Data Base Management System For Tracking Occupational Health

Abstract

An Occupational Health Information System (OHIS), a data base management system for tracking occupational health, has been developed. A primary feature is its ability to correlate employee workplace environment with health. Hardware implementation of OHIS is on a minicomputer with application programs written in ANSI standard MUMPS language. OHIS integrates personnel, medical and industrial hygiene/toxicology information into one data base. The personnel module is comprised of demographic information collected and updated by the personnel department. The medical module utilizes an interactive video display terminal (VDT)-driven questionnaire and multiphasic testing subsystems which are accessed selectively by authorized users. The backbone of OHIS is a parameter dictionary of all possible data elements. A final medical report includes a medical history summary, physical findings and X-ray interpretation, highlighted and normal test findings, computer interpretations, and a final one-page summary of problem and health-risk information. Information characterizing the workplace environment is captured and reported by the questionnaire subsystem. This questionnaire is designed to define: 1) monitoring conditions, 2) sample analysis, 3) measurement results, and 4) personal protective equipment used. These data provide a means of assigning environmental exposure measurements to appropriate employees.