Medical Screening Program for Sheet Metal Workers
The Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust (SMOHIT) was formed in 1985 by the Sheet Metal Workers International Association (SMWIA) and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning National Association to study the health hazards of the sheet metal industry. Starting in 1986, SMOHIT contracted with clinical facilities in the United States and Canada to offer a standardized asbestos disease screening program for sheet metal workers who were first employed in the industry at least 20 years earlier. Participating medical facilities and physicians are chosen by Laura Welch , MD, in consultation with the staff of SMOHIT, based on the clinic's experience in conducting similar screening programs in the past. The physicians agree to complete standardized reporting forms, to classify the chest x-rays using the ILO classification, and to follow the American Thoracic Society standards for conducting pulmonary function testing. Work and medical history questionnaires are self-administered and subsequently reviewed by the clinic staff. Results of the examinations are given to the individuals with a standardized notification letter, and also are discussed in a meeting held with all participants after the examinations. As of the end of 2004, more than 20,000 workers and 100 facilities had participated in the program.
SMOHIT/CPWR Research on Occupational Disease Among Sheet Metal Workers
Sheet metal work includes tasks entailing fabrication or installation of metal products. Respiratory hazards identified with sheet metal work include exposure to asbestos, welding fumes, and man-made vitreous fibers, primarily fiberglass. The Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust (SMOHIT) was established in 1987 to determine the extent of asbestos-related disease and other occupational diseases among sheet metal workers, and to provide medical examinations for those sheet metal workers with substantial occupational exposures. Other targeted research studies have also been conducted through the screening program.
Key findings from the SMOHIT-sponsored surveillance program for the United States are:
Thirty two percent of the first 9,000 participants, all of whom had worked at least 20 years in construction sheet metal work, were found to have either pleural or parenchymal abnormalities consistent with pneumoconiosis. The parenchymal changes were primarily in major category 1 of the classification; fewer than 1% of the films were classified as 2/1 or higher, and 2.4% were classified as 1/2.
Sheet metal workers with estimated high exposures to man-made vitreous fibers, primarily fiberglass, have more chronic bronchitis and obstructive lung disease than do sheet metal workers without that exposure.
The task of hanging duct was associated with shoulder pain and shoulder injuries among both active and disabled sheet metal workers. Hand tool use and time spent in a sheet metal shop, which includes hand-intensive work, was associated with symptomatic hand cumulative trauma disorder.
Current investigations in the SMOHIT sponsored surveillance program include:
Deaths among surveillance program participants
Work factors associated with obstructive lung disease in sheet metal workers
Impact of asbestos-related pleural disease on lung function in sheet metal workers
Change in prevalence of asbestos related disease in sheet metal workers 1990-2004
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