T1- OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND

SAFETY

1. Work and health

2. Damage arising from work
2.1.Risks arising from safety conditions
2.2.Risks arising from environmental conditions
2.3.Risks arising from ergonomic conditions
2.4 Risks arising from psychosocial conditions
3. Rights and obligations
4. Regulatory framework
5. Public bodies
1.-Work and health
Work is an activity that allows us to obtain the necessary economic
resources to cover our basic needs and is a source of social relations that
contributes to personal satisfaction and fulfilment.
Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and
not merely the absence of disease (WHO definition).
Working conditions are characteristics that can have a significant
influence on the generation of risks to the safety and health of the
worker, such as:
🠾 The facilities, the workplace
🠾 The tools and working tools
🠾 Physical, chemical and biological agents
🠾 The organization of work: shifts, rhythm, working day...
1.-Work and health
The best way to ensure the health and safety of workers is to identify and
assess risk factors. In this way, the appropriate preventive and protective
measures can be adopted to deal with them.

LABOUR RISK is defined as the possibility that a worker suffers a

certain harm derived from his work.
 Physical health and body integrity

health Psychic health emotional balance

Social health balance state of well-being with

respect to relationships with others
 Working conditions Risks
Premises and facilities •Falls to different levels
•Presence of stairs without • Falls on the same level,
handrails slips, collisions with objects...
•Traffic surfaces and their level of •Stepping on objects
illumination
•Order and cleanliness
Tools and tools: •Cuts, punctures, traps, electric
•Sets of hand, electric and current passage.
pneumatic tools, lifting jacks, •Intoxication
cranes... Particle projection
•Paint booth
•Welding equipment
Physical agents •Noise exposure
•Exposure to high
temperatures
•Exposure to low light levels
Chemical agents Exposure to chemical
pollutants: aerosols, vapours,
toxic gases...
Organization and organization of •Physical fatigue from physical
work exertion
High pace, rest times •Mental fatigue due to
receiving a lot of information
and accumulation of tasks.
•Dissatisfaction
Damages
Broken legs, sprains,
bruises...
Cuts, punctures, blows,
crushing, broken bones?
•Hearing loss
•Thermal stress
•Loss of vision
Inhalation poisoning,
dermatitis, allergy
•Stress, physical fatigue,
marginalization, premature
aging, etc.
•Injuries and accidents due to
fatigue or decreased
alertness
Preventive or protective measures
•Installing anti-slip strips
• Adequate lighting
•Aisles with the regulatory width (LPRL)
•Cleaning
•Adequate design of tools, machines and tools for
the workplace in compliance with the LPRL.
•Introduce safety devices, automatic power cut-off
devices...
•Adequate ventilation and air renewal systems
•Use of personal protective equipment: masks,
screens...
•Soundproofing of machines, use of hearing
protectors
•Regulating the temperature levels
•Adjusting the lighting
•Use of protective equipment, extractor hoods,
masks, gloves, goggles...
•Adequate ventilation and air renewal system
•Regulating the orders
•Assuming one's own limits
•Perform appropriate guidelines
2.-Damages arising from work

DAMAGES ARISING FROM WORK are illnesses, pathologies or

injuries suffered as a result of or on the occasion of work.

Types of damage:
a. The accident at work (AT)
b. Occupational disease. (EP)
c. Other pathologies
a) Accident at work
It is any bodily injury suffered by employees and the self-employed in the course of
their work.
It is also considered an accident at work:
🠾The "in intinere" accident (going from home to work and back)
🠾Accident suffered by the worker when travelling in connection with the
performance of a trade union duty.
🠾When performing tasks that do not fall within their professional category, but
which must be done for the smooth running of the company.
🠾Work-related accidents on mission: travel for work-related purposes
🠾Life-saving actions
🠾Illnesses or defects already suffered but aggravated by an accident at work.
It is not considered an accident at work:
🠾Those due to recklessness of the worker (a risky, unnecessary and serious act
that is carried out with total disregard for his life and can be avoided).
🠾Those due to force majeure outside of work
🠾Those due to malice of the injured worker (conscious, voluntary and
malicious).
b) Occupational disease
Illness contracted as a result of work carried out as an employee in the
activities specified in the legal table of RD 1299/2006 of 10 November.
They are classified into 6 groups:

Group LIST OF DISEASES

GROUP 1 PE caused by chemical agents
GROUP 2 PE caused by physical agents...... example
GROUP 3 PE caused by biological agents... example
GROUP 4 PE caused by inhalation of substances and agents not
covered in the previous paragraphs
GROUP 5 PD of the skin caused by substances and agents not
covered in any of the preceding subparagraphs
GROUP 6 PD caused by carcinogens
GROUP 2- OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES CAUSED BY PHYSICAL AGENTS

Agent Indicative list of agent-related Main activities capable of producing

symptoms and pathologies agent-related diseases

Diseases caused Acute or chronic vocal nodules Activities in which the maintained and
by sustained leading to vocal fatigue, with continuous use of the voice is required,
voice strain dysphonia and phonation pain such as teachers, singers, actors,
and later chronic dysphonia telemarketers and announcers.

