Objective To provide a baseline for future policy making and disease prevention by analyzing the 4-year results of occupational health examinations in Pingyang County.
Methods Information on occupational health examinations in Pingyang County during 2008-2011 was retrieved from the National Health Hazard Information Surveillance System and analyzed by statistical methods.
Results Nine hundred and one out of 1 404 enterprises (64.17%) in Pingyang County carried out health examinations during the consecutive 4 years, and 8 923 of 13 464 workers (66.27%) participated in the examinations. Of the participants, the positive rates of suspected occupational diseases, occupational contraindications, and occupational health abnormalities were 0.16% (14 cases), 2.47% (220 cases), and 2.62% (234 cases), respectively. The numbers and percentages of enterprises and workers that carried out and participated in occupational health examinations increased gradually, contrary to the positive rates of suspected occupational diseases, occupational contraindications, and occupational health abnormalities. The enterprises that carried out occupational health examinations distributed in 5 towns with significant economic growth potential, i.e. Xiaojiang, Kunyang, Aojiang, Wanquan, and Shuitou, and were largely composed of small scale enterprises in light industries and metal processing industries. The positive rates of suspected occupational diseases and occupational contraindications in the smallscale enterprises were significantly higher than in the medium-scale ones. The suspected occupational diseases were mainly found in light, construction material, and chemical industries, where the construction material industry accounted for the highest positive rate, especially in the jobs involving material processing, furniture manufacturing, plastic printing, and others with exposure to dust or benzene. Occupational contraindications were mainly reported in light, metal processing, and construction material industries, where the metal processing industry presented the highest positive rate, especially in the jobs involving furniture manufacturing, plastic printing, electroplating, leather making, and others with exposure to dust or chemical poisons.
Conclusion Occupation health inspection should focus on the dust-or benzene-exposed small-scale enterprises in the 5 economically advanced towns in Pingyang County, covering light, metal processing, construction material industries. The findings suggest that categorized management in industrial zones, basic occupational health examinations among workers, and surveillance and risk assessment of key occupational diseases should be implemented.
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