2. DEFINITION
Occupational health is the study of the interaction between Work and Health
About half of man’s waking hours and a third of his productive years are
spent at work. Work is therefore an essential ingredient of life
WORK←------→HEALTH The interaction between work and health can be
positive or negative
Positive
– Income
– Sense of well being
– Social interaction
– Contribution to the community
Negative
– ill health from work exposures
– ill health from exposure to sick workers
Bernadino Ramazzini – the Father of Occupational medicine was the first to
recommend that physicians should ask in addition to the details of medical
history-”what is your occupation?”
3. The ILO in 1950 defined the goals
of occupational health as follows:
The promotion and maintenance of the highest
degree of physical, mental and social well being of
workers in all occupation.
The prevention among workers of departures from
health caused by their working conditions.
The protection of workers in their employment from
risks resulting from factors adverse to health.
The placement and maintenance of workers in an
occupational environment adapted to his
physiological and psychological equipment and to
summarize- the adaptation of work to man and
each man to his job.
7. SCOPE OF DISEASES SEEN
IN OH PRACTICE
WORK RELATED- factors at work contribute to its
occurrence
WORK AGGRAVATED- factors at work aggravate it
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES- direct causal
relationship between disease and specific
occupational hazards
DISEASES THAT AFFECT WORK OUTPUT- these are
general diseases which affect members of the
community
9. Establish needs
Type of industry-Service or manufacturing
Raw materials
Intermediate products
End products
Size of workforce
Small scale(less than 50), medium (50-
500)and large scale(above 500)
Small groups with similar exposures
Include administrative staff
10. Needs…
Walk through survey
Work in progress
Hazard assessment
Emissions
Assess needs for protective equipment
11. Needs.. PRINCIPAL DISCIPLINES IN OH & S &
THEIR WORK(multisectoral/multidisplinary)
Staffing; OH physician
OH nurse
Occ Hygienist
Safety engineer/Ergonomists
Toxicologist
Ind. Psychologist
Physiotherapist
12. Definition of OHS
Occupational health services is defined as
services entrusted with essentially
preventive functions and responsible for
advising the employer, the workers and their
representatives in the undertaking on the
requirements for establishing and
maintaining a safe and healthy working
environment which will facilitate optimal
physical and mental health in relation to
work and the adaptation of work to the
capabilities of workers in the light of their
state of physical and mental health.
15. FUNCTIONS OF AN OH SERVICE
1. Pre-employment medical examination
– general & specific (pre-placement)
2. Periodic medical examination
3. Other medical examinations & audits
4. Provision primary medical care + first aid
5. Environmental monitoring & safety
6. Social and welfare services provision
7. Control of workplace effluents
8. Maintenance of medical records
9. Industrial health education
10. Factory health development (health
services
provision, planning & re-planning)
11. Rehabilitation services – physical,
occupational & economic/social.
16. Services
Pre-placement Medical Examination
OH questionnaire
Physical exam
Baseline parameters as indicated by work
exposures
17. Services
Return to duty medical examination
Periodic Medical Examination
General examination and screening for non
occupational disease
Screening for occupational disease
18. Service
Treatment – basic /comprehensive care for
workers and family
Curative
General, non-occupational diseases
Occupational diseases
First aid
Rehabilitative
Functional
Psychological
19. Services
Counseling
Identification of symptoms of stress in the
individual and in workforce
Management of stress at work
Management of social problems at
work/home e.g alcoholism, smoking.
20. Services
Record keeping
Details of employment
Details of exposures and airborne
concentrations
Sickness absence: number, duration,
diagnosis
21. Services
Sickness Absence
Record of illness
Number of spells of sickness absence
Duration of spells
Diagnosis and summary of treatment received
Response to treatment
22. Services
Health Promotion
Adequate rest/ relaxation periods
Facilities for recreation, tennis, badminton
Facilities for fitness- gymnasium
Nutritional advice – weight control
Provision of subsidized meals
Smoking cessation programmes
Family planning
23. Services
Identification and evaluation of hazards
Identification –
walk through survey
clinical records
observational studies
Evaluation
Environmental monitoring: monitoring of work
environment to quantify the amount of pollutant in the
environment
Personal monitoring: measurement of amount of
pollutant that comes in contact with individual worker
e.g noise, dose meter film badge,
Biological monitoring: assessment of exposures using
biological samples for workers e.g blood, urine.
24. Services
Control of hazards
Modification of Equipment
Elimination/ substitution
Enclosure e.g guarding
Repair and maintenance
25. Services
Control of hazards
Modification of work environment
– ventilation, dust suppression, good house-
keeping
– Others – provision of safety shower, fire
extinguisher
26. Services
Control of hazards
Modification of Personnel
Personal protection
personal protective equipment
personal hygiene
Immunization
safe work practice
28. Services
Administrative
Selection, supervision and training of workers
Promotion of good organization, job content,
work environment
Management meetings
29. Services
Surveillance of Catering and other Welfare
Facilities
Screening of food vendors for TB, GI parasites
Separate premises for eating. Inspection of premises.
Food inspection
Toilet facilities, water supply
Accommodation for clothing not used at work
Transportation facilities
Accommodation.
Recreation
Child care
30. Services
Accident Prevention Programme
Safety committee comprising of safety
representatives, nurse, physicians, safety
engineers, hygienists and members of staff
Committee should issue recommendations/
code of practice in the event of an accident
Committee should be involved in accident
investigation. First aid kit must be provided
ideally one per unit.
First aiders must be trained and be able to
respond to emergencies
31. Services
Disaster management
Evacuation procedures
first aid measures
other aids priorities. Persons/ institutions to
contact e.g phone number for hospital
ambulance services, fire station e.t.c
referral centers – nearest secondary or tertiary
health centre. Early referral.
Rehearsal of above e.g fire drills, location of fire exits,
assembly points e.t.c
32. Services
Control of environment outside
workplace
Chemical-
Physical
Biological
Treatment of effluents
33. Linkages
National Health Services
Workplace- PHC centre
Referral to secondary and tertiary
institutions
National data bank
Factory inspectorate and MOH
34. PRINCIPLES OF HAZARDS CONTROL & DISEASE
PREVENTION IN OHS
1. Complete elimination – by substitution or
change of process
2. Containment – at source
- by total enclosures
- by partial enclosures
- by limited or regulated time exposures
- by personal protection(PPE)
3. Adjunct measures – House keeping
- Safety monitoring- environmental,
biological/personal records
- Health education – information, committees,
incentives and disincentives (incl. legislation).