BEE12202

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND

HEALTH
Introduction to Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)

Dr. Hisyam Bin Abdul Rahman

arhisyam@uthm.edu.my
FKEE, UTHM

Rancangan Pembelajaran &

Pengajaran
Quizzes

: 5%

Test 1

: 15%

Test 2

: 15%

Group assignment

: 5%

Group project

: 10%

Coursework

: 50%

Final

: 50%

Total

: 100:

Objectives
At the
end of the
lecture,
student
would be
able to :

Understand and able to

differentiate between
occupational health and
occupational safety.

Able to define hazard and risk.

Explain the classification of

hazard.

States the routes of entry of

hazard.

Why SAFETY is so important ???

Occupational Safety and

Health
Introduction
Occupational safety and health (OSH) is a cross

disciplinary area concerned with protecting the

safety, health and welfare of people engaged in
work or employment.
The

goals of occupational safety and health

programs include to foster a safe and healthy
work environment.
OSH

may also protect co-workers, family

members, employers, customers, and many
others who might be affected by the workplace
environment.

Occupational Safety and

Health
Introduction
Preserving and protecting human and facility
resources in the workplace.
Helping people by preventing them from being
injured or becoming ill due to hazards in their
workplace.
A field wherein professionals attempt to prevent
catastrophic losses (e.g. destroy entire building).
The management function in an organization
concerned with improving quality and
efficiency.

Occupational Safety and

Health
Definition
That branch of medicine which deal with
the relationship of man and his
occupation,

for the purposes of prevention of disease

and injury, and
the promotion of optimal health,
productivity and social adjustment

Prevention

Promotion

Occupational Health Diseases

& Workplace Accidents

Factors relating
to work
-

Hazards

Work environment

Working methods

Equipment,
machinery
-

Healthy Lifestyle
- No smoking
No alcohol and
drug
-

Healthy activities
during
-

leisure time

Definition of Safety and

Health

Safety
Prevention of accidents (risks from moving
machinery, fire and explosions, lightning,
falling objects, sharp objects, acid burn)

Health
Prevention of diseases (risks from
chemical, physical, biological, ergonomics
& psychological agents)

Cause and Effect

SAFETY

HEALTH

CAUSE

CAUSE
Time
Dose
Lifestyle

EFFECT

EFFECT

Heredity
Previous
Exposures

Hazard and Risk

HAZARD
Potential of an agent to cause harm to health
RISK
Likelihood of hazard to cause harm to health
in the actual circumstances of exposure

RISK = HAZARD X EXPOSURE

Hazard
The potential of a physical, biological or
chemical to cause harm or damage to an
individual, properties or environment

The hazard relates to the intrinsic properties of

the chemical (its physicochemical properties
and health effects) to cause harm and will
always be the same.

Risk
The likelihood of hazard to cause harm under
the actual circumstances of exposure

Risk is totally dependent on the actual

exposure (Intensity or magnitude x
duration x frequency) to the agent.

Health Effect

There are 2 categories of health effects:

Acute Effect
Chronic Effect

i) Acute Effects

An acute effect is caused by short period of

exposure (e.g. in seconds or minutes) to high
concentrations of a substance.

Example:

The acute effect of carbon

monoxide (CO) poisoning where a brief
exposure to a high CO concentration causes
asphyxiation (e.g. choking)

ii) Chronic Effects

Chronic or long-term effects are caused by

repeated or prolonged exposure (continuing
day after day or week after week), typically
involving relatively low levels of a substance.

Example: Silicosis (causing fibrosis of lungs) is

due to prolonged exposure over a number of
years to crystalline silica.

Classification of health
hazards

There are 5 general groups of health hazards

1. Physical
2. Chemical
3. Biological
4. Ergonomic
5. Psychological

Physical Hazards
From Noise

From Light

Chemical Hazards
Welding Fume, Mineral oils, Paints, Silica sand,
Acids, Alkalis, Solvent (Thinner, Adhesive, Benzene,
Diesel)

Biological Hazards

Bacteria (e.g. E. Coli, Staphylococci, TB,

legionella)
Virus (e.g. Hepatitis A,B & C,
HIV, SARS, Avian Influenza);
Fungus & Spores

Ergonomic Hazards
Air temperature too hot/cold,
low relative humidity
Poor design, inaccessibility,
insufficient space, awkward
postures

Too bright/dim
Uncomfortable
workstation
Manual lifting

Psychological Hazards
Mental stress, overwork, work pressure, long shift
hours / work schedule-night duty, offshore duty
roster, boredom, unreasonable deadline, cultural
shock, poor communications, monotonous work.

Routes of Entry
1.

2.

3.
4.

Inhalation : most significant route of entry

(respiratory system)/most common and
quickest route of entry
Absorption : (through skin, eye and mucous
membrane)
Ingestion (mouth)
Injection

Philosophy of OSHA
The responsibility of doing
something about safety
& health lies with
those who create the
risks and
those who work with the
risks .
Lord Alfred Robens

If you think SAFETY

is expensive...

Try Having
an Accident !!!