what is occupational health and safety essay

Occupational Health and Safety: The Need and Importance Essay

Introduction.

Occupation Health and Safety (OHS) can be termed as the rules, legislation, policies, procedures and activities intended to care for the health, safety and welfare of the workers and all the individuals in an organization. It involves looking at the social, mental and physical well-being of workers (Lingard & Rowlinson, p. 124). Moreover, Occupational Health and Safety in an organization help uphold and sustain a high threshold of physical, mental and social well being of all the workers and their employer; protect worker from adverse health effects emanating from poor working conditions; shelter worker when carrying out their activities from risks emanating from factors unfavorable to their health and finally assist workers adopt physically and mentally to the working environment.

In the current world, many organizations tend to put more emphasis on occupational health issues than occupational safety issues as occupational health issues are trickier to tackle. However, when occupational health issues are addressed, safety in a workplace is promoted; this is because when a workplace is termed as a healthy workplace, it also means that the workplace is safe (Reese, p. 232).

It is important, therefore, to ensure that Occupational Health and Safety is observed as it reduces illness, death and injuries to the workers and other individuals that may arise from poor working conditions in a particular workplace. This is because, if the working conditions of an organization are poor, the health and safety of the workers is affected and this may reduce the output of the organization. Moreover, poor working conditions may affect the living environment of the worker and thus affect the workers family and the community at large. The occupational hazards caused by poor working conditions may affect the physical and mental health of the workers, his family and the community (Reese, pp. 235-37). For instance, in an agricultural organization, the chemicals that they use to spray the plants in the fields ends up in the near by water bodies especially when it rains. This contaminates the water which the community may be using for domestic purposes causing diseases like diarrhea and eventual death to them. Moreover, the chemicals may be blown by wind and be inhaled by the people living nearby causing serious health problems.

Occupational Health and Safety in an organization is important as it helps reduce the cost incurred when a worker has been injured, is sick or has died due to occupational diseases or injuries. When an occupational injury or disease occurs, the employer is faced with both direct and indirect expenses. For instance, compensation to the injured worker, repair of the broken machine, payment of unlabored work among others are some of direct cost while replacement of the injured worker, training of a worker to replace the injured, reduction in output are some of the indirect cost that an employer has to pay. For an organization to achieve the above the employer, workers and the unions should be committed to health and safety and thus ensure that workplace hazards are minimized, records of injuries, car accidents and deaths due to occupation diseases or injuries are well kept, risk assessments are carried out and finally ensure that there is an effective occupational health and safety committee that incorporate individuals from all sectors (Dudley, pp. 34-67).

Importance of Occupational Health and Safety professionals being a capable leader

When an organization is choosing an Occupational Health and Safety leader it must look at the current leadership qualities of the potential leaders. Although leadership qualities can be acquired through learning it is important to determine the existing leadership qualities so as to determine what other leadership qualities the leaders need. It is crucial for an Occupational health and Safety leader to be a capable leader and this he/ she can only achieve if he / she has the following qualities;

Vision; a good leader should have a vision for his/ her organization or department. He/ she should be able to evaluate where his/ her department is, future success and how to achieve it. This vision should be shared with all the individuals in the organization so that each and every worker can strive to achieve the future success. Occupational Health and Safety leaders should have a vision on how they will reduce occupational injuries, accidents and occupational diseases. This can only be achieved through improving the working conditions of a workplace, educating workers on safety, its importance and how to achieve it and training workers on occupational health and safety (Lindgard & Rowlinson, pp. 245-67). Moreover, OHS leaders should involve all the workers in all departments of the organization. This ensures that safety is observed in all departments of the organization. Furthermore, by having a vision, the OHS leader is able to set rules and regulation that will govern the behavior and activities of all the workers thus promoting safety in the workplace. However, the leader should be realistic and he should bear in mind the available resources, support by other leaders and support from the workers.

Motivation; a good leader should know what motivates the workers and what activities de-motivate them. An occupational Health and Safety leader should formulate favorable conditions where the employees will feel enthusiastic to work hard and achieve the OHS set goals. This is so because, for an organization to attain the set performance objectives the workers must be capable, work hard and their leaders must support them (Dudley, pp. 80-90). Therefore, an occupational health and safety leader should ensure that all areas are equipped with qualified personnel who are well supported by the leaders and are motivated to work well. This ensures that the set Occupational Health and Safety goals are met. It is important therefore, for OHS leaders to be motivational as this boosts the workers desires to achieve the set Occupational Health and Safety goals. Moreover, the OHS leader should ensure that his OHS goals are realistic and achievable as if they are not the worker will feel de-motivated to work to attain goals that are not attainable. However, when the leader uses rewards as a form of motivation he/ she should evaluate the perception of the workers on the reward as this may bring conflict and strains in the workplace.

Emotional and Intelligence; leaders should be sensitive about the feelings of their workers / those they lead. However, they should be clever as to identify genuine and fake feelings portrayed by the workers. Occupational Health and Safety leaders should be sensitive about the safety and well being of the workers, workers family and the community in which the organization or the firm is in, for instance, when the firm pollutes the a water body that is used by the surrounding communities, the leader should listen to them and offer reasonable solutions (Reese, pp. 245-67) The Occupational Health and Safety leader is liable to creating a working environment that promotes the safety and health of the worker. Moreover, he/ she should value and reply to the needs of the workers and listen to them all the time. This is important because it facilitate workers participation in decision making.

Communication; a good capable leader should be able to communicate to his worker and his juniors in a polite manner. Effective communication is important for the success of an organization. An occupational Health and Safety leader should have good communication skills that will enable him/ her to acquire and transfer information freely from the workers and to the worker respectively. This leadership quality is important because it helps the Occupational Health and Safety leader to gather information from the worker and transfer it to other leaders on matters concerning health and safety of the workers and helps him transfer important information from the seniors to the workers (Dudley, pp. 99- 112). Occupational Health and Safety leaders should ensure that they use the right channel of communication; for instance, they can use written channels like hanging the information on the notice board when they are passing information that does not need immediate answer. But for the information that requires immediate answers an oral channel will be used where the leader may hold meeting with workers and inform them.

Trustworthy; a good leader should be trusted by the workers and his/ her seniors. A leader who can be trusted by the employee or the people who he/ she is leading, more information relating to the organization will be passed to him/ her easily. Moreover, the organization/ firm will have a good reputation in the public. When the employees/ workers feel that they can trust their leaders, they can talk openly about their feeling concerning a newly installed Occupational Health and Safety program and they can be able to contribute freely in decision making meeting and health and safety meetings (Lingard & Rolinson, pp. 134-44).

Assertiveness; a leader should not beat around the bush about something he/she want to be done and how it should be done. He/ she should state clearly what he/ she expects from the worker. An occupational Health and Safety leader should ensure that he/ she go straight to the point when it comes to matter concerning health and safety in the workplace. His/ her statement should clearly state what he/ she expect from the workers and the leader in promoting occupational health and safety and avoiding injuries and occupational diseases (Reese, pp. 287-98). Moreover, he/ she should ensure that the health and safety rules and their penalties are clearly stated with no misunderstanding. This ensures that the workers have no excuse when they break the rules and are liable to punishment with no exception. This is important because it ensures that all people practice safety in their activities and thus more less expenses to the organization.

Dedication; a good leader should be dedicated to his/ her work, for instance striving had to edge a step closer to the vision. An Occupational Health and Safety leader should be dedicate to ensuring that safety is observed in all departments of the organizations. Moreover, he should be dedicated to ensuring that workers are in good health and that the workplace is in good condition. A dedicated leader in Occupational Health and Safety ensures records of all health and safety issues are well kept so as to keep abreast on the trend of safety in the organization (Dudley, pp. 134-65). The health and safety records assist the organization in determining how safe the workplace and help in decision making concerning then health and safety matters. Dedication helps in giving an example to the workers on how to achieve and maintain health and safety in a workplace.

Magnanimity; this is where a leader gives a credit for a job well done. A good leader should ensure that all leaders give tribute to workers when they have done a good job. Moreover, a good leader should also account for failures and accept them as his/ her mistake. This help the worker feel proud about them selves and are motivated to work ever harder and adhere to the set rules and regulation. An Occupational Health and Safety leader should ensure that all efforts by the worker to achieve the set occupational health and safety goals do not go unrecognized. This motivates the workers who feel proud of his/ her achievement and will continue striving hard to achieve the goal. This quality of a leader promotes healthy relationship between the workers and the leaders and arose in the worker a feeling of belonging/ attachment to the organization or firm (Reese, pp. 267-90). Thus he/ she will do work with one heart ensuring that he / she observe the set health and safety rules and regulations.

Creativity; this is where the leader has the ability to think beyond the available solution and tend to look for alternative solutions for a problem. The leader sees thing the other people / workers cannot see, for instance, he/ she can see consequences of a certain decision made by a committee. An Occupational Health and Safety leader should ask him self questions like “what if…” thus ensuring he/ she do not look only at the positive and negative side but also at the possibilities and alternatives of issue (Lingard & Rowlinson, pp. 156-89). He/ she should also ensure that he/ she has alternative for every decision that is made concerning the health and safety of the workers. This is important because it eliminates the possibilities of failures in programs and training in Occupational Health and Safety as there are set solutions for any problem that may arise.

Occupational Health and Occupational Safety are two important issues that should be addressed in all organizations and firms. Occupational Health and Safety leaders should ensure that the workplace is suitable for workers to work on. This means that the workplace has the required conditions to guarantee safety of the workers. Moreover, an organization should ensure that safety to the community is adhered to, i.e. ensure that the surrounding communities’ health is not endangered by the activities of the firm/ organization. For an organization to achieve this, leader must have the required quality so as to deriver the best and reorient people in achieving the set occupational health and safety goals. These leadership qualities assist the leader lead the workers and other leaders in achieving the occupational health and safety goals. Furthermore, training offered to the worker during occupational health and safety workshop and training programs help the worker realize their role in ensuring safety and avoiding occupational diseases.

Reese, Charles. Occupational health and safety management: a practical approach . New York: CRC Press, 2003.
Lingard, Helen & Rowlinson, Stephen. Occupational health and safety in construction Project management . Cambridge: Taylor & Francis, 2005.
Dudley, Curry. Management accounting, second Canadian Edition. Canada: Prentice Hall, 1996.
Chicago (A-D)
Chicago (N-B)

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What Is Occupational Health and Safety?

Regulations
Specialty Careers

Occupational health and safety is the area of public health that focuses on illness and injury trends in the workplace. Experts in the field use this knowledge to develop and implement strategies and regulations aimed at limiting hazards that could lead to physical or mental harm now or in the future.

The scope of occupational health and safety is broad, encompassing disciplines from hazardous materials and the spread of disease to ergonomics and violence prevention. Today, most employers—both private and public—have a legal responsibility to establish and maintain a safe and healthy environment for their workers.

There are a few exceptions; for example, these rules do not protect people who are self-employed or farm workers who are immediate family members of the farm owner.

This article defines the field of occupational health and safety, gives a brief history, looks at regulations and ongoing issues, and discusses career opportunities in the field of occupational health and safety.

Workplace Safety: Then and Now

Working conditions for the average American have improved over the last 150 years. In recent decades, major, economy-altering safety legislation has been passed, along with lesser regulations.

While there's still work to be done, things like dangerous machinery, dimly lit offices, and poorly ventilated factories have been eliminated because of the work of occupational health and safety experts.

Efforts that started with a focus on manual labor jobs, such as factory workers, now involve all occupations in the United States. The field continues to grow and adapt.

Post-Civil-War Era

The problem of workplace hazards became apparent after the Civil War. Factories operating across the U.S. were often staffed by young, highly inexperienced workers and were dangerous places to work.

These factories were equipped with dangerous machinery, and they were dirty and poorly ventilated.

Many factory owners refused to open windows because the wind could disrupt their materials. That left workers breathing in chemical fumes, dust, and other particulate matter.

Awareness Grows

Stories compiled in an 1873 report by the state of Massachusetts’ Bureau of Labor detailed many incidents where workers lost limbs or were killed due to inadequate equipment and physically demanding tasks.

