Occupational health to workplace health and well-being

Occupational Health

Occupational health is a field of health care made up of multiple disciplines dedicated to the well-being and safety of employees in the workplace. It has a strong focus on injury prevention and employee education. Occupational health services include employee wellness, pre-placement testing, ergonomics, occupational therapy, occupational medicine, and more.

It relies on anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of hazards arising in or from the workplace that could impair the health and well-being of workers, taking into account the possible impact on the surrounding communities and the general environment as well.

The discipline covers the following key components:

1. The availability of occupational health and safety regulations in the workplace
2. The availability of active and functional occupational health and safety committee in the workplace
3. Monitoring and control of factory hazards to health
4. Supervision and monitoring of hygiene and sanitary facilities for the health and welfare of the workers
5. Inspection of health safety of protective devices
6. Pre-employment, periodical, and special health examination.
7. Performance of adaptation of work to man
8. Provision of First Aid
9. Capacity Building, Health Education, and safety training for the worker
10. Advice to employers on the above-mentioned items
11. Reporting of occupational deaths, diseases, injuries, disabilities, hazards, and their related preventive measures at working

In India, there are many constitutional provisions in place that guarantee workers' safety.

In 2009, the Government of India, in conjunction with the Ministry of Labour and Employment, announced the National Policy on Safety, Health, and Environment at Workplace (NPSHEW). The policy establishes a preventive safety and health culture in the country by eliminating incidents of work-related injuries, diseases, fatalities, and disasters and enhancing the well-being of employees in all sectors of economic activity in the country.

There are four main legislations that cover Occupational Safety and Health in the workplace in India.

(i) The Factories Act, 1948, covering factories wherein the enforcement of safety at the workplace is by the Chief Inspector of Factories in the respective states,

(ii) The Mines Act, 1952 and Mines Rules, 1955 for the mining industry where the enforcement is by the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS) under Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India,

(iii) The Dock Workers (Safety, Health, and Welfare) Act, 1986 followed by notification of the Dock Workers (Safety, Health, and Welfare) Regulations, 1990 dealing with the major ports of India and the enforcement is by the Directorate General of Factory Advice Service &Labour Institutes (DGFASLI), under Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India,

(iv) The Building & Other Construction Workers (Regulations of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996, covers construction workers at construction sites wherein the enforcement is by the Directorate General Labour Welfare in the central sphere and by the Labour Commissioners/Factory Inspectorates in the States/UTs.

Apart from these, there are other legislations relating to certain substances, machinery, and environment which also address the certain issue of safety and health. These statutes are applicable to all sectors including the unorganized sectors.

Key facts

• In many countries, more than half of the workers are employed in the informal sector with no social protection for seeking health care and a lack of regulatory enforcement of occupational health and safety standards.
• About 70% of workers do not have any insurance to compensate them in case of occupational diseases and injuries.
• In many developing nations, death rates due to occupational accidents among workers are five to six times higher than those in industrialized countries; yet, the situation in developing countries is still largely undocumented due to poor recording systems.
• Research has demonstrated that workplace health initiatives can help reduce sick leave absenteeism by 27% and healthcare costs for companies by 26%.
• Each year, work-related injuries and diseases kill an estimated 2 million people worldwide, which is greater than the global annual number of deaths from malaria.
• Annually, an estimated 160 million new cases of work-related diseases occur worldwide, including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, cancer, hearing loss, musculoskeletal and reproductive disorders, and mental and neurological illnesses.

The benefit of occupational health services in developing countries is seen locally as well as on a national level. The positive impact of occupational health services locally may be observed in reducing morbidity and work-related injuries. In addition, this also means fewer losses to employers and workers as there will be a reduction of wage losses and decreased compensation costs.

Five Global Plan of Action objectives

In 2007, the 60th World Health Assembly endorsed a Global Plan of Action on Workers’ Health for 2008-2017 and urged WHO member states to devise national policies and plans for its implementation.

The following objectives were set in order to measure the impact of the implementation of the policies:

1. Devising workers’ health policy
2. Protecting and promoting health in the workplace
3. Improving the performance of and access to occupational health services
4. Providing evidence for action
5. Incorporating workers’ health into other policies

Key findings Policy

Information collected from 2008-2009 from the Member States through a survey with questions measuring country status revealed the following:

• Two-thirds of countries participating in the survey have policy frameworks for workers’ health.
• Less than half of the countries surveyed have endorsed or drafted a national plan of action on workers’ health. Protecting workers’ health
• Although respiratory diseases and musculoskeletal disorders are the most common occupational diseases, only one-third of countries have special programs to address them.
• While most countries have introduced ways of addressing risks at the workplace such as integrated management of chemicals and tobacco smoking bans, enforcement of regulations for workplace health protection remains insufficient.
• While workers’ health is often incorporated into health promotion, injury prevention, and HIV programs, it is rarely found in programs dealing with cancer, malaria, and family health

Health in other policies

Apart from occupational hazards, social and individual factors, as well as access to healthcare are factors that play a role in the health of workers.?While interventions exist for the primary prevention of occupational hazards and for developing healthy workplaces, there are major gaps between and within countries in the exposure of workers and local communities to occupational hazards and access to services. The health of workers is an essential prerequisite for productivity and economic development

Workers’ health issues feature in policies concerning the management of chemicals, emergency preparedness and response, employment strategies, and vocational training. However, workers’ health is seldom considered in climate change, trade, economic development, poverty reduction, and general education policies.

?What is Health Screening?

An occupational health screening/exam is?a medical assessment and examination of employees aimed at assessing their physical and mental health. The main purpose of these assessments and examinations is to prevent work-related injuries and ensure that an employee is fit for a particular job health screening

Health tests and screenings help employers create a safer, more productive work environment. ?Various medical tests provide an employer with important information about their employees’ health. Most tests and screenings are fast, easy, and convenient to help streamline an employer’s pre-hire and post-hire processes.

?What is preventive health screening?

The prime purpose of surveillance in occupational health is prevention. Surveillance in occupational health practice covers both the periodic assessment of workplaces for evaluating hazards and the periodic examination of individuals to detect early reversible ill health.

Regular health screenings (also known as preventive exams) are important components of employee health and wellness. They are the foundation of employee health improvement and help to determine the possible presence of a disease or other health problems. Health screenings can be conducted routinely as preventive measures, or they may be administered when suspicion of a specific health issue arises.