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Publications, Policy and Guidance

Publications

The Faculty produces, and regularly updates, a range of publications on occupational health and medicine. These include publications on hand arm vibration syndrome and back pain, the authoritative Guidance on Ethics for Occupational Physicians, the Faculty's major publication, Fitness for Work and Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the Faculty's adopted journal.

For full information please see the list of Faculty publications below. To order, please see the publications order form via the Library or the previous link.

List of Faculty and associated publications

Publications available on-line may be accessed by clicking on the blue links.

Diagnosis, management and prevention of occupational contact dermatitis 2011

Cover of Diagnosis, management and prevention of occupational contact dermatitis

This concise guidance to good practice is published by the Health and Work Development Unit (previously Occupational Health Clinical Effectiveness Unit). Number 13 in a series of evidence-based guidelines for clinical management, this guideline aims to provide physicians who work in primary and secondary medical care with a standardised approach to managing CD in patients of working age. The document summarises three key sets of recently published or updated guidance and covers both the clinical and the occupational aspects of case management.

Good Occupational Medical Practice 2010
Prepared by a Working Group of the Faculty

Cover of Good Occupational Medical Practice

A specialty-specific interpretation of the General Medical Council’s Good Medical Practice booklet, this document supersedes Good Medical Practice for Occupational Physicians published in 2001. It contains detailed explicit statements about good occupational health practice, set out in words similar to those used by the GMC. It will be of significance to practising Occupational Physicians and may represent a new benchmark in situations of professional accountability in Britain.

Occupational Health Service Standards for Accreditation 2010

For the first time in the UK, there are now standards of performance for occupational health services. The Faculty, in conjunction with the stakeholder partners, is encouraging all occupational health services – in both the NHS and the private sector – to familiarise themselves with the standards, and to work towards complying with them during 2010. These standards have been developed by FOM in partnership with a multidisciplinary, multi-agency stakeholder group. Over the next twelve months, the Faculty will be developing an accreditation system to underpin the standards. The plan is for accreditation to be piloted later in 2010 and operational in early 2011.The standards are available in hard copy free of charge, while stocks last, and electronically.

Upper Limb Disorders: Occupational Aspects of Management 2009

This national guideline has been published by the Occupational Health Clinical Effectiveness Unit, which is run by the Royal College of Physicians (see Publications) in partnership with the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, and commissioned and funded by NHS Plus. The term 'upper limb disorders' covers a large number of musculoskeletal conditions that affect the shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist or hand. This guideline offers evidence-based advice on the management of four upper limb disorders in the workplace: carpal tunnel syndrome, non-specific arm pain, tenosynovitis and lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow).
The guideline is accompanied by summary leaflets for employers, employees and health care professionals.

Dermatitis: Occupational Aspects of Management 2009

Physical and Shift Work in Pregnancy: Occupational Aspects of Management 2009

This national guideline has been published by the Occupational Health Clinical Effectiveness Unit, which is run by the Royal College of Physicians (see Publications) in partnership with the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, and commissioned and funded by NHS Plus. The purpose of these guidelines is to enable consistent evidence-based advice to be given in relation to pregnant women who are exposed to hazards at work. The document is focused on a number of specific hazards, namely lifting/manual handling and heavy physical work, prolonged standing, long working hours and shift work (including night shifts). Recommendations have been made for employers to reduce exposure to lifting, heavy physical work and prolonged standing for pregnant employees. None of the risks were sufficiently strong to justify mandatory exclusion of pregnant women from work for any of the exposures that were considered.
The guideline is accompanied by summary leaflets for employers, employees and health care professionals.

Infected Food Handlers: Occupational Aspects of Management 2008

This national guideline has been published by the Occupational Health Clinical Effectiveness Unit, which is run by the Royal College of Physicians (see Publications) in partnership with the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, and commissioned and funded by NHS Plus. This review summarises the current evidence and is intended to assist occupational health professionals, managers and other interested parties who are responsible for providing advice on the management of infected food handlers and the prevention of transmission of infection. Three key questions were the basis for the systematic review: What have been the organisms responsible for outbreaks of food poisoning by infected food handlers in the past 10 years within the UK? What are the best methods for identifying food handlers who may be infected? and What are the best methods of preventing food handlers who may be infected from spreading disease?
The guideline is accompanied by summary leaflets for employers, employees and health care professionals.

