:Why Occupational safety,Important factors of Occupational safety in Agriculture.causes and common types of accidents.Occupational safety is very important and it is the joint responsibility of all: the government,the employer and the worker.
2. What is Safety?
state of being certain that adverse effects will not be
caused by some agents under defined conditions;
usually that will affect the health of an individual or
group.
Occupational Safety?
a cross-boundary area concerned with protecting the
safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or
employment.
As secondary effect, may also protect co-workers, family
members, employers, customers, suppliers, nearby
communities, and other members of public who are
impacted by the workplace environment.
3. Occupational safety Objectives
the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of
physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all
occupations;
the prevention amongst workers of departures from
health caused by their working conditions;
the protection of workers in their employment from risks
resulting from factors adverse to health;
the placing and maintenance of the worker in an
occupational environment adapted to his physiological
and psychological capabilities;
4. Safety Against Hazards
The degree of exposure to hazards or
dangers diferred greatly with each work or
worker
Occupational Safety concerns:
• the worker
• the employer
• the government
5. Why Occupational safety?
Moral –an employee need not be subjected to risk injury
at work, nor others associated with the work
environment.
b. Economic - poor occupational safety and health
performance results in
huge costs to the State (e.g. through social security payments to
the incapacitated, costs for medical treatment, and the loss of the
"employability" of the worker especially in countries where the
welfare of the citizens are taken as paramount to national
development).
costs to employer in the event of an incident at work through
payments e.g. legal fees, fines, compensatory damages,
investigation time, lost production, lost goodwill from the
workforce, from customers and from the wider community).
c. Legal - without extra "encouragement" of potential
regulatory action or litigation, many organisations would
not act upon their implied moral obligations.
6. Legal perspectives to Occupational and Health
safety in Nigeria – Contributions of Chief rotimi
Williams
There is need to commence work on a comprehensive
review of the Nigerian Law for the purpose of meeting the
challenges that were imminent in Occupational and Health
safety in Nigeria
.
7. Importance of Occupational
safety
it seeks to secure the health, safety and welfare of all persons at
work and other persons who may be at risk as a result of
activities at work.
It provides that employers maintain plants and systems that are
reasonably and practicably safe, they ensure safe methods of
handling, storing and transporting materials and also provide
adequate induction, training and supervision in those methods.
It provides that employers must keep revised, written safety
policy statement showing the arrangement and organization of
their safety procedures. These rules and procedures must be
known to all employees.
8. Importance of Occupational safety cont’d
It provides that employees are also required by law to
cooperate in meeting statutory requirements and must not
interfere with or misuse materials provided to secure health
safety and welfare.
It ensures that Commission set up by government are
empowered to make health and safety regulations or codes of
practice for most industries and failure to observe any
provision of practice may render an employer liable to
prosecution.
Ensures regular compliance to standards and wide ranging
powers are given to inspectors to ensure compliance with the
Act.
9. Important factors of Occupational safety in
Agriculture
major hazards to the worker: Consequences
infections by significant but
pathogens, preventable expenditure
physiological especially on treatments,
disorders, premature ageing,
respiratory tract absenteeism from work
infections, and declining
productivity. In addition,
allergies this adds up to
musculoskeletal
disorders
increased social and
injuries from health costs for the
exposure country.
poisoning.
10. Occupational safety Practices relating to
Agriculture in Southwest Nigeria - accidents
Causes:
ignorance or illiteracy;
lack of use or availability of personal protective
equipment,
inadequate information on occupational hazards
non-existence of or inadequate training.
common types:
stepping on sharp objects,
wounds from tools,
insect bite and
poison from agro-chemicals.
11. Occupational safety Practices relating to
Agriculture in Southwest Nigeria - Findings
Recommended precautionary measures to farmers
The recommendations include wearing of nose shield to avoid
chemical inhalation,
protective clothing, rubber gloves and boots,
refraining from smoking,
eating and drinking during chemical applications,
covering food and water to avoid contamination.
Findings
most farmers were not enthusiastic about the need to use safety
devices to prevent the listed accidents.
The farmers were aware of deaths resulting from accidents on
farm
major reason for non-use of the safety gears were cost of
procurement and convenience of use.
Farmers in the area are prone to accidents and illness from the
activities on farm principally due to non use of safety devices..
These studies established that agriculture is hazardous and most
accidents identified are indeed preventable
12. Conclusion
Occupational safety is very important and it is
the joint responsibility of all: the government,
the employer and the worker.