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Containment: Radioactive materials may be used in sealed sources to prevent them spreading. The use of small working spaces, segregated areas
and controlled ventilation are also used to contain the release of radioactive materials
In many countries the role of radiological protection is carried out by a specialist who has recognised skills and qualifications. For example, in the
UK the Health and Safety Executive specifies the level of qualification required to become a “Radiological Protection Adviser”.
17.9 Health Surveillance
The nature of radiation is such that employees who work with radiation are normally subject to some form of health surveillance, including biological
monitoring. Employees working in controlled areas would typically be subjected to:
Completion of a questionnaire A blood test
Urine test Blood Pressure check
Height and Weight Check General discussion about health.
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18 INTRODUCTION TO ERGONOMICS
18.1 Introduction
Ergonomics is about the interactions of people with the machines they operate and their working environment. It aims to maximise human performance and
to minimise discomfort, dissatisfaction and the risk of musculoskeletal injury. Simply put, ergonomics is all about fitting the task to the worker. If the match
is poor, the best solution is to redesign the work tasks to make them more compatible with human characteristics. It is less effective to try to change
employee characteristics, for example by improving selection and training; A good fit between technological, organisational and human factors is clearly
a goal if good business performance is to be delivered. If these factors can be balanced productivity will improve, resulting in a competitive advantage
together with health and safety benefits. The scope of ergonomics is therefore very wide. Some common activities
where ergonomics are important are: manual handling of loads;
tasks involving repetitive actions; the use of display screen equipment, such as when working with
computers. These applications of ergonomics are discussed below in more detail. In
addition, ergonomics is closely associated with the study of human errors. Errors tend to happen when the capacity of an individual to cope with the
demands of a task or situation is exceeded. This can be caused by a poorly defined man-machine interface, by lack of training or competence, or by
psychological factors such as stress or fatigue. Errors can result in accidents, illness or lost productivity. For that reason, in the US, ergonomics is often
called human factors and the term is interpreted more broadly than in this section. We will discuss human error, behaviour and work organisation
further in later sections.
167 Ergonomics is a multi-disciplinary field of study, which draws upon,
biomechanics, physiology, anatomy, psychology, physics, safety and engineering. It is fact based, solution orientated and should be fully integrated
into an organisations management processes.
18.2 Workplace Risk Assessment
