Occupational health is essentially preventive medicine.The Joint ILO/WHO Committee on Occupational Health, in the course of its first session, held in 1950, gave the following definition: "Occupational health should aim at the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations; 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 placing and maintenance of the worker in an occupational environment adapted to his physiological and psychological equipment, and, to summarize, the adaptation of work to man and of each man to his job (1).
ERGONOMICS :The term "ergonomics" is derived from the Greek ergon, meaning work and nomos, meaning law. It simply means: "fitting the job to the worker". The object of ergonomics is "to achieve the best mutual adjustment of man and his work, for the improvement of human efficiency and well-being".
HEALTH OF THE WORKER
One of the declared aims of occupational health is to provide a safe occupational environment' in order to safeguard the health of the workers and to step up industrial production.
Occupational environment
By occupational environment is meant the sum or external conditions and influences which prevail at the place of work and which have a bearing on the health of the Working population. Basically, there are three types of interaction in a working environment.
a) Man and physical, chemical and biological agents.
b) Man and machine.
c) Man and man.
MAN AND PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL AGENTS
(1) Physical agents
(2) Chemical agents
MAN AND MACHINE
An industry or factory implies the use of machines driven by power with emphasis on mass production. The
unguarded machines, protruding and moving parts, poor installation of the plant, lack of safety measures are the causes of accidents which is a major problem in industries.
Working for long hours in unphysiological postures is the cause of fatigue, backache, diseases of joints and muscles and impairment of the worker's health and efficiency.
MAN AND MAN
There are numerous psychosocial factors which operate at the place of work. These are the human relationships amongst workers themselves on the one hand, and those in authority over them on the other. In modern occupational health, the emphasis is upon the people, the conditions in which they live and work, their hopes and fears and their attitudes towards their job, their fellow-workers and employers (2).
OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS
An industrial worker may be exposed to five types of hazards, depending upon his occupation:
1. Physical hazards
2. Chemical hazards
3. Biological hazards
4. Mechanical hazards
5. Psychosocial hazards.
a. Physical hazards
(1) HEAT AND COLD
(2) LIGHT
(3) NOISE
(4) VIBRATION
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION: Occupational exposure to ultraviolet radiation occurs mainly in arc welding. Su
2. INTRODUCTION
• Occupational health :
– promotion and maintenance of highest degree of physical, mental and
social well being of workers
– All three levels of prevention
– Adaptation of work to man and vice versa
3. Ergonomics – ergon – work ; nomos – law
• Fitting job to the worker
• Objective – achieve mutual adjustment of man and his work for
improvement of human efficiency and well being
• To reduce industrial accidents and increase efficiency of workers
4. • Occupational environment
• Sum of external conditions and influences –prevail at the place of
work –bearing on health of workers
• 3 interactions
– Man and agents(Physical, Chemical, Biological)
– Man and machine
– Man and man