Industrial Health

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Course Learning Outcomes for Unit III

Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

5. Explore health hazards in the workplace. 5.1 Identify health hazards in an occupational setting. 5.2 Identify primary routes of exposure for health hazards.

Reading Assignment

To access the following resources, click the links below:

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2002). Job hazard analysis. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3071.pdf

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2012). Occupational safety and health standards: Toxic and hazardous substances (Standard No. 1910.1200 App A). Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10100

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). Guidance for hazard determination for compliance with the OSHA hazard communication standard (29 CFR 1910.1200). Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/dsg/hazcom/ghd053107.html

Unit Lesson

The first step in protecting workers from health hazards is to identify what hazards may be present. This involves two of the four principles of industrial hygiene: anticipation and recognition. The principles of anticipation and recognition are closely related and are often combined into one activity. In fact, many textbooks on industrial hygiene discuss the two topics under the term recognition. Anticipation and recognition involve identifying possible health hazards in a work environment, determining the most likely route(s) of exposure, and evaluating the most likely health effects of exposure.

In strict terms, anticipation is a process used to identify health hazards present in the workplace and the potential exposure route(s), and recognition further defines the health hazards regarding their potential effect(s) on the worker.

Health hazards the industrial hygienist might have to identify include chemical, biological, physical, and ergonomic hazards. Some health hazards are readily apparent. For example, acetone on a rag is being used

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

5 Unit III Lesson

5.1 Unit III Lesson Article: “Job hazard analysis” Unit III Homework Assignment

5.2

Unit III Lesson Article: “Job hazard analysis” Article: “Occupational safety and health standards: Toxic and hazardous substances (Standard No. 1910.1200 App A)” Unit III Homework Assignment

UNIT III STUDY GUIDE

Anticipation of Hazards

https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3071.pdf

https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10100

https://www.osha.gov/dsg/hazcom/ghd053107.html

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title to wipe paint residue off a surface. Acetone is a readily identifiable health hazard for this task, and it could easily result in exposure through inhalation or dermal routes, and though less likely, through ingestion.

The industrial hygienist may require more knowledge and analysis for other hazards. Let’s say there is a compound containing several solvents that is subjected to heat that could produce several products of combustion. The routes of exposure for this type of operation may be fairly evident, but additional investigation would be required to identify all potential health hazards.

Another important evaluation in the recognition phase would be for possible acute or chronic health effects. Acute health effects are typically related to short-term exposures to chemicals that produce immediate or nearly immediate symptoms. A common example is the use of solvents that produce dizziness, headaches, or nausea. Simply removing the person from the exposure can alleviate most acute health effects.

Chronic health effects typically require long-term continuous or repeated exposures, resulting in lasting or

recurring effects. An example of a chronic effect is an employee diagnosed with asbestosis after being exposed to asbestos fibers while installing insulation in a shipyard for 20 years. Some health hazards typically produce acute health effects. Acetone is a good example, with central nervous system (CNS) effects after acute exposures to higher concentrations. Other health hazards produce primarily chronic health effects. Asbestos is a good example. It has no identified acute effects but can result in several forms of cancer and changes in pulmonary function. Some health hazards can produce both acute and chronic health effects; benzene is a good example. It can produce acute symptoms related to the CNS and respiratory systems and chronic outcomes related to bone marrow depression and leukemia. The industrial hygienist must know the differences in potential acute and chronic health effects associated with hazards to anticipate and recognize health hazards in the work place.

Lance Cpl. Brandon Gauger, left, and Lance Cpl. Scott Miller, right, simulate a test for radiological and biological hazards aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer in the Pacific Ocean. Image by Minto, is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (Minto, 2013)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/navalsurfaceforces/9399231425/in/photolist-fjzw3e-bBt9MV-bBt9m6-boyj1q-5NCKsv-5NH2kQ-d6ooqW-d6omBq-bomfDh-bnKXXq-d6ojF9-boyhUd-d6ovE3-9hsdxs-d6oi57-byVLBX-d6ogA7-7X5vQS-9hsSty-bnKUgy-sm6pUB-bExznZ-s4FZSi-d6osKh-d6ort9-bExzVT-

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

Health hazard anticipation and recognition also require the industrial hygienist to be familiar with the work practices in the facility itself. The most common way an industrial hygienist learns about work practices and health hazards is through a job hazard analysis (JHA). JHAs are not unique to the IH field. Safety professionals also use JHAs to identify workplace hazards that can cause catastrophic injuries or death.

