M10.1 Occupational Health

I chose to assess my partner's place of work. He is a Strength and Conditioning Coach for athletes in a university. The two most prominent hazards he faces are ergonomic risk and chemical exposures. He spends a lot of time moving heavy weights, olympic bars, and boxes. Considering the weight and amount of movement he does, he is at a much greater risk to endure an injury as opposed to a desk job like mine. I also identifies a chemical workplace exposure because of the cleaning solutions used to clean mats and various objects in the gym that he is continuously exposed to. There is also a risk to biological exposure when coming in contact with athletes who have infectious diseases. Although rare, he may also be exposed to blood if an athlete endures a cut or injury during training. To face some of these issues, coaches need to be assessed to ensure they know how to properly use their bodies to lift heavy items. There are hygiene regulations in place to maintain cleanliness within a training gym, hence chemical exposure to cleaning products may be inevitable. Some risk can be reduced by ensuring there is no skin-chemical contact by using protective gear.

I think risk and exposure in this type of environment is inevitable, but there should be plenty of safety regulations in place. Most injuries and unhealthy exposures are minimal.