Haematological and biochemical parameters in an industrial workforce

Biochemical and haematological data for two consecutive years are presented on about 2000 people from the workforce of a large chemical company. The data are examined for the influence of sex, age, season, time of blood sampling, and patterns of work on the various indices. In addition to the results confirming previously published work relating to the effects of age and sex, they provide interesting new information on the possible influences of seasons and patterns of work, that is, whether the subjects were shift or day workers. Further studies on the influence of these various factors are required, and our on-going survey will perhaps provide more definite data in due course. The findings show the importance of quantifying these variables, particularly in an industrial workforce where minor changes may be of significance.