258
Health risks from waste include the following:
• Component and composition of waste
• Chemicals released by waste
• Mode of handling of waste
• Mode of transportation
• The processing of wastes
• The disposal of wastes
Some of the common occupational health as well as injury issues pertaining to
waste management are as follows:
• Animal bites
• Anoxic conditions
• Back as well as joint injuries due to lifting waste
• Infections due to direct contact of contaminated material
• Puncture wounds
• Respiratory illness due to bio-aerosols, particulates, and volatile organics
• Surface subsidence
• Underground fires
• Waste dumping slides
Proper management of workplace can reduce the risks to great extents. In theory,
a workforce needs medical screening, surveillance, procedures, legal compliance,
personal protective equipment, and first-aid facility. In practice, it may not happen
(Figs. 7.1 and 7.2). Poverty often pushes people to unsafe practices (Fig. 7.3).
Occupational health as well as safety in informal sector is major challenge as
most of the work is unregulated. Typically, staff members of informal sector do not
work at employer’s premise. They account for 62.6% of the Thai workforce which
is 10 times more than formal workers (Pornpimol et al. 2015).
All ill effects of chemicals and substances on the earth are not known. Soluble
fumes and dusts of cadmium, lead, zinc, magnesium and manganese are systemic
poisons and cause metal fume fever.
Insoluble dusts lead to various types of pneumoconiosis. Coal dust causes anthracosis, quartz dust causes silicosis, asbestos causes asbestosis and cotton dust causes
byssinosis. Gases such as methane, nitrous oxide, as well as carbon dioxide are
simple asphyxiants that replace oxygen in the lungs.
Some gases are chemical asphyxiants (hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, and
hydrogen sulfide). They prevent the delivery of oxygen from the bloodstream to
cells. They disable the biochemistry of cellular respiration even in the presence of
sufficient oxygen levels in the blood.
Some chemicals such as chlorine, ammonia, sulfur dioxide, ozone and nitrogen
dioxide are irritants. Gases such as carbon disulfide, arsine, and phosphine are systemic poisons. Asbestos, chromates, mineral oil, beryllium, as well as coal tar
cause cancer.
Prevalence silicosis can persist in gold mines, mica mine, ceramic and pottery,
stone crushers.
7 Occupational Health
Health risks from waste include the following:
• Component and composition of waste
• Chemicals released by waste
• Mode of handling of waste
• Mode of transportation
• The processing of wastes
• The disposal of wastes
Some of the common occupational health as well as injury issues pertaining to
waste management are as follows:
• Animal bites
• Anoxic conditions
• Back as well as joint injuries due to lifting waste
• Infections due to direct contact of contaminated material
• Puncture wounds
• Respiratory illness due to bio-aerosols, particulates, and volatile organics
• Surface subsidence
• Underground fires
• Waste dumping slides
Proper management of workplace can reduce the risks to great extents. In theory,
a workforce needs medical screening, surveillance, procedures, legal compliance,
personal protective equipment, and first-aid facility. In practice, it may not happen
(Figs. 7.1 and 7.2). Poverty often pushes people to unsafe practices (Fig. 7.3).
Occupational health as well as safety in informal sector is major challenge as
most of the work is unregulated. Typically, staff members of informal sector do not
work at employer’s premise. They account for 62.6% of the Thai workforce which
is 10 times more than formal workers (Pornpimol et al. 2015).
All ill effects of chemicals and substances on the earth are not known. Soluble
fumes and dusts of cadmium, lead, zinc, magnesium and manganese are systemic
poisons and cause metal fume fever.
Insoluble dusts lead to various types of pneumoconiosis. Coal dust causes anthracosis, quartz dust causes silicosis, asbestos causes asbestosis and cotton dust causes
byssinosis. Gases such as methane, nitrous oxide, as well as carbon dioxide are
simple asphyxiants that replace oxygen in the lungs.
Some gases are chemical asphyxiants (hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, and
hydrogen sulfide). They prevent the delivery of oxygen from the bloodstream to
cells. They disable the biochemistry of cellular respiration even in the presence of
sufficient oxygen levels in the blood.
Some chemicals such as chlorine, ammonia, sulfur dioxide, ozone and nitrogen
dioxide are irritants. Gases such as carbon disulfide, arsine, and phosphine are systemic poisons. Asbestos, chromates, mineral oil, beryllium, as well as coal tar
cause cancer.
Prevalence silicosis can persist in gold mines, mica mine, ceramic and pottery,
stone crushers.
7 Occupational Health