Occupational Medicine

doi:10.4135/9781412963855

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Occupational Medicine

Edited by:
Yawei Zhang
In:Encyclopedia of Global Health
Chapter DOI:https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412963855.n894
Subject:Public Health (general), Public Health Education & Health Promotion
Keywords:occupational medicine

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In the early 1930s, America's worst workplace injuries began to unfold in a town in West Virginia called Gauley Bridge. Workers there were mining a mountain, and most did not wear protective equipment such as masks. During this time, respiratory illnesses such as silicosis, where the lungs get infiltrated with silica and get fibrotic, increased in incidence. Workers were getting fatally sick, and according to many reports, fatality rates approached sixty five percent. This was the first event in American history where workers became ill on a large scale, and death was attributed to environmental condition rather than misfortune.

This incident raised public concern over the health of workers at the worksite, and in the years that followed, there was more attention placed on policies to increase the health of employees. In 1970, both the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) were created, paving the way for better national oversight and regulation of worksite conditions and the health of the American workplace.

Board Certification in Occupational Medicine

Occupational medicine is now a medical subspecialty governed by the American Board of Preventive Medicine. Physicians trained in Occupational Medicine generally undergo four years of medical school training, followed by at least one year of clinical internship training in the United States. Physicians then usually complete an accredited residency, for the most part in primary care, and attain a valid state medical license. Physicians desiring board certification in Occupational Medicine then complete a residency in Occupational Medicine, which is usually a two-year program.

Sectors of Occupational Medicine

In addition to determining the health status of employees, a large component of the physician's role in Occupational Medicine is to inform policy changes at the business, local, state, and national levels as well as to assist with claims relating to workplace injury or illness. Examples of the different sectors of Occupational Medicine are included here: [Page 1276]

a.
Business: Exxon-Mobil employs a 500-member team that includes physicians and nurses to improve health and safety. ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences, Inc. (EMBSI) is a 150-member organization dedicated to helping the Corporation achieve safety. Health, and environmental objectives, and assists employees through its com-pany-wide programs such as StopAIDS, malaria control program, and health reporting system.
b.
Local: several hospitals and local agencies employ physicians trained in Occupational Medicine to assist in employee screenings, vaccinations, wellness programming, and to assist in filing Workman's Compensation claims.
c.
State: state governments operate clinics throughout the state, each usually directed by a physician who is board certified in Occupational Medicine. The clinics usually offer several services from diagnoses of work-related illness to generating reports that include recommendations for limiting workplace hazards.
d.
National: NIOSH and other national agencies employ physicians trained in Occupational Medicine to assist with research projects and informing nationwide policy.