Ranking High-Risk Workplaces based on Risk Assessment

1. HIGH-RISK WORKPLACES RANKING ACCORDING TO RISK ASSESSMENT Monika LUTOVSKA Faculty of Technical Sciences, University “Mother Teresa” Vladimir MIJAKOVSKI Faculty of Technical Sciences, University “St. Kliment Ohridski” Zoran TRIFUNOV Faculty of Technical Sciences, University “Mother Teresa” Albina MUҪA Faculty of Technical Sciences, University “Mother Teresa”

2. The relationship between sustainability and safety Sustainable development HSO conserving resources At their most basic level, sustainability and safety considered the same thing: conserving resources. Whereas in the case of sustainability, those resources are typically thought of as environmental, in the case of safety, the resources are human.

3. Increasing the quality of safety and health at work of the employees in their workplaces should be the primary goal of every employer. The importance of healthy workplace and working environment is a crucial factor in an individual’s quality of life and in public health at the collective level. Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) does not mean only protection of the employee from physical injuries and occupational diseases, but it is also a multidisciplinary concept that concentrates on the promotion of safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment.

4. Providing а safe and healthy working environment nowadays is a cornerstone of work quality as a collective concern, equally prompted by humanitarian as well as economic considerations. In order to create a safer and healthier workplace, and in accordance with the Macedonian Law on Safety and Health at Work, every employer is obligated to conduct a risk assessment for every workplace. It involves a systematic recording, evaluating of risk factors that can cause injury, illness or occupational disease, and identifying possibilities to prevent, reduce, or completely eliminate the risks.

5. The risk assessment activities were carried out by an authorized institution, using a licensed software package LatiPRO for recording, processing and analyzing data in the field of OSH. For estimating the risk values the following formula is used: RISK = TP × ZI × VP × BL where: TP - severity of potential injury ZI - frequency of exposure to danger VP - probability of injury BL - number of exposed people

6. The total value of the estimated risk is obtained as a product of the values of previously defined parameters, and it is categorized according to the values shown in the table 1. Afterwards, the identified risks were ranked according to the severity. Risks usually are ranked in three categories: low, moderate and high risks. Table 1. Risk category of estimated risk

7. As a basic step in a risk management process, risk assessment must be conducted for every workplace. Due to the demand of a systematic and continuous evaluation, all phases of risk assessment (planning, hazard identification, defining of risk, assessing risks, proposing preventive measures, communication and follow-up the feedback) are equally important. • In addition, some important data needed for conducting of assessment are listed: • the description and characteristics of work activities, • the number, gender, age and level of education of each • employee exposed to the risks, • organization of work in shifts, • the number and the nature of possible injuries that had • previously occurred at the workplace • specific working conditions

8. Even 48.28%, or the largest number of risks are related to injuries due to the workplace and work environment characteristics (slipping, stumbling and falling).

9. Table 3. Classification of determined hazards from the risk in the Republic of Macedonia

10. A risk assessment for different workplaces in many companies in the Republic of Macedonia was conducted using a licensed software package for processing and analyzing data and high risks were specially studied.

11. Afterwards, the identified high-risk workplaces were ranked according to severity. Risks are ranked in three categories: low, moderate and high risks. For the first-ranked workplace - electrical installer of transmission lines, 35 out of a total 43 risks (or 78%) identified in the full risk assessment, were ranked as high risks. For the last-ranked workplace - a construction machine operator, 21%, or 9 out of 42 risks in total, are high risks.

12. Conclusion From the analysis, it can be concluded that the largest number of the high risks refer to injuries due to the workplace and work environment characteristics. The conclusions strongly suggest that special attention needs to be paid to the collective protective measures while performing field work, as well as the obligatory use of personal protective equipment (PPE). In accordance with the International Labor Organization (ILO) research conducted in 2005, worldwide, nearly 2.2 million people a year die due to occupational injuries and diseases, and it costs around 4% of global GDP (gross domestic product). Occupational related accidents, diseases and hazards are estimated to cost the Republic of Macedonia between 2.6 to 3.8 % of GDP. So, creating of more jobs and of better quality has become one of the main objectives of social policies of every government.