australian hazard exposure assessment datasets (ahead) comcare national conference 2007 dr anthony...
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Australian Hazard Exposure Assessment Datasets
(AHEAD)
COMCARE
National Conference
2007Dr Anthony Hogan
Acknowledgements
Co-researchers– Wayne Creaser, Peta Miller, Su Mon Kyaw-Myint, Christine
Chalmers (OASCC)
Close collaborators– Bill Straveski (Victorian WorkCover)– Kirsten Way (Workplace Health & Safety Queensland)– Members of the ASCC
Role of ASCC
Leads & coordinates national efforts to prevent workplace death, injury & disease; & improve workers’ compensation arrangements, & rehabilitation & return to work of injured workersProvides a national forum by which representatives of State & Territory govts, employers & employees consult & participate in development of policies relating to OHS & workers’ compensation mattersPromotes national consistency in the OHS & workers’ compensation regulatory framework
Evidence of work-relatednessMagnitudeSeverityLong latencyEvidence of effective prevention optionsOpportunities for action e.g. national standardsStakeholder activity or support
How were disease priorities determined?
Occupational cancer Respiratory diseasesContact dermatitisNoise induced hearing lossMusculoskeletal disorders Mental disordersInfectious & parasitic diseasesCardiovascular diseases
Priority Diseases
For diseases of long latency
existing workers’
compensation and other
health data does not
provide an accurate picture of current
exposures
Occupational diseases are
often not recognized
due to
long gap between
exposure & disease
www.rovenlaw.com/images/301-a.jpg
Asbestos exposure in aircraft manufactures
Often not claimed due to poor awareness and recognition of work-relatedness
Note lack of adequate hearing
protection!
Skin cancers in an arc welderwelding produces the full spectrum of UV radiation
Often not claimed due
to difficulties separating work & non
work attribution
Often not claimed or
compensated due to
concerns about
job security,legal costs
or employees too ill to claim
GPs & workers often prefer to stay
outside the system
Why are occupational diseases a ASCC National Priority?
Condition % caused by work People affected
MSD 19 421,000
Asthma 16 235,000
CVD 12.5 184,000
Depression 6 36,000
Cancers 3.2 6,700
For 5 priority diseases– More than 880,000 workers already with
disease– Direct health costs exceed $1bn– Millions with potential hazard exposures
(ASCC, 2007)
National impact
ASCC agrees we must not wait & just ‘count health effects’ of exposure to hazards
We need to measure current exposures to disease causing agentsEstimate that approximately 1.5 million Australian workers potentially exposed to carcinogens at work – this does not consider the adequacy of workplace controls
which may eliminate or reduce exposure
Better data can improve disease
prevention 5% improvement
would result in44,000 Australians
each year NOT developing
occupational diseases &
$200m savings on health costs
Existing data sets inadequate for targeting occupational diseasesLogic was to focus on – known disease causing hazard exposures– surveillance to inform prevention
The AHEAD project began …….– with a focus on priority diseases
The need for a new data set
Hazards assessed in the presence of what controls!
Australian exposures - what, how much, how long, where, when, and to whom?
Australian exposures - what, how much, how long, where, when, and to whom?
Hazards assessed in the presence of what controls!
The ongoing systematic collection, analysis, interpretation and dissemination of current and historical data on occupational hazards and exposures, new processes and technologies, and hazard and exposure controls for the purpose of prevention of disease or injury in the workplace.
A. Griefe, 1995 AOEH 10(9) 737-742
Exposure Surveillance
Project design
Australian Hazard Exposure
Assessment Database
Comparative analysis of data reported to ASCC
Nationally Representative
Self Report Survey Data
Nationally Representative
Measured Exposure Data
Data assessed against AHEAD protocols
Industry Data:eg Industry
Compliance Audits/Surveys
Regulator Data:eg Compliance Audits,
Inspector Visits, Surveys
National or Sector Specific Research Data: eg Surveys &
Measured Exposures
Provide data to guide preventive action– Estimate and profile the prevalence of
exposures to priority disease causing hazards• Nationally• Possibly by industry• Ideally by worker
– Document the use of hazard controls– Target national prevention activity– Monitor progress of prevention efforts overtime
Project Aims
Response biasesLimited resources mean limited number of surveys administeredReasonably long and moderately complex questionnairePrevalence of exposures varies greatly Early samples will not be big enough to report expose by occupationLarger samples needed to detect small shifts in exposure reduction over time
Limitations of surveys
Questionnaire Design
Logic of survey structure
What Hazard
WhereIndustry/
Sub Industry
When exposedTasks & processes
Who Occupations
What exposure
Controls
Gender AgeWorkplace types
How MuchDose
OEL
Employmentarrangements
Task context
Adequacy
Chemical Physical
Psychosocial Biological
Whether has exposure and if so how long e.g. exposed to fumes/vapoursFor physical and chemical hazards– Name of hazard if known e.g. benzene
Questions for physical hazards
Psycho-social hazards measure – Karasek demand support control model
Musculoskeletal risks – EU Working Conditions Survey and the Swedish
Environment working survey
Hazards using psycho-metric questions
Survey contentThemes Data items/ sub constructs Demographics Age, sex, level of education, English
speaking skills, country of birth Occupational characteristics Industry, occupation, main tasks, main
business of employer, employment and employee status, company size
Working arrangements Day of the week worked, work hours, work schedule, hours worked last week
Physical and chemical hazards Vibration, noise, gases, dusts, fumes and vapours, working position, posture, hazardous substances, skin sensitisers, wet work, physical demands
Biological hazards Infectious substances Psychosocial hazards Work demands job demand, workload,
support, job control, decision authority, skill discretion, workplace violence, bullying, job security
Control measures Controls implemented by management, OHS engagement
European Working Condition SurveyNOES Survey (NIOSH, USA)Danish Work Environment Cohort Study Swedish Workplace & Environment SurveyNordic Skin QuestionnaireJob Content QuestionnaireWorking Life in New Zealand Study, andVictorian WorkCover Authority Worker SurveyHealth & Safety Executive (UK)
Source of questions
National standards exist for the measurement of noise and airborne hazardsSpecific protocols being developed for the consistent reporting of measured hazards into database
Reporting physical hazards
Sample selectionPopulation
– randomly selected– 15 years or older– in paid employment– worked last week in a priority industry
Priority industries– construction, manufacturing, health and
community services, transport and storage, agriculture, forest and fisheries
Target sample N=1,500
Analysis plan
INDUSTRY
Not exposed
Profile of workers by occupation and use of controls
Exposed
Profile of workers by occupation and use of controls
• What are current exposures?– Do they differ by industry, occupation,
gender, ethnicity or region?
Conduct on-line or telephone surveys using random samples of staff members– Conditional on sharing de-identified data with Office of
ASCC
Complete OHS professionals survey form on selected worksitesShare measures of physical exposure studies into database
How can we participate?
Subject to ASCC agreementthe Hazard Exposure Project
will collect, analyse and report on exposure data
to inform actions within the National OHS Strategy to reduce the level of work related
injury, death and disease in Australian Workplaces
Further information
Email [email protected]