The Prevention Of Occupational Diseases

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Occupational Diseases or Work-Related Diseases are disorders of health resulting from conditions related to the workplace.

Occupational diseases often develop over many months or years, depending on the intensity and circumstances of exposure. Occupational cancer, for example, may result from long-term exposure (years) to different chemicals, fibres, gases, fumes, radiations etc.

Occupational diseases often resemble other medical conditions and are regularly overlooked or misdiagnosed. Lead poisoning, for example, duplicates the symptoms of several illnesses and asthma, resulting from sensitization to chemicals in the workplace, and is often falsely attributed to exposures to home allergens.

The workplace can provide an ideal space and environment to promote good health

Classification of Occupational Diseases

Schedule 1 of the Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) Act No 1 of 2004 (as amended) gives a complete list of Occupational Diseases.

Below is a summary of this Schedule.

Diseases caused by chemical, physical and biological agents.

Examples of diseases caused by exposure to chemical agents include:

Diseases caused by beryllium or its toxic compounds

Diseases caused by cadmium or its toxic compounds

Diseases caused by manganese or its toxic compounds

Diseases caused by mercury or its toxic compounds

Diseases caused by lead or its toxic compounds

Diseases caused by hexane

Examples of diseases caused by exposure to physical agents include:

Hearing impairment caused by noise

Diseases caused by vibration (disorders of muscles, tendons, bones, joints, peripherals blood vessels or peripheral nerves)

Diseases caused by ionizing radiations

Diseases caused by heat radiation

Diseases caused by ultraviolet radiation

Diseases caused by extreme temperature (eg: sunstroke)

Examples of diseases caused by exposure to biological agents include:

Infectious or parasitic diseases contracted in an occupation where there is a particular risk of contamination, eg: zoonoses.

Diseases caused by agents Targeting Organ Systems:

Examples include:

Occupational Respiratory Diseases

Bronchopulmonary diseases caused by hard-metal dust

Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases

Diseases of the lungs caused by aluminium

Occupational Skin Diseases

Skin diseases caused by physical, chemical or biological agents not included under other items

Occupational vitiligo

Occupational musculo-skeletal disorders

Musculo-skeletal diseases caused by specific work activities or work environment where particular risk factors are present

Examples of such activities or environment include:

Rapid or repetitive movement

Forceful exertion

Excessive mechanical force concentration

Awkward or non-neutral postures

Vibration

Occupational Cancer. Cancer caused by the following agents:

Asbestos

Chromium and chromium compounds

Vinyl chloride

Coal tars, coal tar pitches or soot

Other Diseases such as Miners’ nystagmus

Routes of exposure to THE AGENTS THAT CAUSE

occupational diseases

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INJECTON HAS TO BE INCLUDED IN PICTURE

Table 1 gives a list of Occupational diseases along with the occupations in which they may be found

TABLE 1 - Common Occupational Diseases associated with Occupational Exposure and Possible Occupations

OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES

SELECTED EXPOSURES

SELECTED OCCUPATIONS

Musculoskeletal

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Repetition

Letter sorting

Vibration

Assembly work

Awkward postures

Office work

Cold temperatures

Food processing

De Quervain's tendinitis aka gamer's thumb, washerwoman's sprain

Repetition

Meat packing

High Force

Manufacturing

Cervical Strain

Static posture

Computer work

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Static posture, repetition

Assembly work

Respiratory

Interstitial fibrosis

Asbestos

Mining, construction trades, building maintenance

Silica

Mining, foundry work, sandblasting

Coal

Mining

Asthma

Wood dust

Furniture making

Isocyanates

Plastics manufacturing

Metals (e.g., cobalt)

Hard metals manufacturing

Cutting oils

Machine operation

Irritants (e.g., sulphur dioxide)

Various occupations

Bronchitis

Acids

Plating

Smoke

Fire Fighting

Nitrogen Oxides

Welding

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis

Mouldy hay/grass

Farming

Cutting oils

Machine operation

Upper airway irritation

Indoor air pollution (i.e., sick building syndrome)

Office work, Teaching

Neurologic

Chronic encephalopathy

Organic solvents

Painting, automobile body repair

Organophosphate pesticides

Pesticide application

Lead

Bridge work, painting, radiator repair, metal recycling

Peripheral polyneuropathy

Organophosphate pesticides

Pesticide application

Methyl butyl ketone

Fabric coating

Hearing loss

Noise

Many Occupations

Infectious

Blood Borne infections

HIV, hepatitis B

Health care work, prison work

Airborne infections

Tuberculosis

Health care work, prison work

Infections transmitted via faeces or orally

Hepatitis A

Health care work, animal care

Zoonoses

Lyme disease

Forestry and other outdoor work

Cancer

Lung

Asbestos

Construction trades

Chromium

Welding, plating

Coal tar, pitch

Steel working

Liver

Vinyl chloride

Plastics manufacturing

Bladder

Benzidine

Plastics and chemical manufacturing

Skin

Contact dermatitis

Organic solvents

Many occupations

Nickel

Hairdressing

Latex

Health care work

Reproductive

Spontaneous abortion

Ethylene oxide

Sterilizing

Sperm abnormalities

Dibromochloropropane

Pesticide manufacturing

Developmental abnormalities

Lead

Bridge work, metal recycling

Birth defects

Ionizing radiation

Radiographic technicians

Cardiovascular

Coronary artery disease

Carbon monoxide

Working with combustion products

Stress

Machine-paced work

Gastrointestinal

Hepatitis

Polychlorinated biphenyls

Electrical equipment manufacturing and repair

Notification of Occupational Diseases

The OSH Act places a responsibility on dutyholders to report Occupational Diseases. The following (steps) details the procedures required:

Step 1

The Chief Inspector of the Occupational Safety and Health Agency must be notified of an Occupational Disease. These notifications can come from either:

The Chief Medical Officer. Section 48(1) of the OSH Act requires a medical practitioner to notify the Chief Medical Officer within 48 hours after discovering that a person is suffering from an occupational disease. Section 48(2), then requires the Chief Medical Officer is to then notify the Chief Inspector immediately.