Latex Allergy: Occupational Aspects of Management 2008

This national guideline has been published by the Occupational Health Clinical Effectiveness Unit, which is run by the Royal College of Physicians (see Publications) in partnership with the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, and commissioned and funded by NHS Plus. The systematic review summarises current evidence and is intended to assist occupational health professionals, managers and other interested parties in providing advice on occupational health interventions and to address the problem of latex allergy from both individual and institutional perspectives. The evidence based guideline is concerned particularly with issues relating to gloves, as these represent the main occupational use of latex.
The guideline is accompanied by summary leaflets for employers, employees and health care professionals.

Back pain management audit 2008

This national comparative clinical audit has been published by the Occupational Health Clinical Effectiveness Unit, which is run by the Royal College of Physicians (see Publications). It measures how well occupational health doctors and nurses are managing NHS staff in England with back pain, a frequent and a major cause of sickness absence. Occupational health professionals should follow the FOM Guidelines for the management of low back pain. We therefore used the standards contained in these guidelines to develop auditable criteria against which the care provided by occupational health doctors and nurses could be measured.

Depression and long term sickness audit

This national clinical audit has been published by the Occupational Health Clinical Effectiveness Unit, which is run by the Royal College of Physicians (see Publications) in consultation with the occupational health community. It measures how well occupational health professionals are assessing and managing depression in NHS staff on long-term sickness absence. The aim of the audit is to raise the standard of occupational health care by evaluating performance against evidence-based best practice, working with occupational health practitioners to plan targeted quality improvement interventions and developing the tools to support these interventions.

Fitness for work : The Medical Aspects - 4th Edition - 2007

Edited by Keith Palmer, Robin Cox and Ian Brown

£45.00

cover of fitness for work The fourth edition of this comprehensive seminal publication on occupational medicine provides essential information for doctors who advise patients on their suitability for work whether because the job requires a certain level of physical strength or stamina, or when returning after an operation. Its 29 chapters include the legal aspects of occupational health, ill-health retirement, women at work, older employees, AIDS, psychiatric disorders and a wide range of physical disorders that can impact on work, as well as information on particular areas of employment such as off-shore work and civil aviation. In keeping with previous editions, chapters are organised by medical condition, with most being co-authored by a topic specialist and a specialist occupational physician.

Available only from Oxford University Press.
Publications order form

National Guideline on the Occupational Aspects of the Management of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 2007

With the support of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, NHS Plus has published national evidence-based guidelines on the occupational management of chronic fatigue syndrome Cover of National Guideline on the Occupational Aspects of the Management of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). The guidelines are intended to assist health professionals; managers and other interested parties in providing advice on fitness for work for employees with CFS. This is the first of a series of evidence-based guidelines being developed by NHS Plus and the guideline summarises the scientific evidence on how to support individuals with CFS back into, and to remain in, work. There is advice on preventing long-term sickness absence and advice on recognising individuals who have a poorer prognosis. The guidelines have been dovetailed with NICE guideline on CFS, to be published later this year, which focus on the clinical management of the illness.
The complete scientific review and summary documents aimed at employers, health professionals and employees who may be suffering from CFS are downloadable from the NHS Plus website.

Guidance on Alcohol and Drug Misuse in the Workplace 2006
Prepared by a Working Group of the Faculty

Cover of Guidance on Alcohol and Drug Misuse in the Workplace

£20.00/£12.00 (members),plus p&p for outside the EU only

This Guidance addresses the complex and challenging problems of misuse that can face occupational physicians. It will also be of interest to other occupational health professionals, general practitioners, employers, trade union representatives and human resources and health and safety personnel.
Publications order form

Guidance on Ethics for Occupational Physicians - 6th Edition 2006
Edited by Drs Kit Harling, Chair, and Sue Hunt, Secretary, Faculty Ethics Committee

£25.00/£15.00 (members), plus p&p for outside the EU only

Cover of Guidance on Ethics for Occupational Physicians Recognised as authoritative by regulatory and legal bodies, this Guidance addresses the major ethical questions which face occupational physicians today and will be of interest to other occupational health professionals, general practitioners, lawyers, employers, trades unions and human resources personnel.
In the light of amended Guidance on Confidentiality published by the UK General Medical Council in October 2009, the Faculty has published a revision to articles 3.37 – 3.40 of Guidance on Ethics for Occupational Physicians (2006).
Publications order form

Creating a Healthy Workplace - 2006

A joint web based project with the Faculty of Public Health, Creating a Healthy Workplace provides practical ideas to help employers to improve health and well being in the workplace.

