Intro to Occupational Medicine Lecture Powerpoint Flashcards
Occupational/Environmental Medicine definition
Medical specialty devoted to prevention*** and management of environmental and occupational injury, illness, and disability, concerned with the interaction between health and occupation, supplements primary care
Occupational diseases definition
Disease that has a specific or strong relation to an occupation history, generally with only one causal agent and recognized as such (ex - asbestos exposure)
Work related disease definition
Disease with multiple causal agents, factors in work environment may play a role with other risk factors in the development which have a complex etiology (ex - lung cancer in a smoker who also works in a factory)
Diseases affecting working populations definition
Diseases without causal relationship to work but may be aggravated by occupational hazards to health (ex - heart disease and having a sedentary day job)
Highest job field with nonfatal occupational work injuries/illness
Healthcare
Most common cause of fatal work injuries
Transportation incidents
Major tragedies that led to labor law changes in the US (3)
- Gauley Bridge disaster (Hawk’s Nest Tunnel) - silicosis exposure
- Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire NYC
- social labor unionization in the 1900’s
1970 Occupational Safety and Health Act
Established NIOSH (research of work hazards) and OSHA (governing regulating body of work hazards) to carry out mandate to ensure workplaces free of recognized hazards
Duties of occupational practitioner (7)
- Preplacement physicals
- fitness for duty
- monitoring physicals and studies (audiometry, chemistry, urine analysis)
- workplace safety
- ergonomic eval
- rehabilitative medicine
- substance abuse monitoring/screening
5 types of occupational health hazards
- physical
- chemical
- biological
- mechanical
- psychosocial
Principles of control of workplace hazards (3)
- Identify, ideally preventatively
- Evaluate the impact
- Control either by eliminating, substituting, etc
