OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Definition-

The joint international labor organization committee on Occupational health, 1950

defined occupational health as “The highest degree of physical, mental and social
well-being of workers in all occupations.”

Goals-

• To reduce industrial accidents.

• To prevent occupational hazards/ diseases.

• To achieve maximum human efficiency and machine efficiency.

• To reduce sick absenteeism.

Objectives-

• 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.

Occupational health represents a dynamic equilibrium between the worker and his
occupational environment.

Occupational Health Care-

Occupational health care is preventive health care, which is provided on the basis
of the Occupational Health Care Act. The objective of occupational health care is a
healthy and safe working environment, a well-functioning working community,
prevention of work-related diseases as well as the maintenance of employees’
working ability and functional capacity, and promotion of their health.
Advantages of Occupational Health Care-

 Investigates and assesses load factors and hazards and gives expert
assistance for eliminating them.

 Gives information and advice.

 Estimates employees’ working ability and monitors their health condition.

 By its knowledge and skills supports action for maintaining working ability
in the development of individuals, working environment and working
community, in this way also affecting productivity continued.

 Prevents occupational diseases and other work-related illnesses.

 Prevents premature incapacity for work, reduces pension costs.

 Reduces absenteeism due to sickness.

 Can make calculations of the profitability of occupational safety and health

and occupational health care in cooperation with workplaces or encourage
workplaces to make these themselves.

The Undertaking for the Need of Occupational Health Services-

1. Any undertakings, which employ more than the prescribed number.

2. Public sector undertakings

3. Atomic energy unit, explosive production unit, mining unit, and asbestos
production unit etc.,

4. A unit where workers are exposed to health hazards from toxic substances.

FUNCTIONS OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE –

1. Pre-employment medical examination.

2. First Aid and emergency service.

3. Supervision of the work environment for the control of dangerous substances

in the work environment.
 4. Special periodic medical examination particularly for the workers in
dangerous operations.

5. Health education for disseminating information on specific hazards and risks

in the work environment.

6. Special examination and surveillance of health of women and children

7. Advising the employer or management for improving working conditions,

and placement of hazards.

8. Monitoring of working environment for assessment and control of hazards.

9. Supervision over sanitation, hygiene and canteen facilities.

10. Liaison and cooperation with the safety committees.

11. Maintenance of medical records for medical check-up and follow-up for
maintaining health standards and also for evaluation.

12. To carry out other parallel activities such as nutrition programme, family
planning, social services recreation etc., Concerning the health and welfare
of the workers.

THE FACTORS FOR EFFECTIVENESS OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

SERVICES-

1) The nature of industry; small, medium or large and its location.

2) Existing infrastructure of health services.

3) Trained manpower.

4) Workers involvement and employers commitment.

5) Surveillance of the working environment by means of epidemiological

studies and testing.

Components occupational health services-

• Medical treatment, First aid treatment in emergency.

 • Health education, First aid education.

• Medical examination

• Pre employment examination

• Medical treatment, First aid treatment in emergency.

• Health education, First aid education.

• Medical examination

- Pre employment examination

-Periodic medical examination

- Special medical examination

. Health counseling

. Stress management

. Mental health And Physical health

. Rehabilitation programme

. Medical rehabilitation

. Social rehabilitation

. Educational rehabilitation

. Vocational rehabilitation

• Assessment of dusts pollution

• Assessment of noise pollution

• Assessment of vibration

• Assessment heat radiation

• Assessment of radiation

Supervision of the working environment

 • Hazard identification

• Monitoring

• Evaluation

• Engineering project review

• Control measures

. Development of personal protective devices

. Family welfare program

. To take care of employee and dependents

. Disaster management

. Health records maintenance

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH WORKSHOP UNITS-

INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE AND TOXICOLOGY UNIT

 Air Quality Monitoring

 Air-borne particulate sampling

 Ambient noise measurement and control

 Ventilation testing

 Lighting evaluation

 Thermal stress evaluation

 Biological Monitoring of workers exposed to lead, Manganese, Chromium

and Nickel

OCCUPATIONAL PHYSIOLOGY UNIT

 Evaluation of occupational work capacity

 Differential Diagnosis of exercise induced cardio-pulmonary stress

  Disability Evaluation

 Evaluation of fitness for highly demanding jobs

MEDITEL- A Radio Telemetry (3- Channel) system

• Pulse Rate

• Body Temperature

• Energy Expenditure

PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS

 VITALOGRAPH S-MODEL SPIROMETER (Total lung volume, timed

lung volume and flow lung volume)

 WHOLE BODY PLETHYSMOGRAPH (residual lung volume, total lung

capacity, air-way resistance, static and dynamic compliance)

OCCUPATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY UNIT

 Stress Management

 Job enrichment

 Executive skill development

 Organizational development

 Safety awareness system development

 Absenteeism control

 Job satisfaction

 Mental health survey

 And human relation

TOXICOLOGY LABORATORY UNIT

 PHOTOELECTRIC COLORIMETER
  SPECTROPHOTOMETER

 ATOMIC ABSORPTION SPECTROMETER

 PLASMA EMISSION SPECTROMETER

 And GAS CHROMOTOGRAPHY

WORK PHYSIOLOGY & ERGONOMICS UNIT

 Development of exercise program

 Study of vibration exposure

 Categorization of work load

 Determination of energy expenditure

 And design ergonomics (machinery, equipment)

 Evaluation of occupational work capacity

 Ergonomics analysis of work systems

 Work station design

 Development of pre employment job fitness tests

 Job analysis

MORGAN EXERCISE TEST SYSTEM

 TEST MONITOR UNIT(E.C.G Monitor, Ventilation Monitor and gas

analyzer)

 MAGNA 88 MICROCOMPUTER

 And a PRINTER with graphic resolution

HEAT STRESS EVALUATION

 Sling Psychrometer

 Kata Thermometer
  Hot Wire Anemometer

 WBGT index meter

 Dry Bulb thermometer

 Wet Bulb thermometer

 Globe thermometer

 Air velocity

 Physiological response to heat

 Humidity

APPLICATION OF HEAT STRESS EVALUATION

• Heat stress index

• Predicted four hour sweat rate

NOISE LEVEL MEASUREMENT

• Sound level meter

• Octave filter sets

• Personnel Noise Dose meter

ILLUMINATION & RADIATION MEASUREMENT

• UV digital meter

. Gamma Radiation Survey Meter

EVALUATION OF VIBRATION

• Human Response Vibration Meter

EVALUATION OF ATMOSPHERIC CONTAMINANTS

• Personal air samplers

• Drager Multigas Detector

 • Drager Polymeter

• Drager CMS analyser

• Real Time Aerosol Monitor

• Gravimetric Dust Sampler

• Hexhlet air sampler

GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

 Strengthening of international and national policies for health at work and

development of policy tools

 Developing healthy working environment

 Developing healthy work practices and promoting health at work

 Strengthening occupational health services

 Establishing support services for occupational health

 Developing occupational health standards based on scientific risk

assessment

 Developing human resources for occupational health

 Establishing registration data system and raising public awareness through

strengthened public information system

 Strengthening research

 Developing collaboration in occupational health services and organization

Occupational health issues-

 Checking your health

 Occupational cancer
 Stress
 Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
 Noise-induced hearing loss
 Hand-arm vibration syndrome
 Asthma
 Skin disorders (dermatitis or eczema)
 Identifying new risks
 Wider health issues