Occupational health

hazards & precautions

 Aim of Occupational Health
 Promotion and Maintenance of the Highest
Degree of Physical, Mental and Social Well
Being of Workers in all Occupations”
 Prevention

 Protection

 Adoption of work to man

 Ergonomics
 Ergon – work
 Nomos – law
 Fitting the job to the Worker
 Right person in the right job
 Human engineering
 Designing of machines, tools, equipment and manufacturing
processes
 Lay out of work place
 Methods of work and environment
 To achieve greater efficiency of man and machine
 Mutual adjustment of man and his work for improvement of
human efficiency and well being
 Uses of ergonomics

 Reduction in industrial accidents

 Improvement of health & efficiency of
workers
 Prevention of occupational diseases

 Reduction of sickness absenteeism

Distribution of working population
About 43% of the Indian population, is employed in
some occupation or other. The breakdown is as
follows
Agriculture :71.5%
Industry :10.0%
Trade & Commerce :5.6%
Transport :2.5%
Mining & Quarrying :0.5%
construction :1.2%
Others :8.7%
 Occupational diseases

 Occupational diseases are defined as

‘diseases arising out of or in the course of
employment’
 Diseases due to physical agents
 Heat: heat hyperpyrexia, heat exhaustion, heat
syncope, heat cramps, burns etc.,
 Cold: trench foot, frost bite, chill blains

 Light: occupational cataract, miner’s

nystagmus
 Pressure: Caisson disease, air embolism, blast

 Vibration: Injuries of joints of hands, elbows

and shoulders, white fingers
 Cont.
 Noise:
1. Auditory effects-hearing loss
2. Non-auditory effects-nervousness, fatigue,
annoyance, decreased efficiency, interference with
speech
 Radiation: cancer, leukemia, aplastic anaemia
 Mechanical: injuries, accidents

 Electricity: burns
 Due to chemical agents
 Gases
 Metals & their compounds

 Dusts

Inorganic dusts
Organic dusts
 Chemicals
 Solvents
 Gases
 CO2
 CO
 HCN
 CS2
 NH3
 N2
 H2S
 SO2
 Inorganic dusts

 Coal dusts: Anthracosis

 Silica: Silicosis

 Asbestos: Asbestosis

 Iron: Siderosis
 Organic dusts

 Cane fiber: Bagassosis

 Cotton fiber: Byssinosis

 Tobacco: Tobaccosis

 Hay or grain dust: Farmer’s lung

 Metals & their compounds
 Lead : Plumbism
 Mercury :
 Cadmium :
 Manganese :
 Beryllium : Lung cancer
 Arsenic : Lung cancer
 Chromium : Lung cancer
 Chemicals

 Acids
 Alkalies

 pesticides
 Solvents

 Carbon bi sulphide :
 Benzene : Leukemia
 Trichloroethylene :
 Chloroform :
 Due to biologic agents
 Brucellosis
 Leptospirosis

 Anthrax

 Actinomycosis

 Hydatidosis

 Psittacosis

 Fungal infections
 Occupational cancers

 Skin cancer
 Lung cancer
 Bladder cancer
 Leukemia
 Occupational dermatosis

 Dermatitis
 Eczema
 Psychological origin

 Industrial neurosis
 Hypertension

 Peptic ulcer
 Occupational diseases & industries
 Accidents in mining, construction &
communication
 Pneumoconiosis in mining, quarrying, pottery,
foundry, glass industry, jute & cotton mills
 Plumbism (lead poisoning) in storage-battery
workers, compositors, welders
 Dermatosis in chemical industries
 Deafness in boiler makers
 Intoxication from pesticides and fertilizers
 Prevention of occupational hazards

 Medical measures
 Engineering measures

 Statutory or legislative measures

Medical Measures
 1.Pre-Placement Examination

Purpose is to place the Right Man in the Right

job
 Done at the time of Employment
 Worker’s Medical, Family, Occupational & Social
History
 Physical Examination
 Biological Examination
 Radiological Examination
 Cont.
 Hazard / Undesirable Conditions
 Lead
Anemia, Hypertension, Peptic Ulcer
 Dyes
Asthma, Skin diseases, Kidney diseases
 Solvents
Dermatitis, Liver & Kidney diseases
 Silica
Lung Diseases (Tuberculosis)
 Radium
Signs of ILL Health
 2.Periodic Examination
 Workers Examined Once a Year
 Monthly Examinations are indicated in
certain occupational exposures to Lead,
Dyes and Radium
 Particular care to workers returning from
Medical leave
 3.Medical & Health Care Services

 Medical Care for Worker and his family (e.g.,

ESI)
 First Aid Service

 Immunization
 4.Notification
 Initiate Measures for Prevention & Protection
& Effective application
 Investigate the Working Conditions
 Factories Act
22 Notifiable diseases
 Mines Act
3 Diseases
 Dock Regulations
8 Diseases
 5.Supervision of Working
Environment
 Information for prevention of Occupational diseases
 Frequent visits of Physician to the Factory
 Checks the various aspects of working environment
 Physician
 Should be acquainted with Raw Materials, Processes and
Products
 Study various aspects of Occupational Physiology
 Enlist the Co-operation of Safety Engineers, Industrial
Hygienists and Psychologists
 Cont.
4 Maintenance & Analysis of Records
 Essential for the Planning, Development & Efficient Operation of
an Occupational Health Service.
 Maintenance of Worker’s health record & Occupational
Disability records.

