NEBOSH International General Certificate

IGC 2 Element 8
Physical and Psychological Health
Hazards and Control

1
 Learning outcomes
On completion of this element, the candidate should be able to:
• Outline the health affects associated with exposure to noise and
appropriate control.
• Outline the health affects associated with exposure to vibration
and appropriate control.
• Outline the principle health affects associated with heat, ionising
and non-ionising radiation and the basic protection techniques.
• Outline the causes and effects of stress at work and appropriate
control actions.

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

 Noise at Work

What is Noise ?
Noise is unwanted sound.

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

 THE EAR
Ear drum
Outer Ear

Middle Ear

Cochlea
Inner Ear

Ear lobe

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

 Health Effects From Noise
Chronic:
• Tinnitus (ringing in the ear, over-stimulation of the hair cells)
• Permanent threshold shift (permanent damage)
• Loss of frequency (damage to hair cells)
Acute:
• Trauma from loud noise ( explosion, Burst eardrum)
• Temporary threshold shift (hearing affected at specific frequency)
• Short term tinnitus (over-stimulation of the auditory nerves)
• Secondary effects (stress, loss of concentration)

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

 How is noise transmitted
There are three main ways noise can be transmitted:

Direct - Through the air from noise source to receiver

Reflected - Via walls, ceilings, and other structures

Ground and structure - Structure borne through wall or

floor

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

 NOISE PATH

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

 Noise Control Technique

Source Path Receiver

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

Noise Control Techniques

Source: Design, maintenance/lubrication,

reduce speed/energy

Path: location, enclosure, silencers,

absorption, damping, isolation, lagging,
screens

Receiver: ear protection, job rotation

9
Source - noise control on machinery
• Tighten loose equipment
• Regular lubrication
• Eliminate unnecessary gas/air leaks
• Properly adjust machinery
• Padded containers for catching components
• Switch equipment off especially fans
• Use rubber or plastic bushes
• Specify noise emissions levels in equipment orders
• Check condition of installed noise control equipment

10
Path - noise control measures
Location
Move source away from noise sensitive area

Enclosure
Surround the noise source with sound insulating material

Silencers
Reducing noise using absorbent materials or baffles - exhaust
pipes etc.

Absorption
Surrounding/obstructing noise source with absorbent materials

11
Receiver - types of hearing protection
Ear Plugs
• Inexpensive Uncomfortable - long use
• Disposable, hygienic Difficult to check for usage
• No interference with PPE Training needed

Ear Muffs or Ear Defenders

• Comfort Expensive
• Easy check for usage Hygiene issue
• Reusable Interfere with other PPE
12
Reasons why people DO NOT
wear hearing protection
• Poor fit • Hygiene
• Resistance to use • Supervision
• Uncomfortable • Deterioration
• Incompatibility • Abuse
• Interference

13
VIBRATION
Vibration refers to rapid or oscillating movements which, in
the workplace, are often transferred to workers via work
equipment and processes, such as drills, jack-hammers and
other machinery.

Ongoing exposure to vibration may have debilitating effects

such as carpal tunnel syndrome, lower back pain and hand-
arm vibration syndrome.

The sound produced by vibrating machinery can also cause

hearing loss.
14
 Vibration

Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS):

• Associated with the use of hand held vibrating

equipment - jack hammers, compactors, grinders.

15

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

 Common effects of HAVS
Acute:
• Tingling or pins and needles in the hands and extremities
Chronic:
• Numbness and blanching of the fingers
• Swollen painful joints
• Reduction in manual dexterity
• Reduction in the sensation of touch

16

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

 Risk Factors of vibrating tools
• Frequency of the vibration of equipment
• Amount of the energy (magnitude)
• Strength of the grip and other forces
• Duration of exposure - time
• Frequency of exposure
• Low temperature
• Individual factors – age, health

17

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

 Control Measures For Vibrating Tools
• Eliminate the use of vibrating tools
• Select low vibration equipment
• Select ergonomically designed equipment
• Maintain equipment
• Reduce grip forces required
• Reduce exposure time
• Introduce health surveillance
• Provide gloves and heated pads
• Information and training on risks and injuries

18

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

RADIATION- is energy that comes from a
source and travels through some material or through
space.
light, heat and sound are types of radiation.

