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Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Vol. 13, No. 2, May-August, 2009, pp. 106 Book Review Occupational safety and health for development G. K. Kulkarni Editor, IJOEM, Mumbai, India Code Number: oe09022 By Kaj Elgstrand & Nils F Petersson Kaj Elgstrand is active in international collaboration programs at Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. He has been former director of national training programs for specialists of occupational health service & labor inspection (1971-1988), Nordic Institute for advanced training in Occupational Health in Helsinki, Finland (1988-1992), international training programs at Swedish National Institute for Working Life (1993-2006). Along with Nils F Petersson, Elgstrand has brought out their vast experience in this book "OSH for Development" published by Royal Institute of Technology, Industrial Ecology, and Stockholm, Sweden in June 2009. I know Kaj Elgstrand since 1994 when he visited Mumbai, India, to attend the IAOH Conference. Aware of his passion for development of the OH specialty, I accepted his request to review his book. This is an excellent book which comprehensively covers the health impact of human interaction with environment & occupation. In 13 clear and well-constructed chapters, this book progresses the reader through an understanding of basic OSH and safety principles. This book focuses on OSH development in developing economies. The knowledge gained from international training programs empowers occupational health consultants to prevent OSH risks at work places. The book has all the ingredients to develop basic occupational health and safety matrix for all kinds of organizations. I am personally impressed by the way OSH knowledge is integrated in this book, a tribute to authors. The uniqueness of this book is the way it deals with concepts on work physiology, nutrition and gender integration at work place. Globalization of working life, prevention of biological risks, importance of education and training, for some reason, have not been dealt with by other authors. The authors have skillfully dealt with specific occupational exposure and touched upon special & neglected sectors like child labor, migrant workers & musculo-skeletal disorders. They covered an extensive range of topics on fire, electric & radiation safety as well. I am personally impressed by the new and innovative thought process of authors sharing their knowledge on organization and delivery of occupational health services from an enterprise level to global perspective. One can understand that when a large readership is targeted, it is beyond the scope of this book to deal extensively with legislation pertaining to occupational health & areas like construction. I find chapter 11, which discusses the role of social partners, contemporary and useful. The style of scientific writing is at its best- clear, crisp and peppered with interesting examples and supporting material to keep the reader connected with the subject matter. There is generous use of excellent figures, tables, pictures and graphs to back up the text. On the downside, the authors could possibly have solicited some more south East Asia regional representation from SAARC countries. Although broad in its scope, this book achieves an excellent balance of simple explanation and detail. I honestly recommend Occupational Safety and Health for Development By Kaj Elgstrand & Nils F Petersson Published by Royal Institute of Technology, Industrial Ecology, for occupational health consultants, family physicians with special interest in occupational health, and company medical officers. All Medical College & Industry libraries must have this book for ready reference. Copyright 2009 - Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine |
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