Engineering Controls. These strategies are considered first because they have the potential of completely eliminate the hazard, thus greatly reducing the probability of an accident. Redesigning or replacing equipment or machinery may be expensive, but remember that, according to the National Safety Council, the average direct and indirect cost of a lost work time injury is $34,000 and $1,115,000 to close a fatality claim.

When considering engineering controls, you should think about the feasibility, costs, and ease of implementation of replacing or redesigning the equipment. OSHA will expect your employer to consider this control strategy before employing the other strategies.

Work Practice controls. These control strategies attempt to reduce exposure to a hazard by primarily changing the way work is accomplished. Work procedures and practice are revised somehow. An important principle to remember is that this control strategy works only as long as people behave: that's "iffy" at best in the long term.

Administrative Controls. Like work practice controls, these control strategies attempt to reduce or eliminate exposure to the hazard. The strategy differs in that exposure is limited by revising:

• The frequency of exposure to the hazard.
• The duration of the task that exposes the employee to the hazard.
• The number of employees exposed to the hazard.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Sometimes it is impossible to eliminate a hazard through engineering, work practice, and/or administrative controls. In these situations, personal protective equipment may be required to provide some degree of safety by placing a barrier between the employee and the hazard. For this reason, using personal protective equipment should be the strategy of last resort.

Let's assume you are the supervisor of a warehouse. Your five employees must lift and carry 85 pound sacks of grain repeatedly to a pallet during their eight-hour work shift. How can you reduce or eliminate the possibility of an injury from carrying the heavy bags? Let's take a look at a few examples:

• Engineering Controls. Reduce the weight of the bags. Devise a conveyor belt system that eliminates the need to carry the bags.
• Work Practice Control. Train and require each employee to use proper lifting procedures.
• Administrative Control. Change the procedure so that two employees are required to carry a bag.
• Personal Protective Equipment. Can't use the body belt... it doesn't protect anyone. I don't know what you could use. Do you?

Symptoms indicating personal weaknesses.

• A unique hazardous condition or unsafe/inappropriate behavior performed by one person.
• May occur at any level of the organization.
• May indicate a “special” problem that requires a unique solution.
• Attributing error to personal weakness should never be the initial assumption.

Symptoms indicating system weaknesses.

• A number of similar conditions or behaviors common to a number of locations.
• May occur at any level of the organization.
• May contribute to, or produce a specific hazardous condition and unsafe behavior.
• Indicates a “common” problem that requires a system solution.
• The scope of the condition or behavior indicates the management level at which the cause exists.
• Attributing error to system weaknesses should usually be the initial assumption.

Causes indicating weaknesses in organizational structure

• Formulated by upper management.
• Inadequate design of vision, mission, strategies, objectives
• Inadequate design of policies, plans, processes, programs, procedures.
• May exist in any program in any department
• The natural result of a non-supportive leadership style.

Causes indicating weaknesses in leadership style

• Non-supporting corporate vision.
• Unreasonable expectations of the CEO or Owner.
• External forces: stakeholders, materials, industry, community, society, government.
• The natural result of a inappropriate values creating a fear-based culture.

Identifying hazardous conditions and unsafe behaviors is only a part of the equation in effective supervision. Controlling those hazards and making sure that the safety system weaknesses that produced them are improved, is are critical activities. Sound management and leadership practices requires a supervisor to pay close attention to the follow-through of top management as well as specific employee behaviors.