T2.

- OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS
1. Occupational hazards
2. Risks arising from safety conditions
3. Risks arising from environmental conditions
4. Risks arising from ergonomic conditions
5. Risks arising from psychosocial conditions

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1.- Occupational hazards
In the workplace there are various working conditions that can give rise to
different risks

Occupational risk is defined as the possibility that the worker has of

suffering a certain harm derived from his work.

The variables to be taken into account when assessing a risk are:

• The probability of occurrence
• The severity of its consequences.

The most dangerous risk that exists is the one classified as serious and
imminent (that which is rationally probable to materialize in the
immediate future causing serious damage to the health of workers).

PROFESSIONAL
WORKSTATION RISK
DAMAGE
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 Severity
Low: slightly Medium: Harmful High: Extremely
damaging (cuts and (burns, concussions, harmful (amputations,
bruises...) sprains...) fractures, cancer...)
Low: damage Trivial risk Tolerable risk Moderate risk
Probability

will occur rarely

Medium:
damage will Moderate Significant
Tolerable risk
occur on some
occasions
Risk Risk
High: Damage
will always or Moderate Significant Intolerable
almost always
occur.
Risk Risk Risk

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 PREVENTIV
RISK RATING PROPOSAL ACTION
E PRIORITY
TRIVIAL 4 No planning required
No need for improvement,
TOLERABLE 3
should be checked periodically.
The proposed measures must
MODERATE 2 be taken within a given time
frame.
The risk factor does not meet
IMPORTANT the essential requirements. The
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INTOLERABLE proposed measures need to be
taken with the highest priority.

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 Working Conditions
Premises, machinery and Physical, chemical and Procedures, organization and
equipment biological agents organization of work

Occupational risk factors

Derived from safety conditions Derived from environmental Derived from ergonomic and
conditions psychosocial conditions

Occupational Risks
Falls, mechanical, fire and Physical, chemical and Ergonomic and psychosocial
electrical biological

Occupational injury
Accident at work Occupational disease fatigue, job dissatisfaction,
stress, burnout syndrome,
mobbing

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2.- Risks arising from safety conditions

Inadequate safety conditions are the risk factors that can lead to
workplace accidents.

The risk factors arising from the safety conditions are:

A. Workplaces.
B. Working machinery
C. Electrical installations.
D. The fires

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A. Workplace Hazards

All workplaces must comply with standards

Main risks such as the following:

🠾 Falls of persons 🠾 Order and cleanliness

to the same or 🠾 Immediately remove materials and waste using
different levels containers appropriate to the type of waste in order
🠾 Collisions with to facilitate their subsequent recycling
moving and 🠾 Use appropriate storage places for materials and
stationary objects tools.
🠾 Vehicle 🠾Keep traffic areas clean and free of obstructions.
collisions 🠾 Wear non-slip footwear
🠾 Falling objects 🠾 Store harmful substances in suitable, labeled
containers.

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B. Risk in working machinery
Working machinery or equipment are machines, tools, installations or
transport vehicles that are used at work.

Main risks Preventive measures

🠾 Collisions with 🠾 Use guards and safety devices on the machines

moving objects 🠾Provide adequate lighting and signposting
🠾Electrical contacts facilities.
🠾Particle projection 🠾 Avoid baggy clothes, loose hair...
🠾 Entrapments, 🠾Use personal protective equipment
cuts, blows. 🠾Training and informing workers
🠾Burns 🠾Collect and store tools correctly
🠾Respect the maximum load of the machines

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C. Risks in electrical installations

An electrical hazard occurs whenever an electric current passes through

the human body, causing health hazards of varying severity.

The severity of electrocution accidents depends on several factors:

🠾 The intensity of the current

🠾The voltage or tension. From 1,000 volts is considered high voltage.
🠾The resistance which is the opposition that the body presents to the
passage of current.
🠾The path, the path that the current travels through the body.
🠾Contact time is the duration of exposure to the risk.

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Measures On installations and equipment
🠾Move cables or connections away from passageways and work areas.
🠾 Regularly check the electrical installation by specialists
🠾 Use residual current circuit breakers and grounding
🠾 Cover live parts with insulating elements.
🠾Use of safety voltages lower than 24 Volts

Measures on power tools

🠾Periodically check the correct functioning of the protections.
🠾 Do not pull on the cable to disconnect the machine
🠾Use suitable plugs and insulate the cables adequately
🠾Ensure that they are fitted with an earth connection.

