Occupational Risk Prevention: A Comprehensive Guide
Occupational Risk Prevention
Introduction
All work carries some inherent risks. Companies and workers must take proactive measures to prevent and protect against these risks, effectively controlling or eliminating them.
Accidents can have severe consequences for both workers and businesses. Therefore, understanding the key aspects of occupational risk prevention is crucial.
Definition of Risk Prevention
Risk prevention encompasses a set of activities aimed at avoiding accidents and occupational diseases. It involves the application of two core disciplines: industrial safety and industrial hygiene.
Industrial Safety
Industrial safety focuses on preventing accidents in the workplace.
Industrial Hygiene
Industrial hygiene aims to prevent and control occupational diseases.
Consequences of Accidents
Workplace accidents can lead to three primary consequences: injuries, fatalities, and equipment damage. However, even in the absence of these direct outcomes, there are always negative repercussions for the worker, their family, and the company.
Direct Costs
Direct costs include expenses related to insurance, medical treatment, and financial benefits provided to the injured worker. Examples include hospitalization, medications, disability grants, and other forms of compensation.
Indirect Costs
Indirect costs encompass all expenses that do not involve an immediate financial outlay but arise as a consequence of the accident. These may include losses of raw materials, semi-finished products, finished goods, cleaning costs, and the replacement of damaged parts.
The most significant consequence of an accident is the harm inflicted upon the worker. This often leads to disruptions in family life, including potential income reduction due to an inability to work or limitations on professional development. Permanent disabilities resulting from accidents have lasting consequences for the worker, their family, the company, and society as a whole.
Causes of Accidents
Definition of an Accident
An accident is any unforeseen event or act of God that disrupts the work process and may or may not result in property damage or worker injury.
Every accident has specific causes that can be identified and addressed. Accidents are not simply a matter of bad luck or chance. By effectively eliminating or controlling these causes, accidents can be prevented.
Unsafe Actions
Unsafe actions are behaviors or practices that contribute to accidents and are often the responsibility of the individual worker. Examples include removing safety guards from machines or equipment without authorization, failing to use personal protective equipment (PPE), accessing unauthorized areas, and neglecting to comply with safety standards or regulations.
Unsafe Conditions
Unsafe conditions refer to hazards present in the work environment that can contribute to accidents. Examples include slippery floors, inadequate lighting, missing or insufficient signage, stairs without railings, faulty tools or equipment, and unsanitary bathroom facilities.
Sources, Agents, and Types of Accidents
Source of Accident: The activity the employee was engaged in at the time of the accident (e.g., a farm worker grinding a piece of metal).
Agent of the Accident: The physical element in the work environment that directly caused the worker’s injury (e.g., a broken grinding wheel that ejected a fragment and struck the worker’s face).
Type of Accident: The manner in which contact occurred between the person and the object in the work environment (e.g., the worker was struck by a piece of the grinding wheel).
Types of Accidents
1. Accidents in Which the Material Moves Towards the Person
1.1. Struck-by Accidents
These occur when a moving object strikes a person, potentially causing injury due to the force of impact. Examples include materials or tools falling onto a person and a grinding wheel shattering and hitting the worker’s face.
1.2. Caught-in or -between Accidents
These occur when a person is caught or crushed between an object and another surface, resulting in injury from the force of the contact. Examples include a vehicle running over a person and a person getting caught in a closing window or door.
1.3. Contact Accidents
These occur when a moving object makes contact with a person, causing injury primarily due to the nature of the contact rather than the object’s weight. Examples include burns from steam or contact with acids.
2. Accidents in Which the Person Moves Towards the Material
2.1. Struck-against Accidents
These occur when a person moves towards an object and strikes it, potentially causing injury due to the force of impact. An example is a person slipping and striking a piece of equipment.
2.2. Contact Accidents
These occur when a person moves towards an object and makes contact with it, causing injury primarily due to the nature of the object rather than the force of contact. Examples include contact with hot surfaces, such as a hot iron or skillet, and electric shock.
2.3. Caught-on Accidents
These occur when a person moves towards an object and becomes entangled or caught on it, leading to a series of events that may result in injury. Examples include clothing getting caught in machinery and hair getting caught in a rotating tool.
2.4. Caught-in Accidents
These occur when a person moves towards an object and becomes trapped or enclosed within it. Examples include getting trapped in a closing elevator or refrigerator and a foot getting stuck in a hole.
3. Accidents Involving Indefinite Movement
3.1. Overexertion Accidents
These occur when a person exerts excessive force or performs awkward movements, leading to muscle strains, sprains, or other injuries. Examples include back injuries from improper lifting techniques and muscle tears from overexertion.
3.2. Exposure Accidents
These occur when a person is exposed to a hazardous environment, resulting in injury or illness. Examples include exposure to harmful gases, heatstroke, and immersion in hazardous liquids.
Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene
Industrial hygiene is the science that studies, assesses, and monitors environmental factors in the workplace to ensure a healthy and safe environment for workers. It focuses on keeping the workplace free of pollutants that can harm worker health.
Health
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Occupational Disease
An occupational disease is a health condition caused directly by the exercise of a profession or the work performed by an individual. It can lead to disability or even death.
Occupational diseases are typically caused by exposure to environmental agents in the workplace. Examples include:
- Silica – Silicosis
- Talc – Talcosis
- Noise – Occupational deafness
- Asbestos – Asbestosis
- Cotton Dust – Byssinosis
Common Disease
A common disease is a health condition that can affect anyone in the general population, regardless of their occupation. Examples include colds, pneumonia, hepatitis, typhoid fever, mumps, and the plague.
Difference Between Occupational Accidents and Diseases
Occupational accidents occur suddenly and unexpectedly in the workplace, resulting in immediate consequences such as injuries and property damage.
Occupational diseases develop gradually over time due to prolonged exposure to harmful agents in the work environment.
Permissible Exposure Limits
Decree 745 on sanitation and environmental conditions in the workplace establishes permissible exposure limits for various hazardous agents.
For a disease to develop in the body, a certain dose of the harmful agent must be absorbed. For example, moderate sun exposure can lead to tanning, but excessive exposure can cause heatstroke and dehydration.
Permissible exposure limits define the maximum concentrations of harmful agents that the body can withstand without experiencing adverse health effects. These limits are typically established for workers in good physical condition who work a standard workday.
Routes of Entry of Toxic Substances into the Body
Understanding how harmful agents enter the body is crucial for preventing potential harm to workers. The primary routes of entry are:
1. Ingestion
Ingestion involves the entry of harmful substances through the mouth. This can occur through consuming food handled with contaminated hands, eating contaminated food, or chewing gum in contaminated areas. Particles deposited on the surfaces of the mouth and throat during breathing can also be swallowed and ingested. Substances that are ingested pass through the digestive tract and can be absorbed into the body through various parts of the digestive system.
2. Skin Absorption
The skin acts as a protective barrier against mechanical and chemical injuries. However, certain substances can penetrate the skin and enter the bloodstream, potentially causing serious poisoning. Examples include insecticides, herbicides, and lead.
3. Inhalation
Inhalation is the most common route of entry for contaminants into the body. During inhalation, air containing harmful substances enters the nasal passages and travels through the respiratory tract to the lungs. Toxic substances can enter the lungs in the form of gases, vapors, or dust particles. Once in the lungs, these substances can be absorbed into the bloodstream and distributed throughout the body.
Classification of Environmental Risks
One of the primary goals of industrial hygiene is to prevent the harmful effects of environmental agents on the health and comfort of workers. Environmental risks can be classified into various categories based on the nature of the hazard, such as chemical hazards, physical hazards, biological hazards, and ergonomic hazards.