Session 1: Introduction to HSE

🔹 What is HSE?
HSE stands for:

●​ Health – Protecting the physical and mental well-being of workers.​

●​ Safety – Preventing accidents and injuries in the workplace.​

●​ Environment – Protecting the natural world (air, water, land) from pollution and harm
caused by work activities.​

HSE is very important in every workplace. It helps to:

●​ Keep workers safe and healthy.​

●​ Reduce accidents and costs.​

●​ Follow national and international laws.​

●​ Protect the environment for future generations.​

🔹 Why is HSE important?

●​ Many workers get injured or sick at work.​

●​ Unsafe workplaces can lead to serious accidents or death.​

●​ Companies can be fined or shut down if they do not follow safety rules.​

●​ Good HSE saves lives, time, and money.​

🔹 The Role of an HSE Technician

An HSE technician helps to:

●​ Identify hazards (things that can cause harm).​

 ●​ Reduce risks (the chance of harm).​

●​ Ensure workers use PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).​

●​ Train workers on safety rules.​

●​ Check if the workplace follows safety regulations.​

●​ Investigate accidents and write reports.​

🔹 Key Vocabulary
Word Meaning (in simple English)

Hazard Something that can cause harm (fire, chemicals, sharp tools).

Risk The chance that a hazard will cause harm.

Accident An unexpected event that causes injury or damage.

Injury Physical harm to the body.

Regulation An official rule or law about safety or the environment.

PPE Personal Protective Equipment (helmet, gloves, goggles,

etc.).

Health Being physically and mentally well.

Safety Being protected from danger or injury.

Environment The natural world (air, water, land, animals, plants).

Procedure A correct and safe way to do a task.

Prevention Actions to stop something bad from happening.

Inspection Checking something carefully (like machines or equipment).

Session 2: Workplace Hazards
🔹 What is a Hazard?
A hazard is anything that can cause harm to people, property, or the environment.

Workplace hazards can be found in all types of jobs. It is important to:

●​ Identify hazards.​

●​ Control or eliminate them.​

●​ Protect workers and the environment.​

🔹 Types of Workplace Hazards

Here are the main types of hazards, with examples for each:

1. Physical Hazards

These are hazards that come from the environment or equipment.

Example Description

Noise Loud machines can damage

hearing.

Vibration Tools that shake can hurt the hands.

Heat Working in hot areas (e.g., welding).

Radiation From X-rays or industrial machines.

Slippery floors Can cause falls and injuries.

Working at heights Risk of falling from ladders or roofs.

2. Chemical Hazards

These hazards come from dangerous substances.

Example Description

Acids and cleaning Can burn the skin or eyes.

products
 Pesticides Used in farming; can poison workers.

Solvents (paint, glue) Dangerous to breathe in.

Flammable liquids Can easily catch fire.

Toxic gases Can cause breathing problems or

death.

3. Biological Hazards

These are hazards from living things, like bacteria or viruses.

Example Description

Viruses (COVID-19, flu) Can spread between workers.

Bacteria In food, water, or dirty areas.

Molds and fungi Can grow in wet buildings, cause

illness.

Insects or animals Can bite, sting, or carry disease.

4. Ergonomic Hazards

These hazards come from poor work design that affects the body.

Example Description

Repetitive movements Doing the same motion many times (typing).

Poor posture Sitting or standing incorrectly.

Lifting heavy objects Can hurt the back.

Bad workstation design Can cause stress and injuries over time.

5. Psychosocial Hazards

These affect a worker’s mental health and well-being.

Example Description

Stress From too much work or pressure.

 Harassment or bullying Affects confidence and mental
health.

Long working hours Can cause exhaustion and burnout.

🔹 Identifying Hazards in Different Industries

Industry Common Hazards

Construction Falling objects, noise, dust, height-related risks

Healthcare Viruses, sharp tools (needles), stress, heavy

lifting

Agriculture Pesticides, machines, animals, extreme weather

Manufacturing Chemicals, noise, hot surfaces, moving parts

Office work Poor posture, eye strain, stress, repetitive tasks

🔹 English Focus: Forming Adjectives

Adjectives are words that describe nouns.​
In HSE, we often use adjectives to describe hazards or working conditions.

1. From Nouns:
Noun Adjective

Danger Dangerou
s

Risk Risky

Noise Noisy

Accident Accidental

Hazard Hazardou
s

🔹 Example: “Working with chemicals is dangerous.”

2. From Verbs:
Verb Adjective

Harm Harmful

Protect Protective

Explode Explosive

Burn Burned / Burning

Slip Slippery

🔹 Example: “Wear protective gloves when using harmful substances.”

Session 3: Introduction to Occupational Health and Safety
(OHS)

🔷 What is Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)?

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) refers to the rules, laws, and procedures that
protect workers from injury, illness, and danger in the workplace.

✅ Why Is OHS Important?

