Gómez M R
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC 20460, USA.
Am Ind Hyg Assoc J. 1997 Mar;58(3):186-95. doi: 10.1080/15428119791012838.
This study investigated the possibility of making compliance data from the public and private sectors more amenable for multiple uses, by studying data from Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspections during 1979-1989. The potential association of five variables with mean and upper-end (in upper quartile) airborne exposures in similar exposure groups was investigated. The exposure groups reflected airborne exposures to lead in the battery manufacturing industry, to perchloroethylene among dry cleaners, and to iron oxide among welders in three metal fabrication industries. Variables examined were year, inspection type and scope, and size and union status of inspected establishments. Multiple linear regression and logistic regression models were used for the analyses. In small battery plants mean exposure levels were higher and the relative frequency of upper-end exposures (> 75th percentile) greater than in larger establishments. Evidence suggested a decline in mean lead exposures (5-9% per year). Neither type of inspection nor union status were associated with mean or upper-end levels of lead exposure, although the study's power to detect an association was sometimes modest. Some evidence showed that full scope inspections may be associated with higher mean exposures. Strong evidence showed a decline in mean perchloroethylene exposures among dry cleaners (7% per year), but no temporal trends for welder exposures to iron oxide. With few exceptions, the size, type, scope, and union variables were rarely associated with mean or upper-end exposure levels among dry cleaners or welders, although the power of the analyses to detect associations was at times modest. Results show that OSHA data is amenable to analysis that can provide valuable insights about workplace exposures. Several findings of the study are directly useful to the design of public policy.
本研究通过研究1979 - 1989年职业安全与健康管理局（OSHA）检查的数据，调查了使公共部门和私营部门的合规数据更便于多种用途使用的可能性。研究了五个变量与类似暴露组中空气传播暴露的均值和高端值（上四分位数）之间的潜在关联。暴露组反映了电池制造业中铅的空气传播暴露、干洗店中全氯乙烯的暴露以及三个金属制造行业中焊工氧化铁的暴露。所检查的变量包括年份、检查类型和范围以及被检查企业的规模和工会状况。分析采用了多元线性回归和逻辑回归模型。在小型电池厂中，平均暴露水平较高，高端暴露（>第75百分位数）的相对频率高于大型企业。有证据表明平均铅暴露量呈下降趋势（每年5 - 9%）。检查类型和工会状况均与铅暴露的均值或高端水平无关，尽管该研究检测关联的能力有时有限。一些证据表明全面检查可能与较高的平均暴露量有关。有力证据表明干洗店中全氯乙烯的平均暴露量呈下降趋势（每年7%），但焊工氧化铁暴露量没有时间趋势。除少数例外，干洗店或焊工的规模、类型、范围和工会变量很少与平均或高端暴露水平相关，尽管分析检测关联的能力有时有限。结果表明，OSHA数据适合进行分析，能够提供有关工作场所暴露的有价值见解。该研究的几个发现对公共政策设计有直接帮助。
