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Safety and Health in the Workplace
Chapter 16
Introduction
• Occupational disease• Occupational illness
• Occupational injury
Scope of the Problem
• 14 workers die each day in U.S. from injury sustained at work
• Fatalities have declined significantly over past 100 years
• Reporting of illness versus injury
• Economic impact
Importance of Occupational Safety and Health to the Community
• Industry is a subset of the larger community
• Affects workplace and those outside the worksite
• Workers themselves are a community
History of Occupational Safety and Health Problems
• Before 1970• Industrial revolution
• State legislation• Child labor laws
• Worker’s compensation laws
• Federal legislation• Bureau of Labor-1884
• Many laws from 1908-1970
• Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHAct)
• To ensure employers in private sector furnish each employee a workplace free from recognized hazards causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) established to enforce OSHAct
• NIOSH
Prevalence of Occupational Injuries, Diseases, and Deaths
• Recent trends• Decline in number of workplace injuries and
illnesses reported in private industry since 1992
• Goods-producing industries higher rate of nonfatal injury than service-producing• Highest – agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting
• Highest service-producing – education and health care
Nonfatal Workplace Injury and Illness Incidence Rates by Industry, 2008
Unintentional Injuries in the Workplace
• Minor injuries – cuts, bruises, abrasions, minor burns
• Major injuries – amputations, fractures, severe lacerations, eye losses, acute poisonings, severe burns
• Reported by many sources
Fatal Work-Related Injuries
• Highway incidents leading cause• Falls, being struck by object, homicide
• Industries with highest rates of fatal occupational injuries
• Agriculture
• Forestry
• Fishing and hunting
• Mining
• Transportation and warehousing
Manner of Fatal Work Injuries, 2008
Nonfatal Work-Related Injuries
• Males account for majority of treatment
• Younger workers highest nonfatal workplace injury/illness rate
• Disabling injuries and illnesses• Repeat trauma disorders
Characteristics of Workers Involved in Work-Related Injuries
• Age
• Gender
• Poverty and race
• Geographic differences in workplace injuries
• Temporal variations in workplace injuries
• Workplace injuries by industry and occupation• Fatal and nonfatal occupational injuries and
illnesses
• Agricultural safety and health
Hours Worked and Fatal Work Injuries by Gender, 2008
Most Dangerous Jobs in 2008
Prevention and Control of Unintentional Injuries in the Workplace
• Four fundamental tasks• Anticipation
• Recognition
• Evaluation
• Control
Workplace Violence: Intentional Workplace Injuries
• 1.7 million victims each year
• Homicides third leading cause of workplace fatalities• Second leading cause of workplace death for
women
• Some occupations more dangerous than others
Categories of Workplace Violence
• Criminal intent (Type I)
• Customer/client (Type II)
• Worker-on-worker (Type III)
• Personal relationship (Type IV)
Risk Factors for Workplace Violence
• Working with the public
• Working around money or valuables
• Working alone
• Working late at night
• Jobs with higher risk• Taxicab drivers
• Jobs in liquor stores
• Detective and protective services
Prevention Strategies
• Environmental designs
• Administrative controls
• Behavior strategies
Occupational Illnesses and Disorders
• Illness more difficult to acquire data on than injury
• Difficult to link occupational exposure
• Some conditions slow to develop and difficult to associate with the workplace
Types of Occupational Illnesses
• Musculoskeletal disorders
• Skin diseases and disorders
• Noise-induced hearing loss
• Respiratory disorders• Pneumoconiosis
• Asbestosis
• Silicosis
• Byssinosis
Other Work-Related Diseases and Disorders
• Poisonings• Agricultural workers
• Infections• Health care industry
• Hazardous drugs
• Anxiety, stress, neurotic disorders
Prevention and Control of Occupational Diseases and Disorders
• Requires vigilance of employer and employee
• Agent-host-environment model
• Identification and evaluation of agents
• Standard setting for the handling of and exposure to causative agents
• Elimination or substitution of causative factors
• Engineering controls
• Environmental monitoring
• Medical screenings
Resources for the Prevention of Workplace Injuries and Diseases
• Occupational safety and health professionals• Safety engineers
• Certified safety professionals
• Health physicists
• Industrial hygienists
• Occupational physicians
• Occupational health nurses
Occupational Safety and Health Programs
• Preplacement examinations
• Disease prevention programs
• Safety programs
• Worksite health promotion programs
• Employee assistance programs
Discussion Questions
• How can employees advocate for safer workplaces?
• What occupational injury prevention strategies can prove to be most effective in the coming decades?
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