Occupational Hygiene Hazards - Literature review Example

Occupational Hygiene Hazards Name Institution Date Introduction Occupational hygiene hazards are e health risks that workers are exposed to at their enterprise of work. The risks may be physical or chemical and they vary in terms of the route by which they enter the body and the duration of exposure that will be considered harmful to the worker. The type of hazards are evaluated by occupational hygienists so as to verify the degree to which the workers are affected by the hazard in terms of the concentration of the substance they may ingest or come in contact and the duration by which they are exposed to. Preventive measures or standards are then set or required to be installed so as to minimize or eliminate the exposure to such hazards. The hazards have been highlighted in the table as follows; Occupational Hygiene Hazards Table Hazard State of matter Route of toxic Exposure Physical Noise, heat, cold vibration Non- ionization radiation Ionization radiations Skin absorption Skin absorption Skin absorption Skin absorption Skin absorption Skin absorption Contract with the material. Chemical Dusts , mists, fumes, acids, vapors Absorption, ingestion, inhalation Ingestion/inhalation Ingestion/inhalation Absorption/inhalation/ingestion Absorption/inhalation/ingestion Contact with the substance in addition to long term effects of the substance Literature Review Various hygiene hazards occur in daily industrial places. They could be a threat to human life therefore clear insight should be given to these hazards so as to provide protective measures to the workers. For instance the workers working in a mining industry are exposed to health risks such as; chemical hazards which include; toxic, carcinogens, toxic substances and several irritants. Also present are physical hazards such as; noise, vibration, thermal extremes and various forms of radiation. Chemical occupational hazards The chemical substances will enter the human body mainly through ingestion, absorption or inhalation. Its toxic effects can either be acute or chronic or they can be both. Chemicals that are substances such as phosphorus, alkalis and concentrated acids could lead to destruction of tissues at the place where it comes in contact with the skin. Eyes and the digestive system are the mostly affected organs if they come in contact with the acid. In most cases, they are irritable, corrosive and poisonous. Dust could also fall under this category because its formation stems from mechanical breakdown of rock materials which become suspended in the atmosphere (Australian Government Publication, 2005). The dust resulting from mineral components could be quite different from that of the original rock because different chemical minerals could break down at different rates resulting in unequal mineral component that give a different form. Dust could originate from wood sawing and spinning, wool shearing. Exposure to dust is linked to workplaces that are both in industrial and agriculture related occupations. They are; mining, glass manufacture, cleaning and abrasive industries, chemical and pharmaceutical industries and rubber production industries. If corrosive acids such as zinc oxide are inhaled or ingested, they can affect the digestive system and the lungs. In a survey conducted by the Australian institute of hygiene control, (2006) volunteers inhaled 650mg/m (3) zinc oxide fumes for 8 minutes; they experienced coughing, irritation of the upper respiratory tract, decreased vital capacity and substantial pain. Intake of more concentration of zinc oxide of up to 440mg/m(3) can lead to chest pain. The inhalation of the fumes containing the chemical leads to a fever that is characterized by symptoms that are flu related and can resolve within a period of 24-48 hours. However, if there is repeated exposure to these acidic fumes on the skin, there can be skin eruptions in the inner thighs, scrotum, inner arm and the private areas. Signs of exposure to this type of acidic fumes include; coughing, irritations in the upper respiratory tract, nausea, vomiting and fever. The Australian Government publication, (2005) writes that there are high chances that someone will inhale the dust that is released in the atmosphere and that he could suffer from a severe heath effect if the dust is toxic. It could be a minor impairment or a disease that could be irreversible and could lead to a condition that is a life threat. However, dust could bear chemical composition, but in the case of dust originating from vegetable forms such as saw dust would bear physical characteristics. Booth, (2009) views that exposure depends on aerodynamic diameter of the dust and mass of air present at the point of work that the employees could be exposed to and its concentration (Petersen, 2006). Its uptake is also determined by the individual affected in the environment, such as, the rate of breathing and the volume. The duration of which the particle will stay in the air is determined by its particle aerodynamic diameter. Exposure to dust effects can only be noticed after a longer period or maybe the exposure could already have ceased before the effects surface which could be overlooked to be an occupational condition. South Australia Health Commission (2008) points out that the fact that the workers fails to show symptoms to any prevailing hazard or show it after a very long period should not be an excuse for failure of an action towards the avoidance of known hazards exposure. Accumulation of dust particles in the lungs could lead to respiratory complications. Gases emitted from industries could be carbon dioxide, ammonium gas and nitride gas. Inhalation of such gases would result to liver and kidney complications. Physical occupational hazards Noise is seen as the unwanted sound that will adversely affect the well being of people. Characteristic of noise hazards comprises the total sound’s energy, distribution exposure duration and the impulsive voice. Robert, (2007) points out that hearing acuity is majorly affected