1 New Hand Out Detect Pharmaceutical Health&hazards levelII

DETECT PHARMACEUTICAL HEALTH HAZARDS AND ACT HAND OUT FOR PHARMACY TVET STUDENTS
PHARMACY LEVEL III

Detect Pharmaceutical Health
Unit of Competence:
Hazards and Act
Detecting pharmaceutical
Module Title:
health hazards and act
LG Code: HTL PHS3 M06 LO1 LG25
TTLM Code: HTL PHS3 TTLM 0919v1
Manage OHS risk, exposure and hazards in Pharmacy service
This learning guide is developed to provide you the necessary information regarding the following content
coverage and topics –
● Defining health, safety, welfare and hazard
● Elements of the work environment
● Classification of OHS in pharmacy services
● Financial and social implications of an unsafe workplace
● Methods for identifying OHS
1 Collected by: BEKUWET SOLOMON BEKELE (ABUCHU)

Defining health, safety, welfare, hazard and risk
1.1. Definition of terms
● Health: WHO define health as “A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not
merely the absence of disease or infirmity”
● Safety: means free from hazards and risks. It refers to being free from threats to the health and safety
of employees in any work place.
● Welfare: is the state of good health, happiness, comfort and prosperity of a person, group, or
organization.
● Hazard: is a source or situation with the potential for harm in terms of human injury or ill-health,
damage to property, the environment, or a combination of these
 Hazards at work may include: noisy machinery, a moving forklift, chemicals, electricity, working
at heights, bullying and violence at the workplace
● Risk: is the possibility that harm (death, injury or illness) might occur when exposed to a hazard. It the
probability and consequences of injury, illness or damage resulting from exposure to a hazard
● Occupational health: is concerned with the control of health hazards that arise as a result of or
during work activities. Occupational health is defined as the science and art devoted to the anticipation
recognition evaluation and control of environmental factors or stresses arisingin or from the work place
which may cause sickness impaired health and well-being, or significant discomfort among worker so
the community.
Elements of the work environment

The basic elements in an occupational setting such as a manufacturing plant, industry, or offices etc. are
four .These are:
2.1 The worker

In developing countries like Ethiopia workers are at greater risk of occupational hazards for a variety of reasons
because of low education level,
unfamiliaritywithworkprocessesandexposures,inadequatetraining,predispositionnottocomplainabout working
conditions because of jobs, high prevalence of infectious diseases, in adequate infrastructure and human
resources to diagnose treat, and prevent work - related diseases and injuries.
More vulnerable populations groups to occupational hazards are:
● Women: who make up a large proportion of the work force in many developing countries and often

face significant physical and psycho-social hazards in their work. Besides this they also face similar
problem at home.
● Children: who account for a significant part of the work force in many developing countries of ten
under take some of the most hazardous work.
● Migrants: both within countries and between countries who, for a variety of reasons face significant
health and safety hazards at work.
2.2 The Tool

Tools can range from very primitive tools like a hammer ,chisel ,and needle, to automated equipment. sa
Fig.1.Simple hand tools are the causes of many accidents.
2.3 The process

In the process, materials used can be toxic. The process itself can affect the potential harmful ness of the
materials For example ,the particle size or physical state(solid ,liquid and gas)of potentially harmful substances
can determine to a large extent what ill effects in workers may develop from those substances.
2.4 The work environment

