Occupational Health and Hazard Awareness
Occupational Health and Hazard Awareness tests the health effects of workplace exposures and the guard's role in monitoring them - hearing, lungs, skin, heat and ergonomics.
Main hazards and effects
- Noise: continuous exposure at or above 90 dB(A) for 8 hours is the Indian statutory limit under the Factories Act schedules; above that, exposure time must be reduced and hearing protection worn. Effects: temporary threshold shift, then permanent noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus.
- Dust and fumes: silica from concrete cutting causes silicosis; asbestos fibres cause asbestosis and mesothelioma; welding fume causes metal fume fever. Controls: water suppression, local exhaust extraction, respiratory protection.
- Chemicals: read the SDS and label - hazard pictogram, exposure route, first aid. Solvents cause dermatitis and effects on the nervous system; corrosives cause burns.
- Heat: heat cramps, heat exhaustion (sweating, weakness, dizziness) and heat stroke (hot dry skin, confusion, collapse - a medical emergency). Cool the person, move to shade, give fluids and electrolytes.
- Ergonomics: repetitive strain, back injury from manual handling, poor posture at a VDU.
- Health surveillance: pre-employment and periodic medical checks, audiometry for noise, spirometry for dust.
- The guard's role: enforce PPE at the gate, watch for unfit workers (alcohol, illness) and report; never attempt to treat a serious exposure yourself.
Worked example
A worker leaves a dusty grinding area coughing, with no mask on. Reasoning: the immediate risk is inhalation of respirable dust, and the cause is a control failure, not just one man's carelessness. Escort him out of the dust, tell the supervisor, check whether the extraction system is running, and record the breach.
Traps that cost marks
- Believing 'smell gone = hazard gone' - carbon monoxide is odourless.
- Confusing heat exhaustion with heat stroke; the second needs an ambulance.