Basic Occupational Safety and Health:

BASIC CONCEPTS

College of Engineering
CTU - Danao Campus
WORKPLACE AND HEALTH
Work is an important component of an individual’s daily life,
and a major portion of an individual’s life is spent at the
“workplace”, where he or she is expected to display their
commitment and sincerity in performing various tasks.

An individual’s work environment

is very crucial; as this can have a
negative or positive impact on
the individual.
WORKPLACE AND HEALTH
The environment of the workplace has an impact on the
individual’s socio-psychological health, which has an impact
on the overall output.

Individual
Work Environment (Physical, social & Workplace
(Healthy & Safe) psychological well- (Higher productivity)
being)

❖ When we say safe and secure work environment, we are not only referring to
the availability of safe and hazard free equipment or tools within the
workplace, but also aspects such as human relations within the workplace,
which have a direct impact on the physical and psychological health of the
individual.
Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) is…
➡ a discipline concerned with preserving and
protecting human and facility resources in
the workplace

Practitioners in the
field try to prevent
needless death and
injuries to workers.
It involves more than
first aid activities and
is far-reaching in both
its scope and
practices.
Brief Historical Context of OSH

- Traced back to the Industrial Revolution (late 18th to

19th century)

- Though contributed on the economic development, it

had a negative impact on the health and safety of
the workers in these factories and industries which
exposes them to harsh conditions

- Injuries, diseases and health hazards faced by

workers drew interest of scholars and leading thinkers
of that period, who felt that issues of industrial
health and hygiene must be addressed
Brief Historical Context of OSH

Annie Hamilton, an American

toxicologist, physician and educator. She
pioneered the studies on industrial
diseases and hygiene and its impact on
human beings.

- Although the urgency to address the OSH issues during Industrial

Revolution it becomes crucial to address the issue at present with
the tremendous expansion of cities worldwide, further resulting to
wide spread industrialization and growth of population
Brief Historical Context of OSH

- OSH has gradually developed from a mono-disciplinary

risk-oriented activity to a multidisciplinary and
comprehensive approach that considers an individual’s
physical, mental and social well-being, and general health
and personal development

- Acts, legislations, and policies were created across the

world with the objective of ensuring good health and safe
working environment for all workers. Every country
has its own act and policy on OSH
Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) is…

In practice, OSH includes moral and economic

issues. For some employers the responsibility to
protect human life is not as important as other goals. A
company may focus on productivity and profits to the
exclusion of safety and health.

➡ OSH is a cross-disciplinary area and it interacts with other

disciplines such as occupational medicine, occupational or
industrial hygiene, public health, safety engineering,
ergonomics, toxicology, epidemiology, health physics,
environmental health, industrial relations, public policy,
industrial sociology, medical sociology, social law, labor law,
and occupation health psychology
 PROFIT?? LOSS??

Economically, morally,
and legally has became
an important issue. TR I NSU
RA N
AI CE
NI
NG
S
Companies are attempting

PROC
to remain profitable in an

CO
M
ever more competitive

EDU R
PL
IA
global economy

ES
NC
E
R I SKS
TERMS & CONCEPTS IN THE SAFETY PROFESSION:
Safety Professionals - are individuals who typically work in
the industrial settings whose job is to analyze the workplace
environment for potential risks, and based on that information,
come up with ways to improve the safety in the facility

Loss Prevention - describes a program designed to identify

and correct potential accident problems before they result in
financial loss or injury (Ex. fire prevention program thru trainings to inspect
and removing hazards activities)

Loss Control - describes a program designed to minimized

incident-based financial losses (Ex. fire protection program thru trainings
on using tools and equipments like fire extinguisher to mitigate damages)
TERMS & CONCEPTS IN THE SAFETY PROFESSION:
Safety Management - an organization-wide process designed
to manage safety risk in the workplace by applying a set of
principles, framework, processes and measures to prevent
accidents, injuries and other adverse consequences that may
be caused by using a service or a product
- Safety Management are necessary to achieve an organization’s loss
prevention and loss control goals

Safety professionals attempts to eliminate or control these

OSH losses such as injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.
Workplace losses can include damaged equipment, damaged
raw materials or finished products, damaged or destroyed
facilities, downtime, service/production interruption, or loss of
reputation.
TERMS & CONCEPTS IN THE SAFETY PROFESSION:
Risk - the measure of the probability and severity of a loss
event taking place

