Occupational Hazards

Occupational Hazards

For years, the phrase “occupational hazards” conjured up vision of people working in damp, unhealthy mines and in factories where workers and machines were constantly at war. Recently the concept been has broadened to embrace less visible but not less dangerous threats like cancer striking even 20 years after exposure to chemicals, dust and fibres in the workplace, noise and even psychological wear and tear.

The major categories of environ­mental stress for the workers are: chemical agents, physical agents, biological agents and conditions, and psychosocial factors. These may act either singly or in combination. Occupational accidents result from the joint action of both environmental and human factors and are therefore dealt with separately. The interaction between man and his working environment may lead to betterment of health, when work is fully adapted to human needs and factors, or to ill health, if work stresses are beyond human tolerance. Occupational diseases and injuries result from specific exposures at work. In addition, work exposures may aggra­vate certain illnesses or be a factor of varying importance in causing diseases of multiple etiologies.

Table : Occupational Disease and Period of Exposure

Occupational Disease	Period for which the Employees should have been in Continues Exposure.
Silicosis Asbestosis Bagasosis Byssinosis Pneumoconiosis Farmer’s lung pulmonary disease due to inhalation of the dust of mouldy hay or of other mouldy vegetable produce & characterized by signs & symptoms attributable to a reaction in peripheral part of the bronchi pulmonary symptom-giving rise to a defect in gas exchange.	6 months 3 years 3 years 7 years 7 years    6 months

  Ref. ESI Medical Manual, 2002.

According to the United Nations, 180,000 workers die every year throughout the world as a result of accidents and occupational diseases. Another 110 million suffer with non-fatal injuries. The concept of occupation health is new to India and efforts to improve working conditions are paltry. Accurate statistics on worker accidents and occupational health status do not exist (ESI Medical Manual, 2002).