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  • Addis Ababa University
  • Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences

Occupational Health in Developing Countries

Get a global perspective on occupational health and safety and learn how it reduces workplace injury on this CPD-certified course.

23,427 enrolled on this course

Occupational health: two men working in a factory in a developing country
  • Duration

    6 weeks
  • Weekly study

    4 hours
  • Accreditation

    AvailableMore info

Learn how to work on the issue of occupational health in a low-income setting

Occupational health is a neglected part of public health in many developing countries where industrial activity is increasing.

On this course, you’ll broaden your knowledge of occupational health and learn how to prevent diseases and injuries caused by working conditions in developing countries.

You’ll explore the tasks and structure of occupational health services, workplace risk factors, major occupational diseases and the steps of a risk assessment.

You’ll learn about the role of different actors in occupational health, including employers, employees, health services, and the Labor Inspection.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 12 seconds Industrial activities are increasing in most developing countries, but knowledge about possible adverse health effects is often scarce. This course is relevant for anyone who would like to learn about work and health in developing countries. My name is Bente Moen, and I am a professor at the University of Bergen, Norway. Together with our educational team, I will lead you through 6 weeks of activities, regarding work and health. We’ll show you examples from different work environments, we’ll visit industries, hospitals as well as offices. And we will take you through written material, texts, quizzes, videos and discussions. At the end of the course, you’ll have learnt that the work environment may cause adverse health effects.

Skip to 1 minute and 3 seconds You will also know how to evaluate the risk for injuries and diseases in the work environment and to suggest preventive measures. All in the setting of developing countries. The course will give an introduction to this scientific area, and will be useful for all health personnel - whether you work with treatment of patients or within public health. However, we focus on preventing adverse health effects. The course is also relevant for health personnel working on health and safety in companies, in labor inspection and in relevant governmental departments. I hope you will join us, and that you will find the course both interesting and challenging.

What topics will you cover?

This course provided the following key themes:

  • Occupational health – basic definitions and concepts
  • Chemical, biological and physical factors at work and development of diseases and injuries
  • Psychosocial factors and health at work
  • Structures and functions of Occupational Health Services and how to care for the worker’s Health
  • Methods for measurements of work environment factors and health in occupational health settings
  • Prevention of occupational diseases and injuries

Who is this accredited by?

The CPD Certification Service
The CPD Certification Service:

This course has been certified by the CPD Certification Service as conforming to continuing professional development principles.

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Assess the most important risk factors for illness and injuries at work places
  • Evaluate the risk for illness and injuries at work places
  • Discuss needed preventive measures at a work place, based on a risk assessment
  • Reflect on occupational health in a global perspective, and know how to work on the issue in a low income setting

Who is the course for?

This occupational health course is designed for anyone who wants to understand how to prevent the development of diseases and injuries caused by poor working conditions in developing countries.

This course is open to anyone, though study in medicine, dentistry, health sciences or natural sciences, and a good knowledge of English will be helpful to understand more complex aspects of the course.

Who will you learn with?

Professor in Occupational Medicine and International Health. Main interest: Occupational Health in developing countries; mostly chemical hazards, dust and respiratory health as well as shift work

Associate professor at University of Bergen, and physician/specialist in occupational medicine at the University Hospital. Interests: Health effects due to adverse work conditions, and prevention.

Professor, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Bergen. My main work is on exposure assessment of chemical and physical hazards, including several industries in developing countries.

Associate professor and group leader at the Research Group for Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the University of Bergen. Physician in occupational medicine at the University hospital.

Who developed the course?

University of Bergen

The University of Bergen (UiB) offers first-class education and cutting-edge research at our location in the city centre of Bergen, Norway.

Addis Ababa University

Addis Ababa University (AAU), which was established in 1950 as the University College of Addis Ababa (UCAA), is the oldest and the largest higher learning and research institution in Ethiopia.

Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences

MUHAS in Tanzania has a range of programmes in biomedical, clinical and allied health sciences. These programmes are taught in the five Schools and one academic Institute of the University.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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