Documents safe working methods 158 results

"Since no occupational accidents or diseases have been attributed specifically to the use of constructions containing recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA), this paper evaluates the occupational health risks in industries utilizing genetically manipulated organisms mainly on the basis of theoretical considerations. Bacteria, filamentous fungi, yeasts, and mammalian cells in culture are in use. For each of these systems the possible hazards are considered. Concerning microbial production systems, infections are regarded as the main problem, but the risk of infection is considered extremely low. As for cells in culture, only dormant viruses are regarded as problematic, but well-defined production cell lines should not contain such undetected and dangerous viruses. Overall, the additional risks posed by rDNA-modified micro-organisms are minor. Only long-term observations can, however, confirm this assumption, and consequently the highest feasible containment measures should still be used in the years to come."

"This code of practice has been prepared to help those responsible for improving safety and health standards and to provide guidelines for the drafting of safety and health regulations for the coalmining industry. It contains provisions on general safety and health measures, specific measures for work underground, road and shaft driving, coal-getting, transport, etc., and procedures for the control of dust, firedamp, fire and other hazards. Local circumstances and technical facilities will determine how far it is practicable to follow these provisions."

"Forty-five manual material handlers (15 females, 15 expert males and 15 novice males) performed series of box transfers under conditions similar to those of large distribution centers. The objective of the study was to verify whether sex differences in joint motions and in back loading variables (L5/S1 moments) exist during multiple box transfers. The task consisted in transferring 24 15-kg boxes from one pallet to another (4 layers of boxes; 6 boxes/layer: 3 in the front row, 3 in the back) at a self-determined pace and then at an imposed pace of 9 lifts/min. Full-body 3D kinematic data were collected as well as external foot forces. A dynamic 3D linked segment model was used to estimate the net moments at L5/S1. The results show that the peak L5/S1 moment during lifting for females was significantly lower than for males, but once normalized to body size the difference disappeared. In general, the female workers were very close to the posture adopted by the novice males at the instant of the peak resultant moment. However, females were closer to the box than the male workers. One major sex difference was seen when lifting from the ground, with the use of interjoint coordination analyses. Female workers showed a sequential motion initiated by the knees, followed by the hip and the back, while expert males showed a more synchronized motion. The lifting strategy of females likely stretches lumbar spine passive tissues, which in turn put them at greater risk of back injuries. As observed in our previous studies, these differences between expert males, novice males and females are especially notable when the box is lifted from the ground."

"Les désinfectants et antiseptiques, contenant des substances actives biocides, sont responsables essentiellement de dermatites de contact d'irritation et/ou allergiques et plus rarement d'urticaires de contact. Ils sont utilisés surtout dans le secteur de la santé, du nettoyage, le secteur agro-alimentaire, l'agriculture, l'hôtellerie et l'industrie pharmaceutique. La plupart des désinfectants et antiseptiques ont un potentiel irritant. Les allergènes en cause dans la dermatite allergique de contact (DAC) sont principalement les aldéhydes et les isothiazolinones. Les ammoniums quaternaires, la chlorhexidine, le chlorhydrate de polyhexaméthylène biguanide (PHMB) sont plus rarement incriminés comme allergènes. Les principaux agents impliqués dans l'urticaire de contact sont la chloramine T, le formaldéhyde et la chlorhexidine. Le diagnostic étiologique nécessite des tests allergologiques avec la batterie standard européenne, les batteries spécialisées et les produits professionnels."

"Construction of high-rise buildings, large-scale apartment blocks, or construction in urban areas (especially busy downtowns) demands increasingly greater use of tower cranes. Therefore, the installation and dismantling of tower cranes on construction sites is an inevitable task, but also one of the most dangerous in the construction industry. Accidents during installation (including assembling and climbing) or dismantling of tower cranes incur the loss of workers' lives as well as delays in construction schedules and/or damage to buildings under construction. The aim of this paper is to investigate factors that contribute to accidents during tower crane installation/dismantling in Korea. Accident analysis and focus group interviews (FGIs) were conducted with people involved in crane work. A total of 38 fatal accident cases involving tower cranes occurred between 2001 and 2011. Accidents occurring during installation/dismantling of tower cranes accounted for 68.4% of all fatal accidents. Accident analysis identified “Not following work procedures” as one of the main causes of these accidents, followed by “unsafe acts of workers.” The FGIs investigation revealed the following factors that adversely affected the safety of the tower crane installation/dismantling: competence of the workers; roles of stakeholders such as principal contractors in the tasks; deterioration of tower crane components; and working conditions for conducting the tasks. These results may provide regulators as well as practitioners with insights for improving the safety of tower crane installation/dismantling."