Occupational hazard and its health implications among workers

Introduction

Occupational health can be seen as the total functioning of the individual’s physical, mental and spiritual body which empowers him to engage in purposeful endeavour that serves as a means of survival, personal identity and self actualization (Aibor, 2001).

According to World Health Organisation (WHO, 1999) Expert Committee, occupational health is the maintenance and promotion of the highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupation. The prevention among workers, department from hazards caused by their employment risk resulting factors adverse to health occurs naturally or artificially as solid, liquid, gases, fumes, dust or vapour which enters through the mouth, nostrils or skin and could affect the organs and tissues of the human body thereby causing various degree of poisoning to human body.

The industrial workers are exposed to a variety of hazards such as excessive heat, noise, electrical hazards, fatigue etc. for the purpose of human, social and economic development. Efforts must be made to prevent occupational hazards among industrial worker as a result of the occupational health effect/hazards in the workplace (Unuraye, 2004).

Concept of occupation health hazard

Occupational health according to World Health Organisation (WHO) is the maintenance and promotion of the highest degree of well-being of workers, the prevention of departures from health due to associated risks and hazards, the maintenance of physiological and psychological equipment to enforce a complete state of physical, mental and social well being of the workers and that of the community.

Aibor (2006), stated that occupational health can be seen as the total functioning of an individual (physically, mentally, socially and spiritually) that empowers him to engage in purposeful endeavour that serves as a means of survival, personal identity and self actualization.

Friday (2004) viewed occupational health as the study affects or condition influencing the health and well being of workers not only in the work place but also at home.

Types of occupation hazards

Aibor (2006), classified occupational health hazards in the following ways;

1. Physical hazards
2. Chemical hazards
3. Biological hazards
4. Psychological hazards
5. Mechanical hazards

Physical hazards: Physical hazards are structured elements of the workplace that influence workers health and productivity. In may result from direct injury and postural position attained at the working place. The features that make up the physical hazards include workplace temperature, lighting, noise, heat, cut, vibration, cold, radiation, atmospheric pressure and falling objects, accident are the most potent source of physical hazards at work.

Chemical hazards: Chemical hazards may come in the form of vapour, mist, gases and fumes. Modern industries are exposed to the use of an intimate numbers of chemical substances and compounds. Some of which are injurious to health. More than five hundred of such materials have been recognised coming into contact with these materials can lead to poison. The major industrial poison includes lead and certain other heavy materials, carbon monoxide, pesticides and miscellaneous coal tar derivatives. These ones that exist as gases vapour, dusts, fumes are more dangerous and difficult to control.

Biological hazards: This occurs from biological agents which includes bacteria, fungi, viruses, moulds, rickets and parasites of various types with which workers come in contact in the course of work. There are many potential source of parasitic disease or affections invading many different pathology viruses (HIV) are presently considered important biological hazards to those working in the health sectors. Also very common is tuberculosis from human contact and veterinary health bugs.

Psychological hazards: These are concerned with those agents that affect the well being of the human inner statues that relate to the psychotic and neurotic feelings. From the finding and research, it is known that a lot of work conditions are accompanied by psychological health hazards. Adverse psychological factors at work have been blamed for this psychological and behavioural disorder. Paramount among these are the potential stressors such as poor working condition, work overload or under-load, role of the organisation, relationship at work with colleagues, superior and subordinates etc.

Mechanical hazards: Mechanical hazards occur through appliances which present themselves in various forms in our working place. Examples are unguarded part of machines, pointed objects, unprotected electrical cable, sharp apparatus, etc. A modern powered-driven tool vibrating a thousand of times are liable to produce stiffness of fingers, hand cramps and cramps can occur in writes, pointers, typists etc. due to rapid repetitive fine movement of the fingers.

Causes of occupational health hazards

In some of the latest develop countries up to 80% of the workforce is employed in oil companies, mining and other types of primary production. Heavy physical work often combined with heat, stress, occupational accident, pesticides, poisonings, organic dust and biological hazards are thus the main causes of occupational morbidity and mortality in these countries. Additionally, numerous non-occupational factors such as parasitic and infectious diseases, poor hygiene and sanitation, poor nutrition and general poverty, illiteracy aggravate these occupational health effects hazards. Due to time factor or limited time, the researcher will not go in details the causes of occupational health hazards (William, 2005).

Effect of occupation health hazard

Noise hazard: This can be described as sound without agreeable musical quality or an unwanted sound. It is a form of vibration and energy in the atmosphere that can enter the ear and always fall below comfort range. In Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited, the production unit are always noisy because of machines keep working from the day they were installed thereby exposing the workers to high noise effects (Modi, 2000).

