Occupational health hazards and its effect on workers

Introduction

According to Scand (1991), occupational health hazard is the exposure of industrial workers to any harmful condition or substance that causes accident, death, injuries to the health of the workers. This has been a major challenge to industrial workers worldwide in various workplaces. Because some of these industrial workers have been expose to these agent like the physical, social, economical, emotional and psychological state of workers in the working environment due to the continued exposure to this agent for at list 6-8 the hours daily.

Studied have show that 26 sea workers exposed to smell 53.8% developed sub-acute symptoms illness including sore throat, cough, chest tightness, breathlessness thirst, sweating, irritability and loss of libido. Over 600,000 workers die of occupational cancer every year. According to ILO (1998) says that the death of every 52 seconds, the true toil is certainly much higher between 8 and 16 percent of all cancer are as a result of exposure at work. Approaching 100,000 chemicals are used in work place worldwide.

Aims and objectives of occupational health hazard

• To protect the health of workers from risk resulting from factors to health.
• To make workers adapted to their physical and psychological equipment used in the work place.
• For the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social well being of workers.
• To prevent departure from health that may be cause by their condition
• To make recommendation on improving the safety of workers and the immediate community
• To investigate and examine the workplace for potential dangers and hazards.
• To bring about better health and makes workers live longer. (Ajekuko, 2016).

Definition of occupational health hazard

Is the exposure of industrial workers to any harmful condition or substance that causes accident, death, injuries and damage to the health of workers.

The management of hazard and risk is a key to production (Ajekuko, 2014). Some 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, effect must be made to prevent occupational health hazard among industrial workers as in work places (Unuraye, 2004).

Agents such as physical, chemical and biological in the working environment also affect the physical, social, economical, emotional and psychological state of workers due to the continuous exposure to this agent for at least 6 – 8 hours daily in a work place depending on the types and nature of work.

Causes of occupational health hazard

1. Noise hazard: Can be described as unwanted sound or loud discordant or disagreeable sounds. Waithzma and Smith (1998) which could be in form of vibration or energy in the atmosphere that can enter the ear and cause unwanted sensation

Effect of noise on industrial workers

Noise has a permanent and temporary effect

• High rate of noise causes permanent hearing loss: And cannot be corrected by sugary or hearing aid.
• Temporary change in hearing
• Hearing impairment
• Hypertension by affecting the cardiovascular system by increasing or decreasing the rate of heart beat.
• Annoyance
• Discomfort
• Sleep disturbance
• Ischemic heart disease
• loss of memory

B       Fire hazards: Dio (2003) defined fire as the rapid combination of three or more substance resulting in the production of heart and light. It is the combination of heart, fuel and oxygen of appropriate concentration.

Effect of fire on industrial workers

• It lead to loss of life
• Damage to property
• It leads to accident and injuries
• It can lead to economic lost
• It reduces performance and productivities by the workers

C       Radiation: Radiation are those powerful and very dangerous rays that are sent out from radioactive substance or the ambitious of dangerous rays from radioactive substance, e. g direct sunlight, phone, computer television etc.

Effects of radiation on industrial workers

• It damage tissue or organs (depending on type of radiation)
• It produce acute effects such as skin redness, hair loss, radiation burns or
• It produces long-term effect such as cancer.
• Impairment of the central nervous system (Tohoku, 2011).

Classes of occupational hazard

Aibor (2006) classified occupational hazards into the followings:

• Physical hazard

These are structural element in the work place that influence workers health and productivity, which may result from direct injury and positions attained at workplace. The features that make up the physical hazards include workplace, temperature lighting, noise vibration, cold, radiation, atmospheric pressure etc. accident are the most potent source of physical hazards at work (Olojoba, 2009). Other example of physical hazard, also include poor sanitation, heat, erosion, natural disaster, poor roads.

