Occupational Hazard of Asbestosis Occurring in the Cement Industry

Question: Discuss about the Occupational Hazard of Asbestosis Occurring in the Cement Industry. Answer: Introduction: The importance of workplace health and safety in an organization cannot be overstated. It should be noted that it is the health and well-being of the employees that determine the productivity and efficiency of the employees at workplace. However, though the occupational hazard is a major problem in any organization or industry as a matter of fact, the cement industry is an industry where the employee needs additional protection from any form of hazard. Due to continual exposure to chemicals, the employees suffer from a variety of problems including eye, skin irritation as well as chemical burns and accidents. However, the major issue that the report intends to explore is that the employees of the cement industries get mostly exposed to a variety of harmful chemicals that can prove to be fatal to them. The occupational health hazards can affect the well-being of the employees if the organization does not follow specific safety procedures. The safety procedures do not merely imply that each employees health needs to be ensured. It rather refers to the importance of assessing the potential workplace risks of the cement industry, and communicating its danger to the respective organization operating in this industry (Schilling, 2013). Discussion: Occupational Hazard of Asbestosis Occurring in the Cement Industry: A variety of chemicals such as asbestos, silica as well as lead to prominent health hazards among the employees of the cement industry. Among all the chemicals used in a cement industry, asbestos is one of the most harmful chemicals that are being used. It primarily enters into the body through inhalation, and this construction dust can lead to the major respiratory distress also called asbestosis. This disease has been found to cause even death among the employees, apart from hampering the normal functionality of the employees. Hence, it has become imperative to safeguard the employees from the problems of asbestosis. The reason why the employees are exposed to this disease is that the employees working in the cement industry are required to work with raw asbestos fibers. Usually, the employees are not being provided with sufficient respiratory equipment that can provide effective protection to the workers from the airborne asbestos (Dolzan et al., 2017). The asbestos is an important material used in the cement industry as it helps in strengthening the cements, and yet the harmful chemical proves to be highly detrimental to the health of the employees. Since the cement industries heavily rely on the use of asbestos, the tiny asbestos fibers are often released into the air, which when inhaled causes scarring inflammation in the lungs of the workers. Recent Problems emerging due to Asbestosis among the Workers of the Cement Industry: Asbestos exposure both in the long term as well as short term occupational setting has been associated with the risk of developing serious respiratory troubles and other ailments including lung cancer, mesothelioma, asbestosis and other disorders. Over the last years, research studies have claimed that apart from the obvious possibility of developing oral cancer, the health issue is also linked to Pharyngeal cancer as well. A recent research study has shown that approximately 84% of the cement industry workers have got affected as a result of their exposure to the asbestos (Meo et al., 2014). While some employees, especially the new ones, had minor health problems, such as slight irritation in the lungs, the older employees have reported to have been suffering from grave diseases including Sarcomatoid and adenosquamous type of lung cancers in addition to epitheliod, sarcomatoid and peritoneal mesotheliomas as well as ovarian and laryngeal cancers incidences (Nielsen et al., 2014). Common Health Hazards due to Exposure to Asbestos: It has become imperative to comprehend as well as manage the chemical hazards encountered by the employees at the workplaces. Whenever Asbestos is being used in factories the exposure to it through inhalation or skin contact, can cause a variety of diseases. Oral cancer, ovarian cancer, autoimmune disorder as well as pulmonary complications such as fibrosis have been found to occur because of the asbestos exposure. This is the reason why many organizations operating in the cement industry have introduced a system of reviewing and determining the limit of asbestos exposure (Chartier, 2014). It would be important to note that continual exposure to asbestos has led to the disease of Mesothelioma that is a fatal form of Cancer. In case an employee is exposed to the chemical for 20 years, the disease will rapidly spread though his body. In face over the past years, the number of people suffering from Mesothelioma has also rapidly increased as shown below: Figure 1: Increase in the Rate of Mesothelioma due to Continual Exposure to Asbestos Source: (Soeberg et al., 2016) Legal Framework of the Work Health and Safety legislation, 2011 to Prevent Employee Exposure to Asbestos: The Work Health and Safety Legislation, 2011 has clearly mentioned that any organization operating in the cement industry will need to conduct a periodical risk assessment to ensure that the employees are not getting exposed to asbestos exceeding the prescribed limit. The employees whose work involves the use or exposure to asbestosis have their work categorized as high risk jobs, as per Schedule 3 , and these employees are being advised to work under supervision of a senior employee (Jaiswal, 2014). Further, it has been clearly stated that these organizations must maintain a specific asbestos register, clearly categorizing the employees exposed to asbestos, the range of exposure and the preventive measures for the same. Besides, under clause 422, it is being clearly mentioned that if asbestos is being identified in an organization that organization will need to have an asbestos management plan. An improvement in the health condition of the employees has indeed proved to be highly beneficial for the employees. According to a research survey, the cement industries which have introduced the workplace health policies effectively at workplace have benefitted with a fall in employee absenteeism by 30% and a reduction in the health care cost by 21.8% (Hammer et al., 2015). Elimination or Minimization of the Health Hazard and its Effectiveness: Many organizations conduct the health risk appraisal surveys at workplace, whereby the employees are being asked to rate the extent to which they believe that their workplace environment is safe for their health. In addition to this, the hazards and the number of accidents happening within the organization due to the exposure to asbestos needs to be recorded and reviewed through these surveys(Cooper Marshall, 2013). Some organizations have also introduced the incentivizing method whereby they provide incentives to the employees who have exhibited maximum awareness regarding the health hazards and have acted well to protect the other employees from the workplace risks an hazards. Occupational Health and Safety vulnerability has emerged to be an important concept. It has been noted that the employees, especially the young, new and immigrant ones have a higher vulnerability of getting affected by the asbestosis than the older employees. Hence, many organizations have adopted the system of categorizing the employees according to their job roles at workplace, and their OH S vulnerability rate. This helps the management authority understand which employees are most vulnerable to risks and health hazards; so that they can be trained and educated about the risks of health hazards caused by asbestosis (Adgate et al., 2014). The OHS vulnerability framework intends to ensure a safe working environment for the employees, by not only offering training to them, but also by making them aware of their own rights for health and safety as well. For example, if an employee feels that a work entitled to him involves sufficient risk or hazard due to greater exposure to asbestos is that exceeds the prescribed limit, he is entitled to the right of refusing to do such a work (Schulte et al., 2014). Many cement manufacturing organizations have adopted the certification system whereby an independent organization such as DNV or Lloyds supervise and monitor the workplace environment of an organization before certifying it as safe (Taris and Kompier, 2014). It has become highly important to develop the asbestos job exposure matrix (JEM) to ensure that the rate and frequency of asbestos exposure of the employees should be recorded by the employees. The chemicals including asbestosis, that are being used in the company having detrimental impact on the employee health are labeled through the use of cautionary words such as corrosive or hazardous . Besides, it is highly important that a Material Safety Data Sheet is being handed out to each employee so that each one of them is well-aware of the hazards to the exposure to each chemical. Conclusion: To conclude, it must be noted that It is the duty of the employers of a company to look after the well-being of the employees. Hence, the organization should not only implement strict health policies benefitting the employees, but it should also offer opportunities of occupational therapy and rehabilitation. Since it is the obligation of the employer to maintain a safe workplace, he must supervise the limit and range of exposure of the employees to asbestos and in case of more than one employer, the duty should be distributed among all and are therefore responsible for maintenance of their respective parts. References: Adgate, J. L., Goldstein, B. D., McKenzie, L. M. (2014). 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