1 overview of occupational hygiene.ppt [compatibility mode]

BY: SHAHRULNIZAM JAMEN

Executive Diploma of Occupational Safety & Health (EDOSH) 2011

INTRODUCTION � “Occupational Hygiene” - used in the UK and Commonwealth

countries as well as much of Europe

� “Industrial Hygiene” - used in the US, Latin America, and othercountries that received initial technical support or training fromUS sources

The term "industrial hygiene" traditionally stems from industries with construction, mining

Or manufacturing and "occupational hygiene" refers to all types of industry such as those

listed for "industrial hygiene" as well as financial and support services industries and refers to

"work", "workplace“ and "place of work" in general


OCCUPATIONAL HYGIENE� The SCIENCE AND ART devoted to the

ANTICIPATION, RECOGNITION, EVALUATION,and CONTROL of those environmental factors or

stresses, arising in or from the work place, whichcause sickness, impaired health and well being, orsignificant discomfort and inefficiency among workersand members of the community.



• Trained in engineering, physics, chemistry, environmental science, safety and biology through education and/or experience

• Needs knowledge of health effects of chemical, physical, biological and ergonomic stresses

• Needs to evaluate stresses qualitatively and quantitatively

• Needs to control health hazards by either reducing or eliminating exposures

The Occupational Hygienist

KNOWLEDGE

�SCIENCES

�Engineering

�Physics

�Chemistry

�Biology

�Medical


� ARTS

�Judgment

�Communication

Principle of Occupational Hygiene

�ANTICIPATION

� what are potential hazards that may be introduced with processes or products?

�RECOGNITION� what are potential hazards in the workplace?

�EVALUATION� how severe are the potential hazards? Are the potential hazards

truly hazardous?

�CONTROL� how can potential health hazards be eliminated or minimized?


ENVIROMENTAL FACTORS/HEALTH

HAZARDS

Chemical agents Gases, vapours, solids, fibres, liquids,

dusts, mists, fumes, etc.

Physical agents

Noise and vibration

Heat and cold

Radiation, Electromagnetic fields, lighting

etc.

Biological agents Bacteria, fungi, etc.

Ergonomic factors Lifting, stretching, and repetitive motion

Psychosocial factors Stress, workload and work organisation


Chemical hazards� Chemical Properties

� Organics

� Inorganics

� Physical properties� Dusts, Fibres, Fumes

� Liquids, Mists

� Gases, Vapors

� Usage� Pesticide, Solvent, Acid, Alkali,

Metal

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS


Physical Hazards

�Noise

�Vibration

� Ionising radiation

�Non-ionising radiation

� Illumination/lighting

�Extremes of temperatures

�Extremes of pressure



Biological Hazards

� Micro organisms

-Bacteria, virus

� Mites, insects

� Plant origin

-Fungus, yeasts, moulds



What is Occupational Hygiene Role?

Exposure

Work Activity

Disease

Occupational

Hygiene

Occupational

Medicine

Occupational

Health


OCC. HEALTH PHYSICIAN

OCCUPATIONAL PHYSICIAN

AND OCCUPATIONAL HYGIENIST

OCCUPATIONAL HYGIENIST

HAZARDDISEASES

PREVENTION TREATMENT

WORKER


OSH DUTIES AT WORKPLACES ?

Safety and Health Officer/Manager

Safety and Health

Committee

Occ. Health Nurse

Occ. Health Physician

Senior and Line Management

Safety

Engineer

Occ. Hygiene

Practitioner

Employees


History of Occupational Hygiene

� Ca 400 BC Hippocrates in ancient Greece first noted illness in mercury sulphide workers.



� Ca 1540 Paracelsus in Austria described lung diseases in mineworkers




Agricola (ca 1556)


� 1700 Ramazzini, the father of industrial medicine,

and Professor of Medicine in Padua, wrote “De

Morbis Artificum Diatriba”, the first formal study

of industrial diseases.

� It was he who added an addition to Hippocrates

list of questions to patients when taking a history,

namely “what is your occupation?”


History of Occupational HygieneThe Industrial revolution from the late 1700s through to the

late 1800s led to increased urbanisation and industrialisation. Picture of Manchester UK.



� 1858 John Stenhouse introduces a charcoal

impregnated mask to control exposure to gases

and vapours.


History of Occupational Hygiene1889 - Exposure limits are set for humidity and carbon dioxide in cotton mills in the UK.


