OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

1. Prepared byUma j deaver

2. Objectives:
Define the occupational health nursing.
List the scope of occupational health nursing.
 Describe work health interactions.
Identify the team of occupational health and
safety programs.
Discus the roll of community health nursing
occupational health .
Identify the disaster planning and
management.

3. Introduction
No work is completely risk free and all
health care professionals should have
some basic knowledge about workforce
populations, work and related hazards,
and methods to control hazards and
improve health.

4. Definition and scope of
occupational health nursing
 The specialty practice that
focuses on the promotion,
prevention and restoration of
health within the safe and healthy
environment.

5. It involves the prevention of adverse
health effects occupational and
environmental hazards.
It provides for and delivers
occupational and environmental
health and safety services to workers,
worker populations, and community
groups.

6. Occupational health nurse work setting
Traditional manufacturing.
Services (banking, restaurants).
 Industries.
Health care facilities.
Construction sites.
 government settings.

7. Scope of practice
Worker/ workplace assessment and
surveillance
Primary care
Counseling
Health promotion/protection
Administration and management
Research
Community orientation

8. The professional organization for
occupational health nurses is the
American Association of
Occupational Health Nurses
(AAOHN).

9. The AAOHN functions
Promotes the health and safety of
workers.
Defines the scope of practice and sets the
standards of occupational health nursing
practice.
Promotes and provides continuing
education in the specialty.
Advances the profession through
supporting research.

10. Work Health Interactions
Host (worker & family
Agent
Environment
(workplace hazards) (external factors)

11. Host factors are associated with increased
risk to the work place hazards.
Each worker represents a host within the worker
population group.
Age & Gender
Health status
Work practice
Ethnicity
Lifestyle factors

12. The host factors of age, gender and work
experience combine by increase risk for
injury due to:
Lack of knowledge
Lack of familiarity with the new job.
Older workers have increase risk due to:
Diminished sensory abilities.
The effect of chronic illnesses.
Delayed reaction times.

13. Women in child bearing years very susceptible to
workplace exposure because:
The hormonal changes during these years.
Transplacental exposures.

14. Agent
1. Biological Agents
Are living organisms are capable of
causing human diseases by infectious
process.
bacteria, viruses, fungi
Common in workplace (health care
facilities and clinical laboratories).

15. 2. Chemical agents
Various forms of chemicals
Medications
Solutions
Gases
Vapors, aerosols

16. 3. Environmental and mechanical Agents
are those that can potentially cause accidents,
injury, strain or discomfort e.g.
Unsafe/ inadequate equipment
Lifting devices and lifting heavy loads.
Slippery floors
Repetitive motions.

17. 4. Physical agent within the work environment
include the following:
Temperature extremes.
Vibration (affects internal organs,
supportive ligaments and the shoulder
girdle structure).
Noise
Radiation
Lighting
Electricity

18. Personal protective equipment include:
Hearing protection
Eye guards
Protective clothing
Devices for monitoring exposure
to agents such as radiation

19. 5.Psychosocial agents
Interpersonal relationships among
employees and coworkers and
managers are often sources of
conflict and stress.

20. Environment
Environmental factors
Physical environment (heat, odor, ventilation)
influence the occurrence of host agent
interactions.
New environmental problems continue to arise
such as:
An increase in industrial wastes and toxins.
Indoor and outdoor environmental pollution.
Addictive behaviors (negative social environment)

21. Team of occupational health and safety
programs.
The following are core members of this team:
Occupational health nurse
Occupational physician
Industrial hygienist
Safety professional

22. Role of the nurse in the team
The nurse collaborate with a community
physician or occupational medicine physician
who provide consultation and accepts referrals
where medical intervention is needed.
The collaboration may occur primarily through
telephone contact or the physician may be under
contract with the company to spend a certain
amount of time on site each week.

23. Additional team member
As the companies become larger
Additional nurses
Safety professionals
Industrial hygienists
Physicians part time or on a consultant basis.
Employee assistance counselors.
Physical therapists
Health educators
Toxicologists

24. Scope of services provided through an
occupational health and safety program
Health/medical surveillance
Workplace monitoring/ surveillance
Health assessment (preplacement, periodic,
mandatory, transfer, retirement/ termination,
return to work).

25. Scope of services cont.
Health promotion
Health screening.
Primary health care for workers and dependents.
Worker safety and health education related to
occupational hazards.
Prenatal & postnatal care
Preretirement counseling

26. Nursing care of working populations
The nurse is often the first health care provider
seen by an individual with a work related health
problem.
The occupational health nurse practices all levels of
prevention.
Primary prevention (provide education of safety
in the workplace to prevent injury).
Secondary prevention ( periodic screening to
identify an illness at the earliest possible.
Tertiary prevention is intended to restore health
as fully as possible

27. Worker Assessment
Goal of these assessment
Identify agent and host factors that
could place the employee at risk.
Determine prevention steps that can be
taken to minimize potential health
problem.

28. Health assessment of individual includes:
Occupational health histories
 A list of current and past jobs the client has held
 Current and past exposure to specific agents and
relationship between the symptoms and
activities at work.
 Other factors that may enhance the client’s
susceptibility to occupational agents (smoking,
underlying illness, previous injury, disability).
The nurse notice the influence of work health
interaction

29. Health assessment cont.
The nurse should be aware that not all workers
are well informed about they work potential
hazards.
The nurse must develop basic knowledge about
the types of jobs held by clients and the possible
hazards associated with them.
During these health assessment, the nurse has
the opportunity to teach about workplace
hazards and preventive measures the worker can
use.

30. When Assessment Done
As preplacement examinations before the
client begins a job.
With the onset of a work-related health
problem or exposure.
When an employee is being transferred to
another job.
At termination
At retirement

31. Workplace Assessment
The nurse should review the work process and
work areas or locations in the workplace. To
know
What hazards may be present.
Understanding the type of job.
Health requirements.
Description of the work environment. To know
Overall picture of general appearances and
condition.
Safety signs of the environment.

32. Workplace Assessment cont.
A description of the employee group (worker
population) to understanding:
 Demographic and work distribution in the
company.
 Shift work and productivity to determine
potential stressors.
Gather data about incidence/prevalence of work
related illness/injuries and related hazards.
The types of occupational safety and health services
to determine required program (health promotion )
Examine control strategies in place for eliminating
exposures.

33. Work practice controls
Good hygiene
Waste disposal.
Housekeeping.
Administrative controls reduce exposure
through
 Job rotation
 Workplace monitoring
 Employee training and education
Personal protective control
 Use of gloves, mask and gowns.

34. Disaster planning and management
Goals
Prevent or minimize injuries and
deaths of workers and residents.
Provide effective work.

35. Disaster planning and management
The written plan must be shared with all who will be
involved.
Employee should be prepared in
 First aid
 CPR
 Fire group procedures.
Plan must be clear, specific and comprehensive
(covering all shifts and all work areas).
Transportation plan, fire responses, and emergency
services.

36. Disaster planning and management
The disaster plan, emergency and safety
equipment and the first response team’s
abilities should be tested at least annually.
Hospitals and other emergency services such
as fire departments should be involved in plan.

37. Thank You