1.

1 Introduction to
Occupational Health
 Definitions…

• Occupational safety – the protection

of people from physical injury
• Occupational health – the protection
of the bodies and minds of people
from illness

2
 Definitions…

Hazard: An inherent physical or

chemical characteristic of a
material, system, process or
plant that has the potential for
causing harm.

3
 Definitions….

• RISK is frequency (number of accident over a

period of time) or the probability or likelihood of a
hazard resulting in an ACCIDENT.
• INCIDENT is an undesired circumstance that produces the
potential for an ACCIDENT
• ACCIDENT is an undesired circumstance that results in ill
health, damage to the environment, or damage to property

HAZARD → INCIDENT → ACCIDENT

(includes near
misses)
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 Hazard and Risk

• Hazard and Risk resulting from

– Unsafe acts
– Unsafe conditions
• If we can reduce or eliminate both unsafe
acts and unsafe conditions, then risk will be
minimized
• To develop a good safety culture should be
our goal….

5
 Accidents are costly

• Sometimes just can’t afford to have

accidents
• Perhaps best example : Bhopal accident
– 40 tons Methyl Isocynate escape
– Immediate cause : 500L seepage
– Erupts and release fumes
– 3000 died : respiratory failure
– 500,000 suffer aftermath
– USD470mil spent

6
 Piper Alpha Disaster

 World’s most famous oil rig disaster in

North Sea 1988
 167 out of 229 people died
 initial explosion followed by a fierce fire
which, in turn, triggered off a further
series of explosions
 “Jump and try or fry and die.”
 Flames could be seen 100km away
 Cause of death 109 out of 137
recovered bodies inhalation of smoke &
fire. Few died of burns.

PIPER ALPHA VIDEO SHOW…..

7
Flixborough, England, June 1974
• Company: Flixborough Works of Nypro Limited.
• Product: cyclohexane – highly flammable
• 6 reactors in series, total capacity 120 tons.
• Fire and explosion – over than 10 days
• 28 people died & 36 others were injured.
• 53 civilians were reported injury
• Damage: entire plant, 1821 nearby houses & 167
shops and factories.

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 Chernobyl, April 26, 1986

• Runaway Reaction Leading to

– 01:23:48 1st thermal explosion
– 01:23:55 2nd explosion
• Direct Casualties
 31 employees and firefighters died
 134 emergency workers suffered from acute radiation
sickness
• Indirect Casualties
 By the year 2000 there were 1800 case of thyroid cancer in
children and adolescent
 High number of suicide and violent death among Firemen,
policemen, and other recovery workers
Radiation
Radioactive Fallout
 Bright Sparklers, Sg. Buloh,
May 1991
• Fireworks factory located at Sungai Buloh,
• installation of the firework factory on agricultural land.
• importing the raw materials without an authorization or license,
• storing of the explosive materials without license, and
exporting the fireworks products without license.
• operating the factory without manufacturing license.
• The factory was located in an agriculture area about 30ft away
from a residential area
• The fireworks’ raw materials and the finished products were
stored at the factory
• The fireworks were assembled by hand and tested in the
factory
 The incident
• On 7 May 1991 at about 3.45 p.m. a new product was being
tested close to chemicals which had been dried.
• fire sparks and smouldering casing fragments flew in many
directions
• Some fragments flew towards the inside of the canteen
• the canteen contained thousands of finished and semi-finished
products
• fire spread, causing an explosion, which caused the rockets to
fly everywhere, spreading the fire to other places and buildings
• The fire and explosion destroyed the entire factory. In the
tragedy, 23 people lost their lives and 103 others sustained
injuries
 OSHA 1994

• This legislation was made considering the fact that

the Factory and Machinery Act 1967 only covers
occupational safety and health in the
manufacturing, mining, quarrying and
construction industries, whereas the other
industries are not covered.
• The purpose of Occupational Safety and Health
Act 1994 is to promote and encourage
occupational safety and health awareness among
workers and to create organization along with
effective safety and health measures.

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 Main Principles of OSHA 1994
• Self-regulation
To handle issues relating to occupational safety and health,
employers must develop a good and orderly management
system. Starting with formation of a safety and health policy and
consequently employers have to make the proper arrangements
to be carried out.
3. Consultation- tri partite
where employers, employees and the government must
negotiate to settle issues and problems relating to occupational
safety and health at the workplace.
• Co-operation
where employers and employees must co-operate to take care,
nurture and to increase the quality of occupational safety and
health at the workplace.
Without co-operation between employers and employees, none
of the occupational safety and health programmes carried out
would succeed. 18
 Industries under OSHA
Apply throughout Malaysia to the industries as follows (
First Schedule )
» Manufacturing;
» Mining and Quarrying;
» Construction;
» Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing;
» Utilities such as Electricity, Gas, Water and sanitary
Services;
» Transport, Storage and Communication;
» Wholesale and Retail Trades;
» Hotels and Restaurants;
» Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Business Services
» Public Services and Statutory Authorities 19
 Exception of OSHA

» Not applicable to work on board ships governed by

the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952, the
Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1960 of Sabah and
Sarawak
» Not applicable to armed forces
» This Law is in addition to previous law pertaining to
occupational safety and health. If there is any
conflict, this Law shall supercede the previous law.

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 Hazard
Communication
Division of Administration
Office of Risk Management
 EMPLOYEES RIGHT TO KNOW

• HAZARD COMMUNICATION STANDARD

-Employee Right to Know Law
– Material safety data sheets must be available to
the employee
– All chemical containers must be labeled
– A written plan must be available
– Training, equipment, and PPE must be provided
– Follow warnings and instructions
 INVENTORY

• HAZARD CHEMICALS INVENTORY

– The employer is required to maintain a list of all
hazardous chemicals present in the work area.
– Chemical Register
 LABELING

• The employer shall ensure that all

hazardous chemicals are properly
labeled.
• Containers of hazardous chemicals must
have labels which identify the material and
warn of its potential hazard to employees.
 DOT Placards
1 Explosives

2 Gases

3 Flammable

4 Flammable Solid,
spontaneously
combustible, &
dangerous when wet
 DOT Placards Cont.
5 Oxidizing Substances

6 Poisons & Infectious

7 Radioactive

8 Corrosive Materials

9 Miscellaneous
 MSDS

• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

– Product Information
– Hazardous Ingredients/Identity Information
– Physical and Health Hazards
– First Aid Measures
– Fire and Explosion Hazard Data
 MSDS Cont.

• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

– Accidental Release Measures
– Handling and Storage
– Exposure Controls/Personal Protection
– Physical and Chemical Properties
– Stability and Reactivity
 MSDS Cont.

• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

– Toxicological Information
– Ecological Information
– Disposal Considerations
– Transportation Information
– Regulatory Information
– Other Information
 MSDS
• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) need to
be:
– Readily accessible
– User friendly
– Current
– Secured upon receipt
of the chemical
– Contractors Included
 Local Legislation
• OSHA 1994
– Classification, Packaging and Labeling of Hazardous
Chemicals (CPL) Regulation 1997
– Use and Standard of Exposure of Chemicals Hazardous to
Health (USECHH) Reg. 2000
– Code of Practice for Safe Working in Confined Space, 2001
– Code of Practice on Indoor Air Quality 2005
• FMA 1967
– Factories and Machinery (Lead) Reg. 1984
– Factories and Machinery (Asbestos Process) Reg. 1986
– Factories and Machinery (Noise Exposure) Reg. 1989
– Factories and Machinery (Mineral Dust) Reg. 1989
 Safety at Work Place

• Occupational Safety & Health

• Toxicology & Industrial Hygiene
• Process Safety