COSH

CONSTRUCTION OCCUPATIONAL
SAFETY & HEALTH COURSE
Occupational Hazard and
Health Effects
Occupational Hazard and Health Effects
 Objectives
• Explain the key concepts of occupational health.
• Discuss and explain common hazards in the workplace and their effects
on workers’ health.
• Describe the role of medical surveillance in
preventing occupational illnesses and injuries.
• Identify ways to protect one’s self from health
hazards.
 Workers Health Surveillance
• Operate under controlled, well-organized conditions, preferably in
accordance with the ILO's Occupational Health Services Convention. This
Convention sets general principles on occupational health practice and
how to establish and run health services be based on sound ethical and
technical practice
• Ensure professional independence and impartiality of health
professionals, as well as workers' privacy and confidentiality of individual
health information
 Occupational health
• Promotion and maintenance of the highest degree
of physical, mental & social well-being of workers
of all occupations
• Prevention among its workers of departures from
health caused by their working conditions
• Protection of workers in their employment from
risks usually from factors adverse to health
• Placing & maintenance of the worker in an
occupational environment adapted to his/her
physiological ability
Review on occupational health

Exposure

Potentially harmful agents

 Factors affecting Occupational Health
• Exposure duration or the length of time of being vulnerable to
work hazards.
• Magnitude, level or dose of exposure. As the concentration or
amount of a hazard is increased the likely it can do more harm.
• Timing of exposure. This is related to exposure duration. A
worker who is exposed to a hazard continuously or for several
periods in a day is more at risk than those with less exposure
• Multiplicity of exposure. Exposures to mixtures of hazards or
several chemicals at the same time can cause synergistic or
cumulative effects.
Give examples of
health hazards
Types of Health Hazards
 Physical
• Equipment/machinery/tools
• Noise
• Vibration
• Heat Stress
• Cold Stress
• Illumination
• Pressure
• Solid
Chemical
• Liquid
• Gas
 Biological
• Bacteria
• Viruses
• Fungi
• Parasites
• Insects
• Plants
 Ergonomic
• Incorrect posture, stagnant position
• Unnecessary, forceful and/or unusual lifting
or reaching
• Repetitive actions
• Improper tools, workstation and equipment
design
 Psychosocial
• Stress
• Workplace violence
• Bullying (emotional and verbal abuse)
• Sexual harassment
• Mobbing
• Burnout
Psychosocial
 Other factors affecting workers health
• Age
• Sex
• Genetic makeup
• Medical history
• Lifestyle factors
Health Effects of
Occupational
Health Hazards
Health effects of occupational health hazards
Injur
y

Health
Effects
Illness
Deat /
h Diseas
e
Health Effects of Chemical Hazards
 Concepts to consider:
• Toxicity is the intrinsic capacity of a chemical agent to adversely affect
an organism, including humans.
• Toxic chemical is the agent that can cause the adverse effect
• Hazard is the potential for the toxicity to be realized in a specific setting
or situation.
• Exposure refers to the process or extent that a worker experiences or
comes in contact with a particular hazard in the workplace or as a result
of one’s occupation
• Dose is the amount of the toxic agent that has entered the body
• Risk is the probability or chance of a specific adverse effect to occur.
Respirable and Inhalable Particles
 Acute vs Chronic Effects
Acute Exposure Chronic Exposure

Short term exposure (e.g. minutes, Long term (e.g. years to lifetime)
hours, days) to (usually) relatively exposure to (usually) relatively low
high levels of contaminant levels of contaminant

