Scoping review of exposure questionnaires and surveys in interstitial lung disease.

Background: Many interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) have clear causal relationships with environmental and occupational exposures. Exposure identification can assist with diagnosis, understanding disease pathogenesis, prognostication and prevention of disease progression and occurrence in others at risk. Despite the importance of exposure identification in ILD, there is no standardised assessment approach.

how these findings canPublic transport: lessons learned by the sector through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the operations and functionality of the public transport sector in the UK. This paper reflects on the experience of this sector through the pandemic period, and considers recommendations for any future mitigations required for either new COVID-19 waves or a different public health emergency.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with public transport experts, organisational leaders, workers and passengers in two phases: Phase 1 from January to May 2021, and Phase 2 from December 2021 to February 2022.

Experiences, Perceptions of Risk, and Lasting Impacts of COVID-19 for Employees in the Public Transport Sector.

Background: Age-standardized mortality rates for taxi drivers, chauffeurs, bus and coach drivers show that public transport workers were at high risk at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, the public transport sector was required to continue services throughout the pandemic.

Objectives: This paper aims to develop a better understanding of the experiences of organizational leaders and workers within the UK public transport sector (bus, rail, and tram).

Occupational inhalational accidents: analysis of cases from the UK SWORD reporting scheme from 1999 to 2018.

Objective: To estimate the reported UK incidence of occupational inhalation accidents, and to consider changes of incidence and potential causes over time.

Methods: Cases of occupational inhalation accident reported to Surveillance of Work Related Occupational Respiratory Diseases (SWORD) over 20 years were grouped into four 5-year time periods. Cases were characterised by causative exposure, occupation and industrial sector.

Asthma in pesticide users: an update from the Great Britain Prospective Investigation of Pesticide Applicators' Health (PIPAH) cohort study.

Objectives: To define the prevalence and incidence of asthma in a large working population of pesticide workers and to assess which exposures are potentially of relevance to causing or aggravating this condition.

Methods: A baseline cross-sectional study at recruitment (2013-2017, n=5817), with follow-up in 2018 (n=2578), was carried out in predominantly Great Britain based pesticide workers. At baseline, participants completed a health and work questionnaire which included questions on demographic, lifestyle, socioeconomic and work-related factors, pesticide use and doctor diagnosed health conditions.

Barriers to identifying occupational asthma among primary healthcare professionals: a qualitative study.

Introduction: Occupational asthma (OA) accounts for one in six cases of adult-onset asthma and is associated with a large societal cost. Many cases of OA are missed or delayed, leading to ongoing exposure to the causative agent and avoidable lung function loss and poor employment-related outcomes. Enquiry about work-related symptoms and the nature of work by healthcare professionals (HCPs) is limited, evident in primary and secondary care.

[Obstacles to the development of workplace health promotion in Poland - the perspective of companies' representatives].

Background: The aim of the paper is to present the barriers and difficulties faced by companies in Poland in their employee health promotion activities.

Material And Methods: The aforementioned obstacles were analyzed in terms of their quantity and quality. Quantitative data come from 5 nationwide surveys conducted in 2000 (N = 755), 2006 (N = 611), 2010 (N = 1002), 2015 (N = 1000) and 2017 (N = 1000), in companies employing ≥50 people.

Occupational exposure to inhaled pollutants and risk of airflow obstruction: a large UK population-based UK Biobank cohort.

Background: Although around 10% to 15% of COPD burden can be attributed to workplace exposures, little is known about the role of different airborne occupational pollutants (AOP). The main aim of the study was to assess the effect size of the relationship between various AOP, their level and duration of exposure with airflow obstruction (AFO).

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted in 228 614 participants from the UK Biobank study who were assigned occupational exposure using a job exposure matrix blinded to health outcome.

Sensory perception testing by monofilaments in the digits of controls and workers with HAVS.

Objective: To determine if heavy manual work affects sensory perception in the digits and whether Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments (SWM) can be used as a screening tool to detect sensory neuropathy in the digits of workers exposed to hand-transmitted vibration (HTV).

Methods: A cross-sectional study of office workers, heavy manual workers not exposed to HTV and workers with hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Sensory perception was measured in the digits by SWM using a forced-choice method to determine variability by sex, age, hand and digit.

Identifying causation in hypersensitivity pneumonitis: a British perspective.

Background: Establishing whether patients are exposed to a 'known cause' is a key element in both the diagnostic assessment and the subsequent management of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP).

Objective: This study surveyed British interstitial lung disease (ILD) specialists to document current practice and opinion in relation to establishing causation in HP.

