HAZARDS IN THE

WORK PLACE
BY Mr. T A KEIPOPLE
S. TECH MECH, ENERGY & IND
ENGINEERING
Contents
Legislation
Categories of Hazards
Route of Entry
Effects of Toxins
Airborne Contaminants
Carcinogens
PPE
LEGISLATION

Factories Act - CHAPTER 44:01PART IV

Health - General Provisions (ss 13-20)

Cleanliness
Overcrowding
Ventilation
Lighting
Drainage of floors
Sanitary conveniences
HAZARDS
Hazards can be divided into the four
categories
Chemical hazards
Physical hazards
Biological hazards
Ergonomic hazards
Categories of hazards
Chemical Hazards
Mists, vapors, gases, dusts and fumes.
Chemical hazards are either inhaled or absorbed
through the skin or both
Physical Hazards
Noise, vibration, extremes of temperature, and
excessive radiation
Biological hazard
From mould, fungi, bacteria, and insects.
Bacteria may be introduced into the workplace through
sewage, food waste, water or insect droppings.
 Ergonomic hazards
Related to the design and condition of the
workplace
Poorly designed workstations and or tools are an
ergonomic hazard.
Conditions that put workers into awkward
positions and impair their visibility are also
hazards.
TOXIC SUBSTANCES
Has a negative effect on the health of a
person or animal
Toxic effects are a function of several

factors, including the following;

properties of the substance,
amount of dose
level of exposure
Route of entry
resistance of the individual to the substance
Entry Points for Toxic
Substances
To prevent hazards associated with toxic
substances requires first knowing how they
enter the body
A toxic substance must first enter the blood

stream to cause health problems.

The most common route of entry for toxic

agents are inhalation, absorption, injection

and ingestion
INHALATION
Airborne toxic substances
Gases, vapors, dust smoke, fumes aerosols, and
mists
Inhaled and pass through the nose, throat,
bronchial tubes and lungs to enter the blood
stream.
The amount of a toxic substance that can

be inhaled depends on the following factors

concentration of the substance
breathing volume and duration of exposure.
Absorption

Passage through the skin and into the blood

stream.
The human skin is protective barrier against

hazards
However certain toxic agents can penetrate

the barrier through absorption.

Unprotected cuts, sores and abrasions also

facilitate the process, but even a healthy

skin will absorb certain chemicals.
 Humans are especially susceptible to
absorbing such chemicals as organic lead
compounds
Nitro compounds, organic phosphate

pesticides, TNT, cyanides, aromatic amines,

amides and phenols
Different parts of the body have different

absorption capabilities
An example is that the forearms have a

lower absorption potential than do the scalp

and fore head
INGESTION
Not a major concern in an industrial setting
because the entry route is through the mouth
An ingested substance is swallowed

It moves through the stomach into the

intestines and from there into the blood stream

Toxic substances sometimes enter the body by

ingestion when accidentally consumed by

workers eating lunch or snack.
Airborne contaminants can also rest on food or

the hands and as a result be ingested during a

meal or snack
 The possibility of ingesting toxic agents makes it
critical to confine eating and drinking to sanitary
areas away from the work site to ensure that workers
practice good personal hygiene such as washing their
hands thoroughly before eating and drinking
As it moves through the gastro intestinal tract, the
toxic substances strength can be diluted
In addition, depending on the amount and toxicity of
the substance, the liver may be able to convert it to
non toxic substance
The liver can at least decrease the level of toxicity
and pass some of the substance along to the kidneys
where some of the substance is eliminated in the
urine
INJECTION
Injection involves introducing a substance
into the body using a needle and a syringe
Consequently this is not often the route of

