Introduction in To Occupational Health and Safety: Jamal Hassan
Introduction in To Occupational Health and Safety: Jamal Hassan
Introduction in To Occupational Health and Safety: Jamal Hassan
JAMAL HASSAN
What is the image of an occupational
accident ?
Introduction
Occupational health and safety is the field of public
health that studies trends in illnesses and injuries in the
worker population and implements strategies and regulations
to prevent them.
Workplace injuries, illnesses and death were increasing and
no uniform or comprehensive law existed to protect against
workplace hazards
Definition of Terms
According to WHO (1995), occupational safety and health
can be defined as a multidisciplinary activity aiming at:
Some key concepts in OH&S are:
MANUAL HANDLING:
Any means of transporting or supporting a load manually.
Lift, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving by
hand of bodily force.
Goals
i. To reduce industrial accidents.
ii. To prevent occupational hazards/ diseases.
iii. To achieve maximum human efficiency and machine
efficiency.
iv. To reduce sick absenteeism.
Objectives of occupational health:
i. To maintain and promote the physical, mental and social
well being of the workers.
ii. To prevent occupational diseases and injuries.
iii. To adapt the work place and work environment to the
needs of the workers i.e application of ergonomics
principle.
iv. It should be preventive rather than curative.
Interdisciplinary Relationships
Environmental managers:
Are those trying to eliminate hazards from the workplace
cause many environmental problems.
Toxicology:
Is the science that studies poison ands toxic substances
and their mechanisms and effects on living organisms.
Ergonomics:
Mechanical engineers:
Are those who responsible for choosing materials handling
systems or for specifying noise levels on machinery.
Environmental health professionals:
1.2 million working peoples die of work related accident and
diseases every year.
More than 160 million workers fall ill each year due to
workplace hazards.
Workplace
i. Unsafe building
ii. Old machines
iii. Poor ventilation
iv. Noise
v. Inaccessible to inspection
Workers:
i. Limited education
ii. Limited skill and training
Employers:
i. Limited financial resources
ii. Low attention and knowledge
Variations in performance
There are significant variations in occupational safety and
health performance between countries, economic sectors
and sizes of enterprise.
Countries:
A factory worker in Pakistan is eight times more likely to
be killed at work than a factory worker in France;
Fatalities among transport workers in Kenya are ten times
those in Denmark;