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Occupational Safety and Health: Lessons for a Better Future

Explore the history, conditions, hazards, and prevention strategies of occupational safety and health for a safe and healthy work environment.

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Occupational Safety and Health: Lessons for a Better Future

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  1. AD16WM Workspace ManagementLecturer: Daniel Wong MBA, MSc, BBus

  2. Safety and Healthin the Workplace

  3. Occupational Safety and Health • encompasses the social, mental and physical well-being of workers, that is the “whole person”

  4. Lesson 1. Learn from the past and prepare for a better future

  5. The World of Work then … "a foul and poisonous dust [that] flies out from these materials, enters the mouth, then the throat and lungs, makes the workmen cough incessantly, and by degrees brings on asthmatic troubles." "in whom he found heaps of sand that in running the knife through the pulmonary vesicles he thought he was cutting through some sandy body."

  6. Bernardini RamazziniFather of Occupational Medicine 1713 – Published “De Morbis Artificum” (Diseases of Workers)

  7. Paracelsus (1493-1541)Father of Modern Toxicology Areolus Phillipus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim "All substances are poisons; there is none which is not a poison. The right DOSE differentiates a poison from a remedy."

  8. But What About Now?? Safe Working??

  9. Lesson 2. Know the conditions of work and workplace

  10. Occupational and Work-Related Diseases and Injuries • History of exposure to hazardous workplace factors becomes indispensable in determining whether an illness is because of workplace factors or not.

  11. Types of Hazards Chemicalhazards Physical hazards Ergonomic stresses Biologic hazards

  12. Types of Hazards Chemicalhazards • Formaldehyde • Cigarette smoke • Carbon monoxide • Carbon dioxide • Cleaning Agents

  13. Types of Hazards Physical hazards • Poor office lighting • Noise • Dry air • Air currents

  14. Types of Hazards • Pollens, allergens and dusts • People, plants, mites, pests • Condensed water in air conditioners, clogged drains, etc. Biologic hazards

  15. Types of Hazards • Limited workspace • Simplified work • Repetitive task • Shiftwork (esp. night work) • Mental and physical workload Ergonomic stresses

  16. Lesson 3. Mere exposure to hazard does not cause harm to safety or health

  17. Important to characterize exposure Hazards in the workplace can cause harm if there is undue exposure such as through elevated workplace concentration without proper control measures.

  18. Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs) • development requires weeks, months or years of exposure to ergonomic risk factors • Repetitive exertions • Posture stresses (including static posture) • Forceful exertions • Contact stresses • Job design • Work organization • Workstation dimension

  19. Lesson 4. Take active part in keeping yourself safe and healthy.

  20. Diseases of Workers • Many diseases of occupational cause are multifactorial, with non-occupational factors playing a role. • Personal characteristics, other environmental and socio-cultural factors usually play a role as risk factors for these diseases.

  21. Total Health Promotion • Smoking cessation • Physical activity • Nutrition • Weight reduction • HIV/AIDS • Drug Abuse Prevention • TB Prevention and Control

  22. Lesson 5. Prevention is better than treatment

  23. HARMFUL EXPOSURES EARLY IN WORKING LIFE MODIFY NORMAL COURSE OF PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES DUE TO AGEING ALONE

  24. Hearing loss comes with ageing But hearing loss can occur much earlier due to occupational exposure

  25. Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

  26. Loss of muscle strength comes with ageing • But muscle strength can be diminished even in young persons

  27. Occupational Safety and Health is Prevention • Many occupational conditions are IRREVERSIBLE • Occupational conditions are PREVENTABLE

  28. ENSURING WORKER WELL-BEING • “The choice of a starting age for attention should be selected as “young” enough that intervention efforts can be expected to make a difference during the working life.” Committee on the Health and Safety Needs of Older Workers National Research Council and Institute of Medicine

  29. Occupational Safety and Health Conditions

  30. Occupational Safety and Health in Call Centres(Secondary Data) • Musculoskeletal disorders • Linked to poorly designed workstations (Hoekstra et. al. 1995). • Associated with longer shift duration (Ferreira M and Saldiva PH, 2002) • Long uninterrupted hours of work with the computer • Invariable and sedentary work (Norman K et. al. 2001) • Low job satisfaction (Most IG, 1999)

  31. Occupational Safety and Health in Call Centres (Secondary Data) • Voice disorders • Intensive verbal interaction with clients one of the contributing factors (Jones K et. al., 2002) • Eyestrain • Poor lighting conditions and intensive computer use (Putnam C et. al., 2000)

  32. Occupational Safety and Health in Call Centres (Secondary Data) • Problems due to psychosocial and work organization stressors (Putnam C et. al., 2000) • Increased reporting of health disorders • Negative work attitude (boredom, job dissatisfaction, anger, etc.)

  33. Occupational Safety and Health in Call Centres(Secondary Data) • Concern over potential hearing problems (Patel J and Broughton K, 2002) • Exposure to high intensity sound coming from the headsets • high sound levels in the room from the simultaneous talking of the employees

  34. Occupational Safety and Health Conditions Contact Centres in the Philippines

  35. Methods • Case study of 5 call centres • Purposively selected employees from one (1) company • Questionnaire to collect data about personal circumstances, occupational profile, medical and psychosocial conditions • Company profile • Data will be collected regarding the organization in terms of size, tasks, type of clients, work organization, working hours, etc. Information on incentive system will also be gathered.

  36. Results • 5 call centres • Varying tasks of operators • 1 call centre with only interactive computer task (internet online communication) • 4 call centres both voice and computer

  37. Results

  38. Results

  39. Results Working Posture of Call Centre Agents Company E (n=55)

  40. Frequency of eye symptoms among call centre agents (n=73)

  41. Frequency of musculoskeletal symptoms among call centre agents (n=72)

  42. Frequency of hearing and voice disorders among call centre agents (n=73)

  43. Lesson 6. Proactive measures are better than reactive efforts

  44. Work Elements and associated Risk factors of voice disorders

  45. Work Elements and associated Risk factors of hearing disorders

  46. Work Elements and associated Risk factors of visual fatigue

  47. Work Elements and associated Risk factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorder

  48. Implications of the Study • Knowledge gained to be used to improve working conditions • In existing and prospective new call centres • Address the OSH problems at an early stage • Policy/Program Implications • needs of women, mothers, young workers • policies concerning work shifts, esp. prolonged night work • adequate, on-site medical and health promotion facilities

  49. Implications of the Study • Recognition of complex nature of safety and health issues in call centres • Interaction of psychosocial factors with other work factors • Unique work organization because of electronic monitoring • High performance standards • Issues on job security • Compensation implications • Recognition of problems of workers in call centres • Associated with air quality, ambient noise, noise from headset, human-computer interaction, shift work, etc.

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