In response, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to require factory inspections that included verifying that facilities had safety features such as fire exits in place. Other states quickly followed suit.

By 1890, 21 states had some kind of law limiting health hazards in the workplace.

Avoiding Regulations

While those early efforts were a step in the right direction, they were often a confusing assortment of laws and regulations. Rules differed from state to state and weren’t always enforced. That led to the movement of businesses from state to state.

States with more relaxed policies attracted businesses away from stricter states, and a push was made to scale back regulations. A back-and-forth progression began as the public demanded stricter laws and businesses fought to loosen them.

Federal Law

In December of 1970, then-President Richard Nixon signed into law the Occupational Safety and Health Act . This was the first far-reaching federal law to protect American workers.

The law gave the U.S. government authority to write and enforce safety and health standards for nearly all of the country's workforce. Shortly after, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) were established to oversee the implementation of the new law.

Improvements and additions to state and federal laws have been passed in the years since they were enacted, expanding the role of occupational health and safety professionals and going further to ensure safe workspaces for all.

Professionals That Help Keep You Safe on the Job

Many careers exist within the field of occupational health and safety, both in government agencies and private companies. A variety of degrees and certifications are available for people interested in the field.

This list of jobs in occupational health offers a look at how nuanced the field is and all the measures that are taken to keep workplaces safe:

Safety specialist : Expert in government regulations; helps organizations create a safe environment; may create or run safety education programs
Safety technician : Assists safety specialists; collects and analyzes data; evaluates potential hazards; conducts tests to determine better safety practices
Safety trainer : Creates and runs training programs that help employees maintain a safe workplace; may specialize in mitigating workplace risks for a specific industry
Safety manager : Oversees workplace safety for a company; implements and monitors safety standards based on local and federal guidelines; runs safety drills and education programs
Safety engineer : Develops technology aimed at improving workplace safety; or develops products that are safe for customers or employees to use
Construction inspector : Ensures new construction follows local and federal building codes and other regulations
Intelligence analyst : Gathers and analyzes data and evidence regarding the safety of an organization and/or its clients; develops safety practices for an organization; may specialize in an area like cybersecurity or industrial safety
Safety coordinator : Develops and monitors health and safety standards for a company; ensures adherence to local and federal guidelines
Injury prevention specialist : Minimizes risk of accidents and injuries for a company; evaluates potential hazards and works with management to come up with solutions
Environmental protection agent : Identifies possible contributions to pollution or climate change; develops environmentally friendly alternatives or fixes
Occupational health nurse : Diagnoses and treats health issues for a group or organization; may specialize in the unique hazards of a particular industry; implements programs to improve employee health and safety
Fire inspector : Identifies potential hazards that could lead to a fire or explosion; ensures adherence to fire codes; typically works for government agencies but may also be employed in the private sector
Well-being manager : Creates and runs programs to support workers' physical and mental health
Industrial hygienist : Anticipates and tries to prevent workplace hazards; has specialized knowledge of biological and physical materials that could cause health or safety problems; implements strategies to minimize risks

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the creation of at least one new workplace health and safety job. Because social distancing was often not possible on professional film, video, and photography shoots, COVID-19 compliance officers were created to help people stay as safe as possible.

How Occupational Health Measures Impact You

Over the past 200 years, regulations have meant continuous, steady drops in accident and fatality rates across most industries in the United States.

Though little data exists on pre-OSHA workplace safety, it's estimated that the number of workplace fatalities since regulations were put in place has decreased by more than 65%. That's despite dramatic increases in the country's workforce.

This doesn't mean that workplace health and safety is no longer an issue, though. Nearly three million people still suffer some kind of serious work-related injury or illness every year in the U.S. Millions more are exposed to environmental health hazards that could cause issues years later.

This only enforces the important and continued role of occupational health and safety professionals.

You can request a representative of OSHA inspect your workplace to determine if there are any safety violations. A worker or someone who represents them can make this request or file a complaint about a working environment.

Employee Benefits

Workers benefit greatly from occupational health and safety measures. For example, due to regulations being in place:

Inspection and oversight regimens help identify unsafe conditions.
Modern data-driven workplace safety programs proactively identify risks and help employers tackle the underlying conditions that put workers in danger in the first place.
Legal recourse is available against negligent or unsafe employers. If you get injured on the job, you won’t go bankrupt thanks to workers’ compensation.

You can learn about all of your rights regarding your work environment by reading OSHA's Workers' Rights Guide .

Employer Benefits

While such regulations can pose a burden to businesses, employers can benefit from them as well.

Injuries and illnesses can lead to lost productivity, higher turnover, and more expensive employer-subsidized health insurance premiums . Regulations provide a data-drive framework of steps that can help an employer avoid these issues.

It has even become common for larger employers to establish workplace health and safety programs that go beyond what's legally required.

Workers' Comp Claims

Workers' compensation claims total more than a billion dollars a week. That doesn’t even account for the loss of wages and other indirect expenses, such as decreased productivity and the psychological toll of experiencing or caring for someone with an injury.

Types of Occupational Health Issues

The issues studied and regulated by occupational health and safety experts today vary widely by occupation.

For example, physical threats like tall heights and heavy machinery might be of greater concern to construction workers, whereas mental health and repetitive stress injuries might be the focus of office environments.

Despite massive improvements to workplace standards, there are a number of safety and health concerns in America's workforce where much work can be done.

Physical Hazards

Employers are legally obligated under federal law to ensure that work environments are free from physical hazards, or conditions that can cause physical harm to a person without any type of contact.

Heat illness : According to OSHA, dozens of workers die every year from working in extreme heat or humid conditions, and thousands more become ill. The largest proportion of these instances occur in the construction industry, but it can happen to anyone working in an environment that isn't properly climate controlled. Business owners and managers should provide water, rest, and shade to all employees—especially when the heat index is 91 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.
Radiation: Employers are obligated to protect employees from both ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. Some examples of non-ionizing radiation include microwaves and radiowaves. Examples of ionizing radiation include X-ray machines and computed tomography (CT) equipment.
Sunlight/UV exposure: Workers who spend a lot of time in the sun should be equipped with eyewear and sunscreen to protect them from exposure to harmful ultraviolet rays.

Biological Hazards

Biological hazards may be encountered whenever people work with animals, certain hazardous plants, or people, especially in medical settings. Workers who are likely to come into contact with biological hazards should be equipped with appropriate safety gear such as surgical gloves and masks.

Biological hazards include things like:

Bodily fluids: This includes blood, vomit, and diarrhea.
Pathogens: This includes microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
Mold: Mold can cause respiratory problems, especially in sensitive individuals.
Plants: Certain kinds of outdoor work may expose workers to hazardous plants such as poison ivy, poison oak, devil's club, and stinging nettle.
Biting insects: Biting insects include mosquitoes, venomous spiders, and ticks. Ticks and mosquitoes can spread chronic diseases such as Lyme disease and zika virus .
Animals: Certain workers may also be exposed to venomous snakes such as rattlesnakes or disease-carrying animals such as rodents and bats. Even domestic animals like dogs can pose a potential safety hazard.
Animal feces: Animal feces can spread viruses, bacteria, and parasites.

Chemical Hazards

Chemical hazards include liquid, gas, and solid chemicals that can cause skin irritation, illness, or breathing problems. Workers using these chemicals should wear safety gear including protection for the eyes and respirators. Examples of chemical hazards include:

Liquids: Paints and solvents, cleaning products, and pesticides can cause contact injury. Long-term exposure to certain chemicals can cause chronic illnesses such as cancer.
Gases and fumes: This includes gases such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide and vapors/fumes that are produced during activities like welding or using paints and solvents.
Flammable substances: Substances like gasoline, liquefied petroleum gas, and paints and lacquers may catch fire or cause explosions.
Dust hazards: Sawing and sanding can expose workers to dust, which can irritate the lungs and cause breathing problems. Some types of dust like silica and asbestos can be extremely hazardous and can cause long-term health problems.

Ergonomic Hazards

Poor posture : Many U.S. workers work almost exclusively on computers. Incorrect posture while using electronic devices (both on and off the clock) and workstations that are incorrectly adjusted can contribute to long-term pain, lost productivity, and medical costs.
Repetitive stress: Repetitive activities such as typing, warehousing, and factory work can cause repetitive stress injuries such as eye strain and carpal tunnel syndrome .

Many employers find that investing in ergonomics actually has a positive return on investment once lost productivity and employer medical costs are considered.

Safety Hazards

Safety hazards include anything in the environment that can cause injury, such as spills and other tripping hazards or tasks that require ladders or scaffolds.

Machinery: Machinery that isn't equipped with safety features such as guards can cause catastrophic injury. Even well-maintained equipment can pose a safety hazard when operated by untrained or distracted employees.
Electrical hazards: Frayed and otherwise damaged electrical cords and wiring that is incorrectly installed can create a shock hazard.
Falls: Hundreds of workers in the United States die from falls incurred on the job each year. While these incidents are almost entirely preventable, falls are the leading cause of fatalities among construction workers.

For many builders, working from tall heights is unavoidable, but with proper safety precautions, deaths and injuries can be avoided. These precautions should start before the work even begins during the earliest part of the planning stages.

Employers should include the cost of safety equipment, like harnesses, scaffolds, and fall arrest systems, in the project's work estimate, so that every worker has access to and is trained to use the equipment they need.

Non-Fatal Injuries

Many people envision workplace safety primarily in terms of traditionally risky industries like construction, deep-sea fishing, or logging. Indeed, these sectors experience some of the highest fatal accident numbers for U.S. workers.

However, non-fatal injuries and illnesses tell a significantly different story. These injuries can result in significant losses to productivity, as more than half result in days away from work. There is also the added burden of treatment costs and human pain.

Sedentary Behavior

As the workforce has moved from manual labor to desk jobs, the U.S. population has become increasingly sedentary. Office workers often sit for hours at a time during work hours and during their daily commute and leisure time.

A sedentary lifestyle can have major consequences for your health, including increasing your risk for obesity, blood clots, and death.

Only 46.9% of American adults get the recommended amount of aerobic physical activity and only 24.2% get both enough aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity each week. Even that, however, might not be sufficient to lessen the health impacts of long-term desk work.

One study found that those who sat for a cumulative 12.5 hours per day were more likely to die from all causes than those who were more active, moving around at least every 30 minutes.

This was the case regardless of whether individuals worked out regularly. Sitting for too long too often can have devastating consequences over time.

Occupational health and safety is the field of assessing workplace safety and preventing on-the-job accidents.

Workplace safety laws and regulations have come a long way since the Civil War, but there is still work to be done to ensure safety across workplaces of all types.

Some of the hazards workers commonly encounter include exposure to extreme conditions, biological and chemical hazards, repetitive stress, and safety hazards. Accidents in the workplace can often be avoided by equipping employees with safety gear and making sure workplaces are free from unnecessary hazards.

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By Robyn Correll, MPH Correll holds a master of public health degree and has over a decade of experience working in the prevention of infectious diseases.

Toolbox Talks

Understanding Occupational Health And Safety (OHS): What You Need to Know to Keep Yourself and Your Employees Healthy

by Afnan Tajuddin

Table of Contents

What is Occupational Health?

Occupational health is concerned with promoting and maintaining the highest level of physical, mental, and social well-being of workers in all occupations.

The occupational health and safety (OHS) is a term that has been used for many years to describe the work-related health and safety. OHS is the set of policies, processes, and practices that are designed to protect workers from occupational hazards.

Occupational health and safety is a way to protect the health of employees. It is a responsibility that every employer has towards their employees. Employers are required by law to provide a safe workplace for their employees.

Therefore, this duty lies with the organization to provide for as well as look after employee’s health and well-being, whether it regards physical or mental health. In most cases, the mental health side is neglected, and employers should address it by providing and conducting Mental Health First Aid Training .

