Research at the IOM
Regulations and policy to protect health in the workplace and the wider environment should be based on solid scientific evidence. Cost-effective policy solutions will ensure the competitiveness of industry and commerce while protecting health. However, these solutions can only come from carefully conducted impartial research.
The IOM is a major independent centre of scientific excellence in occupational and environmental health. Our research scientists are dedicated to preventing ill-health caused by workplace or environmental factors. They can help you define the research questions you need to ask and find the solutions that meet the needs of all your stakeholders.
Our research work
IOM carries out research into a wide range of health concerns, including occupational lung disease, cardiovascular effects, cancer, musculoskeletal disorders, hearing loss, skin diseases, heat strain and psychological stress.
We have particular expertise in measuring and assessing exposure to harmful agents, assessing risk and in identifying health effects and their causes. We can help you reduce risks by designing interventions involving physical control systems, changing work procedures or modifying worker behaviour. We also have skills in mathematical modelling and the development of survey and measurement methods.
Our first major research programme, on lung disease amongst coal miners, became an international benchmark for epidemiological studies of occupational health, and was the basis for dust control regulations in mines throughout the world. Since then, our work has broadened to cover most aspects of occupational health.
IOM research investigations can take anything from a few months to several years, and are usually carried out by a multidisciplinary team headed by a named principal investigator. Much of our research is done in collaboration with scientists from our worldwide network of research partners.
IOM expertise
The IOM employs specialists in epidemiology and risk assessment, human exposure assessment and measurement, ergonomics, occupational psychology, statistics and mathematical modelling, occupational medicine, mechanisms of disease causation, survey methodology, questionnaire development, plus information technology and database development.
Our recent research has included:
- investigation of upper limb disorder amongst keyboard users
- development of a new sampler to measure chemicals on the skin
- evaluation of historic exposures for a mortality study of titanium dioxide manufacturing workers
- development of a database tool to record sickness absence
- an investigation into chronic fatigue amongst people exposed to pesticides
- prevention of occupational allergy associated with contact with laboratory animals
- modelling the fate of inhaled mineral fibres in the lung
- a health survey of workers on the volcanic island of Montserrat
- development and testing of stress management tools
- evaluation of risks from low-toxicity dusts
- work on cancer mortality amongst workers in man-made vitreous fibre production
- invention of a sampler that assesses the risk of dermatitis from wet-work
- workplace evaluation of respiratory protective equipment
You can find out more about our research in the research pages on the website. The output from our research is always made publicly available. Download our reports and scientific papers from the Library section of iom-world.org. Also available are Commentaries on IOM Research Reports, written by Prof Anthony Seaton and Dr Colin Soutar. As a past Director of IOM, Prof Anthony Seaton looks back at the origins of the IOM from 1969 to 1990. While Dr Colin Soutar was Chief Executive considers the research output of the IOM from its independence from 1990 to 2005.
