Home Hazards Uncovered: Biological and Chemical Risks You Should Know

Biological and Chemical Hazard: Overview

Biological hazards are illnesses caused by plants, animals, or microorganisms that spread infections and diseases. In contrast, chemical hazards involve harmful particles with strong chemical compositions that can cause severe illnesses.

Let’s understand these concepts in depth. Check out how to identify, control and prevent them. Also, learn more about the impacts they cause with the help of an example. First, let’s read the example and then move forward with the explanation.

Example

Dave is a painter who has been assigned to repaint a house room, which was last painted in the year 1950. After these years, when Dave had a visit to the room, he made some potential observations. During his visit, he found out that there are two layers of existing paint in the room, that need to be removed through a sander. After these two layers of paint were successfully removed, he observed that fungal mould was growing in the corner of the room.

The further report exclusively includes information regarding the case study and provides a brief overview of chemical and biological hazards, their impacts, monitoring and controlling.

Biological Hazard: Detailed Analysis

Biological hazard can be simply defined as an illness which is caused by a plant, animal, or microorganism bacteria, which has the capability to spread illness, infection, and diseases. Specifically, these are micro-organisms which enter the body and destroy the immune system. Except for the illnesses growing in our environment, people are commonly aware of the biological hazards in food.

In the case study of Dave, it has been observed that the room he is about to re-paint was last painted more than 70 years ago and thus, Dave observed the presence of mould growing in the corner of the room. In this case, the growth of fungal mould is a biological hazard, which can cause severe illness to Dave and the people residing in those four walls.

Biological Hazard Identification

There are different types of biological hazards, that include fungi, bacteria, protozoa, etc. This following mould growth is identified as a fungus type (Corrosionpedia 2018). Within the human body, there are different layers of defence and protection, against the micro-organisms and bacteria, which regularly come in contact with the human body and their immune systems, even if the person does not notice the interaction with any microorganism or bacteria.

The body fights these microbes and in the case of Dave, he is easily identified to come in contact with the bacteria mould, which is growing in the corner. The following mould growth is a biological hazard, which is included among the four defined categories of hazards.

The reason that these microorganisms directly affect the human immune systems and living organism bodies by creating severe illnesses and diseases is that they have severe potential impacts on the living. Specifically the biological hazards in relevance to exposure, there are different routes which include vectors, food and water, aerosols, and host-to-host exposure.

For the fungal mould, the route of exposure will be aerosol, which means the fungi can spread in the human body through inhalation and breathing. This can happen when the virus is exposed to the skin, and eyes, inhaled with air, and so on. The bioaerosols in the case study are fungus, that can infect Dave’s body through skin contact (Le Bouquin et al. 2011).

Potential Effects of Biological Hazard

• The first impact of fungi interaction over a living body is the spread of fungal infections and skin infections.

• They can also cause severe food poisoning, which can last up to several days, directly attacking the immune system and destroying the immune capacity.

• It can also cause respiratory and parasite infection in a living body (Public Health Ontario 2021).

Chemical Hazard

On the other hand, chemical hazard images can be imagined more profoundly in the form of particles, found in the specified place, having a strong chemical bond or composition, capable enough to act as a hazard and spread severe illness. Chemical hazards exist in the form of gases, vapours, dust, gas, smoke, etc., in nature. In the following case study, Dave was asked to re-paint the room which had not been painted and cleaned for a long time, which would definitely have chemical hazards.

Chemical Hazard identification

In the following case, Dave has been required to remove the two layers of old paint through a sander and this will create a lot of dust in the room, which will result from the older paint. In these many years, the chemical composition of the paint must have changed, giving rise to hazardous dust particles, which will be spread throughout during the removal of existing paint.

The chemical hazard is the actual class and sub-classes defined above such as the gases, vapours, dust, gas, smoke, fibres, mists, fog, fumes, etc. Within these following classes, the sub-class of the following chemical hazard is dust, which includes small particles of a solid substance similar to the existing paint in the form of dust, which Dave will scrap.

It has been observed that the following hazardous substances can come in contact with the human living body through three options, including inhalation, ingestion, or absorption (Tranter 2020, p. 9). The following chemical hazard of dust can come in contact with Dave after inhalation.

The dust can enter the body when the dust particles are inhaled through the nose by Dave and after reaching the human body, they will start multiplying themselves by attacking the immune system. The root of exposure is the bioaerosol for the following dust which means that these particles similar to dust will be a complex composition of chemicals, which will be present in the air to be inhaled by the living organism.

Potential effects

• It can be stated that when chemically composed dust is inhaled by a living organism through the respiratory organs, this chemical dust can damage the respiratory system overall including the lungs, throat, and the nose as well.

• Not only does this chemical-composed dust have the capability of damaging the respiratory organs, but also can destroy the central nervous system which may range from the brain to the other organs, and parts of the body.

• In everyday life people, inhale a lot of dust but continuous inhalation of these chemical dust particles can start causing an internal disease, even before the person observes a symptom for the following. This is due to the reason that it slowly decreases the internal immune system and the capability to fight these dust particles (Resources Safety and Health Queensland 2016).

