Basic concepts in occupational health and general system of professional risks in Colombia
Content
Introduction
One of the main concerns of a company must be the control of risks that threaten the health of its workers and against its material and financial resources.
Work accidents and occupational diseases are factors that interfere with the normal development of business activity, negatively affecting their productivity and consequently threatening their strength and permanence in the market; also entailing serious implications in the workplace, family and social.
In consideration of the above, the administration and management of every company must assume their responsibility in seeking and putting into practice the necessary measures that contribute to maintaining and improving the levels of efficiency in the company's operations and providing its workers with a means safe work.
For this, according to the provisions of the International Labor Organization ILO and the laws established in the country in accordance with the Occupational Risk System, an Occupational Health Program must be prepared pending to preserve, maintain and improve the individual and collective health of the workers in their corresponding occupations and that must be developed in a multidisciplinary way.
General features
Definitions
- HEALTH: It is a state of physical, mental and social well-being. Not just the absence of disease. WORK: It is any activity that man performs to transform nature in order to improve the quality of life. WORK ENVIRONMENT: It is the set of conditions that surround the person and that directly or indirectly influence their state of health and their working life. RISK: It is the probability of occurrence of an event. Example Risk of a fall, or risk of drowning. RISK FACTOR: It is an element, phenomenon or human action that can cause damage to the health of workers, equipment or facilities. Example on physical effort, noise, monotony. INCIDENT:It is an unwanted event, which under different circumstances, could have resulted in injury to people or facilities. That is, AN ALMOST ACCIDENT. Example a trip or slip. WORK ACCIDENT: It is a sudden event that occurs due to or on the occasion of work and that causes damage to health in the worker (an organic injury, a functional disturbance, disability or death). Example wound, fracture, burn According to the above, it is considered a work accident:
- The one that occurs in fulfillment of daily or sporadic work in the company. The one that occurs in compliance with the regular work, orders or on behalf of the employer, even outside working hours or company facilities. The one that occurs during the transfer between residence and transportation work provided by the employer.
Likewise , an accident at work is not considered an accident suffered during paid or unpaid leave, regardless of whether they are unionized, or in sports, recreational and cultural activities where no action is taken on behalf of the employer. OCCUPATIONAL ILLNESS: It is the damage to health that is acquired by exposure to one or more risk factors present in the work environment. The Government adopts 42 diseases as professionals, among which we can mention lead poisoning, deafness Occupational cancer and occupational cancer. It is also Occupational Disease if the causal relationship between the risk factor and the disease is demonstrated. OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH: It is defined asdiscipline that seeks the physical, mental and social well-being of the employees in their workplaces. In Colombia, the field of Occupational Health is framed in all the regulations given through the General System of Professional Risks
Regulations in Colombia on social security and occupational health
Law 100 of 1993 established the structure of Social Security in the country, which consists of three components such as:
- The Pension Scheme Health Care The General System of Occupational Risks.
Each of the previous components has its own legislation and its own executing and fiscal entities for its development.