Occupational environment means the sum of external conditions and influences which prevail at the place of
work and which have a bearing on the health of the working population.
The work environment can be further classified in to physical, chemical and biological and psycho-social
environment. The worker interact with all these environmental agents.
● Physical environment: the physical environment includes; machines, levels of noise, levels of heat and
humidity, levels of dust, vibration, electricity or lighting, radiation etc.
● Chemical environment: the chemical environment includes; chemical dust, mists, fumes, liquids,
vapors etc.
● Biological environment: the biological environment includes; presence of insects and rodents,
microorganisms, poisonous plants and animals.
● Psycho-social environment: Therearenumerouspsycho-
socialfactors,whichoperateatworkplace.Thesearethehumanrelationshipsamongworkers themselves and
those in authorities over them. Examples of psycho-social factors include:- type of work, work
stability, service conditions, job satisfaction, leadership style, security, workers` participation and
communication, motivation and incentives.
The occupational environment of the worker cannot be considered a part from his domestic environment .Both
are complementary to each other. The worker takes his worries to his/her home and bring to his work
disturbances that’s arisen in his/her home .Stress at work may disturb his sleep, just as stress at home may affect
his work.
Classification of OHS in pharmacy services
3.1. Physical Hazards
Physical hazard has possible cumulative or immediate effects on the health of employees. Physical hazard
include: extremes of temperature, ionizing radiation, non-ionizing radiation, excessive noise.
3.1.1. Extremes of Temperature
The work environment is either comfortable or extremely cold or hot and uncomfortable. The common physical
hazard in most industries is heat.
Effect of hot temperature in work place include:
Heat Stress
Heat stress is a common problem because people in general function only in a very narrow temperature range.
When fluctuation in core body temperature happens the body attempt to counteract by:
● Increasing the heart rate
● The capillaries in the skin dilate to bring more blood to the surface so that the rate of cooling is
increased.
● Sweating to cool the body
Heat stroke
Heat stroke is caused when the body temperature rises rapidly in a worker who is exposed to a work
environment in which the body is unable to cool itself sufficiently. Predisposing factors for heat stroke is
excessive physical exertion in extreme heat condition.
Heat Cramp
Heat cramp is caused exposure to high temperature for a relatively long time particularly if accompanied by
heavy exertion or sweating with excessive loss of salt and moisture.
Heat Exhaustion
This also results from physical exertion in hot environment. Signs of the problem include:
Mildly elevated temperature
● Weak pulse
● Dizziness
● Pro fuses weating
● Cool ,moist skin ,heat rash
3.1.2. Ionizing Radiation
Radiation is a form of energy Any electromagnetic or particulate radiation capable of producing ions is referred
to as ionizing radiation. Radioactive materials emit energy that can damage living tissues.
The types of ionizing radiation with which we may be concerned are:
Electromagnetic
● X-ray
● Gamma ray
Particles
● Neutron ,electron ,protons
● Alpha radiation
● Beta-rays
Radioactive materials can be hazardous in two ways:
● Materials that could be hazardous even when they are located some distance away from the body
(external)
● Materials that are hazardous only when they get inside the body by through breathing, eating or through
broken skin (internal)

3.1.3. Non- Ionizing Radiation
This is a form of electromagnetic radiation with varying effect son the exposed body depending largely on the
particular wavelength of the radiation in evolved It includes:-
● Radio transmitters
● TV
● Power line
● Powerful radio aerials
● Microwaves
● Lasers etc.
3.1.4. Excessive Noise
Noise is defined as unwanted sound. Sound is any pressure variation or a stimulus that produces a sensory
response in the brain The compression and expansion of air created when an object vibrates.
There are three general classes in to which occupational noise
exposure may be grouped.
● Continuous noise :Noise of approximately constant level and spectrum to which an employee is
exposed for a period of eight hours per day or40 hours a week.
● Intermit tent Noise :Exposure to a given sound pressure level several times during a normal working
day
● Impact type Noise :is as harp burst of sound
The effects of noise on humans can be classified in to two types:
● Auditory effects: involves damage to the structure of the hearing organ which may result permanent or
temporary hearing loss.
● Non-auditory effects: consists of fatigue interference with communication by speech, decreased

efficiency and annoyance.
3.2 Mechanical Hazards
The mechanical hazards in industries are contributed from machinery, protruding and moving parts. About 10%
of accidents in industry are said to be due to mechanical causes.

