POH-100 Midterm Two

For Risk Assessment Who/What/Where is at Risk?

Individuals, general populations, Children, teens, pregnant woman and population subgroups (people with asthma, certain genders, race)

What are the environmental hazards of concern?

Chemicals, Radiation, Physical (heat or dust), Microbiological or biological, Nutritional diet and socio-economic

Where do Environmental hazards come from?

Point sources, Non-point sources, or Natural Hazards

How does an exposure occur?

Pathways but more specifically, Air, surface, water, soil, food.

What ways people can be exposed to harmful substances

Ingestion, contact with skin, inhalation and non-dietary ingestion (not washing hands after dealing with chemicals)

What does the body do with the environmental hazard and how is this impacted by factors such as age, race, sex, genetics, etc.

Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion

What is PHAC and what do they do?

The Public Health Agency of Canada assesses risks to public health to: identify emerging threats describe, anticipate or estimate public health risks, develop recommended actions, explore future outcomes of risk

What is the PHAC responsible for?

They are responsible for managing public health risks.

Types of Risk assessment for public health practitioners

Risk profile, Rapid risk assessments and Pandemic Risk Scenario Analysis

Risk Profile:

A detailed characterization of a possible public health risk that may impact people living in Canada or Canadians abroad.

A risk profile explores multiple potential concerns associated with the situation and provides information and expert advice.

A risk profile helps us:understand the risks associated with the situation and inform actions to guide a response by PHAC and other public health authorities

Rapid Risk Assessments

Reports that use standardized scientific methods for understanding: likelihood of a public health threat occurring; impact if it were to occur

The methods allow it to be conducted relatively quickly, taking into account all relevant intelligence, including:

new and emerging information

scientific evidence

readily available data

expert knowledge and opinion

Pandemic Risk Scenario Analysis

Multiple government organizations working together to examine which scenario is the most likely, as well as the worst-case scenario. Situations that have pandemic potential both nationally and globally are considered when working through the scenarios

What could be the health effects of an environmental hazard?

Cancer, heart disease, liver disease and nerve disease.

How long does it take for an environmental hazard to cause a toxic effect?

Acute - right away or within a few hours to a day

or

Sub chronic - weeks or months (for humans, generally less than 10% oftheir lifespan)

or

Chronic - a significant part of a lifetime or a lifetime (for humans atleast seven years

What does SDWSs stand for?

Small Drinking Water Systems

What does SDWSs do

Systems that make drinking water available to the public and are not connected to a community drinking water system

Large municipal non-residential drinking water

Parks, and large sports and recreation facilites

Small municipal non-residential drinking

small community centres, libraries, and sports and recreation facilities;

Non-municipal seasonal residential drinking

private cottages on communal drinking water systems

Large non-municipal non-residential drinking

large motels and resorts

Small non-municipal non-residential drinking water

motels, restaurants, gas stations, churches, and bed and breakfasts.

Risk Assessment Process for SDWSs

Identify risks in small drinking water systems

PHI Role in Risk Assessment

Use the RCat Tool to evaluate risks.

Monitor sampling compliance and test results.

Follow up on AWQIs, provide directions, and ensure corrective actions.

Disclose risk levels and adverse events for SDWSs.

Risk Assessments are conducted by?

The PHAC (Public Health Agency Canada)

SDWS Risk Ratings

Low- Negligible level of risk, re-inspection every 4 years, low sampling frequency

Moderate- Medium level of risk, re-inspection every 4 years, moderate sampling frequency,

High- Significant level of risk, re-inspection every 2 years, highest sampling frequency

SDWS Directive

PHIs issue a site-specific directive after a risk assessment, detailing operational requirements (e.g., sampling, testing, treatment, training, signage).

The directive is a legal document requiring compliance by the owner/operator.

Non-compliance may lead to legal action.

Directives can be amended or reissued as needed.

What is a hazard?

Any source of potential damage or harm to someone or something."

Hazard identification

Part of the process used to evaluate if any particular situation, item, or thing may have the potential to cause harm.

Analyze and evaluate the risk associated with that hazard is risk analysis, and risk evaluation.

Risk Control

Determine appropriate ways to eliminate the hazard or control the riskwhen the hazard cannot be eliminated

When should hazard identification be done?

During design and implementation

Designing a new process or procedure

Purchasing and installing new machinery

Biological Hazards

bacteria, viruses, fungi, insects, plants, and animals

Chemical Hazards

depends on the physical, chemical, and toxic properties of the product

Ergonomic Hazards

repetitive movements, improper set up of workstations, etc

Physical Hazards

Radiation, magnetic fields, temperature extremes.