The main Decrees and Resolutions that regulate Occupational Health in Colombia are described below:
| Law - Year | Content |
| Law 9a. From 1979 | It is the framework Law of Occupational Health in Colombia. Standard to preserve, conserve and improve the health of individuals in their occupations |
| Resolution 2400 of 1979 of MinTra * | Known as the «General Safety Statute», it deals with provisions on housing, hygiene and safety in work establishments |
| Decree 614 of 1984 of MinTra and MINSALUD | Creates the bases for the organization and administration of Occupational Health in the country |
| Resolution 2013 of 1986 of MinTra | Establishes the creation and operation of the Medicine, Hygiene and Industrial Safety Committees in companies |
| Resolution 1016 of 1989 of MinTra | Establishes the operation of Occupational Health Programs in companies |
| MinTra Law 100 of 1993 | The comprehensive social security system is created |
| Decree 1281 of 1994 of MinTra | Regulates high-risk activities |
| Decree 1295 of 1994 of MinTra and MINHACIENDA |
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| Decree 1346 of 1994 of MinTra | By which the integration, financing and operation of the Disability Rating Boards are regulated |
| Decree 1542 of 1994 of MinTra | Regulates the integration and operation of the National Occupational Health Committee |
| Decree 1771 of 1994 of MinTra | Regulates reimbursements for Work Accidents and Occupational Diseases |
| Decree 1772 of 1994 of MinTra | By which the affiliation and contributions to the General System of Professional Risks are regulated |
| Decree 1831 of 1994 of MinTra | Issues the Classification Table of Economic Activities for the General System of Professional Risks |
| Decree 1832 of 1994 of MinTra | By which the Table of Occupational Diseases is adopted |
| Decree 1834 of 1994 of MinTra | By which the operation of the National Council of Professional Risks is regulated |
| Decree 1835 of 1994 of MinTra | Regulates High-Risk Activities of Public Servants |
| Decree 2644 of 1994 of MinTra | Single table for compensation for loss of work capacity |
| Decree 692 of 1995 of MinTra | Single Manual for the qualification of Disability |
| Decree 1436 of 1995 of MinTra | Table of Combined Values of the Single Manual for the qualification of Disability |
| Decree 2100 of 1995 of MinTra | Classification of economic activities |
| Resolution 4059 of 1995 | Reports of work accidents and occupational disease |
| Circular 002 of 1996 of MinTra | Mandatory registration of high-risk companies whose activity is level 4 or 5 |
* MinTra = Ministry of Labor
General system of professional risks
The Occupational Hazards System exists as a set of rules and procedures designed to prevent, protect and assist workers from the effects of occupational diseases and accidents that may occur on the occasion or as a consequence of the work they perform, in addition to maintaining monitoring for strict compliance with Occupational Health regulations.
1. Regulation
The pillar of this Legislation is Decree Law 1295 of 1994, whose objectives seek:
- Establish promotion and prevention activities aimed at improving the working conditions and health of workers Establish health care benefits and financial benefits derived from the contingencies of work accidents and occupational disease Monitor compliance with each of the standards of the Legislation on Occupational Health and the Occupational Health administration scheme through the ARP.
In particular, Decree 1295 in its Article 21 Literal D, obliges employers to program, execute and control compliance with the Occupational Health program in the company and its financing. In Article 22 Literal D, it obliges workers to comply with the rules, regulations and instructions of the companies' Occupational Health program.
In Resolution 001016 of 1989 in Article 4 and Paragraph 1, employers are obliged to have a specific and particular Occupational Health program, in accordance with their potential and real risks and the number of workers. It also obliges employers to allocate the financial and physical human resources, essential for the development and fulfillment of the Occupational Health program, according to the severity of the risks and the number of exposed workers. Likewise, the Occupational Health programs have the obligation to supervise the Occupational Health standards throughout the company, and in particular, in each workplace.
Given the complexity and magnitude of this task, it is necessary for the Occupational Health programs to be autonomous entities, which depend directly on a staff unit of the company, to allow better surveillance and supervision in compliance with each of the standards issued of the Occupational Health Legislation.
2. Field of Application of the General System of Occupational Risks
With the exceptions provided in Article 279 of Law 100 of 1993, the General System of Professional Risks applies to all companies operating in the national territory and to workers, contractors, subcontractors of the public, official, semi-official sectors in all their orders and in the private sector in general.
3. Formation of the General System of Professional Risks
The National Government determined the organization and operation of the General System of Professional Risks, which is integrated as follows:
a) The Ministry of Labor and Social Security and the Ministry of Health (Today Merged as the Ministry of Social Protection)
It is the governing body of the State regarding Occupational Risks. Its function is to determine specific epidemiological surveillance regimes, the development of prevention activities and control the provision of the Health service to those affiliated to the System under the quality conditions determined by the Law.
