OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & INDUSTRIAL

HYGIENE

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH - the promotion

and maintenance of the highest degree of
physical, mental and social well-being of
workers in all occupations

Occupational Health and Safety

Act, R.S.O. 1990, C. O. 1 - The
system of laws, regulations and
compliance codes which set out the
responsibilities of employers and
workers to ensure that safety is
maintained at work.

Recommendations by International
Labour Organization (ILO) and
World Health Organization (WHO)
on 1953.

GOALS:

1. To reduce industrial accidents.

2. To prevent occupational hazards
& diseases.
3. To achieve maximum human
efficiency and machine
efficiency.
4. To reduce sick absenteeism.
OBJECTIVES:

1. To maintain and promote the

physical, mental and social well
being of the workers.
2. To prevent occupational diseases
and injuries.
3. To adapt the work place and work
environment.
4. It should be preventive rather than
curative.
FACTORS AFFECTING OCCUPATIONAL
HEALTH:

1.
2.
3.
4.

The nature of industry

Existing infrastructure of health services
Trained manpower
Workers involvement and employers
commitment
5. Surveillance of the working environment

COMPONENTS OF OCCUPATIONAL
HEALTH:

1. Medical treatment
2. Health education
3. Medical examination
i. Pre employment examination
ii. Periodic medical examination
iii. Special medical examination
4. Health counseling
5. Stress management
6. Mental health
7. Physical health
8. Rehabilitation Programme
9. Medical rehabilitation
10. Social rehabilitation
11. Educational rehabilitation
12. Vocational rehabilitation
INVESTIGATION OF A CASE SUSPECTED
OCCUPATIONAL DISEAS:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Symptoms
Associated symptoms
Duration
Work history
Awareness
Timing of symptoms (immediate or
delayed)
7. Improvement away from work
8. Adult onset
9. Smoking history
10. History of atop
Industrial Hygiene - The science and art
devoted to the anticipation, recognition,
evaluation, control, and management of
those environmental factors or stresses,
arising in or from the workplace.
OSHA (Occupational Safety and
Health Administration)

a. Promulgation Occupational Health

and Safety Standards
b. Authorized to inspect workplaces
and issue citations and civil penalties
to employers who are not in
compliance.
NIOSH (National Institute of
Occupational Safety and Health)

a. Is responsible for research on worker

health and safety. NIOSH also
recommends new standards to OSHA
and supplies OSHA with scientific
and technical expertise for the rule
making process.
OSHRC (The Occupational Safety
and Health Review Commission)

a. Set up as an independent agency

having the responsibility to try
OSHA cases and to hear appeals
from decisions of administrative law
judges.
International Labour Organization
(ILO)

Kinds of Hazards
Chemical Hazards

gases, vapors, dusts, fumes,

mists, and smoke

Physical hazards

World Health Organization (WHO)

non-ionizing and ionizing

radiation, noise, vibration,
extreme temperatures and
pressures

Ergonomic hazards
Air Contaminants:

1. Dusts are solid particles generated

by handling, crushing, grinding,
colliding, exploding, and heating
organic or inorganic materials such
as rock, ore, metal, coal, wood, and
grain
2. Fumes are formed when material
from a volatilized solid condenses in
cool air. In most cases, the solid
particles resulting from the
condensation react with air to form
an oxide.
3. Mists are generated by liquids
condensing from a vapor back to a
liquid or by a liquid being dispersed
by splashing or atomizing.
4. Aerosols are also a form of a mist
characterized by highly respirable,
minute liquid particles.
5. Fibers are solid particles whose
length is several times greater than
their diameter, such as asbestos.
6. Gases are formless fluids that
expand to occupy the space or
enclosure in which they are confined.
7. Vapors are the volatile form of
substances that are normally in a
solid or liquid state at room
temperature and pressure.

workstation design, repetitive

motion, improper
lifting/reaching, poor visual
conditions.

Biological hazards

insects, mold, yeast, fungi,

bacteria, and viruses

Toxicity is the degree to which a substance

can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer
to the effect on a whole organism, such as
an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the
effect on a substructure of the organism,
such as a cell (cytotoxicity) or an organ such
as the liver (hepatotoxicity).
Hazard is a situation that poses a level of
threat to life, health, property,
or environment. Hazards can be dormant or
potential, with only a theoretical risk of harm;
however, once a hazard becomes "active", it
can create an emergency.

Industries Which Produce

The Most Toxic Waste

1. Chemistry Industry
2. Leather and Textile Industry
3. Metal Industry

4.
5.
6.
7.

Printing Industry
Cleaning Industry
Furniture Manufacturers Industry
Auto Repair shops Industry

Routes of Entry into the Body

1.
2.
3.
4.

Ingestion
Injection
Skin Absorption
Inhalation

Exposure - the contact between a

person/test animal and a substance such as
gases, vapors, dust, etc.
Factors Affecting Exposure

1.
2.
3.
4.

Concentration
Duration of Exposure
Route of Entry
Individual Susceptibility

Factors Affecting Human Susceptibility

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Age
Sex
General Health
Genetic Variability
Anatomic Variability
Nutrition

7. Previous Exposure
Specific Organ Targets Toxicity

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Skin
Liver
Respiratory Tract
Nervous System
Kidneys
Blood

Ways to Prevent Hazardous Waste

1. Recycling
2. Exercise Caution
3. Prescription Drugs