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The 4th edition of the Encyclopaedia was published more than ten years ago,
and even at the time of its publication some of it was already outdated. The
rate of social, legal, scientific and technological change has probably never
been greater than today; therefore, it is natural that many Encyclopaedia
articles are overdue for revision, and that new articles and even chapters are
needed to cover subject areas not covered (or poorly covered) in previous
editions.
The particular trends in today's world that require significant new or augmented coverage from an OSH point of view are:
- Strengthened emphasis on a systemic approach to OSH management
- OSH management systems
- Training programmes in the workplace
- Newly emergent infectious diseases and resurgent epidemics due to resistant brands of viruses/bacteria
and mass international travel
- SARS
- Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 (Swine flu)
- HIV/AIDS
- The economic crisis
- Cutting corners in safety and health at a time of economic cutbacks
- Stress due to worries about employment
- Heightened interest in terrorism (especially in light of 9/11) and other kinds of violence and crime.
- Emergency preparedness and response
- Stronger awareness of the relationship between workplace wellness and physical and mental health outside
the workplace (at home and in outside activities)
- Incorporation of wellness programmes (including obesity prevention) with workplace medical services
- Lifestyle issues from outside the workplace
- Family issues, including the ever-increasing number of recomposed and single-parent families
- Psychosocial aspects of occupational health programmes
- Increased rates of addiction
- Drug and alcohol issues
- Smoking, including passive smoking
- Advances in basic scientific knowledge (particularly in biology, genetics and material science)
and in the technologies applying them
- Genetic aspects of occupational illness
- Nanotechnology
- Robotics
- Globalization
- Exporting risks to poorer countries
- Multi-jurisdictional aspects of road safety and automobile insurance
- Reproductive Health: The effects of various environmental and occupational exposures on the reproductive
health of men and women
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