Occupational health hazards

Occupational health hazards: causes and remedies to prevent accidental injuries and deaths at the workplace

1. Occupational
Health
Hazards
By
Ms. JigishaPancholi
Head
Dept. of Biochemistry & Microbiology
IIAPS
Gujarat AyurvedUniversity
Jamnagar

3. •Start date:02 Dec 1984
•End date:03 Dec 1984
•Location:Bhopal,
Madhya Pradesh, India
•Deaths:At least 3,787,
over 16,000 claimed
•Non-fatal injuries:At
least 558,125

5. Firecracker factory explosion
in Batala, Punjab on 4
th
Sep’19

6. Fatal and non-fatal accidents in factories in Gujarat (2011–
2014)
Year 2011 2012 2013 2014
No. of registered
factories
37546 39181 40910 42065
No. of non-fatal
accidents
3014 2781 2285 1751
No. of fatal accidents249 216 218 249
No. of fatalities 249 216 229 259

8. Introduction
Occupationmeansworkortheworking
place,hazardsuggeststheproblems,thus
occupationalhealthhazarddenotesanykind
ofhealthrelatedproblemsintheworking
place.
Itreferstothepotentialriskstohealthand
safetyforthosewhoworkoutsidethe
home.

9. Introduction
AsdefinedbytheWorldHealthOrganization
(WHO)"occupationalhealthdealswithall
aspectsofhealthandsafetyinthe
workplaceandhasastrongfocuson
primarypreventionofhazards.
Healthhasbeendefinedas"astateof
completephysical,mentalandsocialwell-
beingandnotmerelytheabsenceofdisease”

10. •Occupationalhealthisamultidisciplinary
fieldofhealthcareconcernedwith
enablinganindividualtoundertake
theiroccupation,inthewaythatcauses
leastharmtotheirhealth.
•AccordingtoWHO,thisrepresentsabout
70%ofadultmenand60%ofadult
womenthroughouttheworld.

11. •RapidindustrializationinIndiaisgiving
employmenttomillionsofpeopleintheformal
sector,andmanymoreintheunorganized
sector.However,theabsenceofclearpolicies,
poorlyenforcedregulations,lackofsystematic
reportingofoccupationaldiseases,lamentable
socioeconomicconditionsoftheworkersand
theirlimitedaccesstohealthcaremake
occupationalhealthandsafety(OHS)a
criticalarea.

12. •Thoseinthefieldofoccupationalhealth
comefromawiderangeofdisciplinesand
professionsincludingmedicine,
psychology,epidemiology,physiotherapy
andrehabilitation,occupationaltherapy,
occupationalmedicine,humanfactors
andmanyothers.
Introduction

13. •Professionalsadviseonabroadrangeof
occupationalhealthmatters.Theseinclude
howtoavoidparticularpre-existing
conditionscausingaprobleminthe
occupation,correctpostureforthework,
frequencyofrestbreaks,preventative
actionthatcanbeundertaken,andsoforth.
Introduction

14. Aim of Occupational health
•Promotionandmaintenanceofhighestdegree
ofphysical,mentalandsocialwellbeingof
workersinalloccupations
•Protectionofworkersintheiremployment
fromriskfactors
•Placingandmaintenanceofworkerinan
occupationalenvironmentsuitabletohis
physiologicalandpsychologicalcapabilities

15. Types of occupational health
hazards
•Physical and mechanical health hazards
•Chemical health hazards
•Biological health hazards
•Psychological health hazards

16. Physical hazards

17. Physical hazards
•Physicalhazardsaffectmanypeopleintheworkplace.
•Occupationalhearinglossisthemostcommonwork-related
injuryintheUnitedStates,with22millionworkersexposed
tohazardousnoiselevelsatworkandanestimated$242
millionspentannuallyonworker'scompensationfor
hearinglossdisability.
•Fallsarealsoacommoncauseofoccupationalinjuriesand
fatalities,especiallyinconstruction,transportation,healthcare,
buildingcleaningandmaintenance.

