Occupational Health

Environmental, occupational and personal risk factors

Health Promotion
Health Protection Activities that improve or maintain health. Assisting
Work systems designed to protect workers from workers in improving health behaviours
disease and injury by preventing and reducing risks
• Personal risk factors (smoking,
• Occupational risk factors diet, drinking, stress)
(hazards)
• Often behaviour-orientated
• Multi-disciplinary
– Ergonomics
– Occupational Hygiene
– Occupational Health
– Occupational Safety

Health
WHP Wellness
Protection
Accident Injury

Timeline: Seconds
Health Status + (Multiple) Exposure Illness

Timeline: Days, months, years or decades

 Occupational or work-related?
Occupational Disease
A case of occupational disease is
defined as:
“a case recognised by the national
authorities responsible for recognition
of occupational diseases.
The data shall be collected for incident
occupational diseases and deaths due
to occupational disease”.
Work-related illness
• Work-related health problems and
illnesses are those health problems
and illnesses which can be caused,
worsened or jointly caused by working
conditions.
• This includes physical and psychosocial
health problems.
• A case of work-related health problem
and illness does not necessarily refer
to recognition by an authority…
 Work-related

Work Life
 Occupational Health Risks to our
Working Population
• Rising rates of work-related illness
– Commonest conditions are ‘MSD’ and ‘Stress, Anxiety and
Depression’
– Presenteeism?
– Leaveism?

• Impact of job characteristics (working hours, shift

patterns, night work) on health
– Work-related illness
– Sectors at risk (agriculture, construction, transport, health
sector)
 Public Health Perspective
• Rising rates of chronic illness 2010
• Highest causes of death in under 65s
– cancer and diseases of the circulatory system
– Modifiable lifestyle and behaviour factors

“Work is good and unemployment bad – for physical and mental health, but the
quality of work matters”

“Puts ill health prevention in the context of the social determinants of health …
involvement of stakeholders…schools, workplaces, home…all have the potential to
help or hinder ill-health prevention”

“Occupational health and vocational rehabilitation should be fully integrated

,providing a Fit for Work model….”
Work can be a
contributory factor to
chronic disease