Tema 2 IPO PDF

## Unitat 2 ### Seguretat i salut en el treball ### 1. El treball i la salut - The work and health are two closely related concepts. - In work, we get a salary that allows us to cover our basic needs, we find friends amongst colleagues and we develop our personal skills. - However, it is important...

## Unitat 2 ### Seguretat i salut en el treball ### 1. El treball i la salut - The work and health are two closely related concepts. - In work, we get a salary that allows us to cover our basic needs, we find friends amongst colleagues and we develop our personal skills. - However, it is important to remember that work comes with dangers that can negatively affect health. ### 1.1. Què s'entén per salut? - The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health in the following way: - "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." - This definition proposes a multidisciplinary approach as it encompasses three aspects: - **Physical health:** relating to the physical integrity of the body. - **Mental health:** indicating emotional balance. - **Social health:** related to the well-being of the individual with respect to other people. - The fact that the WHO considers health not be merely the absence of illness or disease takes the definition away from previous definitions which necessarily included the concept of disease to define health. - If we approach health from a multidisciplinary concept, then when analyzing the factors that can put workers at risk, we must do so from an integral perspective (physical, mental and social). ### 2. Conceptes bàsics de prevenció - The Law of Prevention of Labor Risks defines two key concepts: - **Labor risk:** is the possibility that the worker may suffer a certain damage as a consequence of the conditions where they carry out their work. - **Work condition:** are key characteristics related to work that can influence the generation of risks for safety and health of the worker. - Work conditions are as follows: - **Characteristics of the workplace and facilities:** - The minimum height for ceilings should be 3 meters except in offices and offices where it can be 2.5 meters. - Stairs must have a handrail 90 cm high. - It is important to maintain order and cleanliness without obstacles on the floor. - **Work equipment:** machinery, tools, materials and utensils used in the workplace. - examples include: cutting tools, fuel, vehicles that are used inside a workplace. - **Physical agents:** for example, noise, vibrations, radiation, temperature, lighting. - **Chemical agents:** for example, toxic substance, dust in suspension, gases. - **Biological Agents:** for example: viruses, bacteria, fungus and protozoa. - **Procedures for using and manipulating agents.** - **Organization and work order.** - examples : distribution of tasks, assignment of responsibilities, working hours. - **Any workplace characteristic that generates risk.** ### 3. Riscos derivats dels espais i equips de treball - When workplace conditions or work equipment is unfit for the workplace, work-related accidents can occur. ### 3.1. Els llocs de treball - Workplace areas are considered to be parts of the facility, whether inside or outside, where workers may be found or which they may have access to as part of their job. - This includes workplaces, corridors, stairs, walkways, restrooms, changing rooms, dining areas, rest areas and first-aid facilities. ### 3.2. Equips de treball - The Law of Prevention of Labor Risks defines work equipment as any machinery, equipment, tool or installation used for work. - This includes large machines used in the workplace or a computer or a dryer in a hairdressing salon. ### 4. Agents físics - Physical agents are different forms of energy that can cause health and safety problems for workers. - Some of these include noise, vibrations, ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation. ### 4.1. El soroll - Noise is defined as an unwanted and irritating sound that can cause health problems. - The following elements determine noise: - **Intensity or volume:** measured in decibels (dB). - dBA (decibels A): measures daily equivalent exposure level. - dBC (decibels C): measures peak levels at a given time. - **Frequency:** determines whether the tone is high or low, measured in hertz (hz). - **Duration:** Noise can be continuous, discontinuous or intermittent. - Noise can cause the following damage: - **Physical:** hearing loss, ranging from temporary loss to deafness. - **Psychological:** stress, fatigue, sleeplessness, irritability and anxiety. - **Workplace accidents:** due to lack of concentration and distractions. - There are ways to prevent noise-related damage and injuries: - Select work equipment that produce low noise levels. - Maintain work equipment adequately. - Soundproof machines. - Soundproof the workplace. - Reduce noise exposure time. - Isolate workers in soundproof booths. - Use noise-canceling protection such as earplugs and earmuffs. - Arrange periodic medical checkups. - Training and information for workers. ### 4.2. Les vibracions - Vibrations are a form of oscillatory movement that causes a particle to move around a fixed point. - The number of times the oscillation occurs per second is called the frequency, which is measured in hertz (hz). - Vibrations can be transmitted to the human body in different ways: - **Hand arm system:** It occurs when the fingers or hands come into contact with tools such as pneumatic hammers, drills and grinders. This can cause pain and inflammation in the bones and joints of the hands and arms. - **Full body vibrations:** vibrations that are transmitted from a vibrating source to the entire body. This causes great damage to the spine, leading to back pain, muscle