Briefing to EOH3202
Occupational Health
Guide for Week 1-7
PJJ Bacelor Sains Sumber Manusia
(Pembangunan)
07 September 2013
Emilia Zainal Abidin
Department of Environmental and
Occupational Health
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
I am here to assist you

Emilia Zainal Abidin
◦ BSc. Biochem, MSc. Com Health, PhD Environ Med
Department of Environmental and
Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine and
Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia
 Phone No.: 03-89472643
 emiliazainal@gmail.com

Course Synopsis
This course include a discussion about
the health, safety and welfare of
employees and the organization and
functions.
 Health problems caused by disease agents
associated with the various types of work
will be developed further.

Course Synopsis (Cont.)
This course also provides exposure to
workers' compensation issues as well as
stress and violence at work.
 In addition, occupational health principles,
principles of prevention and control
measures are also discussed in detail.

Where are you right now?
Course Objectives
To correlate occupational health services
and the role played by the government and
other institutions in the field of occupational
health in Malaysia (C5, TS)
 To identify the source of exposure to
biological, chemicals and physical agents and
its hazardous effects to workers health and
to control and manage the hazards (A4, LL)
 To understand the details of the diseases
that can be found in the workplace (P4, CS)

Never mind the course objectives,
but the most important point, how
will I be assessed?
Course Assessment
Assessment for this course is divided into:
(i)
Overall Continuous Assessment
 Assignment 1 (group work)
 Assignment 2 (individual)
30 %
10 %
20 %
(ii)
Mid-term Examination
30 %
(i) + (ii)
(ii)
Final Examination
Overall Total
60%
40%
100%
So far any questions?
Assignments
Topics for Group Assignment [10%]
 Divide yourselves into a group of 10.
 Select any ONE [1] of the following topic for research
and write-up of report. Students are requested to
search for information from reference books and from
other sources available on relevant websites.
1. Identify all relevant hazards in a semi-conductor
manufacturing sector/industry and methods
(suggestions) to manage and control only THREE
[3] major hazards which have been identified.

Tip: The management and control of hazards should be described in
terms of hierarchy of control (Unit 4 page 36 in module)
Explain hazards in terms of these:
Physical: elevated objects, noise, high
voltage, mechanical injury
 Chemical: hydrocarbon under pressure,
toxic materials, solvents
 Biological: virus, needle stick injury
 Ergonomic: poor body posture, carry
heavy weights, repetitive work
 Psychosocial: stress or violence at the
workplace

Physical hazard
Chemical hazard
Biological hazard
Ergonomic hazard
Psychological hazard
Use the hierarchy of hazard control
for your report
Individual assignments
Topics for Individual Assignment 1 [2%]
◦ Video Viewing of “One Night in Bhopal”
◦ Please answer the given quiz and submit by
the 4th week of this semester
 Topics for Individual Assignment 2 [9%] (SCL)
◦ Submit your answers by the end of week 6
 Topics for Individual Assignment 3 [9%] (SCL)
◦ Submit your answers by the end of week 13

Main References
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Module EOH3202
Aw, T.C., Gardiner, K. & Harrington, J.M. (2007).
Pocket Consultant: Occupational Health. Oxford:
Blackwell Publishing.
La Dou, J. (2007). Current Occupational and
Environmental Medicine. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Sadhra, S.S. & Rampal, K.G. (1999). Occupational
Health: Risk Assessment and Management. Blackwell
Science.
Buku Akta Keselamatan dan Kesihatan Pekerjaan
1994.
Buku Akta Kilang dan Jentera1967.
Other References
National Institute of Occupational Safety
and Health. (2004). Overtime and
Extended Work Shifts: Recent Findings on
Illness, Injuries and Health Behaviours.
Washington: DHHS (NIOSH).
 Lingard, H & Rowlinson, S. (2005).
Occupational Health and Safety in
Construction Project Management. Oxon:
Spon Press.

What will happen without good
occupational health governance?

