Occupational safety and health literacy

Skill in understanding how to reduce risk to health and safety

Occupational Safety and Health literacy or OSH literacy is the degree to which individuals have the functional capacity to access, process and utilize the occupational safety and health (OSH) information and services needed to eliminate or reduce risk. OSH literacy is an umbrella term which covers a range of safety and health related fields i.e. mental health, general medical health, fire safety, road safety, food safety, electrical safety, environmental safety (heat, noise, air etc.,) chemical safety and so on. In the Fourth Industrial Revolution, OSH literacy has migrated out from the traditional workplaces and occupations of the 19th and 20th century and has become an essential life-skill literacy for the modern era. [1]

## Overview

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OSH is the acronym for occupational safety and health. It is sometimes also referred to as occupational health and safety (OHS), safety, health & environment (SHE), workplace safety and health (WSH), environment safety & health (EHS), health & safety (H&S) as well as other terms.[1][2]

OSH uses a unique system comprised of different shapes, colors, symbols, signals and specialized terminology to communicate information to prevent accidents.[3] This communication system has been standardized by the International Standards Organization (ISO).[3]. There are also the red diamond-shaped symbols of the Globally Harmonized System for hazardous substances (GHS). Traffic lights and road safety signs are also a form of OSH literacy. The Vienna Convention standardises traffic signals, signs and symbols and these are universally applied in the same way as the ISO and GHS symbols are. As with other 'literacies' there are basic, fundamental skills that an OSH literate person needs to be classed as competent or 'literate' in that field. These can be how to identify hazards, assess risk and take informed decisions to reduce and eliminate danger. OSH literacy levels can be mapped to competency matrixes from entry level to advanced.

As educational and employment paradigms rapidly change, in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, OSH literacy has also migrated out of traditional workplaces and has become an essential life-skill literacy applicable in any context wherever there are people.

## Examples

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In addition to traditional workplaces, examples of OSH literacy can be found at home on everyday products such as: cleaning chemicals, cosmetics, electrical appliances, food packaging, fuels, paints and pesticides. Examples of OSH literacy are easily found in public places too such as: airports, shopping malls, sports and concert arenas, public roads, schools etc., to give us essential emergency information for major public health emergencies, fire-safety, evacuation, medical assistance, traffic warnings and much more. [4][5] ISO Standard 7010:2019 prescribes safety signs for the purposes of accident prevention, fire protection, health hazard information and emergency evacuation. It is applicable to all locations where safety issues related to people need to be addressed.[6] Safety signs, symbols, signals and terminology have become ubiquitous in or daily lives, yet most people have never been taught how to find, identify, evaluate or apply this essential information.

## Effects of lack of OSH literacy and high-risk groups

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The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that nearly 3 million women and men around the world succumb to work-related accidents or diseases every year; this corresponds to over 7500 deaths every single day. Worldwide, there are around 374 million occupational accidents and 160 million victims of work-related illnesses annually. The ILO updates these estimates at intervals, and the updates indicate an increase in accidents and ill health.[7], According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), accidents are the leading cause of death and disability for young people aged 10 - 18 globally. Unintentional (accidental fatalities are the leading cause of death in nearly all developed countries for young people aged 5 - 25. Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) are the biggest killer. Drowning, chemical poisoning, slips, trips and falls, electrocution, fires, burns and scalds are also significant contributors to this data.

Data analysis shows that lack of safety and health education, poor communications and human factors are a root-causal factor in a significantly high number of all recorded accidents globally.[8]

Within employment, poor OSH literacy skills and human factors are the root-causal factor in a significantly high percentage of accidents. Particularly vulnerable groups include young workers,[9] older workers (aged over 45),[10] migrant workers,[11] persons with both visible and invisible disabilities,[12] people with low or no (illiterate) levels of literacy,[13] individuals who are speakers of English as a second language (English is the lingua-franca of OSH and the global workplace).[14]

There is no data currently available to show the amounts of deaths, diseases, injuries and losses which occur in the home or in public places due to a lack of OSH literacy skills. Nevertheless, the available statistical-data, suggests that there is a strong correlation between the number of people entering into new workplaces with little or no OSH literacy skills and the occurrence of OSH related incidents within the first twelve months of their employment.[15][16][17][18]

## In education

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For many years international organizations involved with safety and health education such as: ENETOSH,[19] OSH-Africa,[20] OSHA-EU,[21] OSHA[22] and IOSH[23] the WHO and ILO have been advocating for safety and health to be mainstreamed into education.

These institutions highlight the life-long, socio-economic and health benefits that this can bring and that it can act as a foundation for life-long learning. It can be taught as a stand-alone subject or integrated into other subjects. Whole school approaches are also advocated.[24][25] Although numerous initiatives have been trialled, as the data shows, these have not been successful. Already overworked teachers have been reluctant to add to their already heavy workloads to research, plan, teach and assess subjects that they know little about. There is competition on already crowded curricula from other more well-known and well-resourced literacies such as financial, health and media literacy.

