OSHA 10-Hour Construction ReviewHealth Hazards in ConstructionMedium
A construction worker is performing tasks involving welding and cutting in an enclosed space. The worker experiences dizziness, nausea, and shortness of breath, and their skin appears bluish. These symptoms are most indicative of which health hazard?
- ASilica exposure
- BAsbestos exposure
- CHeat exhaustion
- DCarbon monoxide poisoning
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Carbon monoxide poisoning
The symptoms of dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath, and bluish skin (cyanosis) in an enclosed space with welding/cutting (which can produce carbon monoxide) are classic signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide interferes with oxygen transport in the blood.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Silica exposure primarily causes respiratory issues like silicosis over long-term exposure, not acute dizziness or bluish skin.
- B. Asbestos exposure causes lung diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma, with symptoms appearing decades later, not acutely.
- C. Heat exhaustion typically involves heavy sweating, weakness, and elevated body temperature, not bluish skin.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Symptoms
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, dizziness, nausea, weakness, shortness of breath, confusion, and in severe cases, bluish skin (cyanosis).
- Colorless, odorless gas.
- Interferes with oxygen delivery to tissues.
- Often associated with combustion in enclosed spaces.
Memory trick: CO: Can't Oxygenate. Blue, Dizzy, Sick.