Hazard - a workplace condition or worker action that can result

in injury, illness, or other organizational loss

Occupational risk requires an examination of both the

probability of an event occurring and the potential severity of
the end result

Evaluation of risks in the workplace starts with the

identification of the types of hazards existing at the
facility. Safety professionals identify the tasks and activities
with an inherent risks and attempt to systematically eliminate
or reduce it as feasibly possible time, personnel and budget
restraints.
 Job Titles of Individuals Performing
Occupational Safety and Health Activities:

Industrial Hygienist - is involved in the monitoring and

analytical methods required to detect the extent of exposure
and the engineering and other methods used for hazard
control
Risk Manager - is typically responsible for insurance
programs and other activities that minimize losses resulting
from fire, accidents, and other natural and man-made losses
Safety Professional - an individual who, by virtue of their
specialized knowledge and skill and/or educational
accomplishments, has achieved professional status in the
safety field. They may also have earned the status of CSP
from the Board of Certified Safety Professional
 Job Titles of Individuals Performing
Occupational Safety and Health Activitises:

Safety Engineer - an individual who, through education,

licensing, and/or experience, devotes most or all of their
employment time to the application of scientific principles and
methods for the control and modification of the workplace and
other environments to achieve optimum protection for both
people and property
Safety Manager - the individual responsible for establishing
and maintaining the safety organization and its activities in an
enterprise. Typically, the safety manager administers the
safety program and manages subordinates, including the fire
prevention coordinator, industrial hygienist, safety specialists,
and security personnel
The Safety and Health Professional’s Role &
Responsibility
➡Accident Investigation
❖ Further reading, refer to
➡Work with Emergency Response Teams American Society of Safety
Engineers(ASSE) for a complete
➡Environmental Protection document on the scope and
functions of the professional
➡Ergonomic Analysis and Modification Safety Positions.

➡Fire Protection
➡Hazard Recognition
➡Hazardous Materials Management
➡Health Hazard Control
➡Inspection/ Audit
➡Record-keeping
➡Regulatory Compliance
➡Training
 Objectives of Occupational Safety &
Health (OSH)

The prime objective of OHS at a global level is to

ensure that health and safety is accessible to every
worker employed in any sector across the economy.

World Health Organization (WHO) since its inception

has included elements of occupational health in its policy.
The need to protect the worker from occupational health
hazards and promote safety of all the workplace has
been emphasized in its key documents.
 Objectives of Occupational Safety &
Health (OSH)

As a result of the changing work-life trends and the growing demand for
higher productivity from the worker, there is an urgent need to address
issues of OHS at the workplace for each worker.

Based on this vision, the Network of WHO Collaborating Centres in

Occupational Health, comprising of 52 research and expert institutions from
35 countries, met up twice to discuss the need for a new Global Strategy in
Occupational Health.

The proposed strategy aims to set the standards for addressing the
upcoming health and safety needs within the workplace. It also aims to
address the differing conditions within the workplace as well as the OHS
requirement within countries that are in different stages of development
Objectives of Occupational Safety & Health (OSH)

According to the document, Global Strategy on Occupational Health for All,

the ten high priority objectives proposed by the strategy are as follows:
• Strengthening of international and national policies for health at work and
developing the necessary policy tools
• Development of healthy work environment
• Development of healthy work practices and promotion of health at work
• Strengthening of OHS
• Establishing of support services for occupational health
• Development of occupational health standards based on scientific risk
assessment
• Development of human resources for occupational health
• Establishment of registration and data systems, development of information
services for experts, effective transmission of data and raising of public
awareness through public information
• Strengthening of research
• Development of collaboration in occupational health and with other activities
and services
Principles of Occupational Health and Safety:
‣ All workers have right.

‣ Occupational health and safety policies must be established.

‣ There is a need for consultation with the social partners (that

is, employers and workers) and other stakeholders.

‣ Prevention and protection must be the aim of occupational

health and safety programs and policies.

‣ Information is vital for the development and implementation of

effective programs and policies.

‣ Health promotion is a central element of occupational health

practice.
Principles of Occupational Health and Safety:
‣ Occupational health services covering all workers should be
established.

‣ Compensation, rehabilitation and curative services must be

made available to workers who suffer occupational injuries,
accidents and work related diseases.

‣ Education and training are vital components of safe, healthy

working environments.

‣ Workers, employers and competent authorities have certain

responsibilities, duties and obligations.

‣ Policies must be enforced.

SO HOW DO WE KNOW
OUR WORKPLACE IS
SAFE??
SPOT THE HAZARDS!!
SPOT THE HAZARDS!!