MPH2084 - Critical appraisal of occupational health and safety information

Leader(s): Professor Malcolm Sim

Offered

Alfred Hospital Second semester 2009 (Day)
Alfred Hospital Second semester 2009 (Off-campus)

Synopsis

This unit will give students skills in accessing interpreting relevant occupational and environmental health information. This unit will include a sound understanding of the methods used in the design & analysis of epidemiological studies related to workplace hazards, methods used in systematic reviews and methods used to search the OEH literature and other data sources.

Objectives

Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Undertake a search of relevant occupational and environmental health and safety literature;
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the epidemiological methods used in occupational and environmental health studies;
3. Critically appraise the findings of occupational and environmental health studies and other relevant data sources;
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the methods used in systematic reviews of the literature;
5. Calculate and interpret simple measures of health and safety in workplaces, such as lost time injury rates.

Assessment

The assessment for this subject will involve a major written assignment worth 40%, submission of selected practical written exercises (total of 50%), and on-line discussion (10%). The major assignment will require the students to search, access and appraise the relevant literature on a major occupational or environmental health topic (Objectives 1-4). The practical exercises will test the students' grasp of the epidemiological measures and workplace health and safety measures (Objectives 2,3,5). The on-line discussion will test the grasp of the theoretical aspects of the unit (Objectives 3-5).

Contact hours

18 hours over 3 days