Occupational medicine, as a branch of medical science, deals with the interactions between health and work. It is still a fairly young branch of medicine, because the effects of occupational stress were not as present to earlier generations as they are today.
What is occupational medicine?
Occupational medicine, as a branch of medical science, deals with the interactions between health and work. Occupational medicine pays special attention to work-related health problems, as they can occur in any profession today. Occupational physicians see not only physical health damage caused by work, but increasingly also disorders of the psyche, which can result directly from the work environment of an affected person. Mobbing or burnout are Anglicisms that are now firmly anchored in linguistic usage when it comes to describing psychological suffering caused by the workplace. But the classic occupational diseases such as silicosis, asbestosis or back or joint diseases also play a role. Occupational medicine defines itself not only as a branch of medicine for diagnosing occupational restrictions caused by work, but above all for preventing them. Occupational physicians therefore also carry out internal health prophylaxis in order to maintain the health of a company’s employees as best they can. Many companies have recognized the problem and offer appropriate prevention programs, for example in the form of back schools, yoga courses or relaxation exercises during working hours. The legal requirements for occupational medicine must be implemented by the companies. Above a certain company size, an occupational physician must be on site to perform the regularly prescribed occupational medical examinations on employees.
Treatments and therapies
In Germany, there is a further medical training to become an occupational physician, it is a specialist training with the title specialist for occupational medicine. Occupational physicians specifically take care of the concerns, complaints and illnesses of employees in companies. However, within the company, only those health disorders are of concern that could be related to work in any way. Because of their training, occupational physicians can usually quickly assess whether a health disorder is work-related or not. If occupational diseases are present, occupational physicians also prepare corresponding expert reports for an employee, for example, if the question is one of early retirement before the official retirement age. Accident prevention is also subject to the guidelines of occupational medicine. If an occupational physician has identified accident black spots, an employer must take appropriate measures to eliminate these weak points. If this is not done and an employee is injured as a result of the company’s negligent conduct, the employee is entitled to compensation. Occupational medicine serves to maintain the performance of employees and the early detection of health problems that could negatively affect this performance. Occupational physicians generally take into account the physical, psychological and psychosocial aspects of employees in a holistic manner. Work-related illnesses are to be prevented and health in the workplace is to be promoted. Employees should be informed about health risks and the effects of hazardous substances in the workplace. Measures to improve the health situation at the workplace are subjected to an efficiency check by occupational medicine. Occupational medicine is also involved when new workplaces are planned or work equipment or devices are to be procured. This is because the occupational physician can work to ensure that seating furniture or special protective equipment is purchased that is as ergonomic as possible. Working hours, break regulations, work rhythms, workplace design, and optimization of work processes are also important aspects of occupational medicine. Diving and aviation medicine are two special sub-aspects of occupational medicine that deal with the effects of water on the human body on the one hand and the effects on the body during a flight on the other.
Diagnosis and examination methods
Due to his medical training, the occupational physician also has all common medical examination methods at his disposal. However, occupational medical examinations have some typical specifics that are essential for detecting occupational health problems. The defined examination and treatment procedures include, in particular, occupational medical checkups in accordance with legal regulations. These provide for a comprehensive blood test, a survey of the lungs, and a comprehensive physical examination and individual occupational health consultation at every occupational health checkup. In order to comply with this legally prescribed procedure, employees are invited by the employer to attend the occupational medical check-ups on a rotational basis. Participation in the occupational medical examination is mandatory for employees. Refusal to attend without good reason can even lead to a warning or dismissal, because an employer would then be in gross breach of his duty of care. Company medical officers also take a close, personal look at the employee’s workplace, usually at the employee’s request. Through the understanding of the work process gained in this way, the occupational physician can prepare hazard analyses and workplace assessments. In addition, advice can be given on ergonomic work design. Ergometry, pulmonary function tests, and the assessment of hearing and vision using simple apparative techniques are also part of the standard of every occupational medical examination. For many employees, however, the occupational physician is also an important and competent contact outside the regular examination appointments if health restrictions and problems suddenly arise at the workplace. Like all physicians, occupational physicians are bound by a duty of confidentiality, and in particular may not disclose any information about employees’ state of health to the employer. Evaluation of measurement results of various work environment factors, such as noise, climatic variables, lighting or hazardous substances, are also often the subject of occupational medical examinations. Noise pollution at the workplace in particular represents an enormous health burden for many employees.