The International Labour Office , together with the World Health Organization Committee, defined the subject in 1950 as:

“The promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations; the prevention amongst 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; in short, the adaptation of work to man and of each man to his job”

The ILO Occupational Health Services Convention C161 further defines occupational health services as:

“Services entrusted with essentially preventive functions and responsible for advising the employer, the workers and their representatives in the undertaking on:

(i) the requirements for establishing and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment which will facilitate optimal physical and mental health in relation to work;

(ii) the adaptation of work to the capabilities of workers in the light of their state of physical and mental health.”

Key Information:

The type of occupational health service an employer provides depends on the risk profile of the workplace, specific legal requirements, and available resources.
An occupational health service includes the services of physicians, nurses, technicians, and hygienists, as well as specialists in specific areas, such as audiometrists.
Typical services provided by the occupational health include pre-employment screening, health surveillance, return-to-work rehabilitation programmes, sick leave management, counselling, risk assessment (general and personal), health education and promotion campaigns, treatment services, and administration of first aid and immunisation programmes.
There are minimum standards for the qualification and registration of occupational health physicians and nurses, as well as specialists such as audiometricians.
General health assessment evaluates a person’s fitness to perform general or specific job-related tasks.
Health surveillance involves monitoring a person’s health to ensure that he or she is fit for a job that exposes him or her to a specific type of health hazard and to track his or her health over time while working with that hazard.
Following health surveillance, health records must be maintained. These records contain personal information about the individual and his or her work, and may include a physician’s conclusions after a test or evaluation. These records generally must be kept for as long as the worker in question is under health surveillance; national regulations may specify a specific period
Occupational health services often collect data on illness and absenteeism to develop occupational health strategies and goals.

Major areas of occupational health & Safety (OHS)

In general, occupational health and safety refers to the prevention of work-related injuries and illnesses. It includes efforts to identify and eliminate hazards in the workplace, to train employees in safe practices, and to provide medical and other support when injuries or illnesses occur.

Some of the major areas of occupational health and safety include:

Hazard identification and assessment
Hazard control and prevention
First aid and CPR
Work-related injury and illness prevention
Work-related safety and health management
Occupational health and safety training

What are the hazards / Risks of occupational health

There are many risks associated with occupational health and safety. Some of these risks include exposure to hazardous materials, repetitive motion injuries, and slips, trips and falls etc.

Exposure to hazardous materials: Exposure to hazardous materials can occur when working with or around chemicals, fumes, dusts or other harmful substances. This exposure can lead to serious health problems, including respiratory illnesses, skin diseases and cancer.
Repetitive motion injuries: Repetitive motion injuries can occur when workers perform the same task over and over again. These injuries can cause pain, numbness, tingling and weakness in the affected body part.
Slips, trips and falls: Slips, trips and falls are another common type of occupational injury. These accidents can occur due to wet floors, cluttered work areas or loose carpeting. Workers who suffer a slip, trip or fall can sustain serious injuries, such as broken bones or concussions.
Manual handling : Lifting or carrying heavy objects can lead to back injuries if not done properly.
Musculoskeletal disorders: These can be caused by sitting or standing in the same position for long periods of time.
Eye strain: This can be caused by looking at a computer screen for long periods of time.
Any many more

The Importance and benefits of Occupational Health & Safety (OHS)

Occupational health and safety (OSH) is a way to protect workers from harm while they are performing their job. The benefits of occupational health and safety are numerous and include reducing millions of injuries each year, protecting workers from serious injury, and improving workplace productivity. There are a number of different benefits to consider when designing and implementing an occupational health and safety program, including:

Reducing injuries

Occupational health and safety can help to reduce the number of injuries caused by the workplace. By understanding the types of injuries and how to prevent them, employers can create an environment that is conducive to safe work.

Improved Employee Safety

An effective OSH program can also improve employee safety By teaching employees how to safely perform their jobs, companies can reduce the risk of injuries and accidents.

Reduced Costs

An effective OSH program can also reduce costs. By preventing injuries and accidents, businesses can avoid expensive damage and repairs.

Improved Productivity

An effective OSH program can also improve productivity. By helping to prevent accidents, workers can stay on the job longer and produce more products.

However, there are some general benefits that may arise from using a service, such as: Compliance with national health and safety and equal opportunities legislation.

Reduction in absenteeism and the number of days lost due to sickness and associated costs.
Improved management of rehabilitation and returnto-work processes.
Early detection of work-related health hazards, enabling better identification, assessment and control.
Improved management of work-related illnesses, enabling earlier and better treatment and consequently better recovery and minimisation of illness duration.
Reduction in compensation claims for work-related ill health.
Better pre-employment screening to match personal characteristics with job requirements.
Improved morale.

How is occupational health & Safety (OHS) measured

Occupational health & Safety (OHS) is measured in a variety of ways, depending on the specific needs of the occupation and the research available. In general, occupational health metrics can include:

Absenteeism rates
Injuries and illnesses
Death rates
Complaints and grievances
Hazardous materials exposures

Each of these metrics can provide a unique perspective on the health and safety of workers in an occupation.

Types of Occupational Health Service

Occupational health services can be categorised as:

A full occupational health service staffed by a full-time doctor with a supporting nurses (who may work on a shift basis). A workplace health centre may also offer specialised treatments. This type of service may be found in a large company if the company’s risk profile requires comprehensive care or if the company can afford to offer such care as an employment benefit.
An occupational health service staffed by one or more occupational health nurses (perhaps on shift duty) with regular visits by a doctor and clinics (perhaps weekly). The doctor combines his duties with other activities (e.g. GP or other occupational health activities). This type of service could be found in a smaller organisation or a large organisation that does not have a risk profile that requires comprehensive care.
An outsourced occupational health service provided by a private provider of occupational health services. This could include weekly visits by an occupational health professional and/or doctor, or the provision of advice and services on request. This type of service could be used by a small to medium sized employer with a low risk profile.

The nature of the service, the composition of the staff providing the service and their functions must be determined by the employer. Some of the specialised functions of an occupational health service are described below:

Occupational Health Physician
Occupational Health Nurse
Occupational Health Technician
Occupational Hygienist

Functions of an Occupational Health Service

Work environment monitoring – based on the information from the orientation exercise, a walk-through of the workplace is conducted together with interviews with staff. Surveillance and spot checks will be carried out if necessary.
Informing employers, management and workers about work-related health hazards – communication with those responsible for implementing prevention and control measures and those affected.
Health risk assessment – information obtained during surveillance and from other sources, such as exposure limit values, epidemiological information and exposure data, should be taken into account to identify the potential risks to workers.
Worker health surveillance – this includes pre-employment and periodic health examinations, return-to-work examinations after absence, and health examinations when leaving the enterprise.
Prevention and control initiatives – this includes the use of a team to develop effective controls to reduce the risk of illness.
First aid services and emergency preparedness – although first aid treatment is traditionally the responsibility of an occupational health service, it can also be provided in cooperation with workers.
Occupational health care, general preventive and curative services – this section covers the provision of diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitation services to workers affected by work-related injuries or diseases.
Adapting the work to the worker – it may be possible to modify the workplace, equipment and working environment so that the worker can do their job more effectively and with less risk of injury.
Information, education and training – occupational health services should provide relevant information, education and training to workers.
Health promotion activities – these can be integrated into the tasks of occupational health services to improve workers’ health.
Data collection and retention – data on all activities must be properly and securely stored and retained.

Develop and Implement an Alcohol/Drugs Policy

A written policy should be developed in collaboration with the workforce. Consultation with medical personnel is also recommended. This may be part of the company’s health and safety policy or a separate document. The fundamental elements are a statement of goals and objectives, responsibilities (who does what), and a description of the arrangements (the rules). Measures to reduce alcohol/drug-related problems could include:

Alcohol and drug use are prohibited or restricted on the property (for example, alcohol cannot be brought onto the property). Alternative soft drinks are also made accessible.
Improved conditions at work (poor conditions can contribute to such problems).
Proper administration and monitoring (not promoting actions that encourage drug or alcohol abuse).
Education programmes (information, education, training), which include:
Outlining the effects of alcohol and other drugs on health.
Training for managers and supervisors in the detection, counselling, and confidential referral of people with alcohol and drug problems.
Rules to be obeyed and penalties for breaking them.
Identification, evaluation, and referral of people with alcohol and drug problems. Individuals may also be subjected to drug and/or alcohol testing, especially in industries that require a high level of safety. This topic needs to be handled gently because it is an emotional one with implications for moral, legal, and ethical behaviour.
Rules guiding behaviour and punitive actions for breaking them (including dismissal). Employees who engage in drug or alcohol

10 Tips to maintain occupational health & Safety (OHS) at Work Site

The following are 10 tips that can be taken to maintain occupational health & Safety (OHS):

Have a written safety & Alcohol/Drug
Recognize the hazards of your work.
Identify and correct risks.
Plan and implement safe work practices.
Make sure your workplace is safe and free from hazards.
Maintain records of occupational health and safety incidents.
System for reporting safety risks to the supervisor and a rewards programme for reporters
Train employees.
Make sure employees are informed about their health and safety rights.
Encourage employees to take safety precautions, such as wearing safety gear and using safety equipment etc.

OSHA Standards to Protect Against Occupational Hazards

The Occupational Safety and Health Act ( OSHA ) provides guidelines on how employers should maintain a safe work environment. The Act defines safety standards that must be met in order to prevent injuries or illnesses among workers.

There are many OSHA standards in place to protect workers against occupational hazards. Some of these standards are specific to certain industries, while others are more general. Here are a few examples of OSHA standards that help protect workers:

OSHA Standard 1910.134: This standard requires employers to provide their employees with respiratory protection if they are exposed to airborne hazards.
OSHA Standard 1926.451: This standard establishes requirements for scaffolding, which is often used in construction and other industries.
OSHA Standard 1910.1020: This standard requires employers to maintain records of hazardous chemicals in the workplace.
OSHA Standard 1915.1000: This standard covers the use of lasers in the workplace.

These are just a few examples of the many OSHA standards in place to protect workers. For more information, visit the OSHA website .

Occupational Health Resources for Employers

As an employer, it is important to be aware of the many occupational health resources that are available to help you keep your employees safe and healthy. Here are some of the most important occupational health resources for employers:

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the federal agency responsible for ensuring safe and healthful working conditions for employees. Employers can find a wealth of information on OSHA’s website, including resources on how to prevent and respond to workplace hazards.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is a research agency that provides employers with information and resources on how to create a safe and healthful workplace.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a federal agency that protects public health and promotes human well-being by providing leadership and direction for disease control and prevention. The CDC website includes resources on a variety of occupational health topics, including workplace safety and health.
Professional organizations such as the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) and the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) offer resources on occupational health and safety.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to a worker’s safety. Occupational health and safety should be taken seriously and each company should have a plan tailored to their unique needs. If your company does not have an OHS plan in place, this could lead to a catastrophic event for your employees, customers and the company as a whole.

This article has given you just some of the many occupational health and safety topics that you should be considering in order to protect your business and employees. Remember, that with better planning and education, you can come up with a more comprehensive plan for your

Essay: Health and safety in the workplace

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Accidents and mishaps are unforeseen circumstances that can affect individuals and groups at any time and in any place. Most accidents are preventable, but the carelessness or negligence of the involved individuals leads to major injuries and grievances. Accidents can also occur in the workplace and seriously affect the ability and health of the involved workers.

The objectives of this essay to discuss the safety and wellbeing of all workers are necessary for the organization not only for consistent productivity but also due to regulatory requirements. Workers and human resources are the necessary components of all organizations due to their role in the effective accomplishment of objectives. Corporations cannot achieve long-term success and sustainable growth in the absence of motivated, safe, healthy, and effective workers. The health and safety of all workers are necessary to ensure the enhancement of productivity and efficiency at all levels and areas. Lack of safety measures can create havoc for the organization and negatively affect the working criterion of an organization. The management has to devise and implement effective safety procedures to reduce hazards and prevent accidents in the workplace. The can motivate the employees through this perspective as employees admire working in organizations that prefer safe working conditions. Employees believe that safer working conditions enhance their ability work because they do not feel scared in troublesome situations. The management should coordinate with all the related stakeholders when they devise policies about safety at workplace, as this would enhance a positive change in an organization. Different legislations also depict that organizations should focus on these perspectives and they should attain self-sufficiency in providing workplace safety.

