BACKGROUND Primary prevention of occupational asthma requires timely identification and regulation of asthma-causing agents. METHODS We examined 39 substances identified as causing allergic occupational asthma in the US to determine the basis for their identification and their regulatory status. We compared them with occupational asthmagens identified and regulated in the UK and Germany. RE...

OBJECTIVE This study determined occupational therapists' perceptions of the following facets of intervention planning: economics, ethics, independent professional judgment, and evidence-based practice. METHOD A cross-sectional survey of 142 occupational therapists who provide short-term rehabilitation in five northeastern states was undertaken. RESULTS Most occupational therapists (n = 137,...

Work-related asthma (WRA) and WRA-like conditions refer to all situations in which asthma or asthma-like syndromes occur or worsen in the workplace. This occurs in approximately 10% of all adult-onset asthma subjects. Occupational asthma (OA) is a specific type of WRA that is 'caused' by the workplace, being mediated either by an allergic process with a latency period or by a non-allergic irrit...

BACKGROUND Workplace mortality and severe injury are disproportionately distributed among foreign born and Hispanic construction workers. Worker Centers (WCs) provide services and advocacy for low-wage workers and a way for investigators to reach them. The goal of this project is to prevent occupational injuries by increasing awareness of hazards and self-efficacy among foreign born, Hispanic c...

One requirement for successful occupational health care is reliable information on occupational hazards. The aim of this study was to develop a simple, standardised method for workplace investigations for use in occupational health care. The theoretical framework of the method comprises the stress-strain model, the hazard-danger model, and risk behaviour theory. The new method, termed job load ...

BACKGROUND Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) is an important method used by occupational physicians (OPs) to deliver high quality health care. The presence and quality of a knowledge infrastructure is thought to influence the practice of EBM in occupational health care. This study explores the facilities in the knowledge infrastructure being used by OPs in different countries, and their perceived i...

BACKGROUND The proportion of asthma in adults that is due to occupational exposures is not known. AIM To examine the contribution of workplace exposures to the development of asthma in adults in New South Wales (NSW) in a cross sectional, population-based study. METHODS A randomly selected population of 5,331 18- to 49-year olds completed and returned a mailed questionnaire (response rate 3...

BACKGROUND Occupational physicians can contribute to good management in healthy enterprises. The requirement to take into account the needs of the customers when planning occupational health services is well established. AIMS To establish the priorities of UK employers, employees, and their representatives regarding the competencies they require from occupational physicians; to explore the re...

Quantitative estimation of exposure for occupational epidemiology studies has received increasing attention in recent years and, as a result, a body of methodological literature has begun to take form. This paper reviews the generic issues in the methodology of exposure assessment, particularly methods for quantitative retrospective assessment studies. A simple framework, termed an exposure dat...

OBJECTIVE To find a broad consensus on research priorities and strategies in the field of occupational health and safety in Italy. METHODS A two phase questionnaire survey was based on the Delphi technique previously described in other reports. 310 Occupational safety and health specialists (from universities and local health units) were given an open questionnaire (to identify three priority...