This document summarizes various occupational hazards for industrial and agricultural workers. It discusses five main types of hazards for industrial workers: physical, chemical, biological, mechanical, and psychological. For agricultural workers, it outlines physical, chemical, biological, mechanical, social, and miscellaneous hazards. The document also provides examples of prevention methods for occupational health hazards in agriculture, including health promotion, specific protection, early diagnosis and treatment, and health education.

1. OCCUPATIONAL
HAZARDS -II
GROUP B

2. Contents
• Types of occupational hazards
of industrial workers
• Agricultural occupational
hazards and its prevention
• References

3. An industrial worker is exposed to the following five types of hazards
depending upon the nature of the occupation -
• Physical
• Chemical
• Biological
• Mechanical
• Psychological
Hazards for
industrial
workers

4. These are the hazards occurring due to the following physical agents:
A. Heat : The effects of heat syncope,heat cramps ,heat exhaustion, heat stroke, heat hyperpyrexia, prickly
heat, burns etc.
• Cold: Frost bite, Reynaud's disease, erythro melalgia, erythrocyanosis, chilblains, trench -foot , gangrene etc. All because
of cutaneous vasoconstriction.
• Heat syncope: It is fainting attack due to pooling of blood in lower limbs .
• Heat cramps: It is painful and spasmodic contraction of muscle due to loss of sodium and chloride.
• Heat exhaustion: It means loss of salt leading on to circulatory failure.
• Heat hyperpyrexia: It is characterized by failure in heat regulating mechanism without the features of heat stroke.
Temperature is about 106°F .It may proceed to heat stroke.
• Heat stroke: There will be failure in the heat regulating mechanism, resulting in high temperature of the body, delirium,
convulsions, partial or total loss of consciousness. Skin is dry and hot .Death may occur due to hyperpotassemia ,cause
of which is not known , probably due to release of potassium from RBC which are injured by heat . Treatment is by
rapid cooling in ice- water bath.
1. Physical hazards

5. B. Light : Effects occur either due to inadequate light or excessive light. Inadequate
light: Headache, eyestrain, eye fatigue (visual fatigue). Chronic effect is Miner's
nystagmus. Excessive light: Bright light results in glaring , visual fatigue, blurring of
vision , discomfort and accidents.
C. Radiation:
• Ionizing radiation: X-rays, radio- active isotope like Cobalt 60 and phosphorus 32.
• Acute effects: Acute radiation syndrome.
• Chronic effects: Somatic effects: Leukaemia, aplastic anaemia, cancer, tumour induction, pancytopenia. Genetic effects:
Stillbirths, congenital defects, neonatal deaths, sex chromosome aneuploidy, sterility.
• Non-ionizing radiation:
• Ultraviolet radiation: On the skin : Darkening of skin, thickening of the skin, erythema, cancer of the skin. On the eyes(Ex:
Welding): Photophobia, conjunctivitis, keratitis, corneal ulcer, blindness (Welder's flash ),snow blindness.
• Infrared radiation: Cataract
• Microwaves: Microwave sickness
• Laser radiation: Thermal burns, cataract, retinal burns.

6. D. Atmospheric pressure
• High atmospheric pressure ( as in mines): Caisson disease ( compressed air illnesses), syncope, aches and pains
in joints, air embolism, cardio-respiratory distress, paralysis.
• Low atmospheric pressure (as in high altitude): Deafness ( due to blocking of Eustachian tubes),pain in the ears
, rupture of eardrums, expansion of gasses in the sinuses and body cavities, headache, pulmonary edema,
dyspnea, etc.
E. Electricity: Electric shock, burns, ventricular flutter.
F. Noise: - Auditory effects: Deafness (temporary or permanent), tinnitus (buzzing in the ears),
degeneration of cochlea and eight nerve.
Non-auditory effects: Fatigue, irritability, nervousness, interference with speech and communication,
annoyance, increased intracranial tension, hypertension, peptic ulcer, high environmental stress.
G. Vibration (working with pneumatic tools like drills and hammers): Numbness, white fingers, injuries.

