Health

Safety

Environment

Security Prepared and Published by

Health, Safety & Env. Department
Fire May 2007 (Dukhan Fields)

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

What is IAQ? pneumonitis, humidifier fever, asthma, rhinitis, laser printers, building materials, fur-
dermatitis). nishing, fibers release, combustion
Applies to enclosed working environ-
ment, e.g., offices and public buildings Legionnaire’s disease, TB, cold, flu, headaches, gates, excessive use of pesticides, dis-
and private dwellings drowsiness, irritability, anxiety, nausea, dizzi- infectants, etc.
ness. - Micro-organisms: allergens, water leaks
Poor IAQ can lead to “sick building
syndrome” (when > 20% of the occu- Primary cause of IAQ problems & damp, microbial growth in building
pants complain about air quality or Inadequate ventilated air for the amount of air materials, inadequate maintenance of
have definite symptoms) or “building contaminants in that area despite normal venti- humidifiers & cooling towers.
related illnesses” (more serious ill- lation. - Physical stressors: temperature, air
nesses with very definite clinical signs flow, relative humidity, noise, vibra-
Sources of indoor air pollution
and clear laboratory findings). tions, lighting and postures.
- Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS)
Health symptoms: - Outdoor contaminations: ozone from
- Indoor Chemical Emissions: odors, ozone from outdoor air, radon emitted from rocks,
Eyes (dryness, itching, tearing, red-
ness). combustion from power stations, indus-
trial processes, vehicles.
Nose and throat (dryness, itching,
nasal congestion, sneezing, nose Measures
bleed, throat pains) For detailed evaluation and assessment
Lungs (chest tightness, drowning sen- of the work area, please report to your
sation, wheezing, dry cough, bronchi- Industrial Hygienist if any IAQ problems
tis). and health symptoms have been oc-
curred.
Hypersensitivity (hypersensitivity

Much less than one percent of the
Earth's water is available for human use.
This still represents a huge amount of
water. This water is not distributed evenly
over the planet. Areas that have large
water needs may have to bring water in
from long distances to service homeown-
ers, businesses and agriculture.
The Middle East countries suffer from
water shortages. Much of the shortage in
developing countries is from poor use of
existing water supplies, due to pollution heads, toilets, and faucets will make a big
and waste. difference in the amount of water a
What are some ways individuals can con- household uses.
serve water? For example, an older toilet uses 5 to 7
The chart shows that clothes washing, gallons per flush. New low flow toilets
only use 1.6 gallons per flush. Standard
showers/baths, and flushing toilets make
up 80 percent of a households water us- showerheads use 5 gallons per minute,
while low flow showerheads use 2.5 gal-
age. Using low flow devices on shower-
lons per minute. Frontloading washing
machines will use only 40 percent of the
water a top loading washer will use. Wa-
ter savings can add up quickly. Repairing
leaky faucets and toilets will also con-
serve water. Even a small drip will waste
many gallons of water in a day.
HS Bulletin (Dukhan) Page2

May 2007

Safe Driving At Dukhan Shahaniyah Road

The construction work of the new Dukhan Sha- Of course driving on a diverted road is • Avoid overtaking as much as you can
haniyah road is almost at the mid way, and thenot the same as the normal roads, so for • Observe all signs - they are there to
traffic on the remaining parts of the old roadthe safety of yourself, passengers and help you
will soon be completely diverted. construction workers, consider the follow- • Concentrate on the road ahead.
As you know many traffic incidents have oc- ing when you are approaching the diver- • Be alert for ' traffic leaving or enter-
curred during this road construction; some of sions: ing the diversion.
them were fatalities. The reason is always • Keep within the indicated speed limits.
• Take special care while approaching
found to be: ignoring the speed limits posted • Give way to Ambulance or Fire Service
bends or temporary round-abouts.
at the road diversions. vehicles.
During this major construction work, every one
of us needs to expect the unexpected! Normal
speed limits are reduced, traffic lanes are con-
tinuously subject to changes, lanes are nar-
rowed, many sharp bends exist, workers and
vehicles are working on or near the road. All of
this means that drivers must be even more
alert while taking a journey to or from Doha.

How Much Radiation Comes From Manmade Sources?

The pie chart below shows the different sources of radiation - Gas lanterns (older ones used thorium mantles to give a brighter
here in Qatar: light)
Radiation in Qatar - Exit signs (tritium gas inside phosphor-coated glass tubes)

1% Nature - Natural gas appliances (some radon gas is present in petroleum

Medical Radiation reservoirs)
0%
Consumer Products - Granite countertops (some contain uranium in very small
5% Occupational Exposure amounts)
26 Miscellaneous
- Colour television sets (very low level x-rays)
Of course, the real benefit of these things, especially medical ra-
diation (and not including cigarettes!) is much greater than any
potential risks associated with their use, which is confirmed by the
68
much-increased life spans now enjoyed in modern society.
About 68% of annual radiation exposure in Qatar comes Next month: What is the Fuss about Radon Gas?
from nature, access to modern medical facilities results in
26%, about 5% comes from consumer products, and a neg-
ligible amount comes from jobs involving radiation and other
very small items. 1. According to QP procedures, how soon after the accident occurrence the
Here are some examples of consumer products that may give accident report must be raised? (Within 6 hours)
us very small radiation exposures: 2. What does LWC stand for? (Lost Work Case)
- Smoke detectors (ionizing ones use a small radioactive 3. What is current accident reporting system used within QP?: (Online SAP Re-
porting System)
source)
4. What document/certificate should a contractor prepare for scaffolding erec-
- Lawn fertilizer (contains potassium-40, the most common, tion? (Cold/Hot Work Permit, and Scaffold Checklist)
natural radioactive isotope) 5. Which contractor employee is authorized to sign The Permit To Work form and
- Cigarettes (tobacco plant picks up polonium-210 from the remain on site during the execution of the work ? (The Worksite Supervisor)
soil, where it is a decay product of uranium) (Wait for more quizzes in the following issues)