19
 RADIATION
• Ionising Radiation
is radiation with enough energy so that during an interaction with an atom, it
can remove tightly bound electrons from the orbit of an atom, causing the atom
to become charged or ionized.

• Non-ionising Radiation
is the term given to radiation in the part of the electromagnetic spectrum where
there is insufficient energy to cause ionization. It includes electric and magnetic
fields, radio waves, microwaves, infrared, ultraviolet, and visible radiation. Non-
ionizing radiation includes the spectrum of ultraviolet (UV), visible light,
infrared (IR), microwave (MW), radio frequency (RF), and extremely low
frequency (ELF). Lasers commonly operate in the UV, visible, and IR
frequencies. 20
Ionising Radiation
• Alpha – Helium nuclei 2 protons and 2 neutrons –
penetration 2cm in air
• Beta – High speed electron – penetration 80cm in air
• Gamma – Elecromagnetic – penetration 30m in air
• X-Ray – Elecromagnetic – similar to gamma radiation but
lower energy

Ionization is the process in which a charged portion of a molecule (usually an electron) is

given enough energy to break away from the atom
21
 Ionising Radiation
• Easy to detect
• Using special instruments such as Geiger counters
• Radiation can be very penetrating
• Can be used to look inside solid objects
• Non Destructive testing
• Radiation can destroy living cells
• Useful for sterilizing – Kills micro-organisms
• Destroying cancer cells
22
Radiation – Penetrating Power

Skin or paper stops Thin aluminium Thick Lead stops

Alpha stops Beta Gamma

23
 Ionising Radiation Effects
Acute Effects Chronic Effects
• Tissue destruction • Cataracts
• Sterility(not producing or incapable of • Cancer
producing offspring)
(not producing or incapable of producing seed,
fruit, spores, or other reproductive structures) • Possible genetic
• Burns defects -
• Loss of hair abnormalities
• Radiation sickness
• Fatigue
• Death
• Still births (the birth of an infant that 24
has died in the womb)

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

 Control Measures - Ionising Radiation

Time Dose received is directly proportional to exposure time

Distance Risk is greater when closer to the source
Shielding Physical barrier between the source and the individual

25

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

Other types of protection against ionising radiation

• Personal Protective Equipment

• Environmental and personal monitoring
• Training and supervision
• Good hygiene practices
• Correct disposal of radiation materials

26
Non-Ionising Radiation

• Ultra violet (UV)

• Infra red radiation (IR)

• Microwaves

• Lasers

27
Ultra-Violet
Welding, sun rays
Two main hazards effects on skin and
eyes

Infra-red
Hot metal e.g. foundries
Heat and for eyes risk of cataracts

28
 Lasers

Cutting Surgery
Eyes - damage from mild retina burns to permanent blindness

29
 Microwave

Risk of burns to skin and eyes

30
Protection from non-ionising radiation

• Shielding
• Distance between source and person
• Reducing duration of exposure
• Personal protective equipment
• Protective creams

31
STRESS

32
OHP 2

Stress Awareness
What is Stress?
A reaction people have to excessive pressures or
other types of demands placed upon them.

A state of mental or emotional strain or tension

exerted resulting from adverse or demanding
circumstances.
33
 Stress
Home Work
• Sickness • Kind of work
• Children • Physical conditions
• Marriage • Uncertainty
• Finances • Conflict
• Travel • Kind of jobs
• Bereavement

34

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

 Health Effects of Stress

35

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

 Work problems of stress
Results
• Lack of motivation
• Lack of commitment
• Poor timekeeping
• Increases in mistakes
• Increases in absence
• Poor decision making
• Poor planning
Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety
This reflects in relationships at
work as
• Tension between colleagues and
supervisor
• Poor service to clients
• Industrial relations problems
• Increase in discipline problems
36
 Problems that lead to stress
• Culture of the organisation
• Shift work, unsociable hours, excessive overtime
• Job insecurity, fear of redundancy
• Repetitive, monotonous work
• Lack of breaks and lack of control over job
• Work rate too high or too low
• The working environment
• Relationship problems between supervisors and peers
• Harassment and bullying
• Fear of violence
• Lack of communication
• Personal and social factors
37

