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 Occupational Health and Safety


                                  


1)    Consider your workplace or a workplace of one of your family members. Are there chemical, biological, radiological or ergonomic issues? Using the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls, how might you address the issues? How are they being addressed in reality?
Working in the dental field makes the workers at high risk exposure to chemicals (fixer and developer chemicals), radiological (x-ray radiation), and biological (pathogenic), also, working in the dental office have a risk of eye injury, developing dermatitis (from latex gloves), having punctures wounds (risk of HIV, Hepatitis B) and abrasions from using sharp instruments, back and neck problems (musculoskeletal disorders) due to wrong working positions. Hierarchy of control in the dental field can be done by elimination and substitution of hazardous substances like using of latex free gloves, using digital x-ray to eliminate the chemicals of processing films, engineering control isolating of the x-ray machines in an isolated room in order to protect the staff and the patients, also ventilation system in dark room of processing x-ray films to eliminate inhalation of chemicals. Administrative controls by training the workers to follow OSHA guidelines and have safe work environment, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) by using protective eye and face shields, wearing gloves and masks for protection from exposure to saliva, blood, and materials. In reality of the parts of the hierarchy of control are addressed and followed by all the dental practices.

2)    What might be the barriers to workers exercising their rights to a healthy and safe workplace?
The barriers can include language barriers especially for the immigrants, lack of knowledge in the rights of the worker, fear from being fired, fear from being blamed, fear from the consequences of claiming, fear based on immigration status, and fear of reprisals at work.

Comments

  1. Brittany AApril 16, 2018 at 6:15 PM

    Ali, this is really good information. When I think of a dentist office I only think of radiation. You brought up interesting facts about eye injury and puncture wounds.

    ReplyDelete

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