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TRANSLATING EVIDENCE ABOUT OCCUPATIONAL CONDITIONS INTO STRATEGIES FOR PREVENTION
  1. D K Verma1,
  2. J T Purdham2,
  3. H A Roels3
  1. 1Program in Occupational Health and Environmental Medicine, McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, HSC-3H50, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8N 3Z5
  2. 2Gage Occupational and Environmental Health Unit, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto, 223 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 1R4
  3. 3Industrial Toxicology and Occupational Medicine Unit, School of Public Health, Université catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium; on sabbatical leave 1999–2000 at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
  1. Correspondence to:
 Professor D Verma; Program in Occupational Health and Environmental Medicine McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, HSC-3H50, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8N 3ZS;
 vermadk{at}mcmaster.ca

https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.59.3.205

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    Exposure to chemical, physical, and biological agents in the workplace can result in adverse effects on workers ranging from simple discomfort and irritation to debilitating occupational diseases such as lung fibrosis, neuropathy, deafness, organ damage, and cancers of various sites. Such conditions result from excessive exposure and can only be avoided through adequate control measures which will prevent or minimise exposure to harmful agents. The process by which evidence of hazardous occupational conditions and information on control methods is translated into actual implementation of control and prevention strategies to eliminate or dramatically reduce the hazardous exposure and associated health risk, is often the result of a subtle compromise between scientific evidence of varying degree of certainty, interest group lobbying, and feasibility considerations.

    CONTROL STRATEGIES FOR OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS

    The development of control strategies for occupational hazards takes place at two levels: the societal level and workplace level. The information needs for these two levels can be quite different although there is some overlap. At the societal level, the control measures are usually through regulatory action. Regulatory action first requires strong scientific evidence that a harmful effect is caused by a particular workplace agent. Information is then needed on possible exposure–effect relationships as well as a number of workplace demographics. At the workplace level information is needed on the nature of the hazard, where it is likely to be encountered, and the available options for risk reduction. Scientific evidence can vary in terms of its nature, quantity, and strength and there is no fixed yardstick for what is required for regulatory and other actions because there are also many additional factors which may influence the decision on the necessity of control and the degree required.

    Scientific evidence may derive from toxicological and epidemiological studies. Toxicological studies on animals can provide information on causal agents and give some …

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