Talk:Workplace health surveillance

This is a growing and important part of occupational health = think "preventive". Much work is required to turn the existing article into something. At least a redirect to Occupational health would be preferable to deletion. --Richhoncho (talk) 23:29, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Changes to the Tools Section

The current version has several short pieces rolled into the "Tools" section. I already made a minor edit by adding a new heading for the OHSN to separate it from the Tools. I would propose changing the tools section to the following:

The usefulness of a surveillance tool may depend on what hazards are present in the workplace and the health effects those hazards may cause. For example, hearing tests will be helpful when noise exposures are present, while tests assessing lung function and/or biomonitoring may be useful when airborne agents are present. It is also important to distinguish between tools using medical surveillance (measuring health effects) and hazard surveillance/exposure assessment (physical measurements of the type and severity of hazard present). Periodic testing, including a baseline exam when an employee is hired, can often help detect a decline in function by comparing previous results.
Medical surveillance tools
General
* Epidemiological cohort and case control studies investigate associations between causative agents and specific health effects
* Physical examinations assess the overall well-being of the worker and identify health-related issues.
Chemical exposures
* Pulmonary function testing is a way to measure lung function. It can assist in the early detection of occupational lung diseases and provides information about the severity and staging of asthma and other restrictive lung diseases.
a)Spirometry tests measure how quickly air can be pushed out from the lungs and is useful in evaluating diseases that cause obstruction to flow.
b) Plethysmography measures lung volume by having the subject perform breathing tests inside of an air tight box.
c) Flow rates can be measured by asking subjects to blow air out of the lungs as fast and as hard as possible from their largest inhaled breathe (inspiration) to the maximum exhaled breathe (expiration). The volume exhaled in the first second is called the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). These flow rates can be indicators of disease that cause obstruction to airflow, such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema.
* Biomonitoring measures total body burden of a hazardous chemical in a worker via analysis of biological specimens such as urine or blood. Non-invasive procedures are preferred when possible.
Noise exposures
Audiometry remains the mainstay of diagnosis of noise-induced hearing loss which is the most common reported occupational disease in all parts of the world.
Other
Hand arm assessment (vibration) and dermatological assessments (chemical) are other important tools for workplace health surveillance.

UCIHGrad18 (talk) 23:14, 29 January 2018 (UTC)