Transcript Kent Health and Safety Group

Kent Health and Safety Group
2nd March 2006
Delphi Diesel Systems
Hazards of Working in Hot
Conditions.
David Wigens
David Wigens
17 years as a health and safety practitioner
in:
Electronics
Pharmaceuticals
Waste
Consultancy
Legal Requirements
Employers’ Duties
• The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
– Safe Systems of Work
– Safe Place of Work
– The provision and maintenance of a working
environment for his employees that is SFARP,
safe, without risks to health
• Management of Health and Safety at Work
Regs. 1999
– Risk Assessment
• Identify Hazards
• Identify who might be at risk
Legal Requirements
Employers’ Duties
• Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare)
Regs. 1992
– Effective and suitable provision shall be
made to ensure that every enclosed
workplace is ventilated by a sufficient
quantity of fresh or purified air.
• Manual Handling Operations Regs. 1992
– make a suitable and sufficient assessment
of all such manual handling operations to
be undertaken (Schedule 1 Factor 3 –
The working environment - extremes of
temperature or humidity)
Legal Requirements
Employers’ Duties
No upper temperature limits
Basis is Risk Assessment
Risk Assessment
Five Steps to Risk Assessment
Risk Assessment
Step 1: Identify the hazards
Hazards
• High Temperature
• High Humidity
• High physical
demand/work rate
• Low Air Movement
• Type of PPE worn
Hard Hats
RPE e.g. BA, Filtering
masks
Overalls
• Confined Space
• Sun Light (UV)
• Combinations of above
Heat Stress - Health Effects
• Fatigue
• Dehydration
• Hyperthermia
– Heat Exhaustion
– Heat Stroke/, Core Temp ≥40ºC (Normally
37 ºC )
• Classic – summer months
• Exertional – may continue sweating
• Central Nervous System dysfunction
– Core temp >41.1ºC (hyperpyrexia) brain damage possible
• Cardio-respiratory failure
• Organ failure
Heat Stress - Symptoms
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Inability to concentrate
Muscle cramps
Heat rash
Severe thirst - a late symptom
Fainting
Heat exhaustion - fatigue, giddiness,
nausea, headache, moist skin
• Heat stroke - hot dry skin, confusion,
convulsions and eventual loss of
consciousness. Can result in death if not
detected and treated at an early stage.
Body Responses
As core temperature increases, the body
response is activated by the hypothalamus
– Sweat glands open to allow heat loss by
evaporation. (Main mechanism to regulate
body temperature).
Body Responses
• Vasodilation – increases blood flow to
skin surface to permit heat loss by
radiation, convection and some
conduction.
Body Responses
• For both sweating and vasodilation
responses, the cooling effects are reliant
on air movement, air temperature and
humidity.
• If there is a high humidity and/or low air
movement, heat loss through sweating
(evaporative cooling) can be impaired.
Body Responses
• If the body is unable self cool, then:
• In these circumstances the body's core
temperature will rise, and the individual
will become fatigued.
• If the core temperature is allowed to
continue to increase then heat
exhaustion and heat stroke can follow.
• Heat stroke is serious and can lead to
death if not treated.
Risk Assessment
Step 2: Identify individuals
who may be harmed and how
Hot Work Environments
Some Industries/Occupations where hot
environments or work may be present
Agriculture
Armed Forces
Bakeries
Construction
Electronics
Fire fighters
Foundries
Leisure
Mines
Paper & Board
Pharmaceuticals
Restaurants
Shipping
Sport
Waste Industry
Warehousing
Individuals
• Susceptibility due to:
– Medical conditions e.g.
• heart conditions
• Respiratory conditions, asthma
– Illness
– Medication
– Pregnancy
Risk Assessment
Step 3: Evaluate the risks and
decide whether existing
precautions are adequate or
more should be done
Controls
• Engineering Controls
– Reduce temperature of equipment where possible
– Insulate sources of heat, pipes ovens etc.
– Mechanical Aids
• Environmental control systems
– Ventilation
L24 ACOP (WHSWR)
Enclosed workplaces should be sufficiently well ventilated
so that stale air, and air which is hot or humid because of
the processes or equipment in the workplace, is replaced
at a reasonable rate.
– Air movement, open windows, use of fans.
– Air conditioning, (refrigeration, humidity control, air
movement, air changes)
Controls
• Separation
– Barriers/screens
– Thermal refuges (cool rooms)
• Safe Systems of Work
– Rest breaks
– Restrict exposure to heat
– Control amount of work expected of
individual
– Rehydration, provide water and encourage to
drink before, during (not practical in some
circumstances) and after activity
• PPE
– Need to ensure does not introduce other
hazards
Health Surveillance
• The Management of Health and Safety at Work
Regulations
– Regulation 6: Health Surveillance
– “Every employer shall ensure that his employees are provided
with such health surveillance as is appropriate having regard to
the risks to their health and safety which are identified by the
assessment.”
ACOP:
Health surveillance will be required where the assessment shows
the following criteria to apply:
there is an identifiable disease or adverse health condition
related to the work concerned, e.g. skin cancer; and
valid techniques are available to detect indications of the
disease or condition, observation and tests; and
there is a reasonable likelihood that the disease or
condition may occur under the particular conditions of work; and
surveillance is likely to further the protection of the health
and safety of the employees to be covered.
Risk Assessment
Step 4: Record findings
Step 5: Review assessment
References
• HSG 194, Thermal comfort in the workplace
• GIS 1, Heat stress in the workplace. What
you need to know as an employer
• INDG 147, Keep you top on – health risks
from working in the sun
• RR337 The effects of thermal environments
on the risks associated with manual handling