LEARNING TASK 3 : Describe long-term hazards in the trades
Airborne hazards
Some job tasks may expose you to dust or gases that can make you sick or damage your lungs if you breathe them in. These materials can enter the bloodstream and travel to other parts of your body as well. If there is a hazard of airborne material in the workplace, a risk assessment should be conducted and if necessary, an exposure control plan must be implemented.
Dust
Health hazards are not limited to hazardous materials. For example, inhaling wood dust without proper protection can cause permanent lung damage even though wood is not a hazardous material. Dusts are fine particles that can remain suspended in the air and are less than 10 micrometers in size. Typical dust masks remove 95% of particles 0.3 microns in size or larger.
When hazardous dusts are present in the workplace, WorkSafeBC recommends taking the following actions (in order of importance):
- Control the production of hazardous dust by changing the process that produces it.
- If the process cannot be changed, install adequate ventilation to control the dust.
- If the dust cannot be controlled, restrict access to the area where the dust is present.
- If workers are required to work in areas where hazardous dust is present, they must wear appropriate personal protection. The use of an appropriate respirator for the conditions will ensure the worker’s safety.
The above actions are ordered by level of long-term safety for the workers. Simple dust masks are not adequate to prevent injury from hazardous dusts. Respirator-type masks with double head straps suited to the type of dust must be used.
See Competency A-4, Describe Personal Safety Practices for more information on respirators.
Airborne fibres
Particles classed as airborne fibres are larger than particles in the “dust” class. Both dusts and fibres are carried in the air. Airborne fibres can be even more dangerous than the finest dusts. The composition of the fibres is the factor that determines the hazard—fibres from wood are irritants, while asbestos fibres are linked to lung cancer.
Asbestos
Mould
Mould can grow quickly on damp materials such as cardboard, paper, wood, and drywall. As mould grows, it releases spores into the air. Exposure to mould spores can affect your health, especially if you have allergies, asthma, or a weak immune system.
Toxic Metals
The term heavy metals generally refers to the toxic metallic elements:
- lead
- mercury
- arsenic
- cadmium
These metals, or compounds containing these metals, tend to build up in the bodies of living organisms over a long period of time. Eventually the concentration of the metals reaches a point where they become toxic and pose a significant health hazard. These heavy metals can get into our bodies when we inhale contaminated dusts or ingest foods that have been exposed to or contain toxins.
Lead
- digestive discomfort, constipation, anorexia, nausea
- fatigue, weakness
- personality change
- headache
- hearing loss
- tremor, lack of coordination
Mercury
- muscle cramps or tremors
- headache
- intermittent fever
- personality change
Regardless of whether paint is new or old, latex- or oil-based, always wear a respirator to prevent inhaling hazardous paint dust or vapours when sanding a painted surface.
Arsenic
Cadmium
Vapours and gases
A gas is a low-density chemical compound that normally fills the space in which it is released. It has no physical shape or form. Vapour is a gas produced by evaporation. Workplace tasks can produce several hazardous vapours and gases. Ultraviolet radiation, surface coatings, shielding gases, and welding electrode coatings are some sources of vapours and gases.
Off-gassing