What is occupational health in One Health and provide an example?

• A. Health protection for workers exposed to hazards at the human-animal-environment interface; example: farm workers exposed to zoonoses or toxins.
• B. A concept focusing only on patient safety in hospitals.
• C. Health protection for animals but not humans.
• D. General public health with no workplace focus.

Answer: (B)

Occupational health in One Health looks at protecting people whose work brings them into contact with animals, people, and the environment. It’s about preventing and managing work-related illnesses and injuries that arise from these interfaces, and it involves collaboration across human health, animal health, and environmental health sectors. A concrete example is farm workers who may be exposed to zoonotic diseases such as brucellosis or leptospirosis, or to pesticides and other toxins. Protecting these workers requires coordinated efforts among public health officials, veterinarians, agricultural scientists, and environmental health experts, reflecting the integrated One Health approach.

This concept isn’t limited to patient safety in hospitals, nor does it focus only on animals or on the general public without regard to workplace exposure.