Tips for Talking to Your Doctor About Work-Related Hazards
BY AsphaltPro Staff
How to talk to your doctor about the cough you developed when you weren’t wearing your PPE next to the crusher (or any other work-related illness or injury).
When you’re facing a health issue that may be work-related, it can be challenging to know how to convey important information about your work and its related hazards to your doctor.
That’s why the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) has developed a handful of Physician Alerts to help guide these important conversations. All of the alerts are available for free in English and Spanish, and have been reviewed and approved by certified medical professionals. The topics covered to date include dermatitis, silicosis, pain management, work-related asthma, and working safely while pregnant.
“Each [alert] has information for the worker about best practices, tips and resources, as well as information for the doctor or other medical provider about the hazards the worker might be facing, as well as some screening methods and recommended treatment plans,” said CPWR’s Jessica Bunting.
Let’s take a closer look at each of the alerts.
Bunting recommends also reviewing CPWR’s work-related task list by construction occupation. “These lists outline the potential tasks expected of each occupation or trade in the industry,” she said. “They can pull the tasks that relate to their job and then they can use this along with any of the physicians alerts to help facilitate the conversation with their doctor about what exposures they might encounter.”
Silicosis
This alert was developed to help workers exposed to respirable crystalline silica dust, including information for workers to better protect themselves and information for doctors to better diagnose and treat them.
“The worker section outlines best practices, like using a vacuum system and wet methods to suppress dust, using a respirator and having it fit tested,” Bunting said. “The doctor’s section includes more detail about what silicosis is and how to diagnose it, because this is specifically a work-related illness and unless they’re an occupational health doctor, they may not have experience with it.”
The alert also includes information on mandatory reporting to health authorities and links to additional resources, including silica-safe.org.
Dermatitis
The contact dermatitis alert focuses on possible skin exposures at work and steps each worker should take to prevent dermatitis. The alert also directs readers to useful resources such as choosehandsafety.org, which walks users through selecting the right gloves and hand tools for a job based on anticipated chemical exposures.
“For medical providers, [the alert] goes deeper into the types of materials, chemicals and substances that workers might be exposed to,” Bunting said. “It provides some questions that the doctor can ask the patient that might help them in diagnosing contact dermatitis.”
Work-Related Asthma
“[This alert] was developed to support workers at risk of developing asthma, as well as those workers who already have asthma that might be worsened because of work-related exposures,” Bunting said.
The worker portion of the alert outlines best practices, such as wearing a fit-tested respirator and monitor. The physician’s portion describes the types of materials and chemicals that can lead to work-related asthma, as well as questions to aid in diagnosis. The alert also contains a table of potentially hazardous substances and what tasks might expose workers to those substances.
Pain Management
“[This alert] is probably our most important [alert] because of the sheer number of people impacted by opioid addiction in our industry and how much of that begins with a prescription,” Bunting said.
The alert aims to educate workers about why opioids may not be the best option, nor are they the only option. The provider’s section of the alert explains the nature of the construction industry, as well as how injury, pain, and opioid addiction can affect the worker’s livelihood. “It encourages doctors to think about treating pain in the greater context of the job and the culture of the industry,” Bunting said. Lastly, the alert provides recommended resources, including CPWR’s Opioid Awareness Training.
Pregnancy
The newest physician alert provides a resource for pregnant construction workers and an awareness tool for their healthcare providers to understand the occupational safety and health hazards faced by women and provide care accordingly.
The worker’s portion of the alert includes information about how pregnancy can affect women’s bodies, such as decreasing heat tolerance or necessitating an updated fit for PPE. The alert also includes information about employer responsibilities and an overview on workplace rights for pregnant employees.
The physician’s portion of the alert outlines possible workplace exposures and resulting accommodations, as well as guidance on how to write accommodation letters in the most legally protected ways possible. “It’s really important for physicians caring for pregnant construction workers to be aware of key facts about their work contacts,” said CPWR’s Rosa Greenberg. For example, some chemicals used in construction are endocrine disruptors, which means that they can interfere with normal hormonal function which can then impact a fetus.
“Possible accommodations for pregnant construction workers include things like limiting exposures to specific major hazards like radiation, lead or asbestos; limiting exposure to chemical hazards; and limiting exposure to loud noises that can damage developing fetal ears,” Greenberg said. “Other examples of accommodations could include updated PPE as workers fit needs change throughout pregnancy and ensuring bathroom access, breaks, and more water, especially when working in indoor or outdoor heat.”
A 2021 survey by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research found that two in three respondents reported that lack of pregnancy accommodations were very or somewhat important reasons for leaving (or thinking about leaving) the trades. “This finding underscores how safer and healthier working conditions for pregnant workers are an important part of supporting and retaining women and non-binary workers in the industry,” Greenberg said.
A Few Tips for the Talk
Greenberg recommends starting off with a direct conversation with your healthcare provider. “The goal of these resources is to facilitate that conversation,” she added. “As a patient, you likely have the opportunity to put this information on a form, but with so much information coming at your medical provider at once, it’s likely best to also communicate it verbally and face to face.”
“It’s important when explaining your employment to express concern about exposure to specific work related hazards, and also to make clear that resources are available,” Greenberg said. “Your doctor might both not be familiar with the occupational safety and health risks associated with your job, and they may also be unaware that resources exist to support them.”
CPWR plans to create more physician alerts in the future for subjects such as noise and extreme weather exposure, among other subjects.