Occupational diseases caused by physical agents, chemical

Prof. Eng. Antonio Fernando Navarro[1] antoniofernandonavarro@gmail.com

A workplace is a local that brings risks to workers some la!o"t#related compan! adopted b! other factors lighting or ventilation the associated to the characteristics of the operation and f"nctioning of the e$"ipment and not r"nning o"t the reasons to the inade$"ac! of the individ"al protection e$"ipment chosen often beca"se of costs and the efficienc! of risk prevention. Are the so#called environmental risks. Environmental risks are ca"sed b! agents dispersed in the work environment which ma! ca"se damage to the health of the workers. Agents ma! be ph!sical chemical or biological. %o "nderstand the reasons for workers on man! occasions do not "se properl! !o"r individ"al protection e$"ipment & 'PE and even so begin to be e(posed "nnecessaril! to risks we cond"cted a s"rve! with interviews of t!pe )closed) with direct approaches in individ"al conversations obtaining the res"lts presented below* Period * +ep to ,ec -../

0b1ective * 'dentif! the reasons or preferences of workers and not to "se or emplo! certain 'PE. +ample *234 workers

'n this research random witho"t considering the so"rce 5compan!6 where workers were so"ght with the s"pport of three professionals of safet! environment and health & 7+E with at least 14 professional e(perience in s"pervision of services and in 8ehavio"ral A"dits identif! the reasons and or preferences of workers do not "se or emplo! certain 'PEs who were making ,eto"rs 59nsafe Acts6 s"ffering near#accidents 5'ncidents6 and Accidents witho"t +pacing i.e. in this sample were not incl"ded workers who have s"ffered lost#time accidents. As in the period of the research there were no deaths the research was not restricted to the anal!sis of reports of accidents promoted b! commissions of investigation of accidents 5contract"all! re$"ired in the case of fatal accidents or with removal of the activities whether for the recover! of the worker or promoted b! a permanent disabilit! or not b! accident6 b"t interviews with emplo!ees. After these have been addressed in the 8ehavio"ral A"dits 5A"dit#field 'nspections6 with anal!sis of

behaviors and or post"res ass"med b! emplo!ees while cond"cting their activities that co"ld e(pose them "nnecessaril! to be victims of accidents. %he individ"al interviews lasted 1. to 14 min"tes 5depending on the receptivit! of emplo!ees6 with the "se of $"estionnaires with closed $"estions directed to "nderstanding the reason workers are not emplo!ing the PPE re$"ired for the performance of activities. :here services were collected the answers workers had an obligation to enter the constr"ction site alread! porting and or "sing the 'PE. %he boots helmets and goggles were re$"ired at the entrance of the desktops. %he ear protectors were to be re$"ired in the vicinit! of service activities. %he safet! gloves facial g"ards aprons leggings among others the! co"ld be re$"ired before the start of activities. Table & ;ecognition of the "se or lack of "se and occ"rrences of diversions 5AFANP6 Answers Yes No 68% 32% 64% 63% 62% 61% ! % !!% !2% !1% 23% 17% 36% 37% 38% 3 % 41% 4!% 48% 4 % 77% 83%

<"estions %he 'PE provided b! the compan! are of good $"alit!= %he compan! provides the correct 'PE>s to each activit! to !o"r activities= ?o" have knowledge of the 'PEs that sho"ld be "sed in carr!ing o"t the services= %he 'PEs bother performing the professional activities= ?o" think important "se the 'PE to protect against the risks of accidents= ?o" complained to !o"r @anager abo"t the bad $"alit! or inade$"ac! of 'PEs= %he 'PE can ca"se !o" to s"ffer labo"r accidents= ?o" "se spontaneo"sl! the 'PE re$"ired for e(ec"tion of the services= ,o !o" believe that the 'PE the protect of the ind"strial accidents= ,o !o" believe his activities at work can ca"se accidents to !o" ?o" were able to emplo! the 'PE correctl! necessar! for their tasks=

