Workplace Hazards

Question 1

What is occupational health?

Answer 1

-It is a public health discipline

-Occupational Health is the promotion and maintenance of
the highest degree of physical, mental, and social well-being
of workers in all occupations by preventing departures from
health, controlling risks, and the adaptation of work to
people, and people to their jobs.

Question 2

Occupational health focuses on what?

Answer 2

Focus on interaction between the
person or groups of people and the
work environment

Question 3

Core activities of Occupational health?

Answer 3

Core activities are the prevention,
recognition, diagnosis, treatment
and social management of a work
related health condition

Question 4

Ramazzini is the father of?

Answer 4

Industrial medicine

Question 5

Mines and Works Act, 27 of 1956, and the Occupational

Diseases in Mines and Works Act, 78 of1973

Answer 5

These Acts provide for
 the control of the work environment in the mines,
 risk or fitness examinations relating to miners’ fitness for
underground work,
 and for benefit examinations for occupational disease
compensation.

Question 6

For the Non-mining industry, there is an act called?

Answer 6

Workmen’s Compensation Act No 25 of 1914
 industrial accidents and occupational diseases
 Posthumous benefits
 Cyanide rash, lead, and mercury poisoning
 1941, 15 occupational diseases including silicosis

Question 7

1918: Factories Act later replaced by Factories, Machinery and
Building Work Act, 22 of1941,

Answer 7

 Inclusion of working hours, control of machinery, accidents
the investigation by the labor inspectorate

Question 8

1975: Erasmus Commission of Inquiry

Answer 8

 Occurrence of occupational diseases which were found to be
widespread and prevalent
 Statutory protection of health at work which was fragmented,
incomplete and outdated
 Occupational health services which were limited in non-mining
industry

Question 9

1995: Leon Commission

Answer 9

TB, silicosis, asbestosis, Noise-induced hearing loss

• 1995: Mine Health and Safety Act 1993

Question 10

Why do we focus on Occupational Health?

Answer 10

 Most classes of agents pose their greatest threat in work settings
 Exposures are the greatest in the workplace
 Exposures are more frequent, more concentrated, and of longer
duration
 Workplace permits “easy” ?means of assessing groups of exposed
workers.

Question 11

What are the disciplines of occupational health?

Answer 11

 Occupational Medicine
 Occupational Hygiene
 Epidemiology and Biostatistics
 Toxicology O How chemical exposures result in occupational
related diseases and injuries
 Ergonomics O The science of adapting machines and the working
environment to the physical, psychological, and social attributes of
the worker

Question 12

Occupational Hygiene

Answer 12

‘The discipline of anticipating, recognizing, evaluating and
controlling health hazards in the working environment with the
objective of protecting worker health and well- being and
safeguarding the community at large.

Question 13

What does Occupational hygiene look at?

Answer 13

Occupational Hygiene:
1.Occupational Hygiene
2.Occupational Medicine 
Work activity
Exposure 
Disease

Question 14

What is a hazard?

Answer 14

A hazard is a situation or a condition that can potentially cause an
injury or illness in workers or damage to property.
 An uncontrolled hazard may vary in severity from no effect to
human death.

Question 15

Hazard categories

Answer 15

 Physical hazards
 Chemical hazards
 Psychosocial hazards
 Biological hazards
 Ergonomics

Question 16

Physical hazards

Answer 16

 Temperature extremes
 Noise
 Radiation
 Height
 Lifting weights

Question 17

Chemical hazards

Answer 17

Solvents , heavy metals , paints

Question 18

Psychosocial hazards

Answer 18

 Stress
 Violence
 Sexual harassment

Question 19

Biological hazards

Answer 19

Virus, Bacteria. Parasites

Question 20

Identifying hazards in the workplace

Answer 20

You do a risk assessment:
 Review the workplace
 Understand the scope of the work in a factory
 Examine the process on the work floor
 Identify and observe hazards on the work floor
 Observe controls in place / the lack thereof

Question 21

Hierarchy of controls [controlling the workplace hazards]

Answer 21

From permanent[collective process] to Temporary [Individual process]

1. Elimination
2. Substitution
3. Engineering
4. Administrative
5. Personal protection