The occupational safety and health act: the future of occupational medicine

Details

• Personal Author:
  Key, Marcus M.
• Description:
  Soon after the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, the legislation was acclaimed as a kind of new order of the ages - a "landmark piece of legislation," "one of the most important pieces of legislation ... ever passed by the Congress," and a "Magna Carta for the workers of America." Certainly expectations were and still are high that the implementation of this new Act by the Departments of Labor and Health, Education, and Welfare, will assure safe and healthful working conditions and preserve our human resources, if I may paraphrase the stated purpose of the Act. Two program elements mentioned in the purpose refer to both the environmental conditions and the human element which are the two basic considerations in the practice of occupational medicine. Thus, in some respects there will be changes, and in others there will be a reemphasis of our previous practices. I would like to suggest that the changes that will be made by the new Act will be changes in form rather than changes in substance. By form, I mean enforceable standards, new regulations such as those for recording and reporting of occupational injuries and illnesses, and new organizations such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, and the National Commission on State Workmen's Compensation Laws. By substance, I mean that basic components to the practice of occupational medicine which have been developed over a number of years, such as familiarity with the hazards of the workplace, preplacement examinations, biologic and radiographic monitoring, health maintenance examinations, counselling and health education, and the use of the epidemiologic method. As a Past President of the Industrial Medicine Association has pointed out, the new Act really adds nothing new to the professional practice of occupational medicine. The better medical departments in industry have been operating in an enlightened and progressive manner for many years prior to the passage of the Act. My purpose in this presentation is not to review the substance of occupational medicine, but rather to try to anticipate some of the changes that can be expected in the form of occupational medicine. I presume to look into the looking-glass only because of my vantage point, not because my eyesight is any better than yours in seeing what lies ahead [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Public Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Exposure Tests Health Services Occupational-hazards Occupational-health Occupational-medicine Occupational Safety And Health Public-health Workmens Compensation
• ISSN:
  0096-1736
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OD - Office of the Director
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  387-389
• Volume:
  14
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20047002
• Citation:
  J Occup Med 1972 May; 14(5):387-389
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1972
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d0e950150421d200afeb34ee355cad002ade2113f199702a51d102c3242ac58cedc7eeb2d2c1acf92ef6b8745e2dbdbc1bc69b838bcd407a80a2dcac673f8799
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/202241/cdc_202241_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.89 MB ]