There are several side effects which occur as a direct result of being exposed to these damaging levels of noise. They include, but are not limited to:

• Headaches
• Higher blood pressure
• Extreme fatigue
• Digestive disorders
• Increased susceptibility to colds

To understand how our hearing can be damaged, we need to first understand the hearing process itself:

• Soundwaves travel through the ear canal, before moving on to the eardrum
• The eardrum vibrates, sending vibrations through to three tiny bones in the middle ear (the malleus, incus and stapes)
• These bones convert these vibrations into fluid ripples inside the cochlea (an inner part of the ear which contains liquid)
• Once the fluid starts rippling, hair cells start riding the resulting waves
• Hair cells begin to collide, causing them to bend. This causes pore-like channels to open up in the ear. At this point, chemicals rush into the cell, creating an electrical signal
• This electrical signal is carried to the brain by the auditory nerve, which is then processed into the sound we’ve perceived to have heard

Source: NIDCD

But how does this process get disrupted? In short, exposure to overly loud noises causes the hair cells inside your ear to go into overdrive. Whereas other animals’ hair will grow back when damaged, the same is not true of humans. Once the hair is gone, it’s gone forever. The less hair cells you have in your ear, the worse your hearing is going to be.

Prevention

If a workplace lends itself to excess levels of noise (such as a construction site or factory), there are steps which can be taken to reduce the risk of harm to employees:

While all forms of asbestos have been banned from construction since 1999 (with many banned earlier in 1985), many houses and buildings built before then still run the risk of containing the substance.

While rigorous checks are often carried out to test for this, even in 2018 asbestos still presents a risk in older buildings which need to be demolished or redeveloped.

If you’re worried about the harm which asbestos might be doing to your health, be sure to look out for some of the key signs that you might have come into contact with it:

• Shortness of breath. Asbestosis will cause damage and scarring to your lungs. This in turn can make it harder to catch your breath, even after light exercise.
• Swollen fingers. Also known as ‘clubbing’, the tops of a person’s fingers swell up into bumps, which can sometimes be painful.
• Fatigue. Extreme levels of tiredness can sometimes be attributed to asbestos-related conditions.
• Wheezing. When the lungs become inflamed it causes a wheezing sound, often accompanied by a whistling. This is again a natural byproduct of asbestos poisoning.
• A persistent dry cough. If you find you have a cough which can’t you shake, it might be as a result of something which is irritating your lungs.

If you notice one of these factors, don’t panic. It doesn’t mean you’ve definitely been exposed to asbestos. However, if you notice a trend among your entire workforce, it’s worth bringing it up to someone in a position of management.

Prevention

The best way to prevent the spread of asbestos is to test for it. High-speed Training provide a detailed guide relating to how to test for asbestos. They cite the following substances as some of the best for checking:

As Safeworkers highlight , some of the most common producers of carbon monoxide include:

• Furnaces and water heaters
• Cooking and canteen appliances
• Vehicle engines which run in enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces
• Blocked or damaged chimneys

In fact, any appliance which produces gas has the potential to be deadly if not properly maintained. Early symptoms often include a sickness or flu — something which can be common in work environments.

If people’s symptoms start to fade when they leave work, and get worse again when they’re there, it might be time to start looking into the problem.

Prevention

There are also steps you can take which are specific to carbon monoxide poisoning.

To prevent this threat, you can:

We’ve already looked at some of the sectors where these kind of issues are most likely to be a factor. When it comes to the physical injuries most commonly experienced in an office, some of the most common include the likes of:

• Slips, trips and falls. While you can do your best to remove any of these hazards from an office, it’s hard to guarantee someone won’t stumble and do some damage to themselves.
• Muscle strains. If someone is regularly lifting heavy items, this can be a threat. You should be able to prevent these kinds of injuries by teaching people how to properly lift items of this variety.
• Falling objects. Keeping heavier objects on high shelves is a recipe for disaster. Make sure to keep these kinds of items on lower levels.
• Cuts and lacerations. The best way to prevent these kinds of injuries is by giving your staff the best possible training.

Make sure you run a risk assessment every time something new is introduced to your working environment.