Ecological Health Hazard Assessment

This article discusses the process of ecological health hazard assessment and its importance in mitigating risks. It focuses on the hazards associated with poorly developed inner city apartments and congestion in Melbourne. The article also explores the steps of issue identification, hazard and exposure assessment, risk characterization, and risk management plan. It provides insights into the health risks and potential solutions for addressing them.

Running head: ECOLOGICAL HEALTH HAZARD ASSESSMENT 1
ECOLOGICAL HEALTH HAZARD ASSESSMENT
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Ecological Health Hazard Assessment
Health hazard assessment is termed as the process of approximating the possible effect of
chemical, biological, social and physical agent on a quantified human populace under a
particular set of considerations for a particular time frame. Health hazard evaluation is the
establishment of general health insurance. Health hazard evaluation gives a foundational way
to deal with magnitude and nature characterisation for the dangers that are partnered with
ecological health risks. A sufficient and better comprehension of the health hazard appraisal
empowers us to alleviate our health hazard.
On the other hand, hazard communication is a survey procedure that involves the whole
stakeholders and offers them the chance to share data's about the evaluated hazard and the
choices that are taken to battle them (Bennett, Calman, Curtis & Fischbacher-Smith, 2010).
Successful consultation gives valuable data to hazard management and hazard appraisal.
Furthermore, the health hazard evaluation encompasses four stages that comprise of issue
identification, danger and evaluation assessment, risk characterisation and hazard
management plan. This paper centres around the quantification of hazards associated with
ineffectively developed internal city apartments and congestion in the city of Melbourne. In
this way, a proper appraisal plan and communication is expected to alarm the partners of
potential ecological dangers that might be experienced.
Issue Identification
The aim of a dependable and practical health hazard assessment is to give valid data
identified with specific hazard circumstance (Western Australian Department of health,
2006). The main motivation behind this progression of health hazard evaluation is to identify
the issues that are relating to the venture. This is a critical step during health hazard
assessment since the issues, and the inquiries that have been raised will give a holistic
working plan that will be valuable during the evaluation (Taylor, 2014). The failure to

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address the issues will prompt to inadequate and incomplete assessment. Issue identification
involves numerous steps. They comprise an identification of the ecological health concerns
and evaluating whether the risks can be prevented.
Infection risk, fire risk, air pollution, extreme temperature and exposure to noise are the
health hazards that are associated with poor living conditions in the inner city apartments.
Living in the poor quality house increases the chances of infection risk, and that is linked to
poor mental health, injuries and respiratory problems (Krieger and Higgins, 2002). The
fundamental establishment for a healthy community is affordable housing which is an
indispensable health value issue. The internal city local governments have brought issues to
light on the liveability and nature of the skyscraper apartment developments in Melbourne
city. Moreover, we discovered that overseas workers and student are the majority of the
people who are exposed to both health and fire risk due to poor living condition and
overcrowding in the apartments.
The more significant part of the flame risk has been raised by the combustible construction
cladding. A typical example is the flame incidence that happened in Grenfell tower London
in 2017. The effect was wrecking and left 78 individuals dead. On the other hand, in February
2019, there was a grievous flame on Spencer St Melbourne structures that prompted the
ignition of at least five story structures (Cunningham and Fox Kobb, 2019). We were able to
discover that most of the apartments in the inner city were at dread hazard because of poor
structure guideline that was being used. These worries and stresses prompted the Victorian
state government in 2016 December to dispatch apartment design guidelines that will help to
relieve the general population and properties from being exposed to the flame hazard (Al-
Kodmany and Ali, 2013). The worries that were raised concerning the development of most
of the quality and classy inner-city apartments harped on the poor lighting framework,
ventilation and little size of the houses.

