Occupational Health and Safety Risks in the Cannabis Sector
The rapid expansion of the medical and recreational cannabis industry has unfolded a plethora of economic and employment opportunities, with more than 430,000 individuals presently employed within the cannabis sector in the United States. However, despite this remarkable growth, our understanding of the potential occupational health hazards associated with cannabis production remains limited. The recent tragic death of a cannabis worker from occupational allergies and asthma has underscored the crucial need to understand the health risks associated with cannabis production; comprehensive health and safety programs need to be developed.
AI and Natural Language Processing in Occupational Medicine: Record Review
Amazing display of the power of AI and Natural Language Processing in healthcare. Team at Lazarus AI shared a demo of their program analyzing and summarizing 30 pages of unformatted healthcare records (including handwritten notes)
World Health Organization Declares End of COVID-19 Emergency: Implications for Workplace Health
As the World Health Organization declares the end of the COVID-19 emergency, it is crucial to understand how this will impact coverage, costs, and access to healthcare services. In this article, we will discuss the implications of the end of emergency declarations on occupational medicine and healthcare, drawing from the Kaiser Family Foundation’s analaysis
ChatGPT vs Physicians: Is AI More Empathetic?
Fun, but limited study out of UCSD comparing responses from “doctors” on social media vs ChatGPT on empathy.
Color Vision Testing in the Workplace: Pre-placement exams for healthcare workers
Color vision screening for select healthcare workers plays an important role in the promotion of patient and community safety. Color vision deficiency (CVD) is highly prevalent in the general population, yet a large proportion of CVD individuals are unaware of their condition. Testing is therefore crucial to
Workers Memorial Day 2023
As we commemorate Workers’ Memorial Day this April 28th, it is important for us to remember those who have lost their lives or suffered injuries and illnesses due to workplace hazards. Today, we honor their memory, raise awareness about workplace safety, and strive for continuous improvement in this crucial area
New Published Research on Laboratory Animal Allergy From Our Allergy Expert Dr. Martin
A national survey of institutional officials of laboratory animal facilities was undertaken to provide a 10-year update on current laboratory animal allergy prevention effects and the impact of COVID-19 on PPE and organizational safety behaviors. The survey found
Color Vision Testing Methods: Use in workplace screening
There are multiple color vision screening methods with varying test performances and capabilities. Important considerations when selecting your workplace screening modality include
Biomedical Innovation: Who pays for the cure?
In 2013, the FDA approved Sovaldi, a groundbreaking cure for the once incurable disease, chronic hepatitis C. Sovaldi’s launch broke blockbuster drug barriers, bringing in $2.27 billion in 2013 Q1 sales alone.
To Age Correct or Not? Best Practices in Hearing Conservation Programs
OSHA allows for age corrections in hearing conservation, but does this cause employers to miss cases of noise induced hearing loss? Companies looking to develop best practices should
