Definitions
Since 1950, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have shared a common definition of occupational health:
"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, to summarize, the adaptation of work to man and of each man to his job."
Occupational safety and health involves the protection of the safety,health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The concept can also be expanded to include the protection of:
- Co-workers
- Family members
- Employers
- Customers
- Suppliers
- Nearby communities, and
- other members of the public who are impacted by industrial activities.