In order to implement its functions, the Technical Directorate for Professional Risks was created. This agency will be responsible for promoting the prevention of Professional Risks, monitoring and controlling the operation of the System and applying sanctions for violation of the norm.
b) The National Council of Professional Risks
System management body made up of members of the Ministry, ARP Entities, Workers, Employers and Occupational Health Scientific Associations.
c) The National Occupational Health Committee
Consultative body of the System made up of members of Occupational Health of the Ministry and the ARP
d) The Professional Risk Fund
Its purpose is to develop studies, campaigns and promotional and dissemination activities for the prevention of Occupational Risks
e) The Disability Qualification Boards
They are private bodies created by law. Its members are appointed by the Ministry of Social Protection. Through the occupational medical opinion, they resolve the controversies subscribed to the determination of the origin and / or degree of disability, permanent or partial disability, professional illness, accident or death of the members of the System.
f) The Banking Superintendency
They control, authorize, monitor and guarantee the exercise of free competition to the ARP Entities
g) ARP Professional Risk Management Entities
Life Insurance Companies which have been authorized by the Banking Superintendence to operate the insurance industry. They must fulfill the following functions:
- Affiliate workers Manage contributions made to the system Guarantee the recognition of welfare and economic benefits for accidents at work and occupational diseases Carry out activities for the prevention and promotion of occupational risks to affiliated companies
4. Classification
When a company is linked to an ARP, it will assign a rate according to the main activity of the company and exposure to risk factors.
For this, five classes of Risk have been determined that contemplate the various economic activities of companies. If a company has more than one WORK CENTER, it can be classified for different classes of risk, provided that the location facilities, activities and exposure to risk factors are different.
| CLASSIFICATION | TYPE OF RISK | EXAMPLES |
| Class I | It contemplates activities considered of minimal risk |
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| Class II | Low risk activities |
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| Class III | Medium risk activities |
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| Class IV | High risk |
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| Class V | Maximum risk |
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Occupational health program
What is an occupational health program?
It consists of the planning, organization, execution, control and evaluation of all those activities aimed at preserving, maintaining and improving the individual and collective health of workers in order to avoid work accidents and occupational diseases.
The main objective of an Occupational Health program is to provide safety, protection and attention to employees in the performance of their work.
The increase in work accidents, some more serious than others, due among other things to technological changes or poor training of employees, the handling of delicate materials, inadequate infrastructures and to some extent due to human failures, make It is necessary for every company to have a manual that serves as a guide to minimize these risks and establish the protocol to be followed in case of accidents.
An occupational health program must have the basic elements to meet these objectives, which include general accident prevention data, the medical evaluation of employees, the investigation of accidents that occur and a training and dissemination program of the rules to avoid them.
Occupational Health Policy
As a starting point of the Program, the directives of every company must be formally pronounced, through a policy reflecting their interest in a job carried out safely and their commitment to Occupational Health, later responsibilities of all levels of the company will be defined. organization in the implementation of the Program and compliance with all the regulations that may be applicable for this.
The policy includes, among other points, the following:
- Compliance with all legal regulations in force in Colombia on Occupational Health and Integral Safety Protection and maintenance of the highest level of well-being, both physical and mental, of all workers, minimizing the generation of work accidents and the risks at their origin.Preservation of good operating conditions in material and economic resources, achieving optimization in their use and minimizing any type of loss. Guarantee that the conditions and waste management do not pollute the environment and comply with current regulations. Responsibility of All levels of Management for providing a healthy and safe work environment, through adequate equipment, procedures and programs. Responsibility of all workers for their safety, that of the personnel under their charge and of the company.Incorporation of risk control in each of the tasks.
This policy will be published and disseminated to all personnel, in order to obtain their cooperation and participation, following the example expressed and demonstrated by senior management.
Levels of Participation
The responsibility for the success of an occupational health program must be shared by all, and it is essential that all parties, employees and management do their best in this regard.
The Occupational Health program starts from the management its effective development and will be achieved to the extent that it achieves a clear conception of its importance at the levels of the organization. For this reason, the following levels of participation are proposed.
