MODULES 3,4 & 5 OBJECTIVES

Each session deals with a specific topic and is organised and presented with the following headings:

These appear at the top of the first screen for each section.

Objectives include the knowledge or competencies that it is intended you achieve after you have completed each session. At the end of each section you should ask yourself whether you feel you have mastered the material and whether you have been able to complete the self test questions on the last page of each section (not every session has one) in such a way that you really understand what is going on, and are happy that in your case the objectives at the beginning of the session have been met. Only then is it recommended that you go on to the next section. At all times you can contact your designated tutor by email or by phone to ask questions. You should not wait and struggle but rather ask questions as soon as you have difficulties.

For each sections a list of activities is suggested to assist you in reaching the objectives. These include a range of resources and materials from hardcopy texts to web-based and other electronic resources (on CDROM or videotape), worked examples and exercises. These resource materials are supplied at different levels - introductory and more detailed and specific and in-depth. You are encouraged to direct your own learning by going further into topics and into the scientific literature and reference texts. There is therefore no limit to these activities other than your interest and time availability. However, you do need to complete all of the basic informational activities. Hyperlinks to relevant websites will be inserted where appropriate, when the source material does not appear on the CD.

In order to help you evaluate your performance,  self-test exercises appear in some sections. Try to answer these questions by yourself. It is a way of checking that you have reached the objectives. Answers to the exercises are built in. You can repeat these exercises again and again until you feel that you have mastered the content of the sessions.

As homework assignments you will receive tasks that will be marked and constitute part of your year's mark record.

Reference materials:

References are divided into hardcopy and web references. You must try your best to access all the reference materials. We have tried to keep them short in order not to overload you with too much material. However, there is much more to read than just these required readings. You are also strongly encouraged to look further afield for relevant references - this is the essence of self-directed learning.

This module concentrates on toxicology and some aspects of occupational medicine, including occupational cancer, renal and hepatic disease,  haematopoietic disorders, neurological conditions and reproductive health disorders.  Clinical  problem solving and case management is developed by means of case studies and exercises.  Special emphasis is placed on pesticides, lead and other heavy metals, organic solvents and toxic gases.  Systematic approaches are provided for biological monitoring, medical surveillance and supporting legislation with special emphasis on the hazardous chemical substances regulations and the workers' compensation system.  The factory visit aims to consolidate and apply these approaches.

Module 3 Objectives

1. To introduce you to the practice of occupational medicine, including core professional activities of biological monitoring and medical surveillance.
2. To introduce the following skills, which you should develop as the course progresses and build  on thereafter, so that you are able to:
1. Use an interdisciplinary clinical approach to evaluating and managing occupational medical problems.
2. Design a biological monitoring and medical surveillance programme after performing a  walkthrough risk assessment of a workplace with the aim of evaluating chemical hazards.
3. Interpret information on material safety data sheets.
3. To introduce you to the disciplines of occupational toxicology and occupational medicine so that you have some:
1. familiarity with the main categories of hazardous chemical substances, including pesticides and solvents.
2. knowledge of the biological mechanisms (acute and chronic) underlying occupational  disease.
3. familiarity with the classification of metals, and knowledge of the common and/or important effects of metals on health.
4. knowledge of the toxicology and clinical features of excessive lead absorption and the regulatory approach to prevention of lead poisoning.
5. knowledge of the toxicology and clinical features of pesticide exposure.
6. knowledge of occupational neurologic disease affecting the peripheral and central nervous system
7. familiarity with the classification system of occupational cancers and with the main examples of occupational cancer.
8. understanding of screening for kidney (renal) disease in the workplace, and some familiarity with the main causes of renal disease.
   
9. reproductive hazards in the workplace and their management.
10. causes of occupational liver and blood disorders.

