Health Safety and Environment (HSE)

The OSHA Noise Standard (29CFR1910.95) states when the 8-hour noise exposure exceeds 90 dB-A, an effort to control noise through engineering methods must be attempted. Hearing protection alone is not an acceptable means of OSHA compliance to the noise standard. The reason is simple, the poorest means of protection, whether to noise or other health hazard, is to utilize personal protection (in this case, hearing plugs or muff). The best protection is to eliminate the excessive noise or isolate the individual from the noise source. That means some form of engineering control—design changes to the source or separation of a worker from the machine. There are a vast assortment of possibilities depending upon the noise source and the amount of energy (in the form of noise) that is produced. Remember that noise is energy and multiple sources compound the energy produced. For example: two (2) machines side-by-side each producing noise of 88 decibels each when combined that is...

There are a vast number of chemicals that can be contained in paints— solvents, pigments, metals , resins, plasticizers —anyone or all of these may cause adverse health effects especially to workers who are exposed to them on a daily basis. The best way to characterize the hazards to workers who are regularly exposed to paints is to identify the different type of paints—their ingredients—and their hazards. The various types of paints include: Water based paints. Oil/solvent based paints. Resin-type paints. Dry powder coating paints. The following is a breakdown of the ingredients of each type and the nature of the ingredients that may pose potential health problems to the worker/applicator. Water Based Paints: These paints were developed over the last two (2) decades to reduce the solvent emissions from paint application. Generally they are latex paints (either natural rubber latex or synthetic latex) and are water soluble. They may have some low level of solvent...

All living things need Carbon Dioxide for their life processes. At the same time, Carbon Dioxide can be hazardous to the health of us humans. Carbon Dioxide is also known as the “Greenhouse Gas” since it is the main element of life and growth for plants. Carbon Dioxide is also essential for human existence. Our natural breathing reflex is not triggered by a lack of oxygen in our system; it is caused by a build-up of Carbon Dioxide. However, too much carbon dioxide in the air we breathe (I’ll talk about sources later) can trigger excess breathing rates causing us to hyperventilate. Further, if CO 2 gets very high, it can replace the oxygen in the air and cause asphyxiation. How can the CO 2 levels get so high they replace the oxygen or cause us to hyperventilate? Hyperventilation can result from a build-up of CO 2 in a building that is closed up and/or too many people (exhaling CO 2 ) without adequate make-up air. This can possibly result in hyperventilating but it is un...

Focus on the health problems attributable to welding, rather than the safety injuries such as cataracts, back problems, and burns is my objective in this article. Even if employers comply with the appropriate OSHA Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs), welding fume exposure can damage worker health, including both short term (acute) effects and long term (chronic) effects.  OSHA admits that compliance does not guarantee welding work will be totally safe. It’s true that you don’t see many welders who make it to retirement age as a welder. They either change professions before they reach retirement age, or they end up on disability due to cataracts, back problems or respiratory complications. Welding Fume Exposure-Acute Effects The most common acute effect of exposure to intense welding fume is called Metal Fume Fever with symptoms similar to the common flu: chills, low level fever, fatigue, nausea, sore throat, body aches and pains usually lasting 24 hours. Zi...

A fire hydrant, (also known as fire pumps, hydrant boosters, fire water pumps)is a connection point by which firefighters can tap into a water supply. These are high pressure water pumps designed to increase the fire fighting capacity of a building by boosting the pressure in the hydrant service when mains is not enough, or when tank fed. A Fire Hydrant with fully-on valve , releasing pressure water. Safe Operating Procedure- Fire Hydrant The user attaches a hose to the fire hydrant, then opens a valve on the hydrant to provide a powerful flow of water.  Most fire hydrant valves are not designed to throttle the water flow; they are designed to be operated either full-on or full-off. Attaching Hose with Fire Hydrant When a firefighter is operating a hydrant, he or she typically wears appropriate personal protective equipment, such as gloves and a helmet with face shield worn. High-pressure water coursing through a potentially aging and corroding hydrant coul...

Electricity is an integral part of our life and modern day cannot be imagined without it. But with all the benefit it brings in our life it has it also carries certain hazards which we are going to look at. How the Electricity Works? For electricity to work we need a source and a conductor. The source can be a power generator and wires can be conductors which can carry current. What are Electrical Hazards? Electrical Hazards can be as: >Electric Shock Electric Shock-contact with live conductor Main type of harm from electricity is electric shock. An electric shock occurs when a person comes into contact with an electrical energy source. The electrical energy flows through a portion of the body causing a shock  (you become part of the circuit). The effects of electric shock may include Heart failure, respiratory failure and burns. Also, The passage of electric current through body causes muscles to contract violently. As a result you can become ...