3.3 Chemical Hazards
The chemical hazards are on increase with the introduction of newer and complex chemicals. Chemical hazards
form the most important group and comprise over 12000 toxic materials. Such materials may endanger life,
affect health adversely, or cause severe discomfort due to their acute effect. Moreover, they may produce long-
term disease such as cancer.
Naturally occurring materials such as lead and mercury have been recognized as source of occupational disease
for hundreds of years. Other minerals like asbestos, radioactive ores, and oil, are also sources of occupational
disease. Growing range of manmade materials such as plastics, synthetic fibers, solvents, fertilizers, and
pharmaceutical products all of which may be hazardous to those who make or use them.
The physical state of a chemical compound is important in determining its toxicity to man and the environment.
The effects of chemical agents are as follows:
● Asphyxiation
● Systemic intoxication
● Pneumoconiosis
● Carcinogens
● Irritation
Among all chemical agents in work place, the most hazardous and most in contact with the skin or respiratory
system is:
3.3.1. Solvent
In most occupational settings or industries a potential threat to the health, productivity and efficiency of workers
is their exposure to organic solvents. Solvents can cause adverse health effect or fire and explosion.
Solvents can be classified as aqueous or non-aqueous system.
Aqueous system has low vapor pressure thus the potential hazard by inhalation and subsequent systemic toxicity
is not high.
Examples of aqueous system are: aqueous solution of acids , aqueous solution of alkalis , aqueous solution of
detergents.

Examples of non-aqueous systems are: aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, halogenated
hydrocarbons, cyclic hydrocarbons
3.3.2. Dangerous chemical substances
Many dangerous substances are used in industry, commerce, agriculture, research activities, hospitals and
teaching establishments.
Corrosive
● Hazard: living tissue as well as equipment are destroyed on contact with this chemicals.
● Caution: Do not breathe vapors and avoid contact with skin eyes, and clothing
Oxidizing
● Hazard: ignite combustible material or worsen existing fire and thus make fire fighting more difficult.
● Caution: Keep away from combustible material. No open cigarette fire allowed in that area.
Harmful
● Hazard: Inhalation and insertion of or skin penetration by these substances is harmful to heath.
● Caution: Avoid contact with the human body, including inhalation of vapors and in cases of malaise
consult doctor.
Very toxic and toxic
● Hazard: The substances are very hazardous to health whether breathed, swallowed or in contact with
the skin and may even lead to death.
● Caution: Avoid contact with human body, and immediately consult a doctor in case of malaise.
Irritant
● Hazard: May have an irritant effect on skin, eyes and respiratory organs
● Caution: Do not breathe vapors and avoid contact with skin and eye
Highly Flammable
● Hazard: Substances with flash point less than 600c or 1400F.

● Caution: keep away from source of ignition.
Explosive
● Hazard: Substances which may explode under certain condition
● Caution: Avoid shock, friction, sparks and heat.
3.4 Biological Hazards
Exposure to biological hazards in work place results in a significant amount of occupationally associated
infections. Biological hazards in clued viruses ,bacteria, fungus ,parasites or any living organism that can cause
disease to human beings.
Biological hazards can be transmitted to a person through:
● Inhalation
● Injection
● Ingestion
● Contact with the skin

Most obvious work place in which employees are subjected to biohazards are:
Laboratory
Health personnel such as Laboratory technicians and scientists working on biological specimens are at risk with
biological hazards in the laboratory Specimen such as blood ,pus ,stool and other tissue samples may expose the
workers to hazards such as HIV, Hepatitis, etc.
Hospitals
Many potential biological agent sex is tin hospital environment. These are bacterial infection and viral
agents .Those working in laundry, housekeeping, laboratory, central supply and nursing station are highly
exposed to bio hazard from the patient they handle ,from the specimen they collect and from the cloth needle
and pans they handle and from their general day to day activities.
Agriculture
Occupational exposures to bio hazard also occurring agriculture. Disease of vertebrate animals transmissible to
human and other animals (Zoonosis). Zoonotic diseases
consistsofviral,bacterial,rickettsial,fungal,protozoal,andhelminthic disease.

