Safety at Work

What is?

It is the technical activity with the objective of improving safety conditions at work.

How it works?

Through the Prevention of Professional Risks and the creation of adequate procedures for each company.

Legal Framework

Activities carried out in accordance with the provisions of article 73-B of Law No. 3/2014, of 28 January.

The Occupational Safety service is developed by the Technical Department of TRASESA and aims to prevent risks in the workplace, through the identification and control of physical, chemical and biological agents that affect the work environment, as well as by studying accidents at work in companies.

The technical team that integrates the Technical Department of TRASESA is recognized by the ACT – Portuguese Authority for Working Conditions and some elements have specializations in other areas related to the Implementation of Quality Management Systems, Internal Safety Audits, etc.

Our Services

Self-Protection Measures

Thermal Comfort Assessment

Occupational Noise Assessment

Illuminance Assessment

Ergonomics in the Workplace

Description of Occupational Safety Services

SELF-PROTECTION MEASURES

“All establishments must, in the course of exploring their respective spaces, be provided with measures of organization and security management, called Self-Protection Measures. Self-protection measures must be adapted to the real conditions of exploitation of standard use and proportionate to its risk category, under the terms of Ordinance No. 1532/2008, of December 29″.

Decree-Law No. 220/2008 of 12 November and
Ordinance No. 1532/2008 of December 29

Self-protection measures are security organization and management measures based on:

  • Preventive measures
  • Prevention procedures or prevention plans (depending on the risk category)
  • Intervention measures in case of fire
  • Emergency procedures or internal emergency plans (depending on the risk category)
  • Security Records
  • Fire safety training in buildings
  • simulacra

THERMAL COMFORT ASSESSMENT

The thermal environment is a set of thermal variables that influence the occupant, thus being an important factor that intervenes, directly or indirectly, in the health and well-being of the occupant, and in the performance of the tasks assigned to him/her. Man is a homothermic being, that is, he maintains his body temperature constant, within certain limits. Thermal balance is maintained by an organic system called thermo-regulator, which through physiological actions interferes with thermal exchanges with the environment.

The most important parameters of thermal comfort are subdivided into two classes: individual parameters: activity performed, clothing used and environmental parameters: temperature, speed, relative air humidity and average radiant temperature.

Human activity is strongly influenced by the thermal environment and hence the importance of evaluating it in places and work environments, in order to change conditions that may be inadequate and implement improvements.

The TRASESA prepares thermal comfort studies in the workplace in accordance with the requirements of the standard ISO 7730 – “Ergonomics of the thermal environment – Analytical determination and interpretation criteria of thermal comfort using calculation of the PMV and PPD indices and local thermal comfort ”.

ASSESSMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL NOISE

Currently, deafness resulting from exposure to high noise levels in the workplace is one of the most well-known occupational diseases and represents about a third of all of them.

Exposure to short-term noise levels and high sound pressure can cause immediate hearing damage and, in turn, exposure to high sound levels can cause constant ringing in the ears, also called tinnitus, which can be the first sign of that hearing is being affected.

After exposure to noise, there may be a temporary loss of hearing with the possibility of progressive recovery after the end of exposure. However, permanent hearing loss is also a possibility resulting from a continuous process of exposure to noise levels and exposure times that exceed the limits that the human body is able to resist, without significant damage.

It is a legal obligation to eliminate or reduce excess noise in workplaces, making them safer and healthier. In this way, the probability of the occurrence of accidents at work, absenteeism and a decrease in the workers’ labor income will be lower.

TRASESA prepares noise exposure studies in the workplace (occupational noise) in accordance with Decree-Law No. 182/2006, of 6 September, which establishes the minimum health and safety requirements regarding workers’ exposure to scratches due to noise.

ILLUMINANCE ASSESSMENT

Deficient or inadequate lighting can lead to errors, lower productivity, work accidents or the degradation of the worker’s health, which can even degenerate into an occupational disease. Despite this evidence, it is common to find poorly lit workstations or poorly maintained lighting systems.

Good lighting in the workplace is therefore essential for tasks to be carried out easily (without visual effort), in a comfortable and safe way.

TRASESA prepares studies to assess levels of illuminance in workplaces in accordance with ISO 8995:2002  – “Lighting of work places”.

ERGONOMICS IN THE WORKPLACE

TRASESA develops ergonomic analysis work that consists of identifying and understanding the relationships between the organizational, technical, social and human conditions that determine the work activity and its effects on workers and on the production process.

Ergonomic analysis seeks to highlight the factors that may lead to work overload (physical or cognitive) and its consequences on health, establishing the critical points that should be modified or improved.

Based on the observation of working conditions and the reports of the workers themselves, recommendations are drawn up to be applied, which allow for the adaptation of jobs to the workers and attenuate probable harmful effects in the execution of certain tasks.