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Occupational Hygiene Monitoring: Stressors
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1.
Area Noise (Noise Zoning) and Personal Noise Monitoring
The Occupational Health and Safety
Act as well as the Mine Health and Safety Act requires that the
exposure levels of employees to noise in their working environment
be determined and reported on should the exposure levels exceed
the prescribed noise rating limits and that mitigating measures
be implemented to reduce such high noise levels.
InDuna Risk Management
assists clients by facilitating noise assessments under the
OHS Act and conducting noise assessments under the MHS Act and
recommends the best system of control to mitigate the risks
identified.
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2.
Vibration Exposure Monitoring
Human vibration is
the assessment of vibration present in the working environment
and how the human body is affected by vibrating tools, equipment,
working stations and vehicles. Hand tools, machinery and heavy
vehicles are all sources of vibration. The risk of exposure
is determined by the intensity, frequency and time of exposure
and the impact that vibration has on the human body causes various
symptoms and disorders.
Human Vibration can be divided
into two subcategories:
a) Whole
Body Vibration (WBV) risks are encountered in the construction,
agriculture, forestry, mining and transportation sectors and
is a source of various symptoms like back problems, discomfort,
visual and nervous system disorders, motion sickness and disorders
of the reproductive and digestive systems.
b) Hand
Arm Vibration (HAV) risks are encountered in the mining, iron
and steel, construction, fabrication and forestry sectors and
is a source of various symptoms like muscular, vascular, joint,
neurological and bone disorders.
One of the most serious HAV disorders
is called white finger syndrome (Reynaud’s Syndrome) caused
by working in cold environments with vibrating hand tools. The
vibrating hand tools causes vasoconstriction to the extremities
and due to the loss in blood flow to these areas, the affected
parts suffers irreversible damage and in extreme cases, the
sufferer may lose his fingers. The effects are cumulative. When
symptoms first appear, they may disappear after a short time.
If exposure to vibration continues over months or years, the
symptoms can worsen and become permanent.
InDuna Risk Management assists
clients by facilitating vibration assessments in the working
environment and recommends the best system of control to mitigate
the risks identified.
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3.
Thermal Stress (Heat and Cold) Exposure
Monitoring
Thermal conditions in Southern
Africa is of such a nature that heatstroke and heat stress is
the biggest concern and can be classified as a substantial risk
to the health and safety of employees in their working environment.
Cold stress conditions are limited to mechanical environments
(cold rooms, freezer rooms, etc.) and in areas where the winter
temperatures regularly fall below zero.
The monitoring of thermal stressors in the working environment
is prescribed in Section 2 of the Environmental Regulations
for Workplaces as contained in the Occupational
Health and Safety Act, and prescribes that no employer shall
require or permit an employee to work in thermal conditions
(heat and cold) that exceeds the allowable exposure limits without
implementing reasonable measures to protect such employee against
thermal extremes and takes all precautions necessary for the
safety of such an employee.
Regulation 9.2 of the Mine
Health and Safety Act requires that the employer establishes
and maintains a system of occupational hygiene measurements
where the prescribed exposure limits are exceeded for thermal
stressors (heat and cold).
InDuna Risk Management assists
clients by facilitating thermal stress assessments in the working
environment and recommends the best system of control to mitigate
the risks identified.
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4.
Illuminance Monitoring in the Workplace
Artificial lighting sources have
become a major source of luminance in today’s working
environment where the majority of workspaces are on the inside
of buildings (factories, offices, operating theatres, etc.)
and the utilisation of natural illuminance as the main source
of light is limited.
Although architects these days
realise the importance of applying green building designs
due to the high cost of electricity and the current social
expectations from the general public to reduce the use of
light sources that have a high energy consumption, there are
certain legal requirements that the employer must comply to
when making use of artificial light sources as the main source
of illuminance as well as emergency lighting for evacuation
purposes.
Section 3 of the Environmental
Regulations for Workplaces as contained in the Occupational
Health and Safety Act, and the table of illuminance values,
stipulates the minimum average illuminance levels that should
be maintained in the working environment.
Regulation 9.2.9 of the Mine
Health and Safety Act stipulates that the employer is
responsible for maintaining sufficient illumination levels
in the working environment. Although Regulation 9.2.9 does
not stipulate the required illumination levels that must be
maintained in the working environment, the table of illuminance
values contained in the Occupational Health and Safety Act
is adopted as an industry best practice guideline for compliance.
