An article in the New Straits Times highlighted the five categories of health hazards in the workplace. They are; physical, chemical, biological, ergonomics and psychosocial. The obvious health hazard is stress – the biggest hazard – which falls under psychosocial. According to Deputy Human Resources Minister Senator Datuk Maznah Mazlan, stress is often ignored by workers.
Datuk Maznah also said that there was an increase in the number of occupational diseases. “In 2005, there were 319 cases. This figure rose to 1,198 last year, which is an increase of 275 per cent in six years.”
Datuk Maznah who is also National Occupational Safety Council Chairman said that those working in the agriculture sectors were the most affected because of being exposed to noisy machines. “Hearing loss due to noise at the workplace is one of the top occupational diseases being reported with 867 cases in 2011.”
In an effort to curb the number of such cases, Datuk Maznah said that the Occupational Safety and Health Department was enforcing the Occupational Safety and Health Convention Act 1994 and Factory and Machinery Act 1967.
Are you exposed to such hazards in your office? How do you cope with stress?
Read more: Stay Fit and Healthy While Working
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