What are health hazards?

A substance is considered a “health hazard” if exposure through skin or eye contact, inhalation, or ingestion causes temporary or permanent injury. The health effects to the exposed individual may be acute or chronic, resulting from repeated long-term exposure to low concentrations of a hazardous substance. Exposure to excessive temperatures is also considered a health hazard. Extreme heat can cause heat exhaustion or heat stroke, which is a life threatening condition.

Acute and chronic health effects

An acute health effect usually occurs rapidly, following a brief exposure. A chronic health effect is long and continuous and follows repeated long-term exposure. Some examples of chemicals which exhibit health hazards are:

• Carcinogens
• Acute and chronic toxins
• Irritants
• Corrosives
• Sensitizers

As a safety professional, you need to be aware of the dangerous substances and temperature extremes in your workplace that pose health risks to employees. Everyone whose job involves exposure, or the risk of exposure, to hazardous chemicals and hot environments must be adequately informed, trained, and protected.

Many OSHA standards have specific requirements for protecting employees from these hazards. In this section, you will find action steps, tips, answers to frequently asked questions, checklists, and training exercises and handouts on a variety of health-related topics. All of these will help you ensure a safer workplace for those employees with health hazard exposure risks.