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Wednesday, March 21, 2012: 15:35
Cozumel 5 (Cancun Center)
India’s public health machinery and its health care workforce are often under extreme strain to meet competing program demands. Few previous efforts have been directed to protect and promote the health of public health system workers. We propose a framework for occupational risk management in Tamil Nadu, India, that seeks to provided Basic Occupational Health and Safety Services (BOHS) for the public health care workers and subsequently uses the human-resource infra-structure so created to provide BOHS for other sectors.
As part of an earlier pilot exercise, hazard identification and qualitative exposure assessments were performed in 44 health facilities across 267 work locations, representative of public health systems in Tamil Nadu. Hazard control guidance documentation and training resources have been prepared for implementation of on-site BOHS systems by individual facilities using existing resources.
Following this, an expanded compendium of training resources have been developed using job-hazard profiles for primary occupational sectors in individual districts. Wider deployment of these training resources would allow an assessment of the level of customization needed for easier implementation of the BOHS model. The study results are catalyzing risk communication efforts with public health departments to understand the urgent need to intervene in incremental steps and create a positive feedback loop for the management of the health all workers including their own.
As part of an earlier pilot exercise, hazard identification and qualitative exposure assessments were performed in 44 health facilities across 267 work locations, representative of public health systems in Tamil Nadu. Hazard control guidance documentation and training resources have been prepared for implementation of on-site BOHS systems by individual facilities using existing resources.
Following this, an expanded compendium of training resources have been developed using job-hazard profiles for primary occupational sectors in individual districts. Wider deployment of these training resources would allow an assessment of the level of customization needed for easier implementation of the BOHS model. The study results are catalyzing risk communication efforts with public health departments to understand the urgent need to intervene in incremental steps and create a positive feedback loop for the management of the health all workers including their own.