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Congestion in the apartments raises a fire risk which was affirmed by the committee after
the investigation of structures, therefore, a portion of the flats had several beds than the
number that is required (Giles-Corti, Ryan and Foster, 2012). A typical example is an
acclaimed pinnacle in the Melbourne's CBD that was torn to flame due to congestion that was
brought about by a disposed of cigarette that prompted the start of ignitable material that was
kept in the balcony.
A debate developed on the cause of flame in the private apartments of Melbourne city
whether it was because of the combustible material in the building or because of failure
disappointment of guideline and consistency during the development of the storey buildings.
During the appraisal of the circumstance, we noticed that most of the structures were
ineffectively developed without adhering to the safety regulation; thus the poor establishment
of ventilation and lighting framework. This measure is fundamental in crowded apartments;
subsequently, it will relieve the rate of flame hazard. In the other hand, most of the story
buildings in Melbourne city have been developed with combustible items like timber.
In regards to Senator Carr more significant part of the towers in Melbourne CBD have
utilised polythene cladding during the development, for example, Lacrosse building.
Polythene claddings are increasingly combustible; hence they spread the harmful impact of
flame (Clay, 2017). Likewise, the risks are being activated by widespread extortion that is
being embraced on the building sites. Unsatisfied products which are not prescribed for
development are regularly altered with effective products subsequently posing hazards to the
tenants of the apartments who are usually the low pay and the white collar class populace. In
this manner, the consistency and security of states buildings in Melbourne will be prioritised
in regards to Prue Digby who is the CEO of the Victoria Building Authority.

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The low-quality apartments in Melbourne have a decreased inside solace that faces an
enormous challenge in catering for the more prominent families' tenant hence adding to a
negative effect to people in general (Nethercote and Horne, 2016). Majority of the apartments
that have been developed in the CBD are reasonable for the couples who don't have kids or
people who are single. On that note, when these inhabitants are stuffed, it becomes perilous
because of the danger of diseases and the ecological states of the apartments deteriorate.
Hazard and Exposure Assessment
Similarly, through the procedure of hazard identification, it is conceivable to decide if the
circumstance has a latent to cause contrary health effects. Through the past step of issue
identification, we had the option to recognise the ecological health perils that were considered
during the health hazard evaluation which comprised of the infection risk and the flame risk.
People tend to be more sensitive to situations as compared to others. The group that is
susceptible to potential perils comprise of the old, kids and the people under ailments. Kids
will, in general, be defenceless against specific hazards because of reasons, for example, high
breathing and metabolic rates and social elements like great fondness to ingest soil. In
addition, the kids have a weak immune system; thus poor living conditions can be
inconvenient to them because of the danger of exposure to infection.
The general population with respiratory, heart and asthmatic conditions are more sensitive
to health pollutants that may expose them to numerous infections. It might lead to coughing,
shortness of breath, asthma and different illnesses which prompts to a decrease in the immune
system reaction. The route of exposure of individuals to a specific hazard is an elective
variable. In this way, the health effects of a component shifts contingent upon its contact with
the skin, ingested or inhaled.
Individuals from the Melbourne inner city apartments face an immediate health danger of
flame because of poor living condition and congestion (Hall, 2015). This health hazard

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because of fire significantly influences the vulnerable group that constitutes of the
youngsters, old, pregnant ladies and the general population under medicinal treatment. The
lower income individuals have the most astounding rate of infections, for example,
cardiovascular diseases. Flame raises lethal heat levels which are perilous and causes burn on
the general population. Home flame incidences cause increased levels of carbon dioxide and
carbon monoxide just as the ruinous dimensions of the thermal and chemical irritants. The
aggravations can harm an individual's respiratory structure interminably. The considerable
health threat that we found was because of the smoke that emerged from the fine particles.
The tiny particles can infiltrate profound into the lungs causing an assortment of health
devastation. They comprise of running nose and burning eyes to aggravated severe lung and
heart diseases. However, at times this risk exposure has been attached to premature deaths.
Moreover, smoke inhalation prompts nasal and nostril section swellings. Carbon
monoxide inhalation is harmful thus results in manifestations, for example, nausea, migraine
and vomiting even in the circumstance where respiratory issues have not developed. Various
individuals end dying during flame incidences because of the volume of smoke; hence it
takes around 2-10 minutes for somebody to die or pass out when still in a smoked apartment.
This circumstance is regularly because of the congestion nature of the private apartments in
Melbourne city which may make it hard for individuals to get away. Majority of the fatalities
are not because of flame consumes but rather because of the inhalation of the lethal gases that
have been created during ignition (Robertson and Hansen, 2015). The harmful
microenvironment that is regularly formed because of flame that comprises of oxygen
depletion, lethal gases, smoke, oxygen, heat and fire. The manufactured materials that are
utilised during the development of buildings incorporate furnishings, carpeting, decorative
items and insulation which have the potential health impacts during ignition in the premises.

