OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Dr. Aesha Farheen(MD)

Assistant Professor
Family and Community Medicine,
King Khalid University,
Abha, Saudi Arabia.
 Objectives:
1. Define Occupational Health
2. Describe types of interactions in various
occupational environments.
3. Identify and describe health hazards in different
occupations.
4. Enumerate and describe measures for preventing
occupational diseases.
5. Define occupational health services
6. Describe the objectives and functions of
occupational health services
 OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

• The definition of Occupational Health (ILO and WHO) is:

“The promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical,
mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations – total
health of all at work”.

• Occupational health deals with all aspects of health and

safety in the workplace and has a strong focus on primary
prevention of hazards.
 Occupational environment

• Most of waking hours are spent at work

• Health is directly related to physical, chemical and
biological factors in the Occupational environment.

Interactions in the Occupational environment :

1. Man-Physical, Chemical, Biological agent

2. Man-Man
3. Man-Machine
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH HAZARDS

2 aspects : type of exposure and duration of exposure

1. TYPES OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH HAZARDS

A.      Physical
B.      Chemical
C.      Biological
D.      Mechanical
E. Psychosocial
 PHYSICAL HAZARDS

• Temperature - Heat /
• Illumination
• Noise
• Vibration
• Radiation
• Atmospheric pressure
 DISEASES DUE TO PHYSICAL AGENTS

• Heat –Furnaces workers- Heat hyperpyrexia, Heat

Exhaustion, Heat Syncope, Heat Cramps, burns,
Prickly heat
• Cold – Snow diggers/ soldiers- Frost bite, chilblain
• Light–'welder's flash' or 'arc eye'.-Occupational
Cataract –UV exposure

• Less light- visual disturbances

• Atmospheric pressure-Divers suffer from Caisson
disease (Decompression sickness), air embolism,
explosion.
• Noise–Heavy industry workers- Occupational
deafness
• Radiation: Radiologists/ technical staff/
Reactor- Cancer, Leukemia, aplastic anemia,
Pancytopenia
• Electricity –Electricians/ industry workers-
Burns, Shocks
 CHEMICAL HAZARDS

• Routes of entry - Inhalation, Ingestion, skin absorption.

(inhalation is the main route of entry)

• Chemical agents can be classified into-

1) Metals
2) Hydrocarbons
4) Gases
       Pneumoconiosis

Occupational lung disease caused by dust exposure

» Inorganic Dust
1. Coal Dust -Anthracosis
2. Silica - Silicosis
3. Asbestos -Asbestosis
 
» Organic Dusts
1. Cane Fiber -Bagassosis
2. Cotton dust -Byssinosis
3. Tobacco - Tobaccosis, Lung Cancer
4. Grain Dust -Farmer’s Lungs
 Occupational Cancer
Target Organ Carcinogen
• Lung  Asbestos
• Nasal sinuses  Ni
• Urothelial tract  Rubber, Dyes, Al, Tar/pitch
• Liver  VCM-vinyl chloride
(angiosarcoma) monomer
 Occupational dermatitis
Allergic ContactIrritant Contact Dermatitis
Dermatitis
• Dyes • Wet work
• UV cured printing inks • Soaps, shampoos and
• Adhesives detergents
• Some food • Solvents
(eg shellfish, flour) • Some food
• Wet cement (eg onions)
• Some plants • Oils and greases
(eg chrysanthemums) • Dusts
• Acids and alkalis
  BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS

1. Bacteria: Tetanus, tuberculosis,Anthrax,Brucellosis,

Gonorrhea
2. Virus - Hepatitis, AIDS ((Sex-workers, Lab workers)
3. Protozoal & Parasitic-Malaria, Hydatid (Dog
handlers) Hookworms, tapeworms (Agri-workers),
etc.
4. Fungi-(Agri-workers)-Tinea
infections,Coccidiomycosis, Psittacoses, ornithosis,
etc.
 MECHANICAL HAZARDS

• Injuries:
Falls,cuts,abrasions,concussions,contusions,etc

• Musculo-skeletal disorders(MSDs)-Industry/
Labourers /Desk jobs- low back pain-

Voice overuse- teachers,Singers .

• Cumulative trauma-Disorders (CTDs)-excessive wear and

tear on tendons, muscles and sensitive nerve tissue caused by continuous
use over an extended period of time eg. Computer operators 
 PSYCHOSOCIAL HAZARDS

 Lack of job satisfaction, insecurity, poor interpersonal relations,

work pressure, etc.
v  Psychological & behavioral changes – hostility, aggressiveness, anxiety,
depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, sickness absenteeism.
v Psychosomatic disorders- Hypertension, headache, body-ache, peptic
ulcers, asthma, diabetes, heart disorders, etc.
 
 Occupational hazards for health workers

• Injuries
• Infections
• Stress
• Radiation
• Violence
• Dermatitis/Latex
• Chemical exposure etc.
 Exposure duration
1.Acute exposure-can cause death or disability-
eg.
• insecticide poisoning in farmers
• Falls in construction workers
• Smoke inhalation in fire fighters
2.Chronic exposure- all
pneumoconioses/cancers/ dermatitis respiratory
diseases in cotton industry/ wool workers
 PREVENTION OF
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES.

MEDICAL ENGINEERING LEGISLATION

MEASURES MEASURES
 Ergonomics
• ERGONOMICS : an applied science concerned with
designing and arranging things people use so that
the people and things interact most efficiently and
safely — called also biotechnology, human
engineering, human factors.
• MAN-WORKPLACE INTERACTION
• Designing workplaces such that they fit the workers.
 MEDICAL MEASURES

1.Preplacement examination
2.Periodic examination-eg. lead industry
3.Medical and health care services
4.Notification
5.Supervision of working environment
6.Maintenance and analysis of records
7.Health education & counselling
 ENGINEERING MEASURES

• Designs of building • Isolation

• Good housekeeping • Local exhaust ventilation
• Protective devices
• General ventilation • Environmental monitoring
• Mechanisaton • Statistical monitoring
• Substitution • Research
• Dusts Enclosure
 LEGISLATION

• International- ILO-International labour organisation

• National laws and policies
THANK YOU