Jeremy Carter

Dip OH CMFOH CMIOSH

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

To introduce myself...

I am currently an Occupational Hygiene Consultant I practise in most aspects of mainstream Occupational Hygiene I have worked mostly in the Consultancy field but I also spent

almost 5 years in the Chemical Industry

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

When I worked in the Chemical Industry I was part of the

Occupational Health Department My boss was an Occupational Physician who had a VERY good

idea of what he thought Occupational Hygienists did But it was a long time ago and I don’t bear grudges....

So what does an Occupational Hygienist actually do?

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Is Occupational Hygiene important?

HSE recorded 133 deaths in the UK workplace due to accidents in 2013 to 2014

Over the same period HSE estimated 13,000 deaths in the UK due to occupationally induced ill-health

i.e. almost a 100:1 ratio - we need to do something about this as soon as we can!

Which is where Occupational Hygiene in the Workplace comes in

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Occupational Medicine

Occupational Hygiene

Health and Safety

Environmental Science

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

So what do Occupational Hygienists do?

Recognise - initially

Assess - secondly

Control - finally

the causes of occupationally induced ill-health within Workplaces

using Scientific and Technological methods

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

What causes occupational ill-health?

• Chemical agents • Physical agents • Biological agents

• As well as factors most Hygienists don’t usually get involved with

such as ergonomics and stress.....

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Chemical agents

Dusts – e.g. silica, wood or flour dust

Vapours – e.g. organic solvents in many workplaces

Gases – e.g. diesel exhaust emissions

Fumes – e.g. welding fume with a variety of toxic metals

NB These are all different from a technical point of view and require very different sampling techniques!

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Physical agents

Noise – common in many workplaces

Vibration – HAVs from hand tools, WBV from driving vehicles etc.

Thermal Environment – both hot and cold, but mostly the latter on the North Sea...

Radiation (Ionising and Non Ionising) – a real specialist area!

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Biological agents

Legionella Bacterium – common in many water systems

Psittacosis – bird droppings – derelict buildings

Weills disease – rat urine for sewer workers etc.

Anthrax – Animal workers rather than horse hair plaster!

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Assessing Risks

Some exposure standards exist - HSE Document EH40

Mostly for inhalation of chemical substances

But may not be the actual exposure route (e.g. organic solvents via skin exposure)

Some biological monitoring standards now exist

Noise and vibration also have exposure standards

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Assessing Risks

Accurate assessment must involve inspection of the workplace Observation of work practices are often as useful as any quantitative

measurements that are made Standard Operating Procedures often not followed and control measures often not used correctly (or at all!) For example is this operative using his Local Exhaust Ventilation hood

correctly?

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Assessing Risks

Sometimes an assessment is valid purely by inspection of the workplace

For Example do we really need to carry out dust measurements in this workplace (A Cement Mill)?

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Example 1 ‘Banker Masons Workshop’

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

‘Banker Masons’ Fabricating Decorative Stone

A very long lived work activity – Banker Masons worked on Cathedrals in the Middle Ages

Exposure to dust has probably increased due to use of powered tools in modern workshops

Masons also exposed to Noise and Hand-Arm Vibration

We will concentrate on Assessment of exposure to Dust

Let us revisit the photograph

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

What is the layout of the Work Area?

Is the area naturally ventilated or is there LEV?

How many Masons working in Area?

Are there any other Trades Exposed?

Are they all carrying out the same Task?

Are they all using the same Tools?

Are they all using the same Controls?

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Example 2 ‘Pointing and Peening’

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

‘Pointing and Peening’ Fence Stakes in a Wood Mill

Once more multiple exposures possible from a single Task

Wood dust

Noise

Hand-Arm Vibration

In reality dust is not a problem

The activity generates course wood shavings and the wood is not fully dried out

Which was a good job as the LEV was useless!

