Foreword

It is a pleasure for me to write a foreword for the book series entitled, “Frontiers in Occupational Health and safety” with volume title “Introduction to occupational health hazards” by Dr. Farhana Zahir. Much scientific literature is available on the subject; nevertheless, the contents are of topical interest in the context of the current industrial scene in the entire world. Indeed, various international organizations including WHO have issued guidelines for the safety of workforce in various industries. A healthy workforce is of vital concern for sustainable social and economic development on global, national and local levels. The classical approach to ensuring health and safety of the workforce has depended mainly on the enactment of necessary legislation and inspection of workplace. Unfortunately, in many of the third world countries, the industrial workplaces remain insecure in spite of the existence of the required legislation.

I believe that the contents of the present work are of adequate scientific value and would be of interest to both the established workers in the field as well as those who would like to have a general idea of the hazards involved in various industries. The book also contains a chapter on previously unrecognized hazards such as physical stress and mental health of the workers which should be of particular interest to the readers.