PH 221-Occupational Health and Safety

Course Description:
This course introduces concepts and a practical guide to recognizing, preventing, and treating work-related and environmentally-induced injuries and diseases. Occupational diseases and the toxicological implications of workplace exposure and basic response principles are reviewed. Students will become acquainted with health and safety legislation and other occupational and safety standards and guidelines. By the end of the course, students are expected to undertake an audit of the hazards in one workplace and institute a health promotion campaign in that workplace.

• Prerequisite Courses: PH 121 or Instructor’s permission

A. PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES (PLOS):
The student will be able to:

1. Recognize, describe, discuss and research about the basic public health science facts and principles;
2. List, discuss and demonstrate the essential public health functions and their interrelationships at community and district level;
3. Describe, discuss and research adult, children and family health issues;
4. Discuss and demonstrate an understanding and practice of some generic public health competencies;
5. Demonstrate proper public health skills for public health practice in the community as a national public health officer;
6. Discuss and demonstrate community and cultural sensitivity in the health care environment;
7. Describe, discuss and research the determinants and problems of the health of adults, children and families;
8. Demonstrate proper cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), first aid techniques, and other healing and patient care abilities;
9. Demonstrate the ability and discuss how to make a community diagnosis based on the determinants of health in a community;
10. Identify and demonstrate good public health practice;
11. Have had work experience at a public health facility at community and national levels.

B. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (SLOS) - GENERAL
The student will be able to:

1. Describe the essential elements of the Health and Safety at Work Act (HASAWA) 1974 and responsibilities of workers, managers, and employers.
2. Explain the major aspects of recognition, evaluation and control/ prevention phases of an Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) program.
3. Describe the most common diseases that affect workers in different occupational environments and the factors associated with the occurrence of disease.
4. Conduct walk-through surveys of workplaces to identify major hazards and prepare a report on the findings.

SLO	PLO 1	PLO 2	PLO 3	PLO 4	PLO 5	PLO 6	PLO 7	PLO 8	PLO 9	PLO 10	PLO 11
1	D			ID	M				D
2	D			ID	M				D
3	D			ID	M				D
4	D			ID	M				D

I = Introduced
D = Demonstrated
M = Mastered

C. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (SLOS) – SPECIFIC
The student will be able to:

General SLO 1: . Describe the essential elements of the Health and Safety at Work Act (HASAWA) 1974 and responsibilities of workers, managers, and employers.

Student Learning Outcomes	Assessment strategies
1.1. Describe the major components and elements of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. 1.2. List and discuss the basic areas of responsibility of workers, managers and employers. 1.3. General duties of employers to their employees. 1.4. General duties of employers and self-employed to Persons other than their employees. 1.5. General duties of employees at work.	Group discussions and oral reports to be graded according to a specified rubric Individual assignments Direct and multiple choice questions in examinations and quizzes

General SLO 2: Explain the major aspects of recognition, evaluation and control/ prevention phases of an Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) program.

Student Learning Outcomes

Assessment strategies

.1. Define OH&S program. 2.2. Explain what a policy statement is and what elements it should cover. 2.3. Describe the basic elements of an OH&S program 2.4. Explain and give examples of the individual OH&S responsibilities of: The workers The first-line supervisors The management The safety coordinators 2.5. Explain why there is a need for a workplace health and safety committee. 2.6. Provide justifications for the establishment of the correct work procedures and explain how to establish such procedures. 2.7. Discuss the importance of orientations and training programs for the workers. 2.8. Explain the aims of workplace inspections and how to report, record and investigate possible hazards. 2.9. Describe how medical aid and first aid programs can be established. 2.10. Outline the basic steps in the implementation and evaluation of an OH&S program.

Group discussions and oral reports to be graded according to a specified rubric Individual assignments Direct and multiple choice questions in examinations and quizzes

General SLO 3: Describe the most common diseases that affect workers in different occupational environments and the factors associated with the occurrence of disease.

Student Learning Outcomes

Assessment strategies

3.1. List the most common zoonotic diseases and conditions observed in different occupations. 3.2. Describe these diseases/ conditions in terms of: occurrence patterns, causative agents, modes of transmission, signs and symptoms, possible prevention and control measures. 3.3. List and describe the human factors at workplaces. 3.4. List and discuss the environmental factors responsible for disease occurrences.

Groups discussions to be graded according to a specified rubric Direct and multiple choice questions in examinations and quizzes

General SLO 4: Conduct walk-through surveys of workplaces to identify major hazards and prepare a report on the findings.