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Example 3 ‘Dust Lamps and Welding Fumes’

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Mild and stainless steel fabrication on a Workbench

No LEV used as very little visible fume so no risk perceived

Switched off Workshop Lights and used a Tyndall Beam (ex B&Q)

A method devised by the HSE based upon light scattering to reveal very small particles invisible under normal conditions

A qualitative method – it does not give either particle sizing nor the airborne concentration

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Example 3 ‘Dust Lamps and Welding Fumes’

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Example 4 ‘Lots of Control and All Needed’

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Spraying twin pack isocyanate based paints almost whole shift

LEV in the form of a water backed booth

Air fed hood also worn by the Sprayer

PPE in form of disposable type 5 Tyvek overalls and nitrile rubber gloves

A good example of ‘lots of control and all needed’

However the Process will likely be automated in the future

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Example 5 ‘Benzene Bob and the Magic Overalls’

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Originally task was to assess airborne Benzene levels during maintenance of a North Sea Oil Platform

The first time that some Separator Vessels and Pipework had been opened in more than 25 years!

Benzene is a carcinogen with a very low Workplace Exposure Limit of 1ppm but first time such monitoring had taken place

Containment breakage was giving far higher ‘spikes’ of Benzene exposure when the ‘HC Crust’ was broken

While Vessel Purging and RPE could cope with this the wearing of ‘Slicker Suits’ became an issue

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Example 5 ‘Benzene Bob and the Magic Overalls’

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Example 5 ‘Benzene Bob and the Magic Overalls’

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

‘Slicker Suits’ were becoming heavily contaminated with HCs

While gloves were disposed of at the end of each shift Slicker Suits ‘regenerated’ overnight and were OK for use each morning!

An obvious problem with Information, Instruction and Training

Not an easy issue to resolve as contamination levels varied with Tasks undertaken

Pragmatic approach was taken such that contact with liquid HCs meant that they were disposed of post shift

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Hierarchy of Workplace Control

Eliminate

Substitute – but beware!

Enclose

Ventilate

Safe System of Work (including monitoring)

PPE and RPE

Information, Instruction and Training

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Reality of Controlling Risks

Often cannot be ‘Controlled’ completely

Reduce to As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP)

Engineering Controls preferred but in real life...

The use of PPE and RPE will still be required

Especially for the sorts of maintenance & repair tasks seen in the

‘Benzene Bob’ slides

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Reality of Controlling Risks

Controls will need monitoring & audit

Is Containment really effective?

Is Local Exhaust Ventilation working properly?

Is PPE suitable?

Has RPE been Face Fit tested?

Have Operatives been trained to use Controls?

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Personal Exposure Monitoring

Operative wearing an Isocyanate monitor

(activated filter connected to a pump)

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

LEV System in Woodworking Shop

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

LEV System Filtration and Fan Unit external to Workshop

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Testing an LEV System

Measuring extraction hood static pressure with a micromanometer

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

UK Professional body for Occupational Hygiene is the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS)

Has been in existence since 1953 and received Royal Charter on our 60th Birthday!

Membership of BOHS open to all with interest in subject

Membership of the Faculty of BOHS is open to those possessing BOHS Technical Qualifications

Their website www.bohs.org is a useful source of information

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

And finally the biggest Occupational Hygiene Issue

Currently killing over 5000 ex-workers a year in the UK alone

Despite the fact the its use in the UK was banned over 15 years ago

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

ASBESTOS.....

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

I could do a whole presentation about Asbestos but I’m not going to say anything further about it except

We know what it is (a hazard by inhalation of respirable fibres)

We know what it does (a carcinogen)

We know how it does it (by entry into to the gas exchange regions of the lung)

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Asbestos should not be an issue in the UK in the 21st Century

We are aware how, where and why it was used

We also know what control strategies can be employed to reduce

exposure

We can even achieve low airborne levels when removing it

I will leave you to ponder on why we are still exposing people!

Occupational Hygiene Workplace Examples

Thanks for your attention!

Any Questions?

Jeremy Carter

Dip OH CMFOH CMIOSH