Translating Evidence About Occupational Conditions Into Strategies for Prevention (original) (raw)
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Occupational exposure limits: A comparative study
Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 2008
Occupational exposure limits (OELs) are used as an important regulatory instrument to protect workers' health from adverse effects of chemical exposures. The OELs mirror the outcome of the risk assessment and risk management performed by the standard setting actor. In this study we compared the OELs established by 18 different organisations or national regulatory agencies. The OELs were compared with respect to: (1) what chemicals have been selected and (2) the average level of exposure limits for all chemicals. Our database contains OELs for a total of 1341 substances; of these 25 substances have OELs from all 18 organisations while more than one-third of the substances are only regulated by one organisation. The average level of the exposure limits has declined during the past 10 years for 6 of the 8 organisations in our study for which historical data were available; it has increased for Poland and remained nearly unchanged for Sweden. The average level of OELs differs substantially between organisations; the US OSHA exposure limits are (on average) nearly 40 % higher than those of Poland. The scientific or policy-related motivations for these differences remain to be analysed.
Understanding and managing worker’s exposure to specific risks
MATEC Web of Conferences, 2020
The protection of workers exposed to specific risks is regulated by a substantial and well individualized legislation on safety and health at work. Currently there are many difficulties and shortcomings in implementing legal requirements on specific risks assessment and prevention, especially due to their insufficient knowledge and understanding by employers. In this context, starting from detailing and explaining legal requirements applicable, this paper aims to summarize and systematize the information regarding available, both at national and European level, tools and guides prepared for a unitary process of implementation of legal provisions on specific risks assessment and prevention. The paper was structured so as to constitute a legal and methodological guide to assist employers and other interested parties in the effort to implement an efficient and effective management of preventive activities directed to avoid or reduce workers’ exposure to specific risks.
Health Hazards of Industrial Workers: Preventive Measures
Shanlax International Journal of Arts, Science and Humanities
Workers in every occupation face a multitude of hazards in the work place - occupational health and. Safety addresses the broad range of workplace hazards from accident prevention to the more insidious hazards, including toxic fumes, dust, noise, heat, stress, etc. Preventing work-related diseases and accidents must be the goal of occupational health and safety programs. The occupational health service is a link in the work organization. Human life is high in the hierarchy of values for the health professions. Health is a major determinant of the quality of life. Societal values have greater importance in the world of labor, with its complex informal and formal social structures. The cultural values of both workers and the community at large have to be considered. Present-day technology is a valuable asset if its limitations are understood. Computers and their software already provide thoroughly tested systems of data recording, processing, retrieval, and analysis, obviating the nee...
PubMed, 1987
Data from the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Questionnaire, part of the 1985 National Health Interview Survey, were used to report workers' perceptions of occupational risk in their present jobs. This information will be used to monitor progress between 1985 and 1990 toward achieving broad goals in health promotion and disease prevention. The proportions of currently employed persons who perceived exposure to health-endangering substances, work conditions, or risks of injuries were reported for age, race, sex, and occupation groups. Occupational groups were further characterized by the proportion of men and women who reported specific exposures (such as exposure to chemicals or to loud noise) and specific health consequences of exposure (such as risk of developing cancer or hearing impairment). Greater proportions of men than women reported perceived risk from exposure to health-endangering substances, work conditions, and injuries in their present job. Also, a greater proportion of workers perceived risk of injury in their present job than other occupational risk categories. The greatest proportions of perceived exposure to occupational risk were reported by farm operators and managers, police and firefighters, and by workers in forestry and fishing occupations. Among workers reporting perceived exposures, chemicals, noise, and risk of injuries from vehicles were cited by the greatest proportion of workers, as were such health consequences as lung and respiratory problems and hearing impairment. Data from this study may be used to target employment groups for health promotion or education and to develop indepth studies of specific occupational groups to reduce or prevent risk at the worksite.
The Importance of Human Data in the Establishment of Occupational Exposure Limits
Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, 2002
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A scoping review to identify strategies that work to prevent four important occupational diseases
American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2020
Background: Despite being largely preventable, many occupational diseases continue to be highly prevalent and extremely costly. Effective strategies are required to reduce their human, economic, and social impacts. Methods: To better understand which approaches are most likely to lead to progress in preventing noise-related hearing loss, occupational contact dermatitis, occupational cancers, and occupational asthma, we undertook a scoping review and consulted with a number of key informants. Results: We examined a total of 404 articles and found that various types of interventions are reported to contribute to occupational disease prevention but each has its limitations and each is often insufficient on its own. Our principal findings included: legislation and regulations can be an effective means of primary prevention, but their impact depends on both the nature of the regulations and the degree of enforcement; measures across the hierarchy of controls can reduce the risk of some of these diseases and reduce exposures; monitoring, surveillance, and screening are effective prevention tools and for evaluating the impact of legislative/policy change; the effect of education and training is context-dependent and influenced by the manner of delivery; and, multifaceted interventions are often more effective than ones consisting of a single activity. Conclusions: This scoping review identifies occupational disease prevention strategies worthy of further exploration by decisionmakers and stakeholders and of future systematic evaluation by researchers. It also identified important gaps, including a lack of studies of precarious workers and the need for more studies that rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.