Industrial Hygiene

1. Industrial Hygiene
Compiled By : Vasant Oak
DGM – EHSS
What’s Up - 9987592242

2. Goal of Industrial Hygiene
•Worker safety and well-being
–Anticipation
–Recognition
–Evaluation
–Control

4. Workplace Hazards
•Chemical
•Physical
•Ergonomic
•Biological

6. Chemical Hazards
•Irritants
•Asphyxiants
•CNS Agents
•Specific organ agents
•Genetic activity

Acute versus Chronic

7. Irritants
•Respiratory
•Skin
•Eye

8. Irritants
•Primary/Secondary
–Primary – at source of contact
–Secondary – travels through blood to another area
•Reversible/Irreversible
•Sensitization
–Irritant that has a delayed reaction on subsequent
exposure

9. Asphyxiants
•Simple Asphyxiants
–N
2
–CO
2
–He
–CH
4

•Dilute air so oxygen
content is low
•Chemical Asphyxiants
–CO
–HCN
–H
2S

•Interact at cellular level
to inhibit oxygen
uptake.

10. Central Nervous System Depressants
•Narcotics
•Anesthetics
•Depressants

11. CNS Depressants
•Aliphatic Hydrocarbons
–Increased chain length enhances effect
–Addition of an alcohol group (i.e. ethanol)
–Addition of a halide group enhances the effect

12. Specific Organ Attack
•May be reversible or irreversible
–Blood - Hemotoxic
–Liver – Hepatotoxic
–Lungs – Pulmonotoxic
–Kidneys – Nephrotoxic
–Skin – Dermatotoxic
–Nerves & Brain - Neurotoxic

13. Genetic Activity
•Typically is irreversible
–Causes cancer – Carcinogen
–Causes chromosome damage – Mutagen
–Causes birth defects – Teratogen
–Causes damage to reproductive system -
Reproductive Hazard

14. Anticipation of Chemical Hazards
•Consider the following:
–Raw materials
–Intermediates formed
–Final products
–Disposal of used products
–Maintenance materials
•“Cradle to Grave” thought process

15. Anticipation of Chemical Hazards
•Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) has established Permissible Exposure limits
–They are defined in time weighted average, TWA, for most
working conditions. Short Term Exposure Limits, STEL, for
15 minute exposure. Ceiling, C, for maximum allowable
concentration.
•American Council of Government Industrial
Hygienists (ACGIH) has established Threshold Limit
Values, TLV.

16. Anticipation of Chemical Hazards
•Material Safety Data
Sheets, MSDS

17. Recognition of Chemical Hazards
•Odors
–Not all agents have detectable odor
•Frequent headaches
•Dermatitis
•Drowsiness
•Personality changes
•Clusters of problems

19. Workplace Hazards
•Chemical
•Physical
•Ergonomic
•Biological

20. Physical Hazards
•Dusts and Fibers
•Noise
•Corrosives
•Temperature Extremes
•Ionizing Radiation
•Non-Ionizing Radiation

21. Dusts and Fibers
•Concerned about particle size and penetration
into pulmonary track
–D > 0.5 micron – does not reach lungs (but may
ingest)
–0.2 < D < 0.5 micron – respirable and gets stuck in
lungs
–D < 0.2 micron – are exhaled

22. Noise Hazard Recognition
•Need to shout
•Ringing sensation
•Degraded hearing after work
•Auditory testing

23. Noise Hazard
•Sound level measurement
L = 10 * Log (I/I
0)
2

L = Sound intensity, decibels (dB)
P = Sound pressure, rms (Pa)
I
0 = Reference sound pressure, rms (20  Pa)

24. Typical Noise Sources
Source Sound Level (dB)
Rocket 195
Jet Engine 160
Rock Band 115
Power Lawn Mower 95
Factory 90
Noisy Office 80
Conversation 65
Quite Room 40
Whisper 20

25. OSHA Sound Level PEL’s
Sound Level (dB) Exposure Time Limit (hr)
< 90 No Limit
90 8
95 4
100 2
105 1
110 ½
115 ¼
> 115 0

26. Noise Control
•Enclose equipment
•Enclose operator
•Slower rotational speed
•Intake/Exhaust mufflers
•Padded mountings

