© 2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning Chapter 8 Electrical, Noise, Heat, Radiation, Ergonomic, and Biological Hazards.

© 2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning

Chapter 8Electrical, Noise, Heat,

Radiation, Ergonomic, and Biological Hazards

© 2012 Delmar, Cengage Learning

Plant-Specific Hazards

• Electricity and electrical equipment

• Bonding and grounding

• Noise, heat, and radiation

• Ergonomics

• Confined space entry

• Lifting

• Biological and blood-borne pathogens

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Electricity• The hazards include

• Sparks and arcs, static electricity, lightning, stray currents, energized equipment, and electric shock

• Because overtime is fairly abundant each technician should consider his or her limits as most accidental electrocutions occur during this time, when you are mentally and physically tired.

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Bonding and Grounding

• Flammable liquid containers can build up static charges as material is pumped in.

• Bonding is described as physically connecting two objects together with a copper wire.

• Grounding is described as connecting an object to the earth with a copper wire and grounding rod.

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Figure 8-1 Bonding and Grounding

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Heat and Radiation

• Heat exhaustion is a primary concern for chemical and refinery workers.

• High temperatures can result in heatstroke.

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Hearing Conservation and Industrial Noise

• When OSHA was enacted in 1970, federal regulations for controlling noise in the workplace were implemented.

• Reducing noise at is source is a technique that utilizes engineering controls and limits employee exposure to high noise areas.

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• After process technicians have experienced hearing loss due to industrial noise, it is unlikely they will ever recover.

• Noise over 140 decibels can cause permanent hearing loss in a single exposure.

• Hearing loss occurs through four categories: overall noise level, intensity of noise, duration of workday, and duration over a lifetime.

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• Hearing protection can be classified in three ways:

• Engineering noise abatement• Administrative noise abatement• Personal hearing protection

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Figure 8-2 Hearing Conservation

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Ergonomic Hazards

• Ergonomics is the science of how humans interact with their work environments

• Ergonomic stress can be initiated by the following:

• Repetitive or forceful work• Improper work technique• Poorly designed tools and workplaces

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Hazards of Confined Spaces

• Confined space include:• Excavations• Opened vessels or equipment• Tank cars• Distillation columns• Reactors• Large tanks

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Hazards of Lifting

Proper lifting techniques require a technician to keep the load close to the body:

• Bend at the knees and lift with the legs, keeping the heels on the ground.

• Keep the feet shoulder-width and turned out.• Avoid twisting by turning the entire body in the

direction you want to move.• Bend knees and squat down carefully when

setting down loads.

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Biological Hazards

• Biological hazards include any living organism capable of causing disease in humans.

• Legionnaires’ disease is caused by inhaling Legionellae bacteria which can be found in cooling towers and heat exchangers.

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Blood-Borne Pathogens

• The blood-borne pathogens standard became effective in March of 1992.

• HIV• HBV