History of Occupational Hygiene� 1890s - Haldane undertakes work on the toxicity of Carbon Monoxide

by exposing rats mice and even himself to varying concentrations within an “exposure chamber”.


• He used these results to develop “dose v time” plots for severity and discomfort of health effects.

• He introduces the use of small animals and in particular Canaries as the first way of monitoring to give an indication of the levels of toxic gas.

History of Occupational Hygiene1910 Alice Hamilton works in

the US as the first Industrial

toxicologist pioneering the

field of toxicology and

occupational hygiene.


History of Occupational Hygiene� 1917 - During the first world war, the urgency of the work in munitions

factories led to poor working conditions.

� The work of the “Health of Munitions Workers Committee” laid theground for many subsequent practices in ergonomics, psychology, welfareand shift-work regimes.


History of Occupational Hygiene� 1920s-30s - Industrial hygiene develops and grows in the USA in both the

Public Health Service (PHS) and large private companies. These developmentslay the foundations for the creation of two professional organisations.

� 1938/9 - The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygiene(ACGIH) and the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) wereformed. The first independent professional organisations forindustrial/occupational hygienists . IH numbers in USA grow rapidly duringWWII to assist the war effort.

� 1953 - British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) founded. Society starts publishing Annals of Occupational Hygiene in 1958.

� 1960s - Occupational Safety and Health Act in the USA and the Health andSafety at Work Act in the UK lay the path for Risk Assessment / performancebased legislation.



� 1970s - Occupational Safety and Health Act in the USA and the Health andSafety at Work Act in the UK lay the path for Risk Assessment /performance based legislation.

� 1980/90s - The practice of occupational hygiene grows widely in the USA,UK, The Netherlands and Australia with legislation in these countriesbeing introduced specifically to focus on chemical and physical hazards.

� 2000s - The societies of 25 different countries are members of theInternational Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA).

� Industrialisation in countries such as China and India increase theneed for Occupational hygiene.

� The development of modelling techniques for assessing exposure.


Occupational Hygiene in Malaysia� 1966- Formation of Industrial Health Unit as part of Machinery Department.

� 1969- Pollution Control Unit formed to monitor pollution from boiler chimney, chemical plant and discharge of effluent into drains and rivers

� 1974 - Department of Environment formed under EQA 1974, Eventually Pollution Control Unit closed

� 1974- Lead poisoning case in battery factory was diagnosed, this initiate massive industrial hygiene monitoring

� 1980’s Industrial Hygiene Division formed at FMD focus more on lead, asbestos, silica and noise. Followed by several regulations

� 2000-Regulations on use and standard of chemical exposure was gazetted

� 2002-Formation of Malaysian Industrial Hygiene Association


LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENT� Factories and Machinery (Lead) Regulations,

1984

� Factories and Machinery (Asbestos Process) Regulation, 1986

� Factories and Machinery (Mineral Dust) Regulations, 1989

� Factories and Machinery (Noise Exposure) Regulations, 1989

� Occupational Safety and Health (Use and Standards of Exposure of Chemicals Hazardous to Health) Regulations, 2000

Hazard ANTICIPATION� Obtain the process flow chart or description

� Obtain ingredient and product information

� Read the equipment descriptions

� Study the building and process design plans

� Identify exposures to toxic agents

� Anticipate exposure hazards during normal conditions and process upsets

� Consider the potential health effectsExecutive Diploma of Occupational Safety & Health (EDOSH) 2011

Hazard RECOGNITION� Sketch the floor plan

� Identify the hazard sources

� Place the sources on the plan

� Place the receivers on the plan

� Show the pathways between them

� Consider the potential health effects


Workplace Characterization� What is the process?

� Activities?

� Raw materials?

� Products?

� By-products?

� Waste products?

� Processing aids?


Workforce Characterization� job title / job description

� task analysis

� exposure duration� shift length; continuous

� number of workers / community members / family members

� other considerations� children


Characterization of Agents

• Form of agent

– chemical

– physical

– biological

• Health effects

– toxicology

– epidemiology

• Exposure Limits

– occupational

– environmental

– children


Characterization of Agents

• Health Effects

– Sources of Information• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

• Toxicology Literature

• Epidemiology Literature

• Internet


Hazard EVALUATION

� Qualitative Exposure Assessment

� Quantitative Exposure Assessment

� Is the exposure acceptable?


