Injury and Illness Prevention Program Term Paper

Injury and Illness Prevention Program - Term Paper Example The United States Department of Labor addressed this problem and created the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. This act is geared towards the prevention of injuries and illnesses found during work by requiring employers to provide safe, working conditions that are free from dangers for their employees. The act also made the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that serves as the enforcers of the law, and it implements standards that describe methods that employers must utilize to protect their employees from hazards. Some of these standards include fall protection, prevention of infectious diseases, limiting exposure to harmful substances, provision of safety equipment, and giving training for dangerous jobs. It is the workers’ right to be protected on the job (OSHA, n.d.). In 2011, almost three million nonfatal workplace injuries were reported to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (2012). 94.8% of these consisted of injuries in the workplace while 5.2% accounted for illnesses. Among the 94.8% of injuries, there are 7 ‘compensable’ claims, which are serious injuries that really hurt the employees to the extent that they could not work, or are disabled. The seven compensable claims are: Other health hazards available in the workplace that can cause illness are non-communicable and communicable diseases. The common non-communicable diseases common in the adult working class are Heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes. These non-communicable diseases are a burden on the global workforce. According to the World Health Organization (2008), in 2005, Non-communicable diseases made up 60% of all deaths worldwide. Aside from affecting the workers and their families, these diseases can also affect the economy. One example is that the WHO estimates that China can lose around 558 Billion International dollars from 2005-2015 due to