670 OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE
doi:10.1093/occmed/kqs160
Clinical Practice of Biological Monitoring
Harold E. Hoffman, Robert B. Palmer and Scott Phillips.
Published by OEM Press, Beverly Farms, MA, USA, 1st
edition, 2012. ISBN: 978-1-883595-55-5. Price: US$49.
240 pp.
on the rationale used to set levels of concern for each
substance. The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Biological Tolerance (bat) and EKA (exposure equivalents for carcinogenic substances) values are also referenced, but not the UK Health and Safety Executive
Biological Monitoring Guidance Values.
Overall, this is a useful quick reference resource for the
busy occupational health practitioner faced with a biological monitoring query, but would necessitate searching
more detailed texts to provide all the information needed when setting up a programme for a specific chemical
from scratch. However, UK practitioners are likely to find
all the equivalent information they require more helpfully
presented and in a UK regulatory context in the excellent
Health and Safety Laboratory free publication for its customers, Guidance on Laboratory Techniques in Occupational
Medicine, 11th edition, 2009.
Rating
HHII (Reference only)
Alister Scott
This is the first edition of a concise pocket-size book that
aims to provide practical guidance on the selection and
interpretation of biological monitoring tests for chemical
exposures. The three North American authors represent
the perspectives of both occupational and environmental
medicine and medical toxicology, and it is the practitioners of these specialities to whom the book is primarily
directed.
Two short introductory chapters outline the foundations of biological monitoring, providing a useful summary of the principles of test selection, programme design and potential pitfalls when interpreting results. The
remainder of the text is structured around short summaries of relevant biological monitoring information for
62 organic and inorganic chemicals. This includes both
those where the technique is recommended and those
where it is concluded there is no valid method.
Each summary is well referenced and concludes with
a recommendation on best test (where identified), analyte, matrix, collection timing and ‘level of concern’, defined by the authors as a potential indicator of breach of
workplace controls or an indication for further workplace
investigation. There appears to be some variation in how
level of concern is derived by the various contributing
authors. Most seem to apply the American Conference
of Government Industrial Hygienist Biological Exposure
Index, where one exists, although this is not consistent
(e.g. the blood lead level of concern is set at an unexplained 15 µg/dl for adults). Perhaps this could be tightened up in the second edition by adding some notes
doi:10.1093/occmed/kqs161
Contemporary Occupational Health
Psychology: Global Perspectives on
Research and Practice
Edited by J. Houdmont, S. Leka and R. Sinclair. Published
by John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ,Volume 2, 2012.
ISBN: 978 1 119 97104-7. Price: £55. 255 pp.
There are many branches of psychology. This book by
psychology academics and practitioners provides an
Book Reviews 671
overview of current practice in occupational health
psychology. Published in association with the European
Academy of Occupational Health Psychology and the
Society of Occupational Health Psychology, it provides
an update on current issues such as presenteeism, abusive work supervision, organizational politics and wellbeing and stress and health risk behaviours. A chapter on
ageing and work is also particularly relevant to today’s
occupational health practice.
The authorship is multinational with UK chapters
from organizations such as the Institute of Work, Health
and Organisation at the University of Nottingham and
from the University of Bedfordshire. Contributions also
come from WHO, EU OSHA, Switzerland, Australia,
Canada and US institutions such as Cleminson and
Wright State universities.
Chapter 2 is likely to be of interest to occupational health practitioners. In it, John Myer and co-authors
discuss commitment and well-being. They present
a theoretical framework which can be used to organize and explain findings, and which can also serve as a
guide for future investigation as according to the model,
commitment has a direct link to employee health and
well-being.
Chapter 12 defines presenteeism and produces a useful overview of some of the difficulties in published presenteeism research, including some of the problems faced
by researchers around the concept and measurement of
productivity loss. It finishes with what the author calls
‘modest proposals’, which make a lot of sense—particularly the suggestion that it would be useful to do a series
of daily diaries and record not just presenteeism but also
absenteeism, productivity loss and medical symptomatology, all in real time.
With 32 contributors and 14 chapters, the multiauthorship approach can at times feel disjointed, but
many chapters are fluently written and are of a consistent style. Nevertheless, this is not a light read but a
book to dip into chapter at a time rather than read from
cover to cover.
Rating
★★II (Reference only)
Nerys Williams
doi:10.1093/occmed/kqs163
(Re)Thinking Violence in Health Care
Settings: A Critical Approach
Edited by D. Holmes, T. Rudge and A. Perron. Published by
Ashgate Publishing Ltd, London, 2012. ISBN: 978-1-40943266-1. Price: £65.00 (online price: £58.50). 342 pp.
This book examines violence, in the broadest sense, and
in all its forms, in the field of health care. The editorial
team, comprising professors of nursing from Canada and
Australia, has sought contributions from many leading
academics with a background in health and social science.
The authors’ main objective is to ‘come to terms with
forms of violence that are rarely discussed in the scientific
or popular literature, and to show how violence is also exerted by employers and healthcare providers against both
patients and health care providers themselves’.
The authors draw together the latest research from
Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA to address the
issue of violence in health care settings in creative and
controversial ways. They adopt a broad range of critical
approaches in the fields of anthropology, cultural studies, gender studies, political philosophy and sociology
to examine violence, following three distinct yet interconnected paths: institutional and managerial violence
against health care workers; horizontal violence among