Workplace Safety and Occupational Health Hazards
Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Definition
The promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental, and social well-being of workers in all occupations by preventing injuries, controlling risks, and the adaptation of work to people, and people to their jobs.
Occupational Hazards by Industry
- Mining: Risks from mine collapses, explosions, and power equipment; and inhaling coal dust, diesel fumes, and chemical exposure.
- Construction: Falls; exposures to paint and building material.
- Agriculture: Tractor accidents and other farm machinery, livestock, building structures, falls, bodies of water, exposure to pesticides, VOCs, noxious gases, airborne irritants, noise, vibration, zoonotic infectious diseases, and stress.
- Oil and Gas: Explosion, hazardous fume exposure.
Common Occupational Health Disorders
- Disorders of reproduction: Sterility, testicular and breast cancer.
- Neurotoxic disorders: Chronic solvent encephalopathy, neurobehavioral dysfunction.
- Psychological disorders: Stress-related hypertension, CVD, immune dysfunction, asthma.
- Noise-induced hearing loss.
- Dermatological conditions: Contact dermatitis.
- Infectious diseases: AIDS, Hepatitis B, tuberculosis, Ebola virus.
- Symptoms-defined disorders: Multiple chemical sensitivity, sick building syndrome.
- Occupational lung diseases: Asbestosis, worker’s pneumoconiosis, occupational asthma, byssinosis.
- Musculoskeletal disorders: Carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive strain injury, or cumulative trauma disorder.
- Occupational cancer: Skin cancer, lung cancer, mesothelioma, bone marrow, bladder cancer.
- Acute injuries: Cuts, burns, etc.
- Cardiovascular diseases: Coronary vasoconstriction, hypertension.
Occupational Safety and Health Team
Industrial Hygienist
Assesses and recommends methodology for controlling environmental hazards and toxic substances such as dust, gases, vapors, and fumes; physical agents such as excessive noise, heat, and radiation; biological hazards, such as blood-borne pathogens; and other job-related stresses.
Safety Engineer
Identifies and appraises accident and loss-producing conditions and practices and evaluates the severity of the accident problems. Develops accident prevention and loss control methods, procedures, and programs.
Occupational Health Nurse
Care of illnesses and injuries occurring at the workplace.
Occupational Physician
Performs pre-employment physicals on prospective employees. Supervises drug screening. Determines the presence and extent of worker’s disability for the company and various government agencies.
Industrial Health Educator
Educates workers and the public in the prevention of occupational diseases. Counsels workers.
Challenges for Occupational Safety and Health
- Deteriorating employment relationships.
- Changes in demographics of the workforce.
- Emerging occupational health risks and the need to assess and manage these risks.
- Sustainability and the environment.
- Aging working populations.
- Special problems of vulnerable and underserved groups (e.g., chronically ill and handicapped), including migrants and the unemployed.
- Injury prevention and compensation.
- Governing occupational health and safety systems globally.
Toxicity of Common Substances
- Toxic to the Pulmonary System: SOx, NOx, Cl, NH3.
- Toxic to the Digestive System: HCN.
- Toxic to the Blood and Cardiovascular System: CO.
- Solvents: Cause toxicity to the liver, central nervous system (CNS), upper respiratory system, leukemia (C6H6, CCl4, C2S).
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Metals:
- Lead: Causes damage to the CNS, kidneys, bones, and cardiovascular system.
- Mercury: Affects the CNS.
- Nickel: Sensitizer, causes nasal and lung cancers.
- Chromium: Allergy, lung cancer, birth defects.
- Arsenic: Causes skin, stomach, kidney cancers, leukemia, and lymphoma.
- Silica: Silicosis, a disabling lung disease; chronic bronchitis; lung cancer.
- Kidney disease: Nephritis and end-stage renal disease.
- Ulcers: Acids, burns, trauma and can occur on mucous membranes and the skin (cement, clay, and chromium).
- Urticaria: Cobalt chloride, benzoic acid, butylhydroxyanisol (BHA), methanol.
