Occupational prevention

The research activity here presented has been carried out at the N.D.T. laboratory of l.S.P.E.S.L. (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Prevention) and it is aimed at the set up of the Stress Pattern Analysis by Measuring Thermal Emission technique [I] applied to pressure vessels. Basically, the SPATE system detects the infrared flux emitted from points resulting from the minute temperature changes in a cyclically stressed structure or component. 

Every effort has been made to select the most reliable information and to record it with accuracy. Many years of occupation with this type of work bring a realization of the opportunities for the occurrence of errors, and while every endeavor has been made to prevent them, yet it would be remarkable if the attempts towards this end had always been successful. In this connection it is desired to express appreciation to those who in the past have called attention to errors, and it will be appreciated if this be done again with the present compilation for the publishers have given their assurance that no expense will be spared in making the necessary changes in subsequent printings. 

Occupational Safety and Health J ct. OSHA regulations deal principally with physical aspects of safety and those things generally associated with accident prevention. These federal regulations deal especially with the need for estabHshed material safety data sheets and the proper labeling of printing inks under the Hazard Communication Laws. 

Mock OSHA Inspection. Maintenance can learn a lot about how the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) trains thein inspectors and what is emphasized in an OSHA inspection. Some of the training of OSHA inspectors follows a program involving the recognition of potential hazards, avoidance of these hazards, and prevention of accidents (RAP). 

The identification of pollution prevention options has become a maintenance requirement. In addition to these requirements, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) performed its first investigation of indoor air quahty. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has also begun to research air quahty. 

Hot Work Fire Prevention and Protection, 29 CFR 1910.252, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Apr. 11, 1990. 

The most significant occupational exposures to zinc would occur during the smelting and refining of zinc ore. The standards for occupational exposure have been estabUshed at a level to prevent the onset of metal fume fever. This temporary condition is caused by excessive exposure to freshly formed fumes of zinc oxide and results in flulike symptoms of fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, nausea and vomiting. 

In most situations, adequate, usuaHy forced, ventilation is necessary to prevent excessive exposure. Persons who drink alcohol excessively or have Hver, kidney, or heart diseases should be excluded from any exposure to carbon tetrachloride. AH individuals regularly exposed to carbon tetrachloride should receive periodic examinations by a physician acquainted with the occupational hazard involved. These examinations should include special attention to the kidneys and the Hver. There is no known specific antidote for carbon tetrachloride poisoning. Treatment is symptomatic and supportive. Alcohol, oHs, fats, and epinephrine should not be given to any person who has been exposed to carbon tetrachloride. FoHowing exposure, the individual should be kept under observation long enough to permit the physician to determine whether Hver or kidney injury has occurred. Artificial dialysis may be necessary in cases of severe renal faHure. 

Product information in detail should be available and potential hazards should have been identified and occupational health preventive measures taken. Safe disposal of waste should be well under control. 

The air inside a factory building can be polluted by release of contaminants from industrial processes to the air of the workroom. This is a major cause of occupational disease. Prevention and control of such contamination are part of the practice of industrial hygiene. To prevent exposure of workers to such contamination, industrial hygienists use industrial ventilation systems that remove the contaminated air from the workroom and discharge it, either with or without treatment to remove the contaminants, to the ambient air outside the factory building. 

Occupational Health Recognizing and Preventing Work-Related Disease, 3" ed.. Levy BS, Wegman DH, eds. (Little, Brown and Company, 1995). 

Preventing Occupational Disease and Injury, Weeks JL, Levy BS, Wagner GR, eds. (APHA, 1991). 

Equipment operating schedules Confirm that the timing of occupied and unoccupied cycles is compatible with actual occupied periods, and that the building is flushed by the ventilation system before occupants arrive. ASHRAE 62-1989 provides guidance on lead and lag times for HVAC equipment. In hot, humid climates, ventilation may be needed during long unoccupied periods to prevent mold grow th. 

OSHA- Occupational Health and Safety Administration The U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration, OSHA, is a federal government agency in the U.S. Department of Labor. OSHA s Web site is http //www.osha.gov/. The primary goals of OSHA are to save lives, prevent injuries, and protect the health of America s workers. OSHA employs over 2,000 inspectors to ensure job site safety. OSHA was created by the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act of 1970. While many see OSHA as an intrusive government agency intent on enforcing arcane rules, the fact is that OSHA saves lives. And if that is not enough... 

Medical monitoring and surveillance programs enable occupational health professionals to identify adverse health effects caused by exposure to hazardous substances and conditions and to discuss plans with site workers, industrial hygienists, safety professionals, and line management to prevent exposures and protect workers. These goals can be accomplished through two objectives ... 

Occupational Delineating occupational hazards and risks and prevention... 

Toxicology often provides the basis for a number of regulations aimed at protecting workers from potentially harmful effects. Today, more than ever before, toxicology has a preventive function that provides information on chemicals that can be used safely. It is difficult to imagine occupational or other safety regulations without a major input from toxicology. 

Hazard identification, step one, means identification of new chemicals or other factors that may cause harmful health effects. Previously, novel hazards were usually observed in case studies or after accidents or other excessive exposures, usually in occupational environments. Today, thorough toxicity studies are required on all pesticides, food additives, and drugs. New chemicals also have to be studied for their potential toxic effects. Thus, earlier hazards were in most cases identified after they had caused harmful effects in humans. Today, most chemical products have been evaluated for their toxicity with experimental animals. Therefore, hazard identification has become a preventive procedure based on safety studies conducted before a chemical compound or product reaches the market, and before individuals are exposed to it. ... 

In the future, the preventive tole of toxicology will be emphasized. It will be increasingly important to develop early indicators to monitor longterm subtle exposures that predict deleterious effects that are known to have a causal relationship with occupational exposures. In addition to collection of blood and urine samples, also collection of cells from points of... 

Thus, there is a clear need to establish the relationship between the health effects of hazardous chemical agents in the environment and the level of occupational exposure to the body by means of an occupational exposure limit, in which a reference figure for the concentration of a chemical agent is set. In fact, occupational exposure limits (OELs) have been a feature of the industrialized world since the early 1950s. They were introduced, primarily in the United States, at a time when measures to prevent occupational diseases were considered more beneficial than compensating victims, and in this sense OELs have played an important part in the control of occupational illnesses. 

Binding occupational exposure limit values reflect feasibility factors related to social acceptability. When the results of environmental monitoring have to be compared with OELs, factors that influence exposure and that entail preventive policies are considered. For these values member states shall establish a corresponding national binding occupational exposure limit value based on but not exceeding the community limit value. That is, a binding limit means a minimum requirement. 

---