18. Physical hazards
•Heat
•Cold
•Light
•Vibration
•Rays

19. Heat
•Leadstoheatstroke
(Deathduetoheat)
•Heat exhaustion
(Headache, fatigue,
muscleweaknessetc.)
•Heatsyncope(Fainting)
•Heatcramps(Muscle
spasm)
•Burns

20. Who are at the risk?
•Agricultural workers
•Fire workers
•Fire fighters
•Civil engineers
•Factory workers
•Street sweepers
•Athletes
•Cook
•Oil refinery workers
•Welders
•Traffic policemen etc.

21. Cold
•Trenchfoot(Medicalconditioncausedby
prolongedexposureofthefeettothedamp,
unsanitaryandcoldconditions)
•Frostbite(Localiseddamagetotheskinandother
tissuesduetocold)
•Chilblains(Small,itchy,painfullumpsthat
developontheskinbypoorcirculationofthe
bloodwhenexposedtocoldtemperatures)

23. Who are the risk?
•Workers in the long winter places
•Fishermen
•People working in the frozen food industry
•Soldiers
•Cold storage factory

24. Light
•Occupational cataract (Usually in people working with
radiation and X rays)
•Miners’ nystagmus (Occurs among coal miners, usually
of middle age and elderly, finds difficult to see in the dim
light)

25. Noise
•Occupational deafness
•Who are the risk?
•Civil engineers
•Construction workers
•Factory workers
•Mining engineers
•Airline workers
•Traffic policemen etc

26. Radiations
•ExposuretolowlevelsforlongtimeleadstoGenetic
damageandcancer
•Exposuretohighlevelsinshorttimeleadstodamageto
livingtissue,skinburnsanddeath
•Whoaretherisk?
•Workinginmanufacturingfactories,researchers,nuclear
powerindustry,radiologistsetc.

27. Vibrations
•Continuous work with such machines affects hands and
arms
•The nerve endings get damaged
•Who are at the risk?
•Hammerdrilloperators,Chainsawoperators,Bulldozer
drivers,peopleworkingwithpumps,compressorsetc.

29. Chemical hazards

30. Tannery near Vellore

35. Chemical hazards
•Workersworkinginchemicalindustriesorchemicallabsor
agricultureetc.maygetpronetochemicalrelatedhealth
problems.
•Inhalationandskinabsorptionarethekeyroutesofentry
forchemicalhazards.
•Chemicalslikearsenic,lead,cadmium,petroleum,silica,
fumes,pesticidesetc.mayproducesevereeffecton
workers.
•Effectsofchemicalexposuresrangefromacuteskinrashes
andbreathingdifficultiestochronicdiseasesandillnesses,
suchasreproductivehealthproblems,canceranddiseasesof
therespiratorysystem,liveretc.

38. Some of the heavy metals used
in
AyurvedDrugs manufacturing
Loha-Iron
Parad-Mercury
Suvarna-Gold
Rajat-Silver
Tamra-Copper
Mandur–Iron oxide
Vanga-Tin
Naga -Lead
Manahshila/ Hartaal-Arsenic

39. MERCURY
•Mercuryexistsinvariousforms:elemental(ormetallic)and
inorganic(towhichpeoplemaybeexposedthroughtheir
occupation);andorganic(e.g.,methylmercury,towhich
peoplemaybeexposedthroughtheirdiet).
•Mercury,suchasthiomersal(ethylmercury),isusedinvery
smallamountsasapreservativeinsomevaccinesand
pharmaceuticals.
•Comparedtomethylmercury,ethylmercuryisverydifferent.

40. MERCURY
•Ethylmercuryisbrokendownbythebodyquicklyand
doesnotaccumulate
•Theseformsofmercurydifferintheirdegreeoftoxicity
andintheireffectsonthenervous,digestiveandimmune
systems,andonlungs,kidneys,skinandeyes.

41. Mercury use in vaccines and
pharmaceuticals
•WHOhascloselymonitoredscientificevidencerelating
totheuseofthiomersalasavaccinepreservativefor
morethan10years,andhasconsistentlyreachedthe
sameconclusion:thereisnoevidencethattheamount
ofthiomersalusedinvaccinesposesahealthrisk.

