96004 - Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene (A)

Course contents

Occupational medicine

Dr. Francesco Violante (Canale A), francesco.violante@unibo.it

 

PREVENTION AT WORK (4 hours)

Introduction (1 hour)

• Occupational Medicine: History of working conditions.

Occupational risk factors (3 hours)

• Occupational risk factors (physical, chemical, biomechanical, psychosocial risk factors)
• Industrial hygiene: exposure limits, environmental and biological monitoring.
• Workplace risk assessment.
• Occupational epidemiology.

OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES (10 hours)

Musculoskeletal disorders; occupational diseases due to psychosocial and physical risk factors (4 hours)

• Low back disorders in workers exposed to biomechanical risk factors and whole body vibration.
• Upper limb musculoskeletal disorders in workers exposed to biomechanical risk factors and hand-arm vibration.
• Stress at work and other psychosocial disorders.
• Health effects in workers exposed to noise, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation (high and low frequencies electromagnetic fields, microwaves, laser).

Health effects in workers exposed to chemical agents (4 hours)

Occupational toxicology:

• metals (lead, chromium, nickel),
• aromatic solvents (toluene, xylene, styrene),
• aliphatic solvents (n-esane, tetrachloroethylene),
• pesticides: organophosphates insecticides and herbicides (glyphosate), other herbicides  (triazine), fungicidides (tiophanate-methyl),
• Lung diseases due to exposure to dust and other chemical agents: asthma, allergic alveolitis, silicosis, asbestosis, lung diseases due to inert dust,
• occupational skin disorders.

Occupational cancer and reproductive health hazards (2 hours)

• Occupational cancer in workers exposed to physical, chemical and biological agents.
• Reproductive health hazards (physical, chemical, biological and biomechanical agents in the workplace). Laws concerning pregnant workers, new and breast-feeding mothers.

LEGISLATION OF THE PREVENTION OF RISKS AT WORK (2 hours)

Prevention, health and safety in the workplace (2 hours)

• Legislation on the prevention of risks at work. The role of the occupational physician.
• Public and private services for health and safety in the workplace.
• Occupational risk factors and health care workers.

Readings/Bibliography

1. Foà e Ambrosi - Medicina del Lavoro, UTET, 2003
2. Levy e Wegman - Occupational and Enviromental Health, Lippincott William e Wilkins, 2006
3. Ladou Joseph - Occupational and Enviromental Medicine. 2007
4. Rosenstock Linda - Text book of Clinical Occupational and Enviromental Medicine, 2005

Links to further information

http://medicinadellavoro.blogspot.com/

Office hours

See the website of Francesco Saverio Violante