5. Employer or Management Participation
The institution where you work must provide security equipment with which adequate security conditions can be obtained for the job. In this way the management or the employer will assume the effective leadership of the Occupational Health program and will participate directly by performing a series of tasks such as:
- Motivate staff for Occupational Health through talks, letters of recognition, attend formal meetings, among others Give priority to Occupational Health when a decision must be made in which that is at stake Control results, knowing the development of the Subprograms and operation of the Medicine, Hygiene and Safety committee through accident statistics, committee minutes, compliance with established records, and ruling on the matter.
Regardless of the fact that work in different types of companies by their nature involves risks, the employee cannot assume responsibility for accidents due to administrative negligence. This concept is best established when the cost of the employee's medical care, disability, etc., and the deterioration of the company's image in terms of safety are taken into account.
6. Worker Participation
Despite the fact that the employee is the ultimate reason for an Occupational Health Program and the greatest beneficiary in its development, it is necessary to emphasize that he is responsible for most of the responsibility. It is the obligation of the employee:
- The strict follow-up of the Safety Rules in order to guarantee safe work Comply with the Occupational Health rules and procedures established by the Company Inform their superiors or the Occupational Health coordinator, about conditions and / or sub-standard acts in workplaces or any circumstance that could cause an accident and present suggestions for study by participating in the development of safe work rules and procedures Actively participating in lectures and occupational health training courses to which you have been invited Safety The employee depends above all on his own behavior, which is conditioned to a voluntary act of the worker for education and motivation.
These concepts acquire more meaning when we take into account that most of the tasks in companies involve group work and the failures of an employee can affect their own colleagues and the assets of the institution. In short, everyone's safe work will benefit everyone.
7. The Joint Committee on Occupational Health COPASO
It is the body for participation, execution and support in everything concerning the Occupational Health Program of a company. Hand in hand with the Occupational Health Coordinator and the Emergency Brigade, the members of COPASO are in charge of carrying out all the activities programmed in order to develop the Occupational Health Program.
It must be formed at the company facilities in a meeting in which the Legal Representative and his workers will participate, in compliance with Resolution 2013 of 1986 and Decree 1295 of 1994 in article 63 and the requirements of the Occupational Health Division of the Ministry of Labor.
The term of the Committee members is two (2) years and the employer is obliged to provide at least four hours per week within the normal working hours of one of the members for the operation of the Committee.
Depending on the size of the company, COPASO will be made up of the following:
| Number of workers | Formation of the COPASO |
| Companies with less than 10 workers | They will not make up the committee, but they must elect a person as Occupational Watch and a substitute. These people will be chosen by mutual agreement between management and workers. |
| Companies between 10 and 50 workers | The management will elect a representative and an alternate to the Committee, and the workers will also elect a representative and an alternate. Thus the Committee will have four members |
| Companies with more than 50 workers | The management will elect two representatives and two alternates to the Committee, and the workers will elect an equal number of colleagues. Thus the Committee will have eight members |
After the COPASO is formed, the President and Secretary of the same is appointed in order to maintain the coordination, organization and operation of the Committee. The president is chosen by the Legal Representative and the secretary is chosen by the committee by vote.
Finally, COPASO must register with the Ministry of Social Protection using a form provided by them no later than eight days after its creation. An original and a copy of the Articles of Incorporation signed by all the employees of the company must be attached, as well as a copy of the ballot in which the committee members were elected.
