Dangerous and harmful production factors: lecture

Lecture: «Dangerous and harmful production factors. General concepts » on the professional module “Occupational Safety and Health” for the vocational training group “Nanny”. In the process of life, a person is exposed to various hazards, which are usually understood as phenomena, processes, objects that, under certain conditions, can cause damage to human health directly or indirectly, i.e. cause various undesirable consequences.

Basic Concepts

A person is exposed to dangers in his work activities. This activity takes place in a space called the work environment. In production conditions, humans are mainly affected by man-made, i.e. associated with technology, hazards that are commonly called hazardous and harmful production factors.

Hazardous production factor (OPF)

A hazardous occupational factor (HFO) is an occupational factor whose impact on a worker under certain conditions leads to injury or other sudden deterioration in health.

Injury

This is damage to body tissues and disruption of its functions by external influences. An injury is the result of an industrial accident, which is understood as a case of exposure to a hazardous production factor on a worker while performing his job duties or tasks of a work manager.

Harmful production factor (HPF)

A harmful production factor (HPF) is a production factor whose impact on a worker under certain conditions leads to illness or decreased ability to work. Diseases arising under the influence of harmful production factors are called occupational.

Hazardous production factors include, for example:

• electric current of a certain strength;
• hot bodies;
• the possibility of the worker himself or various parts and objects falling from a height;
• equipment operating under pressure above atmospheric, etc.

Harmful production factors include:

• unfavorable weather conditions;
• dustiness and gas contamination of the air environment;
• exposure to noise, infra- and ultrasound, vibration;
• the presence of electromagnetic fields, laser and ionizing radiation, etc.

GOST 12.0.003-74

All hazardous and harmful production factors in accordance with GOST 12.0.003-74 are divided into physical, chemical, biological and psychophysiological.

• Physical factors include electric current, kinetic energy of moving machines and equipment or their parts, increased pressure of vapors or gases in vessels, unacceptable levels of noise, vibration, infra- and ultrasound, insufficient illumination, electromagnetic fields, ionizing radiation, etc.
• Chemical factors are substances harmful to the human body in various states.
• Biological factors are the effects of various microorganisms, as well as plants and animals.
• Psychophysiological factors are physical and emotional overload, mental overstrain, monotony of work.

There is often no clear boundary between dangerous and harmful production factors. Let us consider, as an example, the impact of molten metal on a worker. If a person is directly exposed to it (thermal burn), it will cause severe injury and may result in the death of the victim. In this case, the impact of molten metal on a worker is, by definition, a hazardous production factor.

The concept of harmful factors

In many plants and factories, production involves constant exposure of workers to unfavorable conditions. Harmful and dangerous production factors are inextricably linked.

OPF are those factors that, as a result of their long-term or short-term impact on a person, lead to a deterioration in his health or to injury. In industries with such working conditions, various accidents occur quite often.

HMF are factors that, acting on an employee, reduce his performance or lead to various diseases; they are often also called occupational diseases.

It is worth noting that the line between these two groups of factors is quite arbitrary. Under certain conditions, harmful production factors can become dangerous. For example, high humidity refers to unfavorable working conditions; it can cause various diseases of the respiratory system. If a person has to work with electric current in such conditions, then it becomes too dangerous, and not just harmful.

Dangerous and harmful factors in the living environment

According to the nature of the effect on the body, all factors (according to GOST 12.1.003-74) are divided into:

• a) harmful;
• b) dangerous.

Harmful factors include factors that, under certain conditions, become the cause of illness or decreased performance:

• dustiness and air pollution;
• noise;
• ionizing radiation;
• hard physical labor;
• toxic substances;
• water and food contamination;
• improper lighting;
• monotony of activity, etc.

Hazardous factors are factors that, under certain conditions, lead to traumatic injuries or sudden and severe health problems.

• fire;
• vehicles and moving parts of machines;
• poisonous substances;
• sharp and falling objects, etc.

Negative factors in everyday life:

• air polluted by natural gas combustion products, emissions from thermal power plants and industrial enterprises;
• water with excessive levels of harmful impurities;
• poor quality food;
• medicines;
• tobacco smoke;
• bacteria, viruses, etc.

Dangerous and harmful factors according to the nature of their action are divided into:

• physical;
• biological;
• chemical;
• psychophysiological.

Physical hazards and harmful factors include;

• moving machines and mechanisms, moving parts of equipment, unstable structures and natural formations;
• sharp and falling objects;
• increase and decrease in temperature of air and surrounding surfaces;
• increased dust and gas pollution;
• increased level of noise, acoustic vibrations;
• increased or decreased barometric pressure;
• increased level of ionizing radiation;
• insufficient lighting, reduced lighting contrast;
• increased brightness, pulsation of light flux.

