Assessment of hazard recognition performance of thermal power plant workers: A case study of a combined cycle power plant

Hazard recognition is a vital skill every thermal power plant worker needs to possess to enhance workplace accident prevention. Facilities and materials used in thermal power plants expose the workers to significant hazards. While some prior studies have identified hazards linked to thermal power plant operations and their inherent risk rankings, knowledge of the hazard recognition performance of workers is a vital indicator of the accident risk level of workers and their training needs. Unfortunately, no empirical findings on the hazard recognition of thermal power plant workers are available. Thus, this study assesses the hazard recognition performance of thermal power plant workers at a 192 MW combined cycle power plant. An online photograph-based hazard recognition test was deployed to investigate 30 participants. Hazard categories investigated include temperature, electrical, gravity, chemical, sound, mechanical, motion, and pressure-based hazards, which are founded on Haddon’s energy release theory. Results revealed that, overall, all the workers could recognize a low proportion (21%) of typical hazards in their workplaces. Workers obtained a 29% average hazard recognition performance in identifying hazards that belong to the electrical, gravity, chemical, motion, and mechanical categories. For sound, pressure, and temperature hazard categories, workers obtained an average hazard recognition performance of 8%. This research represents the first effort to empirically assess the hazard recognition performance of workers in the context of thermal power plant operations. Findings of this research offer helpful insights to safety professionals, academic researchers, and policymakers looking to improve hazard recognition and accident prevention in thermal power plants.