InDuna Risk Management assists
clients by facilitating illumination assessments in the working
environment and recommends the best system of control to mitigate
the risks identified.
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5.
Non-Ionising Radiation (NIR)
Non-Ionising Radiation
(NIR) describes two areas of the electromagnetic spectrum,
the first is optical radiation (ultraviolet, visible and infrared)
followed by electromagnetic fields (EMF’s:
power frequencies, microwaves and radio frequencies). NIR
is found in various working environments and can have adverse
health effects on employees being exposed to welding, heating,
cutting, lasers and wireless communication sources.
The health risks associated with
exposure to NIR includes skin burns, cataracts, melanoma,
central nervous system, deep organ and tissue heating and
damage. It is common knowledge that exposure to EMF can result
in an increase in adverse health effects, but it must be noted
that these cases are not wide spread and should not be a problem
to the general workforce.
Non-Ionising Radiation is covered
under the Hazardous
Substances Act (HSA, No.15 of 1973) and the Department
of Health Directorate: Non-Ionising Radiation and Electromedical
Devices, is responsible for overseeing and regulating all
NIR sources. Assessing the risk of exposures to NIR is covered
under the general duties of an employer to assess risk in
the working environment as prescribed under the Occupational
Health and Safety Act as well as the Mine
Health and Safety Act and guidance is given under Directive
2006/25/EC Optical Radiation Directive for the minimum
health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of workers
to the risk arising from physical agents (artificial optical
radiation).
InDuna Risk Management assists
clients by facilitating non-ionising radiation assessments
in the working environment and recommends the best system
of control to mitigate the risks identified.
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6.
Ionising Radiation
Ionising Radiation
means radiation that can pass through matter and cause it
to become electrically charged (ionised). Ions produced by
radiation can negatively impact the living cells in the human
body. Ionisation is a sign of radiation produced when radioactive
elements decay. Due to its intensity it can remove the electrons
from atoms in matter and therein lies the risk to human health.
Ionizing Radiation is in general
harmful to human health and potentially lethal to living organisms
but does have some health benefits through radiation therapy
for the treatment of cancer. The main benefit to human health,
of ionising radiation, is in the treatment of cancerous growths
through radiation therapy that can stop the growth of tumours.
Controlled doses are used for medical imaging and radiotherapy
but prolonged or repeated exposure to ionising radiation can
result in adverse health effects.
High amounts of ionising radiation
exposure can result in genetic defects, cancers or tumours
and even death.
In the South African mining industry,
ionising radiation is covered under the Nuclear
Energy Act of 1999. In the past it required all mines
producing or mining uranium as a by-product, and later all
gold mines to obtain a Certificate of Registration. Today
this requirement extends to all mines and places the responsibility
on them for nuclear regulatory control and the National Nuclear
Regulator enforces compliance under the National
Nuclear Regulations Act (NNRA No. 47 of 1999) and the
Mine
Health and Safety Act. The Mine Health and Safety Act
prescribes the monitoring requirements to ensure that no person
is exposed to ionising radiation as a result from mining activities.
Low levels of uranium is contained
in the mineral deposits mined by some mines and the National
Nuclear Regulator monitors and inspect the performance standards,
conditions and procedures related to the processing of ore
and tailing deposits at tailings dams to ensure that no exposure
is present.
Ionising Radiation and Radioactive
Nuclides are covered under the Hazardous
Substances Act (HSA, No.15 of 1973) and the Department
of Health Directorate: Radiation Control is responsible
for overseeing and regulating ionising radiation exposures.
Assessing the risk of exposures to ionising radiation is covered
under the general duties of an employer to assess risk in
the working environment as prescribed under the Occupational
Health and Safety Act and should be incorporated into an Occupational
Hygiene Monitoring Programme.
InDuna Risk Management assists clients by facilitating ionising
radiation assessments in the working environment and recommends
the best system of control to mitigate the risks identified.
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7.
Ergonomic Assessments
Ergonomics plays an integral part
in today’s working environment and the interaction of
employees with their working environment. Employees have to
overcome the compatibility challenges faced by design, implementation
or integration of work positions and environments that have
a negative impact on their health and safety.
Various pieces of legislation makes
reference to ergonomic standards and requirements, Section 8
of the Facilities Regulations, as contained in the Occupational
Health and Safety Act, makes limited provision for the assessment
of ergonomics in the working environment by referring to seating.
