The work Medicine It is a branch of the health sciences that is responsible for the study, prevention and treatment of diseases that develop as a result of work activities.
It is in charge of studying accidents that may occur within the organization, as well as statistics and creating policies in conjunction with the multidisciplinary team in order to reduce these risks..
The occupational physician works with other professionals who are in charge of creating the optimal conditions to minimize the risks of acquiring pathologies and increase the health of the staff..
As a branch of medicine, there were many attempts by various scientists to establish the relationship between diseases and work activity. However, before the work of Bernardino Ramazzini, considered to be the forerunner of occupational medicine, the description between some pathologies suffered by workers and the activity they carried out was not carried out..
The recommendations made by this doctor were so successful that they are currently valid, such as the rest time between working days..
State regulations and standards have contributed greatly to the protection of working conditions so that they do not affect the health of workers, as well as to the development of science.
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This branch of medicine arose in response to the solution of the health problems that affected workers after the massification of productive activity.
During the industrial revolution, large masses of workers were incorporated as labor in various factories, including women and children.
Already at that historical moment, as a result of various scientific works, there was knowledge about the origins of certain pathologies as a result of work activity or the link between work and the appearance of certain diseases.
In order to reduce the levels of absenteeism and the low productivity that this entailed, a businessman in 1830 asked the doctor Robert Baker for advice..
This renowned medical professional, who showed great interest in the area of occupational medicine, joined the factory as an employee and dedicated himself from that moment to taking care of the health of all workers..
He was in charge of visiting each of the facilities daily, which gave rise to the first medical service in the midst of a work environment worldwide..
In 1833, in order to comply with the protection of workers, in the United Kingdom the Factory Act was created and Baker was granted the position of Inspector General of industries located within the territory..
This step laid the foundations for the recognition of the importance of the integral well-being of the workers for the proper functioning of the companies..
During the 20th century, the foundations were laid for the birth of occupational medicine worldwide through the creation of organizations such as the International Labor Organization in 1919..
One of the main purposes resides in the defense of the rights of the workers, who must have environments that comply with a series of safety regulations such as cleaning the area, among others..
Likewise, various laws that may vary from one country to another regulate the hours of working days in order not to exceed the number of hours and include rest, which is conceived as a right of each worker..
Other state regulations correspond to the establishment of living wages, as well as the minimum conditions required for a worker to be able to carry out his work without putting his health at risk..
One of the most important advances in occupational medicine is directly related to the goal of medical care.
During the installation of the first medical services in the factories in 1830, the policy revolved around reducing the absences of workers due to diseases.
However, today this conception has been transformed to the extent that employers must provide a friendly environment that cares for and promotes the health of workers.
Employees are conceived as one of the most valuable resources within companies, which is completely the opposite of past times..
However, the so-called father of occupational medicine, Bernardino Ramazzini, already in the seventeenth century made reference to the importance of designing policies within companies in order to maintain the health of workers.
Ramazzini, through his work By morbis artrificum diatribe, specified multiple pathologies according to work activity and recommended the importance of disease prevention in the work environment.
His contribution was of such relevance that today many of his recommendations regarding the promotion and conservation of workers' health remain valid..
Occupational medicine focuses on the study of all pathologies that may arise as a result of work activity and affect the worker..
To do this, an exhaustive analysis is carried out of the potential health risks that each position within the company implies for the collaborator who performs these tasks. It also deals with accidents that can occur in the workplace and how you can prevent these events from happening..
The main objective of occupational medicine is that the people who work within the company enjoy the best possible health and for this, health professionals can undertake awareness campaigns.
These policies are aimed at employees and usually contain information on the procedures or guidelines to follow to avoid accidents or illnesses..
They may also include regular visits by occupational health experts in order to monitor the conditions in which staff are working within the company. On many occasions, courses or workshops are included in order to reduce stress or relaxation techniques such as meditation..
Also included are the teaching of healthy habits that can be practiced in the middle of the workday, such as active breaks as tools for managing physical and muscular tension..
This branch of medicine focuses on the workers who make up the human talent of the company, as well as on the entire physical level of the organization.
The purpose of these actions is to monitor, supervise and guarantee the health of employees, as well as the design of strategies for the prevention of diseases or occupational accidents..
To achieve the proposed objectives, various medical examinations are applied before the entry of each worker, which are adapted to the evaluation of risk factors according to the position.
One of the central objectives is that individuals have the optimal conditions to be able to carry out the tasks without acquiring, at least in the short term, the diseases that are considered as a source of risk of the position.
Medical examinations can be carried out periodically in order to evaluate the conditions of the company's personnel and to be able to apply the corrective measures through the diagnosis and respective treatments if necessary..
The scope of these interventions is intended to reduce diseases derived from work activity to the minimum possible percentage..
It should be noted that physical tests will be carried out at the time of each worker's departure, as well as before and after their rest or vacation period to determine their health status since their entry through comparisons..
In order to comply with the proposed objectives that are related to maintaining the health of workers and controlling the pathologies of the activities, a series of steps are carried out.
At the beginning, the risk factors that can serve as a starting point for the appearance of diseases caused by work or that can generate accidents are exhaustively investigated.
To determine the elements that intervene in the appearance of diseases, the variables that can act as triggers by type of activity are investigated.
An example can be given in specific cases of individuals whose work position lacks the comforts required to maintain a good posture or that forces the worker to maintain a position that is not recommended for health.
Faced with these variables that in the long term have the potential to cause ailments in workers, the multidisciplinary team of the health department proceeds to consider alternatives for a solution.
On the other hand, special relevance will be given to statistics regarding occupational accidents in order to develop plans that help reduce risk factors, such as appropriate clothing, among others..
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