initially with a dip or loss of more than 4000 Hz with a consequent range of noise from 2000 to 7000 Hz. Extreme noise leads to acute impacts on communication problems, low concentration and job disturbances. Extreme levels of noise or impulsive noise may lead to impaired hearing which could be acute or chronic. Permanent hearing impairment is the common occupational hazard that carries most of compensation claims. Industries characterized by such hazard include, metal works, textile industries and wood works. On the other hand, vibration could be similar to noise in terms of frequency, duration of exposure and the amplitude. How the tools are operated by the worker and his skills of operation determines the way the side effects of vibrations develop. Christopher (2006) adds that using this powered machines manually results in the disturbance of the peripheral circulation leading to a condition known as the vibration induced white fingers. If it affects the peripheral nervous system it interferes with the strength of the normal grip degenerative disorders of the back and pains experienced in lower back. Powered machines that could produce these vibrations include; mining loaders, pneumatic tools, fork lift trucks and chain saws. In ionization, the major effect it causes to human beings is cancer which includes leukemia. Dermatitis of the hand and hematological system could also be caused by excessive exposure to radiations. Such reactors include nuclear reactors particle accelerators, x-rays and radioisotopes (Myers, 2007). Heat is another occupational stressor that workers can be exposed to. It is transfused to the body through absorption. Its gain in the body is affected by high temperature, radiations from heat generating machines and surfaces, humidity, clothing and the sun’s radiation. In most cases, workers who are exposed to high heat are those involved in heavy physical work, exposed to higher humidity levels, exposed to hot machines and surfaces and those who put on heavy work suits. Armstrong (2008) writes that that too much exposure to heat is detrimental to health in that it will interrupt with the normal mechanism of temperature control. Dehydration is caused in different ways such as, radiation and conduction, breath out of warm air and excessive sweating through the skin. If dehydration continues it leads to headaches, giddiness, scanty urine that is dark, fainting nausea, and excessive thirst. Continued exposure to heat can also lead to hypo-natremia; a condition that is characterized by muscle cramps, irritability, mental confusion, seizures, lack of concentration and disorientation, fatigue, coma, cardiac failure or even death. Hart (2006) points out that non- ionization radiation comprise of the ultra violet radiation, infrared, electromagnetic fields, visible radiations and very low frequency radiation. Cataract is believed to be caused by infra red radiations. Lasers that are highly powered can cause damage to the skin and the eye. There is more concern that cancer and cases of reproductive problems in women is caused by the exposure to extremely low levels of electromagnetic video display fields. This form of radiation can be found in surgeries, infra red radiations, Ultra violet curing of inks, paints, disinfections, arc welding and lasers (Christopher, 2006). Cold is regarded as an occupational hazard because some workers are exposed to temperatures that are below 100C or they could be working in conditions with temperatures lower than the room temperature. For the safety and wellbeing of the worker, it is noble to point out that the cold sensation is a clear indication of cold danger and the coldness itself. The body is forced to lose heat as a result to exposure to lower temperatures. Gonzalez (2007) writes that the body tries to maintain the normal heat when it increases insulation by reducing the blood flow to the skin. This results to a loss in feeling of body parts such as fingers, nose, ears and toes. A drop in temperature can result to shivering which is the body’s mechanism of protection by rapid muscle movement to generate the heat that is needed for maintaining the required body temperature. Hence coldness will cause discomfort, numbness and shivering to workers. Extreme cold environment causes cold stress which is a serious and dangerous condition. It is accustomed to areas characterized by winter weather conditions (Booth, 2009). Miller (2009) views that the body losses more heat than it can generate. If this is prolonged for longer periods the stored energy in the body is used up which eventually results to a condition known as hypothermia or an abnormal body temperature. When the body temperature is always low it affects the functioning of the brain making the one suffering unable to think normally or have proper movements. Petersen (2006) suggests that the individual will not notice the condition but it could surface with symptoms such as; fatigue, loss of coordination, shivering and disorientation or confusion. Further symptoms may include; slowed pulse rate and breathing, blue skin, loss of consciousness and dilated pupils. Trench foot is another condition that is characterized by dead skin tissues in the feet as a result of prolonged exposure to wet environments and cold condition. The feet loses heat rapidly and in the effort to prevent this, the body the blood vessels in the feet constricts to prevent circulation of blood in the feet hence leading to loss of function of the feet tissues. Other complications resulting from prolonged exposure to cold conditions include frostbites and chilblains. Exposure standards According to South Australia Health Commission (2008), occupational hygiene standards present themselves with various codes of practices and regulation that will need a particular control type. However they have flexibility which would be beyond or above the regulation requirements though the minimum required controls should be installed. They become creative so that hygiene hazards in places of work find the required solutions while meeting