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The estimated workforce served by occupational physicians in the UK
1Imperial College School of Medicine, National Heart & Lung Institute, Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Dovehouse Street, London SW3 6LY, UK. c.mcdonald@ic.ac.uk
Occupational Medicine (Oxford, England)
|November 8, 2002
Summary
A UK occupational disease surveillance scheme now estimates it covers 3.2 million workers, or 12% of the workforce. Access to occupational physicians varies significantly across industries, highlighting disparities in workplace health monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Public Health Surveillance
- Epidemiology
Background:
- The UK established an occupational disease surveillance scheme using clinical consultants and occupational physicians.
- Existing data relied on Labour Force Survey statistics, which were inadequate for estimating the reach of occupational physicians.
- A significant gap existed in understanding the proportion of the employed population with access to occupational health services.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the number of employees served by occupational physicians in the UK.
- To determine the proportion of the working population with access to occupational health services.
- To identify variations in access to occupational physicians across different industrial sectors.
Main Methods:
- Survey of approximately 700 occupational physicians to estimate their responsible employee populations.
- Exclusion of inactive reporters and physicians without defined workforces.
- Data collection and estimation of employee numbers by industry, occupation, and sex.
Main Results:
- Data from 503 active occupational physicians were analyzed.
- An estimated 3.2 million employees (12% of the working population) are served by these physicians.
- Access varied widely: 43% in health/social services, 6% in general industry, and 1% in agriculture/forestry/fishing.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully estimated the reach of occupational physicians in the UK.
- Significant disparities in access to occupational health services exist across industries.
- While industrial sector estimates were reliable, occupational estimates were less so, particularly in health and social services.