Health of the working population:
Working is an activity carried out by people to provide economic security that helps to maintain life. People
who are healthy, maintaining their health is important to the economic status of the nation.
Magnitude & significant of the problem:
Workers problems vary from one part to another. Every three minutes some. Where in the world one worker dies.
 Every second at least three workers are injured. Some statistics mentioned
 The magnitude of the problem. In Oman there is a rapid increase in the
 Growth of Industries that could pose a major problem in the future.
Factors influencing workers health:
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Includes all the factors that affected other people. Housing, water, sewage, & waste disposal.
Physical agents: heat, cold, air movement.
Chemical agents: toxic dust, gases.
Biological agents: viral, bacterial, & animal products.
Mechanical agents: UN guarded machines, moving parts, lack of safety measures, UN proper posture.
Psycho-social factors: type & rhythm of work, service conditions, and leadership style, security... etc.
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Definition of occupational health:
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It is the application of public health principles, medical nursing & engineering practices to conserve,
promote, & restore the health & effectiveness of workers.
 Objectives:
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1. Physical, mental, & social well being promotion.
2. Prevention of health hazards. Occupational & non occupational.
3. Control of health hazards to minimize the effects of disability.
4. Increased others awareness of occupational health.
5. Improved surveillance & evaluation.
Work- health interaction:
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Host: worker, worker’s families.
Agent: physical, biological, chemical.
Environment: external factors(host-agent interaction)
Certain host factors correlate with the risk response to the hazards of the
Work place, age, gender, chronic illness. Occupational environment is linked
With the domestic environment. Stress at work may lead to sleep disturbances. &
may produce physical & mental symptoms. There should be a dynamic equilibrium
between the worker & his occupational environment.
Occupational health hazards
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Physical haz. An adverse hea. Effects through transfer of physical energy.
Heat → burns, heat exhaustion, cold/ chilblains, immersion foot.
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Light / blurring of vision, eye strain, headache,
Noise / Auditory effect → temporary
Non auditory effect →nervousness ,fatigue
Vibration & pressure are other types of physical hazards.
Chemical hazards: can act in three ways: local action, inhalation. Local action cause
dermatitis, eczema
Inhalation of dust & gases. That releasing in to air during crushing, grinding.
Gases like exposure to carbonmonoxide, cyanide gas.
Ingestion: of lead, mercury.
 Biological hazards: all living organisms who is causing human disease, all hospitals,
clinical laboratories.
 Workers may be exposed to infective & parasitic agents. Like brucellosis
 Ergonomic hazards: involve the transfer of mechanical energy from work process which
cause postural & strain effects on health.
 Poor work station, worker outfit.
 Psycho-social hazards: conditions arising from failure to adapt to an alien psycho-social
environment, frustration, lack of job satisfaction, insecurity.
Factors which may result in tension are:
a. Psychological & behavioral changes as hostility, aggressiveness
b. Psychosomatic illness as fatigue, peptic ulcer.
c. Increasing use of automation& nuclear energy.