Fundamentals of

Industrial Hygiene

Industrial Hygiene is the

identification, evaluation & control
of hazards in the workplace

Hazards that can lead to

accidents and work-related
illnesses.

What is SAFETY ?
Freedom from accidents
Freedom from harm, injury and loss

An accident is
the result of
contact of a
body with a
source of
energy above
the threshold
limit of that body

Common accidents
Struck by
Struck against
Fall from a height
Fall on same level
Caught in
Caught on
Electrocution
Overload

Causes of Accidents :
Unsafe Condition - seen as a physical
or chemical property in the material
Unsafe Act - a violation of safe
procedure
act of omission
act of commission

Three Steps to Control Accidents &

Work-related illness:
Identify
Evaluate
Correct

Identify the
Hazard
Inspection
(Before)
Investigation
(After)

Evaluate the Hazard

OSHA standards
NIOSH
TLV

When is it time to change the tire?

Tread Wear Indicator

Correct the Hazard

Engineering Control
Administrative Control
Personal Protective Equipment

Engineering Methods
- eliminate or reduce the hazard by:
Initial design specification
Substitution
Isolation (Place)
Ventilation, others . . .
Industrial Hygiene Methods of Control

Administrative Methods
- control of employees exposure
Scheduled reduced work hours in
contaminated areas
Increased breaks
SOPs
Isolation (Time)
Medical Exams

Industrial Hygiene Methods of Control

Personal Protective Equipment

- barrier aids in controlling individual
exposure to hazards

Industrial Hygiene Methods of Control

Occupational Health
The promotion and maintenance of
the highest degree of physical,
mental and social well-being of
workers in all occupations
ILO/WHO 1950

TYPES OF HAZARDS
Physical Hazards
Chemical Hazards
Biological Hazards
Ergonomic Hazards

Physical Hazards
Noise
Vibration
Extremes Of Temperature
Illumination
Pressure

Chemical Hazards
Liquids
Solids
Gas

Routes of entry
Inhalation
Ingestion
Dermal contact
Eye contamination

Biologic Hazards
Bacteria
Viruses
Fungi
Insects/Parasites

Ergonomic Hazards
Improper Tools and Equipment Design
Unnecessary/ Unusual Lifting or
Reaching
Repetitive Motions
Stress at Work

Mismatch between the worker & his work

Permissible Noise Exposure*

Duration/day
Sound Level
(hours)
(dB)
8
4
2
1
0.5

90
93
96
99
102
0.25 or less

105

*without the need of hearing protection

OSHA 1981

Health Effects Of Noise

Acute Effects:
Acoustic Trauma (explosion,
gunshot)
Temporary Threshold shift (Disco)
Poor communication

Adverse Health Effects of Noise

Chronic or Long term effects:
Permanent Threshold shift
Noise induced hearing loss
Psychosomatic effects

Control of Noise
Engineering methods
Purchase new equipment
Isolation/damping
Administrative Control
Job rotation / breaks
PPE
Ear plugs / ear muffs

Heat Stress
Exposure settings:
High temperature
High humidity
Poor ventilation
Multiple heat sources

Acute Health Effects of Heat

Prickly heat - immature sweat glands
Heat fatigue - bad mood (water loss)
Heat cramps - muscle spasm(water +
salts)
Heat exhaustion - fatigue, diaphoresis,
dehydration,
nausea, vomiting
(water + salts + electrolytes)
Heat stroke - overheating, seizure, coma
(failure of thermoregulatory system)

Control Of Heat Problems

Engineering control
Ventilation
Water sources (fountains/showers)
Administrative control
Job rotation/breaks
PPE
Cotton clothes, multiple changes

insulation

Melanin
pigments

Cold Stress
Ice plants
Food processing plants
Deep sea diving
Semiconductor
Broadcast industry

