International Review of Surveillance and Control of Workplace Exposures: NOHSAC Technical Report 5
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4. Aproaches to Surveillance of Exposures
The following sections present the findings of the review of the selected work environment surveillance systems. The information is primarily presented in tabular form.
4.1 Surveillance systems reviewed
Twenty-four surveillance systems were reviewed as listed in Table 4. The systems in this list are presented in random order. The review is not exhaustive. The systems reviewed were selected on the basis of the criteria listed in Section 2 Literature and Methodology and coverage of the priority hazards and disease outcomes listed in the request for tender. This coverage is shown in Table 9.
| No. | Country | Name of System | Surveillance Method | Owner of System |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | USA | Duke Health and Safety Surveillance System | Comprehensive surveillance system incorporating job exposure matrix | Duke University Health System |
| 2. | Finland | Registry of Employees Occupationally Exposed to Carcinogens (ASA register) | Register | Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) |
| 3. | Finland | NoiseScan | Exposure database> | |
| 4. | UK | National Exposure Database (NEDB) | Exposure database | Health and Safety Executive (HSE), UK |
| 5. | Germany | MEGA-database | Exposure database | Berufsgenossenschaften (BGS) |
| 6. | Denmark | Danish Surveillance System of Progress in Action Programme for a Clean Working Environment | Comprehensive surveillance system | Danish National Working Environment Authority |
| 7. | Finland | International Information System on Occupational Exposure to Carcinogens (CAREX) | Exposure database | Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) |
| 8. | USA | Hydrocarbon Solvent Exposure Database | Other (developed from published literature) | Exxon Mobil Biomedical Sciences |
| 9. | Finland | Finnish Job Exposure Matrix (FINJEM) | Job exposure matrix | Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) |
| 10. | Denmark | ATABAS | Exposure database | Danish National Institute of Occupational Health (AMI) |
| 11. | USA | National Occupational Exposure Survey (NOES) | Workforce systems (labour force survey and workplace observation) | National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) |
| 12. | UK | Workplace Health and Safety Survey (WHASS) | Workforce systems (labour force survey and workplace observation) | Health and Safety Executive (HSE), UK |
| 13. | Quebec | National Surveillance of Occupational Exposure to HIV | Routine surveillance system | Canadian Needlestick Surveillance Network |
| 14. | Singapore | National Database for Noise and Chemical Exposure | Exposure database | Ministry of Manpower |
| 15. | Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland | Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire | Workforce systems (labour force survey) | Nordic Council of Ministers owns copyright of the questionnaire |
| 16. | Finland | IARC Registry of Industrial Hygiene Measurements in the Pulp and Paper Industry | Exposure database | FIOH in co-operation with University of British Columbia |
| 17. | Finland | Dose Registry of Occupational Radiation Exposure | Register | Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) |
| 18. | Finland | Finnish Product Register | Register | Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) |
| 19. | Finland | Quality of Working Life Survey | Workforce systems (labour force survey) | Statistics Finland |
| 20. | Denmark | Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire | Workforce systems (labour force survey) | Danish National Institute of Occupational Health (AMI) |
| 21. | Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland | Nordic Questionnaire on Working Life and Health | Workforce systems (labour force survey) | Danish National Institute of Occupational Health (AMI) |
| 22. | Sweden | Swedish Work Environment Survey | Workforce systems (labour force survey) | Statistics Sweden |
| 23. | Denmark | Danish Work Environment Cohort Study | Workforce systems (labour force survey and workplace observation) | Danish National Institute of Occupational Health (AMI) |
| 24. | Europe | European Survey of Working Conditions | Workforce systems (labour force survey and workplace observation) | European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions |
The 24 systems reviewed are operated from a range of countries and regions as follows: Denmark (4); Europe (1); Finland (8); Germany (1); Quebec (1); Singapore (1); Sweden (1); UK (2); and USA (3). Two of the systems are operated by a collaboration of Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden.
Table 5 is presented as a matrix showing the reference number of the surveillance systems reviewed against OASCC and NOHSAC priority hazards and disease outcomes as provided by these two organisations for the purposes of this review.
Table 5 OASCC and NOHSAC priorities (shaded) and systems reviewed
| 1 | Duke Health and Safety Surveillance System | 13 | National Surveillance of Occupational Exposure to HIV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | ASA register | 14 | National Database for Noise and Chemical Exposure |
| 3 | NoiseScan | 15 | Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire |
| 4 | National Exposure Database (NEDB) | 16 | IARC Registry of Industrial Hygiene Measurements in the Pulp and Paper Industry |
| 5 | MEGA-database | 17 | Dose Registry of Occupational Radiation Exposure |
| 6 | Danish Surveillance System of Progress in Action Programme for a Clean Working Environment | 18 | Finnish Product Register |
| 7 | CAREX | 19 | Quality of Working Life Survey |
| 8 | Hydrocarbon Solvent Exposure Database | 20 | Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire |
| 9 | Finnish Job Exposure Matrix (FINJEM) | 21 | Nordic Questionnaire on Working Life and Health |
| 10 | ATABAS | 22 | Swedish Work Environment Survey |
| 11 | National Occupational Exposure Survey (NOES) | 23 | Danish Work Environment Cohort Study |
| 12 | Workplace Health and Safety Survey (WHASS) | 24 | European Survey of Working Conditions |
