OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY PROFESSIONS.

Occupational Health and Safety Professions.



Occupational and Environmental Health Nurses

This area of expertise provides programs to workers and community groups, related to health and safety. OHNs focus on developing such programs and their promotion for workers and educate them the aptitude required to be responsible for their well being. Health programs such as smoking-cessation, physical fitness, healthy diet, and weight-control are offered (Ladou, 2006).

Occupational Medicine Physicians

Work related injuries are dealt with by an occupational medicine physician. Such injuries may include lung disease, breathing problem, allergies and burns related to chemicals etc. They also work with employers to prevent injuries related to workplace, accidents and sickness.

Industrial Hygienists

Industrial Hygienists make use of scientific methods and mostly require past professional experience to predict and prevent potential hazards, risk and threats related to workplace and other environmental studies.

Benefits to Workers

Workers can face a huge number of hazards irrespective of the occupation they belong to. The purpose of the Occupational health and safety is to focus on a wide range of workplace vulnerabilities and risk from accident prevention to other subtle yet life threatening hazards which includes poisonous fumes, dust, noise, high temperatures, tension and much more. The prevention of such work-related hazards, diseases and risk is the core principle of the occupational health and safety programs and works as a preemptive measure, rather than a reactive measure to resolve issues once they have taken place (Roughton, 2002).

There are various forms of hazards which can be found in a workplace which includes chemical, physical, natural, emotional, non-application of ergonomic standards, etc. Hazards and diseases related to workplace continue to increase around the world due to the huge number of risk and threats in most workplaces but also because most of the employers fail to give proper attention to this critical area. It is therefore essential for the trade unions to be persistent that employers manage and control hazards at the source and not compel employees to become accustomed to unsafe conditions.

Benefits to Employers

Morale enhancer: Employers want their workers to be motivated and satisfied with their jobs as it is not only the monetary benefits which can make this happen, providing workers with a well devised health and safety program can improve and increase their output.

Innovation

The importance of innovation in each business area is well recognized by everyone now a day ranging from designing of the product, production, technology execution to sales and marketing. If the basic and primary needs of employees are managed carefully, they're able to focus on their performance and job, doing things in new ways. Therefore, innovations can emerge once a platform is set, facilitating a culture of safety in workplace.

Teamwork

Execution of a well planned health and safety policy is not a stagnant action, it has to be dynamic, changing when required to be effective over a period of time as per demand of the industry and changes in innovation. A group of people which is involved in ...