LARGER PICTURE OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

what's the large Picture of OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH?

The rapid development of workplace health protective and preventive services has been driven by government strategies and proposals , also as by the ecu Union legislation within the areas of health and safety at work and by the ecu Commission programme publicly health. This was also largely thanks to the new demands and expectations from employers, employees and their representative bodies as they recognize the economic, social and health benefits achieved by providing these services at the workplace, thus providing the available knowledge and evidence necessary for the continual improvement of workplace health management. Comprehensive workplace health management may be a process involving all stakeholders inside and out of doors any business. It aims at empowering them to require control over their own health and their family's health considering environmental, lifestyle, occupational and social health determinants and quality of health care. it's supported health promotion principles and it creates an excellent challenge to health, environment and safety professionals providing services, advice, information and education to social partners at work. It involves also taking care of considerable socioeconomic interest of all involved stakeholders. it's been shown in several instances that the business utilizing a well managed research based occupational health service can gain a competitive advantage by:

Protecting human health against health and safety hazards occurring within the work environment.
Promoting human health workplaces for all ages and healthy aging by appropriate work culture, work organization and support to social cohesion.
Promoting psychological state , healthy lifestyle and preventing major non-communicable diseases using specific workplace health policies and management tools.
Maintaining work ability thus also employability throughout working life.
Reducing health care costs caused by employees' and employers' injuries, diseases, illnesses and premature retirement resulting from or influenced by occupational, environmental, life style and social health determinants
Using resources effectively, protecting the natural environment and creating a health supportive environment.
Improving social communication and literacy on health, environment and ethics.
This article series describes the author's observations of varied roles undertaken by the occupational health nurse. Whilst recognizing the wide variation that exists in occupational health nursing practice between different industrial and blue collar environments this series reflects the standards that have already been achieved where occupational health nursing is at its most advanced. However it's to be recognized that the extent of education, professional skills and therefore the exiting national legislation determines what role are often actually undertaken by occupational health nurses. Even more important is to recollect that nobody professional out of the exiting workplace health professions is now capable to meeting all health needs of the working population. A multi-disciplinary approach is required to effectively manage the growing workplace health and safety demands in business today.

The workplace health services use the talents of the many professionals like specialist occupational physicians, safety engineers, occupational hygienists, occupational health nurses, ergonomists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, laboratory technicians, psychologists and other specialists. The role and tasks actually performed for the businesses by representatives of various health and safety professions vary greatly depending upon legislative needs, scope of the workplace health concept perceived by directors, enforcement practice, the extent of their education, position within the occupational health infrastructure, actions undertaken by insurance institutions and lots of other factors. Occupational health nurses are the foremost important single group of health professionals involved in delivering health services at the workplace and have the most important role to play within the workplace health management. they're at the frontline in helping to guard and promote the health of the nations working population.

The role of the occupational health nurse in workplace health management may be a new and exciting concept that's designed to enhance the management of health and health related problems within the workplace. Specialist occupational health nurses can play a serious role in protecting and improving the health of the working population as a part of this strategy. Occupational health nurses also can make a serious contribution to the sustainable development, improved competitiveness, job security and increased profitability of companies and communities by addressing those factors which are associated with the health of the working population. By helping to scale back unhealthiness occupational health nurses can contribute to the increased profitability and performance of organizations and reduce health care costs. Occupational health nurses also can help to scale back the externalization of costs onto the taxpayer, by preventing disability and social exclusion, and by improving rehabilitation services at work. By protecting and promoting the health of the working population, and by promoting social inclusion, occupational health nurses also can make a big contribution towards building a caring social ethos within the united kingdom . this text provides guidance to employers and employees on establishing workplace health management systems within their own organizations. On the way to determine and develop the role and functions of the occupational health nursing specialist within each enterprise and where to travel for extra help and advice in reference to occupational health nursing.

Changing nature of working life and therefore the new challenges

The world of labor has undergone enormous change within the last hundred years. To an outsized extent the very heavy, dirty and dangerous industries have gone, and therefore the burden of disease, which came with them, in most European countries, has declined. However, the new working environments and conditions of labor that have replaced them have given rise to new and different concerns about the health of the working population. Exposure to physical, chemical, biological and psychosocial risk factors at work are now far more clearly linked to health outcomes within the mind of the overall public. Expectations of society in reference to health at work have also changed, with increasing demands for better standards of protection at work and for the development of the standard of working life. Employers also are recognizing that health-related issues, like sickness absence, litigation and compensation costs, increasing insurance premiums, are expensive; ignoring them can cause serious economic consequences. the simplest employers' emphasize the important message that healthiness is sweet business, which much are often achieved during this field just by introducing good management practices.

The Need for Workplace Management

There are approximately 400 million people that add the EU Member States. the bulk of whom spend quite one half their waking life at work. However, fatal accidents at work are still common. The standardized incident rates per 100,000 workers within the European Union show that the casualty rate varies between 1.6 within the UK to 13.9 in Spain, with Austria, Greece, France, Italy and Portugal all above 5.0%. within the entire European region there are approximately 200 to 7500 non-fatal accidents per 100,000 employees per annum , of which around 10% are severe resulting in over 60 days absence from work, and up to five , per year, cause permanent disability. it's been estimated that the entire cost to society of labor related injuries and unhealthiness within the European Union is between 185 billion and 270 billion ECU per annum , which represents between 2.6% to 3.8% of Gross National Product (GNP) in member states. the value of workplace accidents and unhealthiness , in both financial and human terms, remains a huge , largely unrecognized burden in UK. the bulk of these accidents and diseases could are prevented if appropriate action had been taken at the workplace. Many responsible employers have consistently demonstrated that by listening to those issues this sort of harm and therefore the subsequent costs are often avoided, to the advantage of everyone concerned. Increasing concern is that the growing awareness of occupational stress. Up to 42% of labor ers during a recent survey complained about the high pace of work. Job insecurity, fear of unemployment, lack of a daily salary and therefore the potential loss of labor ability are all additional sources of stress, even for those employed .
The wide ranging social and health effects of occupational stress on the health of the working population are well documented, for instance 23% of workers surveyed claimed that that they had been absent from work for work related health reasons within the previous twelve months. The resulting cost of sickness absence in uk is taken into account to be substantial. within the UK 177 million working days were lost in 1994 as a results of sickness absence; this has been assessed at over 11 billion in lost productivity. HSE statistics are encouraging given in 2009; only 29.3 million days were lost overall, 24.6 million thanks to work-related unhealthiness and 4.7 million thanks to workplace injury. Much of this burden of unhealthiness and therefore the resulting sickness absence is caused, or is formed worse by working conditions. Even where unhealthiness isn't directly caused by work, but by other non-occupational factors like smoking, lifestyle, diet etc. Interventions designed to enhance the health of the working population, delivered at the workplace, may help to scale back still further the burden of unhealthiness . at the present the socioeconomic impact of environmental pollution caused by industrial processes on the working population is uncertain, but it's likely to contribute further to the burden of unhealthiness in some communities.