BACKGROUND Most major public and private sector pension schemes have provision for ill-health retirement (IHR) for those who become too ill to continue to work before their normal retirement age. AIM To compare the causes, process and outcomes of IHR in teachers and National Health Service (NHS) staff in Scotland. METHODS A total of 537 teachers and 863 NHS staff who retired due to ill-heal...

BACKGROUND Public health policy is increasingly concerned with the care for victims of a disaster. This article describes the design and implementation of an epidemiological study, which seeks to match care services to the specific problems of persons affected by a large scale incident. The study was prompted by the explosion of a firework depot in Enschede, the Netherlands. STUDY POPULATION ...

This issue is concerned with the provision of occupational health services and the people who provide it; in other words, the effectiveness of occupational health workers and the effects of that work on their health. Continuing the theme, this issue also publishes a number of original papers which examine the effects of health care work on health care workers. Whilst there are undoubtedly chang...

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study has been to test 2 spreadsheet models to compare the observed with the expected hearing loss for a Norwegian reference population. MATERIAL AND METHODS The prevalence rates of the Norwegian and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) definitions of hearing outcomes were calculated in terms of sex and age, 20-64 years old, for a ...

This paper looks at the stressors prominent in the workplace at the end of the 20th century--increases in workload, falls in social support, uncertainty and violence. It considers some of the pressures that have created these stressors and some of the interventions used to combat them; for example, better teamworking, different management style, an emphasis on quality, a more accurate analysis ...

BACKGROUND Arm, shoulder and neck symptoms are very prevalent among computer workers. In an attempt to reduce these symptoms, a large occupational health service in the Netherlands developed a preventive programme on exposure to risk factors, prevalence of arm, shoulder and neck symptoms, and sick leave in computer workers. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of this inter...

Background: There are some challenges about the role of work- related stress on development of musculoskeletal complaints. The present prospective study was conducted on nurses of Milad hospital in Tehran (Iran) to assess the role of work- related stress on development of neck and shoulder pain among nurses. Methods: From the 1,900 nurses who completed the registry forms, 1,450 nurses met the i...

AIMS To provide an in-depth review of the impact of cancer and cancer-related issues on work ability for those working during or following cancer treatment. METHODS Of total, 19 papers published between 1999 and 2008 on cancer and work ability were reviewed. RESULTS Studies have shown that most types of cancers result in decreased work ability compared to healthy controls or those with othe...

Good practice in health, environment and safety management in enterprise (GP HESME) is a process that aims at continuous improvement in health, environment and safety performance, involving all stakeholders within and outside the enterprise. This WHO program is supported by other international organizations, and the declaration of Ministers of Health and Ministers of Environment adopted in 1999...

BACKGROUND Lifestyle interventions have proven effective for lowering a cardiovascular risk profile by improving lifestyle behaviors, blood glucose and blood cholesterol levels. However, implementation of lifestyle interventions is often met with barriers. This qualitative study sought to determine anticipated barriers and facilitators to the nationwide implementation of an effective lifestyle ...