3.5 Ergonomic Hazards
Ergonomicsistheapplicationofhumanbiologicalscienceinconjunctionwiththeengineeringscienceinordertoachieveo
ptimum mutual adjustment of man and his work.
Ergonomics deals with the interaction between humans and environmental elements such as heat ,light,
sound ,atmospheric contaminants and all tools and equipment pertaining to the work place.
Ergonomics or the proper designing of work systems based on human factors has the following
advantages:
● There will be more efficient operations
● There will be fewer accidents
● There will be reduced training time
● There will be fewer costs of operations
● There will be more effective use of worker so r personnel
The goal of Ergonomics ranges from making work safe to humans ,and increasing human efficiency and well-
being
3.6 Psycho-social hazards
The terms tress means the strain imposed on the worker by psycho-social influences associated with works,
whichmayaffecthealth,wellbeing,andproductivity.Reductionofoccupationalstressesdependsnotonlyonhelping
individuals to cope with their problems but also on:
● Improved vocational guidance
● Arrangement of working hours
● Job design, and work methods
● Good management
Financial and social implications of an unsafe workplace

4.1. Implications of an unsafe workplace
Unsafe workplace do not only cause terrible human tragedies but also substantial social and economic impacts
on society. The social impact could be defined as the effect that touches the human side of the society, where the
economic impact could be defined as the effect that relates to the financial aspects of the society. All society

members such as employees, families, employers, economy and resources will be affected somehow by the
occurrence of accident in an unsafe workplace.
4.1. 1. Financial implications of an unsafe workplace
Economic impacts of workplace accidents on the affected individual and family are
● Decrease income
● Decrease in the standard of living
● Education and schooling expenses affected
● Increase in debts and
● Difficulty to pay bills
From a business standpoint, workplace accidents affect the profitability of a business. Economic impacts of
unsafe workplace could have direct and indirect costs. A direct cost is defined as those costs covered by the
workers compensation insurance. These may include medical costs, premiums for workers, compensation
insurance, liability and property losses. Indirect costs are those costs attributed to loss of productivity of the
injured worker.
Economic impacts of site accidents are as follows:
● Damages to property, equipment
● Payments for settlements of injury or death claims
● Loss of function and operations income
● Degradation of efficiency of operations
● Increased insurance costs
● Loss of productivity
● Medical payments
4.1. 2. Social implications of an unsafe workplace
Unsafe workplaces have social impacts on the worker, his/her family, employer and community as a whole.
Serious workplaces accident has the potential to induce a crisis within an organization. The employees go
through a state of shock, loss and regret and in some instances guilt. During this period, psychological stress and
tension grow and the organization will become consumed with accusation and blame and that the energies may
be diverted away from the tasks at hand.
Social impacts of unsafe workplace accidents on the affected worker includes:
● Loss/injury of family provider
● Family depression
● Loss of social welfare
● Loss of worker to the community
● Loss of the quality of life for individual workers and families
Social impacts on the company includes:
● Depression of employees and work fellows
● Loss of public confidence
● Loss of company image
● Loss of customer satisfaction
● Degradation of morale
5. Methods for identifying OHS

5.1. Identifying OHS
Identifying hazards in the workplace involves finding things and situations that could potentially cause harm to
people.
Hazards generally arise from the following aspects of work and their interaction.
● Physical work environment
● Equipment, materials and substances used
● Work tasks and how they are performed
● Work design and management
Some hazards are part of the work process, such as mechanical hazards, noise or toxic properties of substances.
Other hazards result from equipment or machine failures and misuse, chemical spills and structural failures.
Machines, equipment, substance or a work process may have many different hazards. Each of these hazards
needs to be identified.
Table 1 Examples of common hazards
Hazard Potential harm
Manual tasks Overexertion or repetitive movement can cause muscular

