Safety and Health in the Workplace

Chapter 16

Introduction

• Occupational disease• Occupational illness

• Occupational injury

Scope of the Problem

• 14 workers die each day in U.S. from injury sustained at work

• Fatalities have declined significantly over past 100 years

• Reporting of illness versus injury

• Economic impact

Importance of Occupational Safety and Health to the Community

• Industry is a subset of the larger community

• Affects workplace and those outside the worksite

• Workers themselves are a community

History of Occupational Safety and Health Problems

• Before 1970• Industrial revolution

• State legislation• Child labor laws

• Worker’s compensation laws

• Federal legislation• Bureau of Labor-1884

• Many laws from 1908-1970

• Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970

Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHAct)

• To ensure employers in private sector furnish each employee a workplace free from recognized hazards causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm

• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) established to enforce OSHAct

• NIOSH

Prevalence of Occupational Injuries, Diseases, and Deaths

• Recent trends• Decline in number of workplace injuries and

illnesses reported in private industry since 1992

• Goods-producing industries higher rate of nonfatal injury than service-producing• Highest – agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting

• Highest service-producing – education and health care

Nonfatal Workplace Injury and Illness Incidence Rates by Industry, 2008

Unintentional Injuries in the Workplace

• Minor injuries – cuts, bruises, abrasions, minor burns

• Major injuries – amputations, fractures, severe lacerations, eye losses, acute poisonings, severe burns

• Reported by many sources

Fatal Work-Related Injuries

• Highway incidents leading cause• Falls, being struck by object, homicide

• Industries with highest rates of fatal occupational injuries

• Agriculture

• Forestry

• Fishing and hunting

• Mining

• Transportation and warehousing

Manner of Fatal Work Injuries, 2008

Nonfatal Work-Related Injuries

• Males account for majority of treatment

• Younger workers highest nonfatal workplace injury/illness rate

• Disabling injuries and illnesses• Repeat trauma disorders

Characteristics of Workers Involved in Work-Related Injuries

• Age

• Gender

• Poverty and race

• Geographic differences in workplace injuries

• Temporal variations in workplace injuries

• Workplace injuries by industry and occupation• Fatal and nonfatal occupational injuries and

illnesses

• Agricultural safety and health

Hours Worked and Fatal Work Injuries by Gender, 2008

Most Dangerous Jobs in 2008

Prevention and Control of Unintentional Injuries in the Workplace

• Four fundamental tasks• Anticipation

• Recognition

• Evaluation

• Control

Workplace Violence: Intentional Workplace Injuries

• 1.7 million victims each year

• Homicides third leading cause of workplace fatalities• Second leading cause of workplace death for

women

• Some occupations more dangerous than others

Categories of Workplace Violence

• Criminal intent (Type I)

• Customer/client (Type II)

• Worker-on-worker (Type III)

• Personal relationship (Type IV)

Risk Factors for Workplace Violence

• Working with the public

• Working around money or valuables

• Working alone

• Working late at night

• Jobs with higher risk• Taxicab drivers

• Jobs in liquor stores

• Detective and protective services

Prevention Strategies

• Environmental designs

• Administrative controls

• Behavior strategies

Occupational Illnesses and Disorders

• Illness more difficult to acquire data on than injury

• Difficult to link occupational exposure

• Some conditions slow to develop and difficult to associate with the workplace

Types of Occupational Illnesses

• Musculoskeletal disorders

• Skin diseases and disorders

• Noise-induced hearing loss

• Respiratory disorders• Pneumoconiosis

• Asbestosis

• Silicosis

• Byssinosis

Other Work-Related Diseases and Disorders

• Poisonings• Agricultural workers

• Infections• Health care industry

• Hazardous drugs

• Anxiety, stress, neurotic disorders

Prevention and Control of Occupational Diseases and Disorders

• Requires vigilance of employer and employee

• Agent-host-environment model

• Identification and evaluation of agents

• Standard setting for the handling of and exposure to causative agents

• Elimination or substitution of causative factors

• Engineering controls

• Environmental monitoring

• Medical screenings

Resources for the Prevention of Workplace Injuries and Diseases

• Occupational safety and health professionals• Safety engineers

• Certified safety professionals

• Health physicists

• Industrial hygienists

• Occupational physicians

• Occupational health nurses

Occupational Safety and Health Programs

• Preplacement examinations

• Disease prevention programs

• Safety programs

• Worksite health promotion programs

• Employee assistance programs

Discussion Questions

• How can employees advocate for safer workplaces?

• What occupational injury prevention strategies can prove to be most effective in the coming decades?