Research has shown that treating OSH as a literacy and pre-teaching basic OSH literacy skills greatly increases a person's ability to understand, engage and comply with OSH information and training. Thus, decreasing the likelihood that they will have an accident due to poor communications and lack of knowledge and skills. In addition, teaching OSH literacy in the safety of a classroom allows for individuals, who may have difficulty with this literacy, to be identified early so that remedial actions can be taken to safeguard them and others from potential harm and losses. Additionally, those who have gained OSH literacy skills can cascade their new skills and knowledge within their families and communities.[26]

As the data shows, OSH literacy is an essential life-skill literacy for the 21st century. It is applicable anywhere, across all regions, industries, contexts, languages and demographics. It is linked to the United Nations’ Social Development Goals (UN SDGs) 2030, in particular SDGs 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 16 & 17.[27]

In June 2023, The International Standards Organization released Part one (1) of its much anticipated Plain Language Standard (ISO 24495-1:2023 - Plain language — Part 1: Governing principles and guidelines). The ISO Plain Language Standard provides all industry sectors with a set of guidelines and strategies to make information more accessible and effective. The ISO are also responsible for the design and application of OSH signage. The guidelines are applicable across all languages and industries, as is OSH.

In June 2022, the International Labor Conference added Safety and Health to its Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. As a result of this decision, all ILO member states will be required to commit to respect and promote the fundamental right to a safe and healthy working environment, whether or not they have ratified the relevant conventions.[28]

## References

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1. ^ a b Ehmann, Anna T.; Ög, Eylem; Rieger, Monika A.; Siegel, Achim (2021-09-22). "Work-Related Health Literacy: A Scoping Review to Clarify the Concept". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 18 (19): 9945. doi:10.3390/ijerph18199945. ISSN 1661-7827. PMC 8507793. PMID 34639262.
2. ^ "About IOSH". IOSH. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
3. ^ a b "International Standard for safety signs updated". ISO. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
4. ^ "ISO/IEC Guide 41:2018(en)". www.iso.org. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
5. ^ Nordin, Shahrina Md; Rizal, Ammar Redza Ahmad; Rashid, Rafidah Abd; Che Omar, Rohayu; Priyadi, Unggul (January 2021). "Incidents and Disaster Avoidance: The Role of Communication Management and the Organizational Communication Climate in High-Risk Environments". Sustainability. 13 (18): 10138. doi:10.3390/su131810138. ISSN 2071-1050.
6. ^ "ISO 7010:2011". ISO. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
7. ^ "World Statistic". www.ilo.org. 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
8. ^ "Occupational Hazards in Organisations: A study on the Role of Communication in Stress Prevention".
9. ^ "Young Worker Safety and Health | NIOSH | CDC". www.cdc.gov. 2022-04-15. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
10. ^ Peng, Lu; Chan, Alan H. S. (2019-02-01). "A meta-analysis of the relationship between ageing and occupational safety and health". Safety Science. 112: 162–172. doi:10.1016/j.ssci.2018.10.030. ISSN 0925-7535. S2CID 116142338.
11. ^ "Protecting Migrant Workers" (PDF).
12. ^ "StackPath". www.ehstoday.com. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
13. ^ "Language, literacy and their role in workplace accidents".
14. ^ De Jesus-Rivas, Mayra; Conlon, Helen Acree; Burns, Candace (January 2016). "The Impact of Language and Culture Diversity in Occupational Safety". Workplace Health & Safety. 64 (1): 24–27. doi:10.1177/2165079915607872. ISSN 2165-0799. PMID 26800895. S2CID 12476103.
15. ^ Rauscher, Kimberly J.; Myers, Douglas J. (2014). "Occupational health literacy and work-related injury among U.S. adolescents". International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion. 21 (1): 81–89. doi:10.1080/17457300.2013.792288. ISSN 1745-7319. PMID 23679156. S2CID 3016134.
16. ^ "What You Don't Know Can Hurt You: Literacy's Impact on Workplace Health and Safety". LINCS | Adult Education and Literacy | U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
17. ^ Ehmann, Anna T.; Ög, Eylem; Rieger, Monika A.; Siegel, Achim (January 2021). "Work-Related Health Literacy: A Scoping Review to Clarify the Concept". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 18 (19): 9945. doi:10.3390/ijerph18199945. ISSN 1660-4601. PMC 8507793. PMID 34639262.
18. ^ Rauscher, Kimberly J.; Myers, Douglas J. (2014-03-01). "Occupational health literacy and work-related injury among US adolescents". International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion. 21 (1): 81–89. doi:10.1080/17457300.2013.792288. ISSN 1745-7300. PMID 23679156. S2CID 3016134.
19. ^ "Who We Are - Enetosh". enetosh.net. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
20. ^ "OSHAfrica Scientific Committee | OSHAfrica". Retrieved 2022-07-20.
21. ^ "Mainstreaming OSH into education | Safety and health at work EU-OSHA". osha.europa.eu. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
22. ^ "Young Workers - Parents and Educators Can Keep Young Workers Safe | Occupational Safety and Health Administration". www.osha.gov. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
23. ^ "IOSH OSH education policy position". IOSH. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
24. ^ "Occupational safety and health and education: a whole school approach" (PDF).
25. ^ "Occupational safety and health and education: a whole-school approach | Safety and health at work EU-OSHA". osha.europa.eu. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
26. ^ "OSH Literacy – A life skill". Retrieved 2022-07-20.
27. ^ "THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development". sdgs.un.org. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
28. ^ "International Labour Conference adds safety and health to Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work". www.ilo.org. 2022-06-10. Retrieved 2022-07-20.

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