10.1 Video

1) Consider your workplace or a workplace of one of your family members. Are there chemical, biological, radiological or ergonomic issues? Using the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls, how might you address the issues? How are they being addressed in reality?

The issues that my workplace typically experience are biological and ergonomic issues. Working with children brings different blood and bodily fluid exposures. Teachers and students are exposed to viruses. Depending on the age group, teachers are also lifting children throughout the day. Using the hierarchy of controls, I would address these issues with administrative controls and personal protective equipment. To reduce teachers from straining and hurting themselves while lifting children and moving furniture we should go through training to know the proper ways to push, pull, and lift objects on the job. One way to avoid getting or spreading viruses is through keeping everyone's hands clean as well as the objects in the school.

In reality these issues are addressed through learning from other people's injuries. The way that people avoid sickness is by staying home and we sanitize everything that we can every night. When injuries or accidents happen we use gloves at all times.

2) What might be the barriers to workers exercising their rights to a healthy and safe workplace?
One of the barriers at my job is trying to keep the children and teachers from exposure. Children come to school sick and expose everyone around them before their parents are called to pick them up. They share a lot of germs and it is almost impossible to constantly keep their hands clean from everything especially when they put objects in their mouths.