The repository is an online bibliographic database referring to many publications on Basic Occupational Health Services (BOHS) and similar activities in primary or community health care. The authors are Suvarna Moti, Consultant Public Health Specialist and member of the Indian Association of Occupational Health (IAOH), and Frank van Dijk, staff of the Learning and Developing Occupational Health Foundation (LDOH).
The collection offers for each of the 189 included publications, bibliographic data, a short description of the content, and a link to the publication. The publications are scientific articles, reports, key international policy documents, and opinion papers dealing with BOHS and similar initiatives. The repository is a dynamic database that must be updated regularly.
A free-accessible scientific article on the development and content of this repository has been published in March 2023. To scientific article
The motivation to develop this database stems from the knowledge that a large majority of workers in the world, often working in hazardous working conditions causing accidents and serious diseases, do not have access to occupational health services in one of the available forms: in a more elementary, expert-based, or hospital-based form. This regards especially informal workers, workers in agriculture or in small industrial enterprises, and self-employed. Low and middle-income countries are most affected. A disproportionate number of female workers and migrant workers are underserved.
So-called Basic Occupational Health Services (BOHS) are essential work-related healthcare activities integrated into primary or community healthcare. This form of basic occupational health care focused on workers’ health issues such as the prevention of work-related and occupational diseases and injuries, and support of workers disabled by disease or handicap, can contribute significantly to a global solution. A supportive infrastructure must be organized and a well-designed education and training. Nowadays quality online facilities are essential to reach all workers.
Besides innovations in health care, we need a better infrastructure on the labor side. This has to be organized by employers, unions, occupation- or branch-wise organizations, labor inspection, and social security bodies.
The aim of this repository is to support the development and evaluation of BOHS and similar activities in the world, integrated into primary or community health care. We hope that the repository encourages innovations, studies, and intensified international and interdisciplinary collaboration.
In our online bookshop, you can find the complete Repository (75 pages, also including short content descriptions) and the concise overview of the Repository (11 pages): to online bookshop.