Psychsocial Hazards

Stress, violence, harassment

Safety Hazarda

Slipping, tripping, Inappropriate machine guarding

Exposure Assessment tools

Direct measurement

Scenario Evaluation

Exposure reconstruction

Direct Measurement.

evaluates an exposure as it occurs, by using direct methods to measure the chemical concentrations at the interface between the person and the environment as a function of time, resulting in an exposure profile."

Scenario Evaluation

an approach to quantifying exposure by measurement or estimation of both the amount of a substance contacted, and the frequency/duration of contact, and subsequently linking these together to estimate exposure or dose.

Exposure Reconstruction

uses internal body measurements rather than external measurements to estimate dose

Biomonitoring

involves analyzing human sample's, such as tissues and body fluids to determine contaminant or biomarker concentrations

Biomarkers

the cellular, biochemical, analytical, or molecular measures obtained via biomonitoring from biological media (e.g., tissues, cells, fluids) that indicate exposure to a chemical

Hazard Control Program

Consists of all steps necessary to protect workers from exposure to a substance or system.

Three steps to choose a suitable control method

1. Conduct a risk assessment to evaluate and prioritize the hazards and risks.

2. Examine "normal" and any potential or unusual situations

3. Design to suit the needs of the individual workplace.

Reason to implement hazard controls

The employer has a duty of due diligence and is responsible for 'taking all reasonable precautions, under the particular circumstances, to prevent injuries or incidents in the workplace'

Due Diligence

refers to the reasonable precautions taken by employers under particularcircumstances to prevent harm in the course of work

Reasonable precautions

referred to as reasonable care. It refers to the care, caution, or action a reasonableperson is expected to take under similar circumstances.

What does HACCP stand for?

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points.

HACCP Principles

1. Hazard analysis

2. Identify critical control points

3. Establish critical limits

4. Monitor Critical Control Points

5. Establish Corrective Actions

6. Establish Record Keeping

7. Establish Verification Procedures

Conducting a Hazard analysis

The initial process of identifying potential hazards that could occur in a food business.

Identify Critical Control Points

A Critical Control Point (CCP) is a point in the food preparation process where hazardscan be reduced, eliminated or prevented.

Establish Critical Limits

A critical limit is the maximum or minimum value to which a food safety hazard(biological, chemical or physical) must be controlled.

Monitor Critical Control Points

Monitoring each CCP is essential to make sure that hazards don't go beyond the critical limits set. Generally, monitoring can be broken down into four different categories: observation, sensory, chemical and physical.

Establish Corrective Actions

If a hazard exceeds its critical limit, a corrective action must be taken. Corrective actions are either immediate or preventive

Establish Record Keeping

Comprehensive and up-to-date records must be kept of any hazard along with details of any corrective actions. These records are kept together in a living document called a Food Safety Plan which is part of a Food Safety Program.

Establish Verification Procedures

Verification procedures can help determine if your Food Safety Plan actually works to prevent the hazards identified. It is important to perform an audit of your Food SafetyPlan at least once a year to ensure that everything is working.

Factors Influencing Risk Perception

individual characteristic's, information, media factors, and contextual factors

Risk Perceptions impact on health behaviours

Higher perceived risk generally increases adoption of protective behaviours, Very high perceived risk may lead to panic or denial, Low perceived risk can reduce adherence to public health guidelines

Implication for Risk Communication

Understanding public risk perception, messages should be tailored bast on how many different groups perceive risks.

What is risk communication?

an evidence-based approach to communicating effectively with the public in times of controversy. When an issue arises that involves risks to health, the environment or the economy, people may be faced with complex information that can be hard to access or understand

What are the core principles of risk communication?

Be truthful, be helpful, be clear, be proactive and be available

What main objective does the risk communication framework involve?

Understand the audience(s), analyze information, organize information, and engage audiences

Goals for risk communication

Increase audience and understanding, inform appropriate action and build credibility over time

What factors influence risk perception in Occupation Health?

Experience and familiarity, job demands, safety culture and personal characteristics

Risk Perception in Occupational Health- Experience and Familiarity

As workers become more comfortable with theirtasks, they may underestimate potential dangers, leading to complacency

Risk Perception in Occupational Health- Job demands

High workload or pressure to complete tasks quickly can causeworkers to downplay risk

Risk Perception in Occupational Health- Safety Culture

The overall attitude towards safety within an organization canshape individual risk perceptions

Risk Perception in Occupational Health- Personal characteristics

Factors such as age, gender, and job seniority can influence how risks are perceived

What impacts affect job satisfaction and stress

Higher perceived risks

Four strategies to addressing risk perception in a workplace

Training and education, Risk assessments, leadership involvement and targeted interventions

Training and Education

Regular communication about potential risks and theirconsequences can help maintain awareness

Risk Assessments

Involving workers in risk assessments can improve their understanding and perception of workplace hazards

Leadership Involvement

Management's prioritization of safety influences overall workplace culture and individual risk perceptions

Targeted Interventions

Tailoring safety measures based on workers' risk perceptions can lead to more effective risk management strategies

The importance of risk communication in occupational health:

To inform workers about workplace health risks and hazards, To increase understanding and promote appropriate preventive actions, To build credibility and trust over time, To foster an appropriate level of concern about risks

What do PHI inspect?

