She is a young 23-year-old girl, they introduced us informally and I asked her to tell me about her profession, an anonymous job that guarantees that our work place is safe and harms our health as little as possible.
In search of this information, I came to the Municipal Hygiene and Epidemiology Center in our city, because although the world day of this specialty related to occupational safety and health is celebrated on April 28th, we are not always aware of the risks to which we expose ourselves in various professions; and I think we should reflect on that.
Teresa
The specialist in human resources management, Teresa Sosa Villafaña, is in charge of carrying out inspections in her workplace and its premises, to avoid workplace accidents and other illnesses that may occur due to exposure to a chemical product, poor lighting or due to searching sources of mosquitoes, rabies or other vectors transmitting epidemics.
The use of sanitary gowns, gloves and now in the face of COVID-19, the use of masks, chlorinated solutions and distance between specialists and their work tables are cause for concern for this girl with 6 years of experience, who takes her role very seriously. She believes that there is nothing more important to a human being than his health.
Challenges
The Hygiene Center is normally very busy, because there the tests are carried out on travelers from different regions, if they are negative, epidemiological discharges are granted, all diseases transmitted by animals are also treated, such as: Rabies, Lectospirosis, Dengue, Pediculosis, outbreaks of insects, among others.
These days, all the support from the 9 health areas of the territory is added to that movement, I mean the polyclinics, to face the pandemic.
There, Teresa’s work comes into play; she has to control the entry of her workers to isolated areas, insist that they comply with the protocols and minimize the entry of non-essential personnel, while still offering the services that the center guarantees.
To ensure the protection of workers; a general check-up is carried out every 6 months. They are vaccinated against various diseases and according to their specialty the analytics vary.
For example, radiologists carry out one type of monitoring, fumigators and laboratories another, those who check areas of collapse or construction risks carry means of protection and all are committed to complying with it.
Dreams
The specialist tells me that when we return to the new normal she wants to continue her studies. She would like to enter the field of Sociology, because her specialty does not have a career at the higher level and although she does not plan to abandon what she does, Teresa wants to improve as a professional.
Working conditions do not always go with her wishes and aspirations, as the lack of technology and office supplies is constant; But this young woman reinvents herself and like many Cubans recycles papers, she sits at the computer in another department and buys pens and diaries with her money, to keep her homework in order; because she insists that immunity at work should always be a priority.
My impressions
Many times, determined to achieve a goal, we forget that the office does not have the necessary lighting, lack of fire protection, sufficient ventilation, drinking water or an emergency exit. These risks that we do not take into account are harming our body and after a few years chronic diseases begin.
- Also when going out at night or in a hurry, we can suffer accidents, the specialists in occupational safety and health are here to avoid all these, people who, like Teresa, love their profession and take care of your integrity, for them recognition for the anniversary and I remind you of what Voltaire taught us: “health is too important to be left in the hands of doctors, health is above all a responsibility of each one”.
Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García
