B10 Work Environment Risks And Controls

Question 1

Legal framework for controlling temperature and thermal environment.

Answer 1

• The Workplace Health, Safety and welfare regulations (Regulation 7)- Explicit requirement to ensure indoor temperature is reasonable during working hrs. 16c except where working involves physical effort 13c
• Construction Design and management regs similar to WHSWR
• HSWA - section 2(2)e working environment is safe
• MHSWA - requires RAs

Question 2

Typical heat stress symptoms

Answer 2

• Inability to concentrate
• Muscle cramming (due to loss of salt from sweating)
• Heat rash (Prickly heat)
• Severe thirst
• Fainting
• Heat exhaustion - fatigue, giddiness, nausea, headache and moist skin
• Heat stroke - hot dry skin, confusion, convulsions, loss of consciousness. In most serious cases can lead to coma and death

Question 3

Cold injuries

Answer 3

• non freezing = chilblains (painful lumps), trench foot (swollen infected as a result of cold)
• Freezing injuries = Frost nip (freezing of surface layer of skin), Frost bite ( freezing of the deeper tissues)
• Cold stress (opposite of heat stress), where the body is unable to maintain 37C, if body falls below 35C
  Symptoms
• Feeling cold followed by pain and numbness
• Shivering
• Uncharacteristic mood swing and behaviour change
• Confusion
• Muscular weakness
• Drowsiness

Question 4

Environmental features that affect thermal comfort

Answer 4

• Air temperature (heat will always move towards cold)
• Radiant temperature- heat radiating from a warm object
• Humility- amount of moisture in the air
• Air velocity (wind speed)

Question 5

What is RH

Answer 5

Relative Humidity

Mass of water vapour present in a given volume
———————————————————- -
Mass of water required to saturate that volume of air at the same temperature

Multiply by 100 (typically displayed as a percentage)

Question 6

Types of measuring device

Answer 6

• Liquid thermometer (typically alcohol or mercury)
• Thermocouple- voltage/ current from two different metals
• Resistance thermometer- change in resistance as a result of temperature change
• Hygrometer - Measures humidity
• Anemometer - Measure wind speed

Question 7

Other parameters that affect thermal comfort

Answer 7

Metabolic rate -

Clothing

Sweat rate

Duration of exposure

Question 8

Practical control measures - Hot/ humid

Answer 8

• Control heat sources = ie lagging
• Air circulation and ventilation = air con, extraction, air change
• Workplace Design = Radiation barriers, shade (out doors), cool refuge.
• Job Design and rotation
• PPE
• Information, instruction and training
• Health surveillance

Question 9

Practical control measures - cold environments

Answer 9

• Enclose or segregate cold areas
• Provide heating
• Workplace Design = protect from drafts, heated refuge
• Job Design and rotation
• PPE
• Information, instruction and training
• Health surveillance

Question 10

Legal framework for welfare

Answer 10

HSWA

• Section 2(1)
• Section 2(2)

WHSWR
CDM

Question 11

WHSWR

Answer 11

Reg 21- washing facilities 
Reg 22 - Drinking water
Reg 23 - Accommodation for clothing 
Reg 24 - Changing facilities 
Reg 25 - Rest and eating facilities

Question 12

WHSWR - Reg 21

Answer 12

Suitable and sufficient washing facilities are provided (this includes showers if required for the nature of work)

Wash facilities should

• be in the immediate vicinity of toilets
• Be in the vicinity of changing rooms
• be hot and cold
• provision of soap
• provision of hand towels/ drying device
• be sufficiently ventilated
• kept clear

Question 13

WHSWR - reg 22

Answer 13

Provide clean drinking water

Question 14

WHSWR - reg 23

Answer 14

Accommodation for clothing

Requires clean, dry, secure, well ventilated ability to hang and dry (if necessary) during the working day

Question 15

WHSWR - Reg 24

Answer 15

Separate changing rooms for male and female

Readily accessible 
Near Rest and work rooms
Adequate seating
Fit for purpose 
Large enough for staff (inc rush hr)

Question 16

WHSWR - reg 25

Answer 16

Rest and eating facilities

Seating to allow staff who don’t sit as part of working day to sit and rest

Suitable for number of staff using (inc rush hr)

Clean, and not used by staff wearing PPE

Rest facilities for pregnant workers

Question 17

Legal requirement for first aid

Answer 17

Health Safety First Aid Regulations

Requires employers to:

• Assess first aid needs
• Provide first aid materials, equipment and facilities
• Provide first aid personnel (trained)
• Inform employees of the provision of first aid arrangements

Question 18

Factors to consider when assessing first aid requirements

Answer 18

• No of employees
• Nature of the workplace (likely hazards and resulting injury)
• Make up of the workforce ie young, old, pregnant, disabled
• Accident history
• needs for travelling, Remote , lone workers (portable first aid)
• Distribution of workforce, large multiple buildings far apart
• Remoteness of site from emergency medical services
• Shared, multiple occupancy sites
• Leave, absence rates
• Provision for non employers

Question 19

What is thermal comfort

Answer 19

Thermal comfort is the temperature at which the individual feels comfortable, this is essentially a state of mind and everyone’s thermal comfort will have some degree of difference. The HSE regards thermal comfort being achieved if 80% of the persons affected are satisfied with the thermal environment

Question 20

Heat stress index and wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index

Answer 20

WBGT indoors = 0.7 (WB) + 0.3 (GT)

WBGT outdoors = 0.7 (WB) + 0.2 (GT) + 0.1 (DB)

Question 21

Legislation to consider for smoking policy

Answer 21

Workplace health safety and welfare regulations WHSWR

Smoke free premises and enforcement regulations