strain
Gravity Falling objects, falls, slips and trips of people can cause
fractures, bruises, lacerations, dislocations, concussion,
permanent injuries or death
Electricity Potential ignition source. exposure to live electrical wires

can cause shock, burns or death from electrocution
Machinery and equipment Being hit by moving vehicles, or caught by moving parts of
machinery can cause fractures, bruises, lacerations,
dislocations, permanent injuries or death
Hazardous chemicals Chemicals (such as acids, hydrocarbons, heavy metals) and

dusts (such as asbestos and silica) can cause respiratory
illnesses, cancers or dermatitis
Extreme temperatures Heat can cause burns, heat stroke or fatigue
Cold can cause hypothermia or frost bite
Noise Exposure to loud noise can cause permanent
hearing damage
Radiation Ultra violet, welding arc flashes, micro waves and
lasers can cause burns, cancer or blindness
Biological Micro-organisms can cause different infectious diseases

including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.
Psycho-social hazards Effects of work-related stress, bullying, violence
and work-related fatigue

5.2. Methods of identifying hazards
5.2.1. Inspect the work place
Regularly walking around the workplace and observing how things are done can help us to predict what could or
might go wrong. Look at how people actually work, how machines and equipment is used, what chemicals are
around and what they are used for, what safe or unsafe work practices exist as well as the general state of
housekeeping.
During inspection, things to look out for include the following:
● Does the work environment enable workers to carry out work without risks to health and safety (for
example, space for unobstructed movement, adequate ventilation, lighting)?
● How suitable are the tools and equipment for the task and how well are they maintained?
● Have any changes occurred in the workplace which may affect health and safety?
● Some hazards can affect health over a long period of time or may result in stress (such as bullying) or
fatigue.
● If you find a situation where there is immediate or significant danger to people, move those persons to a
safer location first and attend to the hazard urgently.
Make a list of all the hazards you can find to ensure that nothing is missed. You may use a checklist designed to
suit your workplace to help you find and make a note of hazards.
5.2.2. Consultation of workers
Ask workers about any health and safety problems they have encountered in doing their work and any near
misses or incidents that have not been reported.
Worker surveys may also be undertaken to obtain information about matters such as workplace bullying, as well
as muscular aches and pains that can signal potential hazards.
5.2.3. Review of available information
Information and advice about hazards and risks relevant to particular industries and types of work is available
from regulators, technical specialists and safety consultants.

Manufacturers and suppliers can also provide information about hazards and safety precautions for specific
substances (safety data sheets), machines or processes (instruction manuals).
Analyze all records of health monitoring, workplace incidents, worker complaints, sick leave and the results of
any inspections and investigations to identify hazards. If someone has been hurt doing a particular task, then a
hazard exists that could hurt someone else. These incidents need to be investigated to find the hazard that caused
the injury or illness.
Steps of managing OHS processes for a small organization or group(s) of persons

undertaking a range of work are:
Step 1- Identify hazards

Step 2- Assess the risk
Step 3- Control the risk
Level 1: Elimination
Level 2: Substitution, Isolation, Engineering
Level 3: Administrative, PEP
Step 4- Review risk control
Manage pharmaceutical OHS participative processes

