Occupational medicine in the petroleum industry: an historical perspective

The development of occupational health in the petroleum industry has been reviewed from the early years of the 20th century through the 1970s. Approximately 50 years after its chaotic beginning, the industry began to realize its obligations to its employees and undertook activities that were already standard practice in a number of other business enterprises. After a belated start and slow progress for several decades, by mid-century practically all of the major oil companies were involved in the principal activities of modern occupational health. Significant advances had been made in applying preventive measures in a variety of environments throughout the world. Over the following 30 years the level of clinical practices and the associated professional disciplines of industrial hygiene, toxicology and epidemiology demonstrated the industry's leadership to its peers as well as to society in general.