In order to ensure equality of occupational health care among employees of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and of larger companies amendments in the regulations of the numerous German accident insurance funds had to be made to provide for full availability of services, as requested by German and European law. According to these amendments, sectors formerly exempted due to small size a...

BACKGROUND Occupational health services (OHS) are often described as an important resource to reduce work-related diseases and improve the workplace. OBJECTIVE This paper identifies key factors for successful collaboration between Swedish OHS providers and their client companies. METHODS Interviews were carried out with representatives of 15 companies and their OHS providers. The interviews...

AIM To determine whether enterprises belonging to the Bank of Models of Good Practice were more successful than average Norwegian enterprises in the reduction of sickness absence, promotion of early return to work, and prevention of early retirement. METHODS In 2004 we selected 86 enterprises with a total of approximately 90000 employees from the Inclusive Working Life (IWL) Bank of Models of...

An exploratory qualitative case study investigated how different sectors of a highly industrialized community mobilized in the 1990s to help workers exposed to asbestos. For this study, thirty key informants including representatives from industry, workers, the community, and local politicians participated in semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The analysis was framed by a "Dimensions ...

The aim of this work was to study psychosocial working environment factors among farmers and other people living in rural areas. The study was carried out as a cross-section investigation. All persons visiting local occupational health service centres for a health check up have been asked to answer an inquiry which was based on the Karasek-Theorell questionnaire on job strain. Five extra items ...

The health and safety of workers is the primary concern of occupational health nurses. The purpose of this study was to identify the global occupational health and safety responsibilities of occupational health nurses based in the United States and factors contributing to these global responsibilities. A total of 2,123 American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. members completed a...

BACKGROUND This study was conducted with aim of providing an overview of the current status of occupational health services and identifying the most common harmful agents at workplaces of Iranian self-employed enterprises (Nano-Scale Enterprises). METHODS A cross-sectional study was performed among a random sample including 1,758 employees engaging in self-employed enterprises with 5 and less...

themselves and with industry is worthy of consideration. Compulsion by meticulous enforcement of legislation may lead to reticence on the part of certain managements to provide welfare measures. This may also lead in certain instances to failure to cooperate with official agencies. An important approach is to stimulate the concept of promotion of industrial welfare and health, irrespective of l...

PURPOSE The Swedish government initiated an investigation of how to secure and develop the competence of the occupational health services. The primary aim of the present study was to investigate whether the development of evidence-based practice (EBP) in the Swedish occupational health services in relation to attitudes, knowledge and use improved during the first 3 years of the government's ini...

Occupational Health Services (OHS) in Norway cover approximately 1.2 million employees, equivalent to 60% of the total work force. They employ nurses (800), physicians (500), physiotherapists (360), safety engineers (400), psychologists (30) and others (400), a total of 2500 full time employmancy. The average cost of the OHS amounts to 150 euros per employee, a total cost of 180 million euros p...