7. These results from irritants, inhalants, allergens.
• Irritants (such as dyes, acids, alkalis): Occupational dermatoses ,e.g. dermatitis, folliculitis, eczema,
ulcerations,cancer.
• Dusts: Pneumoconiosis
• Fumes: Metal fume fever (this chemical intoxication results from inhalation of fumes of molten metals like
arsenic, antimony, beryllium, cadmium, Cobalt, lead,zinc,etc.)
• Gasses: Asphyxiating gasses:CO,SO2,Cl2,H2S,methyl isocyanides gas etc. Anesthetic gasses: Ether, chloroform,
trichloroform, trichloroethylene.
• Ingestants: Toxic hazards occurring from metals like lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, manganese, chromium
etc.
• Allergens: Allergic rhinitis, bronchitis, asthma, dermatitis etc.
2. Chemical Hazards

8. These are from the animals and soil. These are common in agricultural industry.
• From the animals: They are called 'Zoonotic diseases'. Ex Anthrax, bovine tuberculosis, salmonellosis,
Japanese encephalitis, rabies, plague, Kyasanur forest disease etc.
• From the soil: Tetanus, ankylostomiasis, gas gangrene, malignant oedema, Anthrax, aspergillosis,
coccidioidomycosis, mycetoma.
3. Biological hazards

9.  Mechanical hazards are created as a result of either powered or
manual (human) use of tools, equipment or machinery and plant.
An example of a mechanical hazard is: contact and/or
entanglement with unguarded moving parts on a machine.
 Some of the injuries that can occur as a result of mechanical
hazards are as follows:
i. Impact - being hit by ejected parts of the machinery or equipment
ii. Friction and Abrasion - e.g. use of sander
iii. Entrapment - being caught in a moving part of a machine or equipment or
plant
iv. Stabbing and Puncture - e.g. nail gun use
4. Mechanical Hazards

10. vi. High pressure fluid injection - a pinhole leak in a hydraulic
hose can burst and inject hydraulic oil into a persons hand for
example
vii. Crushing - collision of plant with a person is one example
viii. Shearing - can be two moving parts (sharp or otherwise)
moving across one another
ix. Cutting - severing of a human body part by a cutting
motion e.g. amputation of finger on a cutting machine
x. Entanglement - for example a loose sleeve getting caught in
a moving part and drawing the person into the machine

11. • The psychosocial hazards arise from the worker’s failure to adapt to an alien psychosocial environment.
• Frustration, lack of job satisfaction, insecurity, poor human relationships, emotional tension are some of
the Psychosocial factors which may undermine both physical and mental Health of the workers. The
capacity to adapt to different working Environment is influenced by many factors such as education,
cultural background, family life, social habits, and what the worker expect from Employment.
• The health effects can be classified in two main categories:-
a) Psychological and behavioral changes including hostility, aggressiveness, anxiety ,depression, tardiness, alcoholism,
drug abuse, sickness, absenteeism;
b) Psychosomatic health: including fatigue ,headache ,pain in shoulder, neck and back; propensity to peptic ulcer,
hypertension, heart disease and rapid aging.
• There are some reports indicates that physical factors (i.e. heat, noise, poor lighting)also play a major role in
adding to or precipitating mental Disorders among workers. The increasing stress on automation, electronic
operations and nuclear energy may introduce newer psychosocial health problems in industry. Psychosocial
hazard are therefore, assuming more importance than physical or chemical hazards.
5. Psychological hazards

12. • Occupational cancers: Cancer of the skin ,lungs, bladder and blood forming organs(i.e. Leukaemia)
• Occupational dermatoses: Dermatitis, eczema, folliculitis, urticaria, ulcers, etc.
6. Other hazards

