Journal of Occupational Health and Epidemiology
J Occup Health Epidemiol
Medical Sciences
http://johe.rums.ac.ir
224
admin
2251-8096
2252-0902
10.61186/johe
0
en
jalali
1395
7
1
gregorian
2016
10
1
5
4
online
1
fulltext
en
Assessment of health risks of exposure to hazardous chemicals by semi-quantitative method in a gas refinery complex
Occupational Health
Original Article
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><strong>Background:</strong> Gas refining is a process in which workers are exposed to different chemicals. This study aimed to assess the health risks caused by exposure to these substances in order to determine hazardous jobs and to present controlling methods.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><strong>Materials and Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study was performed on the workers at gas refinery in 2015. The sample included all the staff in operational parts and the selection was by census. To determine the risk of exposure to chemical pollutants, the method proposed by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health of Malaysia was used. Following this procedure, first the materials and processes were identified. Afterwards, risk and exposure rates were calculated. Using these two rates and risk rate formulas for individual chemicals, the exposure was calculated.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><strong>Results:</strong> The results showed that employees were exposed to 103 different types of chemicals that collectively were causing 162 types of exposure in different jobs. Of the total exposures, 5 percent were evaluated as “inconsiderable risk rate”, 51 percent as low, 30 percent average, 13 percent high, and 1.2 percent as “very high risk rate”.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The highest risk rate of exposure to chemicals in the refinery was related to benzene in stabilizer and topping area shift works (RR = 5) as well as the shift works in feller area and evaporation pools with risk rate of 5, ranking their risk as very high, indicating that corrective actions should start on this hazardous and carcinogenic chemical as soon as possible.</span></p>
Risk Assessment,Hazardous Chemicals,Occupational Exposure,
194
201
http://johe.rums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-172-4&slc_lang=en&sid=1
K
Samimi
K_SAMIMI2000@yahoo.com
2240031947532846003213
2240031947532846003213
Yes
MSc of Occupational Health Engineering, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
Tarbiat Modares University
H
Asilian
asilia_h@modares.ac.ir
2240031947532846003214
2240031947532846003214
No
Associate Prof, Dept. of Occupational Health Engineering, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
Tarbiat Modares University
K
Khasedar
Khasedar@yahoo.com
2240031947532846003215
2240031947532846003215
No
Head of Industrial Health Unit, Gas Refinery, Birjand, Iran.
Gas Refinery, Birjand
A
Khavanin
2240031947532846003216
2240031947532846003216
No
Associate Prof, Dept. of Occupational Health Engineering, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
Tarbiat Modares University