PowerPoint

Presentation for
Management of
Occupational Health
and Safety

Prepared by
Bernadette Gatien

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd.

 Chapter 6
Biological and Chemical Agents

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 6-2

 Learning Objectives
• After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
– Define the numerous terms relating to chemical and biological
agents
– Recognize problems associated with biohazards and chemical
agents and discuss the measures that can be taken to control
them
– List the eight characteristics that make solvents effective but
at the same time hazardous and toxic
– Describe the various control measures that can be used to
ensure the safe handling of both chemical and low-level
biological agents
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 Opening Vignette:
Take a Deep Breath
• Indoor air quality is of concern
due to increase in contaminants
• Poor indoor air quality can cause
various illnesses including Sick
Building Syndrome
– Set of symptoms that cannot
be attributed to a cause and
disappear when the person
leaves
• As an HR practitioner it is
important to be familiar with the
various chemical and biological
hazards including the air quality
of our work environments.

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 Biohazards

• Hazards created by exposure to

infectious microorganisms,
What Are proteins, or nucleic acids

Biohazards Chemical Agents

and • Hazards created by exposure to

chemicals
Chemical
Agents
Agents? • Any substances, chemical or
biological, to which a human may
be exposed at work or at home

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 Biohazards

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 Biohazards

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 Reservoir
• The home or environment
where the biological agent
grows and multiplies

Portal of exit
Biohazards • The path by which a
biohazardous agent leaves its
host

Modes of transmission
• The means or channel by which
an agent is carried from one
host to another
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 Portal of entry
• The path by which a
biohazardous agent
gains access to a new
Biohazards host
Susceptible host
• An individual or animal
that becomes infected
with a biohazardous
agent

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 Biohazards
• Biological Agents
– Natural organisms or products of organisms that
present a risk to humans
– Diseases resulting from biological agents include:
• Legionnaires’ disease (Legionella pneumophila)
• AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome)
• SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome)
– Exposure to biohazards is not as common as
exposure to chemical agents

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 • Toxicity
– Ability to cause injury to human
biological tissue

Chemical • Aerosols
– Airborne respirable contaminants,
Agents such as liquid droplets or solid
particulate, dispersed in air, that are
of a fine enough particle size (0.01 to
100 micrometres) to remain
suspended for a time

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Chemical Agents

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 Chemical Agents
• Hazards created by one or more chemicals
• More than 70 000 chemicals in use in North
America and about 800 new ones introduced every
year
• No toxicity data available for about 80% of
commercially used chemicals
• Physiological reactions to low-level chemical
exposures in the environment:
– Headaches, dry nasal passages, and nausea
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 Toxicology
• Scientific study of poisons
• Study of chemical-related
Toxicology: occupational illnesses

An Chemicals enter body by

one of four routes of entry:
Overview
• Respiration (inhalation)
• Skin absorption
• Ingestion
• Skin penetration

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 OH&S Certain chemicals cause
hearing loss or ototoxic effects
Notebook
Ototoxicity
6.2:
• adverse of harmful effect on the
Ototoxic nerves and or bones required for
hearing and balance
Effects of Chemicals that cause ototoxic
effects:
Workplace • medications (antibiotics), dyes,

Chemicals perfumes, and chemicals used in

manufacturing plastics

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 Respiration (Inhalation)
• Most human exposure to chemicals comes from
breathing airborne contaminants
• Five basic levels of protection within respiratory tract:
1. Nose
2. Interior of the nasal passage (turbinates)
3. Mucus/cilia
4. Lung passages
5. Alveoli (tiny air sacs at the ends of the lungs’
air passages)

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 Skin
Absorption
• Chemical contact with the skin is
a common occurrence
• Chemicals not absorbed through
skin may produce localized
irritation (dermatitis).
• Burns or blisters can result from
contact with acids or alkalis
(chemical action).
• Skin disorders can result from
contact with certain plants
(biological action).
• Skin damage can result from
contact with radiation or heat
(physical action).

