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In this module, we will introduce you to the different work environment control measures and
discuss the importance of each in detail. We hope you will understand how these control
measures can be applied in your respective work setting.
We sincerely hope that learning about environmental control measures will help ensure the
safety of your workplace.
OBJECTIVES:
There are three general environmental control measures that are useful in the workplace:
engineering controls, administrative controls and personal protective equipment.
1. Engineering Controls - eliminate the hazard by considering safety and health provisions,
substitution, modification of process/equipment, isolation, wet methods and industrial
ventilation.
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DCEE 25 – Basic Occupational Safety and Health
Engineering methods of control are the most effective in preventing or reducing work
environment factors or stresses. Among these methods are:
a. Proper design and planning – Initial consideration regarding safety and health aspects
must be made in the planning and construction stage. We should bear in mind that once
the control measures are in place, it is already very hard to alter or modify the design,
especially when we realize that the control measure being adopted is ineffective. Besides
it is more expensive and will cost the company a lot to do so. The correct identification of
the problem and careful evaluation should be ensured and we have to make sure that the
intervention or control measure to be employed is the most cost effective.
e. Wet methods. Airborne dust hazards can be minimized or greatly reduced by applying
water or other suitable liquids. Dampening powder materials or suppressing dust
generation through misting or spraying of water will definitely control dust dispersion.
Dampening or drenching powder materials to prevent it from getting airborne is one of
the simplest methods for dust control. Its effectiveness, however, depends upon proper
wetting of the particulates. Its application also depends on the nature of process and
product. Some powder conveying systems provide auxiliary water piping systems with
sprinklers or water sprays at the unloading side since formation of dust clouds occur when
powder materials drop.
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DCEE 25 – Basic Occupational Safety and Health
Purpose:
• General Ventilation – is classified into mechanical ventilation which utilizes fans and
blowers and natural ventilation which uses natural airflow (wind) caused by difference in
temperature, room air pressure through open doors or windows, roof ventilators, and
chimneys, etc.
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DCEE 25 – Basic Occupational Safety and Health
General Exhaust Ventilation – utilizing supply and exhaust fans (Mechanical Ventilation)
Supply fan
Exhaust fan
(Source: Safe work Australia. (2010). Retrieved September 16, 2011, from
http://safeworkaustralia.gov.au/SafetyInYourWorkplace/HazardsAndSafetyIssues/
Printing/ControlGuidance/Lithographic/Pages/P08ManualCleaningOfPresses.aspx)
- Only small quantities of air contaminants are released into the workroom at fairly
uniform rates.
- There is sufficient distance between the worker and the contaminant source to allow
sufficient air movement to dilute the contaminant to safe levels.
- There is no air cleaning device to collect or filter the contaminants before the exhaust
air is discharged into the community environment (no dust collector used).
• General Exhaust Ventilation - a system normally used to remove hot air and other
airborne contaminants in a general work area. Exhaust fans mounted on roof and walls
and other openings also constitute general exhaust ventilation.
• Dilution Ventilation - using fresh air supply, a fraction of air is introduced into the
workroom such that airborne contaminants or heat are diluted to levels not harmful to
health.
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DCEE 25 – Basic Occupational Safety and Health
The major disadvantage of general or dilution ventilation is that worker exposures can be
very difficult to control near the source of contaminant. This is why local exhaust ventilation
is most often the best method to control exposure to toxic contaminants.
When air is removed from a work area through exhaust, make up or replacement air must be
provided. Air make- up volumes should be matched or equal to the air being removed such
that room pressure is maintained on a safe level.
• Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) - Local exhaust ventilation system incorporating hoods,
ductworks, air cleaning device, fans and blowers and exhaust ducts is commonly used in
industrial ventilation.
The purpose of LEV is to remove air contaminants generated or dispersed from the work
process before they can reach the breathing zone of the workers in harmful concentration.
Particularly in combination with adequate enclosures, it is the most efficient engineering
control measure for airborne chemical agents and particulates in the working environment.
A major advantage of local exhaust ventilation is that the system requires less exhaust airflow
than general exhaust ventilation system. The total airflow is necessary for plants that are
cooled since air-conditioning costs are important operating expense.
• Principles of LEV
- Enclose the contaminant
- Capture contaminant with adequate air velocities
- Keep contaminant out of the worker’ breathing zone
- Discharge exhausted air outdoors
The design of local exhaust ventilation systems should be carefully considered. The type of
exhaust hoods must be properly selected and located such that air contaminants can be easily
captured; duct works and the fan motor must be calculated to draw the correct volumetric
flow rates of air. Hood selection is based on the characteristics of the contaminants and how
they are dispersed.
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DCEE 25 – Basic Occupational Safety and Health
• Classifications/Types of hood
- Enclosure-type
- Exterior type
- Receiving type
Enclosure Type
Sources:
- Exterior Type: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists.
(1988). Industrial ventilation: A manual of recommended practice (20th ed.). Ann Arbor, MI:
Edwards Brothers Incorporated.