 

4. To introduce the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act, with an emphasis on those sections you will need to know in detail for occupational health practice and to revisit some pertinent regulations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Hazardous Chemical Substances Regulations and the General Administrative Regulations)

This second occupational medicine module concentrates on the respiratory system, including important pneumoconioses and other lung and skin disorders. Practical skills transferred relate to pulmonary function testing and interpretation of the ILO classification of radiographs of pneumoconioses, testing for allergy, distinction between irritant and allergic asthma and dermatitis, the diagnosis of common work-related conditions, factory visits evaluating health hazards and medical services, and the clinical recognition of important work-related adverse health outcomes. Systematic approaches are provided for targeted medical surveillance and supporting preventive legislation with another input on the workers' compensation system. The factory visit aims to consolidate and apply these approaches.

Module 4 Objectives

1. To continue the introduction to the practice of occupational medicine.
2. To continue to develop the following skills as the course progresses and build on thereafter, so that you are able to:
1. Use an interdisciplinary clinical approach to evaluating and managing occupational medical problems.
2. Read and interpret chest x-rays for pneumoconioses, using the ILO Classification
3. Request and interpret spirograms (lung function tests)
4. Request and interpret relevant allergy tests
5. Request and interpret skin patch tests
6. Design an industrial hygiene and medical surveillance programme after performing a walkthrough risk assessment of a workplace with the aim of evaluating hazards affecting the respiratory and dermatological (skin) systems.
3. To continue the introduction to the disciplines of occupational toxicology and occupational medicine so that you have some:
1. Knowledge of occupational lung diseases important in South Africa, related to asbestos, silica, coal, metals, and organic dusts, and their epidemiologic and clinical features.
2. Knowledge of the biological mechanisms (acute and chronic) underlying occupational  disease.
3. Knowledge of the work-relatedness of common diseases such as allergies and asthma, tuberculosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
4. Knowledge of common occupational skin diseases and the management of skin problems at work.
4. To introduce the Occupational Diseases in Mines and Works Act, with an emphasis on those sections you will need to know in detail for occupational health practice and to revisit some pertinent regulations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Asbestos Regulations)

The third occupational medicine module concentrates on the remainder of the systems including the health effects of physical hazards e.g. ENT/hearing conservation, radiation and vibration-related health effects; ergonomic-related musculoskeletal health effects; biological hazards and their health effects with specific emphasis on HIV/AIDS and travel medicine. Preventive legislation pertaining to hazardous biological agents and compensation related legislation aspects of the above are addressed.

Module 5 Objectives

1. To continue the introduction to the practice of occupational medicine.
2. To continue to develop the following skills as the course progresses and build on thereafter, so that you are able to:
1. Use an interdisciplinary clinical approach to evaluating and managing occupational medical problems.
2. Interpret screening audiograms
3. Do a walkthrough risk assessment of workplaces with a focus on evaluation of ergonomic hazards
4. Design a hearing conservation programme after performing a walkthrough risk assessment of a workplace with the aim of evaluating noise exposures
3. To continue the introduction to the disciplines of occupational toxicology and occupational medicine so that you have an understanding and some knowledge on:
1. The main features of ionising and non-ionising radiation, particularly measurement,  protection, medical aspects and "incident" management
2. Occupational musculoskeletal disorders and their risk factors, including an ability to make a causal diagnosis
   
3. An approach to the identification and prevention of biological hazards
   
4. Care of HIV positive employees and HIV/AIDS management programmes in industry generally
5. Travel Medicine
4. To revisit pertinent aspects of the Regulations for Hazardous Biological Agents and Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act with an emphasis on those sections you will need to know in detail for occupational health practice. In this block the assessment of hearing loss and musculoskeletal disorders (work-related upper limb disorders) for compensation and prevention purposes will be covered.

Postgraduate Diploma in Occupational Health (DOH) - Modules 3 – 5: Occupational Medicine & Toxicology by Prof Rodney Ehrlich & Prof Mohamed Jeebhay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.healthedu.uct.ac.za/