OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Cruz, Ferdinand Jr.Cruz, Ma. BelleCruz, Mary Liza

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

a multidisciplinary activity aimed at:-the protection and promotion of health of workers-development and promotion of healthy and safe work, work environments and work organizations-enhancement of the physical, mental and social well being of workers and support for the development and maintenance of their working capacity

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Recognition of health hazardsPotential health hazards:1.Air contaminants2.Chemical hazards3.Biological hazards4.Physical hazards5.Ergonomic hazards

AIR CONTAMINANTS

• PARTICULATE– Dusts– Fumes– Mists– Aerosols– Fibers

• GAS AND VAPOUR

CHEMICAL HAZARDS• Harmful chemical compounds in the form of

solids, liquids, gases. Mists, dusts, fumes and vapours that exert toxic effects by inhalation, absorption, or ingestion.

BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS• Exposures to bacteria, viruses, fungi and other

living organisms that cause acute and chronic infections

PHYSICAL HAZARDS

• Include:• Excessive noise• Vibration• Illumination• Temperature• Ionizing• Non-ionizing radiation

Occupational and Other work-related diseases

Occupational diseases

• Adverse health conditions in the human being, the occurrence or severity of which is related to exposure to factors on the job or in the work environment.– Physical– Chemical– Biological– Psychosocial stressors– mechanical

Characteristics of occupational diseases

• Cthe clinical and pathological presentation is identical to that of non-occupational diseases

• May occur after the termination of exposure• The clinical manifestations are rleated to dose

and timing of exposure• Occupational factors can work in combination

with non-occupational factors to produce disease

Prevention

• Primary prevention– Accomplised by reducing the risk of disease

• Secondary prevention (occupational disease surveilance)– Identifying health problems as they become clinically

apparent and intervention to limit the effects of the problem

• Tertiary prevention– Minimizing the adverse clinical effects of a disease or

exposure

Physical hazards• Thermal stress– Cold stress

• Vascular injury• Increased muscle tone• hypothermia

• Heat stress– Vasomotor control– Evaporative cooling– Heat stroke

• Prevention– Gradual exposure leading to acclimatization– Engineering control (proper insulation and ventilation)

• Noise– Can lead to increased accident rates and lower

productivity– Noise induced hearing loss• 85 db for prolonged period

– Preventios• Design and maintenance of machinery• Segregation of exposure

• Vibration– Whole vibrations– Segmental vibrations

• Poor or defective illumination– Depends on type of work and degree of precision

required– Leads to eye strain, fatigue and increased accident

• Radiation– Non-ionizing• UV• IR

– Ionizing• X-ray• Gamma rays

Chemical hazards

• Gas and vapours• Asphyxiants– Nitrogen, methane, hydrogen, CO2, CO, HCN, H2S

• Irritant gases– SO2, NH3, formaldehyde, ozone

• Organometallic compounds– Lead, mercury, manganese

• Anaesthetic vapours– pesticides

Biological hazards

• Occupational infections– Occupational TB– Brucellosis• Cattle, sheep, pigs

– Anthrax– Viral hepatitis B and C– AIDS

Work-related diseases

• Also occur in the general population• Working conditions and exposures need not

be risk factors in any one disease– Behavioral and psychosomatic disorder– Hypertension– Coronary heart disease– Peptic ulcers– Chronic Nonspecific Respiratory Disease– Licimotor disorders

Occupational safety and accident prevention

Education & Training

• The aim of safety education is to do work in a safe way until it becomes a habit

• a training programme is needed for new employees when new equipment or processes are introduced, when procedures have been revised or updated, when new information must be made available and when performance of employees needs to be improved

Education & Training

• Retraining is indicated in the ff:– High accident or injury rate– High labor turnover– Excessive waste and scrap– Company expansion (plants or equipment)

• Evaluation of safety legislation– Occupational laws, regulations, and codes of

practice– Needed for the workers’ safety– Responsibility of management and workers

• Personal protection devices– Second line of defense– Must be used when engineering controls cannot

be used or are inadequate– Masks, goggles, safety shoes, helmets, ear

plugs/muffs, gloves, aprons

Control of electrical hazards

• Many accidents are due to defective electrical apparatus

• All switches must have approved voltage and amperage rating compatible with intended use

• Circuit breakers should be used when needed• Inspect and maintain all electrical equipment

regularly

Control of fire hazards (principles of fire control)

• prevent ignition• Store chemicals and explosives properly• Install and use fire alarms• Provide fire extinguishers (regularly inspected and

maintained)• Train every worker to use the available fire control

equipment• Inspect the workplace at regular intervals for fire risks• Conduct regular fire drills• Cooperate with the local fire brigade

Purposes of occupational accident investigation

• Used to prevent accidents• Can produce information that leads to

countermeasures to prevent or reduce the number and severity of accidents

• Incidents resulting in non-disabling injuries and “near accidents” should also be investigated

• Investigations must be fact finding, and not fault finding

Good day!