In public health, what is the primary role of occupational health, and which two hazards are commonly addressed?

• A. Protect workers; hazards: chemical exposure, noise; prevention: PPE, engineering controls, ventilation
• B. Treat patients only with chronic diseases in clinics
• C. Focus on epidemiology of infectious diseases only
• D. Replace all workers with machines

Answer: (A)

Occupational health aims to protect workers by preventing work-related illness and injury and by creating safer work environments. It focuses on identifying hazards, assessing risks, and applying controls to reduce or eliminate exposure, using a hierarchy that emphasizes eliminating the hazard or engineering controls first, with PPE as a last line of defense.

Two hazards commonly addressed are chemical exposures and noise. Chemical exposure can come from solvents, dusts, fumes, and other toxic substances that affect the skin, lungs, or nervous system, while excessive workplace noise can cause hearing loss and related health problems. Preventive measures include engineering controls like ventilation and enclosures to reduce or remove the hazard, administrative controls such as exposure monitoring and work practices, and personal protective equipment when residual exposure remains.

The other options don’t fit because occupational health is about preventing illness and injury in the workplace, not just treating patients in clinics; it addresses a range of hazards beyond infectious disease epidemiology; and replacing workers with machines is not a realistic or desired goal of occupational health.