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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?
One of my family members owns a martial arts gym. There is no question that there are germs and bacteria everywhere from the amount of human skin to skin contact with gym machinery. In particular, air quality in gyms is a cause for concern. There are elevated levels of carbon dioxide, formaldehyde, and other VOC's. This can lead to asthma, abnormal heart beat, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory diseases.
Using the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls, I would try using elimination to physically remove the hazard. This could be done by raising the standards on gym ventilation. The more people you cram into a windowless space, the worse off the air quality will be. Requiring fresh air to cycle through the gym, or using an air cleaning system could help to remove the high levels of CO2 and other VOC's. In reality, the most I see at gyms, are the use of disinfectants. I am not sure that anything is being done to lower the amounts of CO2 and other VOC's in the air.
One of my family members owns a martial arts gym. There is no question that there are germs and bacteria everywhere from the amount of human skin to skin contact with gym machinery. In particular, air quality in gyms is a cause for concern. There are elevated levels of carbon dioxide, formaldehyde, and other VOC's. This can lead to asthma, abnormal heart beat, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory diseases.
Using the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls, I would try using elimination to physically remove the hazard. This could be done by raising the standards on gym ventilation. The more people you cram into a windowless space, the worse off the air quality will be. Requiring fresh air to cycle through the gym, or using an air cleaning system could help to remove the high levels of CO2 and other VOC's. In reality, the most I see at gyms, are the use of disinfectants. I am not sure that anything is being done to lower the amounts of CO2 and other VOC's in the air.
2) What might be the barriers to workers exercising their rights to a healthy and safe workplace?
Because almost all companies want to save as much money as possible, many will not go above and beyond the required permits and testing that they are required to perform to stay in business. That means, without strong policy, there will remain barriers to workers exercising their rights to a healthy and safe workplace if it does not fall within the realm of what policies require.
Because almost all companies want to save as much money as possible, many will not go above and beyond the required permits and testing that they are required to perform to stay in business. That means, without strong policy, there will remain barriers to workers exercising their rights to a healthy and safe workplace if it does not fall within the realm of what policies require.
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