Occupational health problems occur at work or because of the kind of work you do. These problems can include
- Cuts, broken bones, sprains and strains, or amputations
- Repetitive motion disorders
- Hearing problems caused by exposure to noise
- Vision problems or even blindness
- Illness caused by breathing, touching or ingesting unsafe substances
- Illness caused by exposure to radiation
- Exposure to germs in healthcare settings
Good job safety and prevention practices can reduce your risk of these problems. Try to stay fit, reduce stress, set up your work area properly, and use the right equipment and gear.
- Occupational Safety and Health Topics: Diseases & Injuries(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) - http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/diseases.html
- Occupational Safety and Health Topics: Industries & Occupations(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) - http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/industries.html
- Haz-Map: Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents(National Library of Medicine) - http://hazmap.nlm.nih.gov/
- Job Safety and Health(Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - Links to PDF - http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/jobsafetyandhealth-factsheet.pdf
- Occupational Health(National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences) - http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/population/occupational/
- Workplace Safety and Health(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/Workplace/
- Easing Job Stress May Ward Off Depression(04/27/2009, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83469.html
- Safety Measures Urged for Tree-Care Workers(04/23/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83295.html
- Administrative Professionals' Health and Safety(04/20/2009, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/Features/AdminHealth/
- Lead Exposure in Workplace Still a Problem(04/16/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83003.html
- More News on Occupational Health http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_o.html#occupationalhealth
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Work Injuries(National Center for Farmworker Health) - Links to PDF - http://www.ncfh.org/pdfs/BilingualEd/PDF11.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.ncfh.org/pdfs/BilingualEd/PDF12.pdf
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Health Hazard Evaluations(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) - http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/niosh/hhe-sp.html
- Occupational Health(American Lung Association) - http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=23031
- Occupational Safety and Health Topics: Safety & Prevention(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) - http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/safety.html
- OSHA Safety and Health Topics(Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/
- Tips to Protect Workers in Cold Environments(Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - http://www.osha.gov/as/opa/cold_weather_prep.html
- Returning to Work After an Injury(American Occupational Therapy Association) - http://www.aota.org/Consumers/Tips/Work/Job/35196.aspx
- Eyestrain(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/eyestrain/DS01084/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
- Formaldehyde(Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/formaldehyde/
- Hazard Alerts(Center to Protect Workers' Rights) - http://www.cpwr.com/rp-hazardalerts.html
- Occupational Asthma(Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/occupationalasthma/
- Occupational Cancer(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) - http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/cancer/
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Occupational Exposure to Lead(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/safety/work/255.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/healthy/safety/work/255.printerview.html
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Occupational Respiratory Disease(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/safety/work/134.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/healthy/safety/work/134.printerview.html
- Safety and Health Topics Related to Maritime(Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - http://www.osha.gov/dts/maritime/sltc/technical_links.html
- National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health Training(National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences) - http://tools.niehs.nih.gov/wetp/
- Rewards and Challenges of Shift Work(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) - Links to PDF - http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/drowsy_driving1/human/drows_driving/fbroch/FamilyBrochure.pdf
- Sleep Strategies for Shift Workers(National Sleep Foundation) - http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2421189/k.DF93/Strategies_for_Shift_Workers.htm
- Stress at Work(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) - http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/stresswk.html
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Tox Town(National Library of Medicine) - http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/espanol/
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Workplace Violence(Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - Links to PDF - http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/factsheet-workplace-violence.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/factsheet-workplace-violence-spanish.pdf
- Shift Work and Ways to Improve Sleep(Harvard Medical School) - http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/video/sleep07_czeisler_shiftbette
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Occupational Diseases(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Occupational+Diseases%22
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Occupational Exposure(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Occupational+Exposure%22
- Hairdressers and Barbers May Be at Increased Cancer Risk(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/NWS/content/NWS_1_1x_Hairdressers_and_Barbers_May_Be_At_Increased_Cancer_Risk.asp
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: The workplace smoking battle--a breath of fresh air for 2009. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19368092&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Quality management and work environment in Swedish oral and maxillofacial... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19363874&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Army Physical Fitness Test scores predict coronary heart disease risk... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19354087&tool=MedlinePlus
- Occupational Health -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(occupational+health[majr]+OR+occupational+health+services[majr]+OR+occupational+diseases[majr:noexp])+NOT+health+personnel[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt]+OR+news[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Occupational safety -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(occupational+health[majr]+AND+(safety[majr]+OR+safety+management[majr]+OR+risk+factors[majr]+OR+protective+devices[majr]))+OR+accidents,occupational/pc[majr]+OR+occupational+exposure[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(health+personnel[mh]+OR+nursing[mh]+OR+letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Haz-Map Glossary(National Library of Medicine) - http://hazmap.nlm.nih.gov/WebGlossary.htm
- Occupational Safety and Health Definitions(Bureau of Labor Statistics) - http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshdef.htm
- Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics Directory(Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics) - http://www.aoec.org/directory.htm
- NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards (NPG)(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) - http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/
- OSHA Regional and Area Offices(Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - http://www.osha.gov/html/RAmap.html
- State Workers' Compensation Officials(Dept. of Labor) - http://www.dol.gov/esa/owcp/dfec/regs/compliance/wc.htm
- Dept. of Labor - http://www.dol.gov/
- Job Accommodation Network(Office of Disability Employment Policy) - http://janweb.icdi.wvu.edu/
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National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health - http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/niosh/
- National Toxicology Program - http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/
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Occupational Safety and Health Administration - http://www.osha.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.osha.gov/as/opa/spanish/
- Environmental Health Perspectives Environews by Topic: Occupational Health(National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences) - http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/topic/occupational.html
- Access to Medical and Exposure Records(Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - Links to PDF - http://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3110.pdf
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How to File a Complaint with OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration)(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) - http://www.osha.gov/as/opa/worker/complain.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.osha.gov/as/opa/spanish/complain-sp.html
- Worker Safety and Training(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/worker.htm
- Workers' Page(Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - http://www.osha.gov/as/opa/worker/
- Youth & Labor: Hazardous Jobs(Dept. of Labor) - https://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/youthlabor/hazardousjobs.htm
- Occupational Injuries, Illnesses and Fatalities(Bureau of Labor Statistics) - http://www.bls.gov/iif/home.htm
- Occupational Safety and Health Topics Data and Statistics(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) - http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/data.html
- State Occupational Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities(Bureau of Labor Statistics) - http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshstate.htm
- Making Sure Your Teen's Job Is Safe(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/travel/job.html
- Teen Workers Questions(Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - http://www.osha.gov./SLTC/teenworkers/index.html
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Working Safely: Advice for Teens(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/teens/prevention/454.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/children/teens/prevention/454.printerview.html
- Young Worker Safety and Health(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) - http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/youth/
- Women's Safety and Health Issues at Work(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) - http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/women/
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/carpaltunnelsyndrome.html
- Ergonomics - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ergonomics.html
- Farm Health and Safety - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/farmhealthandsafety.html
- Occupational Health for Healthcare Providers - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/occupationalhealthforhealthcareproviders.html
- Safety Issues - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/safetyissues.html
- Wellness and Lifestyle - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/wellnessandlifestyle.html