:hen it tackles the iss"e of e$"ipment or individ"al protection devices workers emplo!ed to avoid or mitigate the damage res"lting from ind"strial activities it is observed that there are rec"rrences among the research. %he 'PEs anno! more than necessar! beca"se the! are not s"ited to the 8raAilian worker biot!pe. %his is perceived in most polls. Aside from that even b! the fact that the! are mandator! shall be re1ected b! the workers 5said b! -BC of respondents6. 8ecomes common tho"ght the fact that the acc"m"lated professional e(perience are eno"gh to prevent workers from accidents. 8"t the res"lts obtained in an environment where there was a level of re$"irement for 'PEs iss"es well rigoro"s aside from the fact of the specialiAed services on safet! and occ"pational medicine of the companies being scaled alwa!s above the re$"ired in this

legislation ver! little met and "nderstood b! b"sinesses bro"ght "s new information as for e(ample* 1a. 68% of respondents said that the 'PE provided were of good $"alit! contradicting the concept more disclosed that companies "sed to save on p"rchase of 'PE. Of course it seems to us that the quality can be associated with the degree of risk and the level of contracting companies requirement. Must be considered as well, and even discussed the true sense of the term quality expanded for durability, suitability or functionality. -a. 64% said that the 'PE were tailored to the activities which co"ld contrib"te to be "sed an!more beca"se the! ownD 2a. 63% said the! were aware of what t!pe of 'PE sho"ld emplo! to accomplish their tasksD 3a. 62% said that the 'PE the bothered when performing the activities. %his can be noticed in an! work and can be the ca"se of workers prefer to "se them to not feel more inconvenienced than emplo!s them. Manual activities have physical damage, as in a civil works. The activities in a civil works exhibit stress for workers, for a number of reasons, starting with the high levels of charge to carry out the activities. re not the works that must ad!ust to the rhythms of the workers, but rather the opposite. Often this ad!ustment is not at the right time, mainly because the turnover is high, especially pose in construction. "n research it was found that for contracts with up to # months duration turnover was in excess of $%&. 'igh turnover rates don(t allow the rapid adaptation of the worker to the rhythm of the company. side from that, if there are fair grounds or reasons for )making things worse), the risk of accidents is extended. 4a. 61% of respondents said being the 'PEs are important for their protectionsD "f not entering other merits than those derived from interpretations of the search results, only *#& of the responsibility for not understanding that the "+, are important for your protection. ,valuating, through secondary questions, whenever possible, it was reali-ed that this total ./& of sub!ects said they )saw) his colleagues if suffer accidents even employing the "+,s. 0o, why make the !ob even more unpleasant1 7ere if !o" see positive n"mbers high within the e(pectations of an environment with high levels of demand and collection iss"es relating to the 7+ED

Ea. ! % of respondents have alread! said to be claimed with her handlers abo"t the poor $"alit! or the fact that the 'PE are not appropriate to the activities carried o"t. This contradicts the previous percentages percentage may also denote that enterprises could be defaulting a group of "+, that workers would have to use, regardless of the task performed. 7ave !o" had the opport"nit! to find work environments where workers were forced to "se ear protectors regardless of whether the ne(t or performing activities where the so"nd press"re levels were high. 't was eno"gh to enter the constr"ction site and ' have to insert the plugs in the ears. 'n man! companies to enter the constr"ction site was obligator! the "se of safet! boots even in 0ffice activities the helmet and safet! glasses. %hese proced"res were widel! $"estioned b! workers. For man! workers the 'PE was no longer something that protected them of risks to be an obligation witho"t m"ch ca"sal beca"se !o" sho"ld onl! remove the helmet for e(ample when the! went to the cafeteria. /a. !!% of s"b1ects said that the 'PE co"ld ca"se wo"ld s"ffer accidents. %he answer was against what had been said in the second $"estion. "n a cross2sectional analysis of the matter it was noticed that there was a part of the workers who received safety gloves2one of the items with the highest number of complaints2inappropriate for their tasks. One of the most )bi-arre) was that of a worker who wore shoes 3o *4, and as " was missing that number he was given a pair of shoes number *%. 0imply the worker went on to use the shoe as a sandal. "n another case, a worker opened a hole in the boots because he had a )5union) on the side of the first podod6ctilo right 7right big toe8. "f these workers were interviewed were in the 9roup of those who said that the "+, could cause suffering accidents. The number of cases of workers using gloves inappropriate security is high: 'ow to work with moist material using cotton gloves, or providing household cleaning gloves or latex instead of gloves for industrial use. Ba. !2% of s"b1ects emplo!ed spontaneo"sl! the 'PEs. "t is believed that spontaneity was fruit of continuous charges by incumbents and professionals from '0,. Fa. !1% of s"b1ects believed that the 'PE co"ld protect them from accidents. "s not entered in the questionnaire, but were asked which workers "+,s were more important, obtaining the following answers; G G G 'elmet 7*/&8: 0afety boot 74#&8: 0afety glasses 7<=&8:

Other "+,s 7<%&8.