Section 7.6 of the Construction Regulations, as contained in
the Occupational Health and Safety Act, requires that ergonomic
related hazards must be identified. Circular
Instruction 180 as contained in the Compensation
for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act makes reference
to Work Related Upper Limb Disorders and Section 22.1 of the
Mine Health and Safety Act refers to the requirements placed
on any person that designs, manufactures, erects or installs
any article on a mine to take ergonomic principals into consideration.
InDuna Risk Management assists
clients by facilitating ergonomic assessments in the working
environment and recommends the best system of control to mitigate
the risks identified.
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8.
Indoor Air Quality Assessments
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) refers
to the air quality within a working environment and focuses
primarily on the office environment. Indoor Air Quality (Sick
Building Syndrome) can be affected by numerous physical stressors
(lighting, noise, thermal discomfort, etc.), chemical stressors
(gases: carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ozone, volatile organic
compounds and dust particulates: asbestos) and biological
stressors and includes the monitoring of microbial contaminants
(mould, bacteria, etc.).
Central ventilation systems are
mainly used in the indoor office environment to provide fresh
air and remove, through filtration and dilution, any contaminated
air within the working environment.
Section 5 of the Environmental
Regulations for Workplaces as contained in the Occupational
Health and Safety Act stipulates the requirements pertaining
to the Indoor Air Quality in the working environment.
InDuna Risk Management assists
clients by facilitating indoor air quality assessments in
the working environment and recommends the best system of
control to mitigate the risks identified.
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9.
Local Extraction Ventilation (LEV)
Assessments
Local extraction
ventilation systems (dust extraction plants, fume cupboards,
etc.) are one of the main engineering control measures that
is implemented to remove contaminants from the working area.
Section 9.g of the Hazardous
Chemical Substances Regulations, as contained in the Occupational
Health and Safety Act, requires that investigations and
tests are carried out on the local extraction ventilation
systems as per Section 12 of the same act, to determine that
all control measures and facilities are in good working order,
these records should be kept for a minimum of three (3) years.
InDuna Risk Management assists
clients by facilitating local extraction ventilation assessments
in the working environment and recommends the best system
of control to mitigate the risks identified.
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10.
Mine Ventilation
Ventilation plays
an integral part in the supply of fresh air to a working environment.
Ventilation in the working environment is discussed under
the sections for Indoor Air Quality and Local Extraction Ventilation
and in this section the primary focus will be on Mine Ventilation
Systems.
The mining environment poses
unique challenges to the health and safety of workers and
underground ventilation plays an integral part in the control
of these hazards. Underground mine ventilation supplies a
constant flow of air through the mine and is utilised to provide
fresh air for breathing purposes, but also for the dilution
and removal of dust, diesel exhaust fumes, ionising radiation,
gases and heat that is created during the underground mining
activities.
InDuna Risk Management is capable
of planning, implementing and managing the underground ventilation
requirements of the mine ventilation systems.
Planning of the underground ventilation system requires that
the short-term and long-term planning phases take into consideration
the mine design and mining methods to ensure that the underground
working environment is free from risk to employees and that
the future ventilation requirements for any developments can
be accommodated, thereby reducing the risk that production
increases can be hampered due to the lack of sufficient underground
ventilation supply.
The implementation of the ventilation
design is facilitated through a hands-on approach with active
participation from the ventilation specialist in the day-to-day
development of the mine by providing guidance to the development
team in matters related to the ventilation requirements of
the project.
Once the planning and implementation
phases of the project has reached completion, the day-to-day
management of the ventilation system is maintained by a team
of on-site ventilation specialists that monitor the underground
mining conditions through regular assessments and by introducing
changes in the underground ventilation system based on additional
planning to ensure optimal utilisation of the available ventilated
air, and ultimately implementing expansions based on the long-term
planning requirements identified during the initial phase
of the mining project.
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1.
Hazardous Chemical Substance Monitoring
The Occupational
Health and Safety Act as well as the Mine
Health and Safety Act requires that the Hazardous Chemical
Substances (HCS) exposure levels of employees in their working
environment be determined and reported on, should the exposure
levels exceed the prescribed Occupational Exposure Limits (OEL),
mitigating measures must be implemented to reduce exposures to
hazardous chemical substances that exceed the prescribed OEL.
