Introduction
The term occupational health hazards covers many potential risks workers may encounter during their occupation. Occupational hazards are usually classified as physical, chemical, biological, or psychological in nature. This article will focus on the more common occupational health hazards.
Physical Hazards
Occupational health physical dangers can take many forms. The majority of these hazards are caused by the types of materials used in the workplace (e.g., sharp objects, petroleum products, blood from broken skin, etc.) or by the things workers may touch in their work (e.g., chemicals, mechanical parts). However, these physical dangers also include many more obscure causes.
Examples include radiation (e.g., X-rays), infection by organisms both naturally occurring and introduced into the workplace, or even hypothermia in cold environments. Many of these hazards may be less obvious than those just mentioned, and employers must exercise a high degree of vigilance to detect the presence of these potential occupational health hazards.
Biological Hazards
Biological hazards can occur as a result of natural processes in the workplace or as a result of the introduction of organisms into the workplace (e.g., bacteria, viruses, or toxic substances).
Examples of biological hazards include:
* infectious diseases (e.g., tuberculosis, anthrax)
* airborne diseases (e.g., influenza)
* certain insects or arthropods (e.g., argasid flies)
* parasites (e.g., fleas, lice)
* intracellular organisms (e.g., fungi, protozoans)
* toxins produced by microorganisms, plants, or animals in the workplace or by the body of a worker in the workplace (e.g., carbon monoxide poisoning caused by breathing in fumes at work).
Chemical Hazards
Chemical hazards are caused by chemicals or substances used in the workplace or developed at the workplace. Chemical hazards include:
* poisons (e.g., lead, sulphuric acid)
* corrosives (e.g., acid rain)
* carcinogens (e.g., formaldehyde)
* wood preservatives (hairspray) and other products used to preserve wood against decay, which are highly flammable liquids and vapors when exposed to heat.
* asbestos fibers which can cause cancer and respiratory disease.
* emulsifiers used in the production of certain products, including many cosmetics and paint thinner. Certain types of emulsifiers (e.g., nonyl alcohol) have caused cancers in humans by causing weakened cell walls.
Psychological Hazards
Psychological hazards, such as stress and anxiety, are not always as obvious as physical dangers. Because of this, it is easy to simply think that they are not a significant problem. This may begin to be true even for many physical hazards when the worker becomes accustomed to the danger and learns how to work around it. However, occupational health psychologists warn against this type of complacency. They claim that these psychological hazards can cause mental illness, permanent personality changes (e.g., extroversion/introversion), and decreased cognitive ability among workers and that these problems never disappear on their own.