Work & Health
October 20, 2008
Work allows us to pursue happiness, and is essential to our economic, social, psychological and physical wellbeing. However, the competitiveness and constant evolution of society have given rise to work environments, which are hazardous to our health and wellbeing.
IN STATISTICS WE TRUST
Annual ILO annual estimates put work-related deaths at 1.7 million, 268 million non-fatal workplace accidents, and 160 million new cases of work-related illness.
WORK’S PHYSICAL HEALTH HAZARDS
Within the past decade, occupational hazards, resulting in death and dismemberment has risen considerably. Common health hazards of this nature include:
1. human error, including falls, burns and dismemberment;
2. radiation poisoning; and
3. ergonomic hazards; which results most predominantly in scoliosis.
WORK’S BIOCHEMICAL HAZARDS
Likewise, many of today’s health hazards are of a biochemical nature, although this form of workplace hazard is highly preventable. They include:
1. poisoning, from organic and inorganic substances, such as lead, arsenic, and solvents;
2. viruses, and other infections due to the exposure to pathogens, or pathogen carrying hosts;
3. allergies, which may be a result of the environment, work material, or conditions under which one works.
WORK’S PSYCHOLOGICAL HAZARDS
Stress is the major psychological health hazard, and health hazard, of all jobs, and results from the inability of the human body to appropriately respond to threats of a psychological, emotional, or physical nature.
MITIGATING HEALTH HAZARDS
Besides the OSHA codes, there are methods by which we as employees can reduce the exposure to, and risk of work-related health hazards, and therefore, their effect on us.
1. Identify hazards and their possible effects. This may take some time, as all proper research projects do.
2. Reduce the impact of the hazard, which may take many forms, including notification of relevant senior staff, or federal authorities.
3. Eliminate the hazard; under stressful conditions, burnt out employees can quit, unwind, go on vacation, reduce their workload, or outsource.
Work related health hazards are a natural part of work, and work is a natural part of wellbeing, and life. It is important to assess possible hazards, and either eliminate them, or reduce their impact on our well being, in order to function effectively within our work environment, and contribute to its productivity.
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