Occupational Hygiene and Safety

One of the constant concerns of numerous industries where either aerosols or toxic vapors are produced is the effects of these upon workers. A variety of health problems arise because of the workers inhaling gases and aerosols of irritant or toxic fibers which are produced in the normal course of activities. A less obvious hazard arises from the attachment of trace molecular species to particles. If these trace species are radioactive or chemically toxic, the particles, which effectively concentrate them, provide a vehicle for delivery deep within the body causing a health hazard far beyond that suggested by their gross molecular concentration in the air [1.31,32]. Kinetic theory, thermodynamics, and interaction forces, all enter into descriptions of the attachment process. 

Dust explosions [1.33] present an industrial hazard in the grain milling and other industries where combustible airborne particles are produced. Describing in detail the conditions under which these explosions can occur requires the aerosol microphyiscs of heterogeneous processes, kinetic theory, and microparticle microphysics. 

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This study reveals that 23.1% of companies had occupational hygiene and safety services and 17.9% had health services, all by external enterprises. Nevertheless regarding the health surveillance, about 91.6% of workers had a medical checkup in the last year. This could be an indicator of their concern with their own health. In a survey developed in Norway about half of the farmers have access to occupational health services (Svendsen et al., 2014). 

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