DISEASE EVALUATED ON RETURN-TO-WORK EXAMINATIONS - AVIATION GROUND PERSONNEL COMPARED TO OTHER WORKERS

Aviation ground personnel are subjected to a wide range of chemical an d physical exposures that may lead the occupational physician to see a different spectrum of morbidity in the airport compared to other sett ings. It is essential to determine the most common medical problems in airport ground personnel in order to identity possible work-related c onditions and in order to set the priorities for establishing health p romotion programs and training occupational physicians. We compiled th e diagnoses in 1000 consecutive visits of ground workers to the airpor t clinic for return-to-work examinations, and compared them to 7000 wo rkers seen in general occupational clinics. The frequencies of the var ious categories of disease were similar in both type of clinics, excep t that low back pain was significantly more common in the ground perso nnel [251 (20.6%) vs. 1176 (15.2%), p < 0.003]. Over 80% of the diseas es occurred in 10 diagnostic categories: cancer, fractures, hypertensi on, ischemic heart disease, knee pain, low back pain, neck pain, opera tions for various medical conditions, phonal trauma, and pregnancy. We conclude that, except for low back pain, the spectrum of disease seen in the airport clinic is not significantly different from that seen i n general occupational medicine clinics. Focusing on the interaction o f a limited number of diseases with the work environment will provide the occupational physician with a comprehensive training program, and the emphasis needed for establishing health promotion programs.