Effect of noise

1. Noise affect the cardiovascular system by increasing or decreasing the rate of heart beat and cause startle reaction produced by a sudden nervous system of workers in Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC).
2. Workers working under noisy environment become fatigued then attention are distracted and concentration diminished could lead to accident and production reduction (Emu, 2000).
3. Noisy working environment can lead to workers losing their hearing and become deaf.

Measurement of noise

Noise is measured in order to determine the intensity, frequency and duration. Noise is measured using sound level meter (decibel) which measures the sound pressure level for all frequencies from 24 to 140 decibel.

Heat hazards: Heat is energy transformed from difference between them. It can be transferred in three major ways such as radiation, conduction and convention. Heat is the quality of being hot (Ovakpo, 2003).

Temperature: According to Larry (1998), temperature is the degree of measurement of how hot or cold a thing is. Temperature is considered extreme when it falls outside the range when in human body can easily maintain its internal normal temperature. Extreme temperature puts the body under stress as it struggles to maintain its normal internal temperature. This is a major problem affecting the workers in Nigerian Agip Oil Company.

Measurement of heat

Heat is measured with a device called thermometer. At furnace, special computer monitors the temperature at different stage of melting. The temperature reacting are needed for some information such as;

1. To know the temperature under which personnel are working
2. To avoid fire outbreak.
3. To avoid the overheating of equipment.
4. To avoid explosion.

Effects of heat

According to Dio (2008) the main sources of heat are;

1. Dehydration: This result whenever the intake of water is not sufficient to replenish the amount loses through the kidney (urine) most particularly having unduly exposes to a thermally stressful working efficiency.
2. Heat cramp: This is as a result of low level of common salt (sodium Chloride) circulating within the body system.
3. System disorder: This occurs when a worker is exposed to source of heat for a long period of time.
4. Salt deficiency: Salt depletion occurs when they are not acclimatized to heat source and also as a result of profuse sweating couple with inadequate intake of salt by personnel. Common symptoms associated with these problems are muscular weakness, headache, tiredness and in some cases vomiting.
5. Skin disorder: This arose when the workers’ skin are exposed continuously to high heat sources. Some common effects of skin disorder are;
6. Skin cancer.
7. Prickly heat rashes
8. Burns

Fire hazards: Dio (2008) defined as the rapid combination of three or more substances resulting in the production of heat and light. It is the rapid combination of heat, fuel and oxygen of appropriation concentration or it is the interaction of combustible substances in oxygen at appropriate temperature resulting in the production of flame.

Causes of fire on workers and management

1. The use of incompatible sockets and plugs
2. Modification of electrical connection.
3. Overloading of electrical points.
4. Smoking on loose electrical
5. Careless discharging of cigarette butts.
6. Replacement of fuses with any form of wire.

Effect of fire on workers and management

According to Unuraye and Olojoba (2005), effect of fire on workers and management are;

1. Fire can lead to loss of life.
2. It leads to economic loss.
3. Damages properties
4. It reduces workers efficiency, performance and productivity.
5. It leads to psychological disorder on the part of workers and management.

Occupational skin diseases (dermatitis)

Michael and Amos (2006), says that skin disease comprises more that 500% of all occupational diseases as infirmity. Number of substances used in various industries which may affect the worker or even the general public. Allergic reaction may occur as a result of plant sensitivity in agriculture, irritation of skin from polluted water, poisoning may occur from toxic chemicals, instances of skin diseases or problems from soap manufacturing industry, pharmaceutical and chemical industry, textile industries, hair dressing etc. have been reported.

Occupational lung disease (pneumoconiosis)

Pneumoconiosis is a frantic disease of the lungs due to dust of asbestos, silica, on the other hand, this is the condition known as “dust” reticulation “pneumoconiosis” is one mostly caused by the inhalation of variety of industrial dust, gases, fumes, mist, vapours, lungs diseases can be caused by inhalation of dust (inorganic) and plant product. Fibrosis of the lung eventually produces shortness of breath; silicosis appears to lower resistance to tuberculosis.

Attitude of workers and the public

There is a continuous interaction between a person’s physical and psychological working environment. Ellison (2000) stresses that the working environment may influence the person’s health either positively or negatively and predominance at work is in turn influenced by the physical and mental health of the person. An effective health promotion programme will lead to the improvement and maintenance at a high level of overall health status of employees.

The health status of the individual worker enhances its level of productivity. Level of positive efforts made by some factory management at establishing occupational health services within the company and some workers, contractors or staff are fund of doing some task known to be hazardous to health without using protective equipment (Unuraye, 2004).

