Tag Archives: respiratory problems

First Aid Safety, General Safety Issues, Health Issues, Respiratory Safety

WESTERN UNITED STATES STILL BATTLING WILDFIRES

This year, the Western United States has been charred by several wildfires, many still burning.  Droughts, less spring snowpack, and higher summer temperatures are the main causes of these fires.  Firefighters from all over the United States have helped in the battles in these eleven states:  Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico and Arizona. 

When wildfire threatens, you won’t have time to shop or search for supplies. If ordered to evacuate, assemble a Disaster Supplies Kit with items you may need. Store these supplies in sturdy, easy-to-carry containers such as backpacks, duffle bags, or trash containers. Include:

  • Keep important family documents in a waterproof container. Assemble a smaller version of your kit to keep in the trunk of your car.
  • A three-day supply of water (one gallon per person per day) and food that won’t spoil.
  • One change of clothing and footwear per person and one blanket or sleeping bag per person.
  • A first aid kit that includes your family’s prescription medications.
  • Emergency tools including a battery-powered radio, flashlight, and plenty of extra batteries.
  • An extra set of car keys and a credit card, cash, or traveler’s checks.
  • Sanitation supplies.
  • Special items for infant, elderly, or disabled family members.
  • An extra pair of eye-glasses.
  • Pet food.  Make arrangements to get your pets to a shelter, if possible.

Health Threat From Wildfire Smoke

Smoke from wildfires is a mixture of gases and fine particles from burning trees and other plant materials. Smoke can hurt your eyes, irritate your respiratory system, and worsen chronic heart and lung diseases.  When smoke levels are high enough, even healthy people may experience some of these symptoms, caused by smoke:

  • Stinging eyes
  • A scratchy throat
  • Irritated sinuses
  • Shortness of breath
  • Chest pain
  • Headaches
  • A runny nose
  • Coughing
  • Asthma exacerbations

Smoke may worsen symptoms for people who have pre-existing respiratory conditions, such as respiratory allergies, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), in the following ways:

  • Inability to breathe normally
  • Cough with or without mucus
  • Chest discomfort
  • Wheezing and shortness of breath

If you have heart or lung disease, smoke might worsen your symptoms.  People with heart disease might experience—

  • Chest pain
  • Rapid heartbeat
  • Shortness of breath
  • Fatigue

In cases such as this, you should contact your physician as soon as possible.

Wildland Fires: Fire-Adapted Communities

How the Fire Service, local officials, and the public can work together to withstand the devastating effects of a wildland fire.  They are called grass fires, forest fires, wildland fires, or by a variety of names. Yet, no matter the name, they pose an evolving threat to lives and property in an increasing number of communities across the United States. 

Homes near natural areas, the wildland/urban interface (WUI), are beautiful places to live. These pristine environments add to the quality of life of residents and are valued by community leaders seeking to develop new areas of opportunity and local tax revenue, but these areas are not without risk.  It is up to each home owner to build their home with the right kind of landscaping, away from the house, and have a water supply available to wet down the home and surrounding area, in order to protect it. 

Because fires are a part of the natural ecology, living adjacent to the wilderness means living with a constant threat of fires. Fire, by nature, is an unpredictable and often uncontrollable force.  Firefighters will always give their best effort, but with wind and weather changes, it may be a puzzle to outguess the fire. 

The concept of fire-adapted communities (FACs) holds that, with proper community-wide preparation, human populations and infrastructure can withstand the devastating effects of a wildland fire, reducing loss of life and property.  This goal depends on strong and collaborative partnerships between agencies and the public at the State, Federal, and local levels, with each accepting responsibility for their part. 

Your Role in Fire-Adapted Communities frames the FAC concept and current efforts to define its scope, explain the roles that groups can adopt to improve their fire safety, and provide leadership for future steps. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) believes that by reviewing the roles and responsibilities each group can adopt now, communities will become better prepared to realize the FAC goal in the future.

 

Sources: U.S.F.A.; FEMA

General Safety Issues, Respiratory Safety

HANDLING WOOD DUST HAZARDS IN THE WORKPLACE (GUEST POST)

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There have been a lot of studies from all around the world looking at the hazards of wood dust in the workplace. The results are pretty conclusive that there are serious potential health risks as well as other problems associated with wood dust. Depending on what area your workplace is located in, there may be different laws covering how to handle wood dust. Let’s look at this problem a little closer right now.  

 General Information

When it comes to wood dust, there are generally two categories that they are broken down into. Dust from soft woods and dust from hard woods can pose different problems for the workplace to handle. On top of this, different parts of manufacturing with wood and wood finishing can produce different kinds of wood dust that also pose different kinds of problems. Soft woods are woods such as cedar and pine. Hard woods are ones such as oak, teak, mahogany, and more.

The different kinds of wood dust depend on a combination of the kind of wood and the process that the wood is undergoing. Sawing of woods produces larger wood dust particles while sanding wood produces finer particles. Soft woods generally produce larger particles. Sanding harder woods can produce the finest of wood particles that can pose some real health hazards.

The wood itself is not the only concern in the workplace. Many woods and wood products have other materials. Particle board has glues and other materials that need to be considered when looking at potential hazards in the workplace. There can be paints and other hazardous materials that need to be considered as well.

Worker Health

The various kinds of wood dusts can pose different health risks to workers and anyone who comes into contact with wood dust. Studies from all around the world have shown health problems from wood dust. These health problems can include nose, sinus, skin, throat, and lung conditions. These problems generally appear after years of exposure.

Allergies are one commonly associated problem related to exposure to wood dust. Asthma can also result from exposure to certain kinds of wood particles. These problems are usually related to certain kinds of woods, or woods from certain parts of the tree. Dermatitis is also linked to exposure to wood dust. Dust can irritate the skin and lead to skin problems.

The most severe health problems associated with wood dust can include cancer which can be fatal. These are commonly associated with finer particles such as from sanding. Some of these fine wood particles have shown to be carcinogens in studies in Europe and North America. Certain trades that work with wood have also shown to have higher than normal incidents of cancer.

Possibility Of Explosion In The Workplace

Another serious problem associated with wood dust in the workplace is explosion. The right amount of fine particles in the air and even a simple source of heat can lead to a catastrophic explosion. These explosions can be powerful enough to completely destroy the building killing everyone inside.

Sources of ignition can be any electric spark or even in some cases just enough heat will set it off.

Solution To Wood Dust Hazard

The best way to handle wood dust in the workplace is by using dust extraction systems designated as local exhaust ventilation (LEV). LEV generally consists of a hood of some kind to capture wood dust, duct work to form an enclosed path for the transfer of wood dust, and a way of removing or filtering the dust. Many machines come with LEV already included, but not all do.

With some machines there can be more than one source of wood dust. In these cases, it is important to make sure that each source of wood dust is covered by a LEV.

Portable wood working tools such as belt sanders often have small attached dust bags. These are often times not enough to properly filter out the finer wood dust particles. Adequate respiratory protection may be necessary in these cases.

Again, depending on your area there may be very specific laws regarding how to handle the hazards of wood dust in the workplace. Long term worker health and safety as well as the possibility of explosion make this a very important topic.

About the author:
Danny has been writing about business and HR for years and has produced many interesting articles. Recently workplace safety and health has caught his attention. He has been researching and writing mostly about dust extraction and abrasive blasting related topics.