Bhopal tragedy, India
◦ December 1984, a highly toxic gas was leaked
from a pesticide plant in city
◦ Winds spread the poison through a densely
populated area
◦ Many died instantly, others as they tried to flee,
more than 20,000 people died in total in the
aftermath of the leak
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Bhopal and Union Carbide
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Recent tragedies

Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Kiev, Ukraine
◦ April 26, 1986, a reactor at the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant experienced a
catastrophic failure
◦ Resulted in the worst nuclear power disaster
in history
◦ due to a flawed reactor design and poorly
trained plant personnel
◦ Amount of radiation released was at least 100
X that of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic
bombs combined
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Chernobyl
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Bright Sparklers fireworks
explosion at Sungai Buloh
Tragedy happened in 7th May, 1991
 Fireworks factory and fire killed 22
people and injured 103 others
 Bright Sparklers Sdn. Bhd violated
many laws to carry out dangerous
operation
 Commission found that legislations
pertaining to siting, construction,
maintenance and operations of the
factory were not adhered to

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What is Occupational Health?

Definition 1: Occupational Health is the promotion and
maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social
well-being of workers in all occupations by preventing departures
from health, controlling risks and the adaptation of work to people,
and people to their jobs
◦ (ILO-WHO 1950)

Definition 2 - Occupational Health is the maintenance and
promotion of workers’ health and working capacity, improvement
of working environment and work to become conducive to safety
and health and the Development of work organisation and working
culture – safe, healthy and enhance productivity
◦ (ILO-WHO Committee on Occupational Health 1955)
Buried by mill scale at pier
What would you suggest as an
Occupational Health professional
 (Figure 1).

(Figure 1)
(Figure 2)
What improvements would you suggest
as an Occupational Health professional?
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OH accidents: Example
Buried by Mill Scale At Pier
Around 8.45 am on February 24, 2012 a fatal accident
occurred at Port Klang, Selangor involving a Bangladeshi
employee who worked with the cleaning contractor
 During the accident, the victim was collecting mill scale that
has spilled on the pier floor under the path of the wharf
crane (capacity 20 tons), which, at the time was unloading the
mill scale from vessels into the hopper on the pier (Figure
1).
 While the grab bucket used to transport the mill scale
passing through the area where the victim was working, grab
bucket had opened suddenly and cause the load carried to
fall and buried the victim below (Figure 2).
 Victim died on the way to the hospital.

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OH accidents: Example pier

Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk Control
[HIRARC] should be done more thoroughly
◦ Cleaning work should not be performed while the grab bucket was
operating
◦ Safe work procedures

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Supervision over a work
Investigation should be carried out on every near missed
incident and dangerous occurrences
The causes of these incidents, particularly those involving
mechanical failure of a machine must be identified
Activities such as scheduled maintenance and inspection of
machineries should be performed
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Self-learning
Mid semester’s test
 Based on Unit 1-11
 Self-learning according to the given
module

Mid semester’s test
Chapter 1 to 11 from module
 What would you prefer? Any requests?

◦ 2 hours examination?
◦ 50 objectives?
◦ 5 out of 8 short answer questions?
What to focus on?

Chapter 1: Introduction to Occupational
Health
◦ Historical perspective of occupational health
Chapter 2: Roles of occupational health
professionals
 What are the competencies in
occupational health

What to focus on?

Chapter 3: History of Occupational
Health Services
◦
◦
◦
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SOCSO
DOSH
NIOSH
KKM
What to focus on?

Chapter 4: Introduction to Hazard
◦ What are the hazards in occupational health?
◦ How to identify risks? What are the steps?

Chapter 5: Legal requirements of OSH
◦ How law in Malaysia evolved?
◦ OSH Act 1994
◦ FMA Act 1967
What to focus on?

Chapter 6: Noise
◦ How to control noise exposure?
◦ What are the laws regarding noise?

Chapter 7: Physical hazard – suspended
particulates
◦ Fractions of dusts
◦ What are Aerosols?
What to focus on?

Chapter 8: Physical hazard – radiation and
heat
◦ Ionizing and non-ionizing radiations
◦ Examples of each

Chapter 9: Ergonomic hazard
◦ Definition
◦ Examples of ergonomic health problems
What to focus on?

Chapter 10: Chemical Hazard: Organic
solvent poisoning
◦
◦
◦
◦
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The health effects
The methods to control
What tests are used in the workplace
Why solvents are hazardous
Chapter 11: Chemical Hazard: Heavy metal
◦ What tasks will expose workers
◦ How to measure metals in worker’s biological
samples?
Success is in your
hands!
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