7.Occupational health.ppt

Occupational health A Brief Definition of Occupational Health is: Occupational Health and Preventive Medicine have the same aim : To maintain and promote the physical, mental and social well being of the workers. To prevent occupational diseases and injuries. To adapt the work place and work environment to the needs of the workers i.e. application of ergonomics principle. It should be preventive rather than curative. Ergonomics is the science of designing the job, equipment, and workplace to fit the worker. Proper ergonomic design is necessary to prevent repetitive strain injuries, which can develop over time and can lead to long-term disability. The international ergonomics association define ergonomics as follows: Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance. Ergonomics: Fitting the job to the worker Occupational hazards Source or situation with a potential for harm in terms of injury or ill health, damage to property, damage to the workplace environment. An industrial worker may be exposed to five types of hazards, depending upon his occupation. PHYSICAL HAZARDS PHYSICAL HAZARDS CHEMICAL HAZARDS Local action Inhalation Ingestion Local action Inhalation- Dusts Inhalation- Dusts Ingestion Workers may be exposed to infective and parasitic agents at the place of work. Persons working among animal products and agricultural workers are specially exposed to biological hazards. The mechanical hazards in industry centre round machinery and moving parts and the like. About 10% of accidents in industry are said to be due to mechanical causes. Injuries- Falls, cuts, abrasions, etc. Ergonomic Disorders-muscular-skeletal disorders(MSDs), etc.? Psychological hazards The psychosocial hazar