Collecting occupation and hazards information in primary care using O*NET

The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of collecting occupation and occupational hazard data in a primary care setting, using the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) database to assist with classification.

We collected data from 204 employed adult primary care patients in Toronto, Canada, on their occupation and exposure to occupational hazards, and mapped their job titles to the O*NET database. We compared their self-reported occupational hazard exposures with the likelihood of exposure on O*NET.

Exposure to repetitive arm movement was reported by 78%, to vapors/gas/dust/fumes by 30%, to noise by 30%, and to heavy loads by 31%. Significant differences in exposure to vapors/gas/dust/fumes were associated with work precarity. We matched the majority of job titles (89%) to O*NET categories.

Collecting employment information in primary care setting was feasible, with the majority of job titles mapping onto O*NET classifications.