Occupational Health Concepts

Historical Background of Occupational Health and Safety

• The service sector has dominated the late 20th century and present, resulting in a shift in job habits and an increase in work-related muscle and joint injuries.
• The advent of ergonomics research has contributed to the establishment of guidelines and standards to protect workers in the service sector.

Key Events and Statistics

• According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, total workplace occupational disease cases reached over 125,000 in 2015.
• Back pain is the most common type of occupational disease, accounting for 32.8% of cases registered.
• Major hypertension and pain in the neck and shoulders are also common, accounting for 11.5% and 11.4% of cases, respectively.

Occupational Safety and Health

• Occupational safety and health is a broad discipline that involves three major fields: Occupational Safety, Occupational Health, and Industrial Hygiene.
• Occupational Safety focuses on recognizing the causes of workplace incidents and reducing dangerous conduct and unsafe conditions.
• Occupational Health is a broad term that describes how an illness can be triggered by various hazards and risks at work, and stresses the importance of health systems for controlling work-related diseases.

Industrial Hygiene

• Industrial Hygiene involves the detection, assessment, and regulation of physical, chemical, biological, and ergonomic hazards.

Occupational Health Practice

• The basis of occupational health practice is assessing and controlling the impact of work on an individual's health, and the health of a person on their ability to work.
• There are two categories of work-related health issues: occupational disease (a disease arising from the course of work) and work-related disease (conditions amplified by the job).

Historical Development of Occupational Health and Safety

• The First Industrial Revolution (1760-1820/1840) saw a transition to modern production methods in Europe and the United States, resulting in intense machinery, equipment, and chemical use.
• The Industrial Revolution (1800-1900) was characterized by a high degree of protection, risks, chemical exposures, and accidents from production work.
• The focus of occupational wellness has shifted from shielding workers from ill health related to jobs to reducing ill health in the workforce and addressing all possible causes of ill health.