The History of occupational health And its development in the world had its beginnings in the Middle Ages. However, it began to be applied after the Industrial Revolution, undergoing major transformations throughout the 20th century.
Occupational health refers to the care of the physical and mental well-being of workers in the performance of their duties.
It is a practice crossed by different disciplines that affect the protection of people within their working environment.
Currently, occupational health regulations and provisions exist throughout the world that are designed to protect workers. However, there was not always agreement on the preponderance of human life over business development.
Throughout the advancement of occupational health measures have been taken to guarantee the welfare of workers in accordance with the needs that were emerging in each era. For this reason, knowing its history is fundamental to understand its reason for being.
Key moments in the history of occupational health
Its origins: the Middle Ages
In antiquity and Middle Ages , Mining was a fundamental economic activity. However, there was no precaution or care for mine workers, mainly because they were slaves or prisoners.
The first approaches to what is now known as occupational health were published by Paracelsus in a book titled On the evil of the mines and other diseases of the miners .
This book, published in 1556, related the increase of occupational diseases with the development of industrial exploitation.
According to Paracelsus, all mines should have adequate ventilation and workers should wear masks to protect themselves from disease.
However, the limited development of science did not allow the establishment of clear relationships between diseases and their causes.
On the other hand, the value of equality was not as important as it is today. It really became important after the French Revolution And thanks to this the workers began to take a different role in society.
The industrial Revolution
The machines that were used in the beginnings of the industry were extremely dangerous for the operators. In that time , The artifacts were designed exclusively to speed production and did not consider worker safety.
On the other hand, there was no interest in identifying the potential hazards of the machines or the different work implements.
For this reason, occupational injuries, including death, were real and constant threats to employees in the industry.
Furthermore, there were no security provisions or compensation schemes such as those currently in existence. Hence, workers were at high risk of losing their livelihood.
At that time, it was common for an employee to be injured, completely losing the possibility of working in any factory. In those cases, the employers had no responsibility, therefore people were completely adrift.
The End of Slavery in the UK
The UK was one of the first countries to make progress in occupational health. The end of slavery in this country was a first starting point in the process of improving the treatment of workers.
Precisely in the United Kingdom was signed the Law of Factories (1833), an initial legislation that determined minimum contracting conditions.
Based on this law, an inspection committee was set up to inspect factories to prevent injuries to textile workers. Later, in 1842 the Mining Law was created, which was oriented to the prevention of accidents in coal mines.
The beginnings of occupational health laws
Over time, the growth of labor movements put in the public eye the worrying frequency with which accidents occurred. Thanks to this, the first laws of occupational health appeared in the world.
In 1880, in the United States the American Society of Mechanical Engineers was created. This entity aimed to regulate the manufacture of machinery after a report stated that in the country there were 50,000 deaths per year due to occupational accidents.
Later in Germany two fundamental laws were developed: the first social insurance law in 1883 and the first workers' compensation law in 1884.
Occupational health in the 20th century
The twentieth century began with a fundamental change: the creation of the International Labor Organization In 1919. Convention 155 of this organization refers to the safety and health of workers and is accepted by all member countries.
In 1956, a case was presented in Australia in which a group of employees hoisted buckets of hot bitumen to the roof of a five-story building. When the hot bitumen was spilled, it fell on one of the workers, causing heavy burns.
The affected worker sued his employer and the case went to the High Court of Australia.
Finally, the court ruled that the employer should take the necessary precautions to avoid unnecessary risks to the lives of its employees.
These facts set a fundamental precedent: companies must value the lives of human beings over economic benefits. From then on, occupational health laws began to develop around the world.
The evolution of occupational health
With the advancement of technology, professional risks have also been transformed. For this reason, in the twentieth century appeared problems that had never before been presented and that required new regulations in occupational health.
The first regulations were aimed at direct accidents that occurred within the performance of work. Immediate events such as explosions, falling objects, burns or cuts.
However, over time, indirect or long-term health problems were recognized.
Chronic pains that develop over the years, illnesses as a result of exposure to chemicals and even mental problems.
For example, X-rays were discovered in 1985. A few years later, radiologists worldwide began to die due to continued exposure to radiation.
For this reason, legislation has had to progressively adjust to the characteristics of the new diseases that were caused at work.
References
- ATC. (S.F.). History of Health and Safety in the Workplace. Retrieved from: atcrisk.co.uk.
- Cowie, W. (2013). History Of Occupational Health And Safety. Retrieved from: inspireeducation.net.au.
- Effective software. (S.F.). A short history of health & safety. Recovered from: effective-software.com.
- Kazantzis, G. (2011). Kazantzis. Retrieved from: britannica.com.
- Molano, J. (2013). From occupational health to occupational safety and health management: rather than semantics, a transformation of the general occupational risk system. Retrieved from: revista.unal.edu.co.