Ensure a Safe Workplace: Hazardous Occupations, Stress Management Techniques, Natural Disasters, and Workplace Hazards

This article discusses hazardous occupations, stress management techniques, natural disasters, and workplace hazards. It provides examples of safety prevention practices and proper responses to emergencies. The article also includes references to relevant studies and research.

Running Head: ENSURE A SAFE WORKPLACE
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Ensure a safe workplace
7/31/2018

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Q.1 Identify Hazardous occupations stated in the “National Occupational Health profile-
Maldives” report. Explain why are they considered hazardous and examples of safety
behaviour by workers.
Ans. The major hazardous occupation stated in the “National Occupational Health profile are:
 Construction work
 Fishing
 Occupational Diving
 Healthcare
 Agriculture
Construction workers-
Reasons for considering hazardous
Construction workers mostly migrant employees are exposed to the risk of accidents from
injuries, transportation accidents, and fall from different objects. They are also exposed to
chemicals (pesticides, adhesives, solvents, and paints), dust and physical hazards (Teizer et
al., 2010).
Safety prevention practised by workers
 While doing welding extreme heat can burn skin, also employees can catch fire as
well as electric shock and give bad impact to the eyes. This can be prevented by using
safety appliances and protective equipment such as a safety belt, safety shoes, helmet,
welder’s mask, gloves, footwear etc.
Fishing
Reasons for considering hazardous
Angler is exposed to extraordinary climate, UV radiations, glare from the ocean surface,
accidents on the board and other psychological problems. It can cause severe occupation
problems such as knife wounds while cutting fish or skin diseases because of contact with
fish proteins or utilization of rubber gloves, which can cause harm to individual lives
(Badjeck et al., 2010).

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Safety prevention practised by workers
While fishing workers should wear lightweight garments, non-slip shoes to avoid slipping or
cutting yourself on rocky and sharp edges. They should wear a life jacket to avoid injuries.
They must serve their motor and boat regularly as all should be managed.
Occupational diving
Reasons for considering hazardous
It is considered as the life-threatening operation and most hazardous for the recreational and
professional divers. The general occupational hazard of the work environment includes
electricity shocks, fire, and noise hazards during the procedure of gas tanks filling in the
diving industry.
Safety prevention practised by workers
These divers are trained and well equipped are secured by safety precautions, for example,
pairing (existence of another diver for the rescue of task) and access to decompression
chambers and modern treatment. There is another gathering of divers called indigenous
divers, who are involved by the contractual workers for a collection of live fish, ocean
cucumber etc. (Myers, 2010).
Healthcare
Reasons for considering hazardous
Health care is exposed to bacteria, viruses, parasitic specialists such as tuberculosis, Hepatitis
B, HIV that are a most vital disease. It is contacting to anesthetic chemicals, disinfectants and
radiations. It involves various pathogens, drug exposures and chemical exposures, which is
considered as life threatening and hazardous to individuals (Babcoc et al., 2010).
Safety prevention practised by workers
Workers should be provided with healthcare services such as while came in contact with
tuberculosis or HIV, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease is to be given. There
should not be a delay in treatment and appropriate care should be given.

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Agriculture
Reasons for considering hazardous
Agriculture workers are especially exposed to the extremely hazardous pesticides including
soil pests and diseases, which are a severe threat to productivity and sustainability. These
pesticides are accessible in the open market without any constraint and anticipated that
agriculturists are exposed to various pesticides because of unregulated use (Kirkhorn et al.,
2010).
Safety prevention practised by workers
While doing agriculture work irritation in the eyes, allergic reactions, and respiratory diseases
such as asthma, chronic disease can cause. This can be prevented by using a nose cover to
filter the polluted air. Skin diseases include plant irritants, heat rash, infections from insect
can occur among agricultural workers. This can be prevented by wearing defensive clothes.
Q.2 Explain five stress management techniques.
Ans. There are five-stress management techniques include:
 Meditation
 Exercise
 Time Management
 Muscle relaxation
 Laughter
Meditation leads to a situation of ‘thoughtful awareness’ in which the extreme stress
producing activity of the mind is counterbalanced. It can aid people to see new perspectives
and develop self-compassion and forgiveness. A few minutes of practice can help anxiety.
Those who practice meditation habitually can build flexibility towards stress, boost-up the
attitude and reap immediate benefits to reduce the stress.
Exercise is a principal method to prevention, reduction, and compensate for stressors as 20
minutes’ walk, run, swim in between stressful time can give an instant effect immediately. It
is useful to refocus attention, let out frustrations and even unites with others.
Time Management is often suggested for managing stress. It should be learning to make the
best use of time and plan onwards. A lot of stress can be reduced by make a list of things
need to do and prioritize the task (Varvogli and Darviri, 2011).

