KUMJ,2005, Vol.3,
No. 3, Issue11, 206 – 207
Awakening to the Occupational Health
Problems
Assistant Professor of Community Medicine, KMC,
Sinamangal
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ndustrialization is one of the important foundation
stone for the development of a country. It has become a global phenomenon and
has emerged as one of the major economic activities and a common indicator of
development. For the sustainability and continued development of
industrialization, it is essential to have enhanced productivity, which is not
achievable without safe working environment. In most of the occupational
establishment adequate attention is not paid to making the work and the
workplace safe, which may lead to the progress of various work related diseases
and accidents. Although it seems simple and obvious, this idea has not yet
gained meaningful universal recognition. Hundreds of millions of people through
out the world are employed today in conditions that breed ill health and/or are
unsafe. In that respect it is essential to take proper measures to control the
air borne contaminants, adverse level of noise in the work place; make necessary
arrangements for adequate ventilation, light, guarding of machines and moving
parts, safety signs and symbols and provide with adequate drinking water, rest
and rest rooms etc. at work and the workplace.
The assessment of the global
burden of occupational diseases and injuries is complex. Reliable information
for most developing countries is scarce, mainly due to serious limitations in
the diagnosis of occupational illnesses and in the reporting systems. WHO
estimates that in
Hundreds of millions of workers in both developed and
developing countries are at risk from exposure to physical, chemical, biological, psychosocial or ergonomic hazards in the workplace.
For many of these people there is often the risk of combined exposures to
different occupational hazards. It is estimated that around 30% of the workforce
in developed and between 50% and 70% in developing countries may be exposed to
heavy physical workload or
ergonomically poor working conditions
that may lead to injuries and musculoskeletal disorders.
Physical hazards, which can adversely affect
health, include noise, vibration, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, heat and
other unhealthy microclimatic conditions.
Exposure to biological agents – viruses,
bacteria, parasites, fungi and moulds – occurs in many occupational environments
from agriculture to hospitals. The Hepatitis B and C viruses, HIV/AIDS infection
and tuberculosis (particularly among healthcare workers), and chronic parasitic
diseases (particularly among agriculture and forest workers) are some of the
most common occupational diseases resulting from such
exposures.
Thousands of toxic chemicals pose serious
health threats potentially causing cancer, respiratory and skin diseases as well
as adverse effects on reproductive function. Workers can be and often are
exposed to hazardous chemical agents such as solvents, pesticides and metal
dusts.
Workers are also at risk of being exposed to
various types of mineral and vegetable dusts. For example, silica, asbestos and
coal dust cause irreversible lung diseases, including pneumoconiosis. Known
since the time of Hippocrates, silicosis is still the most widespread
occupational lung disease. Silicosis can predispose workers to tuberculosis and
lung cancer; it is progressive and incurable but preventable. Vegetable dusts
can cause a number of respiratory conditions (such as byssinosis) and allergic reactions as
asthma.
The risk of cancer from workplace exposure is of
particular concern. Around 350 chemical substances have been identified as
occupational carcinogens. They include benzene, hexavalent chromium, nitrosamines, asbestos and aflatoxins. In addition, the risk of cancer also exists from
exposure to physical hazards such as ultraviolet (UV) and ionizing radiations.
The most common occupational cancers include lung, bladder, skin and bone
cancer, leukaemia and sarcomas. Though it is very difficult to
achieve information about details concerning carcinogens in the industries in
Social
conditions at work, which raise
serious concerns about stress, include inequality and unfairness in the
workplace; management style based on the exclusion of workers from the
decision-making process; lack of
communication and poor organization of work; strained interpersonal
relationships between managers and employees. Stress at work has been associated
with elevated risks of cardiovascular diseases, particularly hypertension and
mental disorders.
Occupational health problems are found
essentially in agriculture and other types of primary production. Introduction
of new machineries, heavy physical work, often combined with heat stress,
pesticide poisoning and organic dusts, is frequently aggravated by
non-occupational factors such as chronic parasitic and infectious diseases. Poor
hygiene and sanitation, nutritional problems, poverty and illiteracy heighten
the risk of disease and/or occupational injury.
Accidents and physical and chemical agents
are the main problems in manufacturing industries, while pesticides and organic
dusts, heavy physical work, biological factors and accidents are the
occupational burdens of agricultural workers. A number of studies show that in
the worst conditions 50-100% of the workers in some hazardous industries may be
exposed to levels of chemical, physical or biological factors that exceed the
occupational exposure limits applied in the industrial countries (WHO
1995).
The concept
of working conditions, occupational safety and health of the workers is quite a
new concept even to the oldest industries of
The causes of
occupational diseases as well as accidents are varied but the major cause of
most of the accidents has been noticed to be the negligence of the workers in
the workplaces. The negligence of the workers is mainly due to continuously
repetitive nature of the job or lack of awareness. Among the other causes, the
violation of safety rules is the major one. The other major causes are lack of
upgrading of knowledge, emotional status of the workers, lack of supervision,
use of old or outmoded machine or equipment, poor layout, congested working
places and unsuitable working conditions. Similarly, there is no indulgence of
any kind for installing safety and health devices to replace worn out and unsafe
machinery or to provide occupational health diagnosis and treatment facilities
in the industries. So far the health and safety measures adopted by the
industries to avoid occupational diseases or accidents are not up to
date.
Developing
occupational health and safety management and practice is a must for developing
nation like
Ø
Strengthening
of National policies for health at work and development of policy
tools
Ø
Development
of healthy work practices and promotion of health at work
Ø
Strengthening
of Occupational Health Services
Ø
Establishment
of support services for occupational health
Ø
Development of occupational health standards based on
scientific risk assessment
Ø
Development
of human resources for occupational health
Ø
Establishment
of information systems
Ø
Strengthening
of research
Ø
Development of collaboration of occupational health and
with other activities