"n this scenario, the percentage of responses, especially when the deviations may have been caused by lack of use of gloves, face shield, leggings, or apron. 1.a. 23% of the s"b1ects stated that their activities co"ld not ca"se in1"r! to themselves. >or the replies it is discovered that these workers believed more in their professional experiences than in security procedures or of "+,. 11a. 17% of the s"b1ects claim the! have been foc"sed on emplo!ment and importance of "sing all the 'PEs 5compatible with the risks of their tasks6 as $"oted in the answer to the ninth $"estion. %his means that 83% of workers was not properl! oriented. Once again there is a repetition of the question of security professionals present in the guidelines security briefings on the main protective equipment. 'ave you had the opportunity to witness giving safety professional guidance on safety belt type parachutist, only through slides. ?orkers were not informed about how to ad!ust the belt on the thighs and the trunk, and much less to assess whether its hook ring was positioned correctly, or the hooks of the lanyards were in good condition. Hannot be considered as a specific search since it wasn>t str"ct"red for that and !es an )opport"nit!). 0n that occasion 0ctober -.1. asked a gro"p of workers who were alread! observing the profile and the wa! !o" work. As the activities were workers from vario"s parts of 8raAil wondered wh! did not "se )all) 'PEs 7+E teams recommended. %he res"lt negative )associated with the region of 8raAil where came from workers was as follows* 1. Northern region ''. the northeastern region '''. the @idwest 'I. the +o"theast region I. +o"thern region %otal staff
Answers

* B workers * -4 emplo!ees * 11 workers * B/ workers * 1E workers * 13/ workers

;egion 5'6 '' <t! 3 E 4 2 4 C 4.C -3C 1FC EC 1FC E2C

1. %he 'PEs hinder the e(ec"tion of tasks.

''' 'I I

-. the 'PE.

5'6

'' ''' 'I I 5'6 '' 2. Not at risk in the activit!. ''' 'I I 5'6 '' 3. the person in charge is not present. ''' 'I I 5'6 '' 4. is not loading. ''' 'I I

E / E 3 / E -F 11 2 2 E 1 E / 11 14 1

-3C E3C /C -4C -4C -BC 44C 22C EFC 2BC 1-C 1FC /C EC /4C -BC 1..C 1/C EC

Notes* 1a. Hlarified handling compan! acting in vario"s areas of 8raAil and in different segments s"ch as constr"ction installation and Assembl! special works of art. -a. 't is not known whether this gro"p of workers was alread! working before in the same compan! or if the! were hired specificall! for those activities. 2a. ?o" don>t have to sa! that ever!one had the same training program in 7+E. 3a. %he fact that 1..C of workers from the @idwest region are not porting the 'PEs doesn>t mean the!>re )wrong) as the! ma! have left them in their workplaces. 4a. Advantage#if the time of depart"re from l"nch to cond"ct the search which lasted appro(imatel! 4 min"tes per person with a ma(im"m of 4 people per da! with three interviewers incl"ding AFANP. Ea. ' was told the p"rpose of the research workers and not notified of res"lts to the contractor which was not considered as a str"ct"red search. 7owever the res"lts despite some )false negatives) inacc"rate makes it possible to pass on a portrait of a moment obtained in a given period and a specific work. 'nterpretation of res"lts are important considerations following the same topics of $"estions form"lated*