27. Corrosive Hazards
•Usually concerned with the affect of
corrosives on process equipment
•Concern for contact of workers with corrosives
–Usually involves necrosis, the death of local
tissue due to contact of agent

28. Temperature Extremes
•Heat Stress
–Heat Stroke
–Heat Exhaustion
•Cold Stress
–Frostbite
–Hypothermia

29. Heat Stress
•Body’s Energy Balance
–Metabolic rate
–Radiation
–Convection
–Sweating
•External Conditions
–Temperature
–Humidity
–Air movement
–Radiation
In a typical healthy individual the internal core body
temperature may rise as much as 3°C during heat stress

30. Cold Stress
•Less Common in Industrial Situations
–Cold climates
–Refrigerated space
–Wind chill
•Responses to Cold Stress
–Body core temperature is typically 37°C
–Shivering when body T
c < 36°C
–Lose Consciousness at T
c < 34°C

31. Temperature Stress Control
•Hot Stress
–Air movement
–Periodic rest
–Remove to cooler
location
•Cold Stress
–Limit exposure time
–Protective clothing

32. Ionizing Radiation
•Physical damage to cells
•Possible genetic damage
•Types of Radiation
–Alpha – emitted from nuclei of radioactive particles
–Beta – similar to  but with more penetrating (~ 1 cm)
–X-ray – produced from high speed electrons striking
material
–Gamma – originates from nucleus, produces burns
–Neutrons – emitted from disintegration of isotopes, very
penetrating

33. Common Units to Measure Radiation
•Rad – the unit of absorbed dose of ionizing radiation
equal to the absorption of 100 ergs/g
•Roentgen – exposure to x-rays or gamma rays equal
to absorption in 1 cm
3
of air to produce 1
electrostatic unit of charge
•Rem – the dosage of ionizing radiation that will cause
the same biological effect as 1 rad of x-, gamma or
beta
•Curie – the rate at which radioactive material emits
particles, 3.7x10
10
disintegrations per second

34. Protection from Ionizing Radiation
•Alpha, Beta - Little protection required

•X-ray, Gamma - Extensive high
density shielding

•Neutrons - Special shielding
techniques

35. Non-Ionizing Radiation
•Low frequency - ~ 3 m wavelength

•Microwaves - 3 m to 3 mm

•Infrared - 3 mm to 750 nm

•Visible light - 750 nm to 400 nm

36. Non-Ionizing Radiation
•Ultraviolet Radiation
–UV-A 400 to 320 nm
•Harmful only to eyes, causes sun tan

–UV-B 320 to 280 nm
•Causes skin damage (sun burn), source arc welding

–UV-C 280 to 220 nm
•Severe damage, source germicidal lamps

37. Laser Light
•Especially dangerous for eyes
•Retinal burns
•Corneal burns

38. Workplace Hazards
•Chemical
•Physical
•Ergonomic
•Biological

39. Ergonomic Hazards
•Physiological Hazards
–Awkward movements
–Muscle strain
•Psychological Hazards
–Boredom
–Concentrated attention
–Simulated inputs

40. Ergonomic Hazards
•Increasing emphasis due to repetitive nature
of some industrial manufacturing jobs.

•Also with more operators working at
computers or workstations there are
ergonomic concerns.

41. Workplace Hazards
•Chemical
•Physical
•Ergonomic
•Biological

42. Biological Hazards
•Pathogenic organisms
–Five levels of classification
•1 least dangerous
•5 most dangerous
–Pathogenic organisms are typically not found in a chemical
processing facility
–Possible biological hazards in an industrial setting
•AIDS
•Hepatitis B

43. Biological Hazards
•Industries with possible biological hazards
–Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
–Food processing or agricultural products

•Typically hazards are well contained

46. Occupier’s Responsibility
•Be aware of industrial hazards and possible
effects.
•Design inherently safer systems that minimize
worker exposure to hazards.
•As a manager encourage proper safety
procedures and good housekeeping to
minimize employees exposure to hazardous
situations.

47. Let’s Do It… Together
Compiled By : Vasant Oak
DGM – EHSS
What’s Up - 9987592242