Physical hazard

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Physical hazards are agents, factors, or circumstances that may cause harm with or without contact. They can be classified as a type of occupational hazard or environmental hazard. Physical hazards include ergonomic hazards, radiation, heat and cold pressure, vibration hazards, and noise hazards. Engineering controls are often used to reduce physical harm.

Physical danger is a common source of injury in many industries. They may be inevitable in certain industries, such as construction and mining, but over time people have developed safety methods and procedures for managing physical hazards at work. Child work can cause special problems.

An engineering workshop specializing in component fabrication and welding should follow Personal Protective Equipment (APD) in 1992 work regulations. It is the duty of the employer to provide 'all equipment (including the protection of ownership of clothing to the weather) intended to be used or held by a person at work that protects against one or more risks to health and safety '. In fabrication and welding workshops, an employer will be required to provide face and eye protection, safety footwear, work clothes and other necessary PPE.

Video Physical hazard

Fall

Waterfalls are a common cause of occupational accidents and deaths, especially in construction, extraction, transportation, health care, and building cleaning and maintenance. Circumstances such as floor holes and wall openings, improper protection of falling surfaces, slippery, messy, or unstable surfaces, unprotected edges and unsafe ladders lie in work-related injuries.

According to 2014 published data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 261,930 private industry and government workers lost one or several working days and about 798 workers died as a result of injuries that fell on the job. There is a general trend in fatal fall injuries that increased 25 percent overall from 2011 to 2016. For carpenters, heavy truck drivers and tractor-trailers, tree pruners and trimmers, and roofer, fall injuries increased by more than 25 percent by 2016. Rate the highest nonfatal injuries were experienced in health services and the wholesale and retail industries, while the highest number for death-related deaths was related to the construction industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are a total of 991 construction-related fall incidents by 2016. In the United States, death-related falls result in significant financial burdens estimated at $ 70 billion annually in workers compensation and occupational injuries related to medical costs. The international community health community works to reduce workplace injuries by developing strategies because many other countries face similar problems at work in the United States.

Maps Physical hazard

Machine

Machines are common in many industries, including manufacturing, mining, construction and agriculture, and can be hazardous to workers. Many machines involve moving parts, sharp edges, hot surfaces and other hazards with the potential to destroy, burn, cut, cut, stab or attack or injure workers if used unsafe. A variety of security measures exist to minimize these hazards, including lockout-lockout procedures for engine maintenance and rollover protection systems for vehicles. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, machine-related injuries are responsible for 64,170 cases requiring days away from work in 2008. More than a quarter of these cases require more than 31 days to be spent on work. In the same year, machines were the primary or secondary source of over 600 work-related deaths. Machines are also often indirectly involved in worker deaths and injuries, such as in cases where workers slip and fall, possibly on sharp or pointed objects. Electrical appliances, used in many industries, present a number of dangers due to moving parts, vibration, or sharp noise. The transport sector bears many risks for the health of commercial drivers, as well as, for example from vibration, long sitting, work stress and fatigue. These problems occur in Europe but in other parts of the world the situation is even worse. More drivers are killed in accidents due to security defects in vehicles. Long waiting times at the border cause drivers away from homes and families much longer and even increase the risk of HIV infection.

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Restricted space

Limited space also presents work hazards. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) defines "limited space" as having unlimited holes for entry and exit and unnatural natural ventilation, and which are not intended for continuous employee occupancy. Such spaces may include storage tanks, ship compartments, drains, and pipelines. Limited space can pose a danger not only to workers, but also to those who try to save them. By 2015, about 136 US workers died in casualties associated with limited space according to data collected in response to the annual Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Dangers such as traps and sinks to asphyxiation and exposure to toxic chemicals in deaths and injuries that occur in this confined space. Physical and atmospheric hazards due to limited space can be avoided by overcoming and recognizing these dangers before entering a confined space to do the work.

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Noise

Noise also presents a fairly common hazard in the workplace: job-related hearing is the most common job-related injury in the United States, with 22 million workers exposed to dangerous noise levels at work and about $ 242 million spent annually for worker compensation for disruptions loss of hearing. Noise is not the only source of occupational hearing loss; exposure to chemicals such as aromatic and metallic solvents including lead, arsenic, and mercury may also cause hearing loss. Naturally, noise is more apprehensive for certain jobs than others; musicians, miners, and construction workers are exposed to higher and more constant noise levels and are therefore at higher risk of hearing loss. Because hearing impairments caused by disorders, although completely preventable, are permanent and irreversible, it is imperative for companies and their employees to know the limits and prevention methods available.

In the United States, noise is recognized as a hazard in the workplace by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA). Both organizations work to establish and enforce standards for noise exposure at work and ultimately prevent hearing loss. Examples of initiatives made by NIOSH to prevent the negative effects of noise exposure include the Buy Quiet program, which encourages companies to buy machines that produce lower noise levels, and the Safe-In-Sound Awards, created to recognize organizations that excel in noise control.

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Temperature

Extreme temperatures can cause hazards to workers.

ColdÃ, Stress

Too much exposure to extreme cold or cold conditions can pose a risk to many workers. Employees who work outdoors in the winter such as fishermen, hunters, divers, hydro and telecommunication lines, construction workers, transport workers, military personnel, emergency workers, and those working in refrigerated warehouses are particularly vulnerable to cold. The effects of extreme cold working conditions include:

• Nonfreezing injury - chilblains, leg trench
• Clotting injury - frostbite and frostnip
• Hyperthermia
• Lower work efficiency
• Higher accident rate
• Disturbing performance of complex mental tasks
• Reduce muscle strength and stiff joint
• Reduce mental alertness
• Manual task interruption due to the sensitivity and agility of the radius

The use of personal protective equipment such as insulation clothing, gloves, boots, and masks, radiant heaters as part of engineering controls and safe working practices are used to minimize the risk of cold injury.

