[Psychiatric disability and work: assessment of a group of patients examined at the Occupational Medicine Outpatient Department of the Turin University in the period 2000-2012].

Problems at workplace with psychiatric subjects are increasing and the role of occupational physicians is basic to achieve a suitable job role. The purpose of this study is to assess the main occupational factors and to evaluate the judgement of fitness to work in 1109 patients with psychiatric diseases examined in our outpatients department during the period 2000-2012. These subjects were sent to our service by family doctors or, more frequently, by the companies seeking for judgement of the working residual capacities.

[Noise and ototoxic chemicals. State of the art and operative strategies for health surveillance].

European (Directive 2003/10/CE) and italian rules (DLgs 81/08), both establish that "as far as technically achievable, any effects on workers' health and safety resulting from interactions between noise and work-related ototoxic substances, and between noise and vibrations". The scientific knowledge on this subject is still lacking, but are generally considered as ototoxic, either alone or in concert with noise, toluene, styrene, ethylbenzene, carbon disulphide, lead, mercury and carbon monoxide. With particular reference to health surveillance we propose yearly audiograms for workers whose exposures are at 50% or more of the specific OEL, for noise LEPd less than 85 dB(A); for concomitant noise LEPd greater than 85 dB(A) (by wich workers are normally submitted to an yearly audiogram) the occupational physician will consider if shorten the time between audiograms.