A major focus at present is the influence of cultural and psychosocial factors on illness that is commonly attributed to work – in particular, musculoskeletal complaints such as low back pain and “RSI”. These disorders are economically important, both in costs to the health service and in lost productivity. Evidence is accumulating that unlike classical occupational diseases such as pneumoconiosis and noise-induced deafness, they do not occur simply through over-exposure to a hazardous agent or activity. Rather, the risk of symptoms and disability appears to be importantly modified by individual psychology and by societal beliefs and expectations. Understanding the contribution of these non-occupational influences is crucial to the optimisation of control strategies. For example, efforts to prevent back pain through restrictions on lifting might have unintended adverse consequences because they reinforce workers’ expectations of injury.
Other current areas of research include:
- Determinants and characteristics of accidental acute pesticide poisoning in adults
- Influence of working hours and occupational activities on pregnancy outcome
- Impact of flu immunisation on sickness absence in health care workers
- Effect of metal fume on inflammatory response in the lung
- Illness, medication and risk of occupational accidents
- An association of hip osteoarthritis with heavy lifting at work.
- An increased risk of knee osteoarthritis with prolonged kneeling or squatting at work, especially in individuals who are also obese and have a history of earlier knee injury or surgery.
- Only limited short-term benefits from an ergonomic intervention of the sort that many NHS trusts are making to reduce the occurrence of back disorders in nurses.
- The important contribution of occupational hand-transmitted vibration to Raynaud's phenomenon in the general population and the large number of attributable cases nationally.
- A workable algorithm for the diagnosis and classification of upper limb disorders in epidemiological studies, which is now being applied to community-based surveys of prevalence, incidence, risk factors and prognosis.
- No increased risk of hip fracture in people exposed long-term to fluoride in drinking water at concentrations of 1ppm or higher.
- An increased incidence of meniscal cartilage injuries in the knee in jobs that entail prolonged kneeling or squatting.
- A risk of infectious pneumonia from occupational exposure to metal fume.
- A relatively low prevalence of latex sensitivity in hospital staff who frequently use rubber gloves, indicating that they do not require intensive respiratory health surveillance.
- Minimal if any excess risk of cancer in prolonged follow-up of workers heavily exposed to formaldehyde.
- Poorer job retention in patients requiring surgical treatment for hip and knee disorders if they work in small businesses.
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Solidaki E;Chatzi L;Bitsios P;