• Chemical hazard

This may be in the form of vapour, gases ( CO₂, SO₂, NO₂) fumes dust and mists modern industries are exposed to use of an infinite number of chemical substance and compounds, some of which are injurious to health. More than five hundred of such materials have been recognized and coming into contact with these materials can head to poisoning. e.g. oil spillage which causes fire out break heavy metals e.g. cadmium, head, mercury, etc.

The major industrial poison includes head and certain other heavy metals, carbon monoxide, pesticides and miscellaneous, cold-tar derivatives. Those ones that exist as gases vapour, dusts, fumes dangerous and difficult to control (Olojoba, 2009).

• Biological hazard

This occurs from biological agents which include bacteria, fungi, viruses, rickets, molds and parasites of various types with which workers came in contact in the course of work. There are many potential sources of parasite disease or infections involving many different pathogens.

Hepatitis B and human immune deficiency virus (HIV) are presently considered important biological hazards to those working in the health sector. Also very common in tuberculosis from human contact and veterinary health bays (Aibor, 2006).

• Mechanical hazard

This occurs through appliance which presents themselves in various forms in the working place. Example are unguarded part of machines, pointed objects. Unprotected electrical cable, share apparatus etc. a modern power driven tool vibrating a thousand of times are liable to produce stiffness of the fingers (Aibor, 2006).

• Social or psychological hazard

These are hazards related to organization in the work place e.g. the workers relationship with his fellow workers, or with the management. Such relationship has a lot of influence on the individual workers moral, job satisfaction and general well being and health. The hazard may include lack of job satisfaction, emotional tension, work pressure, boredom, psychological stress, poor wage, etc. the consequent of health effect may therefore includes fatigue, headache, hostility aggressiveness, anxiety, depression, alcoholism, drug abuse, sickness, absenteeism and rapid ageing with its subsequences effect on productivity (Olojoba, 2009).

• Ergonomic hazard

Ergonomic is therefore the body position in relation to work, that is working machine to fit the man and not the other way round. According to (Clayton,1978) ergonomic is basically the study of work and working conditions in order to improve the efficiency of workers. Sometimes workers adopt the wrong positions (or postures) and force more muscles than the specific one(s) required in doing the work. The way you position your body and the type of machine you are using will determine how healthy you will be.

Aims and objectives of occupational health

To protect workers in their work place from risk resulting from factors to health.

• The adaptation of man to his physiological and psychological equipment.
• The promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social well being of workers in all being.
• The prevention among workers of departure from health caused by their condition.
• To make recommendation on improving the safety of workers and the immediate community.
• To investigate and examine the work place for potential dangers and hazards.
• To brings about better health and makes workers live longer (Ajekuko, 2014).

Attitude of management on workers

The responsibility to promote and protect the health of employee and company lies in the land of the management. Occupational health is expected to be an integral part of every company, safety and environmental conversation policy and should be given equal consideration with other business objectives in the planning execution of project and today operation.

In some companies the management has a non-chalant attitude towards workers proper care is not being given to the workers. No provision of protective equipment for the during production process. Workers are not trained on the hazards in production process and proper procedures for handling machines. The management lack implementation programme of preventive maintenance by qualified men to keep equipment, safety devices and control them in good condition. These non-chalant or complacency attitude of management towards employee predisposes the workers to occupational health hazards (Olojoba, 2009).

Control of occupational hazard

Hazard controls are measures taken to prevent, reduce or eliminate sources of hazards in a working environment. The solutions of achieving effective control of occupational hazard include:

• Administrative measures
• Engineering measures
• Substitute measures
• Personal protective equipment (PPEs) measures

Administrative measure:

The government in the management of private enterprise and the trade unions are included under this content. They should realize the important roles played by occupational health in promoting the health and safety of workers in any industry or factory. The factory act of 1990 which includes:

