HAZARDS ON THE INDUSTRIAL JOB
Some jobs are more hazardous than others. Your employer should supply you with the instructions and the equipment necessary to reduce or eliminate the risks you face. Your union may have further information to give you. The main thing for you to do is to acquaint yourself with the dangers you may be up against.
Dust
Industrial dust may come from the grinding, crushing, cutting, or drilling of metals, stone, or coal. Industrial dusts are divided into the organic and the inorganic.
Organic dusts come from substances whose source is plant or animal life, such as coal, leather, flour, sugar, feathers, and cotton. They may produce allergies, skin irritations, or asthma. Miners of both soft and hard coal may develop a disabling shortness of breath because of the effects of coal dust on their lungs. This disease, called anthra-cosis or anthrasilicosis, is popularly known as ‘black lung.’
Inorganic dusts come mainly from metals and minerals. The most dangerous inorganic dust is silica, which causes silicosis. Asbestos dust also causes an inflammation of the lungs, called asbestosis, but it is not as often a cause of death. Iron workers may contract a lung infection called siderosis.
Diamond cutters, rock drillers, foundry and furnace workers, abrasive-soap makers, and packers are among those who may be exposed to silica and asbestos dust.
Workers exposed to dangerous dusts should be protected by the use of exhaust systems or suction devices that catch the dust at its place of origin; by systematic covering of the dust with oil or water to keep it from rising; or by good ventilation and the use of helmets and respiratory masks. However well protected they may seem to be, workers should have periodic chest X rays.
Skin diseases
Among the most widespread industrial illnesses are skin diseases caused by chemicals, dirt, oil, and germs. The chief troublemakers are petroleum products, solvents, and alkalis.
There are several important precautions you can take to avoid having trouble with your skin. Soap and water should be used generously right after finishing any dirty or oily job, and also before eating lunch and before leaving for the day. Special ointments can be used to cover the skin before contact with any offending agent. But do not use miscellaneous ointments for any skin disease you may develop. Visit your doctor and let him tell you what to use, because your skin ailment may require a very special prescription.
Gloves, sleeves, and aprons offering protection against skin diseases should be worn, kept clean, and changed often.
Poisons
Certain general precautions should be taken. If necessary, protective masks, gloves, and respiratory devices should be worn. Good ventilation is the best protection against carbon monoxide (CO) and other toxic gases. If the work produces a lot of fumes, wear an air-line respirator and safety line. Be on the watch for headache, vomiting, dizziness, and a flushed face. Do not eat in rooms where poisonous substances are handled. Use plenty of soap and water, especially before eating and before leaving the plant. Be sure to have regular medical examinations, preferably on the job by the factory doctor.
Infections
Workers who handle cattle may get undulant fever (brucellosis). Those who work with hides may get anthrax. Slaughter-house workers as well as farmers have to guard against tetanus. Barbers and beauticians have to guard against ringworm and other fungus infections.
Radiation hazards
X-rays, radium, and other radio-active substances give off different types of radiation, all of which require special kinds of protection. Radiation can cause cancer, anaemia, sterility, and other harmful effects.
Abnormal air pressures
Divers and men who build tunnels have to work under unusually heavy air pressures. If there is too great or rapid a decrease in pressure, the bends, or chokes, may result; that is, the blood supply from different parts of the body is blocked off by small gas bubbles.
The bends, also known as decompression sickness, is dangerous and can even cause death. Entering a lower air pressure by rising to a high altitude can be just as harmful.
Abnormal temperatures
Blacksmiths, welders, steelworkers, furnace men and others may be exposed to very high temperatures. Such exposure may result in heat prostration, heat exhaustion or cramps. Very low temperatures may cause frostbite, gangrene or death. Insulation or air conditioning and protective clothing can help guard against these extremes in temperature.
Noise and vibration
Technical advances in industry have been accompanied by new machines that are excessively noisy and produce a lot of vibration. Too much noise can damage your hearing. It can also cause pain. An additional danger is that you may not hear orders or warning signals. Vibrations can have the same effect on a person as motion sickness.
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