- Enclosure and Receiving Type: Inchem.org,(n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2011, from
http://www.inchem.org/documents/hsg/hsg/hsgguide.htm#SubSectionNumber:2.7.2
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DCEE 25 – Basic Occupational Safety and Health
Range of Control Velocities
Condition of Dispersion Example Velocity, fpm
of Contaminant Capture
After the local exhaust ventilation system is installed and set in operation, its performance
should be checked to see that it meets the engineering specifications-correct rates of
airflow and duct velocities. Its performance should be rechecked periodically as a
maintenance measure.
b. Adjusting work schedules. For workers who must labor in a compressed-air environment,
schedules of maximum length work shift and length of decompression time have been
prepared. The higher the pressure, the shorter the work shift and the longer the
decompression time period.
c. Job Rotation. Job rotation when used as a way to reduce employee exposure to toxic
chemicals or harmful agents must be used with care. While rotation keeps exposure
below recommended limits exposes more workers to the hazard.
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DCEE 25 – Basic Occupational Safety and Health
d. Education of supervisors. The education of supervisors usually is process equipment-
oriented. The aim of the safety and health professional should be to teach them about
the safety and health hazards that may be found in work areas. Supervisors should be
knowledgeable and well-informed about hazardous processes, operations and materials
for which they are responsible.
e. Employee information and training. The worker must know the proper operating
procedures that make engineering control effective. If performing an operation away
from an exhaust hood, the purpose of the control measure will be defeated and the work
area may become contaminated. Workers can be alerted to safe operating procedures
through manuals, instruction materials, signages, labels, safety meetings, and other
educational devices.
f. Emergency response training and education. Also, be sure to give employees training on
how to respond to emergencies. OSH training on when to respond or not is also critical.
Many deaths have occurred when untrained workers rushed in to save fallen co-workers
and were overcome, themselves.
g. Housekeeping and maintenance. Good housekeeping plays a key role in the control of
occupational health hazards. Remove dust on overhead ledges and on the floor before it
can become airborne by traffic, vibration, and random air currents. Stress that go od
housekeeping is always important; but where there are toxic materials, it is of paramount
importance.
From the management perspective, maintenance breakdown costs a lot, especially if the
process that fails is critical in manufacturing their product. Some companies cannot tolerate
a long downtime, thus, scheduled preventive maintenance is one of production controls that
should not be overlooked. Some people call it predictive maintenance since some parts and
equipment have certain “life spans” due to wear and tear. Replacing worn out parts should
be done if 80 - 90 % of its service life has already been used up to prevent future
manufacturing problems. Worn out parts produce noisier operation and emit foul odor and
chemical leaks, especially for moving metal to metal contact, shaft packing seal and gaskets
and chemical processes. Application of lubricant or grease to bearing and moving parts will
reduce noise and provide more efficient operation. Preventive maintenance should also be
done for other parts or equipment such as fabric filter of dust collectors, water spray of
scrubber, cleaning of piping and ductwork systems.
3. Use of Personal Protective Equipment - should be considered as the last resort when
engineering controls are not feasible or are not sufficient to achieve acceptable limits of
exposure. PPE can be used in conjunction with engineering controls and other methods.
However, PPEs protective devices have one serious drawback - they do nothing to reduce or
eliminate the hazard. The fact that a protective device may become ineffective when the
wearer lacks sufficient knowledge on how to use it.
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DCEE 25 – Basic Occupational Safety and Health
a. where temporary control measures are necessary before engineering controls installed.
b. where engineering controls are not practicable.
c. to supplement engineering controls in reducing exposure
during maintenance and repair.
d. during emergencies
PPEs vary in design, equipment specifications, application and protective capability. Proper
selection depends on the toxic substance involved, conditions of exposure, human capabilitie s
and equipment fit. The different types were already discussed in Module 9. In this module
though, we will be giving particular attention to respiratory protective equipment.
Types of respirators:
a. Air-purifying respirators - clean the air by filtering contaminants before they are inhaled.
Cleaning devices are made of filters to remove dust or chemical cartridges for absorbing gases,
fumes, vapors and mists. Air-purifying or filtering respirators are also used when there’s enough
oxygen (19.5%), but it’s contaminated with gases, vapors, dusts, etc. The respirator may screen
out the dangerous materials or divert the air through a chemical that “washes” the air so you
can breathe it.
b. Air-supplying respirators – provide a continuous supply of uncontaminated air and offer the
highest level of respiratory protection. Air can be pumped from a remote source (connected to a
high-pressure hose) or from a portable supply such as from a cylinder or tank containing
compressed air or oxygen. This type is known as self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).
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Summary
Administrative control use management prerogative to alter work flow or work schedule. It also
improves workers awareness through continuous training and education.
The use of personal protective equipment such as respirators may be considered as the last resort
or it may supplement and complement the existing engineering or administrative control
measures.
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DCEE 25 – Basic Occupational Safety and Health
We should emphasize here the importance of industrial ventilation, as the appropriate
engineering control measures necessary in the control of hazards in the workplace and in
maintaining favorable condition of comfort for workers.
Additional Instruction/References
The participant may browse the following web sites for further inquiry:
www.acgih.org
www.ccohs.ca
www.osha.gov
References:
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