Electrosmog is the invisible electromagnetic radiation resulting from the use of both wireless technology and mains electricity. The most common sources of wireless electrosmog are: Cordless phones Cordless baby alarms Mobile/cellular phone masts/towers/transmitters Mobile/cellular phones Wireless networks Electrosmog is responsible for a condition known as Electrosensitivity (ES) or Electro hyper sensitivity (EHS). Many people are getting Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Syndrome (EHS). It is a condition in which people are highly sensitive to electromagnetic fields  in the environment: power lines, motors, computers,  or in n an area such as a wireless hotspot or near celluar Towers, they experience pain or other symptoms. Such symptoms include: Headaches Disruptive sleep patterns Chronic fatigue Depression Hypersensitivity and erratic blood pressure Skin complaints Behavioural patterns in children Children, the elderly and anyone with a lowered...

According to OSHA four basic types of risk assessment should be carried out in workplace 1- Baseline risk assessment  2- Generic risk assessment 3- Continuous risk assessment 4- Specialized risk assessment  1- Baseline risk assessment This is the initial assessment of risk in a workplace. It is a broad assessment and includes all activities taking place on site. A baseline HIRA (Hazard Identfication and Risk Analysis) is done to establish a risk profile and is used to prioritise action programmes for issue-based risk assessments. 2- Generic risk assessment This risk assessment is used where the same type of task is carried out at different workplaces in the same way (e.g. risk assessments of a number of warehouses storing similar goods). To do a generic risk assessment, perform a baseline risk assessment and then use this for similar work activities that involve comparable risks. 3- Continuous risk assessment The continuous risk assessment is an ...

Depending on the country you are in, there are slightly different categorizations of fire, .e.g. its slightly different for USA from UK & Europe. Here will examine the USA's OSHA classifications. In OSHA, fires can be divided into five classes: Class A:  These are fires involving flammable solids, e.g. wood, cloth, rubber, paper, and some types of plastics. An example of this type of fire would be a campsite fire. Class B:  These are fires involving flammable liquids or liquefiable solids, e.g. petrol, oil, paint and also some waxes & plastics, but not cooking fats or oils. Class C:  Class C fire involves energized electrical equipment. Such as motors, transformers and appliances. Remove the power and the class C fire becomes one of the other classes of fire.  Class D:  These are fires involving combustible metals, e.g. sodium, magnesium, and potassium. Class K:  These are fires involving cooking fats and oils such as an...

What are the common hazards in workplace? Well there are many different types of hazards, depending upon nature of work activities and type of industry. But Hazards generally fall into six broad groups. 1.   Mechanical /Electrical- e.g, slip, trip and falls, moving machinery, electrical equipment. 2. Physical - e.g, noise, radiation, light, vibration. 3. Chemical - e.g, corrosive, poisons, harmful dust. 4. Biological - e.g, Household waste, bacteria, viruses, parasites. 5. Environmental - e.g, exhaust fumes and gases, landslide. 6. Organisational/psychological - e.g, fatigue, violence, bullying. Identify hazard in present Office scenario from following list Here are some common workplace hazards; > Computer workstation - Eye strain, back injuries and ULDs > Vehicles and Transport -  Collision and crushing with vehicles > Lightning - Poor lightning, too bright or dark  > Bullying -  Criticism of com...

Cell phone radiation damages DNA, inflicts cellular damage and creates a broad spectrum of health problems and diseases, including DNA mutation and cancer in humans. A group of scientist published this in a scientific journal “Oxidants and Anti oxidants in Medical Science” in March 2014, in a study called “Low intensity radiofrequency radiation: a new oxidant for living cells”. 76 studies (or 92.5%) proved that cell phone radiation inflicts cellular damage. Cell phone radiation affects production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS); these are molecules that form in our bodies as byproduct during normal metabolism of oxygen. A healthy human body has balanced, non health-threatening amounts of ROS. However, microwaves cause overproduction of ROS and dramatically increase oxidative stress – body’s inability to detoxify itself and repair the damage. Too much of ROS damages lipids, proteins and DNA in cells, and disrupts all kinds of natural cellular interacting signals, ...

