Occupational

Safety & Health

Principles
 CASE STUDY
As a 22-year-old construction worker with 11 months’
experience on the job, Bob had finally made it. Since
graduating high school, Bob had tried a lot of things, but
they just never seemed right for him. He attended a
community college for one year and then dropped out.
There was too much theory that didn’t relate to how he
saw the world. Bob tried a number of jobs, but minimum-
wage salaries forced him to live at home with his parents.
His parents were good people, but he was ready to move
on with his life. With this new job, everything was turning
out great. Bob was bringing home a good paycheck. He
had just moved into a new apartment, which he shared
with his high school buddy Tim, and he was going the next
day to sign the papers for a brand-new pickup truck.
 CASE STUDY…continuation
Bob never made it to the dealership to sign those papers. Maybe he was distracted
thinking about that ‘‘killer’’ pickup that he was about to purchase. Perhaps he
never realized how dangerous it actually was to work on that scaffolding. After all,
it was only 20 feet off the ground and it looked safe. Bob had worked on wet
scaffolding before, and although it was wet from the rains the previous night,
nothing had ever happened to make him concerned about working at those
heights. Bob’s world changed when he fell those few feet to the ground. His fall put
him in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the waist down.
 OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
& HEALTH
• It is concerned with preserving and
protecting human and facility resources in
the workplace.
• It involves helping people by preventing
them from being injured or becoming ill
due to hazards in their workplaces.
• It is a field wherein professionals attempt
to prevent catastrophic losses (through
regular inspections).
OCCUPATIONAL
SAFETY & HEALTH
• Occupational safety and health is a discipline with a broad scope involving
three major fields – Occupational Safety, Occupational Health and
Industrial Hygiene.
a. Occupational Safety - deals with understanding the causes of
accidents at work and ways to prevent unsafe act and unsafe
conditions in any workplace. Safety at work discusses concepts on
good housekeeping, proper materials handling and storage, machine
safety, electrical safety, fire prevention and control, safety inspection,
and accident investigation.
OCCUPATIONAL
SAFETY & HEALTH

b. Occupational Health - A broad concept which explains how the

different hazards and risks at work may cause an illness and
emphasizes that health programs are essential in controlling work-
related and/or occupational diseases.

c. Industrial Hygiene - Discusses the identification, evaluation, and

control of physical, chemical, biological and ergonomic hazards.
OCCUPATIONAL
SAFETY & HEALTH
In other words, occupational health and safety encompasses
the social, mental and physical well-being of workers, that is,
the “whole person”.
Successful occupational health and safety practice requires the
collaboration and participation of both employers and
workers in health and safety programs, and involves the
consideration of issues relating to occupational medicine,
industrial hygiene, toxicology, education, engineering safety,
ergonomics, psychology, etc.
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY & HEALTH

Occupational health issues are often given

less attention than occupational safety
issues because the former are generally
more difficult to confront. However, when
health is addressed, so is safety - a healthy
workplace is by definition also a safe
workplace. The reverse, though, may not be
true - a so-called safe workplace is not
necessarily also a healthy workplace. The
important point is that both health and
safety issues must be addressed in every
workplace.
 OBJECTIVES
OF OSH
• The prime objective of OSH at a
global level is to ensure that health
and safety is accessible to every
worker employed in any sector
across the economy. The World
Health Organization (WHO), since its
inception, has included elements of
occupational health in its policy. This
includes the need to protect the
worker from occupational health
hazards and promote safety of all
at the workplace.
OBJECTIVES OF OSH
Global Strategy in Occupational Health
• A strategy that aims to set the standard for
addressing the health and safety needs within
the workplace. It also aims to address the
differing conditions within the workplace as
well as the OSH requirement within countries
that are in different stages of development.
• This strategy develops 10 high priority
objectives of OSH.
10 High Priority Objectives Of OSH Based
On Global Strategy in Occupational Health

1. Strengthening of international and

national policies for health at work and
developing the necessary policy tools
2. Development of healthy work
environment
3. Development of healthy work practices
and promotion of health at work
4. Strengthening of OSH
5. Establishing of support services for
occupational health
10 High Priority Objectives Of OSH Based
On Global Strategy in Occupational Health
6. Development of occupational health
standards based on scientific risk
assessment
7. Development of human resources for
occupational health
8. Establishment of registration and data
systems, development of information
service for experts, effective
transmission of data and rising of public
awareness through public information
9. Strengthening of research
10. Development of collaboration in
occupational health and with other
activities and services.
PRINCIPLES OF OSH

OSH is a multi-disciplinary field,

covering issues related to law,
medicine, technology,
ergonomics and industry –
specific concerns. The core OSH
principles put forth by the ILO are
as follows:
 PRINCIPLES OF OSH
1. All workers have rights.
Workers, as well as employers and
government must ensure that the rights are
protected and foster decent conditions of
labor. According to International Labor
Conference :
a. Work should take place in a safe healthy
environment;
b. Conditions of work should be consistent
with workers well-being and human
dignity;
c. Work should offer real possibilities for
personal achievement, self fulfilment and
service society.
PRINCIPLES OF OSH

2. Occupational health and

safety policies must be
established.
Such policies must be
implemented at both the
governmental and enterprise
levels. They must be
effectively communicated to
all parties concerned.
PRINCIPLES OF OSH

3. There is a need for

consultation with the
social partners (that is,
employers and workers)
and other stakeholders.
This should be done during the
formulation, implementation
and review of such policies.
PRINCIPLES OF OSH

