Workplace Health and Safety (22) Flashcards
Ways in which work is a source of well-being
- income-health-practices relationship
- some workplaces are important sources of health information
Our industries are moving toward…
service and high-tech
Possible problems of computerization
musculoskeletal disorders
Demographic issues in workforce:
- aging baby boomers
- increasing life expectancy
- increasing proportions of minorities and women in the workplace
- welfare reform has sent large numbers of women back to work
Sources of danger on the job:
- workplace toxic exposures
- injury
- exploitation/overwork
- stress
Largest cause of injury fatality:
transportation incidents
Number of reported cases isn’t anywhere close to the number of real cases. Requires…
symptoms, the seeking of medical attention, recognition of relation to work recognized, reported
Why should we invest in health (4 reasons):
- values and ethical considerations
- workers who are fit will have less need of using the health system
- will be more mentally alert
- will rely less on drugs, alcohol, and tobacco for relief of stress
What’s been a common problem with occupational risk-reduction approaches?
Evaluation has lagged.
relates to the analysis and control of hazards in workplaces
Occupational Safety and Health
deals primarily with workplace hazards including those of a chemical, physical or biological nature; protection from illnesses
Occupational Health
those health outcomes that are…caused or influenced by exposure to general conditions or specific hazards encountered in the workplace
Occupational Disease
addresses hazards of mechanical nature; protection from injuries
Occupational Safety
what to expect based on history, manufacturing processes, job class, chemicals used, etc.
Anticipation
identification of hazards from qualitative or quantitative information, e.g. processes, number of employees, job descriptions, health and safety programs; usually accomplished through walk-through inspection; used to formulate evaluation
Recognition
estimating worker exposure using models and/or measurements; requires consideration of who to evaluate
Evaluation
modifying the environment to prevent or mitigate exposure
Control
6 strategies of prevention in the workplace:
- substitution
- isolation
- ventilation
- protective devices
- personal protective equipment
- administrative strategies
What is the mantra of industrial hygiene?
Anticipation, Recognition, Evaluation, Control
Pliny the Elder (29-79 AD)
toxic metals
Bernardino Ramazzani (1633-1714)
“De Morbis Artificum Diatriba,” 1700. (The Diseases of Workers) – the first comprehensive book on industrial medicine, links occupation with disease
Percival Pott (1761)
notes high incidence of scrotal cancers in chimney sweeps, links cancer to soot, one of the first recorded connections between occupational exposures and cancer, led to Chimney Sweepers Act of 1788
Alice Hamilton (1869-1970)
first major champion of occupational health in the US, founder of modern occupational medicine
Date and number of casualties of Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire
March 25, 1911
146 young women died
Date, description, and number dead/disabled in Gauley Tunnel Disaster
- 1930
- thick silica dust caused by excavation in WV
- 476 dead, 1500 disabled
Historical Legislation
- 1833 (Great Britain)
- 1842 (Great Britain)
- Workers Compensation
- 1935 (US)
- 1936 (US)
- Factory Act (limited hours/required schooling for children)
- Mines Act (limited conditions and hours for those under 12
- first department of factory inspection (Massachusetss 1867); first laws around 1911, all states had laws by 1948
- Social Security Act (made funds available for public health programs, provided retirement income for many)
- Walsh Healey Public Contracts Act (required organizations supplying to US government to maintain safe/healthy working environments, antecedent to 1970 OSHA Act)
Beginning of new era of occupational health regulation?
1968 – 78 miners died in WV explosion
What law, passed in 1970, created OSHA and NIOSH?
Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA)
created ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry)
What did OSHA do?
consolidated all federal health and safety regulations of the mining industry, strengthened and expanded the rights of miners, established the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)
“The secretary, in promulgating standards dealing with toxic materials or harmful physical agents under this subsection, shall set the standard which most adequately assures, to the extent feasible, on the basis of the best available evidence that no employee will suffer material impairment of health or functional capacity even if such employee has regular exposure to the hazard dealt with by such standard for the period of his working life”
Criteria for Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) in OSHA
“Each employer shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees
General Duty Clause of OSHA
The 8 agents of occupational disease:
- noise
- dusts
- toxic heavy metals and their fumes
- carbon monoxide
- chemicals
- ionizing radiation
- microbial agents
- work-related stresses
NIOSH Top 10 Targeted Diseases/Conditions:
- lung disease
- cancer
- cardiovascular disease
- reproductive disorders
- neurotoxic disorders
- noise-induced hearing loss
- dermatologic conditions
- psychiatric disorders
- toxic substances
- injuries
Three types of personal protective equipment:
- respirators to protect against airborne hazards
- hearing protection to protect from noise
- eyewear and dermal protection
“…the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health data essential to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health practices, closely integrated with the timely dissemination of these data to those who need to know.”
public health surveillance
Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL):
the concentration expressed as an eight-hour time-weighted average, which shall not be exceeded (enforceable)
Action Level (AL):
1/2 PEL where specific activities are triggered (e.g. additional monitoring)
Short-Term Exposure Limit (STEL):
concentration expressed as a 15 minute time-weighted average, which shall not be exceeded
Ceiling (C)
concentration never to be exceeded
NIOSH (REL)
Recommended Exposure Limit
Threshold Limit Values (TLV)
airborne concentrations of substances; represent conditions under which it is believed that nearly all workers may be repeatedly exposed day after day without adverse effects; balance health considerations with cost to industry
How TLV is expressed
as a time-weighted average
Skin Notation
potential for absorption through the skin
Biological Exposure Index (BEI)
measurement of chemical determinant in biological matrix
