Perceptions of lung function surveillance in urban firefighters

Workplace health and safety (WHS) is an important responsibility falling on both employers and employees and is most effective when the perspectives of all stakeholders are considered. This study aimed to explore the facilitators and barriers to a voluntary workplace lung function surveillance program from the perspective of urban firefighters and describe their perceptions of its value.

Using a qualitative, descriptive methodology, firefighters who had participated in a longitudinal lung function surveillance study were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews. Purposeful, maximum variation sampling was used to achieve diversity in those firefighters invited to participate. We used inductive content analysis to identify themes.

Interviews with 15 firefighters identified 3 main themes: (i) practical experience of surveillance (administration, communication, workplace culture change, convenience, acceptability, and appeal); (ii) value of surveillance (lung health efficacy and control, social support, workplace management support/motivations, contribution to global firefighter health); and (iii) contribution of surveillance to health (occupational risk, relevance in the context of total health, workability, and fitness and future value).

Practical and psychosocial facilitators and barriers to providing lung function surveillance in the fire service were identified. In addition to the personal benefits of detecting adverse lung health and allowing for medical intervention, factors known to positively influence firefighter workplace wellbeing, such as providing peace of mind, feedback on good work practices, motivation to utilize control measures, management commitment to health, and providing data to assist with global knowledge were valued aspects of longitudinal lung function surveillance.