4. Prevention and protection

must be the aim of OSH
programs and policies.
Efforts must be focused on
primary prevention at the
workplace level. Workplaces
and working environment
should be planned and
designed to be safe and
healthy.
 PRINCIPLES OF OSH
5. Information is vital for the
development and implementation
of effective programs and policies.
The collection and dissemination of
accurate information on hazards and
hazardous materials, surveillance of
workplaces, monitoring of compliance
with policies and good practices, and
other related activities are central to the
establishment and enforcement of
effective policies.
PRINCIPLES OF OSH

6. Health promotion is a
central element of OSH
practice.
Efforts must be made to
enhance workers’ physical,
mental and social well-being.
PRINCIPLES OF OSH

7. OSH services covering all

workers should be
established.
Ideally, all workers in all
categories of economic
activity should have access to
such services which aim to
protect and promote workers’
health and improve working
conditions.
PRINCIPLES OF OSH

8. Compensation,
rehabilitation and curative
services must be made
available to workers who
suffer occupational
injuries, accidents and
work-related diseases.
Action must be taken to
minimize the consequences of
occupational hazards.
PRINCIPLES OF OSH
9. Education and training are
vital components of safe,
healthy working
environments
Workers and employers must
be made aware of the
importance and the means of
establishing safe working
procedures. Trainers must be
trained in areas of special
relevance to different
industries, which have specific
OSH concerns.
PRINCIPLES OF OSH
10. Workers, employers and
competent authorities have
certain responsibilities,
duties and obligations.
For example, workers must follow
established safety procedures;
employers must provide safe
workplaces and ensure access to
first aid; and the competent
authorities must devise,
communicate and periodically
review and update OSH policies.
PRINCIPLES OF OSH

11. Policies must be enforced.

A system of inspection must
be in place to secure
compliance with OSH and
other labor legislations.
 Hazard vs Risk
Hazard – A source or situation with a potential to
cause harm in terms of injury, ill health, damage to
property, damage to the environment or a
combination of these.

Risk – A combination of the likelihood of an

occurrence of a hazardous event with specified
period or in specified circumstances and the severity
of injury or damage to the health of people, property,
environment or any combination of these caused by
the event.
Hazard vs
Risk
6 MOST COMMON WORKPLACE
HAZARDS:
1. Safety
2. Biological
3. Chemical
4. Ergonomic
5. Work Organization / Psychosocial
6. Physical
 6 MOST COMMON
WORKPLACE HAZARDS:
1. SAFETY HAZARDS - A safety hazard is the most common type of hazard that is always
present in a construction site. It includes unsafe working conditions that can cause
injury, illness, or death.
a. Spills on floors or tripping hazards such as blocked aisles or cords running across
the floor;
b. Working from heights including ladders, scaffolds, roofs, or any raised work area;
c. Unguarded machinery and moving machinery parts; guards removed or moving parts
that a worker can accidentally touch;
d. Electrical hazards like frayed cords, missing ground pins, improper wiring;
e. Confined spaces; and
f. Machinery-related hazards (lockout/tagout, boiler safety, forklifts, etc.).
6 MOST COMMON WORKPLACE
HAZARDS:
2. BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS - associates with working with
animals, people, or infectious plant materials. Most at-risk
workers include those who work in schools, day-care
facilities, colleges and universities, hospitals, laboratories,
emergency response, nursing homes, and outdoor
occupations. Here are the types of biological hazards
workers may be exposed to:
a. blood and other body fluids;
b. fungi / mold;
c. bacteria and viruses;
d. insect bites; and
e. animal and bird droppings.
6 MOST COMMON WORKPLACE HAZARDS:
3. CHEMICAL HAZARDS - present when a worker is exposed
to any chemical preparation in the workplace in any form
(solid, liquid, or gas). Chemicals can be safer to others, but
to some sensitive workers, even the most common
solutions can cause illness, skin irritation, or breathing
problems. Workers should be aware of the following
chemical hazards in the workplace.
a. Liquids like cleaning products, paints, acids, solvents –
especially if chemicals are in an unlabeled container;
b. Vapors and fumes that come from welding or exposure
to solvents;
c. Gases like acetylene, propane, carbon monoxide, and
helium;
d. Flammable materials like gasoline, solvents, and
explosive chemicals; and
e. Pesticides.
 6 MOST COMMON WORKPLACE HAZARDS:
4. ERGONOMIC HAZARDS occur when the type of work, body positions, and
working conditions put a strain on the body. They are the hardest to spot since
you don’t always immediately notice the strain on the body and the harm that
these hazards pose. Short-term exposure may result in “sore muscles” the next
day or in the days following exposure while long-term exposure can result in
serious long-term illnesses. Ergonomic Hazards include the following:
a. Improperly adjusted workstations and chairs;
b. Frequent lifting;
c. Poor posture;
d. Awkward movements, especially if they are repetitive;
e. Repeating the same movements over and over;
f. Having to frequently use too much force; and
g. Vibration.
 6 MOST COMMON WORKPLACE
HAZARDS:
5. WORK ORGANIZATION / PSYCHOSOCIAL HAZARDS -
stressors that cause tension, anxiety, or strain to workers. These
can be experienced in short term (stress) or long term (strain) that
is associated with workplace issues such as workload, lack of
control and/or respect, etc. Here are work organization hazards
examples:
a. Workload demands;
b. Workplace violence;
c. Intensity and/or pace;
d. Respect (or lack of);
e. Flexibility/Control or say about things;
f. Social support/relations; and
g. Sexual harassment.
6 MOST COMMON WORKPLACE
HAZARDS:
6. PHYSICAL HAZARDS - factors within
the environment that can harm the
body without necessarily touching it.
Physical Hazards include the following:
a. Radiation: including ionizing, non-
ionizing (EMF’s, microwaves, radio
waves, etc.);
b. Prolonged exposure to
sunlight/ultraviolet rays;
c. Temperature extremes – hot and
cold; and
d. Constant loud noise.