Citation

García AM, González-Galarzo MC, Kauppinen T, Delclos GL, Benavides FG. Am. J. Ind. Med. 2013; 56(10): 1226-1238.

Affiliation

Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain; Center for Research in Occupational Health (CiSAL), University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Spain.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/ajim.22213

PMID

23818037

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In this study we describe a general-population job-exposure matrix (MatEmESp) for Spanish workers covering the period 1996-2005. METHODS: The Finnish job-exposure matrix (FINJEM) provided the default value estimates for occupational exposure to chemical, physical and biological agents. These estimates were adapted to Spanish working conditions by local experts. Spanish surveys were used to obtain exposure estimates for ergonomic and psychosocial risk factors. Employment and socio-demographic conditions for Spanish workers were obtained from the Spanish National Statistics Institute. RESULTS: MatEmESp provides a large amount of national and occupation-specific data on the major occupational exposures in Spain. As some examples, the data show that the most prevalent occupational hazards are repetitive movements and a lack of support from co-workers. In addition, 10% of the Spanish working population perform night shifts, and bricklayers and concrete workers are the job titles with the highest risk of exposure to quartz dust. CONCLUSIONS: MatEmESp can be a useful tool for research and surveillance, and can help set priorities for occupational illness and injury prevention in Spain. Am. J. Ind. Med. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Language: en