5 Health Education & Counseling

 Start before the Worker Enters the factory
 Explain the correct use of Protective devices (Gloves, Masks etc)
 Remind about dangers in Industry

 Assist the Worker in his process of adjustment to Working,

Home and Community Environment.

Engineering measures
 1. Design of building
 Blue print stage
 Type of floor

 Walls

 Height

 Roof

 Doors & windows

 Cubic space
 2. Good housekeeping

 White washing once a year

 Vacuum cleaning

 Wet cleaning

 Maintenance of protective equipment

 3. General ventilation

 Ventilating openings-5 sq.ft/worker

 Efficient exhaust ventilation system

 500 cu.ft space/worker

 4. Mechanization

 To the fullest possible extent

 Hand mixing replaced by mechanization
prevents dermatitis
 Acids-from one place to other through pipes

 Dangerous operation by robots

 5. Substitution
 Replacement of harmful material by harmless one or
one of lesser toxicity

Harmful Harmless
 White phosphorous - p.sesquisulphide
(phossy jaw)
 Lead paints - zinc/iron paints
 Mercury salts - silver salts
 Benzene - acetone
 6. Dusts

 Water sprays-eg. Wet drilling or rock

 Moistening the processes
 -grinding,

 -sieving

 -mixing
 7. Enclosure

 Enclosure of grinding machinery

 Should be combined with exhaust
ventilation
 8. Isolation
 Isolate the offensive process in a separate
building
 Workers not connected are saved

 Not only in space, but also time

 9. Local exhaust ventilation

 Trapping of dust & fumes at source

 Breathing zone of workers kept free from
dusts
 10. Protective devices
 Not substitute for other control measures
 Respirators and gas masks
 Ear plugs & ear muffs
 Helmets
 Gum boots & safety shoes
 Goggles
 Gloves & aprons
 Barrier creams & screens
 Correct use
 11. Environmental monitoring

 Periodical environmental surveys

 Thermal environment

 Ventilation

 Lighting

 Jointly by doctors & engineers

 12. Statistical monitoring

 Review of collected data-health &

environmental exposure
 Evaluation of adequacy of preventive
measures & permissible exposure levels
 13. Research
 Offers understanding of industrial health
problems
 Permissible exposure levels

 Occupational cancers

 Accident prevention

 Industrial fatigue

 Vocational psychology
Legislation
 Factory Laws For Prevention Of
Occupational Diseases

 To govern conditions in industry

 To safeguard the health and welfare of the
workers
 The Factories Act 1948
 Introduced in 1881
 Revised and amended several times

 Came to force on 1st April 1949

 Latest in 1987The Factories Amendment

Act 1987
 This Act applies to whole of India except
Jammu And Kashmir
 Definition of Factory

 Establishment employing ten or more workers

where power is used or 20 or more workers
where power is not used
 Staff pattern

 Chief Inspector of Factories

 Additional Chief Inspector

 Joint Inspector

 Deputy Chief Inspector

 Safety Officers(1000 or more workers)

 Welfare Officer(500 or more workers)

 Provisions

 Health
 Cleanliness
 Lighting and Ventilation
 Medical Facilities
 Safety
 Treatment of wastes and effluents
 Elimination of dust and fumes
 Provision of spittoons
 Control of temperature
 Supply of cool drinking water during summer
 Employment of cleaners
 Minimum of 500 cubic feet space for each worker
 Prescribes precautions for safety of workers
 Specific Welfare Measures
 Washing facilities
 Facilities for storing and drying clothes

 Facilities for sitting

 First-aid appliances,shelters,rest rooms and

lunch rooms
 Canteens (more than 250 workers) and crèches
more than 30 women workers)
Employment of women and young persons

 No employment for child below 14 years

 Adolescent employee(15-18 years) certified by the
Certifying Surgeons regarding their fitness of work
 The working hours between 6am and 7pm
 Not to employ women in dangerous occupation
 To set up a creche, if the number of female workers
exceeds 30
 To establish a canteen if there are 250 or more workers
 to make available such sanitary conveniences as cool
drinking water, toilets, spittoons, lunchrooms, wash
basin & so on
 Working Hours

 Working hours –48/week

 Not exceeding 9 hours per day

 Half an hour rest after 5 hours of work

 Adolescents 4.5hours per day

 Weekly hours shall not exceed 60

 Leave with wages

 Weekly holidays
 Earned leave 30 days (one day/every 20 days)

 Earned leave 40 days for children (one day for

every 15 days)
 Occupational Diseases
 List of Notifiable diseases(1976)
-Byssinosis
-Asbestosis
-Occupational Dermatitis
-Noise Induced hearing loss
-Ergonomical Problems
 Enquiry in every case of fatal accident
 Conducts health services
 Safety Measures and Protection of workers
employed in hazardous processes