Essential Occupational Health and Safety Definitions

Key Concepts in Occupational Health and Safety

Health

The perfect balance of an individual's physical, psychological, and social well-being.

Security

The guarantee of freedom from risk, harm, and danger.

Occupational Risks

Work situations that can upset the physical, mental, and social balance of a worker.

Factors Contributing to Occupational Risks

• Mechanical Factors

  Risks caused by crashes, improper handling, or electrical contacts due to faulty installation.

• Physical Factors

  Risks from noise, vibration, heat stress, and ionizing and non-ionizing radiation.

• Chemical Factors

  Risks from chemical substances.

• Biological Factors

  Risks from biological agents.

Routes of Pollutant Input

• Respiratory via
• Skin absorption
• Digestive mucosa absorption
• Parenteral (injection)

Organizational Factors

Elements such as working hours, pace of work, automation, social status, identification with the task, initiative, and job stability.

Professional Damages

Health disorders or injuries sustained at work or on the occasion of work, classified as professional diseases.

Accident at Work

Defined as a bodily injury suffered by a worker with a pre-existing employment contract, where there is a direct relationship or connection between the work activity developed by the employee and the bodily injury suffered.

Occupational Disease

A disease described as an occupational disease in legislation, caused by the action of specific elements or substances, and industrial activities specified therein, normally as a result of producing paid employment.

Prevention Service

Distinctive systems for organizing prevention within a company, which can include: the employer directly, designated workers, internal prevention services, or external prevention services.

Health and Safety Committee

A peer and collegial participation body for regular consultation and periodic review of prevention plans and programs within the company. Its aspects include constitution, composition, meetings, powers, and privileges.

Workers' Rights

• Right to information
• Right to consultation and participation
• Right to training
• Right to health protection
• Right to resistance (to unsafe work)

Employer Responsibilities

Encompass administrative, civil, and criminal law obligations.

Employer Duties

• Avoiding risks
• Maintaining documentation
• Developing an emergency plan
• Monitoring the health status of workers
• Providing training to workers