Safe environmental conditions in the workplace

It is commonly accepted that people spend much of their lives in the workplace. It is therefore necessary to control the environmental conditions in the workplace, because:
Bad lighting has resulted in the so-called visual fatigue (headache, eye irritation, diplopia, drowsiness, reduced ability to adapt and convergence) and the glare phenomenon (visual capacity reduced due to the presence of high brightness areas within the field).
The low quality of indoor air in buildings leads to a number of diseases: Legionnaires’ disease (a form of pneumonia due to legionella bacterium, which grows in the airways and the filters of air conditioners), fever of air conditioners (due to micro toxins that develop in liquid parts of air conditioners), multiple chemical sensitivity, allergies, “sick building” syndrome.
Occupational exposure to unfavorable thermal environment leads either 1) to pathological conditions of hot working environment (heat stroke, hyperpyrexia, heat syncope, loss of water and salt, burns, heat rash), or 2) to pathological conditions of cold (frostbite, chilblains, respiratory infections).
Noise causes both non-acoustic (tachycardia, hypertension, digestive disorders, personality disorders, stress, etc.) and acoustic effects (hearing loss-selective reduction of acoustic acuity).
Ionizing radiation (radioactivity) is a cause of both burns and cancers.
The chemicals are the cause of various pathologies, depending upon the route entering the body (skin, respiratory, digestive system).
Lighting: there must be sufficient natural lighting. Workplaces, rest areas and first aid rooms should have direct visual contact with the outside space. That rule excludes areas where for technical reasons this is not possible, as well as areas with a footprint area of over 2000 square meters, which have enough openings in the roof. Artificial lighting should be relevant to the type and nature of work, have characteristics similar to natural light, minimize glare and not create excessive contrast and brightness changes. The intensity of emergency lighting is 1/100 of the general lighting and certainly not less than 1 LUX (light intensity measurement unit). The switches of artificial lighting must be easily accessible even in the dark and be located near the entrances and exits and along corridors.
Ventilation of enclosed workplaces: ventilation is defined as the movement of air in such a way that the used indoor air is constantly replaced by fresh air.
A ventilation system in order to be considered effective, should:
provide thermal comfort conditions
distribute sufficient quantities of fresh air, to meet the requirements of workers in the building.
isolate and remove odors and pollutants through the control of air pressure with special provisions.

If artificial ventilation systems are used, they must operate continuously, be kept in good operating condition and any damage must be signalled automatically. Also, it should avoid exposure of workers to drafts which cause discomfort.
Extraction of various agents (gases, vapors, particles, etc.) for the specific working conditions where gases are produced, vapors, particles and various powders, must be discharged or retained by suitable means. Extracted agents, if harmful, must be treated (condensation, precipitation, neutralization, etc.) before being released into the environment.
space temperature: heat sources are the air temperature, the AveC, humidity, radiation from the sun, machinery and various tasks. The thermal balance of the body occurs through thermoregulation and is a result of production and heat dissipation. For the proper functioning of the human body, internal body temperature should be kept around 37 °C. The parameters involved in the estimation of the thermal environment are:
climatic factors: temperature, humidity, air velocity, thermal radiation
other factors: work intensity, clothing, working.
If the microclimatic conditions of the workplace are controlled by air conditioners, they should be suitably adjusted so that:
The air speed is not greater than 0,2 m / sec
appropriate temperature difference between indoors and outdoors should be consistent with the values of the table below:
During the summer months the maximum temperature difference between interior and exterior should not exceed 5 °C.
The relative air humidity should be between 40-60%.
Noise: Noise is defined as any sound that is annoying, unwanted or simply offensive to humans. The main physical characteristics of noise are the frequency and intensity. The frequency sets the number of complete vibrations per unit of time and is measured in cycles per second (Hz). Man can understand and tolerate sounds in the frequency range from 16 to 20000 Hz. Intensity is defined as the amount of sound energy passing through a unit area which is perpendicular to the direction of propagation of sound waves per unit of time. In audiology, the decibel (dB) is used as the unit of intensity measurement. Based on PD 149/2006, the following daily noise exposure values are defined:
The 87 dB as the exposure limit value
The 85 dB as a maximum value for measures
The 80 dB as a minimum value for taking action.
Above these limits, steps must be taken in accordance with that law to reduce exposure to noise. If this is not possible, it is mandatory for workers to use personal protective equipment.
Chemicals: chemicals known to man amount to several million. The risks to health and safety arise from the different mechanisms of action of these substances. There are flammable, toxic, corrosive, carcinogenic substances, etc. The simplest way to deal with risk is the classification of substances into a few main categories and their proper labeling with easily recognizable symbols.
Source: ygieini-asfaleia.pblogs.gr