MODULE 7: PSYCHOSOCIAL ISSUES AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS IN OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
SECTION 9: ASPECTS OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY LEGISLATION THAT IMPACTS ON THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF WOMEN AT WORK - Introduction
 

OBJECTIVES
By the end of this Section you should:
  1. be familiar with underlying gender concerns in occupational health and safety;
  2. be able to institute a gender sensitive risk assessment and develop an appropriate medical surveillance programme;
  3. be familiar with the legislation which have a specific impact on women’s health and safety at work;
  4. be familiar South African laws, regulations and codes of practice pertaining to reproductive health.

This introductory page contains links to other pages in this section. These are included for your convenience, both for reference and for revision purposes. It is strongly recommended, however, that you first access the material in its logical sequence, indicated by the "Next Page" link above.

ACTIVITIES:

  1. A lecture will provide the overview. Revise these notes.
  2. Work through the exercise.

EXERCISES:

Exercise #1:

You are the occupational health practitioner at a local diamond sorting plant. There has been a big increase in the supply of diamonds and the company employed many younger men and women to cope with the increase workload. One of the security control mechanisms requires that workers be "X-rayed" or "scanned" at random. Workers never know when they actually go through this process but may be exposed to radiation on a daily basis. There are major uncertainties and some anxiety, especially among women planning to have a baby, among workers with regards to the scanning machines. The local health and safety committee members make a formal request for you to advise them with regards to health and safety concerns related to the security control mechanisms.

Please explain how you will deal with the request of the health and safety committee?

(See the answer)

Exercise #2:

The risk assessment was done 3 months later by an Approved Inspection Authority and a report compiled and submitted to the company management but the report was not made available to the health and safety committee and there was no training of workers. The workers are deeply unhappy as they feel that the risk assessment and the report have not addressed their fears, uncertainties and health and safety needs. In particular, there is no change in practice as a result of the report and health and safety representatives and workers have no additional information of the hazards identified. During this time one of the women workers has a miscarriage and there is discussion among workers that it is related to the scanning machines. The health and safety representatives bring this to your attention for advice re a preventive approach and reassurance about planning and having a healthy baby.

Please explain how you will deal with their concerns and request for advice.

(See the answer)

Exercise #3:

As a result of the occupational health and safety uncertainties related to the scanning machines and the reluctance of management to provide exposure details (saying it is for security reasons) several well-trained and skilled women workers decided to resign. Management as well as the health and safety committee approach you for the details of your medical surveillance programme to provide some reassurance.

How will you design your medical surveillance programme for this particular workplace?

(See the answer)