Under the guidelines of the Hazardous
Chemical Substances Regulations set out in the Occupational Health
and Safety Act, the employer is required to determine:
a) The HCS to which an employee may be exposed to,
b) What effects the HCS can have on an employee,
c) Where the HCS may be present and in what physical form it is
likely to be,
d) The route of intake by which and the extent to which an employee
can be exposed,
e) The nature of work, process and any reasonable deterioration
in, or failure of, any control measures.
Once this information is obtained,
together with the information gathered in the Baseline
Health Risk Assessment process, a monitoring programme can
be implemented to determine the extent of the exposure to HCS’s
in the workplace.
The monitoring programme should meet
the requirements of the Hazardous Chemical Substances Regulations
and the guidelines prescribed in the Guidance
Note EH 42 of the Health and Safety Executive of the United
Kingdom (Monitoring Strategies for Toxic Substances 1989 HSE ISBN
0 11885412 7) and the NIOSH
OESSM document, whereby representative measurements should
be carried out at least every twelve (12) months for HCS with
a Control Limit (CL) and at least every twenty-four (24) months
for a HCS with a Recommended Limit (RL).
The HCS exposure levels obtained
during the monitoring programme should be compared to the OEL
as prescribed in the Hazardous Chemical Substances Regulations
contained in the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Table 1 for
HCS with a Control Limit and Table 2 for HCS with a Recommended
Limit.
It is important to note that any
HCS listed in Table 1 can be classified as a suspected carcinogen
to human health and exposure to these HCS’s should be taken
seriously. Exposure levels should be reduced to the absolute minimum.
Hazardous Chemical Substances listed
in Table 1 and 2 are given Occupational Exposure Limits based
on the inhalable/respirable particulate of such a HCS. Hazardous
Chemical Substances in Table 3 are given Biological Exposure Indices
(BEI) based on the absorption of such a HCS into the human body
that converts to a specific metabolite and exposure can be monitored
through obtaining a blood, urine or exhaled air sample to determine
the extent of the employee’s exposure to a specific HCS.
In some instances the Occupational
Hygiene Monitoring Programme will include not only the monitoring
of exposures to the hazardous chemical substances and comparing
the results to the OEL’s in Table 1 and 2, but also include
the comparison of the results from biological samples to the BEI’s
in Table 3 to complement the monitoring programme.
InDuna Risk Management assists clients
by conducting the hazardous chemical substance monitoring for
the mining sector and facilitating it for the industrial sector
and recommends the best system of control to mitigate the risks
identified.
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2. DoL
Silica Quartz Compliance Monitoring
On the 27th June 2008, Mr Membathisi
Mphumzi Shepherd Mdladlana, Minister of Labour, published a Government
Notice No. R.683, amending the Occupational Exposure Control
Limit for Silica in Table 1 of the Hazardous Chemical Substances
Regulations from 0,4mg/m³ to 0,1mg/m³.
This notice requires all industries
handling, manufacturing and producing Silica dust to submit annual
reports to the Department of Labour (DoL) starting from 1 January
2009 indicating the following:
a) The number of samples taken and analysed,
b) The chemical composition of the dust,
c) The concentrations of the constituents,
d) Whether compliance is achieved with the new Occupational Exposure
Limit for Silica, if not complying, what steps are implemented
to comply with the exposure limit within six months from the date
of the notice being gazetted.
As Silica Quartz is classified as
a Table 1 HCS, an Occupational Hygiene Monitoring Programme requires
that the employer conducts exposure monitoring every 12 months.
The above Department of Labour directive supersedes the requirements
of the Hazardous Chemical Substances Regulations and requires
the employer to now compile an exposure monitoring programme that
meets the NIOSH
OEESM guidelines and conducts continuous exposure monitoring
throughout the twelve (12) month period. The directive also requires
that the employer reports the results of the monitoring programme
to their office on an annual basis as per the Silica Exposure
Compliance Tool document.
InDuna Risk Management assists clients
by facilitating the DoL Silica Quartz monitoring and recommends
the best system of control to mitigate the risks identified.
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3.
Mine Health & Safety Act - Occupational Hygiene Monitoring
Programme
At the Mine Health and Safety Summit
of 2003, the tripartite stakeholders in mining agreed to targets
and milestones, which are aimed at addressing the major health
and safety concerns of the sector. The milestones are considered
to be intermediate steps to achieving targets of zero fatalities
and injuries, silicosis elimination and the elimination of noise-induced
hearing loss.