44. SILICA

45. •Crystallinesilicaisabasiccomponentofsoil,sand,
granite,andmanyotherminerals.Quartzisthemost
commonformofcrystallinesilica.
•Allthreeformsmaybecomerespirablesizeparticles
whenworkerschip,cut,drill,orgrindobjectsthatcontain
crystallinesilica.
•Silicaexposureremainsaseriousthreattonearly2
millionU.S.workers,includingmorethan100,000
workersinhighriskjobssuchasabrasiveblasting,
foundrywork,stonecutting,rockdrillingetc.

46. •Crystallinesilicahasbeenclassifiedasahumanlung
carcinogen.
•Additionally,breathingcrystallinesilicadustcancause
silicosis,whichinseverecasescanbedisabling,orevenfatal.
•Therespirablesilicadustentersthelungsandcausesthe
formationofscartissue,thusreducingthelungs’abilitytotake
inoxygen.
•Thereisnocureforsilicosis.
•Sincesilicosisaffectslungfunction,itmakesonemore
susceptibletolunginfectionsliketuberculosis.

49. •Asbestosisthenamegiventosixmineralsthatoccur
naturallyintheenvironmentasbundlesoffibersthatcan
beseparatedintothin,durablethreadsforusein
commercialandindustrialapplications.Thesefibersare
resistanttoheat,fire,andchemicalsanddonotconduct
electricity.
Asbestos

50. Asbestos
•Thebuildingandconstructionindustrieshaveuseditfor
strengtheningcementandplasticsaswellasforinsulation,
roofing,fireproofing,andsoundabsorption.
•Theshipbuildingindustryhasusedasbestostoinsulate
boilers,steampipes,andhotwaterpipes.
•Theautomotiveindustryusesasbestosinvehiclebrakeshoes
andclutchpads.
•Asbestoshasalsobeenusedinceilingandfloortiles;paints,
coatings,adhesives;andplastics.
•Inaddition,asbestoshasbeenfoundinvermiculite-containing
gardenproductsandsometalc-containingcrayons.

52. LEAD

54. Lead
•Inorganicleadisamalleable,blue-gray,heavymetalthatoccurs
naturallyintheEarth’scrust.
•Leadwasoneofthefirstmetalsusedbyhumansandconsequently,
thecauseofthefirstrecordedoccupationaldisease(leadcolicina
4thcenturyBCmetalworker).
•Approximately804,000workersingeneralindustryandan
additional838,000workersinconstructionarepotentiallyexposed
tolead.
•Workersareexposedtoleadasaresultoftheproduction,use,
maintenance,recycling,anddisposalofleadmaterialandproducts.
•Leadexposureoccursinmostindustrysectorsincluding
construction,manufacturing,wholesaletrade,transportation,
remediationandevenrecreation.

57. Biological hazard
•Thiscategoryofhazardsincludesviruses,moulds,
bacteria,andblood-bornepathogens.
•Difficulttosee,theireffectscanbebothacuteand
chronic.
•TheyarequitecommoninR&Dwork,whereyoucan
find“virtuallyanyhumanpathogenororganism”other
biologistsstudy,whethergeneticallyengineeredor
unaltered(Klees&Joines,1997).
•Inoneexample,porcinepancreaticdustwasconnectedto
a40to50percentbronchialhypersensitisationrate
amongpharmaceuticalworkersduringthe1980s

58. Biological hazard
•Laboratory-acquiredallergiestoanimalsarefairly
common,althoughcommunicablediseasesspreadby
animalsarelesslikely.
•Otherreportedhazardsinthiscategoryinclude:
brucellosis,encephalitis,Escherichiacoliinfections,
hepatitis,herpesviruses,HIV,lab-acquiredinfections,Q
fever,rabies,ratbitefever,shigellosis,tuberculosisetc.

60. Psychosocial hazards
•Isrelatedtothewayworkisdesigned,organizedand
managed,aswellastheeconomicandsocialcontextsof
workandisassociatedwithpsychiatricand/orphysical
injuryorillness.
•It includes:
•Work related stress
•Excessive working time or over work
•Violence from outside the organization
•Emotional or verbal violence
•Sexual violence
•Exposure to unhealthy elements during meetings with business
associates , eg: tobacco and alcohol
•Politics etc.

61. Thank you !
“Safety Does Not Happen By Accident”