Occupational Health: Issues and Strategies

Around the world, millions of men and women work in poor and hazardous conditions. Every year, more than 2 million people die of work-related accidents and diseases. Human suffering has no measurable cost, unlike economic losses. Estimates, for example, from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Norway put the direct cost of accidents in billions of dollars. In many developing countries, death rates among workers are five to six times those in industrialized countries. Yet, the phenomenon is still largely undocumented and there is insufficient political will to address the problem. The prevention of accidents, improvement of working conditions and enforcement of standards are often seen as a cost to business. Little is known about the costs of not preventing accidents or poor working conditions, or of the benefits of improvements for productivity and competitiveness. Better information and workplace health promotion strategies can help to increase the organization’s and the government’s willingness to invest in prevention and evolve economics of labor protection. This will foster the development of a safety culture worldwide. The book highlights the multifaceted dimensions of occupational health, along with workplace health promotion strategies, to provide the readers a bird’s eye view of occupational health and safety, in the form of well-written articles by experts in a synchronized format. The book will serve as a valuable reference for employees, employers, health personnel, policy-makers, practicing managers, OH specialists and labor economists.