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Day 2 Occupational Health Hazards
Day 2 Occupational Health Hazards
HAZARDS
Occupational Health Hazard
conditions that cause legally compensable
illnesses
any conditions in the workplace that impairs
the health of employees enough to make
them loss time from work or to work at less
than full efficiency
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
Occupational Health is the division of
Occupational Safety and Health that
deals with the control of health hazards
in the workplace.
Two very important terminologies in
Health Occupational:
– Industrial Hygiene
– Occupational Medicine.
Industrial Hygiene
Science and art devoted to the
anticipation, recognition, evaluation and
control of environmental factors or
stresses arising in or from the workplace
which may cause sickness, impaired
health and well being or significant
discomfort among workers or among
citizens of the community.
Role of the Industrial Hygienist to
the Industrial Hygiene Program
To protect the health of the employees
To maintain an objective toward the
recognition, evaluation and control of health
hazards regardless of external influences,
realizing that the health and welfare of
workers and others may depend upon the
industrial hygienist professional judgment.
Role of the Industrial Hygienist to
the Industrial Hygiene Program
To counsel employees regarding the health
hazards and the necessary precautions to
avoid adverse health effects
To respect confidences, advise honestly and
report findings and recommendations
accurately
To act responsibly in the application of the
industrial hygiene principles toward the
attainment of healthful working
environment
Role of the Industrial Hygienist to
the Industrial Hygiene Program
To hold responsibilities to the employer or
client subordinate to the ultimate
responsibility to protect the health of the
employees.
Hazard
This is the probability that this
concentration in the body will occur
Environmental Stresses or
Hazards
Chemical Hazards
Physical Hazards
Biological Hazards
Ergonomic Hazards
Chemical Hazards
Arise from excessive airborne concentration
of mists, vapors, gases or solids that are in
the form of dusts or fumes.
The hazard of inhalation,
Skin irritants
Toxic by absorption through the skin
“Industrial Toxicity”
is the key to
understanding the
effects of chemicals
Toxicology
Science that deals with the poisonous or
toxic properties of substances.
Everyone is exposed on and off the job to
a variety of chemical substances;
Toxic Effect
• Concentration
• Duration of Exposure
• Route of Entry
• Individual Susceptibility
Factors Affecting Human
Susceptibility
Age
Sex
General health
Genetic variability
Anatomic variability
Nutrition
Previous exposure
Classification of Toxic Effects
Local
– When a certain chemical harms only the
part of the body it comes in contact with.
(Ex: acid burns on skin)
Systemic
– When a certain chemical harms other
related organs operating as a system. (Ex:
Carbon Monoxide – affects the blood and
the CNS.)
Specific Organ Toxicity
Skin
Liver
Respiratory tract
Nervous system
Kidneys
Blood
Threshold level
The level where the first effect or response
to a toxic substance is observed or detected
Threshold Limit Values (TLVs)
Refer to airborne concentration of
substances and represent conditions under
which it is believed that nearly all workers
maybe repeatedly exposed day after day
without adverse effect
Threshold Limit Values (TLVs)
The basis on which the values are
established may differ from substance to
substance;
Basis may be :
– protection against impairment of health
– reasonable freedom from irritation, narcosis,
nuisance or other forms of stress
Threshold Limit Value - Time
Weighted Average (TLV-TWA)
The time weighted average concentration
for a normal 8-hour workday and a 40-hour
workweek, to which nearly all workers
maybe repeatedly exposed, day-by-day,
without adverse effects.
Threshold Limit Value – Short Term
Exposure Limit (TLV-STEL)
The concentration to which workers can be
exposed continuously for a short period of
time without suffering from irritation,
chronic or irreversibly tissue damage, and
narcosis of sufficient degree to increase the
likelihood of accidental injury, impairs self-
rescue or materially reduce work efficiency,
and provided that the daily TLV-TWA is not
exceeded
Note: STELs are recommended only where
toxic effects have been reported from high
short-term exposures in either humans or
animals – 15 minutes and should not be
repeated more than 4 times a day
Threshold Limit Value – Ceiling
(TLV-C)
The concentration that must never be
exceeded during any part of the working
exposure
“Skin” Notation
– Refers to the potential contribution to the
overall exposure by the cutaneous route
including mucous membranes and eye, either
by airborne, or more particularly, by direct
contact with the substance.`
Simplified diagram of metabolic pathways in
the body
INHALATION WOUNDS & SKIN INGESTION
ABSORPTION
Upper
Respiratory
Tract
Lung Body
(Storage) Fluids GI
Organs
(Other than
lung), bone
tissues
(Storage)
Principal Pathways
Supplementary pathways depending on
chemical & physical composition
Dose – Response Relationship
Noise
Extremes of Temperature
Vibration
Radiation
Sound vs. Noise
Philippine OSHA
90 dB(A)
US OSHA
Most US companies use 85 dB(A)
Critical Factors in the Analysis of
Noise Exposures
Continuous Noise
Intermittent Noise
Impact – type Noise – a sharp bust of sound
The Hearing Conservation
Program
Walk through survey Noise Measurements
Identification of Personnel for Audiometric
Monitoring
Posting of Noise Hazardous Areas and
Labeling of Noisy Equipment
Use of Personal Protective Equipment, such
as plugs and muffs
EXTREMES OF TEMPERATURE
Coldness
A condition suffered by workers exposed to
extremely cold temperatures.
Heat Stress
It is a combination of physiological environmental
forces or loads, which exert a strain upon the human
body as our systems try to compensate.
Thermal Comfort
Acclimatization
Increase fluid intake
Salt intake
Eating a well balanced diet
Engineering & administrative Measures
Measurements of Temperature
Radio wave
Microwave
Infrared waves
Visible light
Ultraviolet light
Biological Hazards
Engineering Controls
Administrative Controls
Personal Protective Equipment
Engineering Controls
Substitution - involves the substitution of
hazardous materials with one that is less
hazardous.
Isolation - involves the physical isolation
of the process or the worker using
enclosures
Engineering Controls
Ventilation - involves the introduction of
fresh air to dilute, exhaust or remove the
contaminated air.
– General Ventilation
– Local Exhaust
Change the Process - involves the
switching of an operation to a less
hazardous operation.
Administrative Controls
Rotation of Personnel
Limiting the time spent (of personnel) in
the hazard areas
Good housekeeping and maintenance
including cleanliness in the workplace,
proper waste disposal and adequate
washing, toilet and eating facilities.
Administrative Controls
Special control methods for specific
hazards, such as shielding, monitoring
devices and continuous sampling with
preset alarms.
Medical controls to detect evidence of
absorption of toxic materials.
Training and education to supplement
engineering controls.
Emergency response training and
education.
Personal Protective Equipment