Document bajXEbBjROnbjqeyYKnoqmpZk

Shielding is one of the best protective meas ures employed to reduce or eliminate ex posures to ionizing radiation Lead and con crete are two materials commonly employed to shield high-energy sources such as highvoltage X ray, particle generators, and ra dioisotopes Shielding is also used to protect against exposure to a radiant heat source For example, heat-treating furnaces can be shielded with aluminum panels Nonreflecbve sheet metal is not effective for it is a "black body," which absorbs heat and then acts as a secondary source of radiation Reduction of work penods is another method of control m limited areas where engineering methods are too costly or im practicable In the job forge industry, espe cially m hot weather, a shorter work day and frequent rest periods are used to minimize exposures to extremely high temperatures, thereby lessening the danger of heat ex haustion or heat stroke For workmen who must labor in a compressed air environment, schedules of maximum length of shift and length of decompression have been prepared The higher the pressure, the shorter the shift and the longer the decompression penod Proper illumination of the work area is necessary to prevent eyestrain leading to in creased accidents or loss of visual acuity and to eliminate glare that may interfere with vision Lighting is discussed m Chapter 16, "Industrial Buildings and Plant Layout," and some levels of illumination are given in Chap ter 46, "Safety Engineering Tables " Training and education Proper training and education are supple ments to the engineering controls The nurse and safety professional sometimes can be key figures Perhaps by getting a workman, for example, to change his manner of weigh ing a toxic material, or of handling a scoop or shovel, there will be no dust exposure The worker must also know the proper operating procedures that make engineering controls effective If he performs an opera tion away from an exhaust hood, he will not only defeat the purpose of the control but also contaminate the work area Workers can be alerted to safe procedures through booklets, instruction signs, labels, safety meetings, and other educational devices (See Chapter 9, "Safety Training") Since new materials are constantly being marketed and new processes developed, re education and followup instruction must also be part of the training program Setting Up an Effective Industrial Hygiene Program A typical company program to minimize occupational health hazards is described in the following section The success of any safety and industrial hygiene program requires the cooperative effort of the engineering, medical, industrial hygiene, safety, and purchasing organizations, and the supervisor and the individual em ployee Engineering organization The introduction of new plant processes and operations begins with the engineering organization For this reason, the engineer ing group plays a most important role m the control of occupational health hazards Their responsibilities are To plan all operations using established engineering procedures to prevent unneces sary exposure to harmful environmental factors or stresses To notify the medical, industrial hygiene, and safety organizations, whenever it is planned to introduce new operations or proc esses To request an industrial hygiene survey of new installations before permitting shop personnel to operate the equipment Medical organization The responsibilities of the medical organiza tion m the industrial hygiene program are To recommend the placement only of those employees whose physical and emotional health capacities meet the minimum job re quirements To cooperate m the development of ade quate, effective measures to prevent exposure to harmful agents To examine periodically those employees 1089