Fundamentals Industrial Hygiene PDF

Fundamentals Industrial Hygiene Industrial Hygiene is the identification, evaluation & control of hazards in the workplace Hazards that can lead to accidents and work-related illnesses. What is SAFETY ? Freedom from accidents Freedom from harm, injury and loss is the control of hazard to...

Fundamentals Industrial Hygiene Industrial Hygiene is the identification, evaluation & control of hazards in the workplace Hazards that can lead to accidents and work-related illnesses. What is SAFETY ? Freedom from accidents Freedom from harm, injury and loss is the control of hazard to attain an acceptable level of risk An accident is the result of contact of a body with a source of energy above the threshold limit of that body Common accidents Struck by Struck against Fall from a height Fall on same level Caught in Caught on Caught between Overload Causes of Accidents :  Unsafe Condition - seen as a physical or chemical property in the material  Unsafe Act - a violation of safe procedure act of omission act of commission Three Steps to Control Accidents & Work-related illness:  Identify  Evaluate  Correct Identify the Hazard  Inspection (Before)  Investigation (After) Evaluate the Hazard  OSHA standards  NIOSH  TLV Correct the Hazard  Engineering Control  Administrative Control  Personal Protective Equipment  Engineering Methods - eliminate or reduce the hazard by: Initial design specification Substitution Isolation (Place) Ventilation, others... Industrial Hygiene Methods of Control  Administrative Methods - control of employees exposure  Scheduled reduced work hours in contaminated areas  Increased breaks  SOP’s  Isolation (Time)  Medical Exams Industrial Hygiene Methods of Control  Personal Protective Equipment - barrier aids in controlling individual exposure to hazards Industrial Hygiene Methods of Control Occupational Health The promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations ILO/WHO 1950 TYPES OF HAZARDS  Physical Hazards  Chemical Hazards  Biological Hazards  Ergonomic Hazards  Electrical  Mechanical Physical Hazards  Noise  Vibration  Extremes Of Temperature  Illumination  Pressure Chemical Hazards  Liquids  Solids  Gas Routes of entry  Inhalation  Ingestion  Dermal contact  Eye contamination Biologic Hazards  Bacteria  Viruses  Fungi  Insects/Parasites Ergonomic Hazards  Improper Tools and Equipment Design  Unnecessary/ Unusual Lifting or Reaching  Repetitive Motions  Stress at Work Mismatch between the worker & his work Noise Harmful / unwanted Sound:  Frequency - measured in (Hertz) cycles per second  Loudness or intensity - Decibel (dB)  Duration Types of Sound  Continuous  Intermittent  Burst  Waxing and Waning  Permissible Noise Exposure* Duration/day Sound Level (hours) (dB) 8 90 4 93 2 96 1 99 0.5 102 0.25 or less 105 *without the need of hearing protection OSHA 1981 Health Effects Of Noise Acute Effects:  Acoustic Trauma (explosion, gunshot)  Temporary Threshold shift (Disco)  Poor communication Adverse Health Effects of Noise Chronic or Long term effects: Permanent Threshold shift Noise induced hearing loss Psychosomatic effects Control of Noise  Engineering methods Purchase new equipment Preventive maintenance Isolation/damping  Administrative Control Job rotation / breaks  PPE Ear plugs / ear muffs Heat Stress Exposure settings:  High temperature  High humidity  Poor ventilation  Multiple heat sources Thermoregulatory Mechanism Heat is removed from the body to the skin by the circulating blood Mechanisms of heat removal  Conduction  Convection  Radiation  Evaporation  Crosssection Cross Section of ofthe Skin skin Acute Health Effects of Heat  Prickly heat - immature sweat glands  Heat fatigue - bad mood (water loss)  Heat cramps - muscle spasm(water + salts)  Heat exhaustion - fatigue, diaphoresis, dehydration, nausea, vomiting (water + salts + electrolytes)  Heat stroke - overheating, seizure, coma (failure of thermoregulatory system) Control Of Heat Problems  Engineering control Ventilation Water sources (fountains/showers)  Administrative control Job rotation/breaks  PPE Cotton clothes, multiple changes Cold Stress  Ice plants  Food processing plants  Deep sea diving  Semiconductor  Broadcast industry Acute Health effects of Cold  Hypothermia  Frostbite  Trench foot  Chills Chronic health effects  Bradycardia  Skin scaling  Callous formation Control Methods  Engineering Control Isolation / enclosure / insulation  Administrative Control Shift work, rest periods Warm food & drinks / medical exams  PPE Thermal clothing / electric blanket Gloves / cap / jacket / wool lined shoes Vibration  continuous low frequency oscillation that is more likely felt than heard  affects the body through direct contact  exposure settings:  hand held grinding tools  jack hammer, chain saw  transportation Health Effects of Vibration  Inflammation (wrist, elbow, shoulder)  