Occupational illnesses: identifying, reporting important to safety Published March 16, 2009 By Capt. Andrew Wagner 95th Aerospace Medicine Squadron EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A coworker is walking out of her office when she trips on a crack in the floor, severely twisting her knee and causing her to miss several days of work, not to mention a lot of pain. What do you do? Naturally, you would notify everyone in the shop about the crack in the floor, including your supervisor and complete an Air Force Form 457, also known as Hazard Report. These steps would prevent the same thing from happening to someone else. What about the worker who recently moved his stuff into a new office with a different workstation setup and is now experiencing pain in his wrist? He goes for weeks without telling anyone and works in spite of the pain. Finally, when he can't stand it any longer, he lets his supervisor know and requests a day of leave for a doctor's visit. In this case, if the supervisor or the worker doesn't attribute the wrist pain to a change in his working conditions, you can only hope that the doctor will. In the first case, a trip resulting in an injury, there is a clear cause and effect. This is true with most injuries. The second case, there is still a cause and effect, but with an illness caused by repetitive motion, it may take a long period of time before symptoms appear, making it difficult to link the cause to the effect. Identifying and reporting occupational illnesses is as important as reporting occupational injuries. Correct the problem as soon as possible and keep it from happening to someone else. One of the primary missions of the 95th Aerospace Medicine Squadron is to protect Edwards personnel. The 95th AMDS Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight assists shops in identifying hazards and implementing controls to keep workers safe and healthy. The 95th AMDS Public Health Flight determines what type of medical surveillance and support a shop will need depending on the hazards identified. The flight surgeons office evaluates workers from a medical perspective. In the case of a potential occupational illness, once a worker has been examined by a flight surgeon, Public Health will initiate an investigation in accordance with 29 Code of Federal Regulations 1904 that will be reported to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This investigation may require interviews with other workers and a worksite visit by Bioenvironmental Engineering to reassess the hazards and controls. This whole process requires a team effort between you, your supervisor and AMDS. Occupational illnesses are difficult to identify because they usually result from prolonged exposure to the same hazard. They are not immediate and they are often attributed to conditions outside the work area. This is especially true for civilians, when their illness may be diagnosed by a private physician who is not aware of their working conditions. Everyone should be aware of the hazards at their job site and should pay attention during annual job-safety training. Supervisors should make sure new employees take their initial Hazard Communication training seriously. Supplemental training should be accomplished and documented when new hazards arise in the work place. Some of the common occupational illnesses include: -- Skin disorders from contact with chemicals -- Liver and kidney disease from ingestion, inhalation, or contact with chemicals -- Cancer from ingestion, inhalation, or contact with chemicals -- Asthma or other breathing disorders from chemical inhalation -- Hearing loss from occupational noise -- Cumulative trauma from poorly designed work conditions This is not an all inclusive list, but can help you start thinking about connecting any unusual symptoms to your work environment. Be vigilant. If you think you have an occupational illness, see your healthcare provider right away. These services are available to help you and prevent the same situation from happening to your wingman. For more information, call the Flight Surgeon's office at 277-7118.