entry for a toxic substance in the workplace

In an industrial setting injection by sharp

instruments that are used in chemicals or

being cut by a toxic metal can inject a toxic
substance into the blood stream
Effects of toxic substances
Acute effects/exposures
Sudden dose of a highly concentrated substance
Usually the result of an accident (A spill or a
damage to a pipe) that results in an immediate
health problem ranging from irritation to death
Acute effects/exposures are sudden, severe,
typically involve just one accident and cause
immediate health problems.
Acute effects/exposures are not the result of
accumulation over time.
Chronic effects/exposures
Involve limited exposure over time
Consequently the associated health problems
develop slowly
The characteristics of chronic effects/exposures
are listed below;
Continual exposure over time,
Limited concentrations of the substance
Progressive accumulation of toxic substance in the
body and or progressive worsening of associated
health problems
Little or no awareness of exposures on the part
of the affected workers
Effects Toxic Substance in a
body
Eventually affects one or more body organs.
Part of the livers function is to collects such
substances, convert them to non-toxics and
sent them to the kidneys for elimination in the
urine
When the dose is more than the liver can
handle, toxics move on to other organs,
producing a variety of different effects
The organs affected by the toxic substances
are the blood, kidneys, heart, brain, central
nervous system, skin, liver, lungs, and eyes
 Substances & Organs Affected
Blood Kidney Heart Brain Eyes Skin Lung Liver
s s

Benzene Mercury Aniline Lead Cresol Nickel Asbesto Chloroform

s
Carbon Chloroform Mercury Acrolein Phenol Chromiu Carbon Tetra
monoxid m chloride
e
Arsenic Benzene Benzyl Trychloro Hydroge Touline
Chlorid ethyline n Sulfide
e
Aniline Manganes Butyl Mica
e Alcohol
Touline Acetaldehy Nitrogen
de Dioxide
Airborne Contaminants
Dusts
Solid particles produced when a given type of organic or
inorganic material is scraped, sawed, ground, drilled, handled,
heated, crushed or otherwise deformed
The degree of hazard represented by dust depends on the
toxicity of the parent material and the size and level of
concentration of the particles.
Fumes
The most common causes of fumes in the work place are such
manufacturing proceses as welding, heat treating, and
metalizing, all of which involve the interaction of intense heat
with a parent material.
The heat volatizes the portions of the parent material, which
then condenses as it comes in contact with cool air. The result
of this reaction is the formation of tiny particles that can be
formed
 Smoke
The result of the incomplete combustion of carbonaceous
materials
Because combustion is incomplete, tiny soot and or
carbon particles remain and can be inhaled
Aerosols
They are liquid or solid particles that are so small they
can remain suspended in air long enough to be
transported over a distance. They can be inhaled
Mists
They are tiny liquid droplets suspended in air
Mists are formed in two ways. When vapors return to
liquid state through condensation, and when the
application of sudden force or pressure turns a liquid into
particles
 Gases
Unlike other airborne contaminants that take the form
of either tiny particles or droplets gases are formless.
Gasses become particularly hazardous when they fill a
confined, ventilated space.
Common sources of gasses in industrial setting are
from welding and the exhausts from internal
combustion engines
Vapors
Certain materials that are solid or liquid at room
temperature
At normal levels of pressure turn to vapors when
heated or exposed to abnormal pressure. Evaporation
is the most common process by which a liquid is
transformed into vapor
Effects of Airborne Toxics
Classified according to the type of effect they have
on the body. The primary classifications are as
follows:
Irritants
cause irritation to the skin, eyes, and the inner lining of the
nose, mouth, throat, and upper respiratory tract.
However, they produce no irreversible damage
Asphicxants
Disrupt breathing so severely that suffocation results
A simple asphixant is an inert gas that dilutes the oxygen in
the air to the point that the body cannot take enough air to
satisfy its needs of oxygen
Common simple asphyxants include carbon dioxide, ethane
helium, hydrogen, methane, and nitrogen
 Narcotrics/Anesthetics
Inhibit normal operation of the central nervous
system without causing serious or irreversible effects
if the concentration of the dose is too high, narcotics
and anesthetics can cause unconsciousness and
even death
Carcinogens
A carcinogen is any substances that can cause
malignant tumor or a neoplastic growth
A neoplasm is a cancerous tissue or tissues that
might become cancerous
There are a number of toxic substances that are
either known, or strongly suspected to be
carcinogens
These include coal tar, pitch, creosote oil,
anthracene oil, soot, lamp black, lignite, asphalt,
bitumen waxes, paraffin oils, arsenic, chromium,
nickel, compounds, beryllium, cobalt, benzene, and
various paints, dyes, tints, pesticides, and enamels
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE
EQUIPMENT
Warning Labels
References
Goetsch D. L. (1999). Occupational Safety

and Health for Technologists, Engineers,

and Managers. Prentice Hall.
Olakanmi E. O. (2015). Health and Safety

[PowerPoint Slides]. BIUST

Factories Act (No date). CHAPTER 44:01

(Botswana)