 Well, hello. Looks like you're in a jam. Not exactly the safest place to be. How did this happen? Oh, you were having lunch, and a local dropped by. Well, you probably wish you used the hierarchy of controls concept right about now. Think of the hierarchy of controls concept as a pyramid with five levels of control and prevention that can help protect you and your coworkers from hazards on the job. For example, let's say you don't work around men eating lunch or stealing wildlife, but inside a factory near dangerously loud eardrum busting equipment starting at the bottom or personal protective level of the hierarchy of controls pyramid. To prevent the loud noise from damaging your hearing, you could wear approved ear protection moving up on the pyramid to administrate a solution to the noise hazard. You could also limit the total time any worker spends using the equipment. Okay, let's move up yet another tear on the pyramid to engineer a solution. Let's say the volume level is still too high to be safe, or it isn't practical for several employees to share time on the equipment. Additional safety measures can be engineered into the workstation, like using a specially designed isolation shield or enclosure. Going another step up the hierarchy of controls pyramid means finding ways to substitute a potentially risky equipment for equipment that is potentially less hazardous to workers. At the highest level of the hierarchy of controls concept, you would eliminate the danger altogether. One way to do this is to contract the work to specialists who have the training and equipment to get the job done without putting anyone in harm's way. Here's the best way to think of the hierarchy of controls. Always aim high in the pyramid. Jobs should be designed to have as few hazards as possible, with the need for personal protective equipment being the last resort. Whether your workplace hazards include loud or continuous noises, using harsh chemicals, making constant repetitive motions, lifting or it's simply a hazardous environment, the hierarchy of controls can help limit or even eliminate your exposure to these hazards. For more bare facts that can help you and your co-workers increase on the job safety, check out more at WorkSafe.