18 March 2013

OSH MANAGEMENT - Occupational Hazard






OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS

By Faudzil Harun





Type of Hazard             

1.  Acute Hazard
     Hazards that is immediate in their effects, usually structural faults e.g.
     slippery floor, unguarded machinery etc. It also includes corrosive,
     poisons, explosive, flammable gases or liquids or solids.

2.  Chronic Hazard
     Hazards that is much more difficult to assess or identify as they usually
     take a long time to have any effect. Even worse, experts may disagree
     over whether they are hazards at all. Chronic health effects usually require
     specialist advice to solve.   

     Example :
     Occupational cancer, where a carcinogen (cancer causing agent) may not
     have an effect for 25 years or more. Musculoskeletal Disorders caused by
     the work environment such things as poorly designed office furniture
     causing low back pain, carpel tunnel syndrome, tension neck syndrome,
     numbness, tingling or overuse injuries involve the nerves, tendons,
     muscles and supporting structures such as intervertal discs.           
       
     

Hazard Group                                        

1.  Physical    
     Hazards due to a transfer of energy between an object and a worker
     (e.g. dust, noise, smoke, vibration, poor lighting, electrical, extreme
     temperature, radiation, slippery floor, damage floor, fire, explosion,
     unguarded machinery, sharp tools, overcrowded workplace).

2.  Chemical
     Atmospheric pollutant (e.g. dust, noxious fumes and smoke), toxic gases,
     liquids and vapors (e.g. solvents, acids, alkalis, detergent etc.), metals
     (e.g. lead, nickel, chromium etc.) and chemicals causing contact
     dermatitis.

3.  Biological
     Sources of biological hazards include bacteria, viruses, infectious waste,
     insects, plants, birds, animals, and humans. These sources can cause a
     variety of health effects ranging from skin irritation and allergies to
     infections (e.g., tuberculosis, AIDS), cancer and so on.

     Example :
     ●  Syringes containing potentially infected blood.
     ●  Specimen containers carrying potentially infected materials.
     ●  Blood borne Pathogens (Hepatitis B and HIV).
     ●  Avian Influenza (Bird Flu).
     ●  Severe Acute respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
     ●  Tuberculosis.
     ●  Legionella bacteria and viruses from air conditioning system, etc.


 4.  Psychological
     Hazards resulting from stress and strain caused by work factor and
     personal factor.

   
     Work Factor
     Stress caused by work e.g. shift work, long hours standing or sitting,
     working in extreme
temperature, working in noisy condition, high working
     standard, excessive job demands,
under work, etc.

     Stress from using equipment without proper training or instructions,
     being forced into
using defective tools or equipment which carry the risk
     of injury, etc.


     Stress in dealing with people e.g. combative customer, handling large
     number of
subordinates, handling difficult people, etc.
    
     Personal Factor
     Unfairness, abusement, handicapped, personal problem, sexual
     harassment, etc.


5.  Ergonomic
     Hazards caused by badly designed machinery, mechanical devices and
     tools used by
workers, improper seating and workstation design, or poorly
     designed work practices,
includes posture, body movement and load
     bearing.