The evaluation of pulmonary fitness and risk.
Source
Occup Med: State of the Art Rev 1988 Apr; 3(2):285-298
Abstract
Methods for evaluating pulmonary fitness and risk of potential workers in the occupational environment were presented. Appropriate job placement required determination of potential exposures at the work site, respiratory demands, and the magnitude and timing of the physical work to be performed. Techniques for assessing job demands and personal risk included patient clinical history, chest roentgenography, physical examination, spirometry, and exercise testing. Respiratory disorders considered included reversible obstructive lung disease (asthma), hyperreactive airways, abnormal genetic traits, interstitial lung disease, pneumoconiosis, chronic bronchitis, irreversible airflow obstruction, cigarette smoking, upper airway disorders, and pulmonary infections; job placement decisions required detailed consideration of the patient's medical history and potential exposure situations. The use of industrial respirators was assessed. The author concludes that medical evaluations for job placement decisions must consider the work requirements and the condition of the individual; the right of a respiratory impaired individual to a job must be balanced against the need to protect the potential worker against any adverse effects.
Keywords
NIOSH-Publication; NIOSH-Grant; Pulmonary-system-disorders; Screening-methods; Occupational-medicine; Risk-analysis; Risk-factors; Work-performance; Worker-health; Clinical-tests; Analytical-methods; Pulmonary-function; Pulmonary-system; Job-analysis
Contact
Medicine University of California School of Medicine Los Angeles, Calif 90024
Document Type
Journal Article
Identifying No.
Grant-Number-R01-OH-02005
Priority Area
Pulmonary-system-disorders; Pulmonary-system
Source Name
Occupational Medicine: State of the Art Reviews. The Petroleum Industry
Performing Organization
University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
