Wastewater Safety · Safe Work Starts Before the Task
What Is the Hierarchy of Controls?
The best safety controls remove or isolate the hazard before relying on worker behavior.
Elimination removes the hazard. Substitution uses something less hazardous. Engineering controls isolate people through guards, ventilation, covers, or barriers. Administrative controls include procedures, training, signs, scheduling, and work limits. PPE protects the worker directly.
The controls can work together. A chemical-transfer job may use a closed connection, secondary containment, written delivery steps, trained workers, and splash PPE. The gloves do not replace the closed connection.
Choose controls before the job begins. If the planned control fails, stop and reassess. A broken ventilation fan or missing guard changes the task even when everyone has PPE.
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Wastewater Safety Fundamentals
This page comes from the course. It covers hazard checks, PPE, chemicals, air hazards, confined spaces, hazardous energy, falls and emergencies, one step at a time, with short knowledge checks and a certificate of completion.
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