level. This information and graphics are FREE and come from OSHA’s Safety Management page. I highly recommend that ALL management and Front-Line supervisors be trained in the proper application of the Hierarchy of Controls using this information. It may be some of OSHA’s best work yet!
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The Hierarchy of Controls is a method of identifying and ranking safeguards to protect workers from hazards. They are arranged from the most to least effective and include
Often, we’ll need to combine control methods to protect workers best. For example, a local exhaust system (an engineering control) requires training, periodic inspections, and preventive maintenance (administrative controls). You will also need to consider the feasibility of the necessary controls.
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