Carpal tunnel syndrome  Tenosynovitis  Fatigue Prevention & Treatment Engineering  Tool re-design  Isolation Administrative  shifting PPE  gloves, dampers Illumination  Visibility of a workplace - as a result of light - (natural or artificial)  lumens or lux Importance of Illumination OSHA standards  active storage - 50 lux  production line - 300 lux  clerical work - 500 lux  fine movement work - 1000 lux Acute effects  eye strain  dizziness  headache  neck pains  teary eyes Subsequently, accidents happen  lean close to machinery  loose clothing gets caught  loss of leg balance  loss of arm support  inhale particulate matter Control Methods Improve illumination by adding: artificial light sources natural light sources Reduce by: Isolation or enclosure PPE Eye examination Pressure Atmospheric force that is constantly applied on the body, as a result of normal changes in altitude or artificially induced conditions. Pressure changes cause body stress Acute Effects: Fatigue Incoordination Apprehension Excitability Paresthesias Dizziness Headaches Disorientation Tremors Convulsions Depressed sensorium Narcosis Pulmonary edema Death Pressure changes cause body stress Chronic Effects: Fatigue Anemia Apprehension Hypoxia Bone wasting Hypercalcemia Muscle atony Muscle atrophy Control methods  Pre-employment screening  Training (Pre-event)  Scheduled work duration  Exercise (During event)  Medical monitoring / Medications  Pressure vessels / chamber  Rehabilitation (Post-event)  Pressurized suits Chemical Hazards Exposure settings  Oil and fuel  Solvents  Metal welding fumes  Acids and Alkalis  Lead (organic & inorganic)  Dust (Silica, asbestos) Skin Absorption Important “accidental” route of entry  skin acts as protective barrier  local irritation  sensitization (allergy)  absorption and vascular dissemination Ingestion  not widespread in industry  accidental swallowing  eating in contaminated areas  smoking on the job with contaminated fingers & hands  ingestion of inhaled materials  wak-tu Inhalation most important route of exposure Determinants:  concentration in the air  duration of exposure  amount of air inhaled Organ systems of the body that are affected:  Skin  Lung  Central Nervous System  Kidney  Liver  Blood  Heart General Health effects  Disorientation  Euphoria  Light headedness  Confusion  Unconsciousness  Headache  Nausea, vomiting  Paralysis, convulsion, death Control of Chemical Hazards Engineering Initial selection / substitution Chemical hood Redesign the process Administrative APE / SOP / shiftwork / housekeeping MSDS review Environmental monitoring PPE Biologic Hazards  Tuberculosis  AIDS  Hepatitis A, B, C, E  Chicken pox  URTI  Sore eyes  Lice  STD Biologic hazards Characterized by organisms that have:  life  the ability to multiply Eye contamination  conjunctivitis / syphilis Inhalation - entry by droplet infection  Influenza virus  TB bacilli Ingestion - infected food & water  Improperly cooked food - parasites  Contaminated water - Amoebiasis  Feco-oral route - Hepatitis A  Urine on lids of canned drinks  Soft drinks in ice coolers Dermal contact  Perspiration – steering wheel, golf clubs  Skin scales - clothes  Body hair - lice, crabs, fleas  Candidiasis, Syphilis, Gonorrhea Injection - through a break in the skin  Cuts - knife, blades - Hepatitis B  Punctures - ice pick, needles - Tetanus  Abrasions - grinding stone - foreign body  Lacerations – bacteria, HIV  Control of Biologic Hazards  Engineering sterile work place / shower facilities UV light / chemicals Climate control low T’ - retard bacterial growth high T’ - cause cell wall fragility / lysis  Administrative APE / SOP / shiftwork / housekeeping  PPE Ergonomics It is a technique that brings together several disciplines to solve problems at work Tools and Equipment Electric typewriter Telephone / calculator Hand tool design: pliers Driving Cumulative Trauma Disorders Tendinitis Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Lower Back Pain Fatigue  a deterioration of mental and physical performance  in everyday experience, fatigue is the accumulation of the effects of various sources. Hazards in the JOB  Position  Force  Frequency Observable discomfort or pain  Wearing a support bandage  shaking or rubbing hands /forearms  Flexing shoulder and back muscles  Rubbing neck, shoulders and back  Taking pain-relief medication  Frequent clinic visits / absenteeism Employee modifications  Pillow for back support  stacked mats or platforms to stand on  Tool handles wrapped in tape Workstations and tools are designed in such a way to accomplish the job effortlessly. It makes work more “human” Hazard Recognition  Visible dust clouds or fumes  Eye or skin irritation on walk- through  Road excavation  Need to raise voice to communicate  Change of nail polish  Poor work practice  Poor plant layout  Noontime sun  Octopus connections  Thank you.