The world has experienced a phenomenal growth in the number of smartphone users. The increased use of smartphones has raised public interest in possible health issues associated with exposure to electromagnetic energy. People are concerned about exposure from Smartphone handsets & cell tower base stations. Radio signals are part of everyday life, emitted both by natural sources like the sun, the Earth and the ionosphere, and by artificial sources such as: 4G LTE cell tower base stations, broadcast towers, radar facilities, remote controls, medical, electrical and electronic equipment. The radio frequency sources include transmitting towers such as AM, FM radio towers, TV towers, Cell phone towers, etc. emit radio frequency/ microwave radiation continuously. The level of EMF from sources has risen exponentially, by soaring popularity of wireless technology such as smartphones, cordless phones, Wi-Fi (Wireless Internet) Wi-max and other wireless devices. The Smartphon...

Manual Handling means any activity requiring the use of force otherwise by a person to lift, lower, push, pull, carry or otherwise move, hold or restrain any object. Injuries involving manual handling (MH) account for approximately one third of all injuries sustained on worksites. Activities that cause MH injuries include: • Lifting/moving items that is too heavy for the capabilities of the individual. • Lifting/moving items in a restricted or difficult to maneuver locations/positions. • Twisting / bending when completing a M/H task. • Completing M/H tasks whilst reaching or extending, ie lifting/moving items above shoulder height, lifting/moving items at ground level, and/or lifting/moving items at arms length. • Lifting/moving large and/or awkward loads. • Lack of fitness and/or warm up prior to M/H activities. • Using incorrect lifting techniques. • Sudden or jerking movements, ie catching heavy loads, tripping whilst carrying loads Procedure for manual handling: •...

Each year many personnel suffer from heat stress; some cases have been life threatening. The majority of the environments in which we operate are very hot and/or humid areas. This places employees at a significant risk of suffering from heat stress. The body can absorb about 200 ml (one glass) of water through the stomach lining every 10 minutes; this is about 1 liter per hour. The following strategies will help to avoid heat stress: - Drink at least 1 liter of cool water per hour. - Wear loose fitting, lightweight, full length, porous clothing. - Wear a broad brimmed hat. - Wear sunglasses. - Try to do hot jobs in the cooler part of the day. - Do not drink soft drinks or alcohol to replace fluid. Avoid coffee and tea during the day. - Drink even if you are not thirsty, as thirst is not a good indicator of dehydration. - Try to take regular breaks during hot periods. - Do not take salt tablets, stamina or similar drinks unless prescribed by a doctor. - Cease working i...

Next to road incidents, falls kill more people than any other kind of incident. Causes of Slips, Trips and Falls A SLIP occurs when there is too little friction or traction between your feet and the surface you are walking on. Common causes of slips are: • Constantly wet surfaces. • Occasional spills. • Weather hazards. TRIPS can occur whenever your foot strikes an object and your momentum causes you to be thrown off balance. Trips most commonly occur when: • Your view is obstructed. • You take a shortcut instead of using a proven pathway. • There is clutter, especially near a walkway. Common causes of FALLS include: • Using makeshift ladders (e.g. oil drum). • Inadequate inspection of equipment. • Poorly maintained equipment. • Improper use of ladders. Some of the reasons include the following: • Poor housekeeping. Examples of poor housekeeping include: 1. Items of equipment and rubbish left laying about the site. 2. Walkways and exits blocked or not cor...

What is Fire? For combustion to occur there must be three elements. Combined, these are often referred to as the fire triangle or the triangle of combustion. The best method to extinguish is remove one of three element of triangle fire. STARVATION is the removal of fuel from the vicinity of the fire, which can also be achieved by removing the fire from the vicinity of the fuel. SMOTHERING is a reduction of the oxygen available to a fire, which can also be achieved by application of an extinguishing agent, such as foam. COOLING is the reduction of temperature to below that which is required for combustion. COMBINATION of METHODS : In many instances it is a combination of methods which extinguishers a fire. Extinguishing Agents WATER: Because of its availability and cheapness, water is the most commonly used extinguishing agent. Its effectiveness is due to its ability to absorb heat from both the burning fuel and the heated vapour. FOAM: Fire fighting foam ...

Falls from height are the most common cause of fatal injury and the second most cause of common cause of major injuries to employees. Working at height may include work on roof, using ladders or any access platform such as scaffolds or lifting equipment. The main hazards from Working at Height are Falls i.e, Persons falling and falling equipments. The main causes of falls from height are: Failing to recognize the risk. Not providing safe system of work and making sure its followed. Not providing adequate information, training, instruction or supervision. Not using equipment properly or sometimes not using it a all (using chair instead of step ladder). Unsafe act may lead to a Fall When Fall protection is needed? During roof work, fall protection is always required when the roof edge is more than 10 feet above the ground or other surfaces. This commonly referred to as,  10 foot rule. But when any roof is so steep or slippery that an uncontroll...