AIOH Foundation

The burden of occupational disease on current and past workers in Australia is immense. Although not well defined it is thought that deaths from occupational disease are many times higher than those of workplace fatalities (Kerr) with similar ratios applying to serious illness compared to injuries. This blight on our society is largely hidden (Grantham) due to long latency times and small numbers within individual workplaces, but it is real. Part of the rationale for the Foundation’s establishment by the AIOH is that the understanding of these critical principles of occupational hygiene, namely anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control of environmental workplace hazards is not well understood in many industries. Their widespread application will, therefore, result in great advances in the prevention and control of workplace diseases in Australia