Exercise
Exercise Can Help Keep Off Pounds
Exercise and good nutrition work together to keep you healthy. Regular physical activity helps control your appetite and burns off calories to help lose extra pounds or maintain a healthy weight.
You need to burn off 3,500 calories more than you take in to lose one pound. If you want to lose weight, regular physical activity can help you in either of two ways.
http://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/nutrition/weightmanagementview.asp?artId=1798
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) for Women Workers in Small Enterprises and Informal Economy
The GREAT WOMEN Project
Dr. Dulce P. Estrella-Gust, Dr. Ma. Teresita S. Cucueco
Occupational Safety and Health Center
Background
The GREAT Women Project is a collaborative activity between the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and various GOs, NGOs, LGUs, and private organizations. The Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC) has been assisting informal sector workers in the Metro Naga area in applying good OSH practices in their livelihood activities.
Objectives
The general objective of the OSH program is to raise awareness on OSH among working women in the informal sector and to develop their skills for applying good OSH practices. The methods for awareness raising and capability building include research, training, and networking. This presentation reports on the case studies in the Metro Naga area.
Methodology
The OSH survey was conducted in the City of Naga and in the municipalities of Gainza, Milaor, Bula, and San Fernando. More specifically, case studies of hazardous livelihood projects were designed to provide the basis for the OSH training needs assessment on OSH and practical responses; the case studies were related to pili processing, bamboo craft manufacturing including bag and picture frame making, sea grass or agas processing, slippers and bags production from sea grass, and crab paste processing. Safety and health audits were complemented by questionnaire-guided interviews of the workers as well as by focus group discussions with local government officials.
Results
In the study, female workers comprised 75% of the 30 respondents. More than 50% of the respondents were 40 years and older with age-ranges between 20 and 61 years. Frequently used tools included knives, cutters and scissors for pili and sea grass processing; handsaw and “bolo” for bamboo craft manufacturing; and ladles and hand-made scooping utensils for crabpaste and pili processing. Almost all workers using sharp tools were aware of the risk in handling their tools; however less than 5% reported actual accidents, the most frequent being finger cuts. Frequent physical symptoms were joint pains and headaches. Many workers and LGU officials acknowledged the need for safety and health training for workers in the informal sector.
Conclusion and Recommendations
For informal sector workers the living and working areas are usually one and the same. There is continuous exposure to occupational hazards, specifically related to tools, chemicals and other materials. A majority of the respondents stressed the need for a common service facility, close to their homes, for practicing their livelihood activities. They recognized the importance of adopting good OSH practices in their daily work based on greater OSH awareness as well as on tools, materials, facilities and work processes adapted to the needs and means of the informal sector. External support would go a long way in reducing the number of potentially costly accidents and illnesses while improving the quality of products and their sales, thereby raising general working and living conditions in the informal sector.
HEALTH ASSESSMENT OF CHILD WORKERS
HEALTH ASSESSMENT OF CHILD WORKERS IN
BARANGAY DE LA PAZ, BIÑAN, LAGUNA
This case study is a vital component of the OSHC Action Program on the elimination of child labor in the footwear manufacturing in Binan, Laguna. It is a contribution to the implementation of ILO Convention 182 on the Elimination of the Worst forms of Child Labor. The purpose of this study was to determine the health status of child laborers in Barangay De La Paz in Biñan, Laguna as well as to document and record the working conditions and safety hazards in small scale footwear manufacturing in these areas. Teams from the OSHC visited Purok 4 and 5 of Barangay De la Paz in Biñan, Laguna to conduct an evaluation of 14 pre-selected workplaces in the area, and at the same time, a medical team interviewed and examined 93 working children.
Safety audit of the workplaces showed that most working areas were in the living areas of the worker and their families, posing difficulty in terms of exposure for all members of the family. A variety of hazards were observed, i.e., chemical, physical, biologic and ergonomic stresses. The symptoms most often experienced by child workers during the course of their work were forgetfulness, headache, fatigue and irritability. On physical examination, 30% of children examined were found to have enlarged lymph nodes, usually indicating an on going bacterial or viral infection of the upper respiratory tract. In this connection, it is worth noting that Biñan has the highest prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in the country, therefore a high index of suspicion for children infected with PTB should be entertained. Moreover, more than half of the subjects were noted to be malnourished, thus the synergy between PTB, malnutrition and possible effects of solvent exposure were causes for concern.