Introduction

Corporations in the current era focus on the development of employees and they believed in the ideology of benefiting employees through different approaches. Safety at the work force is an important aspect that many organizations of today’s world disregard. Many people face mishaps and accidents in various situations especially due to negligence, recklessness, and carelessness. Many accidents and serious injuries are avoidable and preventable by taking effective safety measures and reducing hazards. For example, drivers and passengers can avoid serious injuries and death by wearing seatbelts while traveling in cars. However, many people fail to realize the importance of seatbelts and face a variety of consequences in the event of an accident. Mishaps and accidents are unforeseen occurrences that can lead to several adverse consequences in the absence of effective safety measures and precautions. Accidents, disasters, and mishaps can also occur in the workplace and affect several employees in the absence of precautions and safety procedures. Certain mediocre organizations do not regard this aspect as important and they do not focus on safety at the workplace. The owners and management of the organization need to implement rules, regulations, procedures, and systems relevant to safety and health. The management also needs to ensure that all workers have ample knowledge and information regarding safety procedures, prevention of accidents, and safe working practices.

Human resources

Human resources are one of the most important assets of the organization with respect to success and growth. The success and growth of the organization depend on the effectiveness and efficiency of the human resources. However, the inefficiencies in human resources caused by any circumstances, occurrences, and events can hinder the accomplishments of the organization. Organizations take all necessary measures to ensure the productivity of all workers and employees to maximize profits and achieve organizational objectives (Blair, 2013). The wellbeing, safety, and health of all employees are among the highest priorities of all organizations. Organizations cannot take risk for their respective employees because an occurrence of a negative event would tarnish the credibility of an organization. Safe and healthy workers are more productive as compared to injured or sick employees. Employees that cannot work in safe conditions feel suffocated because of the risks associated with their respective work. Risks and hazards associated with a specific job or organization adversely affect the morale and motivation level of employees. The unsafe or hazardous working conditions have several long-term psychological and physiological consequences for the workers and the organizations. When a negative event occurs in an organization, it sets up the mindset of an employee. Employees would feel that this event would occur again and this would create hurdles in their effective working process. Organizations need to create a safe and healthy working environment for all workers to ensure high levels of motivation and enhancement in efficiency (Stricoff & Groover, 2012).

Safety at Workplace

Workplace safety refers to the prevention of illness, injury, and hazards in the workplace for all employees. Workplace safety involves the creation of a safe and healthy environment for all workers to evade hazards, injuries, and illnesses. Organizations can ensure the efficiency of all workers and circumvent a considerable amount of costs by ensuring workplace safety and health. Organizations develop different strategies through which they set up different work place safety policies and benefit the workers through this. Workplace injuries and illnesses lead to compensation benefits, health insurance costs, hiring temporary replacements, lost work hours, and lawsuits. Lack of concentration would cost severe damage to an organization and they should sort such issues in order to attain proactive benefits. Business can save a considerable amount of costs by creating and maintaining a safe and healthy environment for all workers. Safeguarding the interests and wellbeing of the employees allows organizations to circumvent costs relevant to injuries and illnesses (Legg, Laird, Olsen, & Hasle, 2014). On the other hand, workplace safety instills a sense of commitment and dedication among the employees due to the safety assurance of the organization. The morale and motivation of the workers increase due to the implementation of rules that safeguard the health and interest of the employees. Employees feel that they are safe to work in this place, and through this perspective, they would perform well.

Purpose of Workplace safety

The primary objective of safety in the workplace is to create a safe, healthy, and risk-free environment for all workers. Workplace safety involves the evaluation, analysis, prevention, and elimination of hazardous and dangerous elements from the workplace. Workplace safety programs evaluate and remove the risks and hazards relevant to the safety, well-being, and health of workers and other relevant individuals. Organizations develop health and safety standards due to several reasons including laws, regulatory requirements, organizational policies, and historical occurrences. Certain industries and their associations bind organizations to work for the benefit of their employees and they force organizations to focus on different safety related perspectives. Workplace injuries and illnesses caused by working conditions or environment can lead to lawsuits, high costs, and deterioration of the corporate image. There are instances when employees at times die because of sever working conditions. Employees might got injured because of certain safety and the lack of safety would be the only probable reason of this. Enhanced safety measures and appropriate quality of these measures can reduce this perspective to a considerable level.

Safety at the workplace enables organizations to comply with regulatory requirements and prevent high costs resulting from injuries and illnesses. Several corporations can consider the fact that these safety measures would save their health and medicinal costs that would arise when an employees would hurt him. They should take proactive measures earlier through which people can benefit from these perspectives. The management can maintain high levels of productivity and efficiency by creating a safe and healthy working environment. Conversely, the employees work with dedication due to their perceptions regarding the commitment of the organization with respect to the wellbeing of the workers.

Importance of safety at workplace

Legislative and legal requirements are the most prominent cause of health and safety policies in most organizations. The Occupational and Safety Health Act is the primary law for the assurance of health and safety of all workers throughout the United States. The Occupational and Safety Health Act (OSHA) necessitates the dissemination of standards, rules, and regulations relevant to the safety and health of workers. The government establishes and enforces the standards for the safety and health of all workers and their families through the Act. All public and private organizations have to comply with the rules, regulations, and standards prescribed in OSHA (Jung & Makowsky, 2014). They would face legal complications if they do not comply with such policies and measures taken by the decision makers. However, many organizations develop and implement health and safety procedures to safeguard their interests relevant to organizational objectives rather than legal requirements. The financial and moral aspects of workers’ health and safety have a greater influence as compared to regulatory compliance. Corporations can save considerable costs by avoiding high insurance expenses, lawsuits, and employee replacement costs in the event of injuries and illnesses (Barling & Frone, 2003).

Manpower and Management

The primary objective of all managers is to enhance and promote productivity and efficiency in all areas and functions. However, the managers cannot uphold efficiency and effectiveness in the absence of a safe workplace. The managers need to create a safe working environment and increase the awareness and knowledge of all employees with respect to safe working practices. The employees and workers also need to understand the importance of workplace safety and reduce personal injury through attentiveness and removal of hazards. These safety hazards are negative for the effectiveness of organizations and create a long-term negative impact. The attitude of the employees, management, and employers plays a vital role in preventing accidents and creating a safe working environment. The negligence on the part of the employers and employees can cause a variety of hazards and accidents (Rahim, Ng, Biggs, & Boots, 2014). However, the diligence and commitment of all stakeholders regarding safe work practices leads to the prevention of major accidents and injuries. The employees and management can create a safe workplace through a shared responsibility model for workplace safety and cooperation. Organizations should own this perspective and they should realize the fact that it is their managerial responsibility to focus on this perspective so that employees can remain safe.

Conclusively, a safety plan is necessary and it comprises of certain steps that would develop a safer workplace. Organizations should make sure that everyone else in the workplace is aware of the core problem. People should notify their respective supervisors and they should file any reports if there is a problem. An important aspect is that people should realize that there is a problem as sitting back and holding the problem for a long time would not solve the problem.

Barling, J., & Frone, M. (2003). The Psychology of Workplace Safety. New Jersey: Amer Psychological Assn. Blair, E. H. (2013). Building safety culture. Professional Safety , 58 (11), 59-65. Cobb, E. (2013). Bullying, Violence, Harassment, Discrimination and Stress: Emerging Workplace Health and Safety Issues. New Jersey: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Jung, J., & Makowsky, M. D. (2014). The determinants of federal and state enforcement of workplace safety regulations: OSHA inspections 1990’2010. Journal of Regulatory Economics , 45 (1), 1-33. Legg, S., Laird, I., Olsen, K., & Hasle, P. (2014). Creating healthy work in small enterprises – from understanding to action: Summary of current knowledge. Small Enterprise Research , 21 (2), 139-147. Mathis, T., & Galloway, S. (2013). Steps to Safety Culture Excellence. New Jersey: Wiley. Rahim, A. N., Ng, H. K., Biggs, D., & Boots, K. (2014). Perceptions of safety, physical working conditions and stress between Malaysia and United Kingdom. International Journal of Business & Society , 15 (2), 321-338. Stricoff, R., & Groover, D. (2012). The Manager’s Guide to Workplace Safety. New York : Safety in Action Press.

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Occupational Safety And Health Essays Example

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Disaster , Accident , Perspective , Human , Safety , Trauma , Disabilities , Workplace

Words: 1800

Published: 03/02/2020

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Introduction

Occupational health safety is a concept that cannot escape the attention of any workplace safety and the welfare of the employee in the work environment. There are several causes and things that can be attributed to be the main contributors of incident causation at the workstations of human beings. Empirical data and research studies have shown and established some of the major lines of actions of actions and thought that might lead to the happening of accidents in workplaces. In principle, there are models and/or perspectives which inform this line of thought and reasoning. There are two major models which give meaning to occupational injuries. First, is the organizational error, which implies by extension that the whole work unit has some loopholes and operational deficiency, which, if left unchecked could lead to injuries or fatalities at the place of work. Maybe there are certain lee ways and substandard procedures and/or non-compliance to the set rules of safety.

Comparatively, there are ACC workplace safety procedures which can be helpful to gauge and correct the problem if need be.

ACC workplace safety guidelines include - Hazard identification and management approaches - Incident investigation, so that care is given to avoid future likelihood - Training and supervision of the workers on safety protocols - Employee participation to et the feedback and response from them on what ought to be done - Emergency readiness, how to act in the event of an accident to minimize damage to the victim - Injury management - Organization, or contract management (Janicak, 2007, p. 121). Organization accident and laxity cannot be excused, and in most cases it means that the victim of the accident or injury was harmed by circumstances beyond his or her control. It may also include the involvement of a defective technological system or a broken down or inferior state of technology Secondly, is the human error model, which means that the accident or injury could have been caused by personal error of the victim or mistakes by another person in the work station. In most cases the accident or the injuries are affected or caused by circumstances that were well within the reach and perfect control of the victim, colleagues or seniors. The victim could be blamed because maybe he or she failed to adhere to standard safety procedures or failed to question a routine or procedure that had no proper safety protocols.

Analytical perspectives

-The consequence perspective,

The cause or origin perspective

-The action perspective Causative perspective focuses and seeks to explain and comprehend the underlying dangers that the workers at that particular workstation are exposed to. This notion seeks to analyze the occupational hygiene, psychological awareness and preparedness, sociological factors such as the human relation between the workers in a particular workstation. By and large, it implies that, what are the chances that a person can risk or expose another to risk or occupational hazards. For instance in the construction industry and business, this model and perspective seeks to single-out the possible loopholes within the organizational structure and setting of the workplace and how those structures may be risky for the workers there (International, 2009). Action perspective is concerned with the decision making process and the judgement call that the individual worker makes during the dangerous or risky situations and conditions. This perspective brings on board the technical expertise of the company and the technical situational awareness of the individual worker. Borrowing from the case study provided where the employee falls from fourteen meters high up the ground. In this perspective it does analyze the judgement call that Raymond made given the technical circumstances which were present at his disposal at that particular point in time (Vilkman, 2004, p. 89).

Diagrammatic steps in analyzing what happened during the accident using the ACC work safe injury model

The Work Safe Injury Model There are fundamental differences in the model of accident analysis as discussed below, where the organizational accident/human error model examines the chronology of events using the three analytical perspectives. As shown below; organizational accident/human error (Chaturvedi, 2007, p. 67).

