Chapter 16
Briefly discuss the purpose of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and outline its major provisions.
(abbreviated OSHAct) purpose is to ensure that employers in the private sector furnish each employee "employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm" (major) provisions: -employee's right to request OSHA (OSH Administration) inspection - individual states can regain local authority over occupational health and safety by submitting state laws that are and will continue to be as effective as the federal programs**
What are some of the benefits of worksite health and wellness promotion programs for employers and employees?
-reduce absenteeism -lower health insurance premiums -increase productivity -improve employee morale* primary prevention efforts*
Who was Alice Hamilton? What did she do?
A strong proponent of occupational health that led crusades to reduce injuries to workers and pass occupational health legislation
List four well-documented lung conditions that are related to occupational exposure. Name the occupations whose workers are at high risk for each of these conditions.
Black lung- mining/coal workers Pneumoconiosis ( from inhaling dusts, especially mineral dusts),- coal miners. Black lung is a type. Asbestosis (both acute and chronic) along with mesothelioma, and lung cancer in asbestos workers (and even ship yard workers) Silicosis (referred to as dust on the lungs), caused by inhaling crystalline silica. Affects people who work in mines, stone quarries, gravel operations, foundries, abrasive blasting operations, and glass manufacturing. Byssinosis- (called brown lung disease). Acute and chronic. Uncommon. Found in textile factory workers who inhale dusts from cotton, flax, or hemp.
Outline some general control strategies that can reduce the number and seriousness of workplace injuries.
Four fundamental tasks 1. Anticipation: foresight to envision possible events and taking action to prevent them. 2. Recognition: surveillance and monitoring of the workplace for injuries and illnesses. 3. Evaluation: assessment of data collected during recognition (risk management). 4. Control: changes in production process to make it safer. IN DEPTH ANSWER Control strategies include the use of four fundamental tasks: 1. Anticipation, which is the foresight to envision the future adverse events and take action to prevent them. This includes a hazard inventory to be conducted to detect and record physical, ergonomic, chemical, biological, and psychological hazards in the workplace. 2. Recognition- involves surveillance and monitoring of the workplace for injuries and illnesses including near misses. It includes inspections of the workplace for hazards, monitoring it for toxins, recording injuries, and conducting employee health screenings, which all include data collection. 3. Evaluation- the assessment of the data collected during the recognition and monitoring activities which contains a bit of epidemiology. A risk assessment is conducted to find policies that can improve safety and health and they can establish an intervention. 4. Control- changes in the production process to make it safer, changes in the work environment to make it safer, or improvements in the use of personal protective equipment or apparel to protect individual workers. Workers are then educated and trained to help reduce injuries and illness. There is also the use of national leadership in reducing the number and seriousness of workplace injuries and illnesses through OSHA and NIOSH. NIOSH and its partnerships and connections to organizations in which form NORA help guide research and projects/interventions towards creating a safer workplace.
Which age group and gender of workers suffer the most occupational injuries? Which have the most fatal injuries?
In 2011, nearly 3 million injuries and illnesses in private industry; 821,000 injuries reportedin state and local gov't workers •Males account for majority of treatment •Disabling injuries and illnesses Gender: Men work more hours also have more injuries 57% of total hours worked for men, 92% of all fatal injury were men, 1 in 4 homicides in women Age: Fatality rates increase with age Race/ethnicity: countries with lower income have higher occupational death rates than those living high-income countries
How did the Industrial Revolution contribute to an increase in occupational health problems?
It exposed workers to new hazards such as iron smelting, and working in cotton mills and factories. the substitution of man for machinery created factories that exposed masses of workers to new hazards
Why is it often difficult to prove that a disease or condition resulted from workplace exposure?
It is difficult because these diseases and conditions can often be a result of multiple exposures, whether it be at the worklplace, at home, in public, etc.
What are some of the most frequently reported workplace injuries? Which are the leading causes of workplace injury deaths?
Most common site on injury is back and the most disabling type carpal tunnel syndrome. Transportation incidents leading cause industries with highest rates of fatal occupational injuries.
What determines whether a musculoskeletal condition or skin condition should be considered an injury or a disease?
Musculoskeletal conditions: acute or chronic injury to muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, joints, bones. -carpel tunnel syndrome -a form of repeated trauma Skin conditions: allergic and irritant dermatitis, eczema, rash, oil acne, chrome ulcers, and chemical burns. -highest reported in agricultural, forestry, and fishing. *idk if this is right
What is OSHA and what does it do? What is NIOSH and what does it do?
