scholarly journals Occupational Health and Safety in the Palm Oil Industry: A Systematic Review

Author(s):  
Nuruly Myzabella ◽  
Lin Fritschi ◽  
Nick Merdith ◽  
Sonia El-Zaemey ◽  
HuiJun Chih ◽  
...  

Background: The palm oil industry is the largest contributor to global production of oils and fats. Indonesia and Malaysia are the largest producers of palm oil. More than a million workers are employed in this industry, yet there is a lack of information on their occupational health and safety. Objective: To identify and summarize occupational hazards among oil palm plantation workers. Methods: A search was carried out in June 2018 in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Ovid. Relevant publications were identified by a systematic search of four databases and relevant journals. Publications were included if they examined occupational hazards in oil palm plantation workers. Results: 941 publications were identified; of these, 25 studies were found eligible to be included in the final review. Of the 25 studies examined, 19 were conducted in Malaysia, 2 in Costa Rica, and one each in Ghana, Indonesia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, and Cameroon. Oil palm plantation workers were found to be at risk of musculoskeletal conditions, injuries, psychosocial disorders, and infectious diseases such as malaria and leptospirosis. In addition, they have potential exposure to paraquat and other pesticides. Conclusion: In light of the potential of palm oil for use as a biofuel, this is an industry with strong growth potential. The workers are exposed to various occupational hazards. Further research and interventions are necessary to improve the working conditions of this already vast and growing workforce.

Author(s):  
Jorma H. Rantanen

Occupational hazards as well as occupational injuries and diseases are frequent and serious problems not only in industrialized high-income countries, but also in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In high-income countries, the occurrence of occupational injuries and chemically-related disorders has decreased while psychosocial problems and issues for disabled, aging, and other vulnerable workers have increased. In the LMICs, “traditional” occupational hazards and related injuries and diseases are still a major concern. Globalization, while providing some benefits to workers, has presented many negative effects, such as transfer of hazardous technologies and substances to LMICs, widening of income gaps, and worsening of working conditions and worker income, especially for agricultural workers, those with little education, and informal workers. The chapter provides a global overview of work and workers as well occupational health and safety hazards and related challenges.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-134
Author(s):  
Mohamad Ali Widodo ◽  
Erna Rositah ◽  
Budi Winarni

This research is based on the importance of applying occupational health and safety to employees of palm oil mills, It is worth noting that by providing awareness to factory employees about occupational health and safety will improve the performance of these employees.The purpose of this research is to know the characteristics of factory employees in the production section and the influence of occupational health and safety on the performance of employees of palm oil mills production parts.The time and place of this research was conducted on December 2 to December 21, 2020 and took place at PT. DSN and located in Muara Wahau District. The research method used is quantitative by using the dissemination of statement questionnaires with variables of health, safety, and employee performance. Researcher data processing techniques use validity tests, reliability tests, and multiple linear regression analysis through spss 22 applications.From the results of research activities that have been conducted by researchers obtained data that shows that there is a positive and significant influence between occupational health and safety variables to the performance variables of factory employees.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Winifred Serwaa Bonsu ◽  
Dina Adei ◽  
Williams Agyemang-Duah

Abstract Background: Despite the contribution of the baking industry to employment creation and income generation in low-and middle-income countries, the sector is also prone to occupational health and safety challenges which could undermine the quality of life and wellbeing of bakers within the industry. However, studies on the exposure to occupational hazards among bakers and the strategies they employ to control their exposure to occupational hazards are still lacking in Ghana. In this study, we aimed at examining the exposure to occupational hazards among bakers in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana and further explore their coping mechanisms. Methods: By employing a cross-sectional design, the study was conducted among 172 bakers in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana. A questionnaire consisting of both closed and open-ended questions was used to take data from the respondents. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were adopted to analyze the data. Results: We found that the participants were exposed to different types of occupational hazards including physical (noise, flour dust/smoke, fire, and high temperature), biological (mosquitoes, insects and rodents), psychosocial (stress, verbal abuse, and poor interpersonal relationship), chemical (chemicals in the local soap used to clean and wash napkins after baking), and ergonomic hazards (standing, sitting and bending repetitively). Some of the coping mechanisms employed to reduce exposure to the various types of occupational hazards comprise the use of a wooden and metallic peel to place and remove bread from the oven, removing excess fire from the oven with a peel, use of mosquito repellent and coil, rest breaks and staying hydrated. Conclusion: The findings from this study are therefore critical to informing policymakers in implementing occupational health and safety policies to safeguard the health of bakers in Ghana and other low-and middle-income countries. We suggest that there should be participatory and action-oriented programs organized for bakers at their weekly meetings to discuss relevant occupational health and safety issues. Union executives should carry out worksite inspection accompanied by a checklist to monitor the progress of the sessions held during meetings.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 195-201
Author(s):  
Marta Niciejewska ◽  
Olga Kiriliuk

AbstractThe article presents the element of occupational health and safety management in enterprises, with particular emphasis on the identification of occupational hazards. The factors that may be a source of occupational hazards have been classified and divided. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of occupational hazards on work safety in the opinion of employees of micro and small enterprises. The research was carried out using the proprietary questionnaire. The results were verified by means of a direct interview with elements of observation. The research was compared with the trends prevailing in the enterprises of the European Union countries according to the results of the research conducted by EU-OSHA. Polish respondents considered physical and psychophysical factors to be the main occupational hazards. The results turned out to be very similar to those presented by EU-OSHA in its publicly available reports. The basic principle of occupational health and safety management, i.e. identification of occupational hazards, is reliability and correctness. Identification of occupational hazards gives the opportunity to take correct and effective corrective and preventive actions reducing occupational risk, for example through the effective use of personal protective equipment, or a more detailed treatment of both introductory and instructional training. The article also highlights the migration of individual occupational hazards, which depends on many factors, both professional and non-professional.


Author(s):  
Thewodros Bekele Tolera

The status of occupational injuries in workplaces in general is ill defined in Ethiopia. Pocket studies indicate that occupational injury due to an unsafe working environment is increasing. Construction industries are growing industries region wise that has higher rate of work-related injuries. Knowing the associated factors of work-related injuries can be a critical step for improving the working condition of workers in the sector. Objective: This mini research aimed to evaluate occupational hazards and to describe factors affecting its happening among construction workers’ in Addis Ababa housing and construction project sites. Institutional based cross-sectional study design was employed to assess occupational injuries among randomly selected construction workers from June 30 –July 20, 2014. A structured questionnaire based interviews, work environment observation were used to collect the data. The response rate of this study was 82.7%. The majority of respondents were male which account 74.7% and 60 (96.8%) respondents were not using personal protective devices all the time while they are on duty. Out of the total participants, 67.7% of the workers experienced occupational injuries at least once in the last 12 months. Moreover, the three leading cause of injuries were puncture (21.0%) followed by hand injury (11.3%), and back pain (9.7%). Increased rate of work related injury in construction workers was observed and implementation of basic occupational health and safety services is required together with regular supervision to ensure and promote work place safety. So Preventive measures concerning functional occupational health and safety programs are essential to safeguard the health and safety condition of workforce in construction industries.


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