Question

In 400 words define Occupational Health Hazard and provide examples to support your answer.

Answer 1

Occupational Health Hazard

When a person is involved in an occupation he may be prone to many kinds of injuries or illnesses due to the nature of work or workplace environment. Occupational health focuses on all aspects of health of workers in workplace and deals with primary prevention of such hazards from occurring. Earlier, occupational health and safety efforts to prevent and overcome hazards were confined only to manual labor occupations, but now it covers all types of occupations, since all jobs regardless of their nature comes with some or the other kinds of risks. Safety in workplaces is often taken granted and is not given much importance. Hazards may not actually happen but it is up to the authorities to take care of it, if some emergency situations eventually occur.

Occupational health hazard can be defined as a circumstance that occur in a workplace which not only causes serious impacts on the workers but also poses threat to their life, health, and environment. Such hazards may be physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, or behavioral.

• Physical hazards

Hazards that occur as result of situations like slippery floor, electrical problems in the building, poor ventilation and lighting, noise, etc. come under physical hazards. Such situations can cause serious physical impacts on workers.

• Chemical hazards

This includes coming in contact with hazardous chemical substances which poses adverse health impacts. For example inhaling or coming in contact with certain drugs, flammable gases, highly toxic chemicals, etc. can result in breathing problems, skin problems, allergic reactions, cancer, etc.

• Biological hazards

Hazards that occur as a result of exposure to bacteria, viruses, plants, and animals are termed as biological hazards. Such hazards can result in various health effects like allergic reactions, skin problems, infections, cancer, etc.

• Ergonomic hazards

Hazards that cause harm to musculoskeletal system of the worker are called ergonomic hazards. This occurs as a result of repetitive movement, poor body positioning, lifting heavy weight, etc. For example, a nurse is prone to stand on her feet for a long duration and may also need to lift and transfer patients. This can increase the risk of back injuries and is a very common factor for missing working hours.

• Behavioral hazards

This arises as a result of unsafe behavior from the side of a worker. For example, if a nurse refuses to wear mask while attending an infected patient she is at the maximum risk of contracting the infection. Similarly, if safety precautions are not taken while handling a medical equipment like an X-ray machine she may increase the chance of being exposed to the toxic rays.

• Apart from all this, workers are also subjected to hazards due to stress, shift work, and violence from coworkers, family members, or patients.

Presently, there are many safety and health concerns that workers face in their work place. These concerns if not addressed properly can cause huge fatalities and injuries. Many such hazards can be prevented if proper precautionary measures and training are given to the workers before beginning the work. For example, a nurse should be aware of

• the health risks related to handling infectious diseases
• radiation exposure
• chemical exposure
• importance of hand hygiene
• importance of proper vaccinations and immunizations
• Using lift and transfer equipment for moving a patient
• practicing safe needle handling
• using personal safety equipment
• dealing with potentially violent and dangerous patients
• importance of enough sleep
• self-care for staying strong

Like the proverb goes “Prevention is better than cure”, it is always best to stop a hazard from happening in the first place than to repair the damage after it has occurred. Therefore, the best health advice in terms of occupational hazard is to prevent it from taking place.