The WHO modules in occupational safety and health: training for prevention

Details

• Personal Author:
  Conroy L ; Forst L ; Nickels L
• Description:
  More than 2.9 billion adult and child workers throughout the world are exposed to mechanical, chemical, biological, physical, and psychosocial hazards. According to projects by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) on the global burden of occupational injuries and diseases, these workers suffer an estimated 140,000 to 355,000 occupational injury deaths per year. Estimates of occupational diseases range from 325,000 to 1.6 million. These numbers are influenced, in part, by the degree of economic development and the status of policies and services designed to protect working populations. The WHO estimates that only 20% to 50% of workers in industrial countries, and fewer than 10% of workers in developing countries, have access to occupational health services. The ILO lists the following 11 functions as being integral to occupational health services: (1) identifying and assessing risk, (2) surveilling workplace hazards, (3) designing safe workplaces, (4) developing programs for improved work practices and for evaluating new equipment, (5) advising on occupational health, safety, and hygiene, (6) surveilling workers' health, (7) promoting adaptation of work to the worker, (8) managing vocational rehabilitation, (9) organizing training and education, (10) organizing first aid and emergency treatment, and (11) analyzing adverse conditions that lead to injury and illness. The ability to provide these services depends on the will of governments and businesses, as well as the availability of personnel with the expertise to perform these functions. Providers of occupational health services include occupational hygienists, safety specialists, occupational physicians, nurses, toxicologists, ergonomists, and epidemiologists. Needs assessments contracted by the ILO, WHO, and academic and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have demonstrated a lack of occupational health professionals in most of the developing and much of the industrialized world. Schemes for training professionals in the U.S. have led to the education and certification of 76,000 professionals-far less than the number considered necessary, especially for certain sectors of the economy. Similar studies in developing countries have demonstrated an almost complete absence of trained professionals. Ironically, those countries with the most hazardous jobs and the most vulnerable populations tend to have the least number of experts. Needs assessments in Sub- Saharan Africa, Northern Africa, Central America (Unpublished data, Aragon A, Torres C, Guevara R, Blanco L. Perfil Nacional sobre Salud y Seguridad en el Trabajo en Nicaragua. Report to the ILO, 2004), South America, Southeast Asia, and South Asia, as well as international reviews have described a dearth of expertise and training among professionals who have the opportunity to affect health protection in the workplace. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Chemistry Education Environmental Exposure Men Morbidity Mortality Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Staff Development Women

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• Keywords:
  Biological Effects Chemical Properties Children Diseases Exposure Levels Fatalities Hazards Humans Injuries Mechanical Properties Morbidity Rates Mortality Rates Physical Properties Physiological Effects Psychosocial Factors Risk Factors Safety Programs Surveillance Training Workers

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• ISSN:
  0033-3549
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Illinois ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  169-176
• Volume:
  124
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20048346
• Citation:
  Public Health Rep 2009 Jan-Feb; 124(1):169-176
• Contact Point Address:
  Linda Forst, MD, MPH, Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, 2121 W. Taylor, MC 922, Chicago, IL 60612
• Email:
  Forst-L@uic.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2009
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Public Health Reports
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8e871c4d280278a700db408ad35a0431aec4d7ea379fa0223dbecb9cb9d1f55b54be8ab80b65c1e42ff6f5921c9986ed056ccfae07db68a06ce2c260aeeb27de
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/203115/cdc_203115_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 341.71 KB ]