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182 Healthcare: Ethylene Oxide Safety
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Hierarchy of Controls

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommends that employers use the hierarchy of controls to prevent ethylene oxide exposure injuries.

Employers should use the hierarchy of controls method to help prevent EtO exposure injuries.

When applying the hierarchy of controls, the most effective control strategy or method should be selected to eliminate or reduce exposure to the hazard.

Elimination and Substitution

Elimination and substitution, while most effective at eliminating or reducing hazards, tend to be the most difficult to implement in an existing process.

If the process is still in the design or development stage, elimination and substitution of hazards may be inexpensive and straightforward to implement.

For an existing process, significant changes in equipment and procedures may be required to implement elimination or substitution strategies.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.

1-5. What hierarchy of control method tends to be the most effective at reducing hazards?