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Muscle relaxation is a beneficial tool for soothing our body when our muscles are tense. This
exercise includes tightening each muscle group in the body and holding for 5 seconds, and
then progressively releasing and comforting for 10-15 seconds, which brings incredible
benefits if it is in daily routine.
Laughter can help relieve some of that tension and improve the situation as when people are
stressed, they often hold a lot of stress in their face so they should always smile to relax the
whole body boost-up the immune system and lightens anger’s heavy load. Laughter is the
best medicine to lower stress hormones and adds zest and joy to life.
Q.3 Identify two types of Natural disasters that could occur in your area and suggest a proper
response for each type of emergency.
Ans. The two types of natural disasters are -
 Fire
 Earthquake
Fire
Fire is an avoidable disaster that can cause damage to loss of production, loss of lives and
loss of jobs. When connected properly, fire can be one of our extreme allies in the workplace
and when it is intense and uncontrollable, it can become nastiest and most feared enemy.
Fire prevention in the workplace
 Use all protections to prevent ignition in the potentially explosive atmosphere.
 Emergency exit should be well stricken with neon-regulation signs.
 Employees should have a list of emergency contact numbers in case of emergency.
 Provide for an employee alarm system throughout the workplace.
 Safeguard that smoke area is accessible and that all workers who smoke on the job are
utilizing it (Lau et al., 2010).
Earthquake
It is an unexpected movement of the earth’s crust, which continues for a very short period. It
can cause buildings to break down and heavyweight items to fall, property damage, and
resulting in injuries, which can happen without warning.

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Prevention from an earthquake in the workplace
 The Employee should put down protected items, such as objects that hang on walls.
 Identify safe places under a heavy desk or table.
 Practice Drop, Cover, them Hold On with co-employees.
 Reflect a retrofit of building to correct an operational issue that makes it vulnerable
to collapse during an earthquake.
 If in a high-rise building, imagine fire alarms and sprinklers to go off. Do not use
elevators (Zook et al., 2010).
Q.4 Give two examples and explain how someone can be hurt and injured from a workplace
hazard.
Ans. Severe workplace injuries are too general and there are range of injuries and accidents,
which occur across all occupational sectors such as electrical hazards and accidental falls.
For e.g. an appliance, repairperson was electrocuted when testing a faulty washing machine.
It appears that wiring in the washing machine has been broken during an earlier attempt at
wires. This flaw in the wiring caused the control dial to be stimulated. Contacting the nozzle
gave a way to the ground, shocking the technician (Arnold, 2002).
Individuals, who work directly with electricity, including engineers and electricians, are in
danger of injury; personnel who work with electrical equipment in the workplace are
additionally at risk of damage. It is caused by an improper use of apparatus, electrical outlets,
cables and power cords, and electrical equipment.
For e.g. a worker tumbled from a bamboo scaffold to the ground while climbing to
somewhere else resulting in fatal damage. Employees working at elevated points, they may
be in danger if an accidental fall or even sudden death. It is caused by gravel, shifting of a
scaffold, or oil grease and other spilt liquids which cause harm to an individual (Becker,
2013).
References
Arnold, J.L. (2002) Disaster medicine in the 21st century: future hazards, vulnerabilities, and
risk. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 17(1), pp.3-11.

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Babcock, H.M., Gemeinhart, N., Jones, M., Dunagan, W.C. and Woeltje, K.F. (2010)
Mandatory influenza vaccination of health care workers: translating policy to
practice. Clinical infectious diseases, 50(4), pp.459-464.
Badjeck, M.C., Allison, E.H., Halls, A.S. and Dulvy, N.K. (2010) Impacts of climate
variability and change on fishery-based livelihoods. Marine policy, 34(3), pp.375-383.
Becker, J.S., Paton, D., Johnston, D.M. and Ronan, K.R. (2013) Salient beliefs about
earthquake hazards and household preparedness. Risk analysis, 33(9), pp.1710-1727.
Kirkhorn, S.R., Earle-Richardson, G. and Banks, R.J. (2010) Ergonomic risks and
musculoskeletal disorders in production agriculture: recommendations for effective research
to practice. Journal of agromedicine, 15(3), pp.281-299.
Lau, C.L., Smythe, L.D., Craig, S.B. and Weinstein, P. (2010) Climate change, flooding,
urbanisation and leptospirosis: fuelling the fire? Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical
Medicine and Hygiene, 104(10), pp.631-638.
Myers, M.L. (2010) Review of occupational hazards associated with aquaculture. Journal of
agromedicine, 15(4), pp.412-426.
Teizer, J., Allread, B.S., Fullerton, C.E. and Hinze, J. (2010) Autonomous pro-active real-
time construction worker and equipment operator proximity safety alert system. Automation
in construction, 19(5), pp.630-640.
Varvogli, L. and Darviri, C. (2011) Stress Management Techniques: evidence-based
procedures that reduce stress and promote health. Health Science Journal, 5(2), p.74.
Zook, M., Graham, M., Shelton, T. and Gorman, S. (2010) Volunteered geographic
information and crowdsourcing disaster relief: a case study of the Haitian earthquake. World
Medical & Health Policy, 2(2), pp.7-33.