Planning preventive occupational health services at the community level

Socio-sanitary data on occupational injuries and disease-specific exposures were used to plan preventive occupational health services in the territory of a Community Health Department in an industrial sector of Montreal, Quebec. Information was obtained from two complementary sources: Worker's Compensation and plant surveys. For prevention of injuries, three groups of planning options were identified: territorial injury surveillance, protection of the extremities and eyes, and the ergonomic diagnosis of the workplace for prevention of non-accidental injuries. In the prevention of occupational diseases, medical screening and worker's registry were two possible options. These options were put in perspective with the type of resources needed and the kind of commitment required for planning these services.