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***Overview of the Course*** This course is a study of the occupational safety and health for industrial and commercial establishments. It involves safety education, safe work practices, recognition and elimination of health hazards, proper housekeeping, in plant traffic, materials handling and eme...

***Overview of the Course*** This course is a study of the occupational safety and health for industrial and commercial establishments. It involves safety education, safe work practices, recognition and elimination of health hazards, proper housekeeping, in plant traffic, materials handling and emergency treatment of industrial accidents. **What is occupational health and safety?** Occupational health and safety is a discipline with a broad scope involving many specialized fields. In its broadest sense, it should aim at: - the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social well -- being of workers in all occupations; - the prevention among workers of adverse effects on health caused by their working conditions; - the protection of workers in their employment from risks resulting from factors adverse to health; - the placing and maintenance of workers in an occupational environment adapted to physical and mental need; - the adaptation of work to humans. In other words, occupational health and safety encompasses the social, mental and physical well -- being of workers, that is the "whole person". Occupational health and safety is a [cross -- disciplinary] area concerned with protecting the [safety,] [health] and [welfare] of people engaged [in work or employment]. The goal of all occupational health and safety programs is to foster a safe work environment. As a secondary effect, it may also protect co -- workers, family members, employers, customers, suppliers, nearby communities, and other members of the public who are workplace environment. It may involve interactions among subject areas, including [occupational medicine], [occupational (or industrial) hygiene], [public health], [safety engineering], [chemistry], [health physics.] 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 health issues are often given less attention than occupational safety issues because the former are generally more difficult to confront. However, when heath is addressed, so is safety, because a healthy workplace is by definition also a safe workplace. The converse, though, may not be true -- a so -- called safe workplace is not necessarily also a healthy workplace. The important point is that issues of both health and safety must be addressed in every workplace. By and large, the definition of occupational health and safety given above encompasses both health and safety in their broadest contexts. **Why is occupational health and safety important?** Work plays a central role in people's lives, since most workers spend at least eight hours a day in the workplace, whether it is on a plantation, in an office, factory, etc. Therefore, work environments should be safe and healthy. Yet this is not the case for many workers. Every day workers all over the world are faced with a multitude of health hazards, such as: - dusts; - gases; - noise; - vibration; - extreme temperatures. Unfortunately same employers assume little responsibility for the protection of worker's health and safety. In fact, some employers do not even know that they have the moral and often legal responsibility to protect workers. As a result of the hazards and a lack of attention given to health and safety, work -- related accidents and diseases are common in all parts of the world. **Health and Safety Programs** For all of the reasons given above, it is crucial that employers, workers and unions are committed to health and safety and that: - workplace hazards are controlled -- at the source whenever possible; - records of any exposure are maintained for many years; - both workers and employers are informed about safety committee that includes both workers and management; - worker's health and safety efforts are ongoing. Effective workplace health and safety programs can help to save the lives of workers by reducing hazards and their consequences. Health and safety programs also have positive effects on both worker morale and productivity, which are important benefits. At the same time, effective programs can save employers a great deal of money. **Reasons for Occupational Health and Safety** The event of an incident at work ( such as legal fees, fines, compensatory damages, investigation time, lost production, lost goodwill from the workforce, from customers and from the wider community). Legal -- Occupational requirements may be reinforced in civil law and/ or criminal law; it is accepted that without the extra "encouragement" of potential regulatory action or litigation, many organizations would not act upon their implied moral obligations. Occupational health and safety officers promote health and safety procedures in an organization. They recognize hazards and measure health and safety risks, set suitable safety controls in place, and give recommendations on avoiding accidents to management and employees in an organization. "Like it or not, organizations have a duty to provide health and safety training. But it could involve much more than you think. " An effective training program can reduce the number of injuries and deaths, property damage, legal liability, illness, workers' compensation claims, and missed time from work. A safety training program can also help a trainer keep the required OSHA -- mandated safety training courses organized and up -- to -- date. Safety training classes help establish a safety culture in which employees themselves help