Coordinator of the Occupational Health Program
The Occupational Health Coordinator is the first line in this program, since he is the person who is in direct contact with the employees and is the direct link with the administration on safety matters. Within its responsibilities we have:
- Assume the direction of the Program advising the management for the formulation of rules, administrative procedures, objectives and in the solution of problems in matters of Preventive and Occupational Medicine, Hygiene and Industrial Safety. Inform the management about activities and situations of Occupational Health. Supervise compliance with the policy by all members of their responsibility in Occupational Health. Analyze and disseminate information on each sub-program and experiences acquired through injuries, damages or losses in order to take preventive measures and respective control Maintain an educational and promotional program on Occupational Health for workers Establish evaluation mechanisms to verify compliance with Occupational Health activities Interpret laws,directives and ordinances of official entities related to Occupational Health Establish motivational campaigns and dissemination of standards and technical knowledge aimed at maintaining an active interest in Occupational Health among all personnel Actively participate in meetings where Occupational Health issues are discussed Investigate special Occupational Health problems Integrate the activities of Preventive Medicine, Occupational Medicine, Hygiene and Industrial Safety the definitive control of injuries, damages or losses Maintain constant communication with advisory entities on the subject and take an active part in the activities programmed by said organizations.Establish motivational campaigns and dissemination of standards and technical knowledge aimed at maintaining an active interest in Occupational Health among all staff Actively participate in meetings where Occupational Health issues are discussed Investigate special Occupational Health problems Integrate Preventive Medicine activities, Occupational Medicine, Hygiene and Industrial Safety the definitive control of injuries, damages or losses. Maintain constant communication with advisory entities on the subject and take an active part in the activities programmed by said organizations.Establish motivational campaigns and dissemination of standards and technical knowledge aimed at maintaining an active interest in Occupational Health among all staff Actively participate in meetings where Occupational Health issues are discussed Investigate special Occupational Health problems Integrate Preventive Medicine activities, Occupational Medicine, Hygiene and Industrial Safety the definitive control of injuries, damages or losses. Maintain constant communication with advisory entities on the subject and take an active part in the activities programmed by said organizations.Occupational Medicine, Hygiene and Industrial Safety the definitive control of injuries, damages or losses. Maintain constant communication with advisory entities on the subject and take an active part in the activities programmed by said organizations.Occupational Medicine, Hygiene and Industrial Safety the definitive control of injuries, damages or losses. Maintain constant communication with advisory entities on the subject and take an active part in the activities programmed by said organizations.
Overview of Risk Factors
It is a technique used to describe the labor and environmental conditions in which the workers of a company find themselves, where the main objective is to carry out a diagnostic evaluation of the company's situation through the identification and location of the existing risk factors.
The following is a sample of the format to make the Overview of Risk Factors
Format for the Overview of Risk Factors
Occupational Health Subprograms
8. Subprogram of Preventive and Occupational Medicine
Definition
Set of activities aimed at promoting and controlling the health of workers. In this subprogram the actions of Preventive Medicine and Occupational Medicine are integrated, taking into account that both tend to guarantee optimal conditions of physical, mental and social well-being of people, protecting them from occupational risk factors, placing them in a position of work according to their psycho-physical conditions and keeping them in work production aptitude.
General objective
Be guided by the improvement and maintenance of the general conditions of health and quality of life of workers.
Specific objectives
- Educate all staff on how to maintain their health Training in risk factors, their health effects and how to correct them Prevent, detect early and control general diseases (GA) and professional diseases (PD) Locate the worker in the position in accordance with their psycho-physical conditions. Make periodic monitoring of workers to identify and monitor those exposed to specific risks.
Means
The resources available to every company to carry out this subprogram are:
- Agreements with the EPS with which it is related The Company must have a First Aid Kit The Entity that provides advice for Work Accidents (ARP)
Activities to develop
- Medical Evaluations
Pre-admission, periodic and retirement occupational medical evaluations will be established based on the different positions and the respective risk panorama; For this purpose, Occupational Clinical History will be completed after the psycho-physiological profiles are designed.
- Health diagnosis
To identify the demographic, occupational and morbidity variables of the working population, the corresponding health diagnosis will be made.
- Occupational epidemiological surveillance systems
Based on the Health diagnosis, priorities will be established regarding the pathologies found and the necessary occupational epidemiological surveillance systems will be designed.
- First aid
A basic First Aid service will be implemented in accordance with the needs of the company, covering the entire working day and training 10% of employees.
- Work absenteeism
Work absenteeism will be implemented with the aim of obtaining information on morbidity and mortality and the organizational climate of the company.
- Training
Based on the findings of the previous points, training activities are developed with an emphasis on:
- Health Education Education according to risk factors
- Coordination with health, recreation, sports and cultural entities
- Health promoting entities, service providing institutions: Professional Risk Manager COLPATRIAC Compensation Board to which the workers are affiliated
- Visits to workstations
Visits will be made periodically to workstations to monitor and control the processes and the interaction of the worker with them.
