[Occupational health services to assist workers' health promotion based on a participatory training program of staff members for public health centers].
Work-related health problems among employees of small-scale enterprises and un-employed workers are still serious in Japan. Occupational health services related to their working conditions and environment are limited and more provison needs to be made. Our participatory training program is aimed at allowing staff members of public health centers to provide occupational health services and assist workers' health promotion. In this program, participants examine occupational risk factors affecting workers' health problems with ergonomic check-lists and discuss potential improvements in the workplace. Participants experience practical visits to small-scale enterprises in their communities and the resultant occupational health services are discussed and evaluated at the final step in this program. The essential feature of successful case was that the public health center had coordinated community resources and occupational health services with ergonomic check-lists accepted by small-scale enterprises. This participatory training program is effective from the viewpoint of evaluating occupational risk factors affecting workers' health problems and proposing improvements in the workplace. In order to optimally provide occupational health services for the employees of small-scale enterprises and un-employed workers, the community resources including health facilities and the parties concerned must be organized and utilized effectively.
Koda
S
S
Department of Public Health, Kochi Medical School.
Ohara
H
H
Suzuki
J
J
Sugihara
Y
Y
Yasuda
N
N
Tagami
T
T
D004493:Education; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D009786:Occupational Health Services; D009787:Occupational Medicine; D016730:Program Development; D011635:Public Health Administration