Control and Prevention of Biological Hazards

• According to an information source it has been described that biological hazards have been classified into four groups which start with the first group which are known to create severe illness and disease within a human or living body. The 4th group does not really cause a human body illness or a disease. In the following case of Dave, it can be observed that the group two and group three biological hazards are applicable as they are expected to cause an illness or a disease but not at a very hyper level.

• In order to control a biological hazard, the first and most important step is the identification of the hazard and classification based on what type of biological hazard is present at the workplace. It can be observed that the following biological hazard is the exposure of Dave to the fungus mould, which is growing in the corner of the room where he has to work.

• Dave has been required to work in order to paint the following room and the second step states that Dave in relevance to the organization or company he works in, needs to be informed and trained regarding how the employer can save themselves from possible exposure to a similar hazard at the workplace, to ensure that no disease or illness is caused.

• Another control measure which can be used by Dave is the effective use of gloves, masks, and personal protection equipment kits (PPE), which prevent workers from coming directly into contact with infected regions (Willeke & Han 1996).

• Another control measure which can be used in the case of Dave is proper hand washing and the disinfection of the following surface of the room so that illness cannot be spread and the fungus can be killed. With the effective use of required equipment, screening could be also helpful in acknowledging if Dave has been exposed to the fungus or not (Ossian 2022).

Control and Prevention of Chemical Hazards

• In order to control the chemical hazard of dust in the case of Dave, the first step importantly is similar to the first step of controlling a biological hazard, which is the identification and classification of the type of risk or hazard which is expected at the workplace.

• The second option or measure which can be deployed at Dave’s workplace is dust control, which can be done through different methods. Nowadays, it has been observed that several new equipment and technologies have taken over the existing manual processes and similarly, in order to sander two layers of existing paint on the walls, a new technological method could be used by Dave to deploy a dust-free process.

• In order to control the dust and make sure that it does not go airborne, the application of moisture to the following room could be an effective option, as it will stop the dust from contaminating the air.

• Effective ventilation is the process which helps in controlling the amount of dust generated within the room. Taking an example in the UK, less toxic materials and technical equipment are used compared to Sanders and other equipment, which create more dust in order to control this chemical hazard (Ai Solutions 2023).

• Similar to the measures used for preventing the living body from biological hazards, the effective use of gloves, masks, eye protection gear, and other PPE kits will be helpful for Dave in preventing direct exposure to dust within the room (Willeke & Han 1996).

  
  

References

• Ai Solutions 2023, Dust - Hazard Related Topics - Safety Matters (Health & Safety Community), www.aisolutions.co.uk, viewed 31 August 2023, <https://www.aisolutions.co.uk/community/Knowledge/Topic/63/1004/Dust>.

• Corrosionpedia 2018, What is a Mold Growth? - Definition from Corrosionpedia, Corrosionpedia, viewed 31 August 2023, <http://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/5258/mold-growth>.

• Le Bouquin, S, Huneau-Salaün, A, Eniafe-Eveillard, B & Morvan, ChuA 2011, ‘Health risks for workers in egg production systems and methods of control’, Improving the Safety and Quality of Eggs and Egg Products, vol. 67, pp. 415–442, viewed 31 August 2023, <https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/bioaerosol#:~:text=A%20bioaerosol%20is%20an%20airborne>.

• Ossian 2022, Biological Hazards In The Workplace | Guide, DATAMYTE, viewed 31 August 2023, <https://datamyte.com/biological-hazards-in-the-workplace/>.

• Public Health Ontario 2021, Biological Health Hazards | Public Health Ontario, Public Health Ontario, viewed 31 August 2023, <https://www.publichealthontario.ca/en/health-topics/environmental-occupational-health/health-hazards/biological#:~:text=Biological%20health%20hazards%20include%20bacteria>.

• Resources Safety and Health Queensland 2016, Health and safety effects of dust, www.business.qld.gov.au, viewed 31 August 2023, <https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/mining-energy-water/resources/safety-health/mining/hazards/dust/health-safety#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20respirable%20crystalline%20silica>.

• Safe Work Australia 2011, NATIONAL HAZARD EXPOSURE WORKER SURVEILLANCE: EXPOSURE TO BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS AND THE PROVISION OF CONTROLS AGAINST BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS IN AUSTRALIAN WORKPLACES National Hazard Exposure Worker Surveillance -Exposure to biological hazards and the provision of controls against biological hazards in Australian workplaces Acknowledgement, safeworkaustralia, safeworkaustralia, pp. 5–6, viewed 31 August 2023, <https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/system/files/documents/1702/nhews_biologicalmaterials.pdf>.

• 2023, WHS duties related to hazardous chemicals, Safe Work Australia, viewed 31 August 2023, <https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/safety-topic/hazards/chemicals/hazardous-chemicals/whs-duties-related-hazardous-chemicals#:~:text=be%2016%20years%20of%20age,know%20are%20not%20labelled%20correctly>.

• Tranter, M 2020, Occupational Hygiene and Risk Management, 2nd edn, Routledge, Australia, p. 9, viewed 31 August 2023, <https://hsseworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Occupational_Hygiene_and_Risk_Management.pdf>.

• Willeke, K & Han, D 1996, ‘Quantitative Fit Testing Techniques for Respirators Protecting the Human Respiratory System against Environmental Aerosols’, Aerosol Inhalation: Recent Research Frontiers, vol. 15, no. 4, viewed 31 August 2023, <https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-009-1694-4_15>.