Safety measures in pharmaceutical services
1.1. Safety measures in controlling biological hazards
Potential biological hazards are
● Exposure to blood-borne pathogens or pathogens transmitted in body fluids or secretions to mucous
membranes by contact with contaminated surfaces
● Exposure to environmental biological contaminants from ventilation systems, water or food
Engineering measures:
● Restrict access to pharmacy to authorized personnel only
● Development of vaccines
● Maintenance of ventilation systems
● Early spill clean-up
● Maintenance water supply systems with regular testing to ensure proper functioning
● Early detection and remediation of mould
Administrative measures
● Safe work procedure for equipment decontamination.
● Compliance with all infection prevention and control practices.
● Immunization program
● Worker education
● Infection prevention and control practices related to food preparation
● Protocols for construction and renovation projects that reduce contamination
Personal protective equipment
● PEP based on the risk assessment may include protective clothing, gloves, eye and face protection
● Use of proper PEP when cleaning contaminated environmental surfaces, including gloves, respiratory
protection, and eye protection
1.2. Safety measures in controlling chemical hazards
Potential chemical hazards in pharmaceutical services are
● Exposure to hazardous drugs through formulation procedure
● Exposure to hazardous drugs during clean-up or spill response procedures, receiving and unpacking,
crushing and splitting, unit dose packaging
● Exposure to a variety of disinfecting and cleaning agent
● Proper containment when making up drugs
● Segregated areas and equipment
● Exhaust hoods and biological safety cabinets
● Maintain adequate general ventilation
● Automatic diluting machines
Administrative measures:
● Develop safe work procedure to the specific products based on manufacturer’s instructions
● Develop waste handling procedures
● Educate workers in the nature of the hazard
● Maintain availability of appropriate equipment and PPE
● Purchase in ready to use concentrations to minimize handling.
Personal protective equipment:
● Eye protection and face shields when splashing is possible
● Protective clothing (gowns) and gloves
● Respirators, based on risk assessment, may be required for administration of aerosolized drugs
1.3. Safety measures in controlling physical hazards
The physical hazards in pharmaceutical services are
● Ergonomic hazards associated with computer use or workstation design
● Ergonomic hazards associated with pharmacy activities including repetition, force, awkward postures
and compression forces
● Exposure to radioactive material in the preparation, unit dosing and testing of radioactive diagnostic
and therapeutic radio-pharmaceuticals (nuclear pharmacy)
● Falling hazards associated with slips, trips and falls
● Cuts from sharp instruments including scissors and medical instruments
● Cuts from broken glassware, including bottles
● Cuts or lacerations from using equipment and tools
● Burns from using heat sealers for blister packaging, etc.
● Electrical hazards arising from use of electrical cords and appliances
● Ergonomically designed workstations, chairs and equipment.
● Incorporate adjustable workstation to accommodate employees of various sizes
● Ergonomically designed workstations to minimize reaching
● Ergonomically appropriate materials handling equipment such as carts, trolleys, etc
● Replace manual with automated processes whenever practicable
● Install slip resistant flooring
● Design stairwells according to accepted safety standards
● Ensure adequate lighting
● Replace sharps with safety engineered medical devices
● Substitute glasses with other materials (plastics)
● Change procedure to reduce use glassware
● Equipment design, maintenance or placement to avoid burns during blister packaging
● Ground fault circuit interrupters when using electric close to water sources
Administrative measures:
● Adjustment of workstation and chair to fit user
● Worker education on physical hazards and control strategies
● Early reporting of signs and symptoms of ergonomic concerns
● Job rotation and variation of tasks
● Purchasing standards for ergonomically designed computer workstations, chairs etc.
● Maintenance of workstations, chairs and equipment
● Radiation safety program
● Restricted access and exposure monitoring
● Perform regular maintenance on flooring, stairwells, hallways, handrails etc.
● Appropriate sharps disposal
Personal protective equipment:
● Gloves, protective clothing, protective eyewear and gloves
● Appropriate footwear with gripping soles and good support
● Cut-resistant gloves if appropriate
Evaluating OHS information

