August/September 2018 (vol. 15/2)

ContentsFeaturesNewsLegal NewsResearch DigestResearch PlusCPD

Personal Learning Zone in this issue

Summary:

FEATURED ARTICLES

This issue of Occupational Health [at Work] features a Personal Learning Zone (PLZ) article recommended for continuing professional development (CPD). The assignment questions, ‘Personal learning statement’ and ‘Certificate of engagement’ are available to subscribers at AWPcpd . These will also be stored in your password-protected PLZ. The PLZ will help you document your own CPD. Occupational health physicians and nurses, occupational hygienists and other professionals can use the resource in support of their specialism’s revalidation or CPD requirements..

Pages 25–30.Asthma at work One in six cases of adult-onset asthma is attributable to workplace exposures. Asthma can be caused by sensitisation to hazardous substances or by exposure to high concentrations of irritants. Pre-existing asthma can also be aggravated not just by exposure to substances at work, but also by other factors, such as work-related stress.

ADDITIONAL CPD

The following articles, news and research items are suggested reading for CPD and professional revalidation. Subscribers can complete their online Personal Learning Zone CPD record at AWPcpd 

Page 11-13. In City of York Council v Grosset, the Court of Appeal has held that, in misconduct cases, so long as an employer knows of an employee’s disability it can be liable for discrimination ‘because of something arising in consequence’ of that disability even if it is unaware of the causal link between it and the misconduct. In light of this, OH may well be asked their opinion on whether or not an alleged misconduct was in fact connected to a person’s disability.

Page 15-24. With the exception of OH doctors, the median salary of OH specialists (OH nursing, physiotherapy and occupational hygiene) is around £40,000 to £45,000 – but the range of reported salaries is wide. Practitioners looking to set (or negotiate) pay levels will need to appreciate the various factors that help explain pay variation.

Pages 31-33. There are important legal distinctions between health records and reports, and OH professionals must understand them in order to ensure compliance. Furthermore, a health record made in accordance with statutory health surveillance is distinct from the clinical record arising from that surveillance, which should be held separately and in the confidential OH files.

Pages 34-41. Recent research suggests that the risk of breast cancer arising from nightshift work is limited to pre-menopausal women and is increased by certain shift rosters. Workers should be given advice about the risks and how they can reduce other lifestyle risk factors.

Author: The At Work Partnership Ltd

Occupational Health at Work August/September 2018 (vol. 15/2) pp43

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