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Flame mishaps are viewed as a standout amongst the most crushing and unforeseen
encounters that individuals incur. Its impacts are lamentable, results in wounds and even
demise when extreme. Majority of the demise rates that are accounted for are generally from
the absence of oxygen, harmful gases and thick dark smoke.
Risk Characterisation
The overcrowded apartments in the city of Melbourne are often exposed to noise which is
a peril that has health risk to the environment (Frumkin, 2016). Noise affects the mental and
physical health significances because of regular exposure to high sound levels. The
vulnerable groups such as the older, pregnant ladies and the general population under
prescription are altogether influenced by the noise that is being created by the general
population in the private apartments. The noise does not give an appropriate
microenvironment to the vulnerable populace (Stansfeld, 2015). In this way, it causes
hypertension, tinnitus, hearing impairment, irritation, sleep disturbance and ischemic heart
infections.
On the other hand, poor living conditions in the city of Melbourne have contributed to air
pollution putting the vulnerable populace at high danger of infection to infection, for
example, the respiratory diseases and asthma (Harlan and Ruddell, 2011). Air pollution too is
connected to degenerative mind infections and emotional health conditions that might be
basic to the vulnerable groups (Laumbach, Meng and Kipen, 2015). Poor transfer of waste
products due to congestion may engender the impact of air infection.
Outrageous heat significantly influences the vulnerable populace; thus their bodies end up
being overheated and lose their performance capacity. Extraordinary heat separates salt and
water from their bodies through perspiring. The side effects that frequently related
incorporate nausea, physical weakness, quick pulse, cerebral pain, extreme thirst and cramps.
The side effects are challenging at times to identify. Heat burden may increment in the

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apartments because of poor ventilation of the structure and use of several glasses on the sky
crappers (Carrer et al., 2015). This increased heat may prompt to loss of the capacity to
perform skilled tusk, loss of the ability to conduct mental tusk and expanded crabbiness.
Risk Management Plan
Hazard management plan involves esteem judgment, and the decision making will
incorporate social, political, logical and innovative information. In this manner, the
discoveries from the health hazard evaluation of inner apartment in Melbourne will help the
administration and the partners to recognise the rebellious and the non-accommodating
building products sold in the market (Victorian Division of Condition, Environment, Water
and planning, 2016). These will keep engineers from procuring inadmissible building
products. On the other hand, the Victorian Building Authority needs to prosecute the people
who will be found using fraudulent products for construction.
In addition, a committee report commented that the government needed to impose bans on
the sale and the importation of the polythene core aluminium composite products. This is
because the polythene cladding that was utilised in most of the towers in Melbourne was
exceptionally combustible.
They are a portion of the health perils that have been affected by the general population
because of obliviousness and low status of pay. This circumstance has prompted the general
population to overcrowd in apartments that are intended for the singles. The government
needs to control the number of inhabitants in the apartments within the CBD to improve
obligations within people. Additionally, overcrowding in the Melbourne city has been
contributed due to the high cost of flats thus it is the obligation of the government to
guarantee that the price of leasing houses has been regulated to avoid overexploitation by the
proprietors (Shi, Yang and Gao, 2016). This guideline whenever actualised it will permit the

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low-pay individuals to have the option to bear the cost of the private inner apartments within
the city thus eradicating the issue of congestion that enhances health dangers.
The evaluation procedure empowered us to recognise that most of the buildings in the city
of Melbourne needed fundamental security measures. Subsequently, necessary safety
measures should be installed in all the storey buildings within the town to caution the general
public in case of the fire outbreak. The safety measures contain fire alerts and sprinkler
systems. We justified that the landscape architecture industry was factual when it raised
concerns regarding the rise of construction of apartments in the city that were poorly
developed. It is therefore appropriate for the landscape architecture to take charge of the
apartment designs (Clay, 2016). This can be established by the introduction of new structures
in the apartment such as the private balconies and communal rooftops.
The buildings need to stick to the Victoria Apartment Design Guidelines; in this manner, it
will be useful to the architects, applicants, planners and building designers during appraisal
and planning of the building apartments (Goodman, Buxton and Moloney, 2016). The
guidelines provide knowledge and data for the standards that the flats need to be built. Hence,
legitimate ventilation and lighting frameworks should be considered and installed in the
buildings.
In conclusion, the report assessment on the findings and recommendation of the research
need to be communicated to the stakeholders and the public. The data will be conveyed to the
stakeholders in the format of a report which will contain adequate status, knowledge and
development of the team and project. The stakeholders need to be updated on whether their
proposals on the health risk hazards in Melbourne city have been considered and the risk
mitigation measures that have been set up to address their challenges and concerns.

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