Gender differences in occupational exposure patterns

Objectives: The authors conducted a population-based\ud survey to examine gender differences in occupational\ud exposure patterns and to investigate whether any\ud observed differences are due to: (a) gender differences\ud in occupational distribution; and/or (b) gender differences\ud in tasks within occupations.\ud Methods: Men and women aged 20e64 years were\ud randomly selected from the Electoral Roll and invited to\ud take part in a telephone interview, which collected\ud information on self-reported occupational exposure to\ud specific dusts and chemicals, physical exposures and\ud organisational factors. The authors used logistic regression\ud to calculate prevalence ORs and 95% CIs comparing the\ud exposure prevalence of males (n¼1431) and females\ud (n¼1572), adjusting for age. To investigate whether men\ud and women in the same occupation were equally exposed,\ud the authors also matched males to females on current\ud occupation using the five-digit code (n¼1208) and\ud conducted conditional logistic regression adjusting for age.\ud Results: Overall, male workers were two to four times\ud more likely to report exposure to dust and chemical\ud substances, loud noise, irregular hours, night shifts and\ud vibrating tools. Women were 30% more likely to report\ud repetitive tasks and working at high speed, and more\ud likely to report exposure to disinfectants, hair dyes and\ud textile dust. When men were compared with women\ud with the same occupation, gender differences were\ud attenuated. However, males remained significantly more\ud likely to report exposure to welding fumes, herbicides,\ud wood dust, solvents, tools that vibrate, irregular hours\ud and night-shift work. Women remained more likely to\ud report repetitive tasks and working at high speed, and in\ud addition were more likely to report awkward or tiring\ud positions compared with men with the same occupation.\ud Conclusion: This population-based study showed\ud substantial differences in occupational exposure patterns\ud between men and women, even within the same\ud occupation. Thus, the influence of gender should not be\ud overlooked in occupational health research.