Introduction to Occupational

Safety and Health

(OSH and the BOSH Framework)
Learning Objectives

Working on this module should help you to:

- have an overview of the BOSH Course and the importance of safety and
health
- define OSH and its three major fields – Occupational Safety, Occupational
Health and Industrial Hygiene
- identify work hazards and risks and recommend control measures to
reduce or eliminate work-related accidents and illness
- acquire basic knowledge & skills on OSH, such as safe work practices,
that will enable you to plan/develop your company’s Safety and Health
program.
 OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
• deals with understanding the causes of
accidents at work and ways to prevent unsafe
act and unsafe conditions in any workplace.
Safety at work discusses concepts on good
housekeeping, proper materials handling and
storage, machine safety, electrical safety, fire
prevention and control, safety inspection,
and accident investigation.
 OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
is a broad concept which explains how
the different hazards and risks at work
may cause an illness and emphasizes
that health programs are essential in
controlling work-related and/or
occupational diseases.
 INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE
discusses the identification,
evaluation, and control of
physical, chemical, biological
and ergonomic hazards.
 In its broadest sense, OSH aims at:
• the promotion and maintenance of the
highest degree of physical, mental and
social well-being of workers in all
occupations;
• the prevention of adverse health
effects of the working conditions
• the placing and maintenance of
workers in an occupational
In other words,
occupational health and
environment
safety encompasses the
social, mental and
adapted to physical and mental needs;
physical well-being of
workers, that is, the
• the adaptation of work to humans (and
“whole person”. NOT the other way around).
 HAZARD

a source or situation with a potential to

cause harm in terms of injury, ill health,
damage to property, damage to the
environment or a combination of these.
 RISK
a combination of the likelihood of an occurrence of a
hazardous event with specified period or in specified
circumstances and the severity of injury or damage to the
health of people, property, environment or any combination of
these caused by the event.
The hazards affecting the workplace under
each major area should be detected,
identified, controlled and, at best,
prevented from occurring by the safety
and health officer of the company.
Occupational safety and health should be
integrated in every step of the work
process, starting from storage and use of
raw materials, the manufacture of
products, release of by-products, use of
various equipment and ensuring a non-
hazardous or risk-free work environment.