Occupational Environment

OBJECTIVES

Identify / recognize the occupational

health hazards in the workplace;
Know measuring instruments used to
assess hazards.
Identify the evaluation methods to
assess the levels of exposure to
hazards.
What is INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE?

A science that deals with the

® anticipation
® recognition,
® evaluation and
® control
of workplace conditions that may cause
sickness, impaired health and well-being,
or significant discomfort among workers or
among the citizens of the community.

1. RECOGNITION . . .
CLASSIFICATION OF HAZARDS
Chemical Hazards Physical
Hazards

Biological Ergonomic
Hazards Hazards
 PHYSICAL HAZARDS

These include exposure to …

1. Noise
2. Extreme Temperature
3. Extreme Pressure
4. Inadequate illumination
5. Vibration
6. Radiation
7. Insufficient ventilation

Physical Hazards…
NOISE . . .

î unwanted sound
Decibels = dB(A) unit of
measurement

Types of Noise:
§ Continuous
§ Intermittent
§ Impact
 Arm’s Length Rule
“If two people with no hearing
impairment have to raise their
voices or shout to be heard in a
distance of less than arms length
from each other, the sound level is
potentially hazardous.”

Noise Levels Prevailing in Different

Industries in the Philippines
® Manufacturing

Textile Weaving 102-

102-104 dBA
Iron and Steel Rolling Mills 94-
94-99 dBA
Automotive Grinding 94-
94-96 dBA
Stamping 95-
95-97 dBA
Cement Mill Area 100-
100-102 dBA
Wire & Cable Stranding 100-
100-102 dBA
 Physical Hazards…
Extreme Temperature

Physical Hazards . . . Pressure

extremes
• Below or greater than normal
atmospheric pressure
 Physical Hazards . . . Illumination
] Itis the measure of the stream of light
falling on a surface.

Sources of Light Types of Lighting

1. Natural light 1. General lighting
] Daylight 2. Local lighting
2. Artificial light
] Incandescent bulbs

] Fluorescent lamps

] Mercury lamps

Physical Hazards . . . Vibration . . .

v Itt is a physical factor that acts on man by
transmission of mechanical energy from
sources of oscillation.
Sources:
• Vibration sources transmitted to
workers’
workers’ hand – hand driven power tools
such as chain saw, portable grinder &
polishers
• Whole body vibration sources – weaving
looms, harvester-
harvester-thresher, tractors, etc.
 Physical Hazards . . . RADIATION
- The transfer of energy from one object to
another through space.

Types of Radiation:

® Ionizing Radiation
® Cosmic radiation coming from outer space and
radioactive materials
® X-rays, Gamma Rays, Alpha and Beta Particles

® Non-
Non-Ionizing Radiation
® Lasers, Microwave, Infrared (IR), Visible light,
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation, radio frequencies

Types of Radiation:
Electromagnetic
Spectrum

Æ The radiation energies

comprise the EM
spectrum.
Æ These are listed from
shortest to longest
wavelength, and from
highest (ionizing) to
lowest (non-ionizing)
energy & frequency.
 Ionizing Radiation
Alpha radiation
consists of helium
nuclei & is readily
stopped by a sheet of
paper.

Beta radiation,
consisting of electrons,
is halted by an
aluminium plate.

Gamma radiation is
eventually absorbed as
it penetrates a dense
material.

Non- Ionizing Radiation

Lasers, Microwave, Radio frequencies

 Non-
Ionizing
Radiation

aInfrared (IR)
aVisible light
aUltraviolet (UV) radiation

Ventilation . . .
• It is the process of supplying or removing
air by natural or mechanical means to and
from any space

Natural Ventilation Mechanical Ventilation

 BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS

v Bacteria, Virus, Fungi, Enzymes,

Micro-organism
Exposure can be:
Unsanitary conditions of canteen, rest rooms,
lockers etc.
Removal of industrial waste and sewage
Food handling
Contact with workers with communicable
diseases
Contact with animals especially pests, rats, etc.