Steps in analyzing accident using the organizational accident/human error mode

Raymond admits that there was a missing steel frame from the floor in which he was on. On the second question he admits that he was not familiar and fully conversant with the job and duty that was assigned to him by his supervisor that on that ill-fated day. From this simple admission it shows, human error on the part of the supervisor to allow an inexperienced person or worker to handle such enormous task which required skill and tact. The third question invites an equally interesting and disturbing response from Raymond the victim of the injury. Where on earth do people learn how to control cranes with through “trial and error?” Up to this point of the case study, the perspective that is attached to the cause of injury is the cause or origin one. This confirms that there were elements of human error on the supervisor to adopt, such as risky teaching and learning technique. Imagine that Raymond could have lost his life, and then there would be no one to learn from that trial. At least Raymond would not have had the chance to learn from that trial and/or error method employed by the company-construction firm (Rabinowitz, 2008, p. 311). There are some elements of organizational laxity or accident, in that who was the person who checked the work patterns and behaviours of the supervisor? It seems as though the organization presented all confidence in the judgement of the supervisor. This was an instance of organizational accident and laxity and it proved costly to the person of Raymond during the fall. The response to the fifth question is a confirmatory test that there was human error, by the person who was issuing instructions to the victim Raymond and the crane driver. How could he issue instructions to people who were high above him on the fifth floor, while he was on a lower floor? This perspective brings to the fore questions of psychological awareness of the instructor. A clear case of human error and a wrong judgement call on his part On the other hand, there are traces and chances of technical malfunctioning. During filling up of the crane, the system should be automatically interchangeable, and the crane driver ought not to have presented them to him in that manner. The company should have bought standard canes and then trained all the handlers on how to behave in those circumstances. On the contrary, the company left the labourers and the dogman on their whims, to learn through trial and error (Goetsch, 2011). Psychological and sociological awareness, rather the judgement call and decisions that were made by the people at that place of work were also contributory. For instance, the psychological preparedness of Raymond to handle a task on which he was not prepared and ready to handle was a blunder on his part. The poor coordination and reading of signals between the crane driver and the victim of the fall presented a disjointed sociological network between the colleagues. By personal admittance of guilt of the victim Raymond that some of those actions and works that they did on that particular day were not procedural and normal, confirmed that there was lack of standardized routine practice on that particular day and culture by extension. I believe that the models, namely; organizational accidents and human error models run concurrently and collapse into different analytical perspectives. It is evidently clear that human errors are classified and find their meanings with the origin or causation of injuries. For instance the mistake by the crane driver to assume and drive the crane without confirmation from a third party indeed set Raymond in an awkward position. This was an obvious human error on the part of the driver, and consequently a cause for the accident (Schulte, 2007, p. 71).

In the above essay, I have discussed some of the models and major perspectives under which accidents and injuries are caused in the places of work. They can be classified into two major models, namely the organizational accidents and human error, as discussed above. There are three main analytical perspectives used to ascertain the level and type of mistake that might have occurred. However, there is the ACC workplace safety, which ought to be the benchmark of ascertaining the accident or incident. ACC work place safety requires that the workplace in terms of the workers should be adequately prepared to deal with any eventuality. For instance, it is the ability of identifying possible hazardous situations, emergency preparedness, and how to behave thereafter (Taylor, 2006). ACC workplace safety standards also give the worker the necessary information to know his or her rights. This means that the worker can decline work and duties that the worker could perceive to be dangerous or risky. There should be proper routine and culture of work so that nothing is done out of the ordinary which could jeopardize the safety of a person or a worker. It is also important for the worker to undertake the requisite training programs on how to handle some of the machines and procedures involved thereafter. This move would ensure that the workers have the right impetus to and right psychological state to act during the work process.

Janicak, C. A. (2007). Applied statistics in occupational safety and health. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. International Labour Office., & International Labour Conference. (2009). ILO standards on occupational safety and health: Promoting a safe and healthy working environment. Geneva: ILO. Chaturvedi, P., Institution of Engineers (India)., & Quality Council of India. (2007). Occupational safety, health & environment and sustainable economic development: Proceedings of the Safety Convention - 2006. New Delhi, India: Concept Publishing. Rabinowitz, R., Dunham, S. H., & American Bar Association. (2008). Occupational safety and health law. Arlington, VA: BNA Books. Goetsch, D. L. (2011). Occupational Safety and Health for Technologists, Engineers, and. Vilkman, E. (2004). Occupational safety and health aspects of voice and speech professions. Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica, 56(4), 220-253. Taylor, A. K., & Murray, L. R. (2006). Occupational safety and health. Social injustice and public health, 337. Schulte, P. A., Wagner, G. R., Blanciforti, L. A., Cutlip, R. G., Krajnak, K. M., Luster, M., & Ostry, A. (2007). Work, obesity, and occupational safety and health. American journal of public health, 97(3).

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Occupational Health and Safety: Workers Neglect of Precautionary Measures

The issues connected to occupational health within the organizations are extremely significant as the opportunity to work in safe conditions is one of the most important rights of any employee. It is necessary to protect the rights of the employees, and this is why the particular bodies that fulfill this function were established. Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is the committee that provides compensations for the employees who were harmed because of inappropriate work conditions in their companies. The organization is an independent part of the Ministry of Labor capable of rendering the decisions on its own. Nevertheless, both organizations were created to discuss and implement the measures to ensure safety for all the employees and support them in difficult situations. As for my workplace, I am not sure that I know about all the accidents that have happened before. Anyway, all the cases that I have heard about have been reported as my co-workers are quite conscious when it comes to their safety. In the end, the urgent need to meet the requirements of OH&S encourages the management of my company to pay more attention to the equipment that we use and create a safer environment for the employees.

The situation that we have to discuss may become a serious challenge for any plant, and it is very important to define the root of the problem. Who is to blame is the situation when the workers neglect precautionary measures? I am sure that it is the fault of the workers. As it is clear from the question presented, the workers are given access to all the necessary equipment that can protect their ears, eyes, and skin; nevertheless, they continue using this equipment in the wrong way. As for me, a large share of the blame lies with the workers as all the people should think about their safety and take measures to protect themselves. At the same time, the management should also be more careful and encourage the employees to use ways to protect their lives and health. I believe that managers can have the greatest impact on this situation. For example, they can introduce penalty fees at work to urge their employees to observe all safety measures. If solving this problem was one of my responsibilities, I would encourage the management to explain to the workers the possible consequences of their carelessness and illustrate it with the stories of accidents that happened in other companies.

Ways to motivate the employees to work safely

Safety during the working process should be one of the primary values of any company. There are different ways to motivate the employees to work safely, such as educating the leaders and providing the employees with feedback on their ability to manage the risk of serious injuries. If I was supposed to create a work environment motivating the employees to take precautionary measures, I would use many tools to ensure that my work is successful. To begin with, I would apply the method of behavior modification. For instance, I would use special reinforcers to encourage the workers to use protective equipment. In this case, fees could be used to decrease unnecessary behavior. As an additional measure, I would try to provide employees with feedback on their attitudes towards occupational safety. In the end, I am sure that these measures would be effective for the company.

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Published: 25 November 2022

A study on occupational health and safety

Lídia Maria Costa Araújo Magalhães 1 ,
Ketyllem Tayanne da Silva Costa ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0304-2639 2 ,
Gustavo Nepomuceno Capistrano 2 ,
Maryanna Damasceno Leal 3 &
Fábia Barbosa de Andrade 4

BMC Public Health volume 22 , Article number: 2186 ( 2022 ) Cite this article

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This study aimed to evaluate and describe the indicators of occupational health, with a focus on the medical expertise and periodic medical examination.

This is exploratory-descriptive, cross-sectional, documentary, quantitative, and retrospective research, in the historical series: 2011 to 2015.

The number of lost days of work per worker and the frequency of licenses increased despite the decrease in the Absenteeism Duration Index and stabilization of the Frequency of Medical Workers. As for the adhesion of the workers to the Periodic Medical Examinations, it was decreasing, with a higher percentage in the year 2012 (35.3%). During the analyzed period, 5,186 workers performed the Periodic Medical Examination, and the majority (60.6%) presented non-ideal weight, 41.1% were sedentary, 33.2% had dyslipidemia, 29.0% were alcoholic, 3.2% were smokers, 5.9% had diabetics, and 16.4% reported high noise in the workplace, 27.8% inadequate lighting and 35.9% inadequate work furniture.

Conclusions

The results highlight the need to maintain and strengthen the Worker Health and Safety Policy with emphasis on surveillance, aiming at the promotion and protection of the health of the workers, based on the elaboration of the epidemiological profile of health and, consequently, the implementation of positive impact strategies.

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Introduction

Historically, in Brazil, Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is strongly associated with the political-social and economic evolution of the country and is presented as the achievement of rights resulting from claims and struggles of the workers. Work is one of the determinants that most impact man’s conditions, quality of life, and health.

Working is essential for human beings since it is the way in which respect, integration, sociability, recognition, and bonds of friendship are obtained. On the other hand, the living conditions of Brazilian workers are aggravated by the alternation of stages of growth and accelerated industrialization with moments of recession, resulting in the government’s adoption of adjustment measures and financial cuts in social policies, such as education, health, safety, transportation, housing, and work, among others [ 1 , 2 ].

Nowadays, the epidemiological profile of workers' morbidity and mortality in Brazil is characterized by the coexistence of diseases that have an intrinsic relationship with working conditions: diseases related to work and typical work accidents, which have their frequency, appearance, and severity modified by the activity. Added to this reality are diseases common to the population as a whole, which have no etiological relationship with work [ 3 ].

Health Promotion and Surveillance refer to the pillar of the Occupational Safety and Health Care Policy (PASS, in Portuguese) that encompasses quality of life and vigilance actions in the environmental and work processes. Standing out among these are the institution of guidelines and programs in the area of mental health and occupational diseases of higher prevalence; the mandatory provision of Periodic Medical Examinations (PME) for all employees; the training in health and safety at work; the creation of an Internal Committee on Health and Safety at Work and a survey of environmental risks, with a stimulus to the active participation of employees in processes involving their health [ 4 , 5 ].

The PME aims, mainly, the prevention, enabling the health surveillance of the employees of a certain company or institution, contributing to the early identification of diseases related or not to work. It is carried out by an occupational doctor and employers must provide examinations for employees at specific times such as dismissal, admission, leaves of absence or change of function, in addition to periodic examinations, which will vary in frequency according to the workers' age (every two years for those between 18 and 45 years old and annually for those outside this age group) [ 6 ].

The PME is performed through clinical examinations, anamnesis, general and specific laboratory tests, according to the function developed by each worker. In addition, the occupational physician must adapt the exams to the particularities of each case, for example, people with disabilities or people who work with noise and may experience deafness caused by this fact. The result of the PME is not given by score or a question of approve or disapprove workers, it is related to the early diagnosis of health problems [ 6 ].

It is noteworthy that the information generated during the expertise act are important indicators of worker's health, privileged instruments for the construction of the morbidity and mortality profile of public servants, which will help to conduct the development of health promotion actions, since the expert databases issue a variety of data on the most prevalent diseases and the professionals who get sick [ 7 ].

It is of great importance to deepen the study in relation to the health of the federal public servant, considering the need to research, know and analyze the determining and conditioning factors of health problems related to processes and work environments. In this way, it is important to analyze workers' health indicators, which are reflections of the real health conditions of the server, with the objective of guiding managers in the planning and control of activities, in addition to allowing deductions regarding the effects of decisions and their results.

From this perspective, this study aimed to evaluate and describe occupational health indicators focusing on the Official Health Expertise and PME of federal public servants, including professors from the institution and administrative technicians from the education sector of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte.

Materials and methods

This is a cross-sectional, retrospective study with a quantitative approach, where secondary data were obtained regarding PME and official health expertise, specifically the SIAPE HEALTH module of federal public servants of a public institution of higher education in Brazil.

The information contained in this system is federal level and is entered by the experts who perform the exams, uploading them directly into the system, enabling access to the information by users. For the study, secondary and aggregated data from the SIAPE SAÚDE system database were evaluated, as well as management reports made available by the SIASS Unit (Subsistema Integrado de Atenção à Saúde do Servidor) from UFRN, responsible for storing such data.

The study was carried out at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Central Campus, especially at the Directorate of Attention to Servant Health (DAS), where the SIASS Unit is located, the latter being responsible for coordinating actions in attention to the health of the institution's servants, specifically, the performance of the Periodic Medical Examination and the Official Health Survey, objects of this study.