Measures on workers
🠾Wear insulated gloves and boots
🠾 Use insulating tools such as poles, stools...
🠾 Information and training
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D. Fire Hazard

Main risks
Toxic fumes Clandestine smoke and Panic
fumes
Can cause asphyxia Can cause burns and form It alters the normal behavior of
explosive people, even leading to suicide.

Extinguishing methods
Suffocation Cooling Dilution
Oxygen is Heat is acted on by reducing It acts on the fuel by
controlled by the temperature of the fuel, dispersing it and preventing it
preventing it from e.g. by using water. from being fed, for example, by
coming into contact covering it with chemicals.
with the fuel, e.g. by
using the
extinguisher.
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 Preventive measures

🠾 Maintain order and cleanliness

🠾 Move any fuels away from heat sources
🠾 Store flammable products in closed containers and in ventilated
and cool environments.
🠾 Do not smoke and turn off any heat-producing appliances when
not in use.
🠾Keep electrical installations in good condition and do not
overload the network.
🠾Disconnect power to equipment when work is finished.

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3.- Risks arising from environmental conditions

The occupational hazards associated with environmental conditions in

the workplace are:

A. Physical hazards:
• The lighting
• Vibrations
• The noise
• The temperature
• Radiation
B. Chemical Hazards
C. Biological Risks

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A.- Physical Hazards - The Lighting

LIGHTING is a risk factor that can produce negative consequences in

workers, both by defect and by excess.

Among the consequences of inadequate lighting can cause eyestrain,

headaches, dizziness, irritability or lack of concentration, thus increasing the
possibility of accidents.

Guidelines to be applied:
🡂 Natural lighting will be used in preference to artificial lighting.
🡂 The lighting used must avoid glare, brightness, reflections, flashing lights.
It shall be uniform and of adequate intensity.
🡂 Where a failure of the normal lighting would pose a risk to the safety of
workers, emergency lighting shall be provided.

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 A.- Physical Hazards - Vibrations
VIBRATIONS are back and forth movements of the particles of a solid body that
are transmitted to the human body.
The frequency of vibration is measured in Hertz (Hz) and can be:
🡂Very low frequency (< 2Hz). E.g. Those caused by some means of transport:
plane, train, ship.
🡂Low frequency (2-20 Hz) caused by the driving of large vehicles such as trucks,
tractors, buses...
🡂High frequency (20-1000Hz). E.g. Caused by certain machines: drills, drills, saws,
sanders...
Risks should be eliminated at source or reduced to the lowest possible
level.
Consequences: Measures to be applied:
🡂 swellings, bone pain, joint pain, 🡂 Machine insulation
pain in the joints 🡂Use shock-absorbing materials such as
🡂Lumbalgias, disc impingement, rubber
bone deformities... 🡂Limit exposure time to vibration.
🡂Personal protective equipment
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 A.- Physical Risks - Noise
NOISE It is defined as an annoying and unwanted sound that can be harmful to
health.
Noise is characterized by frequency which is measured in Hertz (Hz), intensity
which is measured in decibels (dB) and duration which can be continuous or
discontinuous.
Maximum noise levels should not exceed 80 dB as daily exposure and 140 dB as
peak levels at isolated times.
Noise should be eliminated at source or reduced to the lowest possible
level. Measures to be applied:
Consequences:
🡂 Technical or organisational measures to
🡂 Damage to the auditory system
reduce noise levels.
with irreversible lesions
🡂Periodic medical check-ups.
🡂Hand out and demand personal
protective equipment.
🡂Isolate the noise by means of screens,
booths...
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 A.- Physical Risks - Temperature.

TEMPERATURE can pose a risk to health when it reaches extremes of both cold
and heat.
The thermal conditions depend not only on the temperature, but also on the
clothing and the physical demands of the activity, the humidity.
Thermal comfort is different for everyone.

