The right ventilation and building care can prevent and fix IAQ problems . Although the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( OSHA ) does not have IAQ standards , it does have standards about ventilation and standards on some of the air contaminants that can be involved in IAQ problems . OSHA responds to questions about standards with letters of interpretation . OSHA ’ s letters of interpretation specifically addressing IAQ issues can be found in Other Resources . The General Duty Clause of the OSH Act ( the law that created OSHA ) requires employers to provide workers with a safe workplace that does not have any known hazards that cause or are likely to cause death or serious injury .
Joint ILO / WHO Committee on Occupational Health – International Labour Organisation
The main focus in occupational health is on three different objectives :
( i ) the maintenance and promotion of workers ’ health and working capacity ;
( ii ) the improvement of the working environment and work to become conducive to safety and health ; and
( iii ) the development of work organisations and working cultures in a direction which supports health and safety at work and in doing so also promotes a positive social climate and smooth operation and may enhance the productivity of the undertakings .
The concept of working culture is intended in this context to mean a reflection of the essential value systems adopted by the undertaking concerned . Such a culture is reflected in practice in the managerial systems , personnel policy , principles for participation , training policies and quality management of the undertaking .
Those in the field of occupational health come from a wide range of disciplines and professions , including medicine , psychology , epidemiology , physiotherapy and rehabilitation , occupational medicine , human factors and ergonomics , and many others . Professionals advise on a broad range of occupational health matters . These include how to avoid particular pre-existing conditions causing a problem in the occupation , correct posture for the work , frequency of rest breaks , preventive action that can be undertaken , and so forth .
The quality of occupational safety is characterised by : -
1 . the indicators reflecting the level of industrial injuries ;
2 . the average number of days of incapacity for work per employer ;
3 . employees ’ satisfaction with their work conditions ; and 4 . employees ’ motivation to work safely .
Occupational health should aim at :
● the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical , mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations ;
● the prevention amongst workers of departures from health caused by their working conditions ;
● the protection of workers in their employment from risks resulting from factors adverse to health ;
● the placing and maintenance of the worker in an occupational environment adapted to his physiological and psychological capabilities ; and
● the adaptation of work to man and of each man to his job .
Given the high demand in society for health and safety provisions at work based on reliable information , occupational safety and health professionals should find their roots in evidencebased practice . A new term is “ evidenceinformed decision-making ”. A working definition of evidence-based practice could be “ evidencebased practice is the use of evidence from literature and other evidence-based sources , for advice and decisions that favour the health , safety , well-being , and work ability of workers ”. Evidence-based information must be integrated with professional expertise and the workers ’ values . Contextual factors related to legislation , culture , financial , and technical possibilities must be considered . Ethical considerations should be heeded .
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