Occupational disease website

The Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) and the Canadian Centre...

Occupational disease website

The Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) and the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) have collaborated to create Prevent Occupational Disease, an online repository of current and credible occupational disease resources from Canada and around the world. The website (www.preventoccdisease.ca) is aimed at reducing illness and fatalities associated with occupational sources and is intended to help employers, supervisors, safety and health practitioners and workers alike increase their understanding of occupational diseases and ways they may be prevented.

“Occupational disease is a serious and poorly understood issue in Canada. Incidence numbers are high. Impact is delayed, debilitating and frequently fatal. This website is a critical step in raising awareness of health risks in the workplace and, most importantly, provides evidence-based knowledge that can drive prevention,” said Valerie Wolfe, a regional executive director at OHCOW.

The resources provided on the Prevent Occupational Disease website relate to the science and mechanics of prevention; common hazards and their identification, exposure assessment and control; specific occupations and industries where the risk of developing occupational disease is high; and internationally recognized occupational diseases including cancer, respiratory and skin diseases and musculoskeletal disorders.

The website will be continually updated with new content and welcomes relevant submissions of free, accessible, non-commercial resources.

www.preventoccdisease.ca