[Identity of the occupational medicine physician]

The author identifies three meanings contained in the term "occupational medicine': medical research, the system of health care and a separate medical specialisation. The main interest is focused on the third meaning: occupational medicine as a medical specialisation and thus its basic concepts are discussed and defined. The scope of knowledge and skills as well as the kind of practical activities which endow occupational medicine with features which justify its significance as to be separated from other medical disciplines and to become a medical specialisation are indicated. Effective preventive programmes for the populations at risk of health impairment due to occupational exposure to harmful factors and to unsatisfactory working conditions are mentioned by the author as a basic criterion which distinguishes occupational medicine from other medical disciplines.