Consequences: Measures to be applied:

🡂 Colds 🡂 The optimum temperature is 17º to 27º
🡂Dehydrations in sedentary work.
🡂Hypothermias that can cause 🡂From 14º to 25º in light work
cardiac arrest and brain damage

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 A.- Physical Risks - Radiation.
RADIATIONS are a source of energy that moves from one point to another
through space, in the form of electromagnetic waves or subatomic particles.
They can be a health hazard to workers depending on the time of exposure and the
type of radiation.
The ionizing ones are very dangerous for the human body, such as x-rays, gamma
rays, α β particles and neutrons.
The non-ionizing are electric fields, radiofrequency, microwaves, infrared, lasers
and ultraviolet rays.

Consequences:
🡂 mild: nausea, vomiting,
diarrhea, hair loss, burns...
🡂Skin cancer, lung cancer,
sterility and hereditary genetic
malformations.
Measures to be applied:
🡂 Signposting areas
🡂Putting up protective barriers
🡂Protective equipment
🡂Informing and training workers
🡂Frequent checkups
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B.- CHEMICAL Hazards
It is that risk susceptible to be produced by an uncontrolled exposure to
chemical agents.
Chemical pollutant is any organic and inorganic substance, natural or
synthetic, which during its manufacture or handling, transport, storage or
use, can be incorporated into the environment in the form of dust, gas,
smoke, vapor with harmful effects on the health of those exposed to them.
They can be classified as:
🡂 IRRITANTS - cause inflammation of exposed organs such as:
hydrochloric, sulfuric and nitric acids.
🡂AXPHYSIANT, e.g. carbon monoxide.
🡂ANESTHETICS such as industrial solvents.
🡂TOXICS such as methyl alcohol, heavy metals.
🡂CARCINOGENIC SUBSTANCES: asbestos, lead, benzene.
🡂MUTAGENIC SUBSTANCES that cause alterations in genes such as
mercury and cadmium.
🡂TERATOGENIC SUBSTANCES that produce malformations in future
babies, such as alcohol, antibiotics, cocaine... 19
B.- BIOLOGICAL Risks
These are contaminants made up of microscopic living beings belonging to
the animal or plant world, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa and
parasitic worms.
The most affected workers are those who work in the field of health,
laboratories, food, cleaning and in contact with animals.

Consequences: Measures to be applied:

🡂 fevers, flus, tuberculosis,
tetanus, malaria, rabies,
hepatitis...
🡂…
🡂 Avoid the source of infection.
🡂Providing vaccinations
🡂Provision of personal hygiene facilities
🡂Ventilation systems
🡂Work equipment: masks, gloves, goggles,
gowns.
🡂Install detection and alarm systems
🡂…
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21
4.- Ergonomic risks

Ergonomics is a science that studies how to adapt the work to the

capabilities and possibilities of the worker, creating more comfortable
and safe working conditions, thus improving performance and
productivity.

The ergonomic risks are:

A. Risks arising from the workload

B. Working postures

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A.- Manual handling of loads

When we lift very

heavy objects, push
or drag them, this
can cause
overexertion and
can lead to back
and lumbar
damage.

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B.- The working posture

•In the sitting position, •In the standing working position

you have to take into account:
🡂The chair, the height of the
table and the footrest

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5.- Psychosocial risks
The working day, the pace of work, job stability, motivation,
interpersonal relationships and the degree of autonomy or dependence,
among other things, have an impact on the health of the worker.
The negative effects are:
🡂Stress
🡂Job dissatisfaction
🡂Fatigue
🡂Premature aging
🡂Mobbing
🡂The burmout.

Appropriate Human Resources Policies

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 Features
of the task Damages Measures
🡂Monotony
🡂Level of responsibility 🡂Provide facilities and
🡂Pace of work spaces for taking hot meals.
🡂Amount of information 🠾Physical load 🠾Afternoon and evening
🡂Too little or too much work 🠾Mental load shifts will be shorter than
🡂Shift work days 🠾Disruption of morning shifts.
🡂Night hours sleep cycles 🠾Shift calendar and its
🡂Short work cycles 🠾Isolation
🡂Tight delivery times communication
🠾Stress 🠾Employee participation in
🡂Runtime pressure
🠾Insecurity the company
🡂Authoritarian command styles
🡂Ambiguity in the definition of
🠾Demotivation 🠾Encourage teamwork
functions 🠾Low self-esteem 🠾Figure of the boss as
🡂Lack of problem-solving advisor
support 🠾…
🡂Absence of communication and
participation systems

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