Some workers in production or manufacturing companies exhibit nonchalant attitude to wearing the protective equipment such as safety boots, overall, nose mask, hand gloves, face mask etc. while in manufacturing line, the attitude of the public towards occupational health hazards appears not to differ from those exemplified by workers.

Attitude of management on workers

The responsibility to promote and protect the health of employees and companies lies in the hands of the management. Occupational health is expected to be an integral part of every company. Safety and environmental conservation policy should be given equal consideration with other business objectives in the planning, execution of project and day to day operation.

In the course of this research, the researcher observed that the management of the company (Nigerian Agip Oil Company), have a nonchalant attitude towards workers health, proper care are not being given to the workers, no provision of protective equipment for use during production. Workers are not trained on the hazards in production process and proper procedures for handling machines. The management lacks implementation programmes of preventive maintenance by qualified men to keep equipment, safety devices and control them in good condition. These nonchalant attitude on complacency attitude of management towards employees predispose the worker to occupational health hazards, hence the researcher deemed it fit to write on the above topic.

General control of occupational hazards

According to Aibor & Olorunda (2007), the government or management should realize the important roles played by occupational health in promoting the health and safety of workers in any industry or factory management hazard control.

These are the major measure of controlling hazards;

1. Administrative measures
2. Engineering measures
3. Substitution measures
4. Personal protective equipment measures.

Administrative measures: The government should realize the important roles played by occupational health in promoting the health and safety of workers in any industry or factory. Management of industries must ensure that the establishment outlined in the Factories Ordinance Act of 1919 which include;

1. Registration of factories/industries with the appropriate government agency.
2. Pre-employment medical examination of employees as well as periodic medical examination of employees.
3. Safety precaution of periodic testing and examination of plant and machinery.
4. Health including cleanliness, dust and fumes control, ventilation, lighting, drainage of floor, sanitary conveniences, provision and usage of protective equipment.
5. Health education of workers by management in the environment against various occupational hazards in the workplace etc.

Engineering measures:  To achieve this, health experts and engineers should be in the design and organisation of plants and there should be of acceptable standard and constructive design criteria. These include;

1. Environmental maintenance which should be ongoing process, so that occupational risk can be identified before harmful effects could occur in the exposed workers.
2. Plants must be adequately maintained and served periodically.
3. The grading and concert of floors must be done to prevent falls.
4. Adequate lighting system must be provided and electrical fittings must be perfectly made.

(Aibor, 2007)

Substitution measures: This is a measure in which has harmful or safe device, means or equipment are introduced or improvised to the dangerous, injurious or poisonous substance e.g.;

1. A provision of exhaust ventilation to prevent fumes and dust from their point of origin.
2. Fencing of industry with radioactive, ultra violet and infra red radiation.
3. Provision of air conditioned and artificial electrical fans to compliment ventilation system.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) measures

The importance of personal protective equipment cannot be over-emphasized. It served as the immediate and ultimate protection for workers in all categories or processes in a workplace. The catastrophe that would be created with the absence of personal protective equipment can be imagined. It prevents accident, bruises, wounds, burns, falls, laceration, head injury or brain damage, eyes deformities, impaired hearing, etc.

Theoretical (conceptual) framework

The environment and the workers health were recognised as early as the 4^th century when Hippocrates noticed toxicity in the mining industry. The Roman   scholar linked health risk to those working with zinc and sulphur. He devised a face mask made from animal leather to protect workers from exposure to dust and lead fumes. In the 2^nd century, a Greek physician, Galen, accurately described the pathology of lead poisoning and also reveal hazardous exposure of miners to acid mist.

Scholar Agricola in 1556 advanced the science of industrial hygiene even further when in his book “Metallica” he described the diseases of mineral and also prescribed preventive measures. The suggestion of mine ventilation and workers protecting, discussed mining accidents and diseases associated with mining occupation such as silicon.

In the early 20^th century in the U.S., Dr. Alice Bauriltan led efforts to improve industrial hygiene observed industrial condition first hand and stated that the owners, factory managers and official, with evidence that there are connection between workers illness and exposure. He also presented definitive proposal for elimination of unhealthful working condition.

The situation to achieving effect control of occupational hazard is depending on the proper definition and evaluation of the problems. Several methods are usually required in the control of occupational hazard and these include the following;

• General hygiene
• Personal protective devices
• Personal environmental monitoring
• Administrative measures
• Substitution measures
• Provision of occupational health services
• Isolation

Isolation to control potential hazards in the workplace through

1. Isolation of material by storage (in store)
2. Isolation equipment by physical barriers enclosure.
3. Process e.g. the sense of remote control mechanism in handling or operating radio isolation or use of computer control processing in chemical industries.

References

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