1'1 Introduction to Occupational Health

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1.1 Introduction to Occupational Health
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Definitions

• Occupational safety the protection of people
  from physical injury
• Occupational health the protection of the
  bodies and minds of people from illness

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Definitions
Hazard An inherent physical or chemical
characteristic of a material, system, process or
plant that has the potential for causing harm.

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Definitions.

• RISK is frequency (number of accident over a
  period of time) or the probability or likelihood
  of a hazard resulting in an ACCIDENT.
• INCIDENT is an undesired circumstance that
  produces the potential for an ACCIDENT
• ACCIDENT is an undesired circumstance that
  results in ill health, damage to the environment,
  or damage to property

HAZARD ? INCIDENT ? ACCIDENT (includes
near misses)
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Hazard and Risk

• Hazard and Risk resulting from
• Unsafe acts
• Unsafe conditions
• If we can reduce or eliminate both unsafe acts
  and unsafe conditions, then risk will be
  minimized
• To develop a good safety culture should be our
  goal.

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Accidents are costly

• Sometimes just cant afford to have accidents
• Perhaps best example Bhopal accident
• 40 tons Methyl Isocynate escape
• Immediate cause 500L seepage
• Erupts and release fumes
• 3000 died respiratory failure
• 500,000 suffer aftermath
• USD470mil spent

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Piper Alpha Disaster

• Worlds most famous oil rig disaster in North Sea
  1988
• 167 out of 229 people died
• initial explosion followed by a fierce fire
  which, in turn, triggered off a further series of
  explosions
• Jump and try or fry and die.
• Flames could be seen 100km away
• Cause of death 109 out of 137 recovered bodies
  inhalation of smoke fire. Few died of burns.

PIPER ALPHA VIDEO SHOW..
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Flixborough, England, June 1974

• Company Flixborough Works of Nypro Limited.
• Product cyclohexane highly flammable
• 6 reactors in series, total capacity 120 tons.
• Fire and explosion over than 10 days
• 28 people died 36 others were injured.
• 53 civilians were reported injury
• Damage entire plant, 1821 nearby houses 167
  shops and factories.

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Chernobyl, April 26, 1986

• Runaway Reaction Leading to
• 012348 1st thermal explosion
• 012355 2nd explosion
• Direct Casualties
• 31 employees and firefighters died
• 134 emergency workers suffered from acute
  radiation sickness
• Indirect Casualties
• By the year 2000 there were 1800 case of thyroid
  cancer in children and adolescent
• High number of suicide and violent death among
  Firemen, policemen, and other recovery workers

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Radiation
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Radioactive Fallout
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Bright Sparklers, Sg. Buloh, May 1991

• Fireworks factory located at Sungai Buloh,
• installation of the firework factory on
  agricultural land.
• importing the raw materials without an
  authorization or license,
• storing of the explosive materials without
  license, and exporting the fireworks products
  without license.
• operating the factory without manufacturing
  license.
• The factory was located in an agriculture area
  about 30ft away from a residential area
• The fireworks raw materials and the finished
  products were stored at the factory
• The fireworks were assembled by hand and tested
  in the factory

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The incident

• On 7 May 1991 at about 3.45 p.m. a new product
  was being tested close to chemicals which had
  been dried.
• fire sparks and smouldering casing fragments flew
  in many directions
• Some fragments flew towards the inside of the
  canteen
• the canteen contained thousands of finished and
  semi-finished products
• fire spread, causing an explosion, which caused
  the rockets to fly everywhere, spreading the fire
  to other places and buildings
• The fire and explosion destroyed the entire
  factory. In the tragedy, 23 people lost their
  lives and 103 others sustained injuries

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OSHA 1994

• This legislation was made considering the fact
  that the Factory and Machinery Act 1967 only
  covers occupational safety and health in the
  manufacturing, mining, quarrying and construction
  industries, whereas the other industries are not
  covered.
• The purpose of Occupational Safety and Health Act
  1994 is to promote and encourage occupational
  safety and health awareness among workers and to
  create organization along with effective safety
  and health measures.

