OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

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

 Any noxious effect on the body – reversible or

irreversible,
 Any chemical included tumor, benign or
malignant,
 Any mutagenic or teratogenic effect or death – as
a result of contact with a substance via the
respiratory tract, skin, eye, mouth or any other
route.
Toxicity

 The ability of a substance to produce an

unwanted effect when the chemical reached
a sufficient concentration at a certain site in
the body.
Contributing Factor to Determine the
Degree of Hazard of a Chemical
 Routes of entry  Toxicity
 Dosage  Chemical
 Physiological state properties
 Environmental  Physical properties
variables  Warning properties
Routes of Entry into the Body
 Ingestion
 Injection
 Skin absorption
 Inhalation
Action of toxic substance
 Acute toxicity
– Short-term exposure to a high concentration
with an immediate effect
 Chronic toxicity
– Effects manifests over a period of time
Exposure
 The contact between a person/test animal
and a substance such as gases, vapors, dust,
etc.
Factors Affecting Exposure

• 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)

Exhalation Urine Feces

Principal Pathways
Supplementary pathways depending on
chemical & physical composition
Dose – Response Relationship

The dose response relationship can be

expressed as the product of a
concentration (C) multiplied by the
duration of exposure (T).
The dose involves two variables –
- concentration and
duration of exposure.
PHYSICAL HAZARDS

 Noise
 Extremes of Temperature
 Vibration
 Radiation
 Sound vs. Noise

 Sound is any pressure variation (in air,

water or some other medium) that the
human ear can detect. It is a stimulus that
produces a sensory response in the brain.
 Noise is an unwanted sound because it is
unpleasant. It interferes with the perception
of wanted sound, and is likely to be
physiologically harmful.
Effects of Noise on Man
The masking of wanted sounds,
particular speech
Auditory fatigue & damage to hearing
Excessive loudness
Annoyance
Facts on Sounds
 Decibels (db) – used to express the sound
level associated with noise measurements.

 Normal hearing 20 hz – 20,000 hz.

 Loudness depends primarily on sound

pressure and frequency (pitch).
Measuring Noise Levels
 A - Weighting
It has become a popular measure for
assessing the overall noise hazard since this
provides a rating of industrial broadband
noises in a manner reasonably similar to its
injurious effects on the human ear.
Noise Standards

Philippine OSHA
90 dB(A)

US OSHA
Most US companies use 85 dB(A)
Critical Factors in the Analysis of
Noise Exposures

 A – weighted sound level

 Frequency composition or spectrum of the
noise
 Duration and distribution of noise exposure
during a typical workday.
General Classification of
Noise Exposure

 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

 A comfortable environment resulting from

the simultaneous control of temperature,
humidity, and air distribution within the
workers vicinity.
 This set of factors includes main radiant
temperature as well as the air temperature
Variables Affecting Thermal
Comfort

Season of the year

Dry & wet bulb temperatures
Cultural practices and habits
The Physiology of Heat Stress

 Prevention of the body’s heat – regulating

mechanisms from working efficiently.
 Excessive heat gains within the body.
Mechanisms Involved in Heat
Transfer
 Conduction - The transfer of heat from one point to
another within a body or from one body to another when
both bodies are in physical contact.
 Convection - This involves the transfer of heat from one
place to another by moving gases or liquid.
 Radiation - The process by which energy
electromagnetic (visible and infra red) is transmitted
through a space without the presence or movement of
matter in or through this space.
Two Sources of Heat
 Metabolic Heat - is a by–product of the
chemical processes that occur within cells,
tissues and organs.
 Environmental Heat - influences the rate
at which body heat can be exchanged with
the environment and consequently, the ease
with which the body can regulate and
maintain a normal temperature
Manifestation of Cold Stress

• Constriction of the blood vessels.

• Shivering
• Slowed nerve impulses
• Sluggish reaction
• Fumbling hands
• Clumsiness
Cold & Heat Stress Prevention

 Acclimatization
 Increase fluid intake
 Salt intake
 Eating a well balanced diet
 Engineering & administrative Measures
Measurements of Temperature

 A temperature reading called the WET

BULB GLOBE TEMPERATURE
(WBGT) INDEX should be obtained.
 The WBGT index is used as a parameter to
adjust work practices according to the
prevailing environmental conditions
RADIATION
 Ionizing Radiation (Particle radiation and
wavelike radiation)

 Non - Ionizing Radiation

Ionizing Radiation
 Particle Radiation
– Fast electrons
– Beta particles
– Alpha particles
 Wavelike Radiation
– X-rays
– Gamma rays
Non - Ionizing Radiation

Radio wave
Microwave
Infrared waves
Visible light
Ultraviolet light
Biological Hazards

These include insects,

molds, fungi, virus, and
bacterial contamination.
Ergonomic Hazards

 These include improperly designed tools or

work areas.
 Improper lifting or reaching, poor visual
conditions or repeated motions in an
awkward position .
Ergonomic Related Disorders

–Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

–Tendonitis
–Lower back problems
INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE
CONTROL METHODS

 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

 Eye and face protection

 Protective clothing/gloves
 Hearing protective devices
 Protective creams and lotions
 Respiratory protective devices