Classification by type of impact

If we classify the main hazardous and harmful production factors by type of impact, we get the following groups:

• physical;
• chemical;
• biological;
• psychophysiological.

But this classification is rather arbitrary, because the same factor, by the nature of its impact, sometimes belongs simultaneously to different groups. Thus, the work of slaughtering cattle can expose a person to all threatening factors at once. The classification is set out in GOST 12.0.003-74 SSBT and approved by Resolution of the State Committee of Standards of the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated November 18, 1974 No. 2551.

The general classification of dangerous and harmful production factors is as follows:

Each industry and type of work has its own adverse impacts, for example:

• for a pharmacy worker - an increased level of toxic products, poisonous and potent substances in the air, a high probability of contracting an infectious disease;
• for a concrete mixer - increased level of vibration and moving parts of mechanisms;
• dangerous and harmful factors for the driver - moving mechanisms, increased gas and dust levels in the air; high concentration of harmful fuel vapors in the air, insufficient illumination of the work area;
• the operator of a cement or other bulk cargo loader experiences increased physical stress, etc.

But for all of these professions and jobs there is a common dangerous factor - electric shock.

Chemical hazards

Particularly dangerous are chemical factors, which can be divided into:

• industrial poisons (solvents, dyes);
• pesticides (herbicides, pesticides) used in agriculture;
• medications used for other purposes;
• household chemicals that are used as food additives, sanitation products, and personal hygiene products;
• chemical warfare agents.

Depending on the nature of the effect on the human body, chemical substances are divided into:

• toxic;
• annoying;
• mutagenic;
• carcinogenic;
• narcotic;
• suffocating, etc.

Toxic substances are substances that cause poisoning of the entire human body or affect individual systems of the human body (for example, the central nervous system). These substances can cause pathological changes in certain organs, for example, kidneys, liver. Such substances include compounds such as carbon monoxide, saltpeter, concentrated solutions of acids or alkalis.

Irritating substances – cause irritation of the mucous membranes, respiratory tract, eyes, lungs, skin (for example, vapors of acids, alkalis, ammonia).

Mutagenic substances lead to disruption of the genetic code. This is lead, radioactive substances.

Carcinogenic substances usually cause malignant neoplasms – tumors. Such substances include asbestos, nickel, chromium.

Narcotic substances affect the central nervous system (alcohols, aromatic carbohydrates).

Asphyxiants lead to toxic pulmonary edema (nitric oxide, carbon monoxide).

Examples of substances that affect reproductive function include radioactive isotopes, mercury, and lead.

Sensitizers are substances that act as allergens. These are formaldehyde, varnishes based on nitro compounds.

Poisonous substances are substances that lead to damage to all living organisms, especially humans and animals.

Classification of hazardous production factors

GOST 12.0.003-2015 contains a very detailed classification of harmful and dangerous production factors. Our article provides only a brief description for a general understanding of the issue. For a more detailed study, you can always refer to the source.

The nature of the impact on humans allows us to divide all harmful and dangerous production factors into the following types:

• physical;
• chemical;
• biological;
• psychophysiological.

These include:

• to the 1st type - equipment, machines, electric current, temperature, humidity, vibration;
• to the 2nd - various toxic and irritating substances that cause allergic reactions, affect the reproductive function of the body, and can damage the respiratory system, skin, and mucous membranes;
• to the 3rd - bacteria, viruses, the results of their vital activity, as well as representatives of flora and fauna;
• by the 4th - physical and emotional stress, monotony of the work performed.

The same factor can simultaneously relate to different types.

Biological hazards

Biological hazards are those that originate from living objects. Carriers of biological hazards are all habitats (air, water, soil), flora and fauna, and people themselves.

Biological hazards result in various diseases and injuries of varying severity, including fatal ones.

Biological hazardous and harmful factors are:

• pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc.);
• plants and animals.

Bacteria are typical representatives of microorganisms. Bacteria are ubiquitous and resilient. They do not die either in permafrost or in space, and exposure to a dose of radiation lethal to humans is not dangerous for them.

Bacterial diseases are: plague, tuberculosis, meningitis, tetanus, etc.

Viruses are tiny cellular particles consisting of nucleic acid and a protein shell. Viruses are completely dependent on the metabolism of the host cell.

Viral diseases are: smallpox, influenza, measles, mumps, rubella, etc.

Pathogenic fungi cause diseases in plants, animals and humans.

About 700 types of diseases can cause severe and fatal infections.

According to the degree of toxicity, plants are divided into:

• poisonous (white acacia, elderberry, ivy). Potato shoots and seeds are also poisonous due to their solanine content;
• deadly poisonous (henbane, datura, belladonna).

Animals:

• scorpions - the sting of a scorpion is very painful (swelling, chills, and fever);
• mites – cause the disease scabies.

