Health Hazards Related to Workers’ Health

Abstract

Workers are at higher risk of being injured, sick even dying younger compared to the general population. During the past decades, risk management program focused mostly on physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic and psychosocial hazard, yet it still left huge of workers’ health problem. The unidentified health hazard is a significant obstacle in risk management. Epidemiological methods used successfully in public
health history can be brought into the workplace to deal with occupational safety and health risk. This study aimed to understand and explore further the workplace’s hazards in the area of occupational health. This was a compilation of 7 preliminary surveys on occupational health profile using a sequential explanatory method, started with semi-quantitative and followed by a qualitative study, supported by literature study. The Number of respondents was 785 workers and supervisors from 19 workplaces ranging from small to big size enterprises which spread all over the islands of Indonesia. Data were collected by observation and document review, verified by questionnaire and in-depth interview. Our study identified human and organizational factors inevitably influence workers’ health besides the risk originated from environmental and ergonomic hazards as the focuses in traditional occupational health management. Occupational health should deal with all of the determinants discussed. To achieve freedom from or as lowest as possible health risks, further study or investigation to understand how workers get sick should be anticipated proactively and continuously, particularly the developments and events happened at the workplace that might become determinants
of workers’ health.



Keywords: Occupational health; workers’ health; risk factors

References
[1] Ashgate Pub Ltd {homepage in internet]. 2008. Human Contribution. Available from: www.linkedin.com/company/ashgate-publishing-ltd (accessed 8 Sept 2016).


[2] Benach J, Muntaner C, and Santana V. 2007. Employment conditions and health inequalities. Employment Conditions Knowledge Network, Final Report to WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health, 2007. Available from: http://www. who.int/social_determinants/themes/employment conditions/en/ (accessed 8 Sept
2016).


[3] Cheng Y, et al. 2014. “Working hours, sleep duration and the risk of acute coronary heart disease: A case-control study of middle-aged men in Taiwan.”Int J Cardiol 171 (3): 419 – 22.


[4] Fichtenberg CM and Glantz SA. 2002.“Effect of smoke-free workplaces on smoking behavior: a systematic review.”Br Med J 325:188.


[5] Health and Safety Executive. 2015. Human Factors. Available from: https://www.gov. uk/government/publications/(Cited Sept 2016).


[6] Kurniawidjaja LM, Mulyana, Fitriyani, Tejamaya M, Erwandi D. 2016. Occupational Health Profile of Automotive Welders in Jakarta and Surroundings 2016. Presented at The 1st International Conference on Global Health.


[7] , Erwandi D, Kusminanti Y, Pujiriani I. Report of Psychosocial Study on Fit to Work among Field Heads in PT XYZ. 2013 (Not published).


[8] , Lestari F, Kusminanti Y, Pujiriani I, Baskoro B. Health Hazard Identification to Cleaning Workers in Jakarta and surroundings. 2015. Presented at 47