GROUP 3: OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES CAUSED BY BIOLOGICAL AGENTS

Virus of: •Hepatitis B •Health personnel

•Hepatitis B •Hepatitis C •Care workers
•Hepatitis C •Evolving hepatologies (chronic •Workers in research or clinical
•HIV hepatitis, cirrhosis...) analysis laboratories
Other •AIDS •Dentists
parenteral viral •Relief personnel
infections •Prison workers
 THE
COMES OUT UNEXPECTED IS NOT PREVENTIVE
ACCIDENT
OF THE EVENT PREDICTABLE TECHNIQUE IS
LABOR
BLUE SAFETY

IS A SLOW AND THE

OCCUPATIONAL EXPECTED IT IS PREVENTIVE
PROGRESSIVE
DISEASE EVENT FORESEEABLE TECHNIQUE IS
PROCESS
HYGIENE
c) Other pathologies
🠾 Professional fatigue: nervous, psychological, muscular, intellectual or
sensory exhaustion.
🠾 Job dissatisfaction occurs when the worker's expectations are diminished
and are not compensated with the personal and professional effort made by the
worker.
🠾 Stress occurs when the demands of the work environment exceed the worker's
ability to cope with them. It produces impotence, anxiety, aggressiveness,
frustration.
🠾 Depression: a syndrome characterized by deep sadness.
🠾 Premature aging.
🠾 Mobbing or harassment at work, extreme psychological violence against a
person systematically and over a long period of time.
🠾 The burnout or burnout syndrome is a type of work stress that occurs in
professions that maintain a constant and direct contact with the public
(doctors, teachers...).
3.- Rights and obligations
Employees’ RIGHTS
Right to work in a safe and healthy environment
🠾 Right to information
🠾 Right to training
🠾 To be able to interrupt the activity in case of serious or imminent risk.
🠾 Work equipment and means of protection
🠾 To be consulted and participate in taking action
🠾 Health surveillance, medical examinations
3.- Rights and obligations
Employees’ OBLIGATIONS
🠾 Respect the rules of prevention that you must know
🠾 Correct use of machines and work tools and safety and protective
equipment.
🠾 Alerting to situations that pose a security risk
🠾 Ensure the health and safety of themselves, colleagues and third parties
who may be affected.
🠾 Cooperate with the employer to ensure adequate prevention and
protection.
Employer's OBLIGATIONS
🠾 General duties
• Ensuring the safety and health of your workers
• Integrate preventive activity in all phases of the company's activity.
• Assume the cost of health and safety measures.
🠾 Duties with respect to workers
• Inform and train on: existing risks, measures, adequate handling of machines and
tools...
• Regularly monitor the health of workers, with their consent, unless there is a risk to the
health of the workers themselves or their colleagues or third parties.
• Consulting or allowing workers to participate in prevention matters
• Provide workers with appropriate protective equipment and measures.
• Special protection for certain groups: pregnant women, minors, temporary workers...
🠾 Duties with regard to the workplace
• Drawing up your own PREVENTION PLAN
• Organize resources for preventive activities
• Taking action in an emergency situation
• Prepare and keep specific documentation
4.-Regulatory framework
🠾 Community law: Directive 89/391/EEC on occupational risk prevention
🠾 The EC (art. 40.2) obliges the public authorities to develop and promote a
policy to protect the safety of workers.
🠾 The E.T. (art. 19.1) includes the right to safety at work.
🠾 The Law 31/1995 of Protection of Risks at Work (LPRL), 8 Nov
1995 regulates everything related to safety in working conditions.
▪ RD 39/1997 of 17 January 1997, regulation of prevention services.
▪ RD 485/1997, 14th April. Health and safety at work signposting
▪ RD 485/1997, of 14 April. Health and safety in the workplace
▪ RD 485/1997, of 14th April. Working with display screen equipment
▪ RD 664/1997, of 12 May. Exposure to biological agents at work
▪ RD 773, of 30 May. Personal protective equipment
5.- Public bodies in the field of prevention
International Organizations
🠾 ILO (International Labour Organization)
🠾 European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, has created information networks to
support ORP. In Spain, the reference centre is the National Institute for Safety and
Hygiene at Work (Instituto Nacional de Seguridad e Higiene en el trabajo).
🠾 European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
National
🠾 National Institute for Safety and Hygiene at Work (INSHT)
🠾 Labour and Social Security Inspection with functions of surveillance and control of
compliance with labour and PRL regulations.
🠾 National Commission for Safety and Health at Work as an advisory body to the Public
Administration in the formulation of Occupational Health and Safety policies.
🠾 Foundation for the prevention of occupational hazards to promote the improvement of
health and safety conditions in the workplace.
Local (OSALAN)