2.1. Evaluation of occupational Environment
Evaluation can be defined as the decision making process that results in an opinion as to the degree of risk
arising from exposure to chemical, physical, biological, or other agents. It also involves making a judgment of
the magnitude of these agents and determines the levels of contaminants arising from a process or work
operation and the effectiveness of any control measures used.
Evaluation Methods
Area or environmental sampling
Environmental sampling includes sampling for gases, vapors, aerosol concentrations, noise, temperature etc.
Which are found on the worker or the general work area or environment.
Area or general room air samplings are taken at fixed locations in the work place. This type of sampling does
not provide a good estimate of worker exposure. For this reason it is used mainly to pinpoint high exposure
areas, indicate flammable or explosive concentrations, or determine if an area should be isolated or restricted to
prevent employees from entering a highly contaminated area.
Personal sampling
The objective of personal sampling is to see the extent of exposure of the person working on a particular
contaminant while he/she is working at a location or work place. For example, if the worker is working in a
garage where cars are painted, the area as a whole is sampled to see how much lead which is present in all car
paints. In addition, personal sampling ill be taken to determine how much lead is inhaled by the person

performing the work or those who are working nearby. In short it is the preferred method of evaluating workers
exposure to air contaminants.
Dust evaluation
To evaluate dust exposure, it is first necessary to determine the composition of dust that are suspended in the air
where workers breathe. Operation that involves the crushing, grinding, or polishing of minerals or mineral
mixtures frequently do not produce airborne dusts that have the same size composition.
When air samples are collected in the immediate vicinity of dust producing operation, larger particles that have
not yet had time to settle from the air may be collected. If a larger number of these particles appear in the dust
sample, the effect of their presence may have to be evaluated separately. To evaluate either the relative hazard to
health posed by dusts or effectiveness of dust control measures, one must have a method of determining the
extent of the dust problem.
Air contamination can be divided into two broad groups depending upon physical characteristics.
● Gases and vapors
● Particulate
The type of air sampling to be used depends upon a number of factors such as; the type of sampling, the
equipment available, the environmental condition and the nature of the toxic contaminants
Noise Evaluation
The purposes of a detailed noise survey are:
● To obtain specific information on the noise levels existing at each employee Workstation
● To develop guidelines for establishing engineering and/or administrative Controls.
● To define areas where hearing protection will be required.
● To determine those work areas where audiometric testing of employees is desirable
Noise evaluation surveys will help us to determine:
● Whether noise problems exist or not;
● How noisy is created in each work place or station,
● What equipment or process is producing the noise,
● Which employees are exposed to the noise often,

● Duration of exposure to the noise, etc.
Handling of medicines waste and disposal
 Medicines which are unfit for use should be disposed properly after getting approval from the
appropriate organ.
 Any medicines waste disposal practice, including diluting and flushing of liquid medicines into sewers
and burning of packaging materials, should be attended by an inspector of the appropriate organ.
 After disposal of medicines waste have been carried out, disposal certificates will be issued by the
appropriate organ
 Disposal sites should be environment and society friendly and be approved by appropriate organ in
accordance with Environment Impact Assessment (EIA). The disposal site must be safe in order to
prevent re-use of any medicines waste including re-packing and re-labeling. In addition, security
measures to prevent scavenging must be in place at disposal sites and temporary storage areas.
 Organizations which does not have an approved disposal facility may use disposal referral system of
licensed disposal firms, medicines suppliers or central disposal sites.
 The disposal of medicines waste must be carried out according to the sorting procedures and
recommended disposal methods by the appropriate organ.
 All workers who are involved in a disposal process must wear appropriate personal protective equipment
such as gowns, boots, gloves, safety glasses/goggles, masks, and caps.
 Each medicine waste must be recorded on the register book. Special emphasis should be given to
segregate and store controlled drugs or substances, anti-neoplastic or cytotoxic/anti–cancer medicines,
anti-infective medicines, radiopharmaceuticals and any other hazardous products like antiseptics and
disinfectants until their separate and safe disposal.
Medicine wastes other than mentioned above can be categorized and kept by dosage
forms:
● Solids, semi-solids and powders: tablets, capsules, granules, powders for injection, mixtures, lotions,
creams, gels, suppositories etc.,
● Liquids: solutions, suspension, syrups, ampoules etc.
● Aerosol canisters : propellant - driven sprays and inhalers
Waste paper and packing materials may be sorted and recycled (if facilities are available), burned or disposed of
as normal waste to a landfill. Plastic, metal and glass items may be reused, recycled or disposed of in a landfill.
Depending on the type of material and the purpose of reuse, appropriate treatment such as cleaning or
disinfecting of reusable materials may be needed.
Containers must be kept according to dosage forms to facilitate verification, sorting and selection of disposal
methods. An area or room for keeping containers of medicines waste must be demarcated and labeled
conspicuously with words “Expired medicines–Not for Sale” or “Unfit medicines–Not for sale” in red ink.
Procedures of proper disposal of pharmaceutical waste

