This course is part of the Occupational Health: Managing Hazard and Risk at Work ExpertTrack
Occupational Safety and Health Hazards
Learn how to identify different types of occupational health and safety hazards in the workplace to protect workers.
Duration
2 weeksWeekly study
6 hoursIncluded in an ExpertTrack
Course 1 of 2
Occupational Safety and Health Hazards
Recognise the importance of occupational health and safety standards
No workplace is free from risk. Whether physical or psychosocial, occupational hazards are a concern for every workplace.
This two-week course from Universiti Malaya will give you an introduction to occupational health and safety and help you to identify the many different types of hazards that can be found in the workplace.
Learn to identify physical and psychosocial risks in the workplace
Hazards and risks in the workplace aren’t always clear. It’s essential to understand that psychosocial risks need to be addressed just as much as hazards that can result in physical injury.
On this course, you’ll learn to identify the numerous types of occupational health and safety risks to ensure that you’re able to find and address them in your own company.
You’ll also examine chemical and biological hazards, delving into toxicology and poisons as well as the chain of infection and how to contain these hazards.
Explore permissible exposure limits and the legal standards of different countries
Each country and region has their own level of hazard that workers are allowed to be exposed to over the period of their workday.
You’ll explore how countries define their standards in terms of hazard exposure levels based on permissible exposure limits (PEL), workplace exposure limits (WEL), and occupational exposure limits (OEL). This will give you a baseline understanding of how to assess risk levels to protect workers.
Learn occupational health standards with the experts at Universiti Malaya
This course is led by Professor Dr Victor Hoe, an Occupational Health Physician with a practice in the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre.
With Dr Victor Hoe’s expertise, you’ll be guided through the many occupational hazards and risks and how you can effectively identify and contain them.
Syllabus
Week 1
Occupational hazards - physical, ergonomics, & psychosocial
Course overview
The aim of occupational health to promote and maintain the highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations. In this course, we will learn about the various workplace hazards.
Introduction to occupational hazards
Occupational hazards are conditions or situations surrounding a work environment that increases the risk or probability to cause harm. Harm can be in the form of injury, illness, disability, property damage, or death.
Physical hazards
The most common hazards or environmental factors in the workplace could cause physical harm to workers, customers, or other people.
Ergonomic hazards
Any interaction with the working systems or environmental factors that may cause the worker discomfort, strain, or risk of injury to the musculoskeletal system.
Psychosocial hazards
Psychosocial hazards occur within the interactions among job content, work organisation and management, and other environmental and organisational conditions, on the other hand, the employees’ competencies and needs on the other.
Weekly wrap up
A hazard does not become safe just because we see it happen every day. Due to our negligence, this “hazard blindness” happens to the best of us. If this mindset continues, this can cause unnecessary danger.
Week 2
Occupational hazards - chemical & biological
Chemical hazards
Substances or chemicals in or near the workplace could potentially cause harm to workers. The potential harm is based on the duration of exposure, the amount of exposure, individual vulnerability, and route of exposure.
Biological hazards
Biological hazards can pose a threat to the health and safety of workers. Biological hazards can be part of the industrial processes or due to human activities. The control of biological hazards has their own unique challenges.
Course wrap up
A hazard does not become safe just because we see it happen every day. Due to our negligence, this “hazard blindness” happens to the best of us. If this mindset continues, this can cause unnecessary danger.
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Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Describe the different occupational safety and health (OSH) hazards
- Identify and recognise occupational safety and health (OSH) hazards
Who is the course for?
This course is designed for primary care providers such as general practitioners, nurses, physicians, and more.
It will also be suitable for anyone interested in learning more about occupational safety and health.
Who will you learn with?
Hi, I am a Professor of Occupational and Public Health at the University of Malaya. I have more than 20 years of experience in Occupational Safety and Health.
Dr Lim is employed as a medical lecturer and occupational health physician at the University of Malaya (UM).
Who developed the course?
Established
1905Location
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaWorld ranking
Top 60Source: QS World University Rankings 2021
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