- Information Systems and Records
In order to have easily accessible information, practical formats will be designed and the statistical analysis methodology for the presented morbidity and mortality will be established.
Evaluation of the Subprogram
The medical Subprograms will be evaluated periodically in terms of resources, implementation, coverage methodology, compliance with dates and consequent actions. The result of these will show the degree of effectiveness of the established prevention and control measures; becoming the basis for future adjustments and / or modifications, applicable to the dynamism of the Occupational Health Program.
9. Industrial Hygiene Subprogram
Definition
Industrial Hygiene is the discipline dedicated to the recognition, evaluation and control of those environmental factors and agents originated in or by the workplace, which may cause illness and inefficiency among workers or among the citizens of a community.
goals
- Identify and evaluate, through periodic environmental studies, the agents and risk factors at work that affect or may affect the health of workers Determine and apply measures to control the risks of accidents and diseases related to work and periodically verify their efficiency.
Activities to develop
- Preliminary studies of each of the environmental pollutants, according to the risk panorama. In coordination with ARP, noise and lighting measurements are carried out. Apply corrective measures in the following order of action: at the source, in the middle and if not possible to eliminate them in the previous ones will be done in the individual. Annual follow-up studies in order to know the prevalence and evolution of the polluting agents.
10. Industrial Safety Subprogram
Definition
Industrial Safety comprises the set of techniques and activities aimed at the identification, assessment and control of the causes of work accidents.
Overall objective:
Maintain a safe work environment, by controlling the basic causes of potentially damaging the worker's physical integrity or the company's resources.
Specific objectives:
- Identify, assess and control the basic causes of accidents Implement periodic mechanisms for permanent monitoring and control of factors that have a high potential for loss for the company Relate activities with other subprograms to ensure adequate protection of employees Develop and train in proper work procedures with safety, quality and production criteria.
Means
- Human Resource: COPASO (Joint Occupational Health Committee) will carry out risk inspection visits in each of the company's areas. Likewise, it has the advice of the ARP officials to which the company is affiliated Technical Resource: The company must have fire extinguishers and fire cabinets according to what is recommended by the inspection carried out by the city fire department.
Activities to develop
- Rules and procedures
- Safety and operation standards:
It is defined as a program for the development of safety and operation standards for each of the activities carried out, whether manual, handling materials, machines or equipment, which present a potential risk of causing losses for the company.
- Special permissions:
It refers to permits to carry out eventual works that present risks with immediate effects of accidents, fires or explosions, which is why it is required before starting the work to verify the safety conditions present in the area.
- Demarcation and marking of Areas
There must be adequate planning and demarcation of areas in all sections of the company, including workstations, storage areas, circulation, location of machines and fire fighting equipment; along with a schedule for its maintenance.
In addition, strict regulations must be stipulated so that the demarcation is respected and this responsibility will be in charge of the supervisors.
- Planned Inspections
- General inspection programs
A general inspection program should be established in all areas of the company, through which control will be maintained over the basic causes that have a high potential to cause losses for the company.
- Inspection program for critical areas and parts
A critical part is a piece of equipment or structure whose failure is likely to result in a major loss (to people, property, process, and / or environment). This program has the following stages:
- Inventory Determination of control parameters Check list Determination of periodicity Preparation of instructions Determination of those responsible Follow-up procedures
- Evaluation of the inspection program
The audit carried out to the inspection program will allow its feedback by determining the achievement of its main purpose.
Among other factors will be taken into account: Number of inspections completed, Quality of inspection reports.
- Order and cleanliness
In coordination with the heads of each area, mechanisms will be established for the implementation of a program of order and cleaning, which in turn will serve as motivation and competitions between areas.
- Maintenance program
An adequate maintenance program for machinery, equipment and manual tools, mainly of a preventive nature, must be implemented in order to avoid greater damage that in turn can cause risks to workers.
- Investigation and analysis of accidents / incidents.
