Assignment Code: MEV-002/TMA-01/2022-23

Course Code: MEV-002

Assignment Name: Environmental and Occupational Hazards

Year: 2022-2023

Verification Status: Verified by Professor

Maximum Mark 100

Attempt any five questions. All questions carry equal marks.

1. Differentiate hazard and disaster. Classify the various types of chemical hazards with suitable examples.

Ans) Geo-hazard is a natural process of the earth that, when combined with human activity, can cause loss of life and/or property. When we talk about Earth processes, we are talking about natural events that happen in the lithosphere, hydrosphere, or atmosphere. Geologic processes affect everything that lives on Earth all the time, but they are only noticeable when they hurt people or damage property. These things that can hurt people or damage property are called natural hazards. Life is full of risks, and no one can live in a place that is completely safe.

A natural disaster is a dangerous event that kills too many people or causes too much damage to the environment. The best way to deal with natural disasters is to plan ahead and know what to do. Long-term plans for reducing the effects of hazards are often complicated and require a lot of money and time. Geologic processes and how people interact with them are marked by risk. Even though we can't get rid of the risk from natural disasters, we can sometimes understand them in a way that makes them less dangerous for people and reduces the risk. To be able to do this, we need to know something about how things work and how much energy each process needs.

Types of Chemical Hazards

Flammable Chemical Material

Any solid, liquid, vapour, or gas that is easy to light and burns quickly in air is called a flammable chemical. There is a flashpoint, a boiling point, a fire point, and an auto-ignition temperature for chemicals that can catch fire. These flammable liquid chemicals are mostly skin irritants that can hurt tissue, and some of them make the skin more sensitive. Inhaling flammable chemicals can be bad for your health, but how bad it is depending on how much of the chemical is in the air and how toxic its vapour is. People's health can be hurt by flammable chemicals and their toxic vapours that are in the environment below their lower explosive limit.

Corrosive Chemical Material

When they come in contact with living tissue, chemicals that are corrosive kill or hurt it. Any part of the body that comes in contact with corrosive chemicals can get hurt badly, and sometimes for good. Some corrosive chemicals are acids, bases, things that take away water, things that add oxygen, and organic compounds. Bases like caustic soda, which is often used in soaps, detergents, and water treatment plants, can cause blistering, burning, and swelling. When it gets into the eyes, it makes the eyes permanently blind. When these chemicals are breathed in, they hurt the tissues in the nose, mouth, throat, and lungs. If you eat or drink it, you will feel extreme pain, damage your organs, and sometimes even die. Irritants are chemicals that are not as strong as corrosives. Some examples of irritants are ammonia, chemicals used in antifreeze, thinners, degreasers, and acids. Irritants can also be made as by-products of combustion. For example, the nitrogen dioxide in car exhaust is an irritant.

Reactive Material

Chemicals that react quickly to air, water, light, heat, and other chemicals as well as to friction and shock are called reactive chemicals. Some of them are unstable and break down quickly, giving off energy as they do so. Others may produce and give off toxic gases. When stirred up, reactive and explosive chemicals give off a lot of heat and gas. When the materials react, they could cause one or more of the following risks.

2. Describe the causes, types, and impacts of volcanic hazards.

Ans) Volcanoes are one of the most interesting things to look at and one of the most active parts of the Earth's geology. The Greek word "Vulcan," which means "God of fire," is where we get the word "volcano." In the simplest terms, a volcano is a hole on the surface of the Earth through which hot, molten material escapes from deep inside the planet. Volcanism includes all the way that molten rock (magma) and gases rise to the surface of the Earth and escape into the air. It is one of the most amazing things that Mother Earth does geologically, and it causes more health, work, and environmental problems than any other type of natural disaster.

Cause

In the simplest terms, scientists say that earthquakes and volcanoes are caused by the movement of plates. But a chimney or fireplace/furnace is a good way for a non-scientist to understand what makes a volcano form or volcanism happen. The chimney is a good way for smoke to leave the house because there is a source of heat below. In the case of a volcano, the chimneys are the cracks, fissures, and passageways, and the fireplace or furnace is the hot magma chamber inside the Earth's mantle. So, in order for a volcano to form, there needs to be a magma chamber or a reservoir of molten rock. Now the question is where does the energy come from that keeps these rocks molten and moving inside the Earth? Deep inside the Earth, different chemical reactions involving radioactive materials produce a lot of heat. This heat keeps the molten or semi-molten material (called magma) in constant motion. Also, the pressure on this magma is high enough, and the different gases push it outward.

