INTRODUCTION TO

OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE II
MODULE 3
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH
Dr. Tajuddin Bantacut
DEPARTMENT OF AGROINDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY
FACULTY OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY
BOGOR AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY

emphasising the physical environment interactions

and potential adverse effects to workers.

Summary of different work

requirements - Tanker Drivers

make decisions about selecting the person

most capable for certain positions, this not
only requires consideration of certain
ethical and social factors, but
consideration of the stresses that the work
environment puts on the worker.

The requirements (or assessment) for tanker

drivers can be summarised as follows:
Physical/Medical include:
1. physical adequacy;
2. visual adequacy;
3. behavioural adequacy;
4. absence of diseases leading to sudden
changes in consciousness or motor control;
5. absence of addiction - alcohol or drugs;
6. no sedative (kecanduan) or other
undesirable edications;

continued

7. The nervous system, there should be no:

persistent disability due to
cerebrovascular disease;
8. Parkinsonism or multiple sclerosis;
9. Persistent or recurrent cerebral
(Intellectual), cerebella, or vestibular
disturbances;
10. More than minor muscular weakness;

Mental Illness, behavioural disorders, personality

disorders, there should be no:

history of psychotic breakdown;

subnormality;
personal disorders, especially associated
with heavy alcohol consumption;
need for continuing medication with
psychotropic drugs;
incipient mental breakdown, or nervous
symptoms associated with driving;

Vision, there should be no:

monocular visual defect;

cataract removal from one or both eyes;
visual field defects;
diminution of visual acuity with or without
spectacles or well adapted
contact lenses worse that 6/9 in one eye
and 6/18 in the other;

Motor disorders, there should be no:

fixation or severe limitation of movement

of neck, arms or lower limbs;
pain in joints, sufficient to limit movements;
muscular or neuro-muscular weakness
due to specific causes.

Occupational Diseases: Eye

Eyes which are healthy and wellfunctioning provide us with our richest
sense - the sense of sight. The eye is a
fragile organ which is often exposed to
hazards of different kinds both at home
and in the workplace.

There are several major risk area these are:

those that arise from direct physical causes,

such as flying pieces, particles or irritating dusts;
visual ergonomics such as eye strain due to
inadequate lighting often quoted as "bad work;
exposure to chemicals, corrosives etc.; and
dangerous radiations, such as UV light and
microwaves.

How can we control the workplace to reduce

eye hazards?

The use of personal eye protection should

only be supplemented by more effective
measures such as engineering and
administrative controls.
Regular reviews of the work system

improvements and reductions of the risk of injury.

Is proper attention being given to good housekeeping?

Is the eye safety training program followed?
Are the hazardous areas well signposted?
Are all the shields and guards in place and properly
maintained?
Can hazardous materials be replaced by less
hazardous materials?
Can exposure be avoided by enclosing the process?
Is access to the hazardous area restricted to trained staff?
Are high pressure hoses regularly inspected or replaced?
Are workers properly shielded to radiation standards?
Are emergency eye washes and equipment regularly tested
and updated?
Are improved safety features part of the selection criteria
for new equipment? Etc.

EXAMPLES

Occupational Diseases: Lung

The lung is the organ of respiration, this involves
inhalation (the act of breathing) of air. If the air is
contaminated with dust, fumes, the vapour or gas of
hazardous substances, the hair in the nasal cavity,
the mucus and cilia lining the airway from the nose
to the lungs, will trap the large contaminating dusts
and particles and prevent them from reaching the
lungs.
However, once the contaminants reach the lungs
these can exert a local effect on the bronchioles and
alveoli. The contaminants can also be absorbed
across the thin alveolar wall and into the blood
stream and transport to different target organs to
produce systemic effects.

Selected causes of occupational asthma*

EXAMPLES

Occupational Diseases: Skin

The skin is not only the largest visible part

of each of us (~1.5 to 2 m2), it is also the
largest organ of the body.
It makes about one-eighth of the total body
weight.
The skin also functions to protect sensitive
tissues from mechanical and chemical
damage as well as playing a major role in
thermoregulation of the body.

continued

The skin contains sweat and sebaceous

glands, fine blood vessels, hair follicles
and shafts and nerves.
The skin is a very good protective cover
but it can fail if it overexposed to
workplace or other stresses This can lead
to disorders such as different kinds of
dermatitis, chemical corrosion injuries,
acne, skin cancer, etc.

dermatitis (contact eczemas)

known as contact dermatitis

(a) allergic contact dermatitis and

(b) irritant contact dermatitis based on the nature
of the causative agent;
for example, soaps, detergents and corrosives
can cause irritant reactions while many plant
extracts, metals, preservatives, etc, can cause
an allergic response.

allergic

OTHER EXAMPLES

Principles of Occupational Toxicology

"All substances are poisons: there is none

that is not a poison. The right dose
differentiates a poison from a remedy".
The toxic effect usually (but not always)
increases with dose.

standard
The shape of the curve and its threshold
and LD50 (lethal dose to 50% of test
animal) values are used by regulators to
set standards of "acceptable" exposure to
chemicals in the workplace.
Health is not only factor in the process of
standards setting, other factors exist, such
as technical feasibility.

the level of exposure and the extent of

exposure to the agent
Single or short-term exposure to a chemical is
usually characterised as the acute exposure or
the "acute" toxicity (toxic effect);
Repetitive or continuous exposure to the
chemical even in low doses is referred to as
chronic exposure or the "chronic" toxicity.

1. There are currently over 100,000 chemicals in

industrial use, very few of them (therapeutics
and some cosmetics) have had any form of
toxicity assessment prior to use
2. The long-term "chronic" effects of nearly all
chemicals is unknown.
3. New legislation regarding labeling and the
production of MSDS (Materials Safety Data
Sheets) are partially improving the situation.

the science of toxicology is based upon

assumptions:
Extrapolation from animal data to humans is valid;
Exposure of experimental animals to high doses for
detecting hazards to humans is valid;
Humans are at least as sensitive to the effects of
chemical hazards as those observed in the most
sensitive species.
The other major problem with the above
assumptions as well as the fundamentals of
toxicology is
Assessment is conducted for that exposure occurs
to a single pure compound, this definitely not the
case with most occupations.

multi-exposure raises many issues of the

interactions between the compounds which could
occur in the following manner:
independent - no cross reaction between the
compounds, eg., CO and Cd;
antagonistic - exposure protects against the
production of toxicity, eg., antidotes;
potentiative - the single compound has no effect
unless other is present, eg., CCl4 and 2propanol;
additive - effect is additive in nature, eg.,
solvents;
synergistic - exponential effect, eg., asbestos
and smoking.