Hazards due to ambient working conditions

The various ambient working conditions can cause a hazard to the safety and health of workers. Alongside acute effects which can lead directly to accidents, there are long-term effects, which can give rise to chronic damage to health and to a reduction of efficiency and dissatisfaction on the part of workers. Apart from the physical parameters of climate, lighting and air, design elements of the production establishment and at the man/machine interface are considered.

• Climate: Heat at the workplace can lead to heat collapse through to heat stroke. If there are extremely cold conditions, the result may be hypothermia and local freezing on the body.
• Lighting, light: Too little lighting or dazzle can lead to work accidents. To enable workers to perform their visual function at the workplace minimum lighting intensities are required.
• Suffocation, drowning: A reduction of the oxygen concentration in rooms due to displacement or consumption may lead to suffocation of workers. If workers fall into a body of water or open basins there is a danger of drowning.
• Inadequate escape routes: If the escape and rescue routes are inadequately designed, it may not be possible to ensure that the workers can leave the establishment safely, for instance if there is a fire.
• Man-machine/computer interface: Deficient or unergonomic design of control elements of a machine can lead to human error in its operation and also cause accidents.

Further information is only available in German.