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IHS 613 - Assignment 1

Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) systems are preferred over PPE for controlling hazardous substances. However, LEVs have limitations - they may not capture all contaminants, require maintenance during which they are ineffective, and cannot protect against all hazards like physical impacts. As such, PPE remains necessary as a last line of defense even when LEVs are in place, to provide additional protection for workers from hazards the LEV cannot fully control.

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621 views

IHS 613 - Assignment 1

Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) systems are preferred over PPE for controlling hazardous substances. However, LEVs have limitations - they may not capture all contaminants, require maintenance during which they are ineffective, and cannot protect against all hazards like physical impacts. As such, PPE remains necessary as a last line of defense even when LEVs are in place, to provide additional protection for workers from hazards the LEV cannot fully control.

Uploaded by

Nurinsyahirah Hamzah
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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IHS 613

CONTROL OF HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE

Prepared by:

No. Name Student id

1. MOHAMMAD ANIQ BIN MOHD ZAKARIA 2022958593

2. NURIN SYAHIRAH BINTI HAMZAH 2022991123

3. ALYA MAISARAH BINTI MOHD ZUHURI 2022905319

Lecturer name: Ts. Dr. Ismaniza binti Ismail


Submission date: 21 April 2023
Question:

Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEVs) are supposed to protect workers at work by capturing
contaminants at source, and they are preferred solutions compared to PPE.
However, when you think of it, if LEVs are really good, would you still need to wear PPE?

Debate on this with your justification.

Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) is an engineering system frequently used in the


workplace to protect employees from exposure to hazardous substances in airborne
contaminants such as dust, mist, fume, vapor, gas and more, in the workplace by capturing the
emission at source. LEV systems work as protection by transporting harmful substances such
as dust vapes and fumes that contaminate the air away from the worker’s breathing zone
(Worksafe New Zealand, 2020). However, the lev is extremely good but it is not guaranteed that
it can protect the workers from the hazardous substances if the LEV did not capture the
substances from earlier where it can spread first.

LEV must be effective in protecting employees; it must be well-designed, suited for


purpose, frequently maintained, and the system's effectiveness must be monitored. However,
even when LEV systems are extremely good, employees must still use personal protective
equipment (PPE) as a last line of defense to protect themselves. Prevention is better than cure.
That is the quote that can describe where even though the LEV are extremely good, using PPE
as a tool for double protection from hazardous must be considered when it comes to protecting
workers. We could not ensure that the LEV can work 24/7 as well as they have been described
before where there might be some error where it can lead to malfunction. As a result, the LEV
can be less effective and efficient to capture the hazardous substances. By using PPE, it can
protect the workers as a last line of defense from the hazardous substances to be exposed to
the worker. This is due to the fact that LEV protects everyone in the workplace, whereas PPE
alone protects the wearer. When all other options are unavailable or impractical for removing or
controlling the hazard, PPE may be utilized.

Sometimes LEV is the result of bad design and many factors that may reduce the
effectiveness of a LEV system, such as failure to position the hood close enough to the source
of emission, the extract fan system is too tiny, the hood cannot contain or collect the
contaminants, a hood is created without sufficient consideration of the work being done and
ducting is incorrectly sized.
Employees can get occupational illnesses and diseases if they breathe in too much dust,
fumes, or other airborne contaminants at work, which happens a lot because control measures
aren't in place or aren't effective enough. Chemical processing, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology,
woodworking, welding, paint-spraying, stonemasonry, engineering, and foundry work are all
potentially affected sectors. When employees are exposed to occupational dangers, they may
experience adverse health effects (Health & Safety Authority, 2014).

LEV itself has limitations. Even though the LEV is working extremely well to capture all
the hazardous substances, there must be at some point that the LEV needs to do maintenance.
Every LEV requires regular cleaning, inspection and maintenance to ensure the LEV continues
to provide the necessary protection. However, the cost for the maintenance might be high where
it has to be done by a competent person. This when PPE comes where the workers cannot be
protected when the LEV is being maintained where the LEV might stop from working so that the
person who is in charge can do the maintenance.

Hazardous substances that are exposed by inhalation can be reduced with the help of
an adequate and proper installation of LEV. However, letting alone LEV do its work is not
enough to protect the employees from other hazards. For instance, physical hazards and
chemical hazards that use a different route of exposure cannot be prevented by LEV. Workers in
construction or manufacturing industries, in particular, may be exposed to falling objects, sharp
edges, or heavy machinery. In these cases, PPE such as hard hats, safety shoes, or gloves can
protect workers from these physical hazards. Meanwhile, chemical hazards can harm
employees through skin contact, inhalation, or ingestion (Government of Canada, 2023).
Chemical-resistant gloves, goggles, or respirators may be necessary to provide additional
protection.

As mentioned before, LEV only offers protection within the employees’ breathing zone
(Worksafe New Zealand, 2020) and for that reason, it is very important for the employees to
wear PPE to ensure their safety and reduce the risk of injuries or illnesses. Hence, it is best to
evaluate the workplace hazards and select appropriate PPE in addition to LEV for employees’
health and welfare.
References:

Government of Canada, C. C. for O. H. and S. (2023, April 13). How workplace chemicals enter

the body. Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. Retrieved April 20, 2023,

from https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/how_chem.html

Health & Safety Authority. (2014). Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) Guidance. Health & Safety

Authority.

https://www.hsa.ie/eng/Publications_and_Forms/Publications/Occupational_Health/Local

_Exhaust_Ventilation_LEV_Guidance.pdf

Worksafe New Zealand (Government Agency). (2020). Local exhaust ventilation. Worksafe New

Zealand.

https://www.worksafe.govt.nz/dmsdocument/20060-local-exhaust-ventilation/latest

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