What is Epidemiology?

Background
Epidemiology is the study of occurrences regarding diseases or other health related characteristics
within the human population.
The study includes the frequency of a disease but also why that frequency differs within various
groups of people.
All diseased have a cause. Sometimes this can be man made, which may suggest that if the causes
identified that many diseases may have been prevented.
A report based on epidemiology normally consists of :a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)

Name & Address of individual affected

Date of birth,
Sex
Dates & duration of employment
Date of disease (start or death)
Diagnosis and who made it
Employment history
Health related factors (smoker)

Obtaining this information enables you to determine:a)

b)
c)

Who is ill?
How many are ill
Where and when did they become ill

Obviously you are looking for a trend.

i.e. several welders who have been treated for sore throats leading to cancer could be as a result of
being exposed to welding fumes i.e. where the LEV has not performed adequately.
Or bar