Heat stress

Workers working in laundry, bakeries, restaurant kitchens, steel foundries, glass factories, brick and ceramics firms, electric utilities, smelting and outdoor workers such as construction workers, firefighters, farmers and mining workers are more vulnerable against exposure to extreme heat. The effects of heat stress include:

• Increased irritability

• Dehydration

• Heat stroke
• Chronic heat fatigue
• Cramps, rashes, and burns
• Sweaty palms and dizziness
• Increased risk of other accidents
• Loss of concentration and ability to perform heavy mental tasks and heavy manual work
• Sleep disturbance, illness, and sensitivity to minor injuries

Engineering controls such as air conditioning and ventilation, training to build tolerance levels to work in extreme heat conditions and the use of cooled protective clothing can help reduce heat-related illnesses. A

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Electricity

Electricity poses a danger to many workers. Electrical injuries can be divided into four types: fatal electrocution, electric shock, burns, and falls caused by contact with electrical energy. Electrocution is one of the major hazards at construction sites. This can be fatal and can result in serious and permanent burns to the skin, internal tissue and damage to the heart depending on the length and severity of the shock. When an electric current flows through a tissue or bone, it generates heat which causes electrical burns. Electrical burns cause tissue damage and require immediate medical attention. Electrical shock can result in injuries such as muscle spasms, palpitations, nausea, vomiting, collapse, and unconsciousness. Faulty electrical connections and faulty electrical appliances may cause electrical shock for workers and others at or near the workplace.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a total of 1,738 accidents occurred due to contact with the electric current between 2003 to 2010 and from that 849, the highest number of electric deaths occurred in the construction industry. Five jobs from the construction industry - electricians, roofers, painters, carpenters, and construction workers are responsible for more than 32% of all electrical deaths. Improper soil, wet conditions, faulty equipment and equipment, insufficient wiring, open electrical parts, overhead power lines and overloaded circuits are common electrical hazards found at construction sites.

Electrical injuries can be prevented through safe working practices such as keeping electrical equipment well maintained, turning off electrical equipment before inspection or repair, and being careful while working near the energy channel. Personal protective equipment such as hard hats, hoods, arms, rubber or insulation gloves, and insulation clothing can be useful for reducing electrical accidents.

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Sunlight

Sunlight is the most common known physical hazard that affects people working outside. Outdoor workers get the highest sun exposure during high intensity hours between 10:00 and 16:00. and during the summer. The risk of exposure to sunlight is greater throughout this time. Some commonly used drugs such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), antihistamines, tetracyclines, thiazides, sulfa antibiotics, and diuretics increase the sensitivity to sunlight and result in skin rashes and burning skin. In addition, sunlight is a source of ultraviolet light (UV) which is a form of non-ionizing radiation. UV light from direct sunlight and indirect exposure to sunlight, such as light reflected by snow and light-shaded sand can penetrate the skin that workers find. Long time, continuous exposure to ultraviolet radiation results in suppression of the immune system, eye damage, skin aging, and skin cancer. Some non-solar UV radiation sources, for example, projection lamps, paint and ink treatments, disinfecting equipment used in hospitals, fluorescent tubes, sunlamps, and welding arcs can also cause adverse effects on other workers.

Personal protective equipment, techniques and administrative controls such as shade cover provision, and rotational work rotations can minimize the risk of exposure to sunlight for outdoor workers. In the case of non-solar UV radiation sources, appropriate engineering controls and administrative controls such as warning signs and employee training can be useful.

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Vibration

Vibration has long been recognized as a serious work hazard. Continuous exposure to high levels of vibration causes injury or disease. Vibration exposure is classified into two general types: hand and whole body vibration. Hand-arm shaking causes immediate injury to the fingers and hands and affects feelings, agility, and hand grip. This is a known causative factor for other ergonomic related deaths. Hand-arm vibration injuries associated with the use of equipment or equipment with vibrations such as grinding, drill collisions, chipping hammers, sidewalk breakers, dental equipment, sanders, air-powered wrenches and saws of all kinds. Repeated use of vibrating machines repeatedly produces long-lasting effects - vascular, neurosensory and musculoskeletal disorders independent of the hands and arms known as HAVS (Hand-arm Vibration Syndrome). The whole body vibration is one of the most common causes of loss of time and production output and causes back pain and back injuries and because of higher-than-expected vibration levels. Body-wide vibration injuries associated with off-road vehicles in industries such as agriculture, forestry, mining, excavation and with small fast boats used offshore.

Combination of control measures such as redesigning equipment to reduce vibration exposure, using machines designed to reduce transmitted vibrations to operators, imposing speed limits, scheduling regular work breaks, posture changes or job rotation to reduce lighting time, provide training, information and supervision on adjustments and operating equipment can be used for the reduction of successful vibration exposure.

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Other hazards

Lighting, and air pressure (high or low) can also cause work-related illness and injury. Asphyxia is another potential occupational hazard in certain situations. Musculoskeletal disorders are avoided by good ergonomic design work and the reduction of repetitive heavy movements or lifts. The ionization (alpha, beta, gamma, X, neutron), and non-ionizing radiation (microwave, intense IR, RF, UV, laser at visible and invisible wavelengths), can also be a potential hazard.

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See also

• Occupational safety and health
• Work hazard
• Occupational injuries
• Occupational disease

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References

Source of the article : Wikipedia