and skeletal problems, pinching of the discs, bone deformations, and arthritis. - Types of vibration differ according to their frequencies: - **Very low frequency (less than 1 hz):** Occur in vehicles such as airplanes, ships and trains. - **Low frequency (1 to 20 hz):** Occur in large vehicles such as tractors, excavators, bulldozers, shovels, trucks and buses. - **High frequency (20 to 1000 hz):** Caused by certain machines such as drills, grinders, and polishers. - Measures to prevent and protect against vibrations: - Isolate the machine or tool to prevent the spread of the vibrating sound. - Use vibration dampening materials like rubber. - Limit time spent exposed to vibrations. - Use personal protective equipment such as wrist straps, lumbar belts, cushioned clothing and vibrating-proof shoes, gloves and anti-vibration boots. ### 4.3. Les radiacions ionitzants i no ionitzants - Radiation is a form of energy and can be dangerous depending on the type and duration of exposure. They are classified into two categories: - **Ionizing radiation:** are very powerful and dangerous. They include X-rays, gamma rays, alpha and beta particles and neutrons. Their use is for producing energy, sterilizing food and for medical diagnoses and treatments. - These rays can cause the following harm: - **Immediate:** nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and hair loss. - **Long-term:** cancer, sterility and genetic defects. - **Non-ionizing radiation:** less dangerous than ionizing radiation. They include electric fields, radio frequencies, microwaves, infrared rays, ultraviolet rays and lasers. Their use is common due to the increase in the use of electronics in modern society - microwave ovens, hair dryers, telecommunication systems, welding, UVA rays and laser equipment. - They can cause the following harm: - Burns to the skin and eyes. - Damage to the nervous and circulatory systems and the digestive system. - Measures to prevent and protect against radiation: - Mark hazardous areas. - Monitor and control areas exposed to radiation, taking exposure time into account. - Use barriers between the source of radiation and people. - Use personal protective equipment such as glasses, screens with special filters, shoes and suitable work clothes. - Arrange periodic medical checkups. ### 4.4. Temperatura i humitat ambient - The workplace should maintain optimal temperature and humidity levels. - Minimum temperature and humidity levels are: - **Temperature:** - **Sedentary work: ** 17-27 °C. - **Light work:** 14-25 °C. - **Humidity:** - 30-70%, except in areas with a risk of static electricity, where it must be below 50%. - Unpleasant temperature conditions can cause problems ranging from minor colds or dehydration to hypothermia or heatstroke. These can lead to loss of consciousness, brain damage, and even cardiac arrest. ### 4.5. Il·luminació - Proper lighting is essential for a safe and productive work environment. - Inadequate lighting can lead to eye fatigue, eye strain, headaches, drowsiness, and difficulties concentrating. - Minimum lighting levels required in the workplace are defined as follows: - **Areas of high visual demand:** - **Very high:** Jewellery making, sewing, electrical work, etc. - 1000 lux. - **High:** offices, classrooms, mechanics workshops, etc. - 500 lux. - **Moderate:** warehouses, printing, etc. - 200 lux. - **Low:** garages, storage areas, etc. - 100 lux. - **Areas of general use:** 100 lux. - **Areas of occasional use:** 50 lux. - **Usual walkways:** 50 lux. - **Occasional walkways:** 25 lux. - Lighting conditions must be as follows: - **Natural lighting is preferred over artificial lighting.** - Natural lighting allows for better color perception, easier adjustment to seeing near and far, wider field of vision, and less fatigue. - **Artificial lighting should complement natural lighting.** - Artificial lighting should be consistent and strong enough, but not too bright. It should not produce glare, reflections, or flickering. Lighting should be as close as possible to natural lighting to avoid color differences. - **Lighting can be general, localized, or a combination of both.** - **General Lighting:** Evenly illuminates the entire work area. - **Localized Lighting:** Focuses on a specific area. - **Emergency Lighting:** Every workplace must have sufficient emergency lighting to ensure at least 1 lux for a full hour in the event of a power outage. ### 5. Agents químics i biològics - These agents may pose a risk to the safety and health of workers due to their properties, how they are used or how they are present at work. - Chemical agents classified as hazardous substances or preparations are considered dangerous. - Chemical agents that have a maximum allowed concentration (VLA level) are also considered dangerous. - These values are used as indicators of the maximum concentration of a contaminant that should be present so that it is not considered hazardous to human health. - Chemical agents classified as hazardous substances or preparations include: - **Explosives:** Detonate or deflagrate even without oxygen. They can be easily ignited and may explode in the presence of high heat. - **Combustible fluids:** They can cause a strong exothermic reaction (reaction that releases heat) when they come into contact with other substances, especially flammable substances.. - **Flammable fluids:** These substances burn at a low temperature. - **Toxins:** Inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact can cause acute or chronic effects, even death. - **Irritants:** Non-corrosive substances and preparations which if exposed briefly, or for extended periods of time, can cause skin or mucosal inflammation. - **Sensitizers:** Can cause hypersensitive