Public and Environmental Health Risks
Infectious Diseases
Workers in health and community service industries may be at risk of contracting infectious diseases at work. The consequences can be very serious and infectious diseases can quickly spread in many ways, including:
- breathing in airborne droplets or respiratory secretions from coughing, sneezing and talking direct contact with infected blood or bodily fluids through broken skin, needle stick injuries or splashes to mucous membranes
- Contact with contaminated items or surfaces.
- Understanding and addressing these risk factors are crucial to creating a healthy work environment and preventing the spread of infectious diseases.
Environmental Pollution
Environmental pollution refers to the presence of hazardous materials within a workplace that can affect people while performing their job. Exposure to hazardous materials can occur in several ways, including:
- breathing polluted air – if the air indoors at the workplace gets contaminated
- direct contact with toxic and/or corrosive materials
- accidental ingestion of toxic chemicals
- or polluted water/liquids.
Understanding and addressing these risk factors is crucial to creating a healthy work environment and preventing worker exposure to environmental pollution.
