EMERGING TRENDS IN OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH IN PLANTATION SECTOR

M.M.C.B Ehelamalpe

OSH - OHS – WHS ?

Occupational safety and health (OSH) also commonly referred to as occupational health and safety (OHS) or workplace health and safety (WHS) is an area concerned with the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment.

DEFINITION “ The main focus in occupational health is on three different

objectives:

The maintenance and promotion of workers’ health and working capacity; The improvement of working environment and work to become conducive

to safety and health and Development of work organizations and working cultures in a direction

which supports health and safety at work and in doing so also promotes a positive social climate and smooth operation and may enhance productivity of the undertakings.

The concept of working culture is intended in this context to mean a reflection of the essential value systems adopted by the undertaking concerned.

Such a culture is reflected in practice in the managerial systems, personnel policy, principles for participation, training policies and quality management of the undertaking. “

— Joint ILO/WHO Committee on Occupational Health

ABOUT THE ILO

The tripartite U.N. agency (Geneva), since 1919 the ILO brings together governments, employers and workers representatives of 186 member States  , to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men.

The ILO has designed guidelines as a practical tool for assisting organizations and competent institutions as a means of achieving continual improvement in occupational safety and health (OSH) performance.

The guidelines have been developed according to internationally agreed principles defined by the ILO’s tripartite constituents.

Occupational safety and health (OSH) is generally defined as the science of..

the anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control of hazards…

arising in or from the workplace.. that could impair the health and well-being of workers,

taking into account the possible impact on the surrounding communities and the general environment.

HEALTH Health is the physical and psychological well

being of employees in and out of the workplace.

Health is a state of complete well being, not merely and absence of illness.

SAFETY Safety is an environment that is free of

accidents and occupational diseases that may cause personal injury or ill health to employees.

ACCIDENT An accident is an unexpected, unplanned,

unforeseen, undesired, event in sequence of events.. that occur through a combination of courses,

mainly unsafe conditions and/ or unsafe acts, that result..

in an interruption of work, physical harm (injury or disease ) to a person or many, damage to property, a near miss, a loss, or any combination of these effects.

E.g.:- Worker slips on the oil spot on the floor, falls and breaks hip.

UnsafeActs

•Unsafe Procedures•Improper Training•Stress

Unsafe

work Environment

•Unsafe Machines•Unsafe Physical Environment

Psychological Stress “Too difficult tasks” and “Too easy tasks” are

qualitative stress for someone. And workloads such as “Too much work” or “Too

little work” quantitative stress workloads for others All these factors contribute to make errors while at

work leading to accidents.

Physical Stress Physical factors like noise, vibration, hear,

radiation, improper ventilation etc. are contributing factors for stress at work, which lead to accident

STRESSStress in the work place can be divided into two..

HAZARD It is a condition in the workplace, which by

itself or by interacting with the other variables can result in death, injuries, property damage or other losses.

NEAR MISS An undesired event, which under slightly different

circumstances, could have resulted in Harm to people, damage to property or loss to process

HAZARD MANAGEMENT/ RISK CONTROL

PLANTATION SECTOR AND OHS Plantation sector is one of the most hazardous

of all economic sectors and many agricultural workers suffer occupational accidents and ill health each year.

It is also the largest sector for female employment in many countries, especially in Africa and Asia.

Agriculture employs some one billion workers worldwide, or more than a third of the world's labour force, and accounts for approximately 70 per cent of child labour worldwide.

FARMERS INVENTED MULTI-TASKING! Multi-disciplinary experts:

Machinist Chemist Biologist Veterinarian– large & small Heavy equipment operator Grain & feed expert Electrician Weight lifter Marketing manager Office administrator Legal eagle

contributory causes of such accidents and ill health are many, but often include:

– working with machines, vehicles, tools and animals;– exposure to excessive noise and vibration;– slips, trips and falls from heights;– lifting heavy weights and other work giving rise to

musculoskeletal disorders;– exposure to dust and other organic substances,

chemicals, and infectious agents; and– other working conditions common to rural

environments, such as exposure to extreme temperatures, inclement weather and attacks by wild animals.