Types of Volcanic Hazards

Lava Flows

Magma flows down the surface of a volcano and forms lava. Lava is a risk, but it does not kill people very often. It moves slowly, giving people plenty of time to leave the area. But lava is very destructive. It burns, Burys, and crushes everything in its way. Lava can flow in different ways depending on how thick it is and what it is made of. Lava is thicker when it has a lot of silica in it, but it is more fluid when it is hotter and has more water in it. Andesites with a high viscosity usually erupt at temperatures between 700°C and 900°C. Low-viscosity basalt is the type of lava that flows the most easily. This kind usually erupts between 1100°C and 1200°C.

Pyroclastic Flows

Pyroclastic flows are currents of hot, dense rock, ash, and gas that move quickly over the ground. Gravity makes pyroclastic flows move at an average speed of 70 miles per hour or faster down the sides of a volcano toward the ground below. Pyroclastic flows are strong and fast, and people have seen them rush uphill. Temperatures can range from 100°C to 600°C. Near the sides of a volcano, pyroclastic flows also leave behind piles of hot ash and rock. Even after a few months, these deposits can keep their 400°C heat.

Effect

Volcanic eruptions are thought to be one of the worst natural disasters that can happen on Earth. Many powerful eruptions not only change the Earth's climate in different ways and over different amounts of time, but they also threaten the environment and the health of living things that are exposed to them. They also make social and economic conditions worse. In fact, volcanic eruptions have a wide range of effects on health and work. At least 500 million people live in close proximity to an active volcano around the world. Also, winds in the atmosphere spread gases and materials from volcanoes to places hundreds or thousands of kilometres away from where they happen. Ash in the air is a big problem for flying. Volcanic eruptions send magma and steam (H2O), as well as gases like CO2, CO, SO2, H2S, HCl, H2, CS, CS2, CH4, HBr, HF, as well as heavy metals and other organic compounds, into the air. How dangerous volcanic eruptions are depends on how far away they are, how thick the magma is, what it is made of, and how much gas is in it.

3. Define floods? Describe the cause and impacts of floods.

Ans) Water is always moving in the earth in different ways that are powered by the sun. This cycle is called hydrological cycle. Streams can overflow even if it rains just a little more than usual. This makes it rain a lot. Rivers are places where people can get water to drink. It can be used in farming and in industry. Other services include ways to get around, ways to get energy, and ways to get rid of trash. Also, the stream valleys are mostly flat, which makes them good places to build. Cities have grown along streams since the beginning of human history. People who live along or near streams are at risk of flooding because the water flow in streams is not always the same. Flooding can happen when a lot of water gets into the streams.

 Flooding can happen when it rains a lot, and the rivers overflow their banks or when the ocean waves hit the shore. Flooding can also happen when snow melts quickly or when a dam or levee breaks. Flooding can be as small as a few inches of water or as big as the roof of a house. Flash floods are short-lived floods that happen quickly. When the stream overflows its bank, there is a flood. This floods the area around it.

Causes

Throughout the earth's history, there have always been floods. It will keep happening as long as the water cycle keeps going. Rain is one of the main ways that streams get their water. For example, the amount of rain that falls in drainage basins changes every day, every year, and every 100 years. So, from a geological point of view, floods are a natural result of stream flow in a dynamic environment.

Precipitation

How much and where it rains depends on and is controlled by the weather patterns. This means rain and snow as well. This can be different in different places. The water cycle is a system that works well as a whole. Even though water that flows into one part of the cycle is balanced by water that flows back to the ocean, there are times when the amount of water flowing into one area is more than what the system can hold. This causes water to rise. In addition to heavy rain, there are other things that can cause flooding. For example, flooding can happen when heavy snow melts, water-logged ground, unusually high tides, changes to drainage, and other things happen at the same time as heavy rain.

Dam and Levee Failures

Dams can be made by nature or by people. Natural dams are made by the way nature works. For example, lava flows and pyroclastic flows from volcanoes, landslides, and ice that blocks the way. Dams can be built for a single purpose or for more than one. Dams are useful because they can hold water, make electricity, and keep floods from happening. All dams can fail. This can lead to a sudden release of water into the drainage further downstream.

Effect

They happen when people come into direct contact with flood water. In this case, the flood waters tend to move at a fast rate. As the amount of discharge goes up, so does the speed. Larger particles, like rocks, sediment, and suspended particles, can be moved by speeds that are faster. Also, big things like cars, houses, and bridges can be broken up and moved around. Water damage is caused by water getting into buildings. Even when only a small amount of water gets into a house, furniture, floors, and walls are damaged. Flooding also has an effect on cars.

Effects that happen because of the primary effects are called secondary effects. If sewage treatment plants are damaged, drinking water supplies can become contaminated, which can be bad for your health. This happens more often in countries that aren't as well off. Floodwaters can cause solid waste and some types of pollution to build up. This can have side effects that are bad for your health.

