"This text provides a theoretical and empirical approach to investigating the nature of emerging OSH (Occupational Health and Safety) epidemics across the industrialized world. The author of each chapter in this book deals with exposure to a particular OSH hazard and examines the epidemic nature of the resulting ill-health or injury outcome. The authors also evaluate the contribution of globalization and neoliberal policies in creating workplace environments which foster such new OSH epidemics.
The authors come from a range of countries and bring a variety of disciplinary perspectives when identifying these new OSH epidemics. There chapters span a wide range of OSH issues, including: the inter-relationships between precarious employment and poorer OSH, OSH problems associated with child and adolescent labor, the incidence and severity of occupational violence and bullying, and the disease consequences from exposure to hazards with very long latency (e.g. mesothelioma), the effects of stress, and the role of best practice models for prevention that can be adopted in dealing with the epidemics.
Other specific issues include: the OSH consequences of prolonged standing, the development and maintenance of return to work programs, and a research framework for investigating OHS epidemics. Finally, models are developed for explaining the emergence of epidemics and how various businesses, government and professional sectors handle these. "

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