The period chosen for the study was from 2011 to 2015. The preference for this time interval was justified by the fact that the year 2011 marks the beginning of the PME through the computerized system SIAPE HEALTH, and the end of the study period in 2015 characterizes five complete years and the historical nature of epidemiological studies.

The population chosen for the study can be divided into levels of education, the teachers, technical-administrative in education, higher level positions are level E, while the technical-administrative in education, middle and basic level positions are levels C and D.

The official health expertise and the PME were used as a dependent variable. For each indicator, independent variables were selected: a) Official Health Expertise: gender, age, position, number of active statutory employees away, number of days of leave and number of days away; and b) PME: Gender, age, position, ethnicity, smoking, physical activity, BMI, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, spinal pain, inadequate furniture, inadequate lighting, likes what you do, good relationship with the boss, good relationship with colleagues and fast pace. In addition, the following indicators were observed: Absence Severity Index (IGA), Medical Frequency Leave (FML), Frequency of Workers on Sick Leave (FWML) and Absenteeism Duration Index (IDA), as recommended by the Permanent Commission and International Association on Occupational Health [ 8 ] and the authors Hensing et al. [ 9 ].

The information was obtained from Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, being possible to organize and sort the variables into categories. Then, the data were exported and analyzed in the software Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS). Relative and absolute frequency distribution was used for categorical variables, as well as measures of central tendency (average), measures of dispersion (standard deviation), and student's t-test for quantitative variables.

For data analysis, the chi-square test and the calculation of the odds ratio were used for correlation of the indicators, adopting a confidence interval of 95% and a significance level of 5% ( p < 0.05) for all tests.

Concerning the ethical aspects, the project was submitted to the Research Ethics Committee of Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte where it was appraised and subsequently approved under opinion no. 1.707.691, from the principles of ethical and legal aspects that govern scientific research on human beings, as recommended by Resolution no. 466/12 [ 10 ], and the principles expressed in the Declaration of Helsinki.

The results showed that there were 4,293 (35%) departures from administrative records and 7,946 (65%) absences from work granted by expert examination.

This expert examination is a procedure carried out by a medical expert, whose function is to identify if there is the presence of an illness or to identify if there has been an accident that has made you totally or partially, temporarily, or permanently unable to perform your professional activities [ 11 ]. The magnitude of these absences can be portrayed when we calculate the sum of lost work time over the five years, which generated 179,916 days of absenteeism due to illness.

Data regarding the sociodemographic characteristics of the studied population revealed that 67.9% (8,312) of the departures occurred in female workers and, for males, 32.1% (3,927). Regarding the age group, 34.6% (4,234) of the licenses were approved for workers between 51 and 60 years old, 24.0% (2,934) from 41 to 50 years, 19.2% (2,355) from 31 to 40 years, 11.8% (1,449) from 18 to 30 years, and 10.4% (1,267) over 60 years.

In relation to the post variable, the number of workers occupying the position of administrative technician in education levels C and D predominated, with a prevalence of 62.2% (4,941), while 23.8% (1,889) workers were in higher-level positions.

Figure 1 shows the absence of workers at work due to health care in the period from 2011 to 2015. It is noteworthy that there is an increase between 2011 and 2013, when there is a peak of 7.1 days not worked. The following years show an oscillation, but with a tendency for growth.

Source: Elaborated by the Authors

Indicators of absenteeism, 2011–2015. Natal/RN, Brazel, 2017. Legend IGA = Absenteeism Severity Index; FLM = Frequency of Medical Licence; IDA = Absenteeism Duration Index; FTLM = Frequency of Workers on Medical Licence.

In this sense, it is also relevant to present the individual absence duration, according to the cause of illness, in order to facilitate the adoption of specific measures focused on the pathologies with the greatest impact on lost days of work. Figure 2 shows the IDA according to each International Classification of Diseases (ICD), 10 chapter, and the highest indexes refer to neoplasms (45.64), mental disorders (32.40), congenital malformations (27.00), and diseases of the circulatory system (23.96), respectively. These findings reveal that absences of longer duration were caused by pathologies of a chronic non-transmissible nature, except for causes of absences in chapter XVII of ICD-10.

Source: Elaborated by the author

Distribution of IDA, 2011–2015. Natal/RN, Brazil, 2017. Legend: C = ICD.10 chapter.

Figure 3 presents the results of this study regarding the adherence of the workers to the Periodic Medical Exam (PME), considering the historical series from 2011 to 2015, when an average of 4,362 workers were called.

Source: Elaborated by the authors

Distribution of call, adhesion, non-adhesion, and coverage ratio to PME, 2011–2015. Natal/RN, Brazil, 2017.

The Periodic Medical Exam consists of the periodic clinical and laboratorial evaluation of the worker, due to the existing risks in the work environment and occupational or professional diseases. The PME foresees the adoption of prevention, tracking, and early diagnosis measures for work-related diseases, besides those more prevalent in the general population, such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, neoplasms, dyslipidemias, and ophthalmologic diseases. Also, the PME will be carried out during working hours, without any burden or need for compensating schedules on the part of the employees. It is important to point out that absenteeism is taken into consideration only due to the worker's personal illness, and this diagnosis cannot be related to someone in the employee's care.

Regarding the operationalization for the PME, it is important to mention that at the moment the server is called for the evaluation of occupational health, through personal e-mail, he/she must fill out the consent form as a way to prove the agreement to participate in periodic medical examinations. Thus, going from the situation "INVITED" to "CONFIRMED". It is worth pointing out the importance and potential of the PME, once it allows the early identification of risk factors for getting sick, as well as the construction of collective diagnoses in the Worker's Health area, which makes this action a health management instrument, for monitoring the health situation and work conditions, and the subsidies for interventions to improve the quality of life of the workers.

It can be observed that the call-up ratio increased by 42.0% from 2011 (0.49) to 2012 (0.91). From the year 2013 (0.84), there were oscillations characterized by drop and growth in the calls.

As for non-adherence, in 2012, there was a decrease, and in 2013 (0.78), 2014 (0.8), and 2015 (0.86), there was an increase in the results, characterizing a relevant increase of 15. 0% between the years of 2011 (0.71) and 2015 (0.86).

About PME membership, it is clear that growth occurred only in 2012 (0.35). Then, the index decreased throughout the series, namely: 2013 (0.22), 2014 (0.2) and 2015 (0.14), which explains the non-adherence data, that comprehends the number of called servers that didn't do the PME in the analyzed year, having as reference the total number of UFRN's servers summoned in the evaluated year as being an unfavorable reality in relation to the PME recommendation. This may be related to factors such as excessive work activities of workers, periodic examinations performed through private health insurance, and to the lack of recognition of the importance of PME by workers.

The coverage ratio of the PME represents the servers that have concluded the PME and those that have an updated Occupational Health Certificate in the analyzed year, with the total number of servers at UFRN in the analyzed period as a reference. This coverage ratio increased significantly in the year 2012 (0.4), showing a growth of 26.0% in relation to 2011. Thereafter, the ratio decreased, with an average of 0.26 between the years of 2013 (0.33), 2014 (0.26) and 2015 (0.2), as shown in Fig. 3 .

In the list of risk factors, health indicators of different epidemiological natures were analyzed. Among them, those related to cardiovascular diseases and occupational risk factors, such as the existence of inadequate work furniture and accelerated work rhythm, are presented in Tables 1 and 2 .

In the list of chronic pathologies covering categories II and III of the Schilling classification, the most common causes of morbidity among workers are: Systemic Arterial Hypertension (SAH), chronic respiratory diseases, diseases of the locomotor system and mental disorders. These are pathologies of multiple etiology in which work is considered a risk factor associated with the increased probability of occurrence of these diseases [ 12 ]. Thus, the present study highlights cardiovascular diseases, especially SAH.

Table 1 shows the distribution of the aforementioned risk factors associated with SAH. It is pointed out that 60.6% (3,143) of the workers that performed the EMP presented non-ideal weight; 58.7% (3,044) practiced some type of physical activity; 70.8% (3,670) denied alcohol use; 96.5% (5.005) did not smoke; 93.9% (4,870) did not have diabetes mellitus (DM); and 66.6% (3,453) did not have dyslipidemia. The association between hypertension and all correlated variables was significant at p < 0.001. As for the Odds Ratio calculation, we considered the hypertension disease in relation to the following variables: BMI, sedentary lifestyle, alcoholism, smoking, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. The OR calculation does not imply a cause-and-effect relationship, it only suggests that there is an association.

In Table 2 , it is possible to observe that 35.9% of the interviewed workers are not adequate for their activities. In addition, 16.4% report loud noise in the workplace and 27.8% do not have adequate lighting. Social factors were also obtained, noting that 3.7% of the workers surveyed say they do not have a good relationship with their co-workers, while 4.4% do not have a good relationship with their boss and 2.5% show dissatisfaction with what they are doing.

It should be noted that absenteeism is a term used to denote the employee's absence from work [ 13 ]. The International Organization of Work (OIT) defines it as the period of absence of work that is accepted as attributable to an incapacity of the individual, except for that derived from normal pregnancy or prison [ 14 ].

According to the report of the National Audit Office [ 15 ], in the city of Guernsey, United Kingdom, approximately 3.8% of working time was lost due to illness, and civil workers became sick for an average of 8.7 days in 2005. In Chile, health workers belong to the category that has the highest rates of disability due to illness, with 14.3 days of absence per worker per year; unlike the university workers, who present 6 days of work lost per year, similar to the results of this research [ 16 ]. These findings highlight the data shown in Fig. 1 .

Studies found an average of 7.5 lost days of work per year per worker in the nursing area of a university hospital in Brazil [ 17 ]. Santos and Mattos [ 18 ] observed 9.3 days of absenteeism due to disease for each municipal worker of the city of Porto Alegre in 2005. The studies reported 9.1 and 10.3 days of absence due to illness for each public worker of the municipalities of Goiânia and São Paulo, respectively [ 19 , 20 ].

The worker and financial conditions can cause work accidents and environmental conditions, increase work capacity and the market, which may exclude work and consumption capacity. The employee is also hit with productivity, lack of manpower, loss of manpower and/or equipment damage [ 21 ].

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates about 36 million annual deaths from Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), composed mainly of circulatory diseases, neoplasms, chronic respiratory diseases and Diabetes Mellitus (DM), which have risk factors.—smoking, alcohol, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and obesity—modifiable in common [ 22 , 23 ].

An important characteristic of epidemiological patterns in Brazil concerns the changes in the composition of morbidity and mortality by groups of causes. Thus, the high prevalence of deaths from infectious and parasitic diseases, present at the beginning of the twentieth century, gave way to NCDs and injuries related to accidents and violence [ 24 ].

In Brazil, according to the Ministry of Health [ 23 ], NCDs are among the main causes of hospital admissions, and the financial cost to the Unified Health System (SUS) represents a growing impact. Estimates for Brazil suggest that the loss of productivity at work and the decrease in family income resulting from chronic pathologies such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke involved spending of US$ 4.18 billion between 2006 and 2015 [ 25 ].

The researchers Moura, Carvalho and Silva (2007) [ 26 ] carried out a study on the repercussion of CNCDs in the granting of social security benefits by the National Institute of Social Security (INSS) and identified musculoskeletal and circulatory system diseases as the main causes for granting sick pay.

This reality is also revealed among public servants in several studies that present the main groups of causes of sick leave for this category of workers, with high rates of absenteeism due to diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue, mental and behavioral disorders, chronic respiratory diseases and circulatory system diseases [ 7 , 19 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ].

The implementation of strategies to reduce absenteeism is a great challenge for employers, and it is necessary to analyze the events in the workplace to delineate situational diagnoses and guarantee actions to promote worker health. For the authors, the change in the epidemiological profile of illness and the increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases, as shown in Fig. 2 , reveal concern for the global scenario regarding the impact of these diseases on workers' health, due to the growth in the number of lost workdays [ 21 ].

