Occupational Safety and Health

Occupational health and safety is a branch of public health that investigates trends in workplace illnesses and injuries and recommends and implements prevention methods and laws. The most prevalent types of occupational hazards include heights, electrical hazards, lack of protective gear, motion injuries, collisions, biological hazards, chemical hazards, ergonomic hazards, and psychological hazards. 

Occupational Safety and Health 

The department of Occupational Safety and Health aims to reduce the risk and investigate the problems in various workplaces. 

• The field of occupational health and safety creates rules to demand the eradication, reduction, or substitution of workplace dangers. OHS programmes also include processes and procedures to minimise the consequences of workplace incidents.
•  It covers first aid and the safe operation of heavy machinery and infection prevention, ergonomic best practices, and workplace violence response tactics.
• Occupational health and safety (OHS) is a subset of public health that improves workplace health and safety. It investigates worker injury and sickness patterns and makes recommendations for reducing the risks and hazards they face on the job.
• Every occupation carries health and safety risks, and it is the responsibility of every employer to guarantee that their employees can do their jobs as safely as possible.

Occupational Health Hazard

Occupational dangers can result in a variety of health issues for employees. Physical risks, chemical hazards, biological hazards, ergonomic hazards, and behavioural hazards are the six primary hazard categories. Occupational hazards are illnesses or accidents that can occur during work. In other words, risks that employees face at their workplace. An occupational hazard is a negative experience or outcome that a person has as a result of their work. According to some dictionaries, the term also refers to the risks that people face while working on their hobbies. A hazard is a potentially harmful or unpleasant event.

Occupational dangers come in a variety of forms.

• Physical Dangers-This collection of hazards is present at all times at work and is responsible for a wide range of occupational ailments, including hypertension, stress, and cancer. Factors, agents, or events that might cause harm without or with touch are known as physical hazards. They are either classified as environmental or occupational hazards. Radiation, heat, cold stress, tremors, and noise are just a few examples.

• • Biological risks-Biological hazards, often known as biohazards, are biological compounds that pose a health risk to humans and other living species. Samples of a toxin from a biological source, a virus are examples of this type of hazard. Specifically, samples that are harmful to people’s health.
  • Ergonomic hazard: This refers to the need for incorrect posture, boredom, repetitiveness, work shifts, and stressful conditions. The anesthesiologist’s workplace adequacy comprises ergonomically adapting the OR. The anaesthetic machine, operating table, side tables, and monitors should all be set to the height of the anesthesiologist.
  • Chemical dangers-Chemical hazards are risks that might arise from exposure to chemicals in the workplace. Victims may experience immediate or long-term health consequences. Immune agents, dermatologic agents, carcinogens, neurotoxins, and reproductive poisons are among the hundreds of dangerous substances. Hazardous compounds include asthma, sensitizers, and systemic poisons.

• Psychosocial nature of risk-Psychosocial hazards is workplace risks that have an impact on employees’ mental health. These dangers limit their ability to function in a team situation with other people. The way the work was created, structured, and managed is linked to psychosocial dangers. Psychological or psychiatric harm or sickness occurs in patients. Some people are also hurt or sick physically.

Workplace Safety and Health

Legal regulations, certification and registration, monitoring and surveillance, accident reporting, and work injury compensation are all part of workplace safety and health. Understand your WSH responsibilities to improve workplace safety.

It aims to:

• Protect the people from the risks of corporate activity to their health and safety;
• eliminate workplace risks at the source; 
• and include employers, employees, and 
• the organisations that represent them in the creation and implementation of health, safety, and welfare standards.

Occupational safety and health administration

In the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA as it is more often known, is in charge of preserving worker health and safety. Following the enactment of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Congress established OSHA in 1971 to maintain safe and healthy working conditions for employees by enforcing workplace rules and standards as well as providing training, outreach, information, and assistance. 

• The OSH Act was enacted in response to annual workplace accidents that resulted in 14,000 worker deaths and 2.5 million workers being incapacitated each year.
•  Since its creation, OSHA has decreased work-related fatalities by more than half and considerably lowered overall injury and sickness rates in industries where it has focused its efforts, such as textiles and construction.