Occupational safety and health refers to activities aimed at preserving a worker’s capacity to work and maintain good health during the course of their work by creating safe and healthy conditions. These activities include social, economic, organizational, technical, sanitary, and hygienic measures, as well as treatment, care, rehabilitation, and protection from risks.
Occupational safety refers to a condition in which the level of exposure to hazardous and harmful factors in the workplace does not exceed the permissible limits established by health and safety regulations, thus ensuring that a worker’s health and ability to work are maintained.
Occupational hygiene refers to activities aimed at preventing illness or temporary/permanent loss of work capacity caused by chemical, physical, or biological factors encountered during work, by protecting the physical body, nervous system, and mental well-being of the worker.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), occupational health covers all aspects of health and safety in the workplace, with a strong focus on preventing hazards and ensuring the physical integrity of workers.
The WHO and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have jointly set three main objectives for occupational safety and health:
Improve workers’ health and work capacity.
Enhance the workplace and environment to meet occupational safety and health requirements.
Promote occupational safety through training, seminars, and public awareness.
Historically, in the United Kingdom since 1802, concerns about occupational safety arose due to deteriorating health among children working in textile factories and the increasing frequency of industrial accidents. As a result, measures were introduced to protect workers, including installing guards on machinery to prevent injury and employing inspectors to oversee compliance with safety regulations.
HAZARDS AND ACCIDENTS IN THE WORKPLACE
Safe working conditions refer to situations where the level of exposure to harmful and hazardous factors in the workplace does not exceed the limits set by occupational safety regulations.
A workplace accident is defined as an incident in which an employee, while performing their work duties, is exposed to industrial or equivalent factors that result in harm.
While work provides economic and other benefits, many jobs also pose risks of accidents and occupational diseases.
These risks include chemical, physical, and biological factors, and many of them can be mitigated through the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
For example, in workplaces with high noise levels, hearing loss is one of the most common occupational health issues.
Судалгаагаар нэг жилд Америкийн нэгдсэн улсад (АНУ) 22 сая ажилтан ажлын байрны аюултай дуу чимээнд өртөж, сонсголын бэрхшээлтэй болдог байна.
Өндрөөс унаж бэртэх амь насаа алдах аюул хамгийн элбэг тохиолдож байна.Барилга, тээвэрлэлт, засвар үйлчилгээ зэрэг ажлын байранд хөдөлмөрийн аюулгүй байдал, эрүүл ахуйн шаардлагыг хангаж ажиллаагүйгээс болж амь нас эрүүл мэндээр хохирч хөдөлмөрийн чадвараа алддаг.
Хөдөлгөөнт, эргэлдэх тоног төхөөрөмж, үйлдвэрт ажилладаг ажилчдад хурц ирмэг, халуун гадаргуу болон бусад ослоос хамааран зүсэх, цохих, хугалах, шатах, шархдах зэрэг эрсдэлд өртөх магадлал хамгийн өндөр байдаг.
ХУВИЙН ХАМГААЛАХ ХЭРЭГСЭЛ
Нэг бүрийн хувийн хамгаалах хэрэгсэл гэж үйлдвэрлэлийн хортой, аюултай хүчин зүйлийн нөлөөллөөс ажилтныг хамгаалах зориулалт бүхий хэрэгслийг хэлнэ.
Image: Personal Protective Equipment