- Acneiform dermatoses: Polyhalogenated naphthalenes, biphenyls, dibenzofurans, herbicides such as polychlorophenol and dichloroaniline.
Classes of Controlled Products
A – Compressed Gas; B – Flammable/Combustible material; C – Oxidizing; D – Poisonous/infectious; E – Corrosive; F – Dangerously Reactive.
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
MSDS should include:
- Identification of the chemical.
- Physical and chemical characteristics of the hazardous chemical.
- Known acute and chronic health effects and related health information.
- Exposure limits.
- If the chemical is considered to be a carcinogen.
- Precautionary measures.
- Emergency and first aid procedures.
- The manufacturer’s identification.
Employer Responsibilities for Chemical Safety
- Develop and implement a written Chemical Safety Plan (CSP).
- Inventory all hazardous materials and acquire all necessary Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs).
- Identify hazards by labeling chemicals using MSDSs.
- Train employees on physical and health hazards and protective measures.
- Provide medical monitoring for employees.
Hazardous Chemical Classifications
- Carcinogen: Causes cancer or is suspected to cause cancer.
- Toxic Agent: Poisonous, causes acute or chronic effects.
- Reproductive toxin (teratogen): Could have a harmful effect on the male or female reproductive system or on a developing fetus.
- Irritant: Can cause inflammation of the skin or eyes.
- Corrosive: Causes irreversible damage to living tissue.
- Sensitizer: Causes an exposed person to develop allergies to the substance.
- Target organ-specific agents: Hazardous to specific organs in the body (e.g., lungs, liver, blood, kidneys, nervous system).
Exposure Limits and Other Safety Terms
- TLV: Threshold Limit Value.
- TWA: Time-Weighted Average.
- STEL: Short-Term Exposure Limit, maximum concentration to which a worker can be exposed for 15 minutes without any adverse health effects.
- TLV-C: TLV-Ceiling (maximum limit).
- OELs: Occupational Exposure Limits.
- PEL: Permissible Exposure Limit, maximum permissible concentration of a toxic substance to which exposure of a person will have no adverse effect on health for working 8 hours per day.
- IDLH: Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health.
- LEL: Lower Explosive Limit.
- UEL: Upper Explosive Limit.
Flammable, Combustible, and Reactive Materials
- Flammable: Catches fire easily and burns rapidly.
- Combustible: Burns under most conditions.
- Explosive: Explodes or detonates, releasing hot gases.
- Oxidizer: Yields oxygen to enhance combustion, may cause ignition of combustibles with no external source.
- Organic peroxide: Uniquely hazardous, potentially explosive.
- Unstable: Tends to decompose during normal handling and storage.
- Water reactive: Reacts with water to release flammable gas, causes fire, or presents a health hazard.
Flammable Liquid Storage
Corrosive Chemical Storage
Reactive Chemical Storage
Oxidizer, Water reactive, Pyrophoric.
Safety Signs
Safe, Warning, Mandatory, Prohibition.
Shipping Labels
Must contain:
- Basic description of the material.
- Name and address of the shipper.
- Company 24-hour hotline.
- Proper shipping name of the material.
- Hazard class or division.
- UN material classification number.
- Packing group of the material.
- Basic description: Flammable, explosive, etc.
- Quantity, volume.
- Precautions to be taken in the event of an accident.
- Methods for handling fires, spills, leaks.
- First aid procedures.
Emergency Action Plan
- Alarm systems.
- Evacuation plan.
- Mechanism for emergency shutdown of the equipment.
- Procedure to notify emergency response personnel.
Emergency Response Personnel
Incident Commander (IC)
Directs the emergency response actions, a shift supervisor.
Hazardous Materials Technicians
Respond to releases or potential releases for the purpose of stopping the release (more training required).
Hazardous Materials Specialist
Respond with and provide support to hazardous materials technicians (more knowledge on chemicals required).
- Communication team.
- Medical assistance team.
- Decontamination team.
- Reporting team.
- Rescue team.