reactions. Repeated or prolonged exposure can lead to negative reactions when exposed again. - **Carcinogens:** Can cause cancer or increase its likelihood. - **Mutagens:** Can cause genetic mutations or cause more frequent mutations to occur. - **Toxic to Reproduction:** Can be harmful to reproduction, but not hereditary, increasing the frequency of disorders at birth or negatively affecting development. - **Biological agents:** These are microorganisms that can cause infections or allergies. - They include bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoans and parasites. - They are generally associated with work in the following sectors: healthcare, farming, food and beverage, cleaning and animal care. - Biological agents are classified into four groups according to their danger levels: - **Group 1:** unlikely to cause disease in humans. - **Group 2:** Can cause disease, but unlikely to spread between people. There is generally effective treatment. - **Group 3:** Can cause serious disease and may spread. There is usually effective prevention and treatment. - **Group 4:** Can cause serious disease, likely to spread, there is no effective treatment. - **Exposure of the body to chemical and biological agents is possible through:** - **Respiratory:** Through the airways (nose). - **Digestive:** Through the mouth, from things like food or drink. - **Dermal or skin:** Through the skin. - **Parenteral:** The agent penetrates directly into the blood, for example: through cuts, wounds, etc. - **There are various measures to take to prevent and protect against chemical and biological agents:** - Replace the hazardous agent with a less harmful one. - Isolate the source of contamination. - Implement ventilation or local exhaust systems. - Implement detection and alarm systems in case of exceeding tolerance limits. - Use personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, and goggles. - Practice good hygienic habits such as not eating or drinking at the workplace, practice good personal hygiene etc. - Arrange medical checkups for workers. - Limit the number of workers exposed to hazardous agents. - Limit exposure time and intensity, if possible. ### 6. Riscos ergonòmics i psicosocials - **Work load** can be physical or mental. - **Physical workload:** is generated by repeating tasks that involve a lot of muscle effort. - **Mental workload:** is the amount of mental activity required to carry out a task. - **Ergonomics:** - This is a technical field that integrates workplace design and environmental factors with the physiological, anthropometric and psychological characteristics of the worker, to improve safety, comfort and efficiency. - Workload can cause the following to occur, depending on the type of load: - **Physical overload:** - **Musculoskeletal Disorders:** Back pain, neck pain. - **Protrusions and herniated discs.** - **Headache.** - **Physical fatigue.** - **Mental overload:** - **Stress:** A feeling of being overwhelmed; a reaction to a stressful situation. - **Anxiety, worry, depression, hysteria.** - **Loss of interest in health and physical appearance.** - **Workplace accidents.** - **Aggression and impatience.** - **Inability to complete tasks.** - **Burnout or "Burnout Syndrome": ** - This is an occupational stress response that is characterized by feelings of negativity toward colleagues, work, and the role at work. It is often accompanied by feelings of exhaustion. - These feelings are prevalent in teaching, healthcare, and other professions that require direct contact with clients or patients. - **Burnout has three components:** - **Emotional exhaustion:** Feeling emotionally drained from work. - **Depersonalization:** Feeling distanced from those you serve, as a way to cope with emotional exhaustion. - **Low personal fulfillment:** Feeling a sense of low self worth, unfulfilled, and unable to perform job duties. - **There are a number of things to do to prevent physical overload:** - **Manual handling of loads:** - Evaluate the load and plan the lift. - Keep your feet apart and firmly planted. - Bend your knees slightly. - Keep the load close to your body. - Lift gradually. - Keep your back straight. - Avoid twisting your torso. - Don't lift too much weight. - Keep the load close to your body. - Consider how often tasks are repeated. - Use proper posture. - **Repetitive Tasks:** - Consider the frequency of movements, use of force, forced postures and movements, insufficient recovery time, and length of time of the repetitive tasks. - **Mental Overload:** - Workplace design, task design, and workspace organization can contribute to mental overload. - **Mobbing or Bullying:** - One or more people repeatedly and over a long period use psychological violence against another person or people in the workplace. - Bullying can be between a supervisor and subordinate, a subordinate and supervisor or peers. - Bullying can be expressed in many different ways. - **Bullying can manifest in the following ways:** - **Related to work:** - Not giving assignments. - Giving useless assignments. - Assigning work below someone's skills or that is degrading. - **Isolating people:** - Changing a person's work location to isolate them. - Restricting the worker from interacting with colleagues. - Refusing to interact with the person in the workplace. - Stopping coworkers from talking to this person. - Ignoring a person in the workplace. - Treating a person as if they don't exist. - **Criticizing:** - Evaluating work in an offensive way. - Questioning a person's decisions. - Making fun of the person. - Continuously criticizing the person. - Criticizing a person's personal life. - Consistently giving the person clues that they have psychological problems. - Threatening, yelling, insulting, etc. - **Psychological