WORLD DAY FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK 2013
The Cochrane Reviews highlighted here are freely available while this Special Collection is featured on The Cochrane Library homepage. INTRODUCTION
The International Labour Organisation celebrates the World day for Safety and Health at Work on the 28th of April, with a theme for 2013 of prevention of occupational diseases (www.ilo.org). Labour unions worldwide also commemorate workers who have died at work or as a result of exposure at work on this day.
Fortunately, many statistics indicate that workplace health and safety have improved over time. Occupational injury rates in the US show a steady decline over the past 100 years, and exposure to chemical agents in the US and Europe has also decreased considerably in the past forty odd years.[1] However, uncertainty about what specific interventions led to these improvements makes it difficult to select appropriate interventions in countries where rates remain high. Moreover, there are still occupational health statistics that are not favourable at all. Noise-induced hearing loss, work-related musculoskeletal disorders, stress-related complaints and skin disorders remain very prevalent. Other less prevalent conditions (for example HIV and Hepatitis C) have extremely serious consequences, and so protecting workers from these risks remains a high priority.
The Cochrane Occupational Safety & Health Review Group has selected a number of recent Cochrane Reviews that explore the evidence for interventions aimed at preventing occupational diseases. These can be used by employers to develop preventive policy and practice and achieve tangible health benefits for their employees.
References:[1] Creely KS, Cowie H, Van TM, Kromhout H, Tickner J, Cherrie JW. Trends in inhalation exposure--a review of the data in the published scientific literature. Ann Occup Hyg 2007;51(8):665-78.
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