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Ingestion
– Poor personal hygiene,
eating, drinking, or
smoking in an area where
solvents are used
– Ingestion of most solvents
causes damage to lining of
digestive system
– Ingested solvent may be
absorbed into bloodstream
and carried to organs
where it will produce toxic
effects

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 Ingestion
• Target organs
– Tissues or organs that are
most affected by exposure to
a particular substance
• Surfactant layer
– Layer of liquids in the
digestive tract and
elsewhere (e.g., the
cardiovascular system) that
modify or reduce the surface
tension within the
conductors—intestine, blood
vessels—to allow material—
blood, food, stools, and so
on—to move easily

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 6-19

 Penetration
• Occurs when skin is cut or
punctured by any sharp object
• Type of contamination on the
source, such as a knife or
needle, will determine possible
trauma or illness
• Workers such as doctors,
nurses, and veterinarians can
easily be punctured by a
hypodermic needle
• Disorders range in seriousness
from low-grade infections to
HIV (human immunodeficiency
virus)

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 Characteristics
and
Properties of
Solvents

• Characteristics and properties

that make solvents effective but
also hazardous and toxic:
– Low surface tension
– High vapour pressure
– Low boiling point
– Low heat of vaporization
– High volatility
– Ability to dissolve fats
– Flammability
– Vaporization

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Control of
Exposures

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 Work Practices
• Standard work procedures
• Education and training for workers
• Labels/SDS
• Safety cans
• Good housekeeping
• Preventive maintenance
• Recordkeeping
• Waste disposal

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Engineering
Controls
- Substitution with less
hazardous materials
- Enclosure or exhaust
ventilation
- Closed systems
- Vapour recovery
systems
- Control of ignition
system

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Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd.

Employees should receive

training in:
• Safe operating and emergency
procedures
• Use and care of PPE
• Handling and control of agents
Administrative
Training must be conducted on
Controls
an ongoing basis
• New solvents and other agents are
continually entering the workplace

Workers must be familiar with

WHMIS legislation

6-
25
 Administrative Controls
• WHMIS
– Comprehensive communication system outlining the safe use of
hazardous products via:
• Product labels
• Safety data sheets (SDS)
• Worker education and training

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 Administrative Controls
• WHMIS
– Updated in 2015 to reflect new rules related to classifying hazards,
label requirements, and newly formatted safety data sheets
– Hazards classes and categories
• All hazardous materials are organized by group, class, category,
and type

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 Administrative Controls

• WHMIS
– Two specific types
of labels:
• Supplier
• Workplace labels

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Administrative Controls

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 Administrative Control
• WHMIS
– Safety Data Sheets:
• Identify potentially harmful materials
• Present information about the nature of materials
and their harmful effects
• Provide guidance on how to handle safely

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 Medical
Surveillance
• Pre-employment and preplacement
medical examinations should be
conducted to establish a baseline of
the employee’s health and exposure to
agents in previous workplaces

• Follow-up medical examinations should

be conducted periodically

• Recordkeeping is an important aspect

• Types of exposures employees face and

their health records before and after
exposure should be included in this
process

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 Personal
Protective
Equipment (PPE)

• Most commonly used

protection device is a
respirator:
– Respiratory protection
is more specialized for
biohazards than it is
for chemical agents

• PPE for hands, face, and

other body parts must be
provided where necessary

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 Personal
Protective
Equipment (PPE)

• No single protective
device, such as a
facemask, will adequately
address all conditions for
all workers

• Device must be properly

fitted to individual:
– One size does not fit
all

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 Personal
Hygiene
Practices
• Remove outer protective clothing, and
clean hands, arms, face, and nails
before entering rest areas or
lunchrooms

• Avoid touching lips, nose, and eyes

with contaminated hands

• Wash hands before eating, drinking, or

smoking, and eat, drink, and smoke
only in designated areas

• Remove work clothes and

wash/shower before leaving work

Copyright © 2021 by Nelson Education Ltd. 6-34

 Video Link

• Asbestos, WorkSafeBC
– Asbestos can pose he
alth hazards to worke
rs and homeowners
who renovate or dem
olish those homes. Th
is animation shows h
ow asbestos fibres co
uld damage lung tissu
e and lead to lung dis
ease
(2min, 17sec)

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