Occupational risk assessment based on employees’ knowledge and awareness of hazards in mining

Analyses and assessments of hazards occurring in work processes are carried out by teams,in which there is usually one representative of the personnel,as the embodiment of the active participation of employees in the assessment of occupational risks.This is why the article presents research on all employees’knowledge and awareness about risks in their work environment.The research was carried out in the form of an employee survey in one of the open-pit mines,at workstations dealing with the loading and transporting of excavated material.The survey included a list of 40 hazards divided into four groups:(1)hazards related to machines and equipment used,(2)hazards related to exposure,(3)hazards with an impact extending beyond the workstation and(4)hazards of an ergonomic nuisance nature,where employees were required to indicate which hazards apply to their workplaces and determine their level of signifcance,probability of occurrence and the scale of possible efects.In this way,a hierarchical identifcation of threats occurring at the analyzed workplaces was made,and the obtained results were used to determine the amount of occupational risk both for specifc workstations and for the whole technological process.The measures of the magnitude of occupational risk obtained using the proposed method have showed that,according to the respondents,greatest risks at the workstation are associated with moving machines and vehicles and with mobile equipment.Equally important risks,which were often mentioned by employees,were those directly related to their health,i.e.,related to ergonomic nuisance and exposure.Threats resulting from geological and mining conditions,considered typical for mining,were important for the surveyed miners but they were not the most important owing to proper prevention,good organization of work and high safety culture The active involvement of the crew in the process of assessing occupational hazards allowed to identify the signifcance of each hazard,in the opinion of the personnel working at various places and to use this ranking for determining occupational risk levels in the mining company concerned.The research has also outlined another goal to be achieved:a comparison of the relative signifcance of hazards identifed by the employees and of the hazards listed in occupational risk assessment matrices used by mines.

Research Progress in Occupational Health Risk Assessment Methods in China

Traditional occupational disease control and prevention has remained prevalent in China over recent decades. There are appropriately 30,000 new case reports of occupational diseases annually. Although China has already established a series of occupational disease prevention programs, occupational health risk assessment （OHRA） strategies continue to be a limitation.

Occupational Health Risk Assessment of Benzene,Toluene,and Xylene in Shanghai

Objective This study was designed to conduct a retrospective and systematic occupational health risk assessment(OHRA)of enterprises that used benzene,toluene,and xylene(BTX)in Shanghai,China.Methods All data for the study were obtained from 1,705 occupational health examination and evaluation reports from 2013 to 2017,and a semiquantitative model following Chinese OHRA guidelines(GBZ/T 298-2017)was applied for the assessment.Results The selected enterprises using BTX were mainly involved in manufacturing of products.Using the exposure level method,health risk levels associated with exposure to BTX were classified as medium,negligible,or low.However,the risk levels associated with benzene and toluene were significantly different according to job types,with gluers and inkers exhibiting greater health risks.For the same job type,the health risk levels assessed using the comprehensive index method were higher than those using the exposure level method.Conclusion Our OHRA reveals that workers who are exposed to BTX still face excessive health risk.Additionally,the risk level varied depending on job categories and exposure to specific chemicals.Therefore,additional control measures recommended by OHRA guidelines are essential to reduce worker exposure levels.