●​ To protect workers from accidents and health problems​

●​ To reduce risks and improve safety​

●​ To follow laws and standards​

●​ To create a safe working environment for everyone​

🔧 Examples of OHS Hazards

Hazard Type Example

Physical Noise, heat, machinery

Chemical Gases, cleaning products

Biological Viruses, bacteria

Ergonomic Bad posture, repetitive

tasks
🌐 OHS Standards: ISO 45001
ISO 45001 is an international standard for workplace health and safety.​
It helps companies to:

●​ Identify and control risks​

●​ Reduce accidents​

●​ Improve employee well-being​

●​ Follow national and international laws​

📘 OHS Technician: Key Responsibilities

An OHS Technician must:

●​ Inspect equipment and the work area​

●​ Identify hazards and unsafe behavior​

●​ Report problems to supervisors​

●​ Train employees about safety​

●​ Ensure everyone follows safety rules​

📖 Reading Skill: Skimming and Scanning

🔹
●​ Skimming = Reading quickly to get the main idea​
Example: Read a paragraph quickly to understand what it's about.​

🔹
●​ Scanning = Looking for specific information​
Example: Look for a date, a number, or a keyword.​

🧠 Practice tip: When reading about OHS standards, skim the headings and scan for
important words like "risk," "control," "law," or "protection."

🧠 Key Vocabulary
Word Meaning Example

Hazard Something dangerous A wet floor is a hazard.

 Risk Possibility of harm There is a risk of falling.

PPE Personal protective Gloves and helmets are PPE.

equipment

Regulation Official rule Safety regulations must be followed.

Standard Accepted level of quality ISO 45001 is a safety standard.

🔤 Grammar Focus: Modals for Obligation

Use “must” and “should” to talk about safety rules and advice.

Modal Use Example

must Strong obligation Workers must wear helmets.

should Recommendation or You should follow the safety

advice procedure.

More Examples:

●​ You must report all incidents.​

●​ Employees must not smoke in this area.​

●​ We should inspect the fire extinguishers regularly.​

●​ You should wear gloves when handling chemicals.​

Session 4: Writing – Writing Incident
Reports
🛠️ Technical Focus: What Is an Incident Report?
An incident report is a formal document that describes:

●​ A dangerous event (accident, near miss, injury, damage, etc.)​

●​ What happened​

●​ When, where, and how it happened​

●​ Who was involved​

●​ What actions were taken​

📄 Incident reports are important because they:

●​ Help prevent future accidents​

●​ Provide clear records for investigations​

●​ Are required by law or safety standards

📋 Parts of an Incident Report

1.​ Basic Details​

○​ Date and time​

○​ Location​

○​ Name(s) of people involved​

2.​ Description of the Incident​

○​ What happened?​

○​ How did it happen?​

3.​ Injuries or Damage​

 ○​ Was anyone hurt?​

○​ Was there any damage?​

4.​ Actions Taken​

○​ First aid, evacuation, or other measures​

5.​ Recommendations​

○​ How to avoid this in the future?

📘 Example (Simplified)
Date: 20 May 2025​
Time: 10:30 a.m.​
Location: Warehouse loading area​
Incident: A box fell from a shelf and hit a worker’s foot.​
Injury: The worker was injured and taken to the first aid room.​
Action: The area was cleaned, and the shelf was inspected.​
Recommendation: Boxes must not be stacked too high.

✍️ Writing Skill: Organizing Information

✅
To write a good incident report:​

✅
Use clear and short sentences​

✅
Write in the past tense​

✅
Use neutral and formal language (no emotion or blame)​
Use chronological order (first to last)

🧠 Grammar Focus: Past Simple & Passive Voice

🔹 1. Past Simple
Use this to describe completed actions in the past.

Form: Subject + verb (past)​

Examples:

●​ A worker slipped on the wet floor.​

●​ The supervisor called first aid.​

🔹 2. Passive Voice
Use this when the doer is not important or not known.

Form: Subject + was/were + past participle​

Examples:

●​ The worker was injured.​

●​ The floor was cleaned.​

●​ The fire alarm was activated.​

🧠 Tip: In reports, we often use the passive voice to keep the tone objective and formal.

Session 5: Risk Assessment

🔹 What Is Risk Assessment?

Risk assessment is the process of identifying and evaluating hazards and taking action to
reduce risks in the workplace.

A hazard is anything that can cause harm.​

A risk is the chance that someone may be harmed by the hazard.

🔹 Steps of Risk Assessment

There are five basic steps in a risk assessment:

Ste Action Example

p

1 Identify the hazards Wet floor, loud noise, broken cables

2 Decide who might be harmed Workers, visitors, cleaners

3 Evaluate the risk and decide on Provide PPE, put signs

precautions

4 Control the risk Clean the floor, fix cables, reduce

noise
 5 Review and update Repeat the assessment regularly

🔹 Hierarchy of Controls
This is a system for choosing the best way to reduce a risk — from most effective to least
effective:

1.​ Elimination – Remove the hazard completely​

→ Example: Remove broken machine from the workplace​

2.​ Substitution – Replace the hazard with something safer​

→ Example: Use a less toxic chemical​

3.​ Engineering controls – Isolate people from the hazard​

→ Example: Install a noise barrier or machine guard​

4.​ Administrative controls – Change the way people work​

→ Example: Rotate tasks to reduce exposure time​

5.​ Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – Use safety gear​

→ Example: Gloves, goggles, helmet​

PPE is the last option — it does not remove the hazard.