Occupational Hygiene

Learning Outcomes

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Ability to describe and explain various aspects of

occupational hygiene in the workplace

Describe what occupational

hygiene hazards could affect
participants in their work

Occupational Hygiene

Occupational Hygiene
Recognition, evaluation and
control of those
environmental factors in the
workplace which may cause
sickness, impaired health, or
discomfort and inefficiency
among workers.

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Occupational Hygiene

How OH activities affect you

Identification of any problem areas
- noise, ventilation, dusty work areas
Identifying work processes and how they
can be improved
- personal protection issues
- hand tools and other equipment
- chemicals - use, storage, disposal
- shift work - fatigue, stress, life disruption

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Occupational Hygiene

How OH activities affect

you
Staff should be familiar
with the layout of the work
environment and processes

Make periodic tours of the workplace

and report deficiencies to management
Ensure necessary surveys are
completed

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Occupational Hygiene

How OH activities affect

you

Staff should be familiar with the various types

of protective clothing and safety equipment
Any new chemicals should be checked
and the details provided to the OHS
Ensure Material Safety Data Sheets
are available

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Occupational Hygiene
Key elements of an occupational
hygiene programme

Identification

Evaluation

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Control

Occupational Hygiene

Identification / anticipation
requires
Knowledge of the stresses arising from
the environment and processes.
The use of the senses such as your
eyes, nose, ears and feelings.

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Occupational Hygiene
Use a basic systematic procedure by
answering the following questions

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What is produced?
What raw materials are used?
What materials are added in the process?
What by-products are produced?
What equipment is involved?
What operational procedures are used?
Is there a written safe work procedure?
What about dust control, clean-up and waste disposal?
Is ventilation adequate?

Occupational Hygiene

Evaluating environmental health

hazards
Find the safe exposure level
Determine the actual level of exposure
Determine the number of employees exposed and for
how long
Compare findings to the
safe exposure levels

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Occupational Hygiene

Control measures can include

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Local exhaust ventilation

Isolation of noise
General ventilation
Substitution of dangerous substances
Wet methods (dust suppression)
Change process
Administrative methods
Personal protection

Occupational Hygiene

Environmental factors and

stressors
These can be classified as
Chemical
Physical
Biological
Ergonomic
Psychological

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Occupational Hygiene

Environmental factors and stres

Chemical factors
Must enter the body to cause harm
Inhalation, ingestion and skin absorption
Dust
Fumes
Mist
Gases
Vapours
Aerosols

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Occupational Hygiene

Types of toxic effects of hazardous sub

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Local effects
Adverse effects in the specific tissue of the exposed area

Systemic effects
Adverse effects after absorption

Acute effect
The adverse effects are of a short duration, often dramatic
during or soon after exposure

Chronic
Adverse effects that are long lasting, if not permanent.

Occupational Hygiene

Environmental factors and stressors

Physical factors
They include excessive levels of
electromagnetic and ionising radiation,
noise, vibration and extreme
temperatures and pressure

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Occupational Hygiene

Environmental factors and stres

Biological factors
- insects
- moulds
- fungi and bacterial contamination
- sanitation and housekeeping
- removal of industrial waste and sewerage
- food handling
- personal cleanliness

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Occupational Hygiene

Environmental factors and stressors

Ergonomic factors

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Properly designed tools or work areas

Influencing factors
- improper lifting or reaching
- poor visual conditions
- repeated motions in awkward positions

Occupational Hygiene

Environmental factors and stresso

Psychological factors

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Includes occupations that might

endanger mental health
Consequences
- absenteeism
- tiredness
- sleeplessness
- heart disorders
- peptic ulcers
- asthma

Occupational Hygiene

Exposure to hazards & chemical

factors
Occupational Exposure Limit - OEL
The limit to which most employees can be exposed to
for a normal shift of 8 hours per day or 40 hours per
week, without suffering any ill effects

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Occupational Hygiene

Exposure to hazards & chemical

factors
Occupational Exposure Limit - OEL

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Time weighted average (TWA OEL)

Short term exposure limit (STEL OEL)
Skin absorption (SK)
Respiratory sensitisation (SEN)
Recommended limit values (RL) evaluated 2 yearly
Control limit values (CL) - evaluated annually

Occupational Hygiene

Interrelated occupational health care

The 3 occupational
health disciplines
interact to recognise,
identify and control
hazards in the work
place.

Occ
Medicine

Occ
Hygiene

Primary
Health
Care

Occupational Hygiene

Interrelated occupational health care

example

Primary Health Care

addresses
education
and the social
aspects

Extra

Occupational
Medicine
monitors
noise effects

Occupational Hygiene
identifies hazards
and instigates
control measures

Noise

Noise is one of the

most pervasive health
hazards in the workplace.
Noise can be defined as
undesirable or physiologically
impairing sound.

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Noise

Classification of noise

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Continuous
A monotonous continuous sound with little variance in
frequency and intensity

Interrupted
The nature of the sounds are the same but alternated by
periods of silence and sound

Impulse
Very intense sound lasting only a short period of time

Noise

The bodys response to noise

Temporary threshold shift

Occurs immediately after exposure. Quiet
sounds can no longer be heard.
Permanent hearing loss may result from longterm exposure to loud noises. It is irreversible.

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Noise

The bodys response to noise

Permanent loss
Excessive noise levels over long periods of time,
the hair cells in the inner ear become over
stimulated. Eventually they wither and die.
The principle health related effect of noise

exposure is loss of hearing. The effect is not

reversible.

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Noise

The bodys response to noise

Other effects

fatigue (tinnitus)
irritability
elevated blood pressure
increased respiration and pulse rate

Noise impairs communication, making

it harder to do a job and interferes
with the enjoyment of life.
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Noise

Noise control
Engineering control by modifying
machine design
Enclosing the source or operator
PPE such as ear plugs and ear muffs

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Noise

Noise control
Hearing conservation programme

a noise survey has to be conducted to determine

appropriate control measures

Noise zones

clearly demarcated noise zones

mandatory annual hearing tests

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Hearing protection
mandatory hearing protection
ear muffs and ear plugs