HAZARDS

Hazards
• A hazard is a situation which poses a level of threat to life, health,
property or environment.
• Most hazards are dormant or potential, with only a theoretical risk
of harm, however, once a hazard becomes ‘active', it can create
an emergency situation.
Modes of a Hazard:
• A hazard is usually used to describe a potentially harmful situation.

• There are a number of modes for a hazard, which include:

1.Dormant-
The situation has the potential to be hazardous, but no people,
property or environment is currently affected by this.
2. Potential-Also known as 'Armed', this is a situation where
the hazard is in the position to affect persons, property or
environment.
•This type of hazard is likely to require further risk
assessment.

3. Active- The hazard is certain to cause harm, as no

intervention is possible before the incident occurs.

4. Mitigated-
A potential hazard has been identified, but actions have been
taken in order to ensure it does not become an incident.
•This may not be an absolute guarantee of no risk, but it is likely
to have been undertaken to significantly reduce the danger
 Classifying Hazards
• By its nature, a hazard involves something which could potentially
be harmful to a person's life, health, property or to the environment. 
• There are a number of methods of classifying a hazard, but most
systems use some variation on the factors of Likelihood of the hazard
turning into an incident and the Seriousness of the incident if it were
to occur.
• A common method is to score both likelihood and seriousness on a
numerical scale (with the most likely and most serious scoring
highest) and multiplying one by the other in order to reach a
comparative score.
• Risk=Likelihood of Occurrence x Seriousness if incident occurred.
• This score can then be used to identify which hazards may need to
be mitigated. A low score on likelihood of occurrence may mean
that the hazard is dormant, where as a high score would indicate
that it may be an Active hazard
 Causes of hazards but they can broadly be
termed into:
• Natural-Natural hazards include anything which is caused by
a natural process, and can include obvious hazards such as
volcanoes to smaller scale hazards such as loose rocks on a
hillside
• Manmade-Hazards created by humans, which includes a
huge array of possibilities, probably too many to list, as it
includes long term (and some times disputed) effects such
as global warming to immediate hazards such as building
sites
• Activity related-
Some hazards are created by the undertaking of a certain
activity. This includes hazards ie. flying.
IT COULD BE ANYTHING* ……….

WITH THE

POTENTIAL FOR PRODUCING

AN ACCIDENT.

* CAN INCLUDE SUBSTANCES OR MACHINES,

METHOD OF WORK & OTHER ASPECTS OF
WORK ORGANISATION.
 Manufacturing Industry

Definition:
Manufacturing Industry is an industry where raw materials
are transformed, by means of tools and/or processing
medium, into finished goods for sale, or intermediate
processes involving the production or finishing of semi-
manufacturers.
Hazards in Manufacturing Industry can be
broadly classified into three.

• Physical Hazards

• Chemical Hazards

• Work Design Hazards

Physical Hazards
 Physical Hazards
 Physical agents are forms of energy that can harm the body
when exposure takes place.

 They can be hazardous if their energy is absorbed by the

body.
Physical agents hazardous to health are

Noise

Vibration

Temperature

Radiation
Noise
• Noise is unwanted sound.

• Sound is a form of mechanical energy caused by the vibration

of the air.

• The human ear is responsive to a very wide range of sounds.

• There are two types of noises, they are:

• Continuous noise is that produced constantly.

• Impulse noise consists of separate pulses, which may or

may not repeat a pattern and can have higher and lower
sound levels.
 Excessive
Health noiseofhas
Effects the potential to impair hearing, or even
Noise
destroy it.
Noise may also put stress on other parts of the body causing

abnormal secretion of hormones,

tensing of muscles and other health effects.

Sleeplessness and fatigue are among the symptoms.

Noise also interferes with communication, thereby affecting

job performance and safety.

The specific health effects depend on the type of noise

involved and the duration of the exposure.
Hearing Loss
A hearing loss is any reduction in the normal ability to hear.

A hearing loss can be

temporary or permanent and,

it might be partial or total.