Elimination of Silicosis:
a) By December 2008, 95% of all exposure measurement results will
be below the occupational exposure limit for respirable crystalline
silica of 0.1mg/m3 (these results are individual readings and
not average results).
b) After December 2013, using present diagnostic techniques, no
new cases of silicosis will occur among previously unexposed individuals.
Previously unexposed individuals are individuals unexposed prior
to 2008, that is, equivalent to a new person entering the industry
in 2008.
The Department of Mineral Resources’
(DMR) Directorate: Occupational Hygiene issued the South
African Mines Occupational Hygiene Programme (SAMOHP) Codebook
to give guidance to the employer with regard to establishing an
Occupational Hygiene Monitoring Programme.
The Occupational Hygiene sub-committee
was mandated by the Mine Health and Safety Council to develop
an Occupational Hygiene Database to record exposures to significant
occupational hazards in the South African Mining Industry.
Furthermore, Regulation 9.2(2) of
the occupational hygiene regulations in conjunction with Section
12 of the Mine Health and Safety Act requires the employer to
establish, maintain, and record the system of occupational measurements.
Under Regulation 9.2(2), the employer
must establish and maintain a system of occupational hygiene measurements,
as contemplated in Section 12, of all working places where the
following hazard limits prevail:
a) Airborne Pollutants:
- Particulates > 1/10 of the occupational exposure limit;
- Gases and vapours > 1/2 of the occupational exposure limit;
b) Thermal Stress:
- Heat >25,0°C wet bulb and/or >32,0°C dry bulb
and/or >32,0°C mean radiant
temperature;
- Cold <10°C equivalent chill temperature; and
c) Noise:
- >82dB LAeq,8h
Regulation 9.2(7) requires that
the employer must annually submit to the regional principal inspector
of mines, on forms 21.9(2)(a); 21.9(2)(b); 21.9(2)(c) and 21.9(2)(d),
respectively, prescribed in Chapter 21, and within 60 days from
the end of the relevant annual reporting period as indicated on
each form, reports which contains quarterly information on the
airborne pollutant, heat stress, cold stress and noise aspects
of the system of occupational hygiene measurements, established
and maintained in terms of Regulation 9.2(2), covering the immediately
preceding 12 months.
The SAMOHP Codebook describes the
steps that must be followed when implementing an Occupational
Hygiene Monitoring Programme and requires reporting of the Physical
and Chemical Stressors (Airborne Pollutants, Heat Stress, Cold
Stress and Noise) to the Department of Mineral Resources on the
above frequency.
It is important to note that any
Airborne Pollutant, in other words the exposure to any Hazardous
Chemical Substance listed in Chapter 22, Schedule for Hazardous
Chemical Substances (Silica Quartz, Diesel Particulate Matter,
Welding Fumes, VOC’s,
etc.) identified as a hazard to the health and safety of employees
in their working environment during the Baseline
Health Risk Assessment must be included into the Occupational
Hygiene Monitoring Programme and reported on to the DMR.
InDuna Risk Management assists clients
by conducting the occupational hygiene assessments and recommends
the best system of control to mitigate the risks identified.
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4.
Mine
Health & Safety Act - Engineering Dust Sampling
In 1997 the Department of Mineral
Resources issued a directive requiring that the dust concentration
levels (OEL)
at the operator’s cab position on continuous mining machines
be reduced to below 5 mg/m3. This directive was issued to determine
the effectiveness of engineering controls (water sprays, scrubber
systems, ventilation controls, etc.) implemented to reduce the
dust emission levels created by continuous mining machines.
This process requires that a pre-weighed
sample, connected to a sampling pump, be positioned at the operating
controls of the continuous mining machine during each production
shift to collect the respirable dust particulates in the ambient
environment. The samples are then returned back to the Laboratory
for post-weight determination and the results are compared to
the OEL for Engineering Samples.
The results are communicated to the
client via electronic means and samples exceeding the OEL requires
an investigation into the reason for and the source of the high
dust levels. Corrective actions can then be implemented to prevent
a reoccurrence of the event.
This monitoring strategy can also
be utilised for determining the effectiveness of engineering control
measures at tipping points, transfer points, crushing plants,
etc.
InDuna Risk Management assists clients
by conducting the engineering dust sampling and recommends the
best system of control to mitigate the risks identified.