Acute exposure may result in acute Chronic exposure may results in

effects which can range from chronic effects (cancer, chronic
relatively mild (eye irritation), to obstructive pulmonary disease,
extreme (an asthma attack) neurological problems, etc.)
Routes of Entry
• Inhalation
• Ingestion
• Absorption through skin
• Injection
• Transfer across placenta
 Different Organ Specific Toxic Effects
• Blood Toxicity
• Dermal Toxicity – adverse effects on the skin
• Eye toxicity
• Hepatotoxicity – adverse effects on the liver
• Immunotoxicity – adverse effects on the immune system
• Nephrotoxicity – adverse effects on the kidneys
• Neurotoxicity – adverse effects on the brain or nerves outside of the brain
• Reproductive Toxicity – adverse effects on the reproductive system
• Respiratory Toxicity – adverse effects on the lungs
Different Organ Specific Toxic Effects
Noise • Hearing damage may be
acute or immediate after
exposure to very loud
sounds
• The major risk factor that
may cause hearing damage
from noise is prolonged and
unprotected exposure to
harmful levels.
Permissible Exposure Limit (Noise)
 Types of noise-induced hearing loss
• temporary threshold shift
(TTS) or auditory fatigue
where hearing recovery occurs
after 24-48 hours
• permanent threshold shift
(PTS) - irreversible hearing loss
occurs and manifestations of
hearing loss are present.
Extreme Temperature: Heat & Cold
 Heat
• A form of thermal energy, which may
come from body metabolism, increased
physical activities, radiation from hot
objects or from the sun, and byproducts
of industrial processes.
• To keep the temperature at a stable level,
the amount of heat gained by the body
must be equal to by the amount lost.
Mechanisms of heat loss
 Mechanisms of production
• Muscular activity
• Metabolic thermogenesis
Acclimatization
 Cold Stress
• Not common in the Philippines
• There are industrial workers who are exposed
to cold stress
• Those who are working in cold environment
such as in ice plant, freezers, and recreation
facilities
 Types of Cold Stress
• Hypothermia – body core temperature
falls below 35 C (95 F)
• Frostbite – body tissue freezes (may
result to amputation)
• Trench foot - Non-freezing injury to the
foot, caused by lengthy exposure to wet
and cold environment.
Radiation: Ionizing and Non-Ionizing
 Ionizing Radiation
• Ionizing radiation is capable of producing ion pairs by interaction with
matter.
• Ionizing radiation auses biochemical changes.
• Ionizing radiation may affect different organ systems in the body and,
depending on the dose, health effects may manifest from skin
reddening with small doses to sterility and even death with large
doses.
• Alpha particles, beta particles, neutrons, x-ray and gamma rays are
examples of ionizing radiation.
 Non-ionizing Radiation
• There is not enough energy to cause ionization of
matter.
• The types of NIR are Ultraviolet (UV) rays,
Infrared (IR), Lasers, Microwaves (MW), Radio
frequencies (RF), Extremely Low Frequency and
Static Fields.
• Skin redness, premature skin ageing, skin cancer
• Cataract, retinal injury, conjunctivitis
 Radiation Safety

