The Health of Health Care Workers: The Ernestine Henry Lecture 1990

The health of health care workers is mentioned in the early occupational health literature but the significance of these populations in occupational health has only recently received widespread attention. The health care industry now employs about 5% of the national workforce and, despite its size and the multiplicity of its occupational hazards, little systematic enquiry has taken place to quantify these risks. The occupational health services available to health service staff are often rudimentary. Current health concerns include evidence that the mortality experience of subgroups is not as favourable as for comparable socio-economic groups. Specific areas of concern are occupational exposures to biological agents such as HIV and hepatitis B, pharmaceutical products, allergens, violence, electromagnetic fields and chemical carcinogens. Psychosocial factors and excessive hours of work may, in part, explain the high suicide rates experienced by some subsections of the workforce. New initiatives to investigate and monitor this complex working environment are clearly needed.