Psychophysiological hazard factors

In the process of his activity, a person uses not only his physical capabilities, but also expends significant psychological efforts, such as character traits, will, mental abilities and others.

Dangerous factors caused by the characteristics of human physiology and psychology are called psychophysiological .

Psychophysiological dangers in the modern world are a consequence of integrity or discord, persistence or disharmony, calm or anxiety, success or failure, physical and moral well-being. Today there is not a single psychophysiological hazard factor that does not affect humans. Each of these factors, depending on the duration of action, can be classified as permanent or temporary.

Psychophysiological factors of potential danger of permanent action should be considered:

1. Disadvantages of the sense organs (visual defects, hearing defects, etc.).
2. Disruption of connections between sensory and motor centers, as a result of which a person is not able to respond adequately to certain changes perceived by the senses.
3. Defects in coordination of movements (especially complex movements and operations, techniques, etc.).
4. Increased emotionality.
5. Lack of motivation to work (disinterest in achieving goals, dissatisfaction with pay, monotony of work, lack of cognitive moment, i.e. uninteresting work, etc.).

Psychophysiological factors of potential danger of temporary action are:

1. Lack of experience (the appearance of a possible mistake, incorrect actions, tension in the neuropsychic system, fear of making a mistake.
2. Carelessness (can lead to defeat not only of an individual, but also of the entire team).
3. Fatigue (distinguish between physiological and psychological fatigue).
4. Emotional phenomena (especially conflict situations, mental stress associated with everyday life, family, friends, management).

Human activities can be divided into two categories: physical and mental.

Physical activity is activity associated with specific objective actions (for example, cargo transportation, tool production, etc.).

Mental activity is associated with mental processes during which a person plans his actions using images and linguistic symbols.

A person in activity acts as a person who has certain motives and intended goals. Motives can be needs, feelings, etc. To carry out an activity, it is necessary to have an object of activity, internal motivations, as well as a relationship between motivation and the person’s goals that he wants to achieve as a result of his activity. For example, a person is prompted to activity either by personal enrichment (satisfying his needs), or by the impossibility of physically existing inactivity.

Factors influencing labor productivity

The study of working conditions has shown that there are many factors that influence labor productivity.

Main factors influencing labor productivity:

• workplace organization;
• mode of tension and rest during work;
• painting the walls of the room;
• attitude to work.

They form the general mood for work and facilitate or complicate the emergence of labor efforts.

When developing criteria for professional assessment (description of work characteristics) of the degree of nervous tension during work, they use characteristics that reflect the tension of the sensory apparatus, higher nerve centers that provide the functions of attention, thinking, and movement regulation. Today, special tables have been compiled for classifying work according to the degree of neuro-emotional stress, which are based on the following indicators:

• intellectual and emotional stress;
• duration of concentrated observation;
• the number of production-necessary objects of simultaneous observation;
• number of signals per hour;
• pace;
• time of active actions;
• the need to independently search for damage;
• monotony of work;
• gaze tension;
• accuracy of work;
• shift;
• work and rest schedule.

The degree of ability to work is also determined by the type of nervous system. The strong type has the greatest ability to work, the weak type has the greatest ability to work.

Work ability depends on the following factors:

• age;
• human health;
• floor;
• work skills;
• sanitary and hygienic conditions, etc.

To a certain extent, both motivation and moral and material incentives influence work ability.

Negative emotions that reduce productivity are: fear, uncertainty, bad mood.

Positive emotions that significantly prolong the period of stable working capacity are: confidence, calmness, cheerful mood

It is possible to extend stable working capacity due to:

• optimal level of tension of psychophysiological functions;
• comfortable working conditions;
• proper combination of work and rest modes;
• carrying out physical training breaks and emotional relief;
• use of special psychopharmacological drugs or tonic drinks;
• special informing a person about the results of his activities;
• monitoring and control of his work.

Comfortable conditions provide, in addition to high working capacity, good health; in this case, dangerous tensions in the body’s compensatory systems do not arise; human health does not deteriorate for a long time.

It is known that rest affects ability to work, labor productivity, and life activity in general. Rest can be of two types - active and passive.

Active recreation is , for example, playing sports, hiking, hiking in the forest, traveling, swimming in the pool, etc. It is active recreation that helps to increase working capacity, improve the mental state of the individual, and mood.

Passive rest - watching movies, listening to music while sitting, lying down, reading books, etc. A special, but obligatory type of such rest is sleep.

It is known that restless nights, unpleasant dreams with experiences of horrors, dangers, fear, when life seems to be hanging by a thread, and there is no strength to resist - all this negatively affects a person’s condition, and, accordingly, the activity of his life.

The seasons of the year also affect a person’s ability to work. For example, a decrease in working capacity is observed in the spring, especially among workers with neuro-emotional overstrain.

See also "Exam material for students of the Nanny course"