• Time
• Distance
• Shielding
Radiation shielding material
 Vibration
• Vibration is a physical factor that
causes mechanical oscillations.
• It affects workers when the
mechanical energy is transmitted
to the body.
 Two types of Human Vibration
• General or whole body vibration
• Local or segmental vibration
 Vibration exposure to hands
• Short-term exposure to vibration may cause tingling and
numbness in fingers and hands.
• Long-term exposure to hand-arm vibration damages the fingers
and hands. Damage is especially painful when hands are cold.
 Whole body vibration exposure
• Whole body vibration may cause damage to muscles and joints.
In the beginning there is pain which, with time, becomes an
injury.
• Riding in a car or truck on a gravel road in a campground or park
or riding some amusement rides may expose you to whole-body
vibration.
• Potential sources:
 buses
 mining vehicles
 construction vehicles
 Prevention and Management
• using tools with a lower vibration level,
• minimizing time of use or time riding on vibrating
equipment,
• keeping hands warm, and
• using anti-vibration gloves - they also help to keep
hands warm.
 Illumination
• Proper lighting or illumination of the
workplace is important to have safe and
healthy workers.
• Signs that are lighted properly decrease the
risk of accidents.
• Adequate illumination improves productivity
by ensuring that the details of the task can
be easily seen by the worker thereby
decreasing errors and wastage of materials.
Health Effects of Biological Hazards
 Biologic agents
• Viruses
• Bacteria
• Fungi
• Parasite
Tuberculosis
 Tuberculosis
• Tuberculosis is at the top of the list because it remains one of the
most prevalent illness affecting Filipinos.
• It is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality based
on Philippine Health Statistics and Field Health Service
Information System.
• It is the sixth leading cause of illnesses and deaths in the
Philippines
• The country is ninth out of the 22 highest TB-burden countries in
the world and has one of the highest burdens of multidrug-
resistant TB.
 Tuberculosis
• Bacteria Mycobacterium
tuberculosis
• TB bacteria usually attack the
lungs, but can also attack any part
of the body such as the kidney,
spine, brain, bones and intestines.
• If not treated properly, TB disease
can be fatal.
 Transmission
• Primarily an airborne disease.
• The bacteria are spread from
person to person in tiny microscopic
droplets or aerosol when a TB
sufferer forces air from his/her
lungs when coughing, sneezing,
speaking, singing, or laughing.
Signs and Symptoms
 Prevention & Management
• TB can survive for extended periods of time in the air and on various
surface areas.
• It was found that 28% of the tuberculosis bacteria remain alive in a room
after nine hours. Tuberculosis can live up to 45 days on clothing, 70 days
in carpet, 90 to 120 days in dust, approximately 105 days on a paper
book, and approximately six to eight months in sputum.
• Ultraviolet light, volume of air in a room and recirculation of air through a
HEPA filter are important factors that affect the survival of the bacteria.
• Until the droplet falls, it can be breathed in at any time.
 Prevention & Management
• Personal hygiene & handwashing
• Eat a healthy, balanced diet
• Exercise regularly
• Get plenty of rest
• Wear a mask
• DOTS by the WHO and National TB Program (EO 187 s. 2003)
 HIV and AIDS
• HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a
virus that attacks the immune system. If
untreated, a person’s immune system will
eventually be completely destroyed.
• AIDS refers to a set of symptoms and
illnesses that occur at the very final stage of
HIV infection.
 HIV and AIDS
• HIV is found in semen, blood, vaginal
and anal fluids, and breast milk.
• HIV cannot be transmitted through
sweat, saliva or urine.
Transmission
Transmission
Invasion of HIV to T-helper cell
HIV Progression
 Prevention and Management
• Abstinence
• Be faithful
• Condom
• Detection
• Early Treatment
 Hepatitis
• Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver.
• The condition can be self-limiting or can
progress to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis
or liver cancer.
• Hepatitis viruses are the most common
cause of hepatitis in the world but other
infections, toxic substances (e.g. alcohol,
certain drugs), and autoimmune
diseases can also cause hepatitis.
Hepatitis
Signs and Symptoms
Liver changes
 Prevention and Management
• Over-all, hepatitis can be prevented by ensuring good personal
hygiene
• Avoid sharing food, cutlery, cigarettes with people who have
hepatitis infection
• Do not share needles, syringes, or other injecting equipment
• Public awareness about sexual transmission and protected sex
• Use condom with sex partners
• Immunization
Tetanus
• Tetanus, commonly called lockjaw, is
another illness caused by a bacterial
toxin or poison from the spore of the
bacterium Clostridium tetani.
 Who are at risk?
• Agricultural workers
• Miners
• Construction workers
 Prevention & Management
• Tetanus toxoid immunization
• Antibiotics prescribed by the physician
(penicillin or tetracycline)
• Use proper PPE when risks are present
 Handwashing
• Before, during, and after preparing food
• Before eating food
• Before and after caring for someone who is sick
• Before and after treating a cut or wound
• After using the toilet
• After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has
used the toilet
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
• After handling pet food or pet treats
• After touching garbage
 How should you wash your hands?
• Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn
off the tap, and apply soap.
• Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be
sure to lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers,
and under your nails.
• Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the
"Happy Birthday" song from beginning to end twice.
• Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
• Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.
 What should you do if you don’t have
soap and clean, running water?

• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

• Hand sanitizers are not as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy.
 Goals of Ergonomics
• To make work safe and humane
• To increase human efficiency
• To create human well-being
Ergonomics
Back and Neck Pain
 Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Entrapment of the median nerve within
the carpal tunnel
• Symptoms include numbness,
paresthesias, and pain in the median
nerve distribution
 Prevention and Management
• Proper hand positioning when using
computers
• NSAIDs
• Rest the affected hand
• Hand exercises
• Splint
• Cortisone injection
• Surgery
Hand Exercises
Any questions?
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
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