1. 'sn>t it odd that the worker responds that the 'PEs hinders the realiAation of activities. A split sleeve prevents a better perceptionD the front flap of the helmet hinders the viewing that occ"rs above itD a garment of a welder is heav! "ncomfortable and )s"nn!)D a safet! glasses fogs. All these arg"ments are presented b! workers. 0cc"rs that the 'PE best indicated is not alwa!s the cheapest. %h"s the choice falls on one whose cost vers"s benefit is more s"itable to the compan!D -. %he second iss"e is complementar! to the first the assertion that an 'PE ca"se n"isance. 'f this is s"itable for the worker and protects from scratches becomes more emplo!ee. %he point is that "nder certain circ"mstances the choices fall to the risk protection and the protection of the worker. :ho is the worker crashes. Again the iss"e is prioritiAed )cost) to the detriment of the fitness for "seD 2. :hen it mentions that there is no risk in the e(ec"tion of the activit! m"st broaden the horiAon of the eval"ation. E.g.* a worker is in an open environment b! constr"cting a wooden bench having to c"t planks and nail them. %he helmet will be an important item on prevention or as indicated is the safet! glasses or ma!be a facial shield= ,oes the safet! boot represents an important factor or the seat belt with do"ble lan!ard= <"estions like these are impactf"l beca"se there are man! companies that generaliAe the "se of 'PEs & all & to standardiAe proced"res and ens"re that the worker "pon completion of that task will not be driven to perform another task where the risks are differentD 3. 9nfort"natel! in man! companies in charge is still regarded as the )+teward) or even the )snitch) since that was a servant who has progressed to be a @ason and f"rther evolved to be in charge. Emplo!ees stop to perceive it as a colleag"e. And him being a )snitch) take on d"bio"s attit"des when he is awa! "nderstand that can be comfortable even leaving aside the 'PED 4. %he $"estion did not load the 'PE can is comple( depending on the activit! e(ercised b! the worker. A welder at the end of the service make s"re that "niform heav! and hot hanging somewhere. %he helmet that is tolerated especiall! if !o" have the compan!>s adhesive. 8ecomes a sign of stat"s leaving the compan! with the helmet even if it>s for l"nch especiall! if the meal is not the location of the work as occ"rs in works in the center>s of the cities. +ome ph!sical and chemical agents are present in the workplace and are not ade$"atel! taken into acco"nt to prevent risks to workers s"ch as* Ph!sical agents* noise vibrations heat cold abnormal press"res ionising radiation or not lighting h"midit!.

Hhemical agents* 8iological agents*

mists d"sts f"mes mists gases and vapo"rs. bacteria f"ngi parasites bacteria vir"ses and others.

1" #ene$al in%o$mation about pests to humans& G the particle diameter breathable b! h"mans ranges from ..4mthe 1.m. Particles smaller than ..4 m are not retainedD G G G in electroplating the mist e(pelled from cyanide o% ch$omium ca"ses respirator! cancerD the mist of sul%u$ic acid in the batter! charging attack serio"sl! constr"ctionsD the f"mes 5diameters of the order of ..1 m6 formed b! heating a metal above the boiling point it m"st be observed caref"ll! especiall! that of ammonia chlo$ide 5N73Hl6 highl! to(icD G G Ainc al"mini"m and antimon! in normal doses are to(icD the silica 5+i0-6 ca"ses a serio"s l"ng disease called silicosis. 1 cm2 of silica poll"tes - ... cm2 of airD G G '() particles 5d"st6 ca"se bladder cancerD all organic matter finel! powdered and in s"spension in the air o(idiAes violentl! almost alwa!s e(plosivel!. 2" occupational diseases caused by physical and chemical agents +ome of the s"bstances that ca"se occ"pational diseases are listed below. 7ighlights that the ma(im"m tolerance sho"ld not be "sed as an arg"ment of the law for the protection of workers. Hompanies have an obligation to eliminate the risks before providing workers the collective or individ"al protection e$"ipment. Above the tolerance limits specified in the standards prod"cts can ca"se the following s!mptoms or the following evils or act or action on the organs described below* a6 ca$bon mono*ide G G G G s"dden death when in high concentration and in e(pos"re time cons"mingD headacheD partial loss of the abilit! to colo"r visionD diAAiness na"sea and vomiting.

b6 ammonia, chlo$ine and its de$i+ati+es acids, sul%u$ dio*ide, nit$ogen o*ide G respirator! and e!e irritation of m"co"s membranesD

chronic airwa! infections like* bronchitis t"berc"losis and pne"monia p"lmonar! s"p"raJKes.

c6 hyd$ogen sul%ide ,-2." G irritant effect of oc"lar m"co"s membranes partic"larl! b! means of chemical con1"nctivitisD G affects the central nervo"s s!stem.

d6 )a$bon sul%ide ,).2" G G G ca"ses changes in the central nervo"s s!stemD attacks the kidne!sD affects the oc"lar arterioles.

e6 /en0ene ,)6-6" G G G G G G f6 1ead G G G G acts on the boneD acts on the stomachD acts on the central nervo"s s!stemD acts on the ne"ro#m"sc"lar s!stem. acts directl! on the bone marrow ca"sing anemiaD generates e"phoriaD ca"ses headacheD generates h!pertoniaD prod"ces necrosisD prod"ce le"kopenia.

g6 2e$cu$y G G G G G acts on the digestive tractD ca"ses the fall of teethD ca"ses skin lesionsD generates ne"ro#ps!chic disordersD ca"ses hemorrhagic enterocolites.

h6 2anganese G Ha"se Parkinson>s disease.

i6 /en0ol, phospho$us and ca$bon sul%ide Ha"se in direct contact with the h"man bod!* G G G G G skin lesionsD anemiasD bleedingD le"kopeniaD thromboc!topenia.