The Health and Work Handbook - 2005

Written jointly with the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Society of Occupational Medicine, The Health and Work Handbook provides guidance to primary care teams and occupational health professionals who care for and advise patients of working age. It is a web based publication with a limited number of hard copies available for purchase at £2.50.
A summary version is also available on line.
Publications order form

Clinical Testing and Management of Individuals exposed to Hand Transmitted Vibration - An Evidence Review – 2004
Prepared by a Working Group of the Faculty
£55.00/£35.00 (members), plus p&p for outside the EU only

Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) covers a range of conditions caused by the use of power driven vibrating hand tools. This evidence-based project was commissioned by the Faculty and funded in partnership with EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, and the British Occupational Health Research Foundation and is an essential guide for all doctors who have contact with this syndrome. It will also be of interest to occupational health nurses, health and safety staff and to members of the legal profession who handle cases of compensation. The review set out to answer questions geared to the practical management of vibration exposed workers and to revisit the existing occupational health guidelines and complements the Faculty’s 1993 guidance (see below) which is still available if required for medico-legal cases.

Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome – A review of the scientific evidence

This leaflet summarises the results of the review of the scientific evidence and is intended for use by line managers and workers in the context of occupational health care, rather than for medico-legal purposes. Available in packets of 10 at £3.00, plus p&p for outside the EU only
Publications order form

Good Medical Practice for Occupational Physicians - 2001

This document has been superseded by Good Occupational Medical Practice 2010. Copies of the 2001 publication are still available, if required. Please contact Publications.

Occupational Health Guidelines for the Management of Low Back Pain: Evidence Review and Recommendations - 2000
Professor Gordon Waddell and Kim Burton
Out of print – free download available (see below)

This evidence-based project was a partnership between the Faculty and the British Occupational Health Research Foundation. It was funded by Blue Circle Industries as their 1999 community project. It provides a comprehensive guide to the ways in which Occupational Health Practitioners can reduce the scale of this major problem.
Available on-line in three sections in pdf form:

http://www.facoccmed.ac.uk/library/docs/backs1.pdf
http://www.facoccmed.ac.uk/library/docs/backs2.pdf
http://www.facoccmed.ac.uk/library/docs/backs3.pdf

These guidelines have been augmented by the COST B13: European guidelines for the management of low back pain, published in March 2006 as a supplement to the European Spine Journal.

Back Pain at Work : A guide for people at work and their employers

This related leaflet is obtainable on request from the Faculty office in packs of 10 by sending an A5 stamped (60p) addressed envelope to the Faculty office.
Publications order form

Quality and Audit in Occupational Health – 1995
£10.00 plus p&p for outside the EU only

There are increasing pressures on Occupational Physicians to demonstrate the value of their activities and to improve their performance through self-appraisal. This publication describes the essential principles and practical requirements for audit in occupational health practice and includes useful illustrative material and guidance on setting performance standards.
Publications order form

Hand-Transmitted Vibration: Clinical Effects and Pathophysiology – 1993

£15.00 plus p&p for outside the EU only

Part 1: Report of a Working Party of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine
Part 2: Background Papers
Publications order form

Faculty Annual Reports

Available on-line in full and summary (2004-2009) formats for the following years:

FOM Annual Report 2010
FOM Annual Report 2009
FOM Annual Report 2009– summary version
FOM Annual Report 2008
FOM Annual Report 2008– summary version
FOM Annual Report 2007
FOM Annual Report 2007– summary version
FOM Annual Report 2006
FOM Annual Report 2006– summary version
FOM Annual Report 2005
FOM Annual Report 2005 – summary version
FOM Annual Report 2004
FOM Annual Report 2004 – summary version
FOM Annual Report 2003

Dissertations

The Faculty website hosts over 200 abstracts from dissertations written by trainee occupational physicians. Subjects range from sharps injuries and sickness absence to upper limb disorder and stress, and include topics such as parachute injuries and workplace violence.

There is restricted access to abstracts of dissertations. They are available to members of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine only, by use of the password.

Copies of the full dissertations are housed at the Faculty offices. Members of the Faculty, members of the Society of Occupational Medicine and other bona fide students and academics may visit to read dissertations by appointment. To arrange this please email Sara Shortt.

Faculty members wishing to view abstracts on the website should go to the Library, select type 'Dissertation abstracts' and click on 'search'. To refine your search, enter single or multiple keywords e.g. stress, HAVS, author, date, and click on search again.