Discussion 1 - Industrial Hygiene

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Toronto Metropolitan University *

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421

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Mechanical Engineering

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Apr 3, 2024

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2

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1. Of the four factors associated with occupational hygiene (anticipation, recognition, assessment, and control), which factor do you believe requires the greatest level of expertise? And why? a. Of the four factors, I believe that Anticipation requires the greatest level of expertise. This is because of the level of personal knowledge needed and the historical information from many other sources. Awareness is the key – especially in the evaluation of a hazard, considering RAC. Without awareness, nothing else like recognition, assessment and control can even happen. Anticipation is the initial kick to the fundamental principles outlined – understanding and recognizing there is a hazard present. 2. Why is PPE (personal protective equipment) considered the least effective option for controlling a hazard and the option chosen as a last resort? List any experiences you may have had using PPE or while observing others using it. a. PPE, being at the bottom of the hierarchy of controls, is considered the least effective option for controlling a hazard for a good reason. PPE is obviously the last line of defence simply because the hazard is still present, not eliminated, controlled or substituted, and the only thing stopping the hazard is what you wear. It is the only thing that is between your body and a serious or harmful injury. Some jobs and tasks require a PPE only hazard control because all other controls are simply not possible. An example of this is at my job where any other controls other than PPE for mixing grout is impossible. You can engineer the control, to protect other workers by placing tarps and a vacuum inside the tarped area. This is not effective for the workers inside the tarp, as it is just stopping the silica from
escaping. A good rule of thumb for these circumstances is constantly evaluate your situation and assess whether or not you can substitute, engineer or eliminate the hazards that are present, even if you initiated your task as with PPE as the last line of defence. Just because PPE is the last line of defence, doesn’t make it ineffective. A scenario at my work with an electrician and a lock-out tag-out that could have been much worst. An electrician was working on a live line that was supposed to have been isolated, locked out and tagged out, but wasn’t. The person in charge of the lock-out tag-out procedure removed the lock and tag and put the line back in service after lunch break, assuming the electrician would come and “renew” the lockout tagout. This was not the case, and the electrician saved his life by wearing his gloves that were rubber-insulated to protect from voltage and electric shock. This proves the importance of PPE, even if it’s considered the “least effective option” – at least it is one.
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