The epidemiological profile of morbidity and mortality in Brazilian workers is characterized by the coexistence of diseases that have an intrinsic relation with working conditions, and in addition, diseases common to the population are observed, which are not etiologically related to the work [ 3 ]. In this reality, it is important to emphasize the importance of the employees performing the Periodic Medical Examination (PME), for the prevention and/or possible early detection of the pathologies that generate the greatest impact on the lost days of work, highlighting the neoplasms [ 22 ].

The importance of performing the PME in the screening of risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases, such as dyslipidemia, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, alcoholism, and smoking is highlighted. In addition, through the PME, the workers will be guided and sent to participate in the various health promotion programs offered by the institution. Through these strategies, it is possible to reduce the prevalence of diseases of the circulatory system, another important cause of absenteeism, as shown in Fig. 2 .

As for Fig. 3 , which shows data on the PME, despite weaknesses, it is evident that the most satisfactory results of PME adherence occurred in the year 2012, a time when workers composed the Integrated Subsystem Unit (SIASS in Portuguese), as well as the constant discussion in forums, national meetings, and events related to the PASS, in a context of articulation in defense of the strengthening of the actions of attention to workers' health, which may have contributed to the results [ 23 , 24 , 25 ].

On the other hand, the situational diagnosis of low PME adherence throughout the historical series was possibly influenced by the recent history of PASS construction and the negative impact of the lack of structuring, planning, and evaluation of the actions. Plus, the largest investments and training, by the Ministry of Planning of Brazil, were related to the expert area which reflects as the main activity of the PASS [ 4 ].

The implementation of actions of health surveillance and promotion are major challenges for the consolidation of SIASS, since it is still a recent practice to promote health in public sector workplaces. It is necessary to elaborate indicators to support the actions and allow the evaluation of the results, considering that the information generated through indicators consolidates the control and planning of the organizational processes, as well as supports the decision making [ 25 , 26 ].

This is a prevention tool that has been implemented in Brazil with workers from federal agencies to identify risk factors associated with future illnesses. This approach in the federal public service has had an impact on the quality of preventive health, avoiding the removal of workers from their workplace for a cause classified as a possible prevention of this disease. Another aspect is the increasing number of absences that have been occurring in recent years, that is, the numbers of absenteeism due to physical and mental illnesses, a fact that occurs at increasingly younger workers' ages, which reveals the need for special attention and protector follow-up in their quality of life.

The results presented in this study deserve attention and can contribute to discussions between the professionals of the technical team and managers of the SIASS Unit and PROGESP/UFRN, as it is believed that the production of knowledge about the subject under study can provide the University with instruments, as well as other institutions at the federal public service level, through the PME as an indicator for planning and evaluating Occupational Health actions.

Thus, continuous investments in health policies aimed at public servants are suggested, which contributes to the reduction of illness and early retirement, resulting from disability. In this sense, investment in research that allows a better understanding of the relationship between health and work in the public service is also recommended.

It should be noted that this study had some limitations, as the use of self-reported data by employees who completed the PME may underestimate or overestimate the results presented.

In order to meet the proposed objective, there was the occurrence of neoplasms, mental disorders, and diseases of the circulatory system in terms of duration of absenteeism (IDA), which were the causes of the absences with a longer duration, which ratifies the epidemiological importance and the impact of non-communicable chronic diseases on workers' health. The gravity index of absenteeism revealed that the number of lost days of work per year per worker increased over the historical series, as well as the frequency of absences.

With regard to the epidemiological profile of the employees who underwent the PME throughout the historical series, it was possible to identify a significant prevalence of overweight in the population. The working conditions were considered satisfactory in the perception of the workers. It should be noted that this study presented some limitations, since the use of self-reported data by the workers may underestimate or overestimate the presented results.

Also observed through this study is the need to maintain and strengthen the PASS with emphasis on surveillance, aiming at the promotion and protection of the health of the workers, based on the elaboration of the epidemiological health profile and, consequently, the implementation of strategies of positive impact for OHS.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

International Classification of Diseases

Diabetes mellitus

Frequency of Medical Licence

Frequency of Workers on Medical Licence

Occupational Health and Safety

Absenteeism Duration Index

Absence Severity Index

International Organization of Work

Occupational Safety and Health Care Policy

Periodic Medical Examinations

Systemic Arterial Hypertension

Integrated Subsystem Unit

Statistical Package for Social Science

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This study was partially funded by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel—Brazil (CAPES)—Financial Code 001. Funders have no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, publication decision or preparation of the manuscript.

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Lídia Maria Costa Araújo Magalhães

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L.M.C.A.M. was the principal investigator of the project and responsible for administration, coordination, and funding acquisition. L.M.C.A.M. and F.B.A. were involved in conceptualization and in the study design. L.M.C.A.M. carried out the investigation. L.M.C.A.M., K.T.S.C., G.N.C. and M.D.L. were involved in formal analysis and data curation and wrote the main manuscript text. F.B.A. reviewed and edited the manuscript. All authors reviewed the manuscript. The author(s) read and approved the final manuscript.

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v.55(3); 2017 May

Occupational safety and health in construction: a review of applications and trends

Fabián alberto suÁrez sÁnchez.

1 Universidad de Nariño, Department of Civil Engineering, Colombia

Gloria Isabel CARVAJAL PELÁEZ

2 Universidad de Medellín, Department of Civil Engineering, Colombia

Joaquín CATALÁ ALÍS

3 Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Department of Construction Engineering and Civil Engineering Projects, España

Due to the high number of accidents that occur in construction and the consequences this has for workers, organizations, society and countries, occupational safety and health (OSH) has become a very important issue for stakeholders to take care of the human resource. For this reason, and in order to know how OSH research in the construction sector has evolved over time, this article–in which articles published in English were studied–presents an analysis of research conducted from 1930 to 2016. The classification of documents was carried out following the Occupational Safety and Health Cycle which is composed of five steps: regulation, education and training, risk assessment, risk prevention, and accident analysis. With the help of tree diagrams we show that evolution takes place. In addition, risk assessment, risk prevention, and accident analysis were the research topics with the highest number of papers. The main objective of the study was to contribute to knowledge of the subject, showing trends through an exploratory study that may serve as a starting point for further research.

Introduction

In most industrialized countries, the construction industry is one of the most significant industries in terms of contribution to gross domestic product (GDP). It also has a significant impact on the health and safety of workers. The construction industry is both economically and socially important 1 ) . In construction, workers perform a great diversity of activities, each one with a specific associated risk. The worker who carries out a task is directly exposed to its associated risks and passively exposed to risks produced by nearby co-workers 2 ) . Building design, materials, dimensions and site conditions are often unique, which requires adaptation and a learning curve from site to site. Injuries may occur in a number of ways and at every juncture of the process 3 ) .

As a result of this situation there is a high frequency of accidents in construction, which makes it an unsafe industry. Degree of safety in this selected sector of the economy is not indicated by a single accident but by a set of accidents that have occurred within a specified time interval. Knowledge about the noticeable trends in accidents is required in order to assess the level of safety and also directions for changes 4 ) .

Occupational safety and health is an area concerned with the development, promotion, and maintenance of the workplace environment, policies and programs that ensure the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of employees, as well as keeping the workplace environment relatively free from actual or potential hazards that could injure employees 5 ) . However, the number of articles regarding OSH in construction was small until fifteen years ago. Since 2001 the number of OSH publications relating to construction has increased. From different perspectives and using different tools researchers have studied occupational hazards in construction. Sousa, Almeida, and Dias 6 ) state that there are several tools and methods to investigate and understand occupational accidents in the construction industry.

In a systematic review of construction safety studies, Zhou et al. 7 ) found that of all the research topics 44.65% were pertinent to safety management process, 20.27% to the impact of individual and group/organizational characteristics, and 33.03% to accident/incident data. The body of research on safety management process involves safety planning, safety monitoring, safety assessment, safety measurement, safety performance etc.

Taking into account the previously stated remarks, the aim of our paper was to review the literature and define current trends in research in occupational safety and health applied to the construction industry. Trends were obtained through chronological evolution. Thus, they can be properly analyzed and further research can be developed from them.

Methodology

Our literature search analyzed only peer-reviewed papers associated with occupational safety and health in construction, because the state-of-the-art of a discipline is defined in these forums; some very relevant articles from conferences were also considered, and the scope of the research was determined by the following parameters:

– Language: English.
– Period: from 1930 to 2016
– Key descriptors: occupational risk; occupational accident; occupational safety; occupational prevention; occupational health; occupational safety and health and construction
– Databases: Ebsco Host, Science Direct and Scopus. These were selected as sources of information due to their size and the quality of the publications found in them, however for future research other sources may be considered

The first problem needing to be addressed was how to suitably classify all the information. Occupational safety and health is not a homogenous issue; quite the opposite, there are many stakeholders involved. Besides, it can be considered a multi-stage process. This process approach has already been suggested by many authors in risk management, as traditionally applied to project management 8 ) which proposes a similar process based on four stages: identification, analysis, response, and control. Moreover, the OHSAS 18001:2007 Standard 9 ) proposes a cycle based on continuous improvement which comprises of: establish corporate policies, plan, implement and operate, check and correct, review, and improve. These steps are compatible with the ISO 9001:2008 quality management system 10 ) . Finally, Carvajal 11 ) proposed a five-step cycle: regulation, education and training, risk assessment, risk prevention, and accident analysis. A new Occupational Safety and Health Cycle that includes safety climate was developed, adapting the cycle suggested by Carvajal, which is created in phases of education and training, risk assessment and risk prevention ( Fig. 1 ).

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Occupational Safety and Health Cycle. Adapted from Carvajal, G. I. (2008). Modelo de cuantificación de riesgos laborales en la construcción: RIES-CO . (Doctoral Thesis). Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Valencia, España.

However, a shortcut in this Occupational Safety and Health Cycle could appear if regulations (either from the company or from public agencies) are not analyzed, improved on, or at least implemented; and later, if education and training is not provided.

A company that does not seriously apply an occupational safety and health management system may enter into a spiral of unsafeness, trying to take the easiest way out of the cycle, and making it shorter and shorter each time until a serious accident takes place. In any event, a “culture of construction safety” should be implemented; this is defined 12 , 13 ) as the whole group of knowledge, habits, and behaviors that drive companies to the willing application of safety and health approaches and procedures in the construction industry. This is a good way to achieve a “climate of safety”, which implies a subjective perception and evaluation of safety issues related to the organization, its members, structures and processes, based on experience of the organizational environment and social relationships 14 ) .

For this article, the previous cycle was taken as an example of a logical and continuous process with feedback, which allowed for an analysis of the evolution of research in occupational safety and health in construction. Risk assessment comprises risk identification and analysis, as stated in traditional risk management literature. Likewise, risk prevention consists of response and control. In order to highlight the importance of setting objectives and of organizational learning through time, two previous steps and a final one are added. Regulation is included to emphasize the significance of corporate policies issued by companies on one hand, and laws and standards issued by public agencies on the other. Training and education reflects the impact that the former steps have upon the people involved if some improvement needs to take place. Finally, accident analysis is needed to investigate the cause of accidents; thus, lessons can be learned and other accidents may be avoided in the future - obviously, this step is skipped if no accident occurs.

Articles were analyzed and classified in the Occupational Safety and Health Cycle, according to the suitability of their content according to each of the steps. Nevertheless, our goal was not to develop a bibliometric study, but to define chronological trends in research by using noteworthy articles to display the main milestones. Thus, in our second analysis of the papers, we chose only those significant articles that offered an added-value and could be used as references in a research trend. In this opportunity, the selection was developed by taking several aspects into consideration. Mainly, in order to be chosen, a paper must have enough qualitative references from other papers even if it does have many citations. Besides, we have rated the paper’s degree of importance according to our assessment of the novelty of its ideas and the future influence of this particular manuscript on others. The analysis of the evolution of research was conducted following a logical sequence of ideas in the selected papers.

