Using a representative sample of workers for constructing the SUMEX French general population based job-exposure matrix

• Published in: Occupational and environmental medicine (London, England) Vol. 61; no. 7; pp. 586 - 593
• Main Authors: Guéguen, A, Goldberg, M, Bonenfant, S, Martin, J C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 01.07.2004; BMJ Publishing Group; BMJ; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Group
• Subjects: Algorithms; Biological and medical sciences; CART; Carts; Chemical agents; Chemical hazards; Chemicals; classification and regression tree; Computer software; Cross-Sectional Studies; Economic sectors; Economics; Employees; Employment; Epidemiology; France - epidemiology; General aspects. Methods; Hazardous Substances - toxicity; Humans; JEM; job-exposure matrix; Medical personnel; Medical sciences; NAF; Nomenclature des Professions et Catégories Socioprofessionnelles; Nomenclature d’Activités Française; Occupational exposure; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Occupational Exposure - analysis; Occupational health; Occupations; Original; PBB; PCB; PCS; Physicians; polybrominated biphenyl; polychlorinated biphenyl; Population Surveillance - methods; Questionnaires; Risk Assessment - methods; segmentation methods; Software; Sulfates - toxicity; Surveillance; Terminology; threshold limit value; Time Factors; TLV; Toxicology; Workers; Workforce; France; Europe; Human; Job exposure matrix; Prevalence; Toxicity; Chemical compound; Physician; Occupational exposure; Prevention; List; Software; Exposure time; Expertise; Occupational medicine
• DOI: 10.1136/oem.2003.010660
• ISSN: 1351-0711

Background: Job-exposure matrices (JEMs) applicable to the general population are usually constructed by using only the expertise of specialists. Aims: To construct a population based JEM for chemical agents from data based on a sample of French workers for surveillance purposes. Methods: The SUMEX job-exposure matrix was constructed from data collected via a cross-sectional survey of a sample of French workers representative of the main economic sectors through the SUMER-94 survey: 1205 occupational physicians questioned 48 156 workers, and inventoried exposure to 102 chemicals. The companies’ economic activities and the workers’ occupations were coded according to the official French nomenclatures. A segmentation method was used to construct job groups that were homogeneous for exposure prevalence to chemical agents. The matrix was constructed in two stages: consolidation of occupations according to exposure prevalence; and establishment of exposure indices based on individual data from all the subjects in the sample. Results: An agent specific matrix could be constructed for 80 of the chemicals. The quality of the classification obtained for each was variable: globally, the performance of the method was better for less specific and therefore more easy to assess agents, and for exposures specific to certain occupations. Conclusions: Software has been developed to enable the SUMEX matrix to be used by occupational physicians and other prevention professionals responsible for surveillance of the health of the workforce in France.