Physical Hazards
Introduction
Hazard which effects physically are termed as Physical hazards.
Noise
- Any unwanted sound is known as noise.
- It is measured by decibels (db).
NOISE | ||
Non-Auditory | Auditory (NIHL) Noise | |
Insomnia | TTS – Temporary Threshold Shift | PTS – Permanent Threshold Shift |
Headache & Nausea | ||
Irritation | Short-term exposure | Long-term exposure |
Frustration Hypertension | Loss of hearing ability temporary | Loss of hearing ability permanently |
Loss of emotional balance | Recovery within 12-48 hours | Irreversible loss of hearing ability. |
Cardiovascular Disorder |
| Total deafness |
Worker when explore to noise (more than 85 db) can lead to TTS or PTS. Induced means increase.
Vibration be measured in Hz/m/s.
Vibration Exposure | ||
HAV – Hand Arm Vibration | WBV – Whole Body Vibration | |
HAVS – Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome / White Finger Disease
| Low back pain | |
WMSDS – Work Related Muscular Skeletal Disorder Syndrome | ||
Vascular System | Nervous System | No bowel movement |
Abnormal blood circulation | No sense of touch | GI – Gastro industrial disorder |
Numbness | Spiral Cord Disorder | |
Finger turn white | Blains |
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Severe pain | Tingling of fingers |
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Loss of grip |
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- Threshold Limit Value (TLV): TLV is the amount of exposure that worker can get exposed that does not cause any adverse effect on the health of the workers.
TLV for vibration exposure is 5m/s2.
- Dose-response relationship: The more the exposure, the more the effect.
- Latent Period: Period of exposure from day of joining till the onset of symptoms.
Control
- Anti-Vibration Tools
- Anti-Vibration Gloves
- Safe Work Practices
- Minimizing the exposure to work.
Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome or Raynaud’s diseases or White Finger disease.
A disorder resulting from prolonged exposure to vibration, specifically to the hands and forearms while using vibrating tools.
Symptoms of HAVS
- Abnormal blood circulation
- Finger turns in white color
- Severe pain
- Loss of grip strength
- No sense of touch
- Numbness
- Tingling of fingers
- Pains in the fingers
Temperature
- Cold
- Heat
Cold (Excessive Low Temperature)
COLD | |
FREEZING INJURIES (Below 0°C) | NON-FREEZING INJURIES (0-17°C) |
Frostbite | Chillblains (0-17°C) |
Frostnip | Trenchfoot or Immersion foot (0-10°C) |
Hypothermia (body temp fall below 33°C is known as hypothermia) | |
Note: Frostnip is mild frostbite that irritates skin, causing redness.
HEAT (Excessive Temperature) Normal Body Temp: 37°C
If the temperature increases to 38°C then it leads to heat stress.
Heat Stress | |
Heat Exhaustion | Heat Stroke |
Temperature below 38°C | Temperature above 42°C |
High rate of perspiration (sweating) | No sweating |
Loss of body fluids and salt | Body is red and dry |
Body is wet and mist | Headache, confusion |
Headache | Rapid pulse |
Heat fatigue | Comma and death |
Nausea | Blurred vision (if not treated immediately) |
| Note: 27°C – comma 20°C – heart activity slow down 17°C – death |
Light
- Excess light
- Inadequate light
Symptoms
- Discomfort to eyes
- Blurred vision
- Pain in eyes
- Lachrymation (tears comes from eyes)
- Cataracts
In Mining workers are generally suffered from “Miners Nystagmus” where eyeball fall side by side.
Radiation
Radiation | |
Ionising | Non-Ionising |
Eg: X-Rays | Eg: sunlight |
Microwave | UV-radiation |
Alpha, beta, gamma | IR-radiation |
Health Effects from Radiations
Health Effects | |
ACUTE | CHRONIC |
Headache | Cancer |
Loss of aptlite | Cataracts |
Poor immune system | Abnormal function of glands |
Bleeding from nose |
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Loss of heir from skin (keratitis) |
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Reproductive disorders |
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