Restaurants and food service establishments, Public pools and spas, Childcare centers, Salons and personal service settings

PHI inspection process involves?

Check for compliance with health and safety regulations, Assess sanitary conditions, Verify safe food handling practices

Enforcement actions

If violations are found, inspectors have various enforcement tools at their disposal, Issue warnings or orders for corrective action, Impose fines or penalties. Temporarily close facilities until issues are resolved, Pursue legal action for serious or repeated violations

Public Disclosure

Many health departments maintain public disclosure programs to inform residents about inspection results: Online databases of inspection reports, Posting of inspection results at facility entrances, Disclosure of health-related closures and convictions

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Audits evaluate?

PPE audits are a critical component of infection prevention and control (IPAC)programs in healthcare settings. They evaluate:

PPE standards, practices, and procedures, Direct observation of PPE use in healthcare facilities, Reviewing relevant policies and protocols

Food Premises Inspections evaluate?

These audits focus on food safety and hygiene in restaurants, cafeterias, and other food service establishments. They typically evaluate:

Assessing compliance with food safety regulations, Inspecting food storage and preparation areas, Reviewing staff training and hygiene practices

Purpose of a workplace inspection

Identify existing and potential hazards; Assess risks; Recommend corrective actions; Monitor effectiveness of controls

Types of inspections

Regular scheduled inspections (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly), Informal ongoing inspections by supervisors and workers, Pre-operation equipment checksNew/modified equipment reviews

The inspection process steps

Plan the inspection (use checklists, review past reports), Physically examine the workplace, Document findings. Prioritize and address hazards, Follow up on corrective actions

Benefits from a workplace inspection

Prevent injuries and illnesses, Improve workplace safety culture, Meet regulatory requirements, Identify areas for improvement

Incident investigation

Investigations are reactive processes that occur after an incident, injury, or near miss to determine root causes and prevent recurrence.

Purpose of incident investigations

Determine sequence of events• Identify root causes, Recommend corrective measures, Prevent similar incidents

Types of incidents investigated in an incident investigation

Injuries and illnesses, Fatalities, Property damage, Near misses, Regulatory violations

Investigation process for incident investigations

Secure the scene, Collect facts (physical evidence, interviews, documents), Analyze data to determine root causes, Develop corrective actions. Implement recommendations, Follow up and evaluate effectiveness

Key Differences of Investigations from Inspections

Reactive rather than proactive, Focus on a specific incident, More in-depth analysis of root causes, May involve external agencies for serious incident

What key purposes does OHS audits serve?

Assess compliance with established guidelines and regulations, Identify potential hazards and risks in the workplace, Evaluate the effectiveness of existing OHS management systems, Provide recommendations for improvement

OHS audits are crucial for what reasons?

Protecting employee health and safety, Ensuring legal compliance and avoiding penalties, Enhancing productivity by creating a safer work environment, Demonstrating commitment to worker wellbeing

The audit process

Planning and preparation, on site assessment, analysis, reporting and following up

Audits focus on?

Policy and risk assessment, Hazard identification and control measures, Emergency preparedness, Training and communication

Types of OHS Audits

Compliance audits, Risk-based audits, Management system audits, and Thematic audits (focusing on specific areas like ergonomics or chemical safety)

Auditor qualifications

Strong knowledge of OHS regulations and standards, Technical expertise in relevant industries, Analytical and problem-solving skills, Excellent communication abilities, Attention to detail

The PHAC at the federal level includes?

Preventing disease and injuries, Responding to urgent public health issues, Promoting good physical and mental health, Creating knowledge base for decision makers

Who is responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health?

Health Canada

Key activities of PHAC at a provincial/territorial level

Setting strategic direction and priorities, . Providing public health leadership (in the context of Ontario-local public health units delivering programs and services

Key Public Health Governance Structures:

Office of the Chief Public Health Officer at the federal level, Provincial/territorial public health agencies, Local boards of health overseeing public health units, Advisory bodies like the National Advisory Committee on Immunization