RUSANGU UNIVERSITY

Programme: BACHELOR SCIENCE in Environmental

Health Science

Course Code: ENVH 412

TOPIC: PREVENTIVE OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE

Written By: Course Author(s) Name(s):

EVERISTER VIYOLA MILIMO - 0978062864

APRIL, 2020
TOPIC: PREVENTIVE OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE

Welcome to the topic Preventive Occupational Medicine. Occupational Medicine is a

branch of medicine that deals with a worker and occupationally related diseases.
The objective of Occupational Medicine is to protect the worker against hazards in the
working environment and the treatment of emergency conditions sustained during the
working time

For one to work, they need to be fit.

1.1 Unit Objectives

At the end of this unit you will be able to:

1.1 Describe occupational medicine screening programmes.

Determination of fitness to work

"Fit to work" or "fitness to work" is a medical assessment done when an employer
wishes to be sure an employee can safely do a specific job or task

Physical fitness tests can be done:

 To identify musculoskeletal injuries, medical conditions, and critical strength
and physical capabilities.
 Before conducting a fitness to work test, detailed knowledge of both working
and health conditions is required.
 Because of the changing nature of these two variables, fitness for work is a
dynamic concept.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF DETERMINING ONE’S FITNESS TO

WORK?

Benefits of determination of fitness to work are:

 Place people in a job where they can succeed – it helps not to ask a new
employee to do an advanced “journeyman’s task. Similarly would not ask a
person with a back injury to lift heavy loads
 Increase employee retention-to prevent loss of existing employees as you keep
on employing due to loss
 Decreases safety incidents and claims on the work site – creating a safe
environment for workers
 Optimize productivity – gives an employer advantage to optimize productivity
and help the bottom line employees
  Become a contractor of choice – a safe working environment is what each
individual is looking for

WHEN TO PERFORM THE ASSESSMENT

Assessment may be required at the:

 At the beginning of the work relationship,
 After transfer of positions within employment,.
 After the emergence of a health problem
 Periodically, especially for hazardous, physically demanding or safety‐
sensitive jobs
The assessment of fitness for work is regulated by specific and general legislation in
many countries, although ambiguity often exists.

STEPS TO MAKE FIT FOR DUTY TESTING

 Complete a Physical Demands Analysis (PDA) for each position on your work
site
 Find a Fit for Duty company who can meet your needs
 Inform your work force that Fit for Duty testing will not affect their current
position
 Update your hiring package to reflect your employment offering is based on
the results of a Fit for Duty test, Drug and Alcohol test (motivation).
 Secure information sessions with your Fit-for-Duty company to present to the
rest of your team to explain the human rights aspect, how results are
interpreted,

BIOLOGICAL MONITORING

Biological monitoring is the Secondary monitoring test that is done after the
substance has travelled in the body system.

Biological monitoring (bio-monitoring) in occupational safety and health is the

detection of substances (biomarkers) in biological samples of workers. You can also
say it is the Measurement and assessment of chemicals or metabolites (substances
the body converts the chemicals into) in exposed workers

Bio-monitoring can help in:

-exposure assessment of specific chemicals, characterisation of exposure pathways
and potential risks.

What are biomarkers?

In occupational health and safety, (biomarkers) are substances in biological samples

of workers which are used, or compared to reference values (e.g blood alcohol
concentration over 250 mg, presence of antibodies may be indicative of infection,
What are the Usage of Biomarkers?
Biomarkers are used to:
-detect exposure
- Confirm the effect
-or reveal susceptibility of worker

Biomarkers are molecules that indicate normal or abnormal process taking place in
your body and may be a sign of an underlying condition or disease.

In simple terms a biomarker is anything that can be used as an indicator of a particular

disease state or some other physiological state of an organism.

Biological monitoring measurements reflect the total uptake of a chemical by an

individual by all routes (inhalation, ingestion, through the skin or by a combination of
these routes).

Measurements in biological monitoring are made on samples of:

- breath
- stool
- urine or blood, or any other combination of these
- Nasal swabs
- Saliva
- Breast milk
- Semen
- Hair
- Nail clippings

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH SCREENING

Occupational health screening programmes

Occupational health check:

This is a term used to describe a variety of employee health screenings required by

employers. The purpose of occupational health screening is to prevent work-related
injuries and disease. Occupational health checks are most commonly used to
determine whether an individual is physically suited for a particular job.

Pre- employment screening:

This is an Examination done before the employee is engaged for any work. The
purpose is to minimize employment of persons who would not deliver.

When doing pre-placement screening determine:

-physical and emotional capacity of the employee in performing the job
- To provide baseline data for epidemiological purposes
-legal purposes
-Counsel the person for the correction of the disease/habits which may later harm the
person.
Assessment of pre-existing toxicity/ impairment due to past exposure:
- Keeping of employee medical records
- To plan for periodic medical examination of employees
- To identify the appropriate placement of individuals according to one’ health status

CONCLUSION

In this topic, we have looked at what biological monitoring is, you have also learnt
about what biomarkers are and their usage. Finally you have looked at some of the
occupational health screening programs.

1.1.1 DEFINITION OF TERMS

This section deals with definition of terms that will be used in this course. However,
not all terms in this course will be defined in this section. Certain terminologies that
are not in this section will be defined within the context.

Accident
This is an undesired event that has caused or has the potential to cause injury/ damage
or disrupt operation.
A hazard is anything that has potential to cause harm
A Risk is the likelihood or probability for an injury or occupational disease to occur

Occupational accidents are those that occur in the course of an employee’s

employment which can result in an injury happening during working hours

Activity 1.2

What are the common causes of accidents in the work environment?

