What is the primary focus of occupational health?

• A. Global health policy development.
• B. Prevention and control of work-related diseases and injuries; includes hazard assessment and controls.
• C. Environmental risk assessment.
• D. Clinical specialty medicine.

Answer: (B)

Occupational health concentrates on preventing work-related illness and injury by systematically identifying hazards in the workplace, assessing the risks they pose, and implementing controls to reduce exposure. This includes hazard assessment across chemical, physical, biological, and ergonomic domains, selecting appropriate controls (engineering fixes, administrative policies, and personal protective equipment), and monitoring outcomes to protect worker health. It’s about keeping people safe and healthy on the job, not just treating injuries after they occur. Other options focus on broader global policy, environmental risks outside the workplace, or clinical care for individual patients, none of which center on preventing and controlling workplace hazards in the way occupational health does.