The Importance of Occupational Health | Factors Affecting Well-being at Work
We all spend long hours at our jobs, so it becomes a very
important part of our lives. In this sense, problems at work affect our daily
lives, and determine to a certain extent our degree of happiness. For example,
monotonous tasks can cause stress, which can affect our daily lives and cause
psychological disorders such as anxiety or depression if this situation is
prolonged.
What do we mean when we talk about occupational health? What factors affect our well-being at work? I will explain all of these queries so be with me.
What is occupational health?
There are many factors that can affect our well-being at
work, whether it is due to the tasks we perform, being in a job that does not
fulfil us, or poor relationships with colleagues.
For this reason, occupational psychologists and other
professionals in the field of occupational risk prevention have become
interested in the health of workers and in finding out what conditions we find
in the company or in the position in which we work affect our physical
and psychological health.
There are different types of health, and occupational health
is one of them. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defined general health as
"a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely
the absence of disease." Therefore, I am going to speak about well-being
and not the absence of illness because the absence of illness alone is not
health. Furthermore, health goes beyond being in good physical shape; we must
take into account our emotional and social health to have a healthy life.
Considering this definition, the International Labor
Organisation (ILO), a specialised agency of the United Nations that deals with
matters relating to work and industrial relations, stated that occupational
health “aims to promote and maintain the highest degree of physical, mental and
social well-being of workers, regardless of their profession; and in this way protect
the worker from risks to his health, keep him in a job that suits his
psychological and physiological abilities and prevent any damage that affects
his well-being.
Factors affecting the occupational health of workers
Occupational health should not only matter to the worker,
because when an employee is not well at work the company will also
suffer the consequences: lower performance, greater work presenteeism ,
more sick leave, etc.
The factors that can affect a worker's well-being can arise
from different sources; for example, from the workplace, which are
known as working conditions (lifting excessive weight or noise level
or work overload), from the organisation (for example, the work day or
communication from superiors) or at a psycho-social level (for example,
expectations or the socioeconomic situation that the worker experiences at a
given time).
Now, what factors affect the health of workers? The health
of workers can be affected by different elements, or we can also say that, by
different factors. If we talk about the workplace, we can talk about different
risk factors, which are those that can reduce the well-being of a worker.
According to this, a classification is usually made into 5 groups.
1. Security Conditions
This group refers to materials that can cause a work
accident.
- Electrical
hazards.
- Risk
of fire.
- Handling
and transportation.
- Work
machines.
- Work
surface.
2. Physical work environment
This group includes those factors of the natural
environment that may appear modified in the work environment and that
affect the health of workers.
- Noise.
- Temperature.
- Vibrations.
- Lightning.
- Radiations.
3. Polluting factors
Contaminants, which are agents external to the person, can
be chemical (for example, gases) or biological (for example, fungi).
4. Workload
It has to do with physical and mental efforts. In the first
we can highlight the handling of loads, repeated movements, etc. In the
latter, the monotony or responsibility that falls on a worker.
5. Organisational factors
Organisational factors are related to the structure and
organisation of work, which affect the physical, mental and social level. Leadership
style, work schedule or relationships with colleagues.
Read the related article: [Responsibilities of Employer]
Frequent problems that affect occupational health:
These are some of the most common elements that
affect the occupational health of workers:
- Burnout
syndrome
- Work
stress
- Ergonomic
problems in the workspace
- Mobbing
- Work
overload
- Lack
of information and clear objectives
- Ineffective
incentive system
How to know if you are in a toxic job?
We usually talk about a toxic job when the work environment
is not appropriate for working. When we talk about work environment we are
referring to the environment at work and how it affects workers. That is, here
we are talking about work conditions, but attention is also paid to interpersonal
relationships, workers' expectations, growth possibilities within the company and
other factors such as remuneration, recognition or the degree of involvement. Of
an employee with the company.
Occupational health is a multi factorial phenomenon.
As you have seen, there are many variables that influence
the well-being of workers, which is why we usually talk about different
areas in the prevention of occupational risks, and therefore the work of
different professionals.
To minimise risk, different knowledge and techniques are
used: occupational safety (application of measures to minimise risks. For
example, through standards), industrial hygiene (cleaning, taking samples and
measurements of contaminating agents, etc.), occupational medicine (study of
work-related illnesses), psych sociology (social and psychological factors
associated with occupational health) and ergonomics (conditions for adapting to
the workplace).
Conclusion:
There are too many factors that affect the wellness of the work, we can create a healthier and happier work life by addressing and mitigating them. A healthy and Happy work life is always leading to a better quality of life. Remember, a healthy workplace is a productive and successful workplace. Let's prioritise our occupational health, safety and well-being with HSEWALA, and make our work life a positive and fulfilling experience."