16 /en0opy$ene, dietilsul%ato, metilcolant$eno, dimethyl sul%ate, metilben0ilid$a0ina @a! show prenatal carcinogenic effects. l6 )leaning agents hypochlo$ite3based G G ca"se irritation or skin corrosion when in contactD pain in the mo"th esophag"s and stomachD droolingD vomitingD edema of the glottis when ingested. m6 4gents o% ammonia3based cleaning G:hen in direct contact will ca"se* G G b"rnsD severe ,ermatitis etc.

G:hen ingested ca"se* G G G G G G pain in the mo"th esophag"s and stomachD droolingD intense vomitingD hematemesisD circ"lator! disordersD chemical pne"monia.

n6 )leaning agents based on pine oil G G G G G ca"ses irritation and stomach painsD generates hemorrhagic gastritisD ind"ces central nervo"s s!stem depressionD ca"ses h!pothermiaD ca"ses respirator! disorders.

o6 )leaning p$oducts based on hyd$ochlo$ic acid o$ phospho$ic acid, o*alates, ca$bonates, silicates, phenolic compounds Lenerate ca"stic in1"ries and gastrointestinal disorders. p6 4cetone ,irect contact with the s"bstance generates* G G G G G G ,ermatitisD headachesD na"seaD hematemesisD narcosisD coma.

$6 /o$a* %he effects of 8ora( on the h"man bod! are* G G G G G Er!themaD kidne! damageD liver damageD ne"rological disordersD h!potension.

r6 )ampho$ Hamphor when in contact with the h"man bod! can ca"se* G G G G headacheD diAAinessD ps!chic disordersD m"scle spa7+E.

s6 'henol %he effects that manifest themselves in the presence of phenol are* G G G G G headacheD anore(iaD tremorsD seiA"resD sweating.

t6 5o$maldehyde Hontact with formaldeh!de can prod"ce* G G G G G G intense pain in the mo"th and phar!n(D diarrheaD IertigoD seiA"resD torporD coma.

"6 -e*ane %he he(ane when aspirated or in direct contact prod"ces* G G central nervo"s s!stem depressionD s"ffocation.

v6 Toluene %he prod"ct above the limits of tolerance ma! be ca"sing* G G G G G bronchitisD pne"moniaD na"seaD vomitingD ;enal lesions.

(6 )a$cinogens Are considered carcinogens* G G G G coal 5attacking the skin6D tar 5ca"ses sarcomas6D dibenAoantraceno and benAop!rene 5ca"ses cancer in the hands lips face and scrot"m6D h!drocarbons obtained between -/.M H and 2E. H#paraffinsD heav! oilsD greasesD l"bricantsD ins"lating oilsD G ether.

%he compan! m"st make available to workers when technicall! there is no wa! of avoiding the direct contact or accidentall! b! workers with these prod"cts personal protective devices that are best s"ited. 't is important to stress that the mere fact of the compan! provide the PPE does not deprive compan!>s liabilit! for accidents that ma! occ"r. 't is important that the emplo!ment of

EP's is accompanied b! the compan!>s sec"rit! professionals and workers know how to "se them properl!. 4dditional /ibliog$aphy Aggressive chemicals#:e!ne L.;. de +N#Nobel#+Oo Pa"lo#1FB-. Hhemical 'nd"stries#Proses +hreve N.#@cLraw 7ill. 8ack H.P. Q Ian +tee E.:.#%o(icolog! of 7aloalkane Propellants and Fire E(ting"ishants# Pharmacol %o(icol#1F//. Losselin ;.E. 7odge 7.H. +mith r. Q Lleason @.N.#Hlinical %o(icolog! of Hommercial Prod"cts#:illiams Q :ilkins#1F//. Hhristensen h.e. Q Hols#%he %o(ic +"bstance Rist#9+ ,ept 7ealth Ed"cational :elf.#1F/3. +chvartsman s.#ho"sehold "se chemicals#safet! and %o(icological ;isks#Almed#1FB..

[1]

Hivil Engineer @athematician Ph!sicist E(pert in ;isk @anagement work safet! Engineer

+pecialist in Protection of Electrical +!stems @aster in 7ealth and Environment Professor of Act"arial +cience at the 9niversit! Federal Fl"minense.