Exposure to a sudden and excessive noise, such as an

explosion leads to Acoustic Trauma & it may cause permanent
damage to the ear.
Prolonged exposure to continuous elevated noise can cause
damage that is more gradual, but in the long run may be just
as damaging.
 Threshold Shift
• A threshold shift is the loss of a person's ability to hear higher
frequency sounds.
• It results from damage to the cochlea due to prolonged exposure
to noise.
 Threshold Shift
• The first symptom of a threshold shift is a loss of hearing at the
higher frequency levels.

• As the damage progresses, hearing loss extends into the lower

frequencies, and poor understanding of speech becomes more
apparent.

• A threshold shift can be permanent or temporary.

• Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, is one sign that exposure to

noise has been excessive. It may be permanent or temporary.

• With a temporary threshold shift, normal hearing will usually

return after a period away from noise.
 Vibration
• Vibration is a rapid alternating or reciprocating motion.

• It can affect all or part of the body.

For example,

• Driving a tractor over bumpy roads in a poorly designed seat

vibrates the entire body.

• Prolonged use of a vibrating hand tool can affect the hands and
arms.
 Health Effects of Vibration
The energy from vibration is absorbed by the tissues and organs of
the body.
Whole body vibration can lead to lower back pain.
Hand-arm vibration causes damage to blood vessels, impairing
circulation in the hand.

This leads to a condition known as white finger, or Reynaud's

phenomenon. When exposed to cold, the hands appear to be mildly
frostbitten.
The damage can progress to the point where it disables the
victim.
White finger disease is most common among operators of air
hammers, air chisels and chain-saws.
In general, the harm caused by vibration increases with its
strength and with the duration of exposure.
 Temperature

• The human body functions efficiently only within a very narrow

range of internal temperatures.

• The normal deep body temperature is 37.6 degrees Celsius.

• The temperature at the mouth is a little lower, about 37 degrees.

• If the deep body temperature falls below 36.4 degrees or rises

above 39.2 degrees, body functions are significantly impaired.
 Temperature

• The body has automatic systems that maintain internal

temperature within this narrow range under normal circumstances.

• The automatic systems are:

• Sweating when the body gets overheated.

• Shivering when the body is too cold.

• If the body is exposed to excessive temperatures for prolonged

periods, these automatic heating and cooling systems get
overloaded, and the body is placed under stress.
Health Effects of Heat Stress

The health effects caused by heat stress include:

• Heat cramps

• Heat exhaustion

• Heat stroke.
Heat cramps
Heat cramps are caused by loss of fluid and body salts, sometimes in
combination with heavy exertion. They can be very painful and affect
several different muscle groups.

Heat exhaustion

Heat exhaustion results from the depletion of body fluid and salts. The
symptoms include dizziness, nausea and profuse sweating.

Heat stroke

Heat stroke is the failure of the body's temperature regulating system,

leading to a rise in body temperature that can cause death.
 Health Effects of Cold Stress
The immediate health effects of cold stress are

• restlessness,
• decreased alertness and
• lack of concentration.

If exposure is prolonged or extreme, frostbite or hypothermia

may result.
 Health Effects of Cold Stress

• Hypothermia results when the body mechanisms can no longer

maintain internal temperature above 35 degrees.

• Blood vessel constriction is no longer adequate to retain heat

and shivering becomes the only mechanism available.
Radiation

• Radiation is energy that travels in electromagnetic waves.

• This energy can enter the body and damage tissue and organs.
Radiation
 Ionizing radiation

• Ionizing radiation, such as X-rays, is the most harmful.

•It can damage the cells and cause genetic damage.

Health Effects of Ionizing Radiation

Exposure to ionizing radiation can cause

• Cancer

• Birth defects

• Genetic damage to a worker's children.

Non-ionizing radiation
Non-ionizing radiation is in the lower end of the frequency
spectrum.
It includes:
• Ultraviolet

• Infrared

• Microwave

• Low Frequency Radiation.

Health Effects of Non-Ionization Radiation
Chemical Hazards
 Chemical Hazards

• Health hazards can arise from exposure to a large variety of

chemical substances.

• Their toxic properties can harm the body.

Chemical Hazards

Chemical hazards take the form of

• Solids
• Liquids
• Vapours
• Gases
• Dusts
• Fumes
• Mists

They can be inhaled, ingested or absorbed into the body.