QUALITATIVE EVALUATION� Divide into work units

� Determine the degree of hazard

� Evaluate exposure

� Determine the Risk

� Assess adequacy of control measures

� Conclude the evaluation

� Identify actions to be taken


QUANTITATIVE EVALUATION� Personal Sampling

� Device worn by worker

� Good measure of exposure

� Area Sampling

� Measure general environment

� Locate contaminated areas

� Not good indicator of exposure


QUANTITATIVE EVALUATION

� EQUIPMENT (Direct reading, active, passive)

� METHOD

� STRATEGY (what, where, when, whom, how long,

how many etc.)


CONTROLInvolves the reduction of environmental stresses to levelsthat the worker can tolerate without impairment ofhealth or productivity; various general control methodsemployed for accomplishments in an efficient andeffective manner.


CONTROLDefined as the adjustment or regulation of an operationto meet a standard or guideline, the reduction orprevention of contaminant release, and the ability tocontain a stressor/hazard.


Control the Hazards

o Principle of Control

o Control at source rather than at receiver

o Eliminate or isolate rather than minimise

o Control below occupational exposure standards

o Control risk to as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA)


Principle of Control� Principle of Controls


Source Controls

� Substitution

� Process Change

� Process Enclosure

� Process Isolation

� Wet Methods

� Local Exhaust Ventilation

� Adequate Maintenance Program


Pathway Controls

� Housekeeping

� General Exhaust Ventilation

� Dilution Ventilation

� Distance

� Continuous Area Monitoring



Receiver (Worker) Controls

� Training & Education

� Rotation

� Enclosure of Worker

� Personal Monitoring Devices

� Personal Protective Devices



Control the Hazards


CONTROL METHODS� Engineering – remove the hazard; should be primarily

considered.

� Administrative – reduce exposures throughscheduling/job rotation; housekeeping; employeetraining; not generally favored.

� Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – use should besecondary to design and implementation ofengineering controls.


ENGINEERING CONTROLS• Substitution

• Change in process

• Source modification

• Isolation

• Enclosure

• Wet methods

• Ventilation


Using a Combination of Controls or The “Swiss Cheese”

Model

Hazard Protective

‘Barriers’

Weaknesses

or ‘Holes’

Elimination

Enclosure/isolation

Administrative

Exposure

Source

Pathway

Receiver

Substitution

Engineering

Personal Protection

Source: BP International Ltd

ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROLSEXAMPLES:

- Arranging work schedules and the relatedfrequence/duration to limit employee exposures tohealth hazards.

- Transferring employees at PELs to anenvironment where additional exposure is not

anticipated.

- Housekeeping; preventive maintenance.


ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROLSAdministrative controls must be designed only byknowledgeable health and safety professionals, and usedcautiously.

Not as satisfactory as engineering controls and have beencriticized as a means of spreading exposures instead ofreducing or eliminating personal exposures.


PPEPPE may be used to protect the worker when it is notfeasible to render the working environment completelysafe. Examples: eye/foot/head protection, gloves,respirators.

Considered a secondary control method to engineeringand administrative controls and should be used as a lastresort.


ADEQUACY OF CONTROL MESURES� Suitability

� Use and effectiveness

� Maintenance


SUITABILITY

� Toxicity of chemical� Match the level of risk

� Physicochemical properties� Physical and chemical properties

� Nature of work� Not hinder efficiency of control equipment

� Not potential for other risk

� Adaptability� Adapted to work capacity and capability of worker

� Route of entry� Prevent entry through probable route


USE AND EFFECTIVENESSEngineering control

� No accumulation on floor, work surfaces, clothing

� Prevent from reaching the parts to be protected

� Minimal release and contact

Administrative control

� Minimize exposure duration

� Training, instruction and supervision

� Label, warning signs


USE AND EFFECTIVENESSPPE

� Correct type

� Correctly fitted

� Used continuously

� Proper instruction and supervision

� Replacement availability

� Proper care and accommodation

� Retesting after repair work


MAINTENANCE� Regular inspection

� Periodic testing and examination

� Immediate repair


The Importance of Occupational Hygiene

� 2,000,000 work-related deaths per year.

� 386,000 deaths each year from exposure to airborne particulates.

� 152,000 deaths per year from carcinogens in the workplace.

� 37% of Lower Back Pain is attributed to occupation.


The World Health Organisation estimates that globally there are:

1 overview of occupational hygiene.ppt [compatibility mode]

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