EMERGING OHS TRENDS IN PLANTATION SECTOR HAZARDS

Chemical hazards Many agricultural workers are exposed to chemicals on a daily

basis. If they do not observe proper precautions, illness or even death may ensue. It’s impact worst with application using aero plains in huge plantations.

Respiratory hazards Farming situations present several respiratory hazards

to farm workers. Exposure to these hazards has been linked to excessive coughing and congestion of farm workers and families. Symptoms of chronic bronchitis were observed in as many as 50 percent of and grain handlers.

Heat stress Heat stress occurs when the body builds up more heat

than it can handle. High temperatures, high humidity, sunlight, and heavy workloads increase the likelihood of heat stress.

Skin disorders Contact dermatitis is a skin disorder that occurs among agricultural

workers. There are two general categories: irritant and allergic.

Cancers Skin cancer is a concern on the farm due to the long hours

workers spend in the sun. Skin cancer is a concern on the farm due to the long hours workers spend in the sun.

Noise Prolonged exposure to excessive noise, such as that produced

by tractors, combines, choppers, chainsaws and factory machineries, can cause permanent hearing loss unless noise-control measures are taken.

Reptile and insect bites This was a common occupational hazard among plantation

workers who were engaged in fieldwork most of the day. Eg: snake/viper bites, bumble bee attacks.

OTHER EMERGING TRENDS Child workers involvement in Plantation Sector of

Developing Countries

Population and health trends – By 2020 there will be more than one billion people

aged 60 years and older in the world. Therefore, trends such as socio-cultural diversity,

and an aging society with longer life expectancy and chronic diseases will be reflected in the workplace.

Mental health

Social protection In countries where not all agricultural workers currently,

paying particular attention to the needs of temporary,casual and migrant workers.

Working hours The pace of agricultural work has increased with the

useof task rates and piecework. Long hours of work, particularly intense manual labour,

contribute to workers’ fatigue and lead to accidents on the job.

Alcohol- and drug-related problems The workplace should be drug- and alcohol-free in

accordance with national law and practice.

HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS should be treated like any other serious

illness/condition in the workplace.

Workplace violence, harassment and bullying Every person has the right to be treated with dignity and

respect and to be free from all forms of violence, harassment, and bullying in the workplace.

Smoking at work These policies should also specify where smoking may be

permitted during agreed rest breaks without creating hazards for other workers or the risk of fire on the premises.

WHAT DOES AN INJURY COST? Direct costs

Medical costs Workers’ Compensation

Indirect costs Cost of replacing staff and training time Loss of productivity due to learning curves Accommodating injured employee Wages paid to employee not covered by workers’

compensation Cost of work stoppage Cost of replacing damaged materials, equipment

& property

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

Personal protective equipment (PPE) provides supplementary protection against exposure to hazardous conditions in agricultural production where the safety of workers cannot be ensured by other means, such as eliminating the hazard, controlling the risk at source or minimizing the risk.

SAFETY SIGNS / WARNINGS

ERGONOMICS

Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR STANDARDS

Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155)  Occupational Safety and Health Recommendation, 1981 (No. 164)  Safety and Health in Agriculture Convention, 2001 (No. 184)  Safety and Health in Agriculture Recommendation, 2001 (No. 192)  Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention, 1969 (No. 129)  Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Recommendation, 1969 (No. 133)  Plantations Convention, 1958 (No. 110)  Plantations Recommendation, 1958 (No. 110)

ILO web

LOCAL ACT, ORDINANCE AND REGULATIONS RELATED TO OHS Factories Ordinance No.45 of 1942 Factories (Amendment)Act No.19 of 2002 Factories (Sanitary Conveniences)Regulations 1965 Factories (Dangerous Occurrences Notification) Regulations

1965 Factories (Washing facilities General) Regulations 1965 Factories (General Standards of Lighting) Regulations 1965 Factories (Meal Room) Regulations 1965 Factories (Steam Boiler Attendants Certificates of

Competency) Regulations 1965 Factories (Notifiable Industrial Diseases) Regulations 1972 Factories (Protection of Eyes) Regulations 1979 Factories (First Aid) Regulations 1995

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