What are examples of Administrative Controls?

Administrative controls are changes in the way that things are done in an attempt to improve safety. There are many ways that they can be used to help reduce workplace hazards. In most cases, administrative controls are implemented voluntarily to help ensure that a facility and its employees are as safe as possible. In other cases, they are implemented as part of an effort to remain in compliance with requirements from OSHA or other regulatory agencies. Either way, looking at examples of administrative controls can help provide you with ideas for updating policies, rules, schedules, and other aspects of the way your business operates.

Examples of Administrative Controls

The following are examples of administrative controls that have been successfully used in various facilities to improve workplace safety:

• Scheduling Dangerous Activity – If you need to perform some type of maintenance that could be dangerous, make sure to schedule it off hours so that as few people as possible are around. This will minimize the risk of who could get hurt.
• Rotating Job Duties – If you have jobs that require people to do the same thing throughout the day, make sure to rotate these duties over time. This will help to reduce the risk of repetitive motion injuries in the workplace.
• Measuring Exposure to Ionizing Radiation – If your facility has areas where ionizing radiation is present, make sure that employees are measuring their exposure at all times. Once they reach a set limit, they should not be permitted to enter the areas again.
• Proper Cleaning Efforts – Keeping a facility free from clutter and potential contamination is critical for overall safety. All facilities should have a set cleaning procedure to make sure the area is free from debris that could cause fall hazards, damage machines, and much more.

Proper administrative controls are policies or procedures that are put in place to make sure specific activities to improve the safety of a facility are followed. Finding what will work in your facility takes ongoing effort, but in the end will help to ensure the workplace is as safe as possible.

Additional Administrative Controls facts:

• Administrative controls are strategies or procedures that organizations implement to minimize the risk of exposure to workplace hazards. These controls focus on altering or managing tasks rather than changing physical conditions or relying on protective equipment. Source: https://www.hseblog.com/administrative-controls/
• Administrative controls are a type of hazard control. They are used to improve safety within the workplace by putting in place policies and rules that reduce the occupational risk faced by workers via altering the way their work is performed. Source: https://www.safeopedia.com/definition/5109/administrative-controls
• Administrative controls are fourth in the larger hierarchy of hazard controls, which ranks the effectiveness and efficiency of hazard controls. The preferred order of action based on general effectiveness is: elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative and PPE. Source: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/twh/php/hierarchy/index.html
• Administrative controls are more effective than PPE because they involve some manner of prior planning and avoidance, whereas PPE serves only as a final barrier between the hazard and worker. Administrative controls are second lowest because they require workers or employers to actively think or comply with regulations and do not offer permanent solutions to problems. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_controls
• Some common examples of administrative controls include work practice controls such as prohibiting mouth pipetting and rotating worker shifts in coal mines to prevent hearing loss. Other examples include hours of service regulations for commercial vehicle operators, safety signage for hazards, and regular maintenance of equipment. Source: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/twh/php/hierarchy/index.html