disorders:** These are physical problems that originate from psychological causes. - **Psychosocial:** This field of study focuses on human behavior. It explains all aspects of psychology that influence behavior, taking into account both psychological factors that are related to personality, as well as social factors related to social structures. ### 7. Possible Effects on the Worker's Health - The Law on Prevention of Labor Risks considers the following to be work-related damage: - Diseases, pathologies or injuries experienced at work or due to work-related conditions. - These include workplace accidents (AT), occupational illnesses (MP), stress, work-related fatigue, aging, as well as other pathologies. - To better understand the concepts of occupational illness and workplace accidents, two viewpoints will be considered: the technical and legal. ### 7.1. Occupational illnesses (MP) - **Occupational illnesses** (MP) are defined as follows: - A gradual breakdown of a worker's health as a result of repeated exposure to unsafe working conditions, the work environment, or work processes. - **Legal Definition:** - Article 157 of the Consolidated Text of the General Law of Social Security only recognizes illnesses as occupational illnesses when the following factors are present: - The illness appears on the list of occupational illnesses in the Royal Decree 1299/2006, of November 10. - The illness was caused by the elements or substances described in the Royal Decree 1299/2006. - The illness is a consequence of the performance of any of the tasks described in the Royal Decree 1299/2006. - **Occupational Illness:** - Originally, occupational illness only covered workers who had an employment contract. Today, however, it also includes those who are self-employed. - **The Royal Decree classifies occupational diseases into six groups:** - **Group 1:** Caused by chemical agents. - **Group 2:** Caused by physical agents. - **Group 3:** Caused by biological agents. - **Group 4:** Caused by inhalation of substances not included in other categories. - **Group 5:** Skin diseases caused by substances not included in other categories. - **Group 6:** Caused by carcinogenic agents. - **Assessment/diagnosis:** Technical departments of the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Health have published a guide to help assess and diagnose occupational illnesses. ### 7.2. Work place accidents (AT) - **Definition from a technical standpoint:** - A sudden and unexpected event that interrupts work and causes damage to people or property. - **Legal Definition:** - Article 156 of the Consolidated Text of the General Law of Social Security defines a workplace accident as any injury that an employee suffers for work purposes or as a result of their work conditions. - **Key points to consider when categorizing a work place accident:** - **The accident must occur while the worker is in the performance of their work activities.** - In the past, work place accidents only covered employees, but today they also cover self-employed individuals. - **An accident is defined as a causality between the work activity and the injury to the employee.** - **The following categories are included in the General Law of Social Security:** - **Workplace accidents in itinere**: Accidents that occur while going to work, or going home from work. - **Qualifying conditions for a work place accident:** - The primary purpose of the trip is to go to work or go home from work. - The accident occurs within a reasonable time frame and there are no interruptions that break the causal chain between going to or from work and the accident. - The accident occurs during the usual route. ### 8. Prevention and control of accidents and occupational illnesses - This law establishes the obligations that companies or organizations have to prevent work place accidents and occupational illnesses. - The law states that companies or organizations must: - Prevent occupational risks. - Evaluate the risks. - Implement preventative measures to control risks. - Periodically review the adequacy of preventative measures. - Inform workers about potential risks and how to prevent them. - Equip workers with appropriate personal protective equipment. - Carry out medical surveillance. - Implement programs for the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. - **The following aspects are key for preventing accidents and occupational illnesses:** - **Ergonomics:** Adapt the workplace to the worker's physical characteristics. - **Order and Cleanliness:** Maintain a safe and organized workplace. - **Safety Culture:** Create a culture of respect for safety rules and regulations. - **Adequate lighting and ventilation:** An appropriate work environment requires sufficient light and adequate ventilation. - **Use of appropriate tools and equipment:** All tools and equipment should be in good working order and properly maintained. - **Safe work practices and procedures:** Workers should be trained in safe work practices and procedures for every task. - **Provision of Personal Protective Equipment:** Employees should be provided with appropriate personal protective equipment such as helmets, steel-toed boots, gloves, safety glasses, and hearing protection. - **First-aid facilities:** Employees should be trained in basic first aid and the company should be equiped with the necessary first aid supplies. - **Regular medical checkups:** Workers should be regularly checked by doctors so that any health problems can be identified and treated promptly. Ensure you have adequate and timely medical treatment, if needed. - * **This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Speak to a trained professional for any health concerns you have.*