L27: Occupational Health Programs & Teams Flashcards
Background about safety and health of workers in Egypt
Occupational health program
Occupational health program
- Measures for worker
βΆ Pre-employment health examination.
β· Periodic health examination.
βΈ Return to work health examinations.
βΉ First aid services and emergency preparedness
βΊ Training & health education.
β» Data collection & record keeping
βΌ disability evaluation & rehabilitation
β½ Health promotion activities
Occupational health program
- Measures for working place
βΆ Surveillance of the working environment
β· Informing employer, enterprise management and
workers about occupational health hazards
Measures for workplace environment
- Surveillance of the working environment
(Surveillance of the working environment)
The quality of the working environment β¦β¦ has to be ensured by β¦.. at the workplace.
- in terms of compliance with safety and health standards
- surveillance
(Surveillance of the working environment)
According to ILO, β¦.. of the working environment is one of the main tasks of the β¦β¦ services.
- surveillance
- occupational health
(Surveillance of the working environment)
- Walk-through survey of the workplace is conducted, preferably by a β¦β¦
- This should include interviews with:
- multidisciplinary occupational health team supplemented by employersβ and workersβ representatives.
- βΆ Managers
β· Foremen
βΈ Workers
(Surveillance of the working environment)
When needed, special safety, hygiene, ergonomic or psychological checks can be performed.
..
(Surveillance of the working environment)
Special checklists and guidelines are available and are recommended for such surveys
β¦
(Surveillance of the working environment)
The observations may indicate a need for specific measurements or checks which should be performed by specialists in
βΆ occupational hygiene
β· ergonomics
βΈ toxicology
βΉ safety engineering
βΊ psychology.
β¦
Measures for workplace environment
- Informing about occupational health hazards
(Informing about occupational health hazards)
- Informing employer, enterprise management &
workers about occupational health hazards - This information is communicated to β¦β¦.
βΆ those responsible for implementing preventive
and control measures.
β· to the workers exposed to these hazards
Measures for workers
- Pre-assignment (pre-employment) health examinations
Pre-assignment (pre-employment) health examinations
- Record the state of health of the worker at the beginning of employment in Certain Situattions where β¦β¦
- The worker is exposed to hazards which
may affect certain body functions, base line levels of these functions should be evaluated during the preplacement
Pre-assignment (pre-employment) health examinations
Examples of Pre-assignment (pre-employment) health examinations
- Audiometry in the case of noise exposure
- Pulmonary functions in the case of exposure
to irritant dust. - Evaluation of choline-esterase level in blood in the
case of exposure to organo-phosphorus pesticides
Pre-assignment (pre-employment) health examinations
- Discover diseases unknown to the worker so that β¦β¦ can be given.
early treatment
Pre-assignment (pre-employment) health examinations
- Avoid employment of workers with infectious diseases until proper treatment is completed.
β¦
Pre-assignment (pre-employment) health examinations
- In doing a preplacement examination the occupational health physician should be β¦..
familiar with the type of job of the prospective worker is going to perform and the type of hazard he will be exposed to.
Measures for workers
- Periodic health examinations
Periodic health examinations
- objective is to early detect occupational diseases at a stage when they can be β¦β¦
βΆ treated
β· their progress stopped or slowed down.
Periodic health examinations
- Examinations focus particularly on the organs or systems affected by the occupational exposure dust. e.g:
βΆ A chest X-ray is necessary exposure to fibrogenic.
β· An audiogram in exposure to noise.
βΈ Evaluation of lead in blood exposure to lead fumes or dust
Periodic health examinations
- These are performed at β¦β¦ during employment which involves exposure to potential hazards that β¦β¦
- periodic intervals
- could not be entirely eliminated by preventive and control measures.
Periodic health examinations
- Examples
βΆ silica exposed workers Every 2 years
β· radiation exposed workers Every 6 months
Measures for workers
- Return-to-work health examinations
Importance of Return-to-work health examinations
βΆ determines the workersβ suitability for the job
β· recommends appropriate actions to protect them against future exposures
βΈ identifies whether there is a need for a reassignment or a special rehabilitation.
Return-to-work health examinations
- This type of health assessment is required to β¦..
authorize the resumption of work after a long absence for health reasons
Measures for workers
- First aid services and emergency preparedness
- This covers preparedness for accidents and
acute health conditions in individual workers - As well as readiness for response in collaboration
with other emergency services in cases of serious
accidents affecting the entire enterprise.
Measures for workers
- Training & health education
Training & health education
- They should participate in the progressive and continuing training of all workers in the enterprise who contribute to occupational safety and health.
β¦
Training & health education
- Occupational health professionals β¦..
Measures for workers
- Data collection & record keeping
Data collection & record keeping
- It is important that all β¦β¦ be properly documented and the records safely stored so that, if necessary for β¦β¦β¦., they may be retrieved years and even decades later
- βΆ medical contacts β· assessments βΈ surveys
- follow-up health examinations, legal or research purposes
Disability evaluation & Rehabilitation
Measures for workers
- Disability evaluation & Rehabilitation
Disability evaluation & Rehabilitation
- Aim of disability evaluation
To determine
- amount of compensation
- fitness for work
Health promotion activities
- Wellness programs include:
βΆ health education
β· stress management
βΈ assessment of health risks.
Disability evaluation & Rehabilitation
- Aim of rehabilitation
- restore physical, mental, social capabilities of the worker
- increase productivity
Health promotion activities
- Aim
They usually aim at changing personal health practices with a view to improving overall health status and reducing absenteeism
such as:
βΆ alcohol
β· drug abuse
βΈ smoking
βΉ diet and physical exercise
Members of Occupational health team
- Physician
- Hygienist
- Epidemeologist
- Nurse
- Ergonomist
- Safety Engineer
- Lawyer
Role of Physician
Diagnosis & treatment of occupational diseases
(surveillance of workersαΎ½ health-disability evaluation)
Role of Hygeinist
βΆ Recognition & evaluation of hazards (Quantitative
assessment)
β· Designing control measures
Role of Epidemiologist
βΆ Identifying hazards & Controlling hazards
β· Evaluation of services
Role of Nurse
βΆ Implement preventive& therapeutic services
β· Share in HE& training as regards safety and health
βΈ First aid services
Role of Ergonomist
Provide environment without physical or mental strain
- Examples
Static body and holding positions should be avoided.
- For instance, persons working at a computer terminal should be reminded to do a short walking task every 20 minutes
- Objects can be placed on a supporting surface instead of handheld.
- Eliminating the waist motion such that everything needed is within armβs reach will reduce stress on back, neck, and shoulders.
- The less torso movement, the better
The less torso movement, the better
β¦
Role of Safety Engineer
βΆ Provide safe work environment by designing preventive and control measures at workplace
β· Maintenance of all related equipment
Role of Lawyer
- Control legal aspects and assure that all legal rules related to workers health and workplace environment are achieve
Done
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