promote proper safety procedures while on the job. It is important that new employees be properly trained and embrace the importance of workplace safety as it is easy for seasoned workers to negatively influence the new hires. That negative influence however, can be purged with the establishment of new, hands -- on, innovative effective safety training which will ultimately lead to an effective safety culture. **Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)** The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created in the Department of Labor to enforce the Occupational Safety and Health Act. It enforces health standards and regulations on safety, noise and other workplace related hazards to protect workers from illness and injury when they are on job. The agency conducts investigations and inspections to assets health and safety conditions in places of employment. **What is Occupational Safety and Health Act?** The Occupational Safety and Health Act is an Act which provides the legislative framework to secure the safety, health and welfare among workforce and to protect others against risks to safety or health in connection with the activities of persons at work. This Act was gazette on 24^th^ February 1994 and may be cited as the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994. This Act is a practical tool superimposed on existing safety and health legislation. **The aims of this Act are:** a\. to secure the safety, health and welfare of persons at work against risks to safety or health arising out of the activities of persons at work b\. to protect person at a place of work other than persons at work against risks to safety or health arising out of the activities of persons at work c\. to promote an occupational environment for persons at work which is adapted to their physiological and psychological needs d\. to provide the means whereby the associated occupational safety and health legislation may be progressively replaced by a system of regulations. e\. and approved industry codes of practices operating in combination with the provisions of this Act designed to maintain or improve the standards of safety and health. The provision of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 are based on the self -- regulation scheme. Its primary responsibility is to ensure safety and health of work lies with those who create the risks and those who work with the risks. Through self -- regulating scheme that is designed to suit the particular industry or organization, this Act also aims to establish effective safety and health organization and performance. The concept of self -- regulation encourages cooperation, consultation and participation of employees and management in efforts to upgrade the standards of safety and health at the workplace. **Poor working conditions affect workers health and safety** - Poor working conditions of any type have the potential to affect a worker's health and safety. - Unhealthy or unsafe working conditions are not limited to factories -- they can be found anywhere, whether the workplace is indoors. For many workers, such as agricultural workers or miners, the workplace is "outdoors" and can pose many health and safety hazards. - Poor working conditions can also affect the environment workers live in, since the working and living environments are the same for many workers. This means that occupational hazards can have harmful effects on workers, their families, and other people in the community, as well as on the physical environment around the workplace. A classic example is the use of pesticides in agricultural work. Workers can be exposed to toxic chemicals in a number of ways when spraying pesticides: they can inhale the chemicals during and after spraying, the chemicals can be absorbed through the skin, and the workers can ingest the chemicals if they eat, drink, or smoke without first washing their hands, or if drinking water has become contaminated with the chemicals. The worker's families can also be exposed in a number of ways: they can inhale the pesticides which may linger in the air, they can drink contaminated water, or they can exposed to residues which may be on the worker's clothes. Other people in the community can all be exposed in the same ways as well. When the chemicals get absorbed into the soil or leach into groundwater supplies, the adverse effects on the natural environment can be permanent. Overall, efforts in occupational health and safety must aim to **prevent** industrial accidents and diseases, and at the same time recognize the connection between worker's health and safety, the workplace, and the environment outside the workplace. **Points to Remember** 1\. Occupational health and safety encompasses the social, mental and physical well -- being of workers in all occupations. 2\. Poor working conditions have the potential to affect a workers' health and safety. 3\. Unhealthy or unsafe working conditions can be found anywhere, whether the workplace is indoors or outdoors. 4\. Poor working conditions can affect the environment workers live in. This means that workers, their families, other people in the community, and the physical environment around the workplace, can all be at risks from exposure to workplace hazards. 5\. Employers have moral and often legal responsibility to protect workers. 6\. Work -- related accidents and diseases are common in all parts of the world and often have many direct and indirect negative consequences for workers and their families. A single accident or illness can mean enormous financial loss to both workers and employers. 7\. Effective workplace health and safety programs can help save the lives of workers by reducing hazards and their consequences.