Australian Hazard Exposure Assessment Datasets

(AHEAD)

COMCARE

National Conference

2007Dr Anthony Hogan

Acknowledgements

Co-researchers– Wayne Creaser, Peta Miller, Su Mon Kyaw-Myint, Christine

Chalmers (OASCC)

Close collaborators– Bill Straveski (Victorian WorkCover)– Kirsten Way (Workplace Health & Safety Queensland)– Members of the ASCC

Role of ASCC

Leads & coordinates national efforts to prevent workplace death, injury & disease; & improve workers’ compensation arrangements, & rehabilitation & return to work of injured workersProvides a national forum by which representatives of State & Territory govts, employers & employees consult & participate in development of policies relating to OHS & workers’ compensation mattersPromotes national consistency in the OHS & workers’ compensation regulatory framework

Evidence of work-relatednessMagnitudeSeverityLong latencyEvidence of effective prevention optionsOpportunities for action e.g. national standardsStakeholder activity or support

How were disease priorities determined?

Occupational cancer Respiratory diseasesContact dermatitisNoise induced hearing lossMusculoskeletal disorders Mental disordersInfectious & parasitic diseasesCardiovascular diseases

Priority Diseases

For diseases of long latency

existing workers’

compensation and other

health data does not

provide an accurate picture of current

exposures

Occupational diseases are

often not recognized

due to

long gap between

exposure & disease

www.rovenlaw.com/images/301-a.jpg

Asbestos exposure in aircraft manufactures

Often not claimed due to poor awareness and recognition of work-relatedness

Note lack of adequate hearing

protection!

Skin cancers in an arc welderwelding produces the full spectrum of UV radiation

Often not claimed due

to difficulties separating work & non

work attribution

Often not claimed or

compensated due to

concerns about

job security,legal costs

or employees too ill to claim

GPs & workers often prefer to stay

outside the system

Why are occupational diseases a ASCC National Priority?

Condition % caused by work People affected

MSD 19 421,000

Asthma 16 235,000

CVD 12.5 184,000

Depression 6 36,000

Cancers 3.2 6,700

For 5 priority diseases– More than 880,000 workers already with

disease– Direct health costs exceed $1bn– Millions with potential hazard exposures

(ASCC, 2007)

National impact

ASCC agrees we must not wait & just ‘count health effects’ of exposure to hazards

We need to measure current exposures to disease causing agentsEstimate that approximately 1.5 million Australian workers potentially exposed to carcinogens at work – this does not consider the adequacy of workplace controls

which may eliminate or reduce exposure

Better data can improve disease

prevention 5% improvement

would result in44,000 Australians

each year NOT developing

occupational diseases &

$200m savings on health costs

Existing data sets inadequate for targeting occupational diseasesLogic was to focus on – known disease causing hazard exposures– surveillance to inform prevention

The AHEAD project began …….– with a focus on priority diseases

The need for a new data set

Hazards assessed in the presence of what controls!

Australian exposures - what, how much, how long, where, when, and to whom?

Australian exposures - what, how much, how long, where, when, and to whom?

Hazards assessed in the presence of what controls!

The ongoing systematic collection, analysis, interpretation and dissemination of current and historical data on occupational hazards and exposures, new processes and technologies, and hazard and exposure controls for the purpose of prevention of disease or injury in the workplace.

A. Griefe, 1995 AOEH 10(9) 737-742

Exposure Surveillance

Project design

Australian Hazard Exposure

Assessment Database

Comparative analysis of data reported to ASCC

Nationally Representative

Self Report Survey Data

Nationally Representative

Measured Exposure Data

Data assessed against AHEAD protocols

Industry Data:eg Industry

Compliance Audits/Surveys

Regulator Data:eg Compliance Audits,

Inspector Visits, Surveys

National or Sector Specific Research Data: eg Surveys &

Measured Exposures

Provide data to guide preventive action– Estimate and profile the prevalence of

exposures to priority disease causing hazards• Nationally• Possibly by industry• Ideally by worker

– Document the use of hazard controls– Target national prevention activity– Monitor progress of prevention efforts overtime

Project Aims

Response biasesLimited resources mean limited number of surveys administeredReasonably long and moderately complex questionnairePrevalence of exposures varies greatly Early samples will not be big enough to report expose by occupationLarger samples needed to detect small shifts in exposure reduction over time

Limitations of surveys

Questionnaire Design

Logic of survey structure

What Hazard

WhereIndustry/

Sub Industry

When exposedTasks & processes

Who Occupations

What exposure

Controls

Gender AgeWorkplace types

How MuchDose

OEL

Employmentarrangements

Task context

Adequacy

Chemical Physical

Psychosocial Biological

Whether has exposure and if so how long e.g. exposed to fumes/vapoursFor physical and chemical hazards– Name of hazard if known e.g. benzene

Questions for physical hazards

Psycho-social hazards measure – Karasek demand support control model

Musculoskeletal risks – EU Working Conditions Survey and the Swedish

Environment working survey

Hazards using psycho-metric questions

Survey contentThemes Data items/ sub constructs Demographics Age, sex, level of education, English

speaking skills, country of birth Occupational characteristics Industry, occupation, main tasks, main

business of employer, employment and employee status, company size

Working arrangements Day of the week worked, work hours, work schedule, hours worked last week

Physical and chemical hazards Vibration, noise, gases, dusts, fumes and vapours, working position, posture, hazardous substances, skin sensitisers, wet work, physical demands

Biological hazards Infectious substances Psychosocial hazards Work demands job demand, workload,

support, job control, decision authority, skill discretion, workplace violence, bullying, job security

Control measures Controls implemented by management, OHS engagement

European Working Condition SurveyNOES Survey (NIOSH, USA)Danish Work Environment Cohort Study Swedish Workplace & Environment SurveyNordic Skin QuestionnaireJob Content QuestionnaireWorking Life in New Zealand Study, andVictorian WorkCover Authority Worker SurveyHealth & Safety Executive (UK)

Source of questions

National standards exist for the measurement of noise and airborne hazardsSpecific protocols being developed for the consistent reporting of measured hazards into database

Reporting physical hazards

Sample selectionPopulation

– randomly selected– 15 years or older– in paid employment– worked last week in a priority industry

Priority industries– construction, manufacturing, health and

community services, transport and storage, agriculture, forest and fisheries

Target sample N=1,500

Analysis plan

INDUSTRY

Not exposed

Profile of workers by occupation and use of controls

Exposed

Profile of workers by occupation and use of controls

• What are current exposures?– Do they differ by industry, occupation,

gender, ethnicity or region?

Conduct on-line or telephone surveys using random samples of staff members– Conditional on sharing de-identified data with Office of

ASCC

Complete OHS professionals survey form on selected worksitesShare measures of physical exposure studies into database

How can we participate?

Subject to ASCC agreementthe Hazard Exposure Project

will collect, analyse and report on exposure data

to inform actions within the National OHS Strategy to reduce the level of work related

injury, death and disease in Australian Workplaces

Further information

Email anthony.hogan@ascc.gov.au