• Registration of factory/industries with the appropriate government agency.
• Pre- employment medical examination of employees as well as periodic medical examination of the employees.
• Safety precautions, periodic testing and examination of plant and machinery.
• Health including cleanliness of industry, ventilation, lightening, drainage of floors, sanitary convenience, dust and fumes control, provision and use of protective equipments.
• Welfare provision of portable H₂O, washing/ laundry facilities, cloakroom, accommodation and first aid ambulance services.
• Employment of person’s below the age of eighteen should not be employed.
• Restriction of women to same occupations e.g. women are not allowed to work in head industries because of exposure to head cause prematurity, intra-uterine death and mental retardation in babies born of those already expected working in such an environment.
• Health education of workers by management and people in the environment against various occupational hazards in the work place.
• Involvement of trade unions by management for joint-consultations and better planning, organization and welfare of the workers.
• Management should organize periodical educational activities like workshop seminar exhibition and demonstration for all categories of workers on the promotion and protection of the industry and their workers health.
• Enforcement of standards by government of all work place as this plays an important role in the development and control of various occupational hazard and diseases the work place and the environment as a whole. The legislations of environ safety are enforced by the various government agencies or officer e.g. factory inspectors and environmental health officers.

Engineering measures: This includes:

• Environmental monitoring which should be an ongoing process, so that occupational risk can be identified harmful effects could occur in the exposed workers.
• Plants must be adequately maintained and serviced periodically.
• The general ventilation of the work room should be adequate so as to remove atmospheric contamination.
• The grading and concreting of floors must be done to prevent falls.
• Drainages must be well constructed to drain out run-of water, or waste water or other discharges away freely.
• Adequate and suitable ceiling provisions.
• All walls, pavements and damp-proof course must be constructed with impervious materials.

Substitution measures

This is a measure in which less harmful safe devices, means or equipment are introduced or improvised to the existing harmful dangerous, injurious or poisonous substances e.g.

• The use of zinc instead of land in paint manufacturing process.
• Provision of exhaust ventilation to prevent fumes and dust of their point of origin.
• Fencing of industries with radioactive, ultra violet infrared radiations and dust generating industries.
• Provision of air conditions services and artificial electrical fans to complement ventilation system.

Personal protective equipment (PPEs) measures

The important of personal protective equipment cannot be over emphasized. It serves as the immediate and the ultimate protection for workers in all categories of process in a work place. It prevents accidents, burns, bruises, wounds, laceration, head injury or brain damages, eyes deformities, impaired hearing or deafness.

Types and uses of personal protective equipment in industries

Health implication of occupational health hazards

• Improper management of health hazard has contributed to loss of lives of workers.
• Indiscriminate of hazards materials to the surrounding has lead to outbreak.
• Poor management of occupational health hazard has resulted to injury, accident, disease leading to health problem.

Conclusion

Improper management occupational health hazard has contributed the lost of life of industrial workers and also has cause occupational diseases, injuries, a lot of damage, accident. Which has resulted to a impairment, disabilities and handicap to some industrial workers.

Recommendations

• Government should set up bodies (factory inspectors) with well equipped materials to carry out certain formation to promote safety awareness in factories e.g. transport, equipment etc. to enable the numerically inadequate occupational health team visit the industries regularly and monitor their standards of occupational health practice.
• Management should obey factories decree which states that all dangerous parts of machinery should be guarded/ screened.
• Adequate and qualified health personnel to be employed to health educate workers intensively on the dangers associated with their job.
• The law enforcement agencies should revise the enforcement of factories act. Some of the legislation and formulated policies on occupational health practices should be revised and updated to reflect current trend of event and thinking in occupational health practices. Furthermore, the penalties for contravening some of the legislation and policies are not severe enough to act as deterrent others.
• Sanitary installations, washing facilities, facilities for changing and storing clothes, supply of drinking water, and any other welfare facilities connected with occupational safety and health.
• Supervision of the health of workers.
• Design, manufacture, supply, use, maintenance and testing of personal protective equipment and protective clothing.

References

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