Procedures of proper disposal of pharmaceutical waste are:
Step 1: collect all pharmaceutical wastes
Step 2: Separate controlled substances.
Step 3: Separate trace chemotherapy waste
Step 4: Separate radio-pharmaceutical waste
Step 4: Separate any other hazardous waste.
Step 6. Record each medicine waste on the register book
Step 5: Package the segregated wastes
Step 6: Contract with the appropriate organ for disposal

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DETECT PHARMACEUTICAL HEALTH HAZARDS AND ACT HAND OUT FOR PHARMACY TVET STUDENTS

PHARMACY LEVEL III

Manage OHS risk, exposure and hazards in Pharmacy service

1 Collected by: BEKUWET SOLOMON BEKELE (ABUCHU)

Elements of the work environment

2.1 The worker

More vulnerable populations groups to occupational hazards are:

2 Collected by: BEKUWET SOLOMON BEKELE (ABUCHU)

2.2 The Tool

Fig.1.Simple hand tools are the causes of many accidents.

2.3 The process

2.4 The work environment

Classification of OHS in pharmacy services

3.1. Physical Hazards

3.1.1. Extremes of Temperature

Effect of hot temperature in work place include:

● Increasing the heart rate

● Sweating to cool the body

Mildly elevated temperature

● Pro fuses weating

● Cool ,moist skin ,heat rash

3.1.2. Ionizing Radiation

The types of ionizing radiation with which we may be concerned are:

● Neutron ,electron ,protons

Radioactive materials can be hazardous in two ways:

5 Collected by: BEKUWET SOLOMON BEKELE (ABUCHU)

● Powerful radio aerials

3.1.4. Excessive Noise

There are three general classes in to which occupational noise

exposure may be grouped.

● Impact type Noise :is as harp burst of sound

The effects of noise on humans can be classified in to two types:

● Non-auditory effects: consists of fatigue interference with communication by speech, decreased

3.2 Mechanical Hazards

6 Collected by: BEKUWET SOLOMON BEKELE (ABUCHU)

Solvents can be classified as aqueous or non-aqueous system.

7 Collected by: BEKUWET SOLOMON BEKELE (ABUCHU)

3.3.2. Dangerous chemical substances

Very toxic and toxic

● Hazard: Substances with flash point less than 600c or 1400F.

8 Collected by: BEKUWET SOLOMON BEKELE (ABUCHU)

● Hazard: Substances which may explode under certain condition

● Caution: Avoid shock, friction, sparks and heat.

3.4 Biological Hazards

Biological hazards can be transmitted to a person through:

● Contact with the skin

9 Collected by: BEKUWET SOLOMON BEKELE (ABUCHU)

● There will be more efficient operations

● There will be fewer accidents

● There will be reduced training time

● There will be fewer costs of operations

● There will be more effective use of worker so r personnel

3.6 Psycho-social hazards

● Improved vocational guidance

● Arrangement of working hours

● Job design, and work methods

Financial and social implications of an unsafe workplace

10 Collected by: BEKUWET SOLOMON BEKELE (ABUCHU)

4.1. 1. Financial implications of an unsafe workplace

● Decrease in the standard of living

● Education and schooling expenses affected

● Increase in debts and

● Difficulty to pay bills