occupational hazard

1. OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS
IN THE WORKPLACE

2.  What is a/an
 Hazard
 Risk
 Exposure
 What are the types of occupational
hazards?
Learning objectives

3. Hazard
 Potential of an agent to cause harm

4. Exposure
 Contact with a Hazard is called Exposure
 Exposure is a combination of
Magnitude
Frequency
Duration

5. Risk
 Likelihood that an agent will cause harm in the
actual circumstances of exposure
 RISK occurs only when there is
Exposure
Hazard

6. Health Risk = Hazard x Exposure
Exposure
Hazard

7. Health Risk
 No Hazard = No Risk
 Hazard, but no Exposure = No Risk
Health Risk = Hazard x Exposure

8. HAZARDS AT WORKPLACE
 Physical
 Chemical
 Biological
 Psychosocial
 Ergonomics
 Mechanical

9. Classes of Hazards
Chemical
Physical Biological
Ergonomic
Psychological
Health hazard
The potential to cause
harm to health

10. Occupational
Hazards
• Noise
• Vibration
• Radiation
• Lighting
• Heat
• Cold
• Fibres
• Dusts
CHEMICAL
• Fumes
• Gases
• Aerosols
• Mists
• Liquids
• Vapours
• Bacteria
• Fungi
• Insects
• Viruses
• Manual handling
• Repetitive movement
• Restrictive working area
PSYCHOLOGICAL
• Job stress
• Job monotony
• Unsociable hours
• Job organization
ERGONOMICAL
BIOLOGICAL
PHYSICAL

11. Physical hazards

12. Physical hazards
 Fall from heights e.g. scaffolding, high building
 Slips and trips
 Objects falling from cranes
 Dangerous heavy machinery
 Electrocution
 Confined spaces

14. Physical agents

15. NOISE
 Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL)
 Mental irritability & fatigue
 Noise can increase blood pressure
 Interference with communication can lead to
accidents eg. Carpentry, quarry, construction
workers

16. EXTREME TEMPERATURES
 Heat Stress
 Heat Stroke
 Cataract
 eg. hot oven
workers, glass
manufacturing
 Hypothermia
 Frostbite (freezing
soft body tissue)
 eg. cold storage
workers
HEAT COLD

17. RADIATION
 X-ray, Gamma, Alpha &
Beta particles eg.
radiology staff, nuclear
plant, radium workers
 Health effects:
 Cancer – lung, bone,
thyroid
 Congenital
abnormalities
 Leukaemia
 Ultra-violet light
Ionising Radiation
Non-Ionising
Radiation

18. Chemical hazards

19. CHEMICAL HAZARDS
 Solvents
 Dusts (sand, asbestos, cotton)
 Paints
 Pharmaceuticals
 Pesticides
 Metal fumes
 Acids & Alkali
which may be
present in the
working
environment as
gases, vapours,
mists/aerosols,
fumes, dusts, liquids
or solids.

20. SOLVENTS
 Neuropathy (n-hexane,TCE)
 Dermatitis
 Kidney damage
 Liver damage/toxic jaundice –hepatitis
 Anaemia, leukaemia -benzene

21. DUST
 Asbestosis
 Sand dust(silica) – silicosis
 Cotton dust – byssinosis
 Vegetable/plant dust – hypersensitive
pneumonitis, bronchial asthma

23. PAINTS
 Paint contain petroleum solvents.
 Paint contain Lead pigments (Pb poisoning) →
anaemia, neuropathy, kidney damage

24. PESTICIDES
 Chronic headache
 Memory impairment
 Skin Diseases
 Cancer
eg. Agricultural workers,
pest sprayers

25. METAL FUMES
 Lead, mercury
e.g. welders
Health Effects:
 Cancer
 Kidney damage
 Neuropathy
 Metal fume fever

26. GASES
 Carbon monoxide, sulphur
 Health Effects
 Respiratory irritation
 Asphyxia
e.g. coal miner, sewerage, tunnel, laboratory
workers

27. Biological hazards

28. BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS
 Bacteria
 Fungi – mold
 Virus – Bird Flu, Influenza, SARS
 Blood-borne pathogen - HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis
 Tuberculosis
e.g. farmers, health care workers, animal
handlers

29. Psychosocial hazards

30. Psychosocial hazards
 Work-related stress – excessive working time,
overwork, burnout
 Bullying – emotional, verbal
 Sexual harassment
 Violence at work
 Body odour
 Health effects:
 Occupational Stress, Anxiety, Depression
 Cardiovascular Disorders, GI Disorders
 Drug abuse, smoking

31. ERGONOMIC FACTORS
• Working postures / chairs
• Space per work shift
• Working surface height
• Reach / machine feeding
• Space between machines
• Strenous physical load

32. ERGONOMIC FACTORS
 Lifting heavy loads/frequent bending/repetitive &
monotonous work
 Design of tools
 Displays and instructions
 Mental overload / visibilty