Methods: British ILD consultants (pulmonologists) were invited by email to take part in a structured questionnaire survey, to provide estimates of demographic data relating to their service and to rate their level of agreement with a series of statements.

[Health promotion in medium-sized and large enterprises in Poland, in the context of population ageing. The specificity of workplaces with a different size of employment and financial situation].

Background: Demographic projections indicate an inevitable intensification of the population ageing process. This situation causes significant challenges for employers due to the shrinking and ageing of the workforce. Workplace health promotion, adjusted to the needs and expectations of employees in different age groups, is one of the tools of preventing and minimizing the consequences of this demographic process.

[Workplace health promotion as a tool for reducing the consequences of ageing of the working population].

A significant intensification of the ageing process in Poland, projected for the upcoming years, will have serious socioeconomic consequences. This demographic process at the macro level will result in lower contributions to the state budget (due to decreased workforce) and higher public expenses (on pensions, healthcare and long-term care). Implications at the meso (workplace) level will include the diminishing and ageing of workforce, which will then cause troubles in recruitment.

The occupations at increased risk of COPD: analysis of lifetime job-histories in the population-based UK Biobank Cohort.

Occupational exposures are important, preventable causes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Identification of COPD high-risk jobs is key to focus preventive strategies, but a definitive job-list is unavailable.We addressed this issue by evaluating the association of lifetime job-histories and lung function data in the population-based UK Biobank cohort, whose unprecedented sample size allowed analyses restricted to never-smokers to rule out the most important confounder, tobacco smoking.

[Health promotion in medium-sized and large companies in Poland in 2017 - activities, implementation, effects and difficulties].

Background: The paper presents the state of workplace health promotion in Poland as of December 2017.

Material And Methods: Standardized computer-assisted personal interviews (CAPI) were conducted on a representative sample of 1000 companies employing over 50 people.

Results: Few companies (37%) actually know the health needs of their employees, whereas 25% admit that they care about health more than it is required by law, and declare their increased involvement in that area.

Emerging trends in the UK incidence of occupational asthma: should we be worried?

While 15% of adult-onset asthma is estimated to have an occupational cause, there has been evidence of a downward trend in occupational asthma incidence in several European countries since the start of this millennium. However, recent data from The Health and Occupation Reporting network in the UK have suggested a possible reversal of this downward trend since 2014. We present these data and discuss possible explanations for this observed change in incidence trend.

Epidemiology of silicosis: reports from the SWORD scheme in the UK from 1996 to 2017.

Objective: To document the demographic risk factors of workers reported to have silicosis in the UK.

Methods: All cases of silicosis reported to the Surveillance of Work-related and Occupational Respiratory Disease (SWORD) scheme between January 1996 and December 2017 were classified into one of eight industry categories, and one of five age groups. In addition, to investigate whether there had been any temporal change, mean age and range at diagnosis was plotted for each year.

International consensus criteria for diagnosing and staging hand-arm vibration syndrome.

Purpose: In the 30 years since the Stockholm Workshop Scale (SWS) was published, the scientific literature on hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) has grown and experience has been gained in its practical application. This research was undertaken to develop an up-to-date evidence-based classification for HAVS by seeking consensus between experts in the field.

Methods: Seven occupational physicians who are clinically active and have had work published on HAVS in the last 10 years were asked to independently take part in a three-round iterative Delphi process.

Evaluating the Impact and Benefits of Fluticasone Furoate/Vilanterol in Individuals with Asthma or COPD: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Patient Experiences.

Introduction: This study evaluated patients' experiences with fluticasone furoate/vilanterol (FF/VI) combination therapy in UK patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: Participants aged ≥ 18 years, with self-reported, physician-diagnosed asthma or COPD (≥ 1 year) who had been receiving FF/VI (≥ 3 months) were recruited from UK primary care. This two-phase, mixed-methods study consisted of a semi-structured, telephone-interview phase (qualitative) and a self-completed online/paper-survey phase (quantitative).

Developing a questionnaire to assess the health effects of bioaerosols.

Background: Bioaerosol exposure occurs in several industries including green waste recycling, poultry farming, grain, animal feed and cotton production. Whilst several studies have investigated exposure and health effects in compost workers, the best questions to ask about health are uncertain.

Aims: This study aimed to develop a questionnaire to assess health symptoms in compost workers.

Health surveillance for occupational asthma.

Purpose Of Review: The outcome for workers with occupational asthma is improved for those with an earlier diagnosis. Health surveillance at work is in principle designed to identify such cases, so that the risks to the individual worker, and coworkers, can be reduced. There is recent evidence to suggest that the uptake and quality of such surveillance could be improved.