Occupational Hazards & Safety: Prevention and Response

Posted on Nov 15, 2024 in Medicine & Health

Health and Occupational Hazards

What is Health?

Health is a complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being, implying the absence of disease or infirmity.

Health Factors:

  • Physical Factor: The absence of disease and the well-being of the body.
  • Mental or Psychological Factor: A balance between the physical and mental state.
  • Social Factor: The definition of health from a social perspective is influenced by economic, educational, and political situations.

Types of Damage in the Workplace

  • Accidents: Sudden, unexpected, and usually avoidable incidents causing bodily harm and compromising a person’s physical integrity.
  • Occupational Diseases: Illnesses contracted as a result of work performed.
  • Occupational Fatigue: Physical and mental exhaustion caused by work-related factors.
  • Job Dissatisfaction: Negative feelings and attitudes towards one’s job.

Occupational Risk and Prevention

The Law on Prevention of Occupational Hazards defines occupational risk as the possibility of a worker suffering harm arising from their work.

Occupational Risk Prevention involves activities and actions taken at all stages of business activity to prevent or reduce occupational hazards.

Occupational Hazard Types:

  • Physical: Noise, vibration, radiation, thermal conditions.
  • Chemical: Solid, liquid, gaseous substances.
  • Biological: Bacteria, viruses, fungi.
  • Psychosocial: Stress, harassment, bullying.
  • Physical Fatigue: Physical effort, posture, handling loads.

Effects of Occupational Hazards:

  • Specific Pathology: Occupational accidents and diseases directly linked to work activities.
  • Non-specific Pathology: Diseases like fatigue and stress that cannot be solely attributed to the job.

Protection and Prevention Techniques

Technical Training:

  • Safety education and hygiene training.
  • Job-specific training.

Preventive Techniques:

  • Workplace safety measures.
  • Industrial hygiene practices.
  • Occupational medicine services.
  • Ergonomics: Designing the workplace to fit the worker.
  • Psychology and mental health support.

Phases of Preventive Action:

  1. Identification of occupational risks in the company.
  2. Location of hazards.
  3. Evaluation of risks.
  4. Investigation of the causes.
  5. Proposal for improvement.
  6. Implementation of the proposal.
  7. Verification of effectiveness.

Responsibilities for Prevention

  • Business Owner: Overall responsibility for workplace safety.
  • Prevention Services: Specialized departments or external providers responsible for implementing preventive measures.
  • Safety Representatives: Elected worker representatives who monitor and promote safety in the workplace.
  • Workers: Responsibility for following safety procedures and reporting hazards.

Risk Mitigation and Protective Measures

Protective Equipment:

  • Individual: Helmets, boots, safety belts, etc.
  • Personal: Paid for by the employer and tailored to individual needs.

Other Measures:

  • Safety signage.
  • Safety of machinery and tools.
  • Security of buildings.

Fire Protection

Elements of Fire:

  • Fuel
  • Oxidizer (e.g., oxygen)
  • Heat
  • Chain reaction

Fire Detection:

  • Human observation
  • Fire detection equipment
  • Mixed systems

Extinguishing Methods:

  • Water
  • Powder
  • Foam

First Aid and Emergency Response

Triage:

Triage involves a rapid assessment of victims to classify them by priority for evacuation and treatment. Color-coded cards are often used to indicate the severity of injuries.

Triage Categories:

  • 1st Priority (Red Card): Immediate evacuation and treatment required.
  • 2nd Priority (Yellow Card): Secondary priority for evacuation and treatment.
  • 3rd Priority (Green Card): Minor injuries, can wait for treatment.
  • 4th Priority (Black or Gray Card): Deceased or those with injuries deemed unsurvivable.

Burns:

The severity of a burn is determined by its size and depth. Burns affecting more than 50% of the body surface are often fatal. Burns exceeding 25% are considered very serious.

Bleeding:

Bleeding is the leakage of blood from a ruptured blood vessel. It requires immediate attention to control blood loss.