It is the establishment of procedures for the analysis of work accidents such as: reporting, investigation, responsible parties, causality analysis, controls, monitoring, etc.
This activity involves all the statistical analysis of the Occupational Health program in the company where it is executed; thus the aspects to take into account are:
- Determination of the degree of coverage of the investigations Design of an internal investigation form Implementation of mechanisms for recording and calculating rates of frequency, severity, disabling injury and average days loaded, among others Determination of procedures for the analysis of accidents, periodicity and reporting systems communication.
- Emergency Preparedness
The specific activities in emergency preparedness for the company's equipment and systems are the following:
- A suitable selection and distribution of fire extinguishers will be carried out Implementation of control Kardex for all fire fighting equipment Preparation of plans and diagrams indicating the location of fire fighting equipment, escape routes, etc. A special review and maintenance program will be established of the entire fire protection system.
Regarding Human Resources, there must be an Emergency Brigade which will have continuous training.
Likewise, COPASO must prepare the company's Emergency Plan and will make the respective disclosure of it to all personnel, and will carry out activities such as evacuation drills.
11. Subprogram for Basic Sanitation and Environmental Protection.
Definition
Set of activities aimed at protecting the ecosystem of industrial activity, in turn, it is responsible for protecting the health of workers by directing basic sanitation actions in the company.
goals
- Identify and evaluate, through periodic studies, the agents and risk factors at work that affect or may affect natural resources and the community Determine and apply risk control measures, periodically verifying their efficiency Develop control actions for possible diseases caused due to the inadequate handling of garbage, sanitary services, water for human consumption, food consumption, pest control, etc.
Activities to develop
- Basic sanitation
The following aspects should be taken into account:
- Accommodation and disposal of garbage Sanitary Services (toilets, showers, sinks, etc.) Pest Control Drinking Water Supply
Training program
12. Definition
Set of activities aimed at providing workers with the knowledge and skills necessary to carry out their work ensuring accident prevention, health protection and physical and emotional integrity.
3. Objectives
- Systematically provide workers with the necessary knowledge to perform their work efficiently, complying with safety, health, quality and production standards. Achieve a change in attitudes and behaviors in the face of certain circumstances and situations that may result in losses for the company. Generate motivations towards health by developing promotional campaigns.
14. Activities to develop
- Study of needs: Taking into account the training and promotion activities of each subprogram and the necessary knowledge to carry out the work with criteria of occupational health, quality and production. Review of needs: When working conditions change, training will be reviewed for all occupations, identifying needs by trade and by individual. Induction program: When an employee joins the company, they will undergo the induction phase, including the following basic topics:
- ü General rules of the company.ü General risks of the company and specific to the work to be carried out, health and safety measures, specific norms.ü Preparation for emergencies: Use of equipment, brigades, emergency, critical risk areas emergency plan.
Schedule of activities and evaluations
An Occupational Health Program must always have a schedule of activities that will be developed in a given period. In this way, management will have a global vision of what is being done in your company, in which COPASO members, the Emergency Brigades and the people in charge of carrying out these activities or the Occupational Health Department invest their time..
At the end of the period, an evaluation of the proposed objectives must always be made and if they were met; It must be evaluated which aspects could not be fulfilled and which were the main factors for the program to work or its respective failures.
It is important to always keep statistics on accidents, illness and absenteeism of the company; But not only should you have a table full of numbers, you should work so that those evaluated indices do not increase, but rather decrease.
Finally Let us remember that results are always expected from an Occupational Health Program, since this represents costs and investment on the part of the company:
«OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH IS A TOOL THAT IS LINKED TO THE PRODUCTIVITY OF THE COMPANY»
Responsibilities to the professional risk system
On the part of the workers
For workers, as active and participatory protagonists of the System, the Law establishes, among others, the following duties:
- Seek comprehensive health care Provide accurate information on your health status Ensure compliance with employers' obligations Participate in the prevention of occupational risks Participate in the process of electing their representatives in the Occupational Health Committee and collaborate with said entity.