Many different types of JHAs have been developed over the years. OSHA (1970a) requires employers to perform hazard assessments for specific situations such as the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the workplace in 29 CFR 1910.132(d). Although OSHA requires a written hazard assessment for the use of PPE, the regulation does not require the use of any specific JHA. Some types of JHAs developed over the years are more conducive to health hazard identification while others are more conducive to safety hazard identification. JHAs used for safety hazards include hazard and operability study (HAZOP), hazard identification (HAZID), failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA), fault tree analysis (FTA), human error analysis (HEA), and technique of operations review (TOR). These JHA methods are typically not the most effective methods for analyzing health hazards.

Traditionally, hazard assessments for health hazards involve some type of simple checklist similar to the one below. The checklist will show each step of an operation,

and then the industrial hygienist identifies any health hazards potentially associated with those steps.

Another important tool for identifying health hazards is the safety data sheet (SDS) required by 29 CFR 1910.1200: the Hazard Communication Standard (HazCom). The well-known material safety data sheet (MSDS) became obsolete with the passage of the revised HazCom standard. The SDS contains valuable information when you are evaluating health hazards. In particular, Section 2 of the new Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) includes information about the classification of a compound. The information on health hazards comes from Appendix A of 29 CFR 1910.1200 (OSHA, 1970b). For more information, access the appendix in the required reading section of this unit. Appendix A defines health hazards in ten different classifications based on the effects: acute toxicity, skin corrosion/irritation, serious eye damage/irritation, respiratory or skin sensitivity, germ cell mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity, specific target organ toxicity with a single exposure, specific organ toxicity with repeated or prolonged exposure, and aspiration hazard (OSHA, 1970b). Knowing how a chemical is classified in one or more of the classifications in Appendix A will assist the industrial hygienist in evaluating the health hazard. In particular, the classification will help to identify health hazards that can cause either acute or chronic health effects.

Appendix A further defines compounds by placing them in categories within the classifications. The placement within a category can assist in determining which health hazards have the highest potential for harm. This information will further assist the industrial hygienist when he or she is performing the risk assessment discussed in later units.

Section 11 of the SDS, Toxicological Information, can also be a useful source for evaluating a health hazard. This section of the SDS provides information about certain chronic effects like mutagenicity and carcinogenicity. The section may also contain information about dose-response relationships and acute and chronic effects.

Recovery Act workers remove hazardous asbestos used for insulation in an old plant in Paducah, KY. (U.S. Department of Energy, 2010)

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

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This introduction to the concepts of anticipation and recognition highlights the complexity of the industrial hygiene field. Anticipating and recognizing health hazards requires an understanding of job hazard analysis, toxicology, epidemiology, and chemistry.

References

Minto, C. (2013, July 29). 130729-N-VO234-211 [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/navalsurfaceforces/9399231425/in/photolist-fjzw3e-bBt9MV-bBt9m6- boyj1q-5NCKsv-5NH2kQ-d6ooqW-d6omBq-bomfDh-bnKXXq-d6ojF9-boyhUd-d6ovE3-9hsdxs- d6oi57-byVLBX-d6ogA7-7X5vQS-9hsSty-bnKUgy-sm6pUB-bExznZ-s4FZSi-d6osKh-d6ort9-bExzVT-

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (1970a). Occupational safety and health standards: Personal

protective equipment (Standard No. 1910.132). Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=standards&p_id=9777

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (1970b). Occupational safety and health standards: Toxic and hazardous substances (Standard No. 1910.1200 App A). Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10100

U.S. Department of Energy. (2010, March 11). Paducah - asbestos removal: Recovery Act workers remove hazardous asbestos used for insulation throughout the old metals plant [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/departmentofenergy/7468026716/in/photolist-cnVAaj-cDx9Z9-cDxa3G- ciEptm-cqfTgW-cCoVfC-cCoVt3-cCoVpq-cy5ytu-aB2wGK-cpEV41-GtxrB9-GBJDMT-GtwHS7- GBJFwV-JsbH8v-JvYtzy-HGxqRr-Jq2rP5-HGB2by-JsbJu8-JukAdP-Jq2Ckf-JCyXfD-JcRfLo-JCyWsg-