Occupational Medicine

Health & Safety in the Workplace

Occupational Medicine is a specialized field dedicated to the prevention and management of work-related injury and illness, while promoting the health of workers, their families and their communities.

Occupational Medicine was developed to treat the work-related disease and/or injury of an employee. By definition, Occupational Medicine is the “branch of medicine that deals with the relationship of man to his occupation for the purpose of the prevention of disease and injury and the promotion of optimal health and productivity and social adjustment.”

Historically, the medical needs of employees were handled by primary care physicians and emergency healthcare personnel, with limited knowledge and training in the specific field of occupational medical sciences. However, with technological advancements in various labor-intensive industries and industries with frequent chemical exposure, new potential health hazards arose. Thus, an area of medicine was then concentrated to attend to the specific healthcare needs of workers. In addition to some practices of general medicine, Occupational Medicine also concentrates on industrial hygiene, epidemiology (the study of disease origin and spread) and toxicology (the scientific study of poisons and drugs).

Often physicians practicing general or family medicine attend to work-related health issues. However, according to the American Occupational Medical Association (AOMA), Occupational Medicine Specialists are the optimal choice because of their narrowed skill.  Per OSHA, a physician specializing in Occupational Medicine will supersede any family or emergency physician’s opinion or diagnosis.

Nonetheless, AOMA formed a code of ethics spelled out in 12 detailed guidelines for physicians practicing occupation medicine as well as non occupational physicians in the primary care practice or emergency medicine who are required to adhere to the same code of ethics.   

Occupational Medicine continues to progress into the mainstream of medical education and research. As a multidisciplinary specialty, it involves a delicate balance between caring for the individual worker as a patient and giving the best, quality medical care to satisfy the employer, their family, government agencies (i.e. OSHA) and society.