Ergonomic Hazards
“Ergo” = “work”

“Nomos” = “laws”
Ergonomics is a multidisciplinary
activity that assembles information on
people’s capacities & applies that
information in designing jobs, products,
workplaces, and equipment.

Remember: “Fit the task to the man”

ERGONOMIC HAZARDS

§ Improperly designed
tools or work areas
§ Improper lifting
§ Poor visual condition
§ Repeated motions in
awkward positions

Ergonomics Hazards
Chemicals
in the
Workplace

Chemicals have
improved our
QUALITY of LIFE.
 General Concepts . . .
Chemicals are found everywhere around
us….
…in the food we eat

… the water we drink

… the consumer products we use

… and the air we breathe

Q: How do Chemicals become a

hazard?
A: When it becomes airborne…

Q: How does it become airborne?

A: It undergoes different
production processes such as
heating, cleaning, spraying,
plating, mixing etc.
 What are the
CHEMICAL HAZARDS?

Organic Solvents
Heavy Metals
Gases
Acids
Dusts

What are the forms

CHEMICAL HAZARDS?

Vapors
Fumes
Smoke
Mists
Particulates
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE . . . SOLVENTS

OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE . . . METALS

OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE . . . FOUNDRY

OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE . . . ACIDS

OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE . . . DUSTS

HAZARD RECONITION
PROCEDURES

Conduct walk-through survey

Get worker’s health complaints related
to their contact to various chemicals
Note the processes involved
Raw Materials Used, Products and By-
products
Look for labels and CSDS/MSDS of
chemicals
 CHEMICAL LABELS
ð It is the first source of information
about the chemical being used.
Trade name of the substance
Identity and concentration
Danger markings; safety precautions
Manner of destroying the package
Risks associated with the use of the
chemical

Name of manufacturer & address

DANGER SYMBOLS/MARKINGS

Explosive Toxic Harmful

Corrosive Oxidizing Flammable

 What is CSDS / MSDS ?
ð A summary of the important health,
safety and toxicological information on
the chemical or the mixture ingredients.

Contents of the CSDS/MSDS

1. Identification of the Chemicals

2. Composition/Information on Ingredients.
3. Hazards Identification.
4. First-
First-aid Measures.
5. Fire-
Fire-fighting Measures.
6. Accidental Release Measures
7. Handling and Storage
8. Personal Protection
 Contents of the CSDS/MSDS

9. Physical and Chemical Properties

10. Stability and Reactivity
11. Toxicological Information
12. Ecological Information
13. Disposal Considerations
14. Transport Information
15. Regulatory Information
16. Other Information

Work Environment Contamination

Vapours
Gases Fumes
Work Dispersion
Dust
Generation
Diffusion
Chemical Substance Noise
Raw Materials Mist Environment
Heat
Machine Contamination
Process
 Injury

Entrance Accumulation
to Illness
Excretion
Human
Body Death

Metabolic
Reaction
Damage to Human Health

2. EVALUATION . . .
Work Environment Measurement

ð Determination of
environmental
hazards/stresses and
their hazardous effects
on workers’ health
through direct
measurement of
hazards.
Purpose of WEM

1. It determines the compliance to the

Threshold Limit Values
2. It determines the work relatedness of
the diseases of workers
3. It is an indicator of a safe & healthy
environment
4. It determines the effectiveness of
control measures

Types of Work
Environment Monitoring
1. Personal Sampling
is the measurement of a
particular worker’s
exposure to airborne
contaminants.

The data collected

approximates the
concentration of
contaminant by which the
worker is exposed to.
 Types of Work Environment
Monitoring
2. Area/Environmental
Sampling
is the measurement of
contaminant in the
workroom. This helps
pinpoint work areas with
high or low exposure
levels of contaminants.

