Question 1 of 7: Environmental Hazards

Question 1: Environmental Hazards (20 marks: 7/7/6)

Question text not reproduced: the examination questions are © Engineers and Geoscientists BC. Open the official past paper (linked at the top of this page) to read the question, then follow the worked solution below.

(i) Typical Environmental Hazards

• Environmental hazards are the physical, chemical and biological agents in the workplace environment that can harm health, usually through prolonged exposure (harm depends on dose = concentration × time).
• Physical: noise, vibration, heat/cold, pressure, ionizing/non-ionizing radiation, poor illumination. Chemical: dusts, fumes, mists, gases, vapours. Biological: bacteria, viruses, fungi, moulds.

(ii) Effects of Environmental Hazards

• Acute (burns, poisoning, heat stroke, asphyxiation) and chronic (noise-induced hearing loss, lung disease, dermatitis, cancers, organ damage); may be local or systemic; some irreversible or with long latency.

(iii) Sources of Environmental Hazards

• Industrial processes (combustion, welding, grinding, reactions releasing heat/dust/fume/vapour); machinery/equipment (noise, vibration, heat, radiation); materials/chemicals handled or produced; the work environment/conditions (inadequate ventilation, lighting, temperature, poor housekeeping); energy sources; and biological sources (contaminated water/air, HVAC). Recognizing the source guides the control.