When long-term changes happen, they lead to tertiary effects. When floods dump sediment on large areas of farmland, it can completely ruin them. Floodwaters leave behind silt that can be used to make farms more productive.

4. Explain the various psychological and ergonomic hazards faced in the health sector.

Ans) When you work in a hospital, you often have to deal with some of the most stressful situations you can find in any job. Hospital workers have to deal with life-threatening injuries and illnesses that are made worse by overwork, understaffing, tight schedules, paperwork, complicated or broken equipment, complicated skill and authority hierarchies, patients who are dependent and needy, and patient deaths. All of these things cause stress and hurt the health of the healthcare worker. Stress, fatigue, anger, frustration, job autonomy and the feeling of being alone and powerless, odd hours of duty, taking impromptu leaves instead of preferred leaves, financial benefits, and promotions all lead to burn outs among healthcare professionals. In addition to the above problems, balancing work and home life causes a lot of stress, which usually leads to mistakes at work.

Stress has been linked to a loss of appetite, gastric ulcers, mental illness, migraines, trouble sleeping, emotional instability, problems with friends and family, and more smoking, drinking, and using drugs. Stress can also change the way people at work think and act. People who work in hospitals often say that stress makes it hard to communicate with very sick patients, keep good relationships with co-workers, and figure out how serious a possible emergency is. The most important cause of stress in healthcare workers is not having enough staff, which can lead to mistakes and people calling out sick.

Ergonomics is the study of making jobs fit the people who do them. It is the process of making equipment and work tasks fit the worker's abilities. When a worker does a job that is too hard for his body, he gets many health problems, the most important of which are musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Most of the hospital patients who stay inside, especially those in the ICU, can't move on their own. These people need help from the hospital staff to do daily tasks like getting dressed, taking a bath, eating, and going to the bathroom. Each of these tasks requires handling or moving patients more than once, which could cause strains, sprains, or other injuries to the people who do it.

In many studies, it has been found that more than a third of people who work in hospitals do so in awkward positions that make their jobs hard. Most of them stay in this job for more than half their time at work. When you have a bad work position, you are much more likely to get numb hands, sleep problems, and joint pain. Employees in hospitals are exposed to ergonomic stressors not only when they are moving patients, but also when they are moving equipment, moving food carts or other heavy carts, pouring liquids out of heavy pots or containers, reaching into deep sinks or containers, using hand tools, and doing housekeeping tasks.

Ergonomic risks are higher when tasks like moving patients are done over and over, in awkward positions, or with a lot of force. Musculoskeletal injuries can be caused by lifting heavy objects or moving immobile people by hand. In the same way, overexertion, multiple lifts in one shift, lifting alone without anyone's help, and lifting patients who aren't cooperating or are confused can all cause dislocation of vertebra in the vertebral column. In bariatric clinics and wards, lifting obese patients has become the norm, even though it can be dangerous for the body.

6. Write short note on:

a) Ergonomic hazards

Ans) Ergonomic hazards are physical conditions that put the musculoskeletal system at risk of getting hurt. Ergonomic risks include awkward or static positions, high forces, repeated motions, or not enough time between tasks. When more than one thing is going on, the risk of getting hurt often goes up. Vibrations in the whole body or in the hands and arms, bad lighting, and poorly designed tools, equipment, or workstations are all things that can make the worker or user unhappy. Ergonomic hazards are things in your environment that are bad for your muscles and joints. When you're at a desk or moving things around in an office, there are risks. Your muscles and bones can get hurt when you carry files, push, or pull heavy things, or work above your head.

You've come to the right place if you want to find out about ergonomic risks and how to avoid hurting yourself at work. We tell you what ergonomic hazards are, give you examples of things to watch out for, and tell you how to avoid getting hurt by them.

b) Biological hazards

Ans) There are many biological agents in the natural world. Patients who are sick with diseases add to this biological load. So, it's not surprising that hospitals are full of dangerous germs that can make you sick. There are bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites among these. Since they are usually very small and can't be seen, it can be hard to understand the dangers they pose. Biological agents can reproduce quickly, need few resources to stay alive, and can spread even in small amounts. Exposure to biological agents in a hospital can happen by accident if the staff works directly with them. For example, in a lab or research facility, employees are exposed to biological agents because of the work they do.

A needle stuck in clothes can even hurt a person who works in a laundry. Another major way that healthcare workers get sick is through the air. When people cough or sneeze, they spread many germs into the air. The small pieces stay in the air for a long time. Large organisms fall to the ground and become the centres of droplets. These can get into the body of a health care worker by being breathed in or eaten. In hospitals, the major pathogens that get into the body through the respiratory system are the germs that cause tuberculosis, influenza, SARS, and pneumonia.