Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
23
HealthHazardPrevention
IntroductIon
Occupational. illnesses. have. always. been. viewed. as. being. under-counted.. They.
have. been. estimated. at. somewhere. between. 50,000. and. 90,000. cases. annually..
Occupational. illnesses. have. some. unique. features. that. can. be. attributed. to. their.
under-reporting,.including.the.following:
•.
They.are.more.dificult.to.recognize.or.diagnose.
•.
There. is. often. a. latency. period. between. exposure. and. the. occurrence. of.
symptoms.
•.
There.is.not.always.a.clear.cause.and.effect.relationship.
•.
Root.or.basic.causes.are.not.clearly.apparent.
•.
It.is.dificult.to.determine.a.sequence.of.events.
In.the.arena.of.prevention,.the.objectives.for.Healthy.People.2020.from.the.U.S..
Department.of.Health.and.Human.Services.(DNHS).are.as.follows:
•. Reduce.the.rate.of.injury.and.illness.cases.involving.days.away.from.work.
due.to.overexertion.or.repetitive.motion.
•. Reduce.pneumoconiosis.
•. Reduce. the. proportion. of. workers. with. elevated. blood. lead. concentration.
from.occupational.exposure.
•.
Reduce.occupation.skin.diseases.or.disorders.among.full-time.workers.
•.
Reduce.new.cases.of.work-related.noise-induced.hearing.loss.
•.
Increase. the. proportion. of. employees. who. have. access. to. workplace. pro-
grams.that.prevent.or.reduce.employee.stress.
Results.from.the.2010.Healthy.People.objectives.indicated.that.skin.disorder.more.
than.met.the.goals..The.goals.for.overexertion,.repetitive.motion,.and.workplace.stress.
met.approximately.50.percent.of.the.goal..The.results.for.pneumoconiosis.and.blood.
lead.level.were.less.favorable..Data.for.noise-induced.hearing.loss.is.not.yet.available.
Health.hazards.that.cause.occupational.illnesses.present.a.more.complex.issue.than.
safety.hazards..Health-related.hazards.must.be.identiied.(recognized),.evaluated,.and.
controlled.in.order.to.prevent.occupational.illnesses,.which.come.from.exposure.to.
them..Health-related.hazards.come.in.a.variety.of.forms,.such.as.chemical,.physical,.
ergonomic,.or.biological:
.
1..
Chemical hazards
. arise. from. excessive. airborne. concentrations. of. mists,.
vapors,.gases,.or.solids.that.are.in.the.form.of.dusts.or.fumes..In.addition.to.
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