Occupational Health Flashcards
In the United States, exposures to toxic substances in the industrial workplace have been regulated primarily through the _____Act of 1970 and TSCA (toxic substance control act of 1976)
the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) of 1970
what does TSCA do
administers screenings
_________ Act- primary goal is to reduce workplace hazards and implement safety and health for both employers and employees. This act also required employers to properly report and monitor worksite illnesses and injuries, and encouraged states to develop their own occupational safety guidelines
the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) of 1970
_____ Act has regulations put in place to control public health hazards in the work place such as labeling requirements, tolerance levels, bans on certain chemicals
Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976
In the 1990 ____ amendments, Congress listed 189 substances as hazardous air pollutants that could affect people in certain industries
CAA
occupational physicians: establish toxicity levels of worksite pollutants or measure exposures?
establish toxicity levels
industrial hygienists: establish toxicity levels of worksite pollutants or measure exposures?
measure exposures
_______ is mandatory when workers are exposed to fairly high levels of a hazardous substance
personal protective equipment PPE
______ controls are used to control-ventilation to remove contaminant and introduce replacement air
engineering controls
Occupational illnesses deaths are mandated to be reported to the ___________ data
National Statistics
Occupational illness reports are published by the ____ online, as well as in hard copy reports and publications. All data should be entered/reported through the web-based interactive system
CDC
Employers should also post reports of worksite illness/fatalities to their employees annually between ____ and ____
February and April
All illness/death claims must be reported to ____ for further inspection
OSHA
Disease ______ can make it difficult to determine of the worker contracted the disease at work or elsewhere. Many times, an employee may retire, change jobs, or move before the disease is diagnosed
Latency
Challenges in getting accurate data about occupational illness
· Some employees do not want to get into the process of workers comp
· Worry of losing job contributes to underreporting
· Many employers find OSHA’s regulations confusing
· Employers have an incentive to underreport- since reporting less means they have a less of a chance of being inspected by OSHA and have less workers’ compensation expenses. Also, low injury and illness numbers look good to the public
why are low SES workers vulnerable to occupational illness
Low socioeconomic individuals are likely to have poorer health than high SEC, as well as are more likely to work in an unsafe environment
why are agricultural workers vulnerable to occupational illness
exposed to agricultural waste, manual labor, long hours
why are foreign born workers vulnerable to occupational illness
less likely to report illnesses and injuries because they rely on the income. They are also more likely to have jobs with higher risk (construction, agricultural)
why are developmentally delayed workers vulnerable to occupational illness
less likely to report or recognize illness in relation to worksite. Also, more management for this work group is required and surveillance is challenged
definition of occupational health
multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at work.
history of occupational health
Work conditions used to be unmonitored and unsafe. There were few/no regulations for health risks in the work place. Labor movements and reports of worksite accidents brought occupational health and safety issues to the forefront of society (e.g. Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire 1911). The first time in the US that all employers in this country has the same legal responsibilities to make sure workplaces were safe was 1970 when the OSH Act was signed
role of employee in responding to potential occupational health hazard
discuss injury/illness with employer, seek medical attention if necessary to ensure that the illness is work-associated
role of employer in responding to potential occupational health hazard
report injury/illness, act to improve the cause of the illness, either pay for workers comp (big companies) or contract annually premiums to insurers that will be source of workers comp
role of regulatory agencies in responding to potential occupational health hazard
OSHA/NIOSH/DOH/DOL will all assess the situation, evaluate the situation, help to improve worksite, and check up to ensure that worksite is safe in the future. The DOH specifically collects and analyzes data on worksite injuries and develops interventions and programs to raise public awareness to reduce workplace health risks. Also, they educate employers and employees on proper occupational safety placing special emphasis on reaching underserved worker populations
role of medical system in responding to potential occupational health hazard
assess patient, evaluate if the illness was due to an exposure, assess if the patient needs to be out of work or if the work environment must be altered to fix their needs, perform “fitness-for-duty” medical exams before patient returns to work
limits of science in responding to potential occupational health hazard
often, it is debated whether the exposure is the real cause of the disease/illness, causing a dispute of whether the employee should be compensated