 Some Health Effects of
Hazardous Chemicals

Irritation
Allergic
Reactions
Depression of the central nervous system
Asphyxia
Pneumoconiosis
Cancer
Reproductive effects
Some Depressants of the Central
Nervous System

 Toluene

 Xylene

 Ether

 Acetone
 Some Chemical Causes  of
Pneumoconiosis

 Silica and asbestos dusts: These dusts cause

scarring (fibrosis) of the lungs.

 Iron oxide, tin oxide and beryllium: These dusts

cause non-fibro tic pneumoconiosis.

 Beryllium can cause fibro tic pneumoconiosis.

Common Workplace Carcinogens  and Related Cancers

 Liver: Chlorinated hydrocarbons; including vinyl chloride, carbon

tetrachloride
 Lungs: Arsenic, asbestos, cadmium, chromium, coke oven emissions,
hematite iron, mustard gas, nickel, radon gas, soot and tar, vinyl chloride
 Nose and Sinuses: Chromium, isopropyl oil, nickel
 Pleura (lining of the lungs): Asbestos, cadmium
 Prostate Gland: Cadmium
 Scrotum: Arsenic, soot and tar
 Skin: Arsenic, coke oven emissions, cutting oils, soot and tar
 Urinary: 4-aminodiphenyl
 Bladder: Benzidine, beta-napthylamine
 Control Measures for Physical & Chemical
Hazards
• Control at the Source

• Substitution

• Redesigning Processes

• Enclosure/Isolation
Control Measures for Physical & Chemical
Hazards

Control along the path

Control at the worker

Personal Hygiene Practices and Facilities

Administrative Controls, E.g. Job Rotation

Personal Protective Equipment

Control Measures for Physical & Chemical
Hazards

Work Practices

Standard Work Procedures. E.g. Safe

Operating Procedures (SOP’s)

Housekeeping Procedures

Safe Practices

Equipment Maintenance. E.g. Regular

Equipment Maintenance Schedule
 Biological hazards

• Biological hazardous agents are living things or substances

produces by living things that can cause illness or diseases in
humans.
• They include bacteria , viruses and fungi as well as larger
organisms such as parasites and plants

• Biological agents enter the body;

 By ingestion
 By inhalation
 By absorption
 Inhalation is the most common way
Types of transmission
• Direct Transmission Of Infectious Agents
• Direct transmission take place when there is physical
contact between an infected and non infected person
• Direct transmission might also occur with an infected needle
or other sharp object which is infected

• Indirect Transmission Of Infectious Agents

• An infectious may also be transmitted by an insect
 Health Effect

•Biological agent that are capable of causing diseases are

known as pathogens
•Some of them are infectious and can multiply in the body

Diseases caused by infectious agents

•Bacterial diseases include tuberculosis, tetanus and food

poisoning
•Infection through the skin can cause boils or blood poisoning
Diseases Caused By Other Biological Agents

• Parasitic worms enter the body when their eggs are ingested.

• They can also enter when their larvae in the soil penetrate the
skin or through insect bites

• Most common are round and flat worms

Assessing biological hazards
• In a work place where biological hazards are presents, unusual amounts of lost
time due to illness might reveal that workers are being exposed to those hazards
• The situation may be further assessed by discussion with workers and
supervisors
• These steps alone will not conform exposure to biological hazard
• Medical assistance will be required to make a more accurate assessment
• Monitoring of biological hazards may be necessary where workers may be
exposed to plants or animal products
• Monitoring generally involves
• collecting samples from the work place,
• placing them in a culture medium and
• observing any colonies of microorganism that can grow from them
 Control of biological hazards
• Biological hazards may be controlled at the source of hazards,
along the path from the source to the worker and at the
worker
• Controls at the source involve eliminating or reducing exposure
through elimination, isolation or containment of the hazard

• This may be done through the proper design of equipment

• Steps can be taken to ensure that the hazards does not spread

• Those inside the area must follow safe work practices and use
protective equipment

• Control at the worker may involve personal protective

equipment such as gloves and masks
Safe work practices
• Work places where biological hazards are present should have
written safe work procedures and training to ensure that all
workers know how to protect themselves.
• All contaminated equipment or material should be
contained, labeled and isolated
• Spills should be cleaned up immediately
• No one should eat, drink or smoke in a potentially hazardous
work area.