OSHA= (occupational safety and health administration); the federal agency located within the Department of Labor and created by the OSH Act that is charged with the responsibility of administering the provisions of the OSH Act NIOSH= (national institute for occupational safety and health); a research body within the Department of Health and Human Services that is responsible for developing and recommending occupational safety and health standards
List five health occupations that deal with worker safety and health. Describe their training and job assignments.
Occupation physician or occupational medical practitioner -primary concern is preventive medicine in the workplace Occupational health nurses - Running company's medical department and first aid station to one of greater emphasis on health promotion and illness prevention Industrial Hygienist - Concerned with hazards in the work place and injury control Health physicists - Are concerned with radiation safety in the workplace
Provide definitions of the terms occupational injury and occupational disease and give three examples of each.
Occupational injury: an injury that results from exposure to single incident in the work environmentEx: cut, fracture, sprain, amputation Occupational disease: an abnormal condition, other than an occupational injury , caused by an exposure to environment factors associated with employment **Ex: chronic illness, disease CAUSED BY Inhalation, absorption, ingestion
Name and describe four occupational safety and health programs.
Preplacement Examinations- a physical examination of a newly hired or transferred worker to determine medical suitability for placement in a specific position. Through the selection of a person who is physically and mentally suitable for the job, the probability of an unintentional injury or illness decreases by a lot. Also good for workers transitioning back into their position or transferred employees. 2.Occupational disease prevention programs and safety programs: Disease prevention programs are used to control occupational diseases that one might get from exposure in the work environment. It also contains health maintenance programs and include early detection and treatment of certain diseases to keep workers healthy and in the job longer. Agents of concern are to be controlled through this program.-Safety programs- those parts of the work place safety and health program aimed at reducing unintentional injuries on the job. Ensures that a company has a policy statement, safe operating procedures, a disaster plan, policies for hazard control, and policies for the investigation of injuries in the workplace. Regular safety inspections are to be conducted and each safety program should include safety orientation and training programs. 3. Worksite Health Promotion Programs- health promotion programs in the workplace that include health education, screening and/or intervention designed to change employees' health behavior and reduce risks associated with disease or injury. This is a primary prevention effort. 4. Employee Assistance programs- workplace-based programs that assist employees who have substance abuse,domestic, physiological, or social problems that interfere with their work performance. This program arose in response to occupational alcohol problems. These use secondary and tertiary prevention efforts. Their goal is intervention and sometimes rehabilitation of employees with behavioural problems before such problems become costly for both the employee and employer.
What are the risk factors for encountering violence in the workplace? Which occupation is at greatest risk for workplace homicides?
Risk factors Contact with the public Exchange of money Delivery of passengers, goods, or services Having a mobile workplace such as a taxi or police car Working with unstable or volatile persons in health care, social services, or criminal justice settings Working alone or in small numbers Working late at night or during early morning hours Working in high-crime areas Guarding valuable property or possessions -taxicab drivers -jobs in liquor stores -detective and protective services Occupation: sales, protective service occupations and transportation and material moving occupations Industries: Agriculture •Forestry •Fishing and hunting •Mining •Transportation and warehousing •Construction Commercial fishing single most dangerous occupationmining second highest fatality rate
In what ways are health problems in the workplace related to health problems in the general community?
The population of those working in industry is a subset of the population of the larger community in which the industry is located. Exposure to the workers can lead to exposure of the community. Industrial disasters also affect the community. Workers themselves are a community.
Why is farming a particularly hazardous occupation? What are ROPS and how do they prevent deaths? Describe some of the workplace hazards experienced by migrant farmworkers and their children.
Those working on farms are at considerable risk not just for injuries, but for lung disease, noise -induced hearing loss, skin diseases, and certain cancers associated with chemical use and sun exposure Every day about 38 children are injured on farms and about every 3 days a child dies in an agriculture -related incident Farming and ranching alone ranked sixth among the top 10 most dangerous jobs in 2014 Farming is one of the few industries in which the families of workers are also exposed to many of the same risks Major contribution to farm-related fatalities --> farm machinery (tractors) now---> Tractors have Rollover protective structure (ROPS): factory installed or retrofitted reinforced framework on a cab to protect the operator of a tractor in case of a rollover
Outline some features of a workplace program to prevent or control occupational diseases. For each activity, indicate whether it is aimed at the agent, host, or environment aspect of the disease model.
https://www.chegg.com/homework-help/outline-features-workplace-program-prevent-control-occupatio-chapter-16-problem-17rq-solution-9780763790110-exc
What were the deficiencies in state occupational safety and health laws in the early 1960s?
most states had inadequate legislation that failed to keep up with new technology or inflation
What is the most frequently reported occupational disorder?
musculoskeletal disorders acute or chronic injury to muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, joints, bones. -carpel tunnel syndrome -a form of repeated trauma
