Health risk assessment in working environment control

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Health risk assessment in working environment
control

• Raina Pihelgas
• E-mail rainapihelgas_at_hot.ee

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There is a lot of definitions about health. Id
define health as

• a state of complete physical, mental and social
  well-being and not merely the absence of disease
  or infirmity (WHO)

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• The Risk is the chance, high or low, of someone
  being harmed by the hazard (Health and Safety
  Executive)

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Control of an organization, place, or system is
the power to make all the important decisions
about the way that it is run (Collins Cobuild
English Dictionary, 2000, ISBN 0 00 3750299)
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Working environment is a part of the overall
environment. Environment is the aggregate, at a
given moment, of all external conditions and
influences to which a system is subjected.(ISO,
1975) This is not may be such kind of working
environment where we might want to work. It
could be better of course.
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As birth rate is low and life expectancy
increases, average age in the population
increases in developed countries. Population
aging is a shift in the distribution of a
country's population towards greater ages.
Population aging causes workforce aging.Workforce
aging is a shift in the distri- bution of a
countrys workforce towards greater ages.
Sometimes it is better to work even when you
are not physically strong.
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In some countries people live and work longer
because the conditions are good. In Andorra
tourism accounts for more than 80 of GDP. Life
expectancy is the highest in the world 82,67
years. Though Andorra is not well developed
industrially there are good psychological
conditions.

• While in Germany where is well developed mixed
  economic system the life expectancy is 79,1
  years.
• Only industrial develop-
• ment doesnt
• bring along longer
• age or higher life quality.

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In 1950 the learning process lasted from 7 to
20 years and then was cutted off sharply when
people started their working life. Retirement
started sharp-ly at sixties as well. But in
2050 learning should last during almost the
whole life starting later at the age of 15 and
finish smoothly at the age of 80. At the same
time continuing working life should last to the
end of people lives. Person has enough
relaxation during all life.
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Conclusions It is important to add health
and safety education to secondary People would
stay healthy till they are aged if at early ages
they avoided health damages. If not it ends
like this. Traumas in younger age cause
permanent health damage in later years.
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Inspection should take into account the age of
the workers. Labour inspection could educate
older people in enterprise to find new materials
and books. Some may ask, what sense does it
make to work at this age? If to look at the
western countries, then most old age workers work
as a small undertakers. World richest people are
over 80 years old. For example Ingvar Kamprad is
81 years old. Here what counts is life
experience.
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Why risks in working environment
should be controlled? To be able to work longer
in our lives when one is sixty, seventy or even
ninety years old like this watchman here.
Usually there is relatively low life expectancy
among watchman. But this one herelikes his
work and is very good specialist and so he looks
quite well. It is important to improve
psychosocial fac-tors.
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During this year Labour Inspectorate controlled
200 enterprises in Estonia concerning risk
analyses. The choice of the enterprises is the
problem enterprises, not average enterprise in
Estonia. And THIS is not perhaps average
behaviour either. There were recommendations
to carry out risk assessment according to the
type of enterprise. In construction the
inspection should be attentive for how their
work should be done safely while in commerce
there are working processes with carrying boxes
of goods that has to be carefully managed.
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Aging workforce is the
problem of last decades. We should examine what
is the older worker like. Businessmen should
examine as well. And Labour Inspectorate should
know how to work with older people because they
can teach undertakers.In civilized society the
problem of control dis-appears, because people
are disciplined. In dreamland there are happy
people coming to work every morning and the
Labour Inspectorate is just a little
institution.
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Thank you for attention