Læknablaðið - 15.11.1980, Síða 14

268
LÆKNABLADID
Professor, med. dr. Sven Forssman
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
Some modern aspects
I. Definition.
The definition of Occupational Health has
changed during the last decades. Formerly it
dealt mainly with accidents and occupational
diseases and the correspondent hazards of
work. Now there is a more holistic approach
to deal with the general health of the workers
in relation to work and the working environ-
ment. The definition established by the joint
ILO/WHO Expert Committee in 1950 is still
valid.
Concerning definition there is also the trend
to talk not so much about Industrial Health as
Occupational Health, thus including all occu-
pations and with a wide definition of health. It
is natural that there may be some subspeciali-
ties, such as Occupational Clinical Medicine,
Occupational Industrial Hygiene Engineering,
Occupational Psychology, Occupational Toxi-
cology and Occupational Mental Health.
II. Health factors at work.
There are many health factors linked to work
and the working environment, not only occu-
pational hazards which will cause occupatio-
nal diseases, but many factors which may
contribute to diseases and maladjustment at
work, see table 1.
There are also many different effects on the
working population, not only occupational
diseases and accidents, but also occupation-
related diseases, where factors at work or
working conditions may contribute to the
occurrence of a disease and different signs of
maladjustment at work, see table 2.
Occupational Health is not a stable science.
There are continuous changes of work, work-
ing methods and working environment, so
there will be new factors at work that may
influence the health. There are also many
This is a summary of a iecture given by the author at the
Conference on Occupational Heaith, held at Domus Me-
dica, Reykjavík, September 28, 1979, sponsored by the
lcclandic Mcdicul Association, the Federation of Trade
Unions in Iceiand (ASÍ) and the Employers Unions in
lceland (VMS, VSl).
changes in the working population concerning
age, sex, morbidity, demands of work and so
on, see table 3 and 4.
III. Some major problems
Some important problems at present and in
the future should be mentioned. When new
toxic substances are introduced in industry or
at other places of employment or when well
known toxic substances are introduced in new
occupations serious Occupational Health prob-
lems may arise. Concerning Occupational
toxicology the acute effects are not so impor-
tant. Research and practice is now mainly
focusing on long-term effects of low concen-
trations, such as cancerogenic, teratogenic and
mutagenic effects.
With the reduced exposure and with the
improvement of working conditions that is
seen in many countries the incidence of
occupational diseases is reduced and will then
only occur among a small part of the exposed
Table 1. Work environment.
Health Factors
1. Occupational Hazards
Chemical: Toxic substances
Physical: Noise, vibration, radiation, heat
Biological: Bacteria, fungi, virus
2. Accidents
Machinery, traffic, falls, falling objects, hand
tools, etc.
3. Climate
Temperature, humidity, illumination, etc.
4. Work load
Physical: heavy physical work, static muscular
work, posture, movements, etc.
Psychological: perception, man-machine systems,
high speed, monotony
Overload-underload
Psycho-social factors:
work organization
work influence
human relation
stress
5. Combined exposure