13. Agriculture(farming)is the major most and the largest industry in our country
because 80% of our population live in the rural areas and their main occupation
is agriculture. Agriculture occupation differs from other occupation that:
 the worker works in the open field
 they are exposed to the vagaries of the nature like sun's heat, rainfall, winter
etc.,
 there are no labour laws in practice
 the workers are so remotely dispersed in rural areas that the health services
may not reach them
Agricultural occupational hazards

14. Various aspects of occupational(agricultural) health hazard are:
1) Physical hazard
2) Chemical hazard
3) Biological hazard
4) Mechanical hazard
5) Social hazard
6) Miscellaneous hazard

15. 1) Physical Hazard: These are due to the extremes of the climatic conditions (vagaries of nature).The
important physical environment are
 heat, cold and radiations.
 Humidity and other climatic condition impose additional stress upon the workers.
 Effect of temperature are heat syncope, heat exhaustion, heat cramps and heat stroke.
 Effect of radiations are dermatoses, eczema, epithelioma (cancer),etc.
2) Chemical Hazard: These are the toxic hazards due to the extensive use of chemicals in agricultural
activities in the form of fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides etc. Eg: Andigodu syndrome, characterized by
multiple orthopedic deformities.
 Some chemical act as irritants and allergens as well as carcinogenic agent.
3) Biological Hazard
 From the plants: They get allergic/contact dermatitis and Farmers lung from the dusts of grain or mouldy
hay.
 From the animals: They are at the risk of certain zoonotic disease such as tetanus, anthrax, brucellosis,
salmonellosis, bovine tuberculosis, leptospirosis, Japanese encephalitis, rabies etc.
 From the soil:They are at the risk of tetanus, ankylostomiasis, gas gangrene, malignant edema,
coccidiodomycosis, mycetoma etc.

16. 3) 4) Mechanical Hazard
These are mainly accidents resulting in the agricultural field s from the use of agricultural tools,
overturning of tractors and workloads etc.
5) Social Hazards: These occurs due to
 Poverty
 Illiteracy
 poor standard of living
 lack of knowledge
 ignorance
 Overcrowding
 traditional culture
 blind beliefs etc.

17. 6) Miscellaneous Hazards: These includes
 Snake bite
 Scorpion bite
 Bull-gore injury
 Other traumatic injury

18. 1. Health promotion- This consists of: healthful living (good housing);
cleanliness in and around the house; maintenance of personal hygiene;
training in the use of agricultural equipment; education on the hazards
of open air defecation; walking barefoot etc.
2. Specific protection- This consists of: avoiding allergens;
immunization against tetanus; protection from the hazards of
fertilizers and pesticides etc.
3. Early diagnosis and treatment- This consists of: periodical
examination for the detection of contact dermatitis, farmer's lung etc.
Emphasis is laid on provision of first aid treatment and primary
health care services. Cases beyond competence, should be referred to
nearest primary health center or taluka hospital.
PREVENTION OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
HAZARDS IN THE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY

19. 4. Maintenance of analysis of records:
 proper records are essential for the planning,
development and efficient operations of an
occupational health services.
 the workers health records and occupational
disability record must be maintained.
 their compilation and review should enable the
service to watch over the health of the workers,
to assess the hazards inherent in certain types
of work and to devise or improve preventive
measures.
5. Health education and counselling:
 ideally health education should start before the
workers enters the factory.
 all the risks involved in the industry in which he
is employed should be explained to them.

20.  the correct use of protective devices like masks and gloves should also be explained.
 simple rules of hygiene- handwashing, paring the nails, bodily cleanliness and cleanliness of clothes
should be impressed upon him.
 he should be frequently reminded about the dangers in industry through the media of health
education such as charts, posters and hand bills.
 the purpose of health education is to assist the worker in his process of adjustment to the working,
home and environment.

21. • K Park’s PSM
• A. H. Suryakantha’s PSM
• www.bing.com/images