Workplace Exposure Flashcards
Occupational Disease
health outcomes caused/influenced by exposure to workplace hazards
significance of Occupational Disease
Recognition
Magnitude of exposures
why not report on the job injuries
- fear of being fired, losing hours
- may not seem too bad at first
- doing something you weren’t supposed to do
- illegal workers
problems with reporting injury
- company can get in trouble if there are lots of violations/injuries
examples of on the job injuries for teachers
stress, carpal tunnel, back problems, exposure to infectious disease
car accidents
if job involve driving
on site researchers, truck drivers
the first ID’d Occupational Disease
scrotal cancer in chimney sweeps
examples of Occupational Disease
-ppl who make matches: Necrosis of jaw
- black lung disease: coal miners
Brown lung: fiber dust, textiles
- silicosis, mesotheliona, asthma: construction industry, tile cutting
Potters rotL dust
COPD: smokers
Hypersensitivity: artificially cooled buildings with water
Disease vs. Injury
Disease: EXPOSURE based
Injury: response to applied FORCE (car crash)
Injury types
Trauma: injury from extrinsic force…stress or wound to psyche too
Cummulative Trauma: repeated small injuries culinating in a debilitating condition
importance of job title…
how you identify major hazards associated with job
Autoworkers
they use soap that strips the mechanical stuff off their hands
then they have more exposure because skin cant protect as well
Injury Issues Incidents
Triangle Shirtwaste Company
Gavley Bridge
what these disasters lead to
Unions!
When Unions don’t work
Right to work states (AZ)
people are poor and will work despite safety
Triangle Shirtwaste Company
16 hr work shift…locked in NYC
fire broke out, people trapped
fire worse bc fibers in air from sewing machienes
1911
Gauley Bridge
workers exposed to high levels of slica dust…Scilliosis and lung disease
1931
they did not have adequate protection!
how many injuries a year?
half a million
work place injury compared to illness
93% injury
6% illness
rank of workplace ILLNESS
#1: disorders from repeat trauma (carpal tunel) (inc. with technology) #2 Skin disorders (less than others added, but others is not one thing) #3 everything else
also Reproductive disorders Neurotoxic disorders Noise-induced hearing loss Dermatologic disorders Psychological disorders
common workplace disease agents
noise dust heavy metals/fumes carbon monoxide (drivers, autoworkers) misc. chemicals ionizing radiation microbial agents stress
fume vs. metal
fumes: when you add heat, get quasi-melting
think blow torch)
common occupational disesase
allergic and irritant contact dermatitis hearing/hearing conservation accute trauma chronic trauma musculoskeletal infectious disease
MERS
camels
physicains die from it a lot… occupational disease
work related fatalities ranked
#1 highways and transportation (23% and 53% respectively) #2 falls (11%) #3 Homicide 10% #4 Struck by falling object 10%
Accident
NEVER
Prevention Approaches
- Engineering Controls
- Process Change (substitution)
- Admin controls (PPE)
- Surveillance
- Defined Limits
Blame?
Good for who pays medical bill
not good because it is NOT a prevention strategy…prevention strategies would save more monies
