Promoting Safety and Health in the Workplace

1. PromotingSafety and Healthin the Workplace - CONTACT CENTER - Occupational Safety and Health Center Department of Labor and Employment

2. Occupational Safety and Health • encompasses the social, mental and physical well-being of workers, that is the “whole person”

3. Lesson 1. Learn from the past and prepare for a better future

4. The World of Work then … "a foul and poisonous dust [that] flies out from these materials, enters the mouth, then the throat and lungs, makes the workmen cough incessantly, and by degrees brings on asthmatic troubles." "in whom he found heaps of sand that in running the knife through the pulmonary vesicles he thought he was cutting through some sandy body."

5. Bernardini RamazziniFather of Occupational Medicine 1713 – Published “De Morbis Artificum” (Diseases of Workers)

6. Paracelsus (1493-1541)Father of Modern Toxicology Areolus Phillipus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim "All substances are poisons; there is none which is not a poison. The right DOSE differentiates a poison from a remedy."

7. Lesson 2. Know the conditions of work and workplace

8. Occupational and Work-Related Diseases and Injuries • History of exposure to hazardous workplace factors becomes indispensable in determining whether an illness is because of workplace factors or not.

9. Types of Hazards Chemicalhazards Physical hazards Ergonomic stresses Biologic hazards

10. Types of Hazards Chemicalhazards • Formaldehyde • Cigarette smoke • Carbon monoxide • Carbon dioxide • Cleaning Agents

11. Types of Hazards Physical hazards • Poor office lighting • Noise • Dry air • Air currents

12. Types of Hazards • Pollens, allergens and dusts • People, plants, mites, pests • Condensed water in air conditioners, clogged drains, etc. Biologic hazards

13. Types of Hazards • Limited workspace • Simplified work • Repetitive task • Shiftwork (esp. nightwork) • Mental and physical workload Ergonomic stresses

14. Lesson 3. Mere exposure to hazard does not cause harm to safety or health

15. Important to characterize exposure Hazards in the workplace can cause harm if there is undue exposure such as through elevated workplace concentration without proper control measures.

16. Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs) • development requires weeks, months or years of exposure to ergonomic risk factors • Repetitive exertions • Posture stresses (including static posture) • Forceful exertions • Contact stresses • Job design • Work organization • Workstation dimension

17. Lesson 4. Take active part in keeping yourself safe and healthy.

18. Diseases of Workers • Many diseases of occupational cause are multifactorial,with non-occupational factors playing a role. • Personal characteristics, other environmental and socio-cultural factors usually play a role as risk factors for these diseases.

19. Total Health Promotion • Smoking cessation • Physical activity • Nutrition • Weight reduction • HIV/AIDS • Drug Abuse Prevention • TB Prevention and Control

20. Lesson 5. Prevention is better than treatment

21. HARMFUL EXPOSURES EARLY IN WORKING LIFE MODIFY NORMAL COURSE OF PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES DUE TO AGEING ALONE

22. Hearing loss comes with ageing But hearing loss can occur much earlier due to occupational exposure

23. Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

24. Loss of muscle strength comes with ageing • But muscle strength can be diminished even in young persons

25. Occupational Safety and Health is Prevention • Many occupational conditions are IRREVERSIBLE • Occupational conditions are PREVENTABLE

26. ENSURING WORKER WELL-BEING • “The choice of a starting age for attention should be selected as “young” enough that intervention efforts can be expected to make a difference during the working life.” Committee on the Health and Safety Needs of Older Workers National Research Council and Institute of Medicine

27. Occupational Safety and Health ConditionsContact Centers

28. Occupational Safety and Health in Call Centers(Secondary Data) • Musculoskeletal disorders • Linked to poorly designed workstations (Hoekstra et. al. 1995). • Associated with longer shift duration (Ferreira M and Saldiva PH, 2002) • Long uninterrupted hours of work with the computer • Invariable and sedentary work (Norman K et. al. 2001) • Low job satisfaction (Most IG, 1999)

29. Occupational Safety and Health in Call Centers (Secondary Data) • Voice disorders • Intensive verbal interaction with clients one of the contributing factors (Jones K et. al., 2002) • Eyestrain • Poor lighting conditions and intensive computer use (Putnam C et. al., 2000)

30. Occupational Safety and Health in Call Centers (Secondary Data) • Problems due to psychosocial and work organization stressors (Putnam C et. al., 2000) • Increased reporting of health disorders • Negative work attitude (boredom, job dissatisfaction, anger, etc.)

31. Occupational Safety and Health in Call Centers(Secondary Data) • Concern over potential hearing problems (Patel J and Broughton K, 2002) • Exposure to high intensity sound coming from the headsets • high sound levels in the room from the simultaneous talking of the employees

32. Occupational Safety and Health Conditions Contact Centers in the Philippines

33. Methods • Case study of 5 call centers • Purposively selected employees from one (1) company • Questionnaire to collect data about personal circumstances, occupational profile, medical and psychosocial conditions • Company profile • Data will be collected regarding the organization in terms of size, tasks, type of clients, work organization, working hours, etc. Information on incentive system will also be gathered.

34. Results • 5 call centers • Varying tasks of operators • 1 call center with only interactive computer task (internet online communication) • 4 call centers both voice and computer

35. Results

36. Results

37. Results Working Posture of Call Center Agents Company E (n=55)

38. Frequency of eye symptoms among call center agents (n=73)

39. Frequency of musculoskeletal symptoms among call center agents (n=72)

40. Frequency of hearing and voice disorders among call center agents (n=73)

41. Lesson 6. Proactive measures are better than reactive efforts

42. Work Elements and associated Risk factors of voice disorders

43. Work Elements and associated Risk factors of hearing disorders

44. Work Elements and associated Risk factors of visual fatigue

45. Work Elements and associated Risk factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorder

47. Implications of the Study • Knowledge gained to be used to improve working conditions • In existing and prospective new call centers • Address the OSH problems at an early stage • Policy/Program Implications • needs of women, mothers, young workers • policies concerning work shifts, esp. prolonged night work • adequate, on-site medical and health promotion facilities

48. Implications of the Study • Recognition of complex nature of safety and health issues in call centers • Interaction of psychosocial factors with other work factors • Unique work organization because of electronic monitoring • High performance standards • Issues on job security • Compensation implications • Recognition of problems of workers in call centers • Associated with air quality, ambient noise, noise from headset, human-computer interaction, shift work, etc.

49. Looking at regulatory requirements Relevant laws, standards, issuances and guidelines Enforcement Implementation Inspection Evaluation Looking at developmental strategies Information Education Training Campaigns Good practices Successful cases Competitions Demonstrations Interventions Approach in EnsuringWell-Being of Workers

50. Participatory approach Participation and involvement from stakeholders • Coordinated intervention • Learning from • specifications/guidelines, • scientific data • best practice