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5. Asbestos
In the early 1900, asbestos was viewed
as the wonder mineral due to its diverse applications and low
cost. Asbestos was used in any thinkable product from flowerboxes,
pots, roof sheeting, prefabricated buildings, insulation on boilers
and furnaces, heaters, seals, fire resistant materials, sound
proofing, vehicle brake pads and shoes, general insulation, water
storage tanks, pipes and so the list goes on.
The health risks associated with
asbestos only became apparent long after this product was used
in residential and industrial applications and by that time, for
some people exposed to asbestos, it was too late and the silent
killer had struck in all spheres of society, from the innocent
child playing on the playgrounds next to the asbestos waste dumps
to the town residents driving on the dirt roads used by the mine
transport vehicles to take the asbestos bales to the railway siding.
Asbestos took no hostages and it was too late to stop this monster.
The use of asbestos was phased out
from the early 1970s and it became illegal to mine, produce or
manufacture asbestos containing products during the course of
the late 1990s. The sad truth of asbestos is that because of its
prolific abundance many people that have never worked with, or
lived in an asbestos mining town are developing asbestos related
illnesses by being exposed to asbestos containing products. The
impact on society and health management systems are still to peak
well into the future.
Due to the impact that asbestos has
on society the Asbestos Regulations were promulgated under the
Occupational
Health and Safety Act and this act prescribes very stringent
guidelines for the identification, control and disposal of any
asbestos containing materials.
Therefore all employers are required
to take heed of the prescribed regulations to ensure that no employee
is exposed to asbestos containing materials in their working environment,
the company supplied residential homes, their children going to
the company school with prefabricated classrooms or the community
centres with asbestos roof sheeting.
InDuna Risk Management assists clients
by facilitating asbestos assessments in the working environment
and recommends the best system of control to mitigate the risks
identified.
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6.
Lead
Lead is a highly poisonous heavy
metal that affects numerous parts of the human body. The target
organs for lead poisoning is the reproductive system, kidneys,
heart, bone marrow and the central nervous system. Lead poisoning
can also cause blood (anaemia) and brain disorders, miscarriages
in pregnant women. Lead poisoning symptoms include abdominal pains,
confusion, headache, anaemia, irritability, insomnia, delirium,
cognitive deficits, tremors, hallucinations, convulsions, male
reproductive problems and in severe cases seizures, coma, and
death.
As with asbestos, due to the impact
that lead has on society the Lead Regulations were promulgated
under the Occupational
Health and Safety Act and this act prescribes very stringent
guidelines for the identification, use, control and disposal of
any lead containing materials.
Therefore all workplaces where lead
is produced, processed, used, handled or stored in a form in which
it can be inhaled, ingested or absorbed by any person in that
workplace are required to take heed of the prescribed regulations
to ensure that no employee is exposed to lead containing materials
in their working environment.
InDuna Risk Management assists clients
by facilitating lead assessments in the working environment and
recommends the best system of control to mitigate the risks identified.
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Biological stressors
are bacterium, viruses, protozoans, parasites or fungus that can
be found in the workplace. Biological agents have the ability
to adversely affect human health in a variety of ways, ranging
from relatively mild allergic reactions to serious medical conditions,
resulting in death if not identified and contained.
Many of these organisms
are prevalent in the natural environment, where they are found
in water, soil, plants or animals. Since many biological agents
reproduce easily, they are also a potential danger in a wide variety
of workplaces.
As with asbestos and
lead, and the impact that biological agents have on society, the
Hazardous Biological Agents Regulations were promulgated under
the Occupational
Health and Safety Act. This act prescribes very stringent
guidelines for the identification, use, control and disposal of
any materials containing any hazardous biological agent.
Therefore all workplaces
where hazardous biological agents are produced, processed, used,
handled, stored or transported in a form in which it can be inhaled,
ingested or absorbed by any person in that workplace, are required
to take heed of the prescribed regulations to ensure that no employee
is exposed to any materials containing any hazardous biological
agent, in their working environment.
Some of the methods
used to identify hazardous biological agents in the workplace
is the collection of swab samples, growth plates, water samples,
tissue samples and blood samples.
InDuna Risk Management
assists clients by collecting and analysing swab samples, growth
plates and water samples in the working environment. We facilitate
tissue and blood samples as required and recommend the best system
of control to mitigate the risks identified.
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