the regulations and goals of the organization. After a given hazard has been identified and evaluated the most appropriate method of control is determined. These standard measures can be categorized into three; engineering controls, personal protective equipment and administrative controls. Personal protective are important in any industrial work as far as change in work is prevalent. Engineering controls are used to reduce the risk of exposure to the hazardous agents by changing the process or equipments of production. For instance, replacing a given process with a less toxic agent or constructing exhaust ventilation to rid vapors during a manufacturing process. In the measures reducing noise, materials that are sound absorbing are put in place to reduce the effect of loud and disturbing noise. The overall exposure of the employee could be eliminated if certain steps in the process of production were removed. In other words, the process of production would be changed totally. According to Christopher (2006), this is more advantageous to the worker because he can now go over the work in relatively controlled environment that is free from contaminations, this would be more dangerous if the worker was to ware a respirator every time he is at the working environment. Amore precise standards measures to working in hazardous environment is the employer purchasing new equipments that are more effective to providing environmental safety measures at the same time ensuring protective personal measures. Silverman (2008) points out that the occupational hygienist organizations are very sensitive to the workers tasks therefore they solicit workers to participate when they are designing the engineering controls. Engineering controls provide the effective way to protect the workers from harmful exposures even though they are the most expensive. Involving the workers during designing of the control is necessary so that there is greater likelihood that exposures to risks will be reduced. Administrative controls comprise the changes that involved in how the laborer accomplishes the necessary job tasks. Administrative controls involve changes in how a worker accomplishes the necessary job tasks; for example, the duration the workers take in a region where the exposure occurs or the changes involved in body postures for example, how long they work in an area where exposures occur, or changes in work practices such as improvements in body positioning to reduce exposures. Gresham (2003) argues that administrative control can add to the effectiveness of an intervention but have though they could posses some drawbacks. This is because workers rotation may decrease the exposure to the hazards, for instance the duration they will work in the area that poses the risk will be shorter hence they will have a shorter period of exposure to the existing risk. It gives a challenge in enforcing and controlling workers in that how the practices of the work are enforced or monitored will determine the effectiveness of the control measures. Personal protective measures equipments Personal protective equipment comprises of devices protective tools given to the workers and needed to be worn during working hours. Examples of these devices include; chemical goggles, respirators, face shields and protective gloves. These measures are recommended where engineering measures have failed to provide the acceptable exposure control measures. Personal protective devises provide a vital protection to the workers exposed to the risk if the devices are worn appropriately. Protective measures guard against, harmful solvents that could harm the hands while goggles protect the skin from potential agent splashes (Christopher, 2006). Hansen (2004) adds that in most cases organizations of occupational hygiene hazards recommend a combination of all the controls to meet the correct standards of minimized exposure to the risks. When selecting the preferred method of control in a given occupation, they will consider the effectiveness of the method, cost of the method, acceptable exposure level, ease of use by the workers, frequency of exposure, regulatory requirements of the controls and the routes of exposure. Lee (2006) writes that the appropriateness of controls is a major concern for the organizations when taking the responsibility to reduce exposure. When the comparisons are made between these several controls there appropriateness is evaluated to measure the challenge, too much control seems like a waste of resources. The resources that seem to be wasted could be utilized somewhere else to provide control measures to other sectors of the industries. On the other hand, little control is not advisable by the organization because it exposes the worker to unhealthy conditions. A useful beginning is to rate the interventions depending on their effectiveness, then this rank can be used to analyze the effectiveness of the other control measures. The Australian Institute of hygiene control (2006) suggests that the ease of use of the control measures by the workers determines the effectiveness of the hazard control procedures. For instance if there is need for substitution as the protective measure, then it calls for the need of the workers to recognize the hazard of the new chemical they are working with. They should be trained in safety measures when handling the chemical or when disposing it. When the Isolation control is put in place then it is supposed to let the workers carry out their tasks. Any interference created would make the workers reluctant to use the protective measures hence increasing the risks of exposure to the hazard. Every organization is limited with the resource capacity; thus they encounter the challenge of maximizing these resources. When a protective strategy is developed after an evaluation of the hazard exposure has been done, cost is the main factor that is put in consideration. Hayes (2008) points out that the most efficient control method is then selected and that it will work better in the given situation. If cost is considered