33. Health Effects
 Musculo-skeletal disorders
 Backache/back strain/neck strain
 Repetitive strain injuries (RSI)
 Carpel tunnel syndrome
e.g. factory workers, Health care workers,
electronic, garment workers, VDU operators

34. MECHANICAL HAZARDS
 Outdated machines
 Unsafe designs
 Complex / sophiscated machinery
 Poor maintenance
 Slippery /wet floors
Health effects: cut/crush injuries,fractures,fb eye

36. SAFETY/OTHER HAZARDS
 Flammable substances - fire
 Flammable gases - explosion
 Electricity overload, inadequate insulation -
electrocution

40. Ergonomics At
Workplace

41. What is Ergonomics?
ERGO=“work”
NOMICS= “rules” or “laws”
Ergonomics literally means “the laws of
work”

42. SO EXACTLY WHAT IS
ERGONOMICS?
It is study of people efficiency at their
working environment.
It is one of the definition of Ergonomics.
It is understandable that there are
different definitions because
ergonomics is all about differences

43. DIFFERENCES
 This are differences in size,
shape, strength and ability of
individual workers.
This differences call for
different designs in
equipment , furniture,
Workstations and routines.

44. ERGONOMICS
 Ergonomics is used in a
workplace to help
prevent repetitive and
cumulative injuries.

45. 3 Main Ergonomic Principles:
1. Work activities should permit worker to
adopt several different healthy and safe
postures.
2. Muscle forces should be done by the
largest appropriate muscle groups
available
3. Work activities s/b performed with
joints at about mid-point of their ROM
(esp. head,trunk, UE)

46. FACTS
• The average person working at a keyboard can
perform 50,000 to 200,000 keystrokes a day
• Overexertion & falls are the most common
cause of workplace injury
• An average of 125,000 back injuries due to
improper lifting each year.
• Muscles overuse results in tiny tears in the
muscles and scarring; these contribute to
inflammation and muscle stiffness

47. Ergonomic Factors
Two Categories of Ergonomic
Factors
1. Environmental
 Hearing
 Vision
 General comfort and health
2. Physical

48. Environmental
Factors
 Some examples of ergonomic environmental
problems are:
 Sick Building Syndrome
 Excessive noise
 Improper lighting
 Temperature extremes

49. Physical
Stressors
Physical stressors place pressure or stress
on parts of the body:
 Joints, muscles, nerves, tendons, bones
Sometimes these injuries are referred to
as “Cumulative Trauma Disorders” (CTDs)
or “Repetitive Strain Injuries” (RSIs)

50. Types of Injuries
• Muscle pain
• Joint pain
• Swelling
• Numbness
• Restricted
motion
• Repetitive
stress injury
• Repetitive motion
injury
• Cumulative trauma
disorder
• Musculoskeletal
disorder

51. ERGONOMIC
STRESS AREAS
Hip
Knee

52. Target Regions
• Back
• Upper
extremities
• Lower
extremities

53. Types of Problems or
Mismatches
 Physical Size
 Endurance
 Strength
 Manipulative
 Environmental
 Cognitive

54. Physical Size
 Clearance
 Reach
 Equipment Size
 Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE)

55. Cognitive
 Machine Pacing
 Shift Work
 Morale
 Psychosocial

56. Musculoskeletal Disorders:
Signs and Symptoms
• Decreased grip
and/or pinch
strength
• Swelling
• Fatigue
• Loss of function
• Numbness
• Burning
sensation
• Tingling
• Pain
• Cramping
• Stiffness

57. An ounce of Prevention is
worth a pound of
cure !

58. What to do ??
a) Warm up & stretch before activities
that are repetitive, static or
prolonged
b) Take frequent breaks from ANY
sustained posture every 20-30
minutes
c) Respect pain positions or stop
painful activity
d) Recognize early signs of
inflammatory process

59. Posturecheck
Increased stress, decreased
circulation…

60. Posture
Think of posture in terms of joint position
Static and awkward postures
lead to:
 Decreased movement
 Decreased circulation
 Increased stress and fatigue

62. Maintain Neutral Posture
a) Maintain erect position of back
& neck without shoulders
relaxed
b) Position equipment & work
directly in front of and close to
your major tasks
c) Avoid static positions for
prolonged time; muscles
fatigue---MOVE to
circulation!

63. Modify Tasks
a) Alternate activities frequently;
rotate heavy &/or repetitive tasks
without lighter less repetitive
ones.
b) If stress become worse REASSESS
task setup & look for alternative
methods
c) Avoid repetitive or prolonged grip
activities

64. Correct &
Incorrect
Techniques

65. Computer workstation ergonomics
• Chair
• Monitor
• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Document holders
• Lumbar pads/pillows
• Arm rests
 Glare
 Eye strain
 Footrests
 Wrists pads
 Keyboard trays
 Laptops

66. ERGO
REMINDERS

67. Practice Wellness at Work
and Home !
Exerci
se Nutriti
on
Relaxati
on
Bod
y
Min
d
Spi
rit

68. The End
Thank you