Intensive environmental pollution, the massive exploitation of natural resources, the introduction of technology and automation in all spheres of human activity is accompanied by the emergence of technogenic, biological and environmental hazards.
In the modern developing world, numerous harmful effects of human influence have been added to the natural factors of environmental pollution . To protect the population from the effects of these factors, collective protective equipment is used.
They help in many situations and in the industries of people. Collective protection of the population is used to prevent or reduce the impact on the population of threatening and harmful production and natural processes.
Remedies are divided into the following types:
- safety - are used to automatically turn off equipment and machines when deviating from natural work or when a person is at risk;
- brake - automatic, semi-automatic, manual and foot;
- protective - used to isolate moving machines from the working area, the processing area of presses, machine tools, percussion elements;
- automatic control devices for measuring pressure, temperature, dynamic and static loads, which characterize the operation of equipment and machines;
- safety signs.
The most reliable way to protect against the effects of chemical or biological substances, from natural disasters, or in the case of the use of weapons of mass destruction is the use of protective shelters. These include radiation protection facilities, shelters and simplest facilities.
Protective structures are classified by location - built-in, basement, freestanding, built outside the buildings; by construction period - built in advance or constructed directly during emergency events.
Based on this, protective equipment is divided into three types:
The first is protective structures built specifically for protection (radiation protection shelters, civil defense shelters).
The second is structures adapted or retrofitted for shelters and shelters (subways, tunnels, collectors, mine workings).
The third is the simplest shelters (pits, ravines, trenches, dugouts, niches).
Collective protection tools are divided into classes depending on their purpose. Among the most common are:
- Devices that regulate the air environment of industrial premises, workplaces.
- Lighting control devices.
- Means of protection against high exposure to ionizing, infrared, electromagnetic and ultraviolet radiation - sealing, protective structures.
- Means of protection against a high level of extraneous sounds, vibration and noise - silencers, vibration isolating devices, fences.
- Methods of protection against the influence of mechanical, chemical and biological hazardous factors - ventilation, warning signs, sealing.
Exposure to industrial noise is one of the factors for using collective protective equipment. To prevent increased noise in the workplace, during operation of the equipment, noise protection means are used . These are soundproof devices, sound-absorbing barriers, silencers, remote control devices. They eliminate or reduce the noise level, weaken its effect, thereby protecting production workers.
Collective protective equipment is the main and most important way to prevent the negative impact of damaging mechanisms, emergencies and the negative effects of harmful production factors.