M3
Describe how control measures are used to prevent accidents
What is a control measure?
As part of managing the health and safety of a business, the business owner or health and safety manager must control the risks in the workplace to staff and visitors. To do this they need to think about what might cause harm to people and decide whether they are taking reasonable steps to prevent that harm.
Control measures are the features of a facility that eliminate, prevent or reduce the risk to health and safety. They are the way someone reduces the risk at their facility to a level that is reasonably practicable. Control measures can take many forms including physical equipment, process control systems, management processes, operating or maintenance procedures.
Example of a control method that cannot be ignored would be if you made a risk assessment which states you must add a guard with an interlock to a machine to prevent workers from becoming entangled.
The main ways to control a hazard include:
•Elimination (including substitution): remove the hazard from the workplace, or substitute (replace) hazardous materials or machines with less hazardous ones.
•Engineering Controls: includes designs or modifications to plants, equipment, ventilation systems, and processes that reduce the source of exposure.
•Administrative Controls: controls that alter the way the work is done, including timing of work, policies and other rules, and work practices such as standards and operating procedures (including training, housekeeping, and equipment maintenance, and personal hygiene practices).
•Personal Protective Equipment: equipment worn by individuals to reduce exposure such as contact with chemicals or exposure to noise.
Alternative additional controls of mechanical workshop
1. For the loud environment my control method was to issue ear defenders but you could also try and move the activity which is making the noise to an isolated area.
2. For tools laying around the work place my control method was to introduce a tool audit but you could also introduce shadow boards.

Alternative additional controls of electrical workshop
1. For the dusty environment my control method was to issue respiratory equipment but you could also try and move the activity which is creating the dust to another area which has extractor fans.
2. For people leaving bags on the floor my control method was to leave the bags in lockers but you could also introduce an area that is just for bags.
Having and using control methods is very important to the health and safety of the workers. If you did not have control methods then there would be accidents happening on a regular basis which would not be good for business.
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