How to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in the Agri-Food Industry during the First Pandemic Wave: Effects on Seroprevalence

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, many workplaces were forced to interrupt their activities or alternatively had to prefer a smart way of working, if this was compatible with their activities, to contain the spread of the virus. Some production activities, on the other hand, continued, such as those belonging to the agri-food sector. The aim of the study was to investigate seroprevalence in the workers of an Italian agri-food company following prevention interventions developed in concert with an occupational physician. An observational cohort study was conducted on a population of 328 (100%) workers of a company in the agri-food sector, located in the Sicilian region, which specialized in the production and distribution of citrus fruits. Only one worker was infected with SARS-CoV-2, which later also developed the immune response. No other worker contracted the infection. In conclusion, the measures implemented identified the positive subject for SARS-CoV-2 at an early stage. This made it possible to avoid contagion between the positive subject and the other workers. The occupational physician was also, in this case, essential in decoding and implementing the rules and guidelines useful for the protection of the health and safety of the worker.

Does an occupational physician have a duty to carry out general clinical assessments?

An occupational physician is employed to be responsible for the overall assessment of workers’ health risks and all work-related pathological situations which creates an unusual doctor–patient relationship. The duties of the occupational physician are also very limited as is their professional responsibility. However, the boundaries of the occupational physician’s duties and responsibilities are not always clear. The purpose of this article is to answer the following question: Does the occupational doctor have a duty to carry out general clinical evaluations (not work-related) of the patient?

Attitude of the employer in Lebanon toward candidates and employees with a stable chronic mental illness

Objective: Research and study the Lebanese employers’ attitudes, toward recruiting candidates with a mental illness and toward their employees who suffer chronic mental illnesses (A CMI) and the factors that may play a role in affecting it. Methods: A combined cross sectional and retrospective study. Interviews conducted with a mix of 63 human resource managers and high executive employees to assess the integration of people with A CMI at the workplace, and the attitudes toward them. Results: Primarily, the engagement of an occupational physician or a social worker in the process, was associated with a reduction in stigma surrounding the subject matter. Moreover, hiring a candidate with A CMI was perceived as a social image improvement of the hiring company. However, A CMI employees were perceived as having lower efficiency and self-esteem, as well as a greater vulnerability to dismissal. Conclusion: The presence and engagement of an occupational physician, and/or a social worker, has been found to be the main positive stigma modulator against mental illness, in a corporate setting.

Role and Tasks of the Occupational Physician during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background and Objectives: The first clusters of SARS-CoV-2 infection were identified in an occupational setting, and to date, a significant portion of the cases may result from occupational exposure; thus, COVID-19 should also be considered a new occupational risk that both directly and indirectly impacts the health of workers. Given the significance of occupational-exposure-related infections and deaths, this study aims to assess the roles and tasks of occupational physicians (OPs) in countering the spread of the infection. Indeed, despite the OP’s centrality in risk management in the workplace, its activity in the current epidemic context has rarely been mentioned. Materials and Methods: Three different databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, and Embase) were questioned using the main keywords “COVID-19” and “SARS-CoV-2” that were crossed, according to different needs, with the terms “occupational medicine”, “occupational physician”, “workplace”, and “risk assessment” using, when possible, the MeSH database research. Additionally, a systematic research of the regulatory changes of workplaces health surveillance was performed on reference sites of international, European, and Italian authorities. Results: Fundamental tasks and duties of OPs in the current COVID-19 outbreak are highlighted by examining their clinical activity and technical action. A risk assessment and management workflow is proposed, and medico-legal implications in case of infection at work are also discussed in the light of recent regulatory changes that clearly attribute to OPs an important role in safeguarding public health. Conclusion: The proposed approach can provide new instruments to contrast the spread of the infection as part of a comprehensive system response to the current pandemic, for which OPs are called to assume full responsibility.

Age profile of NHS workers in occupational physician clinics

Background The population in the UK is predicted to increase in size and age. The National Health Service (NHS) is the largest employer in the UK and demographic changes in the working population would be expected to be reflected in the NHS workforce. Such changes may present different challenges to an NHS occupational physician (OP). Aims To evaluate how the age profile of an NHS workforce is reflected in referral patterns, diagnoses and occupational outcomes for workers assessed by OPs. Methods NHS workers employed by a large acute Trust who were referred to an OP for assessment during 2011–12 were identified. Occupational health data relating to their assessment were analysed to investigate relationships with age. Results Seven hundred and two workers were identified; they were from all staff and age groups employed by the NHS Trust. The highest referral rate to an OP was in staff aged between 41 and 60 years. There was no evidence that workers with long-term conditions assessed by an OP were likely to be older. The occupational outcome of ill-health retirement was linked to age. Conclusions This study suggested that older workers, aged between 41 and 60 years, may be more likely to be referred for assessment by an OP than younger workers. The only occupational outcome linked to age was ill-health retirement, which was more likely for workers over 50 years of age.