An employer. Section 48(3) requires an employer, upon notification by or on behalf of an employee that the employee suffers from a disease outlined in Schedule 1, to notify the Chief Inspector of any such employee within four days.

Step 2

Section 48(4) requires the Chief Inspector within two weeks to arrange for a medical inspector to investigate the occupational disease. That medical inspector is to then submit a report to the Chief Inspector within two weeks.

Step 3

After receiving the report, under Section 48(5), the Chief inspector shall conduct the necessary enquiries.

C:\Users\Marsha\Desktop\legal complaince.jpgHow to Prevent Occupational Diseases

Legislative aspects of prevention:

Section 13A (Annual Risk Assessment) – every employer is to make a suitable and sufficient annual risk assessment of the risks to the safety and health of his employees to which they are exposed whilst they are at work;

Section 25K (Medical Surveillance) – every employer is to ensure that his employees are provided with such health surveillance as is appropriate having regard to the risks to their safety and health which are identified by the annual risk assessment

Section 38 (Regulations) - Power of the Minister to make Regulations specifying arrangements for the medical supervision of employees or young persons whose health may be at risk of injury

Good job safety and prevention practices can reduce your risk of occupational diseases: try to stay fit, reduce stress, set up your work area properly and use the right personal protective equipment (PPE). An understanding of basic workplace health and safety issues means you can protect yourself against workplace hazards.

Recognize risks/ hazards or health & safety problems

These are some of the ways you can identify health and safety problems:

ï‚· observe your workplace;

ï‚· investigate complaints from workers;

ï‚· examine accident and near-miss records;

ï‚· examine sickness figures;

ï‚· use simple surveys to ask your co-workers about their health & concerns;

ï‚· use check-lists to help you inspect your workplace;

ï‚· learn the results of inspections that are done;

ï‚· Make sure you know and understand the hazards you are exposed to.

Once you recognize a hazard, then you can determine which measure will correct the problem most effectively.

Control measures - there are five major categories of control measures:

Elimination - eliminating a hazard means removing it completely. Elimination of a specific hazard or hazardous work process, or preventing it from entering the workplace, is the most effective method of control.

If you cannot completely eliminate a hazard, then use a combination of control methods to protect yourself and your co-workers from being exposed to occupational hazards.

Substitution - replacing one hazardous agent or work process with a less dangerous one.

Engineering controls - may mean changing a piece of machinery (e.g, using proper machine guards)

Administrative controls - for example, is job rotation, leading to working a limited number of hours in a hazardous area or changing a work process to reduce exposure to a hazard.

Personal protective equipment - including ear and eye protection, masks, respirators, and protective clothing – according to the exposure type.

Occupational medical screening (S 13A & 25K). This is intended to detect adverse health conditions that result from hazards and diagnose diseases existing in or derived from the workplace. The most effective control of an occupational disease is by primary prevention, which means preventing exposure or diminishing exposure to an acceptable level. Secondary prevention or treatment of the exposed is less effective in reducing disease.

Screening programs are intended to supplement control efforts, not replace them. The importance of screening is that it contributes to the early detection of diseases in the individual and can lead to better prevention to those who share his exposures and risks.

Medical observation of individuals will highlight the hazards that are not controlled sufficiently, that way, health & safety policies can be improved in the company.

Best results are observed when everyone involved: workers, supervisors & management take their responsibility and work together for a safer and healthier work environment.

Occupational Health Medicals including complete physical examination, paraclinical and laboratory investigations are advised to be done regularly as a preventive screening or as a periodical control of the health’s status of men & women.

Executive medical check-ups are suggested in order to rule out major diseases which could affect the health status and if any to be investigated and treated from the very beginning, for avoiding complications or too late diagnostics and treatments.

Personal hygiene (cleanliness) is also very important as a method of controlling hazards. Washing hands regularly, eating and smoking away from your work area help to prevent ingesting contaminants.

Your family can be exposed to the hazards you work with if you bring chemicals and other workplace contaminants home with you on your clothes, hair or skin. Before you leave work, wash/shower and change your clothes when necessary to prevent bringing workplace contaminants home.

Leave your dirty clothes at work or, if you must wash them at home, wash them separately, not with the family wash.

General measures.

This includes:

Think positive, try to solve the problems and responsibilities on time;

Have a healthy life style, including healthy foods, adequate amounts of water/day, regular physical exercises and a minimum of eight sleeping hours daily;

Try to create a balance between work and family life, social life, do not overload yourself, divide projects into smaller phases, and prioritize tasks, delegate responsibilities to colleagues working with you in certain projects;

Take short breaks throughout the day, to sit back and clear your mind;

Meditation, listening to music, walking for 5 minutes can improve your mood significantly;

Do not try to control the uncontrollable situations, adjust your standards, be realistic about what you can accomplish.

Educational Programs/ Awareness Programs. Programs that address health & safety issues; occupational health diseases; hygiene in the workplace; as well as those that deal with where, when, why and how to use PPE can also help in preventing occupational health diseases.

Success in prevention ultimately rests on acceptance by the employer of one's responsibility, cooperation by the workers, teamwork by occupational health professionals, government regulation and education of the public.

However, there are obstacles to prevention, such as cost, lack of education and awareness and lack of motivation to change practices.