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Main Principles of OSHA 1994

• Self-regulation
• To handle issues relating to occupational safety
  and health, employers must develop a good and
  orderly management system. Starting with
  formation of a safety and health policy and
  consequently employers have to make the proper
  arrangements to be carried out.
• Consultation- tri partite
• where employers, employees and the government
  must negotiate to settle issues and problems
  relating to occupational safety and health at the
  workplace.
• Co-operation
• where employers and employees must co-operate to
  take care, nurture and to increase the quality of
  occupational safety and health at the workplace.
• Without co-operation between employers and
  employees, none of the occupational safety and
  health programmes carried out would succeed.

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Industries under OSHA

• Apply throughout Malaysia to the industries as
  follows (First Schedule )
• Manufacturing
• Mining and Quarrying
• Construction
• Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Utilities such as Electricity, Gas, Water and
  sanitary Services
• Transport, Storage and Communication
• Wholesale and Retail Trades
• Hotels and Restaurants
• Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Business
  Services
• Public Services and Statutory Authorities

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Exception of OSHA

• Not applicable to work on board ships governed by
  the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952, the
  Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1960 of Sabah and
  Sarawak
• Not applicable to armed forces
• This Law is in addition to previous law
  pertaining to occupational safety and health. If
  there is any conflict, this Law shall supercede
  the previous law.

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Hazard Communication

• Division of Administration
• Office of Risk Management

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EMPLOYEES RIGHT TO KNOW

• HAZARD COMMUNICATION STANDARD -Employee Right to
  Know Law
• Material safety data sheets must be available to
  the employee
• All chemical containers must be labeled
• A written plan must be available
• Training, equipment, and PPE must be provided
• Follow warnings and instructions

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INVENTORY

• HAZARD CHEMICALS INVENTORY
• The employer is required to maintain a list of
  all hazardous chemicals present in the work area.
  
• Chemical Register

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LABELING

• The employer shall ensure that all hazardous
  chemicals are properly labeled.
• Containers of hazardous chemicals must have
  labels which identify the material and warn of
  its potential hazard to employees.

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DOT Placards

• 1 Explosives  
• 2 Gases
• 3 Flammable
• 4 Flammable Solid, spontaneously combustible,
  dangerous when wet

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DOT Placards Cont.

• 5 Oxidizing Substances
• 6 Poisons Infectious
• 7 Radioactive
• 8 Corrosive Materials
• 9 Miscellaneous

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MSDS

• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
• Product Information
• Hazardous Ingredients/Identity Information
• Physical and Health Hazards
• First Aid Measures
• Fire and Explosion Hazard Data

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MSDS Cont.

• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
• Accidental Release Measures
• Handling and Storage
• Exposure Controls/Personal Protection
• Physical and Chemical Properties
• Stability and Reactivity

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MSDS Cont.

• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
• Toxicological Information
• Ecological Information
• Disposal Considerations
• Transportation Information
• Regulatory Information
• Other Information

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MSDS

• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) need to be
• Readily accessible
• User friendly
• Current
• Secured upon receipt
• of the chemical
• Contractors Included

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Local Legislation

• OSHA 1994
• Classification, Packaging and Labeling of
  Hazardous Chemicals (CPL) Regulation 1997
• Use and Standard of Exposure of Chemicals
  Hazardous to Health (USECHH) Reg. 2000
• Code of Practice for Safe Working in Confined
  Space, 2001
• Code of Practice on Indoor Air Quality 2005
• FMA 1967
• Factories and Machinery (Lead) Reg. 1984
• Factories and Machinery (Asbestos Process) Reg.
  1986
• Factories and Machinery (Noise Exposure) Reg.
  1989
• Factories and Machinery (Mineral Dust) Reg. 1989

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Safety at Work Place

• Occupational Safety Health
• Toxicology Industrial Hygiene
• Process Safety