The research team recommended that the proprietors of these workplaces and/or their managers be given instruction on basic occupational safety and health. In fact the research was immediately followed by training of trainers coming from the community, which was followed by a series of appreciation courses for the operators and families in Barangay de la Paz. Much of the content of the training modules were taken from the research findings. It was also recommended that attention be given to the nutritional and urgent medical needs of these children. Last, recommendations were given on the follow-up research agenda to further elucidate the health implications of footwear work on children and adults including: The long-term effects of exposure to solvents among footwear operators and workers. Improvement of productivity in the workplaces related to health and safety practices.
http://www.oshc.dole.gov.ph/page.php?pid=111
BARANGAY DE LA PAZ, BIÑAN, LAGUNA
This case study is a vital component of the OSHC Action Program on the elimination of child labor in the footwear manufacturing in Binan, Laguna. It is a contribution to the implementation of ILO Convention 182 on the Elimination of the Worst forms of Child Labor. The purpose of this study was to determine the health status of child laborers in Barangay De La Paz in Biñan, Laguna as well as to document and record the working conditions and safety hazards in small scale footwear manufacturing in these areas. Teams from the OSHC visited Purok 4 and 5 of Barangay De la Paz in Biñan, Laguna to conduct an evaluation of 14 pre-selected workplaces in the area, and at the same time, a medical team interviewed and examined 93 working children.
Safety audit of the workplaces showed that most working areas were in the living areas of the worker and their families, posing difficulty in terms of exposure for all members of the family. A variety of hazards were observed, i.e., chemical, physical, biologic and ergonomic stresses. The symptoms most often experienced by child workers during the course of their work were forgetfulness, headache, fatigue and irritability. On physical examination, 30% of children examined were found to have enlarged lymph nodes, usually indicating an on going bacterial or viral infection of the upper respiratory tract. In this connection, it is worth noting that Biñan has the highest prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in the country, therefore a high index of suspicion for children infected with PTB should be entertained. Moreover, more than half of the subjects were noted to be malnourished, thus the synergy between PTB, malnutrition and possible effects of solvent exposure were causes for concern.
The research team recommended that the proprietors of these workplaces and/or their managers be given instruction on basic occupational safety and health. In fact the research was immediately followed by training of trainers coming from the community, which was followed by a series of appreciation courses for the operators and families in Barangay de la Paz. Much of the content of the training modules were taken from the research findings. It was also recommended that attention be given to the nutritional and urgent medical needs of these children. Last, recommendations were given on the follow-up research agenda to further elucidate the health implications of footwear work on children and adults including: The long-term effects of exposure to solvents among footwear operators and workers. Improvement of productivity in the workplaces related to health and safety practices.
http://www.oshc.dole.gov.ph/page.php?pid=111
UPDATE ON WORKPLACE-BASED PREVENTION PROGRAM ON SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES AND HIV/AIDS
The study is a follow-up of the initial assessment carried out by the Occupational Safety and Health Center in 1998 to determine the sustainability of response of the private sector to the HIV/AIDS campaign, as well as to determine what initiatives they have taken to implement the Philippine AIDS Law or Republic Act 8504. Questionnaires were sent to the top 500 companies as well as to the 106 companies who participated in the 1998 initial survey, with replies from 5% percent and 20% of respondents, respectively.
Results of the survey revealed that activities on STD/HIV/AIDS usually implemented by companies were dissemination of printed materials such as brochures and leaflets and the conduct of seminars, training and lectures; the nature of which were still discrete and unsustained activities, with some exceptions. However, despite the provisions of RA 8504 on non-mandatory testing and employment of persons with HIV, there were still some companies who required HIV testing and which had discriminatory policies specifying not to employ HIV (+) individuals. This may be explained from the fact that only 25% to 59% of the companies have heard of the Philippines AIDS Law. From the results, it was apparent that further and more dynamic advocacy is needed to make the workforce aware of RA 8504 and its specific provisions for the labor sector, which basically dwell on the need to provide adequate information and education on RA8504, and to sanction discriminatory practices against HIV positive persons. One major core message is that HIV infection is still rather low in the country, and that Filipinos are still in an ideal situation where focus can still be given to primary prevention efforts through information and education of workers rather than thru HIV testing.
http://www.oshc.dole.gov.ph/page.php?pid=110
Results of the survey revealed that activities on STD/HIV/AIDS usually implemented by companies were dissemination of printed materials such as brochures and leaflets and the conduct of seminars, training and lectures; the nature of which were still discrete and unsustained activities, with some exceptions. However, despite the provisions of RA 8504 on non-mandatory testing and employment of persons with HIV, there were still some companies who required HIV testing and which had discriminatory policies specifying not to employ HIV (+) individuals. This may be explained from the fact that only 25% to 59% of the companies have heard of the Philippines AIDS Law. From the results, it was apparent that further and more dynamic advocacy is needed to make the workforce aware of RA 8504 and its specific provisions for the labor sector, which basically dwell on the need to provide adequate information and education on RA8504, and to sanction discriminatory practices against HIV positive persons. One major core message is that HIV infection is still rather low in the country, and that Filipinos are still in an ideal situation where focus can still be given to primary prevention efforts through information and education of workers rather than thru HIV testing.
http://www.oshc.dole.gov.ph/page.php?pid=110
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)