Occupational health and safety as a global public health concern and the situation in Guyana

Abstract

I now wish to turn to ... workers in whom certain morbid affections gradually arise from ... some particular posture of the limbs or unnatural movements of the body called for while they work. [Regarding] maladies that afflict the clerk [:] Incessant driving of the pen over paper causes intense fatigue of the hand and the whole arm ... Those who sit at their work ... become bent, humpbacked, and hold their heads down like people looking for something on the ground; this is the effect of their sedentary life and the bent posture of the body as they sit and apply themselves all day to their tasks. (Ramazzini, 1713/2001, p. 1380) Two thirds of the world's population is involved in paid work. More often than not, this involvement is a necessity and the means through which workers, as well as economies seek to gain and maintain economic progress and by extension provide access to or provision of services such as education and health. An occupation on the one hand can provide satisfaction, elevate one's self esteem, and give a sense of order and identity (Stone, 2003). On the other hand, workers may be exposed to hazards that can adversely affect their health. Work related injuries are not a new phenomenon; they were well described over 400 years ago by Ramazzini, who, because of his contribution to the recognition of the