the major factor while evaluating the control method, then these organizations, then the controls selected would be poor and ineffective or it would interfere with the production process of the worker. It would be not efficient if cheap control methods are chosen and that they disrupt and slow down the process of manufacturing. Occupational hygienist organizations can give a very unique insight into the employees safety when interacting with the manufacturing tools and equipments and how a given control method will be appropriate in a given manufacturing task. This type of insight increases the capability of choosing the most appropriate control measures from the varieties that are available. Rogan (2005) writes that when safeguarding a worker from an occupational hygiene hazard, the warning properties of the agents like smell or irritation should be considered. For instance, if a semiconductor worker is taking a task in a sector where there is use of arsine gas, the dangerous toxicity of the gas exposes a potential hygiene hazard. The condition here is compounded by poor warning measures- the worker would not be able to recognize the arsine gas by smell or sight unless it is well labeled with the acceptable warning levels (Robert, 2007). Controls methods that are slightly effective at keeping exposures bellow the acceptable levels should be given a consideration due to excursions that are above the acceptable levels that cannot be noticed by the workers. Therefore engineering controls are put in place so as to isolate the workers from the dangerous materials. To add on that, a continuing monitor of the arsine gas is supposed to be installed to provide warning to the workers in case the engineering controls fail. In conditions involving high levels of toxicity and poor warning measures, preventive occupational health is practiced. In this case, controls that are marginally effective at keeping exposures below acceptable levels should not be considered because excursions above acceptable levels cannot be detected by the workers. In this case, engineering controls should be installed to isolate the worker from the material. In addition, a continuous arsine gas monitor should be installed to warn workers of the failure of the engineering controls. In situations involving high toxicity and poor warning properties, preventive occupational hygiene is practiced. The occupational hygienist must be flexible and thoughtful when approaching a hygienic hazard exposure problem. If precautionary control measures are considered for worker protection from hazardous substances such as acetone, and the acceptable exposure range of 780 PPM and controlled to a level of 395 PPM or less may relatively be achieved easily. When the level of exposure is high, ventilation can be the means by which exposure to gases such as acetone can be reduced. If the exposure levels of such gases are low, then the primary means of control can be isolation of the gas. The organization’s substance acceptance level will therefore limit the choice of control procedures undertaken by industrial enterprises. When this organizations are evaluating the toxicity levels in substances that the workers are exposed to the dose or amount that could be absorbed by the worker is put in mind. The frequency of exposure is to be determined. That is the time of exposure to the material that is taken by the worker during his work multiplied by the concentration of the material will be equivalent to the dose of absorption by the worker. This is a measure that the administrative control would have to undertake to reduce the duration of exposure to the risky material by the worker, this way the dose of absorption is also reduced (Hartman, 2004). The issue is not the period that the worker spends in a given exposure room, but the duration of which he operates his tasks. The organizations pressing for minimal worker exposure to a given hazard is the most appropriate hazard standards set that can control the amount of substance absorbed by the workers in their working enterprises. If the task is only performed once in a while, say operation of the task is done rarely; it means that personal protective devices can be an n option. Conclusion In conclusion, workers are always exposed to physical and chemical materials at the work place. The materials they are exposed to include heat, cold, vibrations, ionization radiation and non ionization radiations. They are absorbed by the body and cause adverse effects due to their toxic nature. The heat will in most cases interrupt with the normal body mechanism for temperature control which result conditions of dehydration and further cause chronic or acute illnesses .vibrations will interfere with the peripheral circulatory system. Chemical occupational substances include acids, gases dusts, ionization and non ionization radiations. Chemical occupational hazard will cause respiratory side effects such as impairment of lungs can occur as a result exposure to acidic substances which could be inhaled or ingested. If acids come in contact with the skin they could result to burns or sight impairment if they came in contact with the eyes. Protective measures are therefore suggested by the occupational hygienist who would analyze the level of exposure to the hazard substance that the workers are exposed to at the work place. Various control measures such as administrative control, personal protective measures and engineering control measures are followed in minimizing or eliminating exposure to these harmful substances by the workers. References Australian Government Publication. (2005). Safe Operational Standards; Safe Use of Industrial Equipments 22(9) 78-89. Booth, R. (2009). Hazards at Work Australian Workplace Health Safety and Work Place. A Journal of Safety and Work, 11(3) 230-243. South Australia Health Commission. (2008). Occupational Safety. A Journal of Health and Safety, 14(3) 4-15 Robert, B. (2007).The Role of Occupational Health in Personal Protective Devices. 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