Concept:

The workplace should not expose workers to environments with preventable hazards.  The work site should foster a healthy life style.

Key Words:

Work site, occupation, environment, hygiene, hygienists, engineers, Material Safety Data Sheets, Threshold Limiting Values, Personal Protective Equipment, toxicology, safety, carcinogens.

Objectives

of this presentation is to provide you with an overview of the function, and scope of work of the Occupational Medicine physician and the Industrial Hygienist.  The two professions complement each other in ensuring a safe workplace for employees.

Issues

Review the historical data provided in the first session of this course to examine how long worker's health has been a concern of health professionals.

First review Slide presentations from Dr Compton.
The Occupational Health Program (pdf Version)
Disability Cost/Benefits (.pdf)
Employer as Health Coach (NEJM Oct07)

Also investigate the following Web Sites to look at information that would be useful in counseling workers about options if disabled as well as general Occupational Med reference information.

Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Americans with Disabilities.
Traveler's Warnings.   (Look at the fact sheets on this page)
Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics

The following web sites also provide important information  related to occupational health & industrial hygiene

NIOSH (there are excellent fellowship opportunities at this site)
        Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards
Health Hazard Evaluations
OSHA  (Occupational Safety & Health Administration)
ACGIH (American Conference of Governmental and Industrial Hygienists)
NIOSH OH/IH Web sites

Then review the Slides provided By Dr Vance   (.pdf of slides)   Examine the Links to web sites provided by Dr. Vance and be prepared to discuss current occupational health issues.

Then look at the Primer on Carcinogenesis (.pdf) as an introduction to the issue of chemical effects in  the workplace.

American Cancer Society web page on known & probable carcinogens

The following short pieces should stimulate some thoughts about Asbestos as a carcinogen. 
What types of cancer does it cause?
How much exposure is needed to obtain an effect?

1) This first article was one of the first cohort studies in the US.
This set of articles started to concerns following WW!! and became an issue in the 1950s

Although a number of epidemiologists cautioned that more data was need following the media 'feeding frenzy' it was not until a further review 20_years later when some of the news media harassment died down.

2) The look at the table from Selikoff's original study and consider what this tells you about the comparative dangers of asbestos exposure and smoking.

3) Then review the short summary  and the indicators for Health Effects Monitoring using the preceding as an example of an issues needing such monitoring.

4) Finally try and get a feel for what parts per million, billion and trillion mean when this kind of data is quoted by the EPA and activists.

Bookmarks for Lecture