Failure to comply with the instructions of the regulations for the prevention of professional risks that are recorded in writing may lead to justification for the termination of the employment relationship, with prior authorization from the Ministry of Social Protection.
By employers
They are directly responsible for the health of their workers and therefore must provide and maintain the best working conditions and prevent Professional Risks.
To do this, you must comply with the obligations that the law has imposed on you as an employer:
- Affiliate its workers to the General System of Professional Risks and make full payment of contributions. Prepare and implement the Occupational Health Program for the company. This supposes the existence of human, technical and financial resources that guarantee the fulfillment of the objectives and proposed activities. Have in force the Regulation of Hygiene and Industrial Safety. Establish and guarantee the functioning of the Joint Committee of Occupational Health or Occupational Vigilance. For this, the employer must designate its representation every two years and promote the free election of the workers' representatives, providing them with the stipulated time for their operation.Notify the ARP of occupational accidents and diagnosed diseases and inform it of the labor news of its workers.
15. Sanctions
The sanctions stipulated for employers who fail to comply with their obligations according to the following cases are:
- Due to lack of affiliation to the System or non-payment of two or more monthly periods, fines of up to 500 minimum monthly salaries Due to the lack of application of regulations and prevention determinations, sanction of up to 500 minimum monthly salaries, temporary suspension of activities or definitive closure of the company Due to the lack of correspondence between the information of the real contribution and the contribution made to the system, a fine of 500 minimum monthly wages and payment to the worker of the difference that would have corresponded to him for payment of benefits in case of disability, disability, occupational disease and survivors' pension Due to lack of information about the transfer of a member to a different place of work, fines up to 500 times the monthly minimum wage Due to non-presentation of the report of work accident or occupational disease,fines up to 200 monthly minimum wages.
16. What would happen to the company that does not affiliate its workers to the Occupational Risk System and executes an Occupational Health Program?
These companies would be exposed to:
- Inadequate work environments Non-existence of prevention and control of Occupational Risks Dissatisfied workers Low productivity and quality Lower earnings Higher rate of work accidents and occupational disease Application of sanctions and fines The employer must assume the costs and economic benefits such as assistance generated by the work accident and professional illness.
17. How much can a Work Accident cost?
To conclude, we present an example of what a work accident can cost an employer, if his worker does not have an affiliate of a Professional Risk Manager:
A polisher loses his right arm in the exercise of his work. As a consequence, he is classified as a loss greater than 50% of his work capacity. Said worker is 30 years old, earns minimum wage, is single and has no children.
Without accounting for indirect costs, the employer should approximately cover the following:
| Item | Approximate Costs For This Case |
| Medical attention | $ 6,000,000.oo |
| Prosthetics and rehabilitation | $ 10,000,000.oo |
| Disability pension (60% SLMM * for 41 years, considering the average life span of 71 years) | $ 105,681,600.oo |
| Penalty for non-affiliation (500 monthly minimum wages) | $ 179,000,000.oo |
| TOTAL | $ 300,681,600.oo |
* SMML: $ 358,000.oo for the year 2004
Bibliography
- ARP COLPATRIA. Basic Concepts In Occupational Health. 2002 A.RP COLPATRIA. Guide for the Preparation of a Business Occupational Health Program. 2003 DEPARTMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH UNIVERSIDAD DEL VALLE http://saludocupacional.univalle.edu.co/ MINISTRY OF WORK AND SOCIAL SECURITY. Get to know the General System of Professional Risks. Republic of Colombia. 1995 SENA REGIONAL BOYACÁ Center for Environmental Mining Information and Technical Disclosure - INTERMIN
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Update video conference, Law 1562 of 2012 by which the General System of Labor Risks in Colombia was modified
To update the information contained in this document, we suggest the following Uni Pymes videoconference, in which Dr. Bleidys Pérez Ballestas, an expert in the dissemination of regulations in the general system of occupational hazards of the Ministry of Labor, explains the changes suffered by the General System of Labor Risks in Colombia after the enactment of Law 1562 of 2012 by which said system was modified.
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