Work site risk assessment

Awareness of the connection between work and health can be reinforced by primary care practitioners through visits to community workplaces. Physicians can use observation skills to increase understanding of work processes, hazardous exposures, potential adverse health effects, and preventive principles and control measures during inspection of work sites. They can also use site visits to augment the office occupational history and to obtain a community industrial profile. Adequate advance planning is imperative to ensure successful visits. The use of site visits by physicians is one method of realizing the goal of increased physician awareness of the work-relatedness of disease.