Today, Russia has a huge number of manufacturing enterprises. The activities of not all of them are safe for the environment and the population. Moreover, many industries are considered harmful and dangerous. Further in the article we will understand what the most dangerous and harmful production factors exist.
General information
Such factors of production are called harmful that contribute to the emergence and development of various diseases and to a decrease in working capacity. If they affect the human body and nature for a long time, then they are classified as dangerous.
Classification
Harmful and dangerous factors in the work environment can occur due to natural causes or through human fault. If we talk about the nature of the impact on people, then they are all divided into:
- Physical.
- Biological.
- Chemical.
- Psychophysiological.
Physical impact
Among the natural factors that negatively affect human health include:
- Air temperature.
- Humidity level.
- Atmosphere pressure.
- Air masses.
- Solar radiation.
Anthropogenic (occurring through people's faults) harmful physical factors of the working environment include:
- High level of dust in the workplace.
- Strong vibration.
- High noise level.
- Static electricity and ultrasound.
- Laser radiation.
- Work at height.
- Elevated or reduced equipment temperature.
- Inadequate lighting in the workplace.
- Constantly moving mechanisms.
As you can see, the list of factors is quite voluminous. At the same time, many enterprises have both physical and chemical factors. A work environment in which there are different types of exposure, even for a short time, is considered hazardous.
Biological factors
Their influence has recently increased significantly. This is due to the intensive growth of cities, the development of the agricultural sector. Biological effects should be understood as environmental pollution by pathogenic viruses and bacteria, producer microorganisms, products of the biotechnological industry (antibiotics, vitamins, fodder yeast, enzymes, etc.).
A biological factor is a complex of objects that affect a person with the help of the active substances produced by them. Many such objects are able to reproduce in conditions favorable to them. For biological negative factors, the work environment is an ideal place.
Recently, the number of microbiological industry enterprises producing vaccines, amino acids, immunogenic agents, protein and vitamin concentrates, and food additives has been increasing. Accordingly, the level of biological pollution is simultaneously increasing. The use in industry of moldy and yeast fungi, actinomycetes and bacteria has led to contamination of the production environment with producer microorganisms.
Psychophysical factors
They began to talk about their dangers relatively recently - attention was paid mainly to the biological and chemical factors of the working environment. Meanwhile, the quality and effectiveness of labor are directly dependent on the psychophysical state of personnel. Decreased performance may be due to physical or psychological stress. The former may be dynamic or static. Together, their indicators reflect the severity of labor. In this case, we are talking about loads on the cardiovascular system, musculoskeletal system, central nervous system.
The severity of labor is characterized by the mass of cargo that the worker has to move or lift, the number of movements made in the workplace.
Neuropsychic loads reflect the level of labor intensity. Among the harmful psychological factors include:
- Emotional stress.
- Mental stress.
- The monotony of work.
- The load on the senses.
How are chemical factors characterized?
First you need to deal with the concept. In simple words, the chemical negative factors of the working environment are objects (substances and their compounds) that can easily get on the skin or inside the body.
I must say that by the beginning of the 20th century, about twenty industrial poisons were described in Russia. Today their number reaches several thousand. Contact with chemical hazards in the work environment occurs when they enter the air. It is on the basis of this fact that pollution control methods are being developed.
Depending on the nature of the impact on the human body, the chemical factors of the working environment are divided into:
- Toxic. They are able to dissolve in liquid media, enter into physico-chemical reactions with tissues, disrupt their functions. Toxic chemical factors in the work environment cause intoxication (poisoning).
- Non-toxic. These factors affect the mucous membranes, the skin and almost do not enter the body.
The concentration of harmful substances and their compounds is the level of their content per unit volume of air and liquid medium. This indicator is measured in mg / l and mg / m3.
Chemical factors of the production environment can have a different state of aggregation: liquid, solid, gaseous, etc.
Toxicity characterizes the physiological activity of poisons. This characteristic reflects the ability of substances and compounds in a relatively small amount to disrupt the normal functioning of organs and tissues, leading to persistent or temporary pathologies. In this sense, physical, psychophysiological, biological factors and chemical factors are very similar. Their negative impact on humans can lead to serious diseases, and in some cases to death.
Sources of pollution
The need for certain chemicals and compounds is determined by the specifics of a particular production. Chemistry is used today in the paper, metallurgy, and pharmaceutical industries. With the increasing complexity of technology, the level of pollution of the industrial and natural environment increases. The management of enterprises faces the problem of air and water purification.
