JUAN IGNACIO GOIRIA. Head of the Prevention Department at Bilbao City Council

Occupational Health Doctor. Workshop on the lifelong training and recertification of healthcare staff in prevention services

1. We should like to begin by kindly asking you to devote a few lines to introducing yourself.

I am a doctor specialising in Occupational Health Medicine, and I am an active member of the Training Alliance for Healthcare Staff in the Prevention Services in representation of Bilbao’s Academy of Medical Sciences through my experience firstly as its president and through my current position as president of Occupational Health Medicine; in cooperation with Osalan –the Basque Institute for Health & Safety at Work- and the Basque Society for Occupational Health Medicine.

2. You are the Head of the Prevention Department at Bilbao City Council, a major local corporation. We would like to know a little bit more about how your department organises its prevention schemes, the human resources available to it, the population it covers…

Bilbao City Council’s prevention model involves a joint prevention department that provides cover for the Local Corporation itself and Council Services; attending to around 3000 people. The department caters for all aspects of prevention: Healthcare Monitoring, Ergonomics and Applied Psychosociology, and Industrial Safety and Hygiene. There are three recognised Basic Healthcare Units (3 Doctors and 3 Occupational Health Nursing Staff), 1 Doctor specialising in Sports Medicine, 1 Doctor specialising in Occupational Health Medicine (management tasks), 4 Prevention Technicians qualified in the three prevention specialisms, 2 Inspectors, and 4 Admin Staff.

3. An organisation such as the Bilbao City Council has numerous departments and services (Local Police, Maintenance, Works, Social Services, Admin, etc.). Preventive actions are required, in both technical and specifically medical terms, to address the risks in each workplace…What are the biggest challenges the Prevention Department faces when undertaking specific schemes?

Although the activities are extremely diverse, the actions tend to focus on those areas involving the greatest risk; these do not necessarily refer to typical risks, as there are an ever-growing number of psychosocial risks that are more difficult to identify and treat. On the other hand, the diversity of the Council’s organisational structure and the range of its undertakings make it difficult to organise our work and implement a prevention plan. In practical terms, it is like providing a service to medium and small companies with more than 500 employees.

4. Ageing is one of the challenges healthcare services and organisations now have to deal with …Is this also the case for Bilbao City Council?

The nature of our workforce’s demographics reflects the social reality in our community, in which between 50 and 60% of the population are aged over 50.

5. The Basque Observatory for Harassment and Discrimination and the Basque Government’s Department of Work and Justice have recently published a book called “El envejecimiento de la población trabajadora. balance crítico de la situación y propuestas de mejora” [The ageing of the working population. A critical appraisal of the situation and improvement proposals]. Bilbao City Council’s Prevention Department has not only been involved in its drafting but also constitutes a real experience of age management in organisations. Could you tell us about the integration model of occupational risk prevention according to age in the Council?

A study has been conducted called “Función para la Edad” [Function for Age] based on statistical data taken from insurance reports (100,000 records) that group them into tasks of varying sizes of health risks. These tasks have been assessed according to the following: requirements involving physical loads, mental loads, postural loads, and neurosensorial loads; identification has also been made of times, days, weeks and other parameters that lead to the drafting of a predictive study (akin to a weather forecast). It has been confirmed that the vast majority of the tasks performed do not involve an age-related health risk. All this allows adjusting the working calendar and distributing staff in a more rational manner, as well as organising the assignment of tasks according to age.

6. Regarding the specialism of Occupational Health Medicine, what does this involve at the present time? What challenges does this discipline face regarding today’s new work scenarios, the ageing of the working population, nanotechnology, new manufacturing models…?

Nowadays, despite the improvements made in terms of diagnostic methods and the identification of work-related pathologies, it is still difficult to gather health data on why staff take sick leave. This is because of a lack of information sharing and coordination with healthcare services, as well as in the identification of risks in the assessment of the actual work an employee does, making it very difficult for us to decide whether someone is fit for the job and adjust it to employees at risk, with a lack of real integration of the prevention of occupational risks with other prevention measures. The specialism’s challenges require the Occupational Health Doctor to play a greater role in the design of workplaces in terms of organisation, ergonomics etc, as well as to address health monitoring in psychosocial risks (psychological assessment) and, moreover, to ensure collective monitoring is truly effective to enable to process macrodata for more accurately identifying the processes behind the appearance of a job-related pathology and introduce the appropriate preventive, organisational and training measures.

7. During the Congress you are holding a workshop on lifelong training and the recertification of the healthcare staff in the Prevention Services. Could you tell us about the activities involved in the workshop?

The workshop is going to address the issues and experiences involved in the lifelong training of healthcare staff in the Prevention Services in several ways: on the one hand, refreshing the mainstream skills and knowledge required for proper medical practice (most common pathologies, diagnostic means, treatment, etc.).

It will also cover the recertification of healthcare staff through a training curriculum and psychophysical capabilities (WTO regulations). Issues involved in the work of collaborating healthcare staff in the Basic Healthcare Units due to the shortage of specialists in Occupational Health Medicine. Their training and supervision.

8. Finally, we would like you to say a few words to invite those professional involved in health and safety at work, organisations, etc. to attend your speech and Osalan’s 4th International Congress on Health & Safety at Work.

My recommendation to attend the workshop is based on the following:

  1. It adopts a practical approach to key issues for the practice of Occupational Health Medicine and Nursing.
  2. A discussion will be held on the formulas for professional recertification, examining the most appropriate tools and procedures for obtaining professional excellence.
  3. A reflection will be made on the shortage of specialists in Occupational Health Medicine and the possible ways of resolving the current situation.