Student Learning Outcomes

Assessment strategies

4.1. Discuss the importance of recognizing health hazards in a workplace. 4.2. List and explain the direct health indicators. 4.3. Conduct walk-through surveys. 4.4. Describe the basic observations and the associated information for hazard control a walk-through survey should cover. 4.5. Identify and explain the typical processes targeted for health hazards in walk-through inspections. 4.6. Describe the essential components of a typical risk assessment process. 4.7. List and discuss the basic approaches and methods of risk control. 4.8. Outline the main components and the elements to be addressed in a report on the findings of hazards associated with a workplace.

Groups discussions and oral reports to be graded according to a specified rubric Individual assignments Direct and multiple choice questions in examinations and quizzes

D. COURSE CONTENT

1. Health and safety management and administration
   
   1. Health and Safety at Work Act (HASAWA) 1974
      
      1. Components and elements of a health and safety at work Act
      2. Health and safety responsibilities
   2. Occupational health and safety program
      
      1. What is an OH&S program
      2. Policy statement and program elements
      3. Individual OH&S responsibilities
      4. Establishing work procedures
      5. Worker orientation and training
      6. Reporting, recording and investigating injuries, diseases, and dangerous occurrences
      7. Establishing medical aid and first aid programs
      8. Principles of accident prevention
      9. Implementation of OH&S programs
      10. Evaluating effectiveness of OH&S programs
2. People at work
   
   1. Human factors
   2. Ergonomics
   3. Stress at work
3. Occupational health
   
   1. The concept of exposure standard
   2. Basic toxicology and epidemiology
   3. Occupational hygiene, diseases and health conditions
   4. Dangerous substances: metals, gases and vapors, ionizing and non-ionizing radiations
   5. Biological hazards
   6. Indoor air quality, noise and vibration
   7. Other physical agents
4. Environmental health
   
   1. Water pollution
   2. Hazardous waste
   3. Global environmental hazards
   4. Roles of nongovernmental organizations in environmental health
   5. Responses to community environmental health concerns
5. Safety technology
   
   1. Engineering and mechanical handling safety
   2. Fire prevention
   3. Electrical safety
   4. Structural safety, construction and contractors
   5. The working environment: safety in office, workshops and in catering operation
6. Health and safety regulation
   
   1. Recognition of health hazards in the workplace
      
      1. Direct health indicators
      2. Using previous experience and available information
      3. Observation and use of specialist expertise
   2. Walk-through survey
      
      1. Basic observations of a walk-through survey
      2. Typical processes targeted for health hazards in walk-through inspections
      3. Evaluating the risks associated with the hazards (risk assessment)
         
         • -Essential components of a typical regulatory risk assessment
         • -Examples of: simple evaluations, evaluations requiring some basic workplace monitoring, complex evaluations requiring outside assistance
      4. Control of workplace health hazards
         
         • -Approaches and methods of control for hazards
         • -Implementation of a correct quality control
   3. Submission of a report on the findings of hazards associated with a workplace
   4. Assessing and enforcing compliances with health and safety regulations

E. METHODS OF INSTRUCTION

• Lecture: in-class lectures followed by group discussions and activities relevant to the topics presented.
• Field study: students will visit identified/ selected workplaces to conduct an audit on workplace hazards. The findings are to be compiled by each student in the learning portfolio. This portfolio will be submitted with a detailed report, together with a proposal on healthy workplace promotion plan to address the findings

F. REQUIRED TEXT AND COURSE MATERIALS
Barry SL. et al. (2005). Occupational and environmental health: Recognizing and reventing disease and injury(5th Ed.). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. (or most recent edition).

G. REFERENCE MATERIALS
Stranks SW. (2001). A manager’s guide to health and safety at work (6th Ed.). London, England: Kogan Page Ltd. (or most recent edition). Micronesia’s Health & Safety at Work Act Snashall, D. (1999). ABC of work related disorders. Sudburry, Massachusetts: BMJ Publishing Group. (or most recent edition). Tillman C (2007). Principles of occupational health and hygiene - An introduction. New South Wales, Australia: Allen&Unwin. (or most recent edition). Stellman JM. (1998). Encyclopaedia of occupational health and safety Vol. I, II, III, IV(4th Ed.). Geneva, Switzerland: International Labour Office ( or most recent edition).

H. INSTRUCTIONAL COST
none

I. EVALUATION
none

J. CREDIT BY EXAMINATION
None