Concept of Safety and Occupational Health: Safety, in general, is the science that seeks to protect humans, prevent risks in any field, and avoid loss of life and property whenever possible. Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) is the science that focuses on preserving the safety and health of individuals from risks they may encounter due to work activities. This is achieved by providing a safe working environment free from accident-causing factors or occupational diseases.

OSH can also be viewed as a set of rules and regulations within a legislative framework aimed at preserving humans and properties from the danger of injury and damage. It ensures the highest degree of physical, mental, and social health for workers in all professions, protects workers from adverse health effects caused by their working conditions, and ensures workers are in a suitable work environment meeting their physical and mental needs while maintaining this state.

In other words, safety and health encompass the overall physical, mental, and social well-being of workers, not merely the absence of diseases or disabilities.

General Objectives of Safety:

1. Protecting individuals from injuries resulting from workplace environmental risks by preventing accidents and injuries.
2. Preserving the material component represented by facilities, devices, and equipment from damage and destruction.
3. Providing all safety and health requirements and implementing these conditions, ensuring a safe environment that achieves prevention of hazards for human and material elements.
4. Instilling a sense of security in the hearts of workers during their work.
5. Maintaining time and productivity by preventing work-related injuries and occupational diseases.

Safety Areas: Safety intervenes in various aspects of life, with the industry being the most critical sector where the need for safety measures is evident. This is to prevent or reduce work accidents and minimize the chances of injury from occupational diseases due to higher risks compared to other sectors. However, this doesn't mean there is no need for safety measures in other areas. An example is the field of traffic, where the importance of following safety procedures is crucial, given that the death rate due to traffic accidents may surpass that of industrial accidents.

Elements of Production: Occupational safety and health, when considered in any institution, represent aspects of successful administrative development and economic planning. It reflects the awareness of the importance of safety and its role as a significant productive sector. Safety, in its modern and comprehensive sense, means preserving the main elements of production:

1. Human Element: Inside and outside the institution.
2. Raw Materials and Manufactured Materials.
3. Equipment and Production Tools.
4. Surrounding Environment: Water, air, and soil.

To advance occupational safety, we must maintain these four elements by caring for essential factors:

1. Scientific and Purposeful Planning.
2. Advanced and Specialized Legislation that Keeps Pace with Development.
3. Implementation and Adherence to Legislation Through Specialized Regulatory and Definitional Technical Bodies.

Impact of Poor Working Conditions on Workers' Safety and Health:

Any pattern of poor working conditions can affect the safety and health of workers. Unhealthy or unsafe working conditions are not limited to the workplace; they can exist anywhere. The impact of poor working conditions can extend beyond the workforce, affecting the workers' families and other individuals in society. Occupational risks can have harmful effects on workers, their families, and society as a whole, in addition to causing sustained damage to the natural environment.

Efforts in occupational safety and health should aim to prevent workplace accidents and occupational diseases while distinguishing the interconnection between worker safety and health, the workplace, and the external environment.

Why is Occupational Safety and Health Important?

Work plays a significant role in people's lives, with most workers spending at least eight hours a day in the workplace, whether on a farm, in an office, or in a factory. Therefore, work environments should be secure and healthy. Unfortunately, some employers take little responsibility for protecting workers' safety and health. In reality, some employers may not be aware that it is their ethical and legal responsibility to safeguard workers. Due to the risks and the lack of attention given to safety and health, workplace accidents and diseases are common worldwide.

Identifying Risks in the Workplace

There are countless risks that can exist in almost any workplace. Some unsafe working conditions are evident, such as machines lacking protective measures, slippery floors, or insufficient fire extinguishing precautions. However, there are also hidden risks (meaning those that may not be apparent), including:

• Physical Risks: Such as noise, vibrations, inadequate lighting, radiation, extreme temperatures, and pressure.
• Chemical Risks: Arising from liquids, solid substances, dust, smoke, vapors, and gases.
• Electrical Risks: Resulting from exposure to electric current, leading to electric shocks. Unsafe electrical connections and equipment may be the cause.
• Mechanical Risks: Resulting from machinery, mechanical equipment, machines, motion conveyors, and rotating parts.
• Engineering Risks: Construction risks, loading and unloading risks.
• Biological Risks: Such as germs, viruses, infectious waste, insects, and rodents.
• Fire Risks: Due to the absence of safety regulations during construction, lack of fire alarm and firefighting equipment, and insufficient training.
• Psychological Risks: Resulting from stress and pressure.
• Risks Associated with Non-compliance with Ergonomic Principles: For example, poorly designed machines, equipment, and mechanical tools used by workers, or inappropriate design for the workplace and seating, or poorly designed work practices.

The interactive library on the website provides videos on safety and occupational health in various fields. Additionally, you can refer to the library and benefit from the available books on the subject of safety and occupational health.