Lec 1 introduction of occupational health.pptx

Public health

1. Lec 1: Introduction of occupational health PBH 634: Occupational Health Hazards and Occupational Health Safety

2. Occupational health is an area of work in public health to promote and maintain highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations. Importance of occupational health: Reduced risk or accidents or injuries by identifying and mitigating hazards. Improved efficiency and productivity due to fewer employees missing work from illness or injury. Improved employee relations and morale (a safer work environment is a less stressful work environment Introduction of Occupational health

3. Benefits of promoting occupational health Taking occupational health seriously can also bring a range of business benefits: lower absenteeism - for further information, see manage absence and sickness improved relationships with customers and suppliers improved productivity reduced staff turnover. Reduced costs associated with accidents or injuries (healthcare and rehabilitative costs, losses in productivity, impact on employees’ well-being) Lower insurance premiums resulting from fewer workplace incidents and workers’ compensation claims Overall, it can cut your business' costs and improve its performance.

4. What does occupational health do? Occupational health is about educating employees, preventing injury, and reducing hazards in the workplace. The focus is to minimize risk factors at the workplace associated with cancers, accidents, hearing and vision loss, stress disorders, and musculoskeletal, respiratory, circulatory and communicable diseases.

5. Environmental Health 1. Environmental Health examines the role of various factors in our environment in the health of individuals and populations. 2. Environmental health relates to how air, water, food and our physical environment can affect our health, for better or for worse. Difference between Environmental health and Occupational health Occupational Health 1. Occupational Health identifies the risks arising from physical, chemical, and other workplace hazards to establish and maintain a safe and healthy working environment. 2. Occupational health relates to keeping people healthy at work.

6. Who Should Work in Occupational Health Occupational health careers are best suited for those who are investigative, realistic and enjoy following procedure and routine. You’ll need to be able to conduct and analyze research, understand policy, development and analysis. Attention to detail, dependability, and analytical thinking are needed. Types of Occupational Health Employers Commercial and retail organizations Consulting Health care Industry, heavy and light Insurance carriers Petrochemical Regulatory and other governmental organizations

7. 1. To improve and protect employee health in the workplace. This includes the physical, mental, and social health of employees in the workplace. 2. The promotion and maintenance of employee health is the primary focus of occupational health. 3. Maintenance of working conditions, as well as the development of a work culture centered around health and safety. Objectives of occupational health

8. Types of Occupational health Occupational health problems are injuries, illnesses, and accidents occurring at work. Occupational health programs help eliminate or reduce these problems by identifying four types of workplace hazards. These are Physical, Chemical, and Biological hazards.

9. Global scenario Recognising that occupational health is closely linked to public health and health systems development, WHO is addressing all determinants of workers' health, including risks for disease and injury in the occupational environment, social and individual factors, and access to health services. WHO’s work on occupational health is governed by the Global Plan of Action on Workers’ Health 2008-2017, endorsed by the World Health Assembly in 2007. Currently only 15% of workers worldwide have access to specialized occupational health services. They mostly carry out prevention of occupational risks, health surveillance, training in safe working methods, first aid and advising employers on aspects related to occupational health and safety.

10. Occupational diseases Occupational diseases are conditions or disorders that result from the nature of your work. An occupational disease is one that is caused by work environment or activities that are part of your occupation. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) states that “In general, health conditions or disorders that occur among a group of people with similar occupational exposures at a higher frequency than the rest of the population are considered to be occupational diseases.”

11. Most common occupational diseases 1. Dermatitis: Allergic and irritant dermatitis (also known as ‘contact dermatitis’) is the most important cause of occupational skin diseases, and account for 15 to 20 per cent of all reported occupational diseases in the U.S. Contact dermatitis is caused by a wide array of physical, biological or chemical agents. 2. Respiratory illnesses: This can include asthma, disease of the lung and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD).there are over 300 chemicals in the workplace that are known to cause asthma, with the disease being most prevalent in the auto parts, foam and plastic manufacturing industries. 3. Hearing loss: They found that 18 per cent of their surveyed sample had hearing loss. Workers in the mining, construction and manufacturing industries need better hearing conservation strategies. a study from 2000 – 2008 stated that among U.S. workers who had higher occupational noise exposures than the general population.

12. Most common occupational diseases 4. Cancer: The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work states that cancer accounts for 24 per cent of global work-related deaths. Occupational cancers occur when workers are in contact with carcinogenic substances in their workplace. 5. Asbestos-related diseases: These are now some of the most well-known incidences of occupational disease. These include cancers such as lung cancer, gastro-intestinal cancer, cancer of the larynx or pharynx and mesothelioma (a cancer which occurs in the thin layer of tissue covering most internal organs). 6. Stress and mental health disorders: Multiple sources state that mental health disorders can also be considered as occupational diseases in certain contexts. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is most commonly cited. PTSD can affect workers in high pressure workplaces, such as the military or law enforcement.

13. Most common occupational diseases 7. Infectious diseases: The healthcare workers run the risk of contracting infectious diseases such as hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis (TB) and even the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It also notes that TB is also a risk for workers in social services or correctional facilities as they are in constant contact with high-risk populations. This is also the case for lab workers. 8. Mus culoskeletal disorders (MSDs): MSDs are prevalent in most workplaces, even in office settings. Indeed, office workers may be at risk of repetitive strain injuries (RSI) such as carpal tunnel syndrome or tendonitis. Most work-related MSDs develop over time and can be caused by repetitive movements, awkward positions, handling loads, high work demands, lack of breaks, etc.

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