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

OHP 10

Stress Control Measures

38
QUESTIONS ?

39
 A noise survey has been conducted in a factory which has resulted in the need for
provision of hearing protection.
Outline the advantages AND disadvantages of:
• earmuffs; (4)
• ear plugs. (4)
Earmuffs Ear Plugs
Advantages : Advantages:
 Comfortable  Inexpensive
 Can easily be checked that user  Disposable and hygienic
 Is wearing the protection, Is reusable
Disadvantages : Disadvantages:
 Expensive  Uncomfortable
 Hygiene issue  Difficult to check if worker
 Wearer may not use it is wearing the ear plugs
 Subject to abuse

40

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

Identify reasons why workers may choose not to wear
hearing protection (8)

 Poor fit  Hygiene

 Resistance to use  Supervision
 Uncomfortable  Deterioration
 Incompatibility  Abuse
 Interference

41
 Outline the possible effects on health from exposure to high levels of noise. (6)
 Chronic:
 Tinnitus (ringing in the ear, over-stimulation of the hair cells)
 Permanent threshold shift (permanent damage)
 Loss of frequency (damage to hair cells)
 Acute:
 Trauma from loud noise ( explosion, Burst eardrum)
 Temporary threshold shift (hearing affected at specific frequency)
 Short term tinnitus (over-stimulation of the auditory nerves)
 Secondary effects (stress, loss of concentration)

Outline TWO noise control techniques that would benefit all workers. (2)

 Location - Move source away from noise sensitive area

 Enclosure - Surrounding the noise source with sound insulating material (care to be taken
not to overheat machine)

42

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

 Identify TWO types of non-ionizing radiation AND give an
occupational source for EACH. (2)
 Ultra violet (UVR) – Welding
 Infra red radiation (IRR) – Foundry (hot metal)

Outline the health effects associated with exposure to non-

ionizing radiation. (2)
 Skin burn
 Mild eye damage to permanent blindness
 Eye cataract

43

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

Identify the health effects that may be caused by ionizing
radiation. (8)

Acute Effects Chronic Effects

 Tissue destruction  Cataracts
 Sterility  Cancer
 Burns
 Loss of hair  Possible genetic
 Radiation sickness effect / abnormalities
 Fatigue
 Death
 Still births

44

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

 Identify FOUR types of ionizing radiation. (4)

 Alpha
 Beta
 Gamma
 X-Ray

45

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

Outline the main control measures for ionising radiation. (4)
Time Dose received is directly proportional to exposure time
Distance Risk is greater when closer to the source
Shielding Physical barrier between the source and the individual

Other control measures include:

Personal Protective Equipment
Environmental and personal monitoring
Training and supervision
Good hygiene practices
Correct disposal of radiation materials

46

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

 Outline SIX control measures that can be used to reduce the
risk from vibration. (6)

 Eliminate the use of vibrating tools

 Select low vibration equipment
 Select ergonomically designed equipment
 Maintenance of equipment and tools
 Reduce grip forces required
 Reduce exposure time
 Introduce health surveillance
 Provision of gloves and heated pads
 Information and training on risks and indications of injury

47

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

 A maintenance worker regularly uses a hand held grinder, and is exposed to vibration.
Identify the symptoms that the worker may experience due to this exposure. (2)
Acute:
Tingling or pins and needles in the hands and extremities
Chronic:
Numbness and blanching of the fingers
Swollen painful joints
Reduction in manual dexterity
Reduction in the sensation of touch

48

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

 Outline the factors that may lead to unacceptable levels of
occupational stress amongst workers (8)
Stress can be caused by:
 Working patterns such as shift work,
 Unsociable hours or excessive overtime.
 Job insecurity or the fear of redundancy.
 Job includes repetitive or monotonous work coupled with the lack of
adequate breaks
 The feeling that there is a lack of control over the their job this can lead to
the perception that the work load is too high or too low.
 Workplace harassment, bullying, or fear of violence
 Poor communication can cause heightened stress levels and lead to
personal and social issues e.g. financial, illness, family.

49

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety