National Preventive Safety and Health Culture at Work Place is the Need of the Hour
On the basis of its work in the area of Occupational Health Safety, PRIA Continuing Education has designed, developed and has been offering a 3-month certificate course in distance mode since 2005
Tweet-- Occupational hazards continue to contribute to the premature death of millions of people worldwide and result in the ill health or disablement of hundreds of millions more each year. Developing countries have witnessed major occupational health problems highlighted by the Bhopal Gas Tragedy in India and the Kader Toy Factory fire in Thailand. Moreover, workers of these countries are exposed to a wider range of occupational hazards and risks including chemical, physical and biological hazards as well as inadequate ergonomic practices and high psychosocial stress.
Most of the developing countries are in the process of rapid economic development, a process that potentially amplifies the pre-existing traditional risks and introduces new occupational risks in the region. The vulnerable population of South-East Asian countries consisting of the poor and women & children are primarily employed in the informal sectors with long work hours in unsafe conditions with little or no health care or insurance and often lack the basic knowledge of hazards & personal protection.
Exposure to occupational hazards also increases the risk for morbidity and mortality with the most common hazards being: 1) Physical hazards like poor ventilation, poor illumination, noise, extreme temperatures, humidity and radiation; 2) Biological hazards such as variety of pathogenic bacteria, fungi and parasites; 3) Chemical hazards due to hazardous gases and dusts, and 4) ergonomic hazards.
The most prevalent occupational practices that increase the risks for morbidity and mortality are lack of training in occupational health safety, lack of personal protective devices, inadequate training in the proper use of machinery and long work hours. The situation is further compounded by overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions.
The law requires employers to provide OH services for their employees. Employers have to appoint OH professionals to fulfill this obligation. The type and number of OH professionals to be hired depends on the availability of professionals.
In India, Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) is providing this course on Occupational Health Safety (OHS).
Specific works that PRIA has undertaken on OHS:
More than 20 years ago, in 1982, PRIA began its interventions among worker activists and trade unions, it focused upon conscientization and leadership building of worker activists. That effort quickly began to highlight issues related to safety and health at work places. PRIA began its programmatic work on health and safety in 1983. Its perspective of Participatory Research, as applied to workplace health and safety issues, yielded an understanding that workers' own popular knowledge on these matters was largely ignored. The gap between "scientific' knowledge and popular understanding was also enormous and most health practitioners themselves were unaware of testing and treatment of occupational diseases. The campaigns, studies, capacity building and policy lobbying work undertaken by PRIA over the two decades, has resulted in various positive outcomes.
On the basis of its work in the area of OHS, PCE has designed, developed and has been offering a 3-month certificate course in distance mode since 2005. While offering this course it has been noticed that there is a demand for the course OHS in India and other parts of Asia but for an accredited and ILO or Govt. certified course. The Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety of PCE broadly deals with: 1. Sector specific occupational health and safety issues: i.e. mining & electronic industry 2. Socio-economic aspects of occupational health and safety: Women & occupational health safety; Child labour & occupational health; Health problems in unorganised sector 3. Health screening measures: i.e. Stages of medical examination; Occupational history; Pulmonary Function Test (PFT), Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) 4. Basics of preventive techniques: i.e. Accident analysis, Monitoring of hazards, Reporting and investigation of accidents, Prevention and control of accidents; ensuring safety measure 5. Occupational health and safety legislations in India: Existing OHS legislations in India.
Target Audience:
Industry and Services: Lead Auditors, Teachers, NGO, Editorial Consultants, Cement Industry, Moulds and dies, Steel Industry, Textile, Mines, Drilling and Exploration, Power malls, Oil and Gas, Malls, Offshore Internal Drilling, Sugar Industry, Hospitality, Environment and Education, Disaster Management.
Medicine: Medical Officers, Physiotherapists, dental surgeons, laboratories, OH Nurse, Administrators/directors of group of hospitals or hospital, Polyclinics, Doctors required for cruise, hotels, embassies, call centers, Industries, corporate, malls, airlines, construction firms.
ILO and the Decent Work Standards
According to the International Labour Organisation, decent work involves opportunities for work that are productive and deliver a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for families, better prospects for personal development and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, organize and participate in the decisions that affect their lives and equality of opportunity and treatment for all women and men. Decent work should be at the heart of global, national and local strategies for economic and social progress. It is central to efforts to reduce poverty and a means for achieving equitable, inclusive and sustainable development.
Government of India's commitment to Occupational Health Safety (OHS)
The Constitution of India provides detailed provisions for the rights of the citizens and also lays down the Directive Principles of State Policy which aim to secure the health and strength of employees, ensure just and humane conditions of work and maternity relief and ensure that the government take steps to secure the participation of employees in the management of undertakings, establishments or other organizations engaged in any industry.
The fundamental purpose of this State Policy on Safety, Health and Environment at workplace, is not only to eliminate the incidence of work related injuries, diseases, fatalities, disaster and loss of national assets and ensuring achievement of a high level of occupational safety, health and environment performance through proactive approaches but also to enhance the well-being of the employee and society, at large.
The government firmly believes that building and maintaining national preventive safety and health culture is the need of the hour. With a view to develop such a culture and to improve the safety, health and environment at the work place, it is essential to develop and provide the required technical manpower and knowledge in the areas of safety, health and environment.
The law does require employers to provide OHS services for their employees by arranging OHS professionals to fulfill this obligation. However, the type and number of OHS professionals to be hired depends on the availability of professionals which ultimately depends on skill building of professionals. India still has a long way to go before it strengthens and establishes a proper framework for OHS in the country as there is an urgent need to introduce safe industrial hygiene practices based on accurate knowledge of existing national hazards and job-exposure matrix for reducing the risks associated with occupational hazards.
About PRIA Continuing Education (PCE)
PRIA Continuing Education (PCE) is the academic wing of PRIA, an International Centre for learning and promotion of participation and governance. PCE's primary objective is synthesizing and packaging its experience, knowledge and learning of over 26 years into distance education programmes.