Health risk assessment in working environment control Raina Pihelgas

There is a lot of definitions about health. I’d define health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO)

The Risk is the chance, high or low, of someone being harmed by the hazard (Health and Safety Executive)

Control of an organization, place, or system is the power to make all the important decisions about the way that it is run (Collins Cobuild; English Dictionary, 2000, ISBN )

Working environment is a part of the overall environment. Environment is the aggregate, at a given moment, of all external conditions and influences to which a system is subjected.(ISO, 1975) This is not may be such kind of working environment where we might want to work. It could be better of course.

As birth rate is low and life expectancy increases, average age in the population increases in developed countries. Population aging is a shift in the distribution of a country's population towards greater ages. Population aging causes workforce aging.Workforce aging is a shift in the distri- bution of a country´s workforce towards greater ages. Sometimes it is better to work even when you are not physically strong.

In some countries people live and work longer because the conditions are good. In Andorra tourism accounts for more than 80 % of GDP. Life expectancy is the highest in the world 82,67 years. Though Andorra is not well developed industrially there are good psychological conditions. While in Germany where is well developed mixed economic system the life expectancy is 79,1 years. Only industrial develop- ment doesn´t bring along longer age or higher life quality.

In 1950 the learning process lasted from 7 to 20 years and then was cutted off sharply when people started their working life. Retirement started sharp- ly at sixties as well. But in 2050 learning should last during almost the whole life starting later at the age of 15 and finish smoothly at the age of 80. At the same time continuing working life should last to the end of people lives. Person has enough relaxation during all life.

Conclusions It is important to add health and safety education to secondary People would stay healthy till they are aged if at early ages they avoided health damages. If not it ends like this. Traumas in younger age cause permanent health damage in later years.

Inspection should take into account the age of the workers. Labour inspection could educate older people in enterprise to find new materials and books. Some may ask, what sense does it make to work at this age? If to look at the western countries, then most old age workers work as a small undertakers. World richest people are over 80 years old. For example Ingvar Kamprad is 81 years old. Here what counts is life experience.

Why risks in working environment should be controlled? To be able to work longer in our lives when one is sixty, seventy or even ninety years old like this watchman here. Usually there is relatively low life expectancy among watchman. But this one here likes his work and is very good specialist and so he looks quite well. It is important to improve psychosocial fac- tors.

During this year Labour Inspectorate controlled 200 enterprises in Estonia concerning risk analyses. The choice of the enterprises is “the problem enterprises”, not average enterprise in Estonia. And THIS is not perhaps average behaviour either. There were recommendations to carry out risk assessment according to the type of enterprise. In construction the inspection should be attentive for how their work should be done safely while in commerce there are working processes with carrying boxes of goods that has to be carefully managed.

Aging workforce is the problem of last decades. We should examine what is the older worker like. Businessmen should examine as well. And Labour Inspectorate should know how to work with older people because they can teach undertakers. In civilized society the problem of control dis- appears, because people are disciplined. In dreamland there are happy people coming to work every morning and the Labour Inspectorate is just a little institution.

Thank you for attention