Safety Measures in Work Place

Safety Measures in Work Place

"The promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental, and social well-being of workers in all occupations" is the stated goal of occupational health. An ILO/WHO Committee that was discussing the measures for the protection of workers' general health made the following recommendations:

Nutrition

Malnutrition is a significant cause of employees' poor health and low productivity in many developing nations. Malnutrition may also have an impact on the processes of tolerance and the metabolism of hazardous substances. If an employee brings his or her own lunch to work, arrangements should be made for a secure, clean location to store the food until it is time to consume it. This will help prevent food from spoiling or being contaminated. Therefore, a cafeteria should be available at work or at a location apart from the workroom so that meals may be consumed in hygienic conditions.

Communicable Disease Control:

An tremendous chance for early diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and rehabilitation is provided by the sector. Detecting instances of communicable diseases and making them non-infectious to others by treatment or removal from the workplace, or both, is a universal goal. The infectious diseases include malaria, amoebiasis, intestinal parasites, viral hepatitis, typhoid fever, and tuberculosis.

Environmental Sanitation:

Within the industrial establishment, the following need attention for the prevention of the spread of communicable diseases by water, food or other means:

Water supply

A sufficient supply of wholesome drinking water is one of the basic requirements in all industrial establishments. Installation of drinking water fountains, at convenient points should be encouraged.

Food

If food is sold, its sanitary preparation, storage and handling is essential. Education of food handlers and other measures may be necessary to prevent outbreaks of gastro- intestinal disease.

Toilet

There should be sufficient number of latrines and urinals of the sanitary type, separate for males and females, conveniently situated. It is recommended that there should be at least one sanitary convenience for every 25 employees (males and females separate) for the first 100 employees and thereafter one for every 50.

General Plant Cleanliness:

The walls, ceilings and passages should be painted with water washable paint and repainted at least once in 3 years and washed at least once in every 6 months. The dust which settles down on the floor and machinery should be promptly removed by vacuum cleaners or by wetting agents before it is redistributed in the atmosphere by the vibration of the machinery or the buildings. A high standard of general cleanliness is one of the fundamentals of accident prevention. It also contributes to the efficiency and high morale of the workers.

Sufficient Space:

Sufficient floor space is essential to prevent not only respiratory infections but also to ensure a comfortable working environment. The recommended standard is a minimum of 500 cu. Ft. of space for every worker; space more than 14 ft above the floor level is not to be taken into consideration.

Lighting

The results of poor industrial illumination are workers' eye fatigue, increased accidents, decreased production and more rejections of finished products. Furthermore, defective illumination over a long period of time may result in permanent impairment of vision. There should be sufficient and suitable lighting, natural or artificial or both, in every part of a factory where workers are working or passing through.

Ventilation, Temperature:

Poor ventilation not only increases the chances of infection from person to person, but also affects the mental and physical efficiency of the workers. Proper ventilation is also needed for the control of noxious vapors, fumes and dusts and prevention of fatigue and industrial accidents. Effective and suitable provision should be made in every factory for securing in and maintaining in every work room. Adequate ventilation by the circulation of fresh air; and such a temperature as will secure to workers there in reasonable conditions of comfort and prevent injury to health.

Protection Against Hazards:

There should be adequate environmental controls designed to protect the workers against exposure to dusts, fumes and other toxic hazards.

Housing:

There is usually an acute shortage of housing in industrial areas. Most workers come from rural areas. The housing of workers near a plant must be associated to essential community services and to social and sanitary facilities. Town planning and zoning are highly desirable.

Mental Health:

The objective of an Occupational health service is not only to keep the workers physically stable. Industrial workers are susceptible to the effects of love, recognition, refusal, job satisfaction, rewards and discipline.

The goals of mental health in industry are:

• To promote the health and happiness of the workers.
• To detect signs of emotional stress and strain and to secure relief of stress and strain where possible.