Types of Work
Environment Monitoring
3. Biological Monitoring

involves the measurement

of changes in the
composition of body fluids,
tissue or expired air to
determine absorption of a
potentially hazardous
material.
 WEM Equipment

Photo cell
Control Buttons

Digital Display

Lux Meter

WEM Equipment
Microphone

Windscreen

Function Selector
Preamplifier

Digital Display
Mounting Ring

Analog Meter
Level Range Selector
Control Section

Sound Level Meter

 WEM Equipment

Psychrometer

Natural Wet Bulb

Thermometer

Globe Bulb
Thermometer

WEM Equipment

Smoke Tester

Anemometer
 WEM Equipment
(Indirect Sampling – Chemical Hazards)

•Membrane filters
•Midget Impingers
•Activated
•Glass / Quartz fiber filters
charcoal tubes •Bubblers
•Cellulose filter filters

WEM Equipment
(Indirect Sampling – Chemical Hazards)
Uses Instruments like:
® Combustible Gas
Detector
® Oxygen Monitor
® Toxic Gas Detector
® Detector Tube Pump
can be used for on-the-
spot assessment of the
ambient air.
(color detector tubes.)
Analysis of Samples…Solvents

Gas Chromatograph

Analysis of Samples…Heavy Metals

Atomic Absorption
Spectrophotometer
 Analysis of Samples…Dusts

X-ray Diffractometer

Analysis of Samples…Acids

UV-Vis Spectrophotometer
2. EVALUATION . . .
THRESHOLD LIMIT VALUES

Ø Refer to airborne concentration of

substances and conditions that
nearly all workers may be repeatedly
exposed daily without adverse health
effects.
Categories:
§ Time Weighted Average (TLV-TWA)
§ Short Term Exposure Limit (TLV-STEL)
§ Threshold Limit Value - Ceiling (TLV-C)

Permissible Noise Exposure, OSHS

Duration/day, Sound Level,

Hours (hr) dB(A)
8 90
6 92
4 95
3 97
2 100
1½ 102
1 105
1/2 110
1/4 115
 Recommended Illumination Levels
Type of work / operation performed Minimum
lighting level
Passageway, corridor, warehouse 50 lux
Engine, boiler, locker, washrooms, etc. 100 lux
Medium assembling, rough 200 lux
bench/machine work, sewing light
colored textile, meat packing
Office desk work, weaving, plating 300 lux
Fine inspection, fine polishing, sorting, 500 - 1000 lux
accounting, bookkeeping, drafting
Fine assembly, jewelry & watch making, 1000 - 2000 lux
proof reading in printing plants

TLV of Airborne Contaminants

Acids VAPORS
HCl 5 ppm-C Acetone 1,000ppm
H2SO4 1 mg/m3 Benzene 25ppm-C
HNO3 2 ppm Toluene 100ppm
Methanol 200ppm
Formic 5 ppm
Ethanol 1,000ppm
H3PO4 1 mg/m3
Methyl 100ppm-C
Chloride
 CONTROL MEASURES

1. Engineering Control
2. Administrative Control
3. Personal Protective Equipment

Remember: The degree of hazard from

exposure to health hazards or stresses
would depend on the following:

- Nature of the material involved

- Intensity of exposure
- Duration of exposure
- Individual susceptibility
 Let’s Summarize . . .
Recognition / Identification

Evaluation

Control Measures

Industrial Hygiene

Therefore preventive measures must be

followed for protection of workers. Prevention
is better than cure. . .

Ø Let us not ask what our work can

do for us but ask what we can do
for our working environment to
make it a healthy, safe and
environment friendly workplace.
CREDO . . .
It takes One Minute To Write a Safety
Rule
It takes One Hour to Hold a Safety
Meeting
It takes One Week to Plan a Safety
Program
It takes One Month To Put It Into Practice
It takes One Year to Win a Safety Audit
It takes a Lifetime To Make a Safe Worker
But….

CREDO . . .

…IT TAKES ONLY ONE SECOND TO

DESTROY EVERYTHING

“ALL IN ONE ACCIDENT”

THANK YOU...