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Room N3457, 200 Constitution Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20210
(202) 693-2323
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Mission

The mission of the Office of Occupational Medicine (OOM) is to provide medical, toxicologic, and epidemiologic support to OSHA staff in the National and Regional offices, and to compliance officers in the field. The office also provides direct services to employers, employees, unions, health professionals, and members of the general public in support of the Agency’s educational and outreach activities.

OOM Staff

OOM is staffed by a variety of healthcare professionals. The staff includes five full-time physicians, one part-time physician, a registered nurse, a health scientist, a program analyst, and an administrative assistant. All current OOM physicians are board-certified in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. In addition, several physicians are also board-certified in other specialties including: Family Practice, and Clinical Pharmacology. The OOM nurse coordinates the office's clinical activities, including the Compliance Officer Medical Examination program and OSHA beryllium monitoring. The OOM Health Scientist prepares and coordinates Medical Access Orders and the OOM program analyst coordinates and assists with many OOM office projects.

Disaster Response Activities

The Office of Occupational Medicine brings a unique body of medical knowledge to OSHA, and OOM staff participate in nearly all aspects of the Agency’s activities. Key activities include:
  • Influenza Pandemic Preparedness and Response: OOM staff provide medical expertise
    to OSHA, the Department of Labor, and the federal interagency community regarding pandemic
    influenza issues. In addition, OOM is developing guidance on workplace safety and health
    procedures and practices to protect healthcare workers in the event of an influenza
    pandemic.
  • Specialized Response Teams (SRT): OSHA maintains four specialized Response Teams organized to address chemical, biological, and radiological emergencies, as well as structural collapses. OOM medical officers are members of these specialized teams tasked to provide support in the event of a catastrophic incident impacting the United States workforce.
  • Federal Disaster Response: OOM provides occupational and environmental expertise in support of OSHA as it fulfills its role in the National Response Plan. As part of the Agency’s federal disaster response, OOM coordinated the development and distribution of Psychological First Aid and Resilience Resources targeted to support federal and federalized disaster response workers.

    Federal diaster response publications
Enforcement Assistance Activities
  • OSHA Compliance Safety and Health Officers may contact OOM for medical consultation on workplace investigations. OOM staff prepares and issues Medical Access Orders authorizing designated OSHA personnel access to employee medical records maintained by the employer (or the employer’s healthcare provider/recordholder). Employee medical records may contain critical information about workplace conditions adversely impacting the health of employees. OOM also addresses written objections to OSHA’s access to medical records and prepares written responses as appropriate.
  • OOM staff also assists with enforcement activities by performing compliance case evaluations and cluster investigations. OOM staff conduct medical record reviews, employee interviews, and medical screening activities in support of these investigations. During enforcement activities OOM staff may make determinations of work-relatedness, evaluate the seriousness of medical disorders attributed to occupational exposures, review fatality investigations, and determine compliance with the medical surveillance requirements of OSHA standards. OOM staff may also assist OSHA area offices and Department of Labor Solicitors office attorneys in decisions regarding settlement arrangements and legal proceedings in compliance cases.
Standards and Guidance Support Activities

OOM supports and contributes to the development of Agency standards and guidance. OOM contributes information on health effects of occupational exposures and provides expertise and recommendations for appropriate medical surveillance. Recent OOM standards and guidance support activities include: Training Activities

The OOM staff is dedicated to excellence in teaching and they are actively involved in the education of resident physicians and health and safety professionals. OOM staff take part in a number of training efforts including:
  • OSHA Occupational Medicine Elective
    OOM has served as a practicum site for residents training in occupational medicine, general preventive medicine and aerospace medicine for over a decade. At any time throughout the year, the Office of Occupational Medicine may host up to three resident physicians for 2-month training rotations. Future occupational and preventive medicine leaders have the opportunity to fully participate in OOM activities and also receive an organized series of lectures on toxicology, homeland security, and clinical occupational medicine. OOM staff is part of the residency advisory the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. For more information on the OOM Medical Residency Training Program, please go to OSHA Occupational Medicine Elective.


    • Dr. Kay Dellinger with Dr. Heather Lampel, University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Illy Dominitz, Johns Hopkins, & Dr. Bill Otto, USUHS.
    Dr. Kay Dellinger with
    Dr. Heather Lampel, University of Pittsburgh,
    Dr. Illy Dominitz, Johns Hopkins, &
    Dr. Bill Otto, USUHS.

  • Educational Conferences
    OOM is often asked to present at international, national, state, and local conferences in support of the Agency’s mission to the public. Office staff annually present and organize topic roundtables at safety and health conferences including the American Occupational Health Conference (AOHC) and the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo (AIHce). In 2005 and 2006, OOM coordinated the annual Emergency Preparedness Conference, co-sponsored by OSHA, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), the American Red Cross and Joint Commission Resources (JCR). This conference focuses on preparing healthcare facilities for response during catastrophic events. OOM staff have presented at conferences sponsored by the National Safety Council (NSC), the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM), the World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, and other federal agencies and national safety and health organizations.

    OSHA-NIOSH Journal Club with Dr. Patricia Bray
    OSHA-NIOSH Journal Club with Dr. Patricia Bray

  • OOM OSHA Internal Training Activities

    •  
    • OSHA Training Institute (OTI)
      OOM provides assistance to OSHA and OTI in outreach efforts for various training courses. OOM staff participate as faculty in a number of courses, including topics on healthcare issues, biohazards and bloodborne pathogens. OOM staff work closely with OTI and provide input for course content.
    • OSHA-NIOSH Journal Club
      OOM hosts a monthly lecture series addressing current topics in occupational safety and health. Journal club is a live, interactive, web-based presentation for employees of OSHA and NIOSH. The presentations provide free continuing professional education credits for physicians, nurses and industrial hygienists, and feature a variety of speakers from OSHA, NIOSH, other federal agencies, academic institutions and other safety and health organizations.
Interaction with Other Federal Agencies and OSHA Alliance Partners

OOM staff serve on various interagency groups and task forces. OOM has worked with organizations and task force working groups such as the American Hospital Association, the American Red Cross, the Interagency Board for Equipment Standardization and Interoperability, the National Institutes of Health Data Safety Monitoring Board, the Federal Task Force on Elimination of Tuberculosis, the National Cancer Advisory Committee, the Interagency Asbestos Working Group, and the NIOSH Hazardous Drugs Working Groups. OOM frequently consults and coordinates efforts regarding occupational safety and health issues with agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, The Department of Health and Human Services including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Food and Drug Administration.

OOM also participates in the following OSHA Alliances:
  • American Heart Association
  • American Red Cross
  • Drug Free Workplace
  • Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations

Accessibility Assistance: Contact the OSHA Directorate of Science, Technology and Medicine at 202-693-2300 for assistance accessing OSHA PDF materials.
 
 
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Occupational Safety & Health Administration
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 Page last updated: 05/06/2008