Write your answer on a piece of paper and compare them as you read
on.

1.2. Causes of accidents

An Occupational accident is an unexpected and unplanned occurrence, including acts
of violence, arising out of or in connection with work which results in one or more
workers incurring a personal injury, disease or death. Accidents are mainly caused by:
• Unsafe acts of people
-Employees- may not follow instructions and signs that indicate danger in the work
place
- Employers- employers may not want to train employees on how to use new
equipment
-Visitors - visitors who are not disciplined can cause accidents by observing safety
rules
- Un-authorised people – people who are not supposed to enter certain areas can
cause accidents
• Unsafe conditions in a working environment
 Poor working conditions
 Slippery floors – floors which are too slippery can make employees to fall
 Negligence – acting in reckless manner
 Fatigue – tiredness combined with emotional problems experienced by the worker
 Being struck by a falling object- a person might be hit a falling object from above
e.g a rock
 Stepping on, striking against or struck by an object- e.g a person might collide
with a crane or folk lifter
 Lack of ventilation- a person will be too exhausted and make a lot of mistakes
 Caught in between two objects – e.g between wire mesh
 Falls from above or falls from a different level-e.g falling from a ladder
 Falls at ground level or from same level- e.g slipping on a wet floor
 Inadequate lighting – e.g. hiting against a wall
 Poor house- keeping – not putting things in orderly manner can lead to step on
them
 Inadequate supervision – supervisors who leave employees to do work with
inadequate skills
 Electric contact exposure – contact with a live wire
 Use of unsafe hand tools- e.g a blade without a handle
 Fires and explosions- gas cylinder explosion can damage a building
 Inhalation – noxious substances such as gases, fumes or materials that cause
serious harm when inhaled
 Lack of knowledge/ training
 Dangerous parts of machinery not properly guarded
 Unsuitable clothing or footwear or a combination of the two
1.3 Analysis of accidents
Purpose of analysis of accidents is to assist in obtaining information for implementing
programmes that will minimize/eliminate accidents in a workplace.
When analyzing accidents one needs to pay attention to the factors which can provide
an indication of causes leading to accidents. Information may be obtained by
analysing:
- Section of work place concerned – the place where the accident has taken place
- Equipment concerned- the tools that have caused the accident
- Environmental conditions – the circumstances that have caused the accident
- Attitude, training and ability of the worker – the way a worker views his work, the
kind of instruction the worker has regarding the job and the capability of the worker
to perform the task
- Past trends - this would give an indication that an accident can repeat itself
- Location- this would assist in determining the appropriate preventive measures

Do not wait too long before investigating an accident to avoid

tampering with the scene of the accident

1.4 What is an injury?

Injury: This is Physical damage to the body tissue caused by an
accident or exposure to environmental stressors
Wound: This is Break in the continuity of body tissue or opening in
the body tissue. A wound may be an injury but not all injuries are
wounds
Injuries can be termed as:
• Fatal – resulting into death or up to 30 days after the accident
• Serious – an injury that requires more than 2 days of
hospitalisation or up to 7 days
• Minor –less than 2 days of hospitalisation

1.5 Analysis of accidents (statistics, frequency and severity rates,

presentation of data)

Statistics of accidents and injuries which happen in occupations are

useful for comparisons between:
-time-periods
- Industries
-countries
- Type of employment
- Work hours

Frequency rates = total number of accidents x 103 divide by total

number of work hours

Incidence rates = total number of accidents x 103 divide by total

number of workers exposed

Statistics can be presented in various ways either in frequency tables, bar charts, pie
charts and even tables. The information can also be analysed according to:
-Gender
- Type of injury
- Severity of injury
- Age and Occupations

1.6 Effects of an accident

Effects of accidents to the employer
• Cost of damage to machinery, equipment, material or buildings
• Loss of production
• Costs of compensation claims, legal expenses

Effects of accidents to the nation

• Loss of life
• Compensation costs
• Loss of skills
Effects of accidents to an individual
 Pain and suffering
 Loss of earnings
 Extra medical costs which he/she may incur Inability to return to the old job
 Loss of confidence in his/her ability to work
 Reduced standard of living for his/her family

1.7 Prevention of accidents

• Buildings should be well planned and laid out
• There should be adequate gangways
• Adequate lighting
• Adequate ventilation
• Staff to be adequately trained
• Staff to be well motivated
• Floors should not be slippery
• Good house- keeping.
• Use of appropriate PPE
• Proper storage and disposal of sharps
• Machines and equipment to be well maintained and guarded

1.8 Investigation of an accident (procedure and reporting)

Purpose of accident reporting/investigation is:
• To Identify real cause of accident
• To develop effective preventive methods
• To Meet regulation requirements

1.8 Accident report content

• Circumstance leading to accident
• Cause of accident
• Available data for assessing cause of accident
• Emergency measures taken during an accident
• Steps to be taken in future to prevent similar accidents

1.9 Management responsibilities in accident prevention

• To provide a safe working environment
• Train workers in new work processes
• Place workers under the charge of an experienced person
• Provide PPEs
• Ensure supervision of workers

Unit Summary

Dear learner, you have now come to the end of the first topic in
Occupational Hazards and Risk Assessment. You have looked at
the causes of accidents, effects of accidents and the preventive
measures. You have also looked at the responsibilities of the
management in accident prevention.
THANK YOUU