Bibliographic analysis

In the first search we undertook, 285 articles were selected from 32 journals or proceedings. Papers chosen by journal and by time period are displayed in Table 1 . It can be noted from this table that the number of papers has recently increased: in the period between 2001 and 2010, a total of 129 papers related to OSH in construction were published. This amounts to 45.3% of all articles included. Likewise, in the period between 2011 and 2016, a total of 57 papers were published. Although this period is shorter, it can be observed that the amount of published papers is greater than that of the periods prior to 2001. The Journal of Construction Engineering and Management is the one with the most articles selected, followed by Safety Science and the International Journal of Project Management.

Selected articles are displayed in Table 2 according to topic, showing absolute and relative values. Risk assessment is the most popular topic, appearing in 35.4% of the papers. Accident analysis and risk prevention each get more than 20% of the share.

It is surprising not to find many papers on regulations, either from the company’s point of view (corporate policies) or from public agencies’ point of view (standards and norms). Maybe the reason is that some articles deal not just with regulations, but also with other approaches to occupational safety and health; thus, they are categorized under other steps of the cycle, mainly risk assessment or risk prevention. In our study, we observed how research has influenced the development of laws and regulations by providing new forms and tools for risk assessment and for the implementation of preventive measures at the workplace. The analyzed papers propose measures to assess results achieved and to know whether regulations are being applied and if they are meeting the objectives for which they were created.

It is not so unexpected to discover that education and training get very little attention from researchers. Pietroforte and Stefani 15 ) already found that only 1.8% of the papers published in the Journal of Construction Engineering and Management from 1983 to 2000 were related to education and professional development. Furthermore, in their analysis of trends in project management, Crawford, Pollack, and England 16 ) selected forty-seven topics relevant to the field of project management; none of them was related to education and training. Because so few articles are found for these two steps, no research trends are developed for regulations and for education and training. Safety culture and safety climate are new factors that have also few publications. According to research on occupational safety and health applied to the construction industry, three main topics obtained from our previous bibliographic analysis are described: risk assessment, risk prevention, and accident analysis (which represent 85% of the total), and this paper focuses on those subjects.

Trends in risk assessment

For the topic of risk assessment, the search started with Fine’s seminal article “Mathematical evaluation for controlling hazards” 17 ) , in which a formulation to quantify risks is proposed. It is based on three factors that define risk: probability of the accident happening, personnel exposure to the risk, and consequences of the accident (or severity). From his approach, three basic lines of research were identified: management of occupational safety and health, quantifying occupational risk through modeling, and quantifying risk through probability analysis. They are displayed in Fig. 2 .

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Trends in risk assessment.

Al-Bahar and Crandall 18 ) applied traditional risk management approaches to the construction industry to obtain a useful strategic tool for managers. Mohamed 19 ) introduced the influence of management and risk systems at the workplace. Koehn and Datta 20 ) analyzed ISO Standards (9000 for quality, 14000 for environment, and 18000 for safety and health), and proposed an integrated system for construction companies. Sparer and Dennerlein 21 ) created and evaluated different approaches for establishing rewards based on a threshold score, for use in safety incentive programs. Pinto 22 ) introduced safety climate variables within the calculation of the level of risk in a Qualitative Occupational Safety Risk Assessment Model (QRAM).

On the issue of quantifying risk through modeling, Knab 23 ) put forward a mathematical model based on insurance premiums. Whereas Jannadi and Almishari 24 ) developed a computer model based on Fine’s formulation. Mitropoulos and Namboodiri 25 ) developed a technique for measuring the safety risk of construction activities according to the characteristics of the activity and independent of the workers’ capabilities, and Liu and Tsai 26 ) proposed a fuzzy risk assessment method which related hazard types with construction items and hazard causes with hazard types.

On the other hand, Kaplan and Garrick 27 ) followed Fine’s assumptions to calculate the probability factor of his formulation. Using this work as reference, Cuny and Lejeune 28 ) analyzed the severity factor. Then, to solve the problem of uncertain and insufficient statistical data Gürcanli and Müngen 29 ) used fuzzy logic. Bowers 30 ) approached the probability factor by using quantitative data (e.g., historical ratios) or qualitative data (e.g., interviews). Santoso et al. 31 ) identified, analyzed, and categorized potential risk factors in construction.

In summary, three main branches of research were identified: management of occupational safety and health in construction, risk quantification through modeling, and probability applied to risk quantification. From them, twelve active lines of research were highlighted, and a representative paper for each was pointed out.

Trends in risk prevention

Heinrich’s seminal article 32 ) is the starting point of the two other topics: risk prevention and accident analysis. He suggested the concept of risk prevention based on historical accident statistics, and focused on cost reduction due to the adoption of prevention techniques. Fifty years later, Helander 33 ) discussed several interesting issues: high accident ratios, increasing costs due to accidents, lack of research, and inexperience in implementing policies and plans; unfortunately, many of these problems still remain in today’s construction industry. From this line of thought on risk prevention, three main trends were outlined, one concerning business strategy, and the other two regarding the main phases of the project life cycle: design and construction. They are displayed in Fig. 3 .

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Trends in risk prevention.

Business strategy to achieve better safety performance in construction was introduced in work by Jaselskis, Anderson, and Russell 34 ) . Their article analyzes the main factors that lead to success in occupational safety and health in the construction industry. Two branches are developed from this idea, depending on the emphasis of the implementation: laws and standards at the managerial level 35 ) and plans, guidelines and checklists at the operational level 36 ) .

Hinze and Wiegand 37 ) were the first to show the importance of safety prevention in the design phase. They state the important role of designers in occupational safety and health because the success of construction works depends on their decision-making. Gambatese et al. 38 ) deepened this idea through several interviews, revealing keys for successful implementation of designing for safety. Fonseca et al. 39 ) proposed a model of risk prevention integrating production and safety through three different levels of anticipation (analysis of design, planning/scheduling of services and implementation). One year later, Zhang et al. 40 ) applied Building Information Modeling BIM-based safety to fall hazard identification and prevention in construction safety planning.

Nevertheless, most work produced on the topic of risk prevention focuses on the construction phase. Many authors explore different approaches. Hinze 41 ) analyzed human behavior in risk prevention and Chi and Han 42 ) analyzed 9,358 accidents that occurred in the U.S. construction industry between 2002 and 2011 and incorporated systems theory into Heinrich’s domino theory to explore the interrelationships of risks. Laufer and Ledbetter 43 ) assessed the efficiency of several safety tools used in the construction workplace through surveys; according to these authors, simultaneous methods should be used to achieve better levels of safety. Burkart 44 ) called for site-specific safety plans, adapted to each workplace, and useful and reliable for every stakeholder.

Along another line, Hinze 45 ) analyzed the influence of economic incentives, concluding that low-value incentives, combined with good prevention tools, are more successful, and Imriyas 46 ) developed a workers´ compensation insurance (WCI) premium-rating model for building projects.

Summing up, our exploration detected ten lines of research within risk prevention in construction. Three of them deal with business strategy, three with the design phase, and six others with the construction phase.

Trends in accident analysis

Accident analysis (or accident investigation, as it could also be called) makes it possible to determine the what, how, and why of an accident; thus, in the future, similar accidents can be avoided based on the lessons learned. This topic also originates from Heinrich’s work (1930). He considered accident statistics as the baseline for any analysis of occupational safety and health. Many years later, Leplat 47 ) approached the principle of accident causation, discussing the relationship between accidents and the work in progress at the time of the accident. Kjellen and Larsson 48 ) proposed a conceptual model to investigate accidents across two levels: the sequence of facts about an accident, and factors affecting work at the time of an accident. From these articles, three main branches are displayed in Fig. 4 .

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Trends in risk analysis.

The first branch deals with different models of workplace accident causation. DeJoy 49 ) focused on human factors. Abdelhamid and Everett 50 ) reviewed different techniques and offered a theoretical explanation for root causes of accidents. Suraji et al. 51 ) described a global model for the project cycle. Rozenfeld et al. 52 ) developed a structured method for hazard analysis and assessment for construction activities called Construction Job Safety Analysis (CJSA).

The second branch is about the statistical analysis of accidents. Kisner and Fosbroke 53 ) analyzed injuries from 1980 to 1989 in the United States. Hinze et al. 54 ) supported by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) data from 1985 to 1995, categorized accident causes and sources of injures. Huang and Hinze 55 ) also examined OSHA data on construction worker’s accidental falls from 1990 to 2001. Cheng et al. 56 ) used data mining to establish the cause–effect relationships within occupational accidents in construction in Taiwan during the period 2000–2007. Finally, Irumba 57 ) investigated the causes of construction accidents in Kampala, Uganda using ordinary least squares regression and spatial regression modeling.

The last branch evaluated occupational accidents in terms of their cost. Leopold and Leonard 58 ) assessed several British construction firms to analyze accident costs in relation to their insurance premiums. On the other hand, Everett and Frank 59 ) showed a comparative study on the actual costs of accidents and injuries in the construction industry.

The main lines of research in accident analysis can be summarized within three topics: causal model of accidents, statistical analysis of accidents, and economic cost of accidents.

Conclusions

Our paper sought to establish current research trends in occupational safety and health in the construction industry. We described an “Occupational Safety and Health Cycle” based on traditional risk management approaches with five basic steps: regulations, education and training, risk assessment, risk prevention and accident analysis. Because of a scarcity of articles in the first two steps, no trends were proposed for regulations, education or training.

Three main branches (i.e. management of occupational safety and health in construction, risk quantification through modeling and probability applied to quantifying risk) were outlined within the topic of risk assessment, which is the topic with the highest amount of publications, and were subsequently broken up until obtaining the twelve current trends. Likewise, three main branches (business strategy, focus on the design phase and focus on the construction phase) were obtained for risk prevention. These were in turn split into the ten current trends. Finally, there were three solid trends within accident analysis: a causal model of accidents, their statistical analysis, and their economic cost.

The findings of this study show the following future subjects as trends of research and implementation in OSH in construction: rewards in safety incentivization programs; increasing the usage of information technology tools; production process automation; implementing proactive measures rather than reactive measures; integrating quality, environmental and OSH management system standards and using technological tools to train workers.

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Understanding the Importance of Occupational Health and Safety

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Occupational Health Research in Developing Countries: A Partner for Social Justice by Iman A. Nuwayhid, 2004 November; 94(11): 1916–1921
Occupational Health and Safety In Industries in Developing World by Iftikhar Ahmad, Abdul Sattar, Allah Nawaz, December 2016, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314096118

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What Is Occupational Health and Safety?

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Post-Civil-War Era

Awareness Grows

Avoiding Regulations

Federal Law

Professionals That Help Keep You Safe on the Job

How Occupational Health Measures Impact You

Employee Benefits

Employer Benefits

Workers' Comp Claims

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Biological Hazards

Chemical Hazards

Ergonomic Hazards

Safety Hazards

Non-Fatal Injuries

Sedentary Behavior

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Major areas of occupational health & Safety (OHS)

What are the hazards / Risks of occupational health

The Importance and benefits of Occupational Health & Safety (OHS)

Reducing injuries

Improved Employee Safety

Reduced Costs

Improved Productivity

How is occupational health & Safety (OHS) measured

Types of Occupational Health Service

Functions of an Occupational Health Service

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OSHA Standards to Protect Against Occupational Hazards

Occupational Health Resources for Employers

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Essay: Health and safety in the workplace

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Occupational Safety And Health Essays Example

Introduction

Comparatively, there are ACC workplace safety procedures which can be helpful to gauge and correct the problem if need be.

Analytical perspectives

The cause or origin perspective

Diagrammatic steps in analyzing what happened during the accident using the ACC work safe injury model

Steps in analyzing accident using the organizational accident/human error mode

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Occupational Health and Safety: Workers Neglect of Precautionary Measures

Ways to motivate the employees to work safely

A study on occupational health and safety

Conclusions

Introduction

Materials and methods

Availability of data and materials

Abbreviations

Acknowledgements

Author information

Contributions

Corresponding author

Ethics declarations

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BMC Public Health

Occupational safety and health in construction: a review of applications and trends

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Joaquín CATALÁ ALÍS

Introduction

Methodology

Bibliographic analysis

Trends in risk assessment

Trends in risk prevention