IB-10 Work Environment Risks & Controls

Question 0

what are the welfare facilities necessary in a fruit packing plant

Answer 0

• rest & eating facilities (seating / reheating food / nursing mothers / preventing cross contamination)
• accommodation of clothing and changing facilities (means of drying cloths and prevention of cross contamination)
• drinking water with cups
• sanitary convinces
• provision of decontamination facilities
• hand washing facilities (hot/cold water and soap)
• first aid provision

Question 1

what health and safety issues should be considered during a lighting audit of a factory

Answer 1

level of illuminance / colour discrimination / avoidance of glare / task lighting / natural light / DSE workstation/ lighting for external areas / avoidance of stroboscopic effects / emergency lighting / energy saving / maintainance and cleaning of the lights

Question 2

what are the possible adverse side effects of working in an area with high heat and steam

Answer 2

• increased pulse rate - high blood pressure
• Dehydration
• Muscle cramp - loss of sodium
• heat stroke - loss of consciousness - death
• skin irritation - heat rash increased sweating = dermatitis and fungal infactions

Question 3

what is dehydration

Answer 3

loss of water from blood making it thicker and harder to pump round the body resulting in increased blood pressure

this can be triggered by increased sweating

Question 4

what is ambient temperature

Answer 4

the temperature of the air in the workplace, discounting any contribution fro radiation

Question 5

what is air velocity and how is it measured

Answer 5

is the rate of movement of air within the workplace - measured using an anemometer

Question 6

what is relative humidity

Answer 6

the amount of water vapour in the air measured relative to the amount of water vapour that could be held in saturated air at the same temperature

Question 7

what is radiant heat

Answer 7

a measure of the amount of infra red radiation that is present in the workplace, which makes a contribution to heat gain

Question 8

how to prevent employees suffering from thermal stress in hot working environments

Answer 8

control the generation of heat - prevent heat escape / engineering controls / provision of fluids (may need to be supplemented with salt tabs and isotonic) / clothing which allows them to sweat freely // minimise the number of worker exposed / job rotation / breaks / pre employment screening /health surveillance / re acclimatisation / training

Question 9

describe the possible health effects when working at extremely low temperatures

Answer 9

frost bite (freezing of tissues - loss of extremities) / hypothermia (core temperature drops below 35 degrees - difficulty with physical and mental processing - loss of consciousness) / chilblains ( redness, tingling and pain) / reduction in the heart rate / persistent shivering & blue fingers and lips

Question 10

explain the measures that need to be taken to protect workers in extermely cold environments

Answer 10

warm clothing / rest breaks / hot drinks and access to hot food / limit the time spent - job rotation / storage facilities for clothing / equipment and procedures for removal of ice / emergency lighting / entrapment alarm / quick release handles / health surveillance / regular maintainance and alarms for refrigerated gas

Question 11

identify factors which can effect the thermal comfort of an individual

Answer 11

air temperature / air circulation & flow rates / humidity / clothing worn / work rate & activity / length of time exposed / radiant heat sources / age / weight & fitness levels / acclimatisation / air velocity

Question 12

what are the role of heat indices when assessing a thermal environment

Answer 12

measure the thermal environment / take account of parameters / provides index number to compared with standards / can determine acceptability

example - WBGT person acclimatised to the heat 33 at resting non acclimatised 32 at resting

metabolic rate 65 -130 = 30 -29
metabolic rate 130 -200 = 28 -26

takes into account sensible air movements

Question 13

give an examples of heat indices

Answer 13

• WBGT
• predicated 4 hour sweat rate
• effective temperature
• corrected effective temperature
• heat stress index
• wind chill index

Question 14

how do you measure the dry bulb air temperature

Answer 14

using mercury or alcohol in a glass thermometer / sensing head protected from radiant heat (polished silver or aluminium sheild)

Question 15

how do you measure the wet bulb temperature

Answer 15

sensing head is covered in a muslin sock which is wetted with distilled water and protected from radiant heat / air drawn over head by electrically drawn fan

Question 16

What equipment is used to measure atmospheric humidity

Answer 16

Whirling hygrometer - foot ball cracker - takes a wet bulb and dry bulb temp

Paper or hair hygrometer - both materials will absorb and seaboard moisture from the air - length of hair changes with absorption then measures against a calibrated scale

Question 17

What measurements are needed for at WBGT

Answer 17

• Wet bulb
• dry bulb or air temp
• globe temperature or radiant

Question 18

what is globe temperature and how do you measure it

Answer 18

used to measure radiant heat / 150mm hollow cooper sphere painted matt black into which the thermometer is inserted with the bulb at the centre of the globe. takes 20-30 mins