Transcript No Slide Title

Introducing
occupational health
Part 1
Grant McMillan
Hon Senior Clinical Lecturer
Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health
University of Birmingham
Number 1 of a series of lectures and tutorials
for medical undergraduates
Learning Points
• Scope of occupational health
• Why bother?
• Interactions between work and health
• Extent of work-related ill health and deaths
• Basic tasks of an occupational health service
Additional handouts electronic and hard copy handouts
are available on taking and using an occupational history
QUESTIONS TO BURN INTO YOUR MIND
• DO YOU GO OUT TO WORK?
• WHAT DO YOU DO AT WORK?
• WHAT WORK DO YOU DO AT HOME?
Scope of Occupational Health
The promotion and maintenance of the
highest degree of physical, mental and social
well being of workers in all occupations by
preventing departures from health, especially
those due to work, and promoting good
health through activities at the workplace.
Key activities in Occupational Health
Preventing departures from health, especially those
due to work
Promoting good health through activities at the
workplace
Why bother?
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Have fitter, healthier workers - at work
Return ill and injured workers sooner
Retain trained workers longer
Gain economic advantage
Comply with legislation
Increase productivity and profitability
Interactions between work and health
To ignore the two way interactions between work and health is to risk
misdiagnosis, mismanagement and overall failure to do your best for your
patients and society at large.
Interactions between work and health
• Work can improve health
• Work can harm health
• (Bad) Health can harm ability to work
Interactions between work and health
• Work can improve health
• Work can harm health
• (Bad) Health can harm ability to work
Is your patient fit for work?
Extent and effects of work-related ill-health
• 2.3 million people in UK believe their ill-health
has been caused or aggravated by work
• 700,000 new cases
of work-related disorders a year
• 23,000 seen by specialist doctors
Descending order of new cases of
work-related illnesses seen by
specialist doctors
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Musculoskeletal disorders
Mental ill health
Skin diseases
Respiratory diseases incl asthma
Infections
Extent and effects of work-related ill-health
• 39 million working days lost
• Cost of £10 billion
• Plus deaths
Work-related deaths
• 235 fatal injuries at work in 2003/04
• Estimated 6000 cancer deaths
related to work
• Latency of effects – as in mesothelioma
Work-related deaths
• 235 fatal injuries at work in 2003/04
• Estimated 6000 cancer deaths
related to work
• Latency of effects – as in mesothelioma
Latency of work-related diseases
• Occupational exposure to asbestos started to
cease in late 1960s in UK
• UK Mesothelioma deaths still rising because of
latency of effect. 1968 = 153
2002 = 1862
• Mesothelioma death rates in males under 45 now
steadily decreasing. Why?
Basic tasks
of an Occupational Health Service
• Hazard identification and risk assessment
• Risk control or management
• Matching people to jobs & jobs to people
• Keeping patients at work
• Assisting return to work of sick and injured
• Promoting wellbeing at work
Learning Points
• Scope of occupational health
• Why bother?
• Interactions between work and health
• Extent of work-related ill health and deaths
• Basic tasks of an occupational health service
Additional handouts electronic and hard copy handouts
are available on taking and using an occupational history
QUESTIONS TO BURN INTO YOUR MIND
• DO YOU GO OUT TO WORK?
• WHAT DO YOU DO AT WORK?
• WHAT WORK DO YOU DO AT HOME?
Introducing
occupational health
Part 1
Grant McMillan
Hon Senior Clinical Lecturer
Thank you for your attention