Control Methods

Engineering Control
Isolation / enclosure / insulation
Administrative Control
Shift work, rest periods
Warm food & drinks / medical exams
PPE
Thermal clothing / electric blanket
Gloves / cap / jacket / wool lined shoes

Vibration
continuous low frequency oscillation
that is more likely felt than heard
affects the body through direct contact
exposure settings:
hand held grinding tools
jack hammer, chain saw
transportation

Health Effects of Vibration

Inflammation (wrist, elbow,
shoulder)
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Tenosynovitis
Fatigue

Prevention & Treatment

Engineering
Tool re-design
Isolation
Administrative
shifting
PPE
gloves, dampers

Illumination

Visibility of a workplace
- as a result of light
- (natural or artificial)
lumens or lux

Importance of Illumination
OSHA standards
active storage
- 50 lux
production line
- 300 lux
clerical work - 500 lux
fine movement work - 1000 lux

500 lux

50 lux

300 lux

1000 lux

Acute effects

eye strain
dizziness
headache
neck pains
teary eyes

Cataract

Senile arc

Control Methods
Improve illumination by
adding:
artificial light sources
natural light sources
Reduce by:
Isolation or enclosure
PPE
Eye examination

Pressure
Atmospheric force that is
constantly applied on the body,
as a result of normal changes
in altitude or artificially
induced conditions.

Pressure changes cause body stress

Acute Effects:
Fatigue
Incoordination
Apprehension Excitability
Paresthesias
Dizziness
HeadachesDisorientation
Tremors
Convulsions
Depressed sensorium Narcosis
Pulmonary edema Death

Control methods
Pre-employment screening
Training (Pre-event)
Scheduled work duration
Exercise (During event)
Medical monitoring / Medications
Pressure vessels / chamber
Rehabilitation (Post-event)
Pressurized suits

Chemical Hazards

Exposure settings
Oil and fuel
Solvents
Metal welding fumes
Acids and Alkalis
Lead (organic & inorganic)
Dust (Silica, asbestos)

Skin Absorption
Important accidental route of
entry
skin acts as protective barrier
local - irritation
general - sensitization

local

general

Ingestion
not widespread in
industry
accidental swallowing
eating in contaminated
areas
smoking on the job with
contaminated fingers &
hands

Handling of cement dust

Inhalation
most important route of
exposure because anything
that enters the lungs is spread
by the blood throughout the
body

Organ systems of
the body that are
affected:
Skin
Lung
CNS
Kidney
Liver
Blood
Heart

General Health effects

Disorientation
Euphoria
Light headedness
Confusion
Unconsciousness
Headache
Nausea, vomiting
Paralysis, convulsion, death

Control of Chemical Hazards

Engineering
Initial selection / substitution
Chemical hood
Redesign the process
Administrative
SOP / shiftwork /
housekeeping
MSDS review
Environmental monitoring
PPE

Biologic Hazards
Tuberculosis
AIDS
Hepatitis A, B
Chicken pox
Cough & colds
Sore eyes
Lice
STD

Biologic hazards
Characterized by organisms that
have:
life
the ability to multiply

Eye contamination
conjunctivitis / syphilis
Inhalation - entry by droplet infection
Influenza virus
TB bacilli
SARS
Meningococcemia

Ingestion - infected food & water

Improperly cooked food - parasites
Contaminated water - Amoebiasis
Feco-oral route - Hepatitis A
Urine on lids of canned drinks
Soft drinks in ice coolers

Pests

Dermal contact
Perspiration steering wheel, golf
clubs, PPE
Skin scales - clothes
Body hair - lice, crabs, fleas
Candidiasis, Syphilis, Gonorrhea

Fungal infection

Injection - through a break in the skin

Cuts - knife, blades - Hepatitis B
Punctures - ice pick, needles - Tetanus
Abrasions - grinding stone - foreign
body
Lacerations bacteria, HIV

Control of Biologic Hazards

Engineering
sterile work place / shower facilities
UV light / chemicals
Climate control
low T - retard bacterial growth
high T - cause cell wall fragility / lysis
Administrative
SOP / shiftwork / housekeeping
PPE

Ergonomics
It is a technique that brings
together several disciplines to
solve problems at work

Tools and Equipment

Electric typewriter
Telephone / calculator
Hand tool design: pliers
Driving

Cumulative Trauma Disorders

Tendinitis
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Lower Back Pain

Fatigue
a deterioration of mental and physical
performance
in everyday experience, fatigue is the
accumulation of the effects of various
sources.

Job Design
Frequent review of work process
Elimination of crossovers
Workers position/posture

Risks in the JOB

Position
Force
Frequency

Best position:
Elbow at 90 100
degrees
Wrist is straight

Because the arms are at a relaxed position

and you maximize 100% muscular strength
from this position

What is wrong with the picture? What would you

Position
Hand
Wrist

Force
Use as less
force as possible
Push your load,
dont carry it

Waiters use carts instead of carrying plates over their

Climbing poles is a
repetitive task

Basket cranes
used to raise
workers to top of
electric poles

Repetition

Repetition removed

Observable discomfort or pain

Wearing a support bandage
shaking or rubbing hands /forearms
Flexing shoulder and back muscles
Rubbing neck, shoulders and back
Taking pain-relief medication
Frequent clinic visits / absenteeism

Employee modifications
Pillow for back support
stacked mats or platforms to stand on
Tool handles wrapped in tape

Adapt the job, the tool and

workplace to the worker;
instead of making the worker
adapt to all of these.

Hazard Recognition
Visible dust clouds or fumes
Eye or skin irritation on walk-through
Road excavation
Need to raise voice to communicate
Change of nail polish
Poor work practice
Poor plant layout
Noontime sun
Octopus connections

WORK ENVIRONMENT MEASUREMENT

WORK ENVIRONMENT MEASUREMENT is the

direct measurement of hazards, environmental
stresses and their hazardous effects on the workers
health.

Purpose of Work Environment Measurement (WEM) :

* Determine the magnitude of harmful
environmental agents;
* Predict the harmfulness of new facilities,
processes and methods;
* To monitor workers exposure to hazards;
* Evaluate the effectiveness of control measures
adopted for improvement;
* Maintain a favorable working condition.

Threshold Limit Values ( TLVs )- refer to the

time weighed concentrations of airborned
contaminants for an 8-hour workday and 40 hour
per week exposure.

Types of TLVs :
1. TLV TWA is the time weighed average
concentration of airborne contaminants for a normal
8-hr. workday and 40 hr. work week, without
adverse effect to the health of the workers.
2. TLV - STEL- is a time weighed average
calculated over a 15 minute period. This is applied
in situations where brief excursions could be
experienced (while not exceeding the 8-hour TLVTWA)

Types of TLVs .
3. TLV C - are values which should not be
exceeded even briefly.
If any of these three TLVs is exceeded, a potential
hazard from that substance is presumed to exist.
The degree of hazard from exposure to harmful
environmental factors or stresses would depend on
the following:
* Nature of the material or energy involved.
* Intensity of exposure.
* Duration of exposure.
* Individual susceptibility.

WORK ENVIRONMENT MEASURING

INSTRUMENTS ( WEM )
NOISE - Sound level meter, frequency analyzer.
LIGHT - Luxmeter or Lightmeter
EXTREMES OF TEMPERATUTE Thermometer
RADIATION Film badge, Thermoluminiscence detectors,
Pocket dosimeter.
CHEMICAL AGENTS Gas and Vapor monitors.
BIOLOGIC AGENTS Microscope.

INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE CONTROL METHODS:

SUBSTITUTION
CHANGING THE PROCESS
ISOLATION
WET METHODS
LOCAL EXHAUST VENTILATION
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
PERSONAL HYGIENE
HOUSEKEEPING
WASTE DISPOSAL
MEDICAL CONTROLS
ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL

Thank you