In general, almost all manufacturing enterprises are sources of chemical pollution, including those that do not use toxic substances. After all, every enterprise has a waste of raw materials that, when decomposed, emit poisons. They fall into the earth, water, air. An improperly organized garbage disposal process leads to extremely negative consequences.
In addition, there is the problem of wastewater treatment. The liquids used in production processes contain substances that can react with each other in chemical reactions. As a result of these interactions, new toxic compounds appear.
Specific effects on humans
Chemical factors in the work environment can be harmful or hazardous.
With prolonged, long-term exposure to substances in concentrations exceeding the maximum allowable, toxins begin to accumulate in the body. They cause chronic poisoning, impaired functions of life-supporting organs and systems, mental disorders. When exposed to large doses, acute intoxication occurs, which can lead to death. It is worth saying that it is more difficult to deal with chronic poisoning than with acute.
Depending on the specific effects on the body, substances are divided into mutagenic, carcinogenic, toxic, irritating. Chemical factors of the working environment include chlorine, trichlorethylene, nitrogen under pressure, gasoline, acetylene, carbon tetrachloride, etc.
Concentration rationing
As a standardization criterion, MPC is the maximum permissible concentration. This indicator reflects the maximum possible level of harmful substances that does not cause pathological changes in the employee’s body throughout life, as well as the genetic consequences of future generations.
MPC is an officially approved indicator for each chemical. In any production, concentration standards must be observed.
MPC should be considered when:
- Designing industrial premises, ventilation systems, equipment placement.
- The development of technological processes.
- The implementation of quality control of working conditions.
MPC is determined depending on the degree and nature of the effect of the substance on the human body. The most dangerous chemicals include manganese, beryllium, lead. High hazard are characterized by chlorine, phosgene, hydrogen fluoride. Methyl alcohol is considered a moderately hazardous substance. Ammonia, acetone, gasoline are classified as low-hazard compounds.
Security features
Recently, the pace of introduction of new toxins is very high. Moreover, all the properties of these substances are far from always studied and a complete assessment of their safety has been carried out. Today, enterprises are faced with the task of minimizing the negative effects of toxins. The solution to this problem may be the creation of pressurized equipment and more efficient ventilation of industrial premises, as well as the improvement of technological processes.
At modern industrial enterprises, protection against negative factors is carried out in several areas. The most effective pollution control methods include air conditioning and ventilation. The latter can be natural or artificial (mechanical).
Natural ventilation functions due to the difference in temperature and pressure. Regulated and organized air exchange is called aeration. Natural systems are easy to install and operate, low cost. At the same time, they are quite effective, since a large volume of air flows can move in them. However, these systems also have disadvantages. The effectiveness of natural ventilation decreases in calm weather.
The mechanical system is more complex, includes several ducts and a fan. It allows for constant air exchange regardless of climatic conditions. The mechanical system can be exhaust, supply or combined.
The supply system allows you to delay harmful substances, prevents their entry into the production hall from other rooms. Exhaust, on the contrary, prevents the release of toxins from the workshop.
Remedies
In accordance with the requirements of legislation in the field of labor protection, all personnel in hazardous / hazardous industries must be provided with collective and individual protection equipment. When working with chemicals and their compounds, safety precautions must be observed. All employees must wear gloves, respirators, protective clothing.
Work with pressure vessels
Many chemical compounds are stored in special containers in which high pressure is created. Work with such containers is carried out in accordance with the Rules approved by Rostekhnadzor. This normative act states that when supplying pressure vessels, the supplier must provide accompanying documents, including a passport for each container. At the same time, information on the date of manufacture, trademark or manufacturer’s name, indicator of test, working and design pressure, capacity, brand, etc. are provided on the container itself.
Employees servicing such tanks must be approved.
Workplace certification
It is an assessment of the state of production facilities. Depending on the certification results:
- Wellness or preventive measures with employees.
- Confirmation or cancellation of privileges and compensations to personnel working in hazardous production.
- Certification of labor protection activities.
Assessment of the actual state of the conditions of production is carried out by:
- The level of danger and harmfulness.
- Degrees of safety.
- By the level of security with protective equipment and the degree of their effectiveness.
According to general rules, certification is carried out once every five years. However, in hazardous industries, it can be performed more often. In addition, re-certification should be carried out after replacing technological equipment, protective equipment, and changing the nature of production operations.
Conclusion
The production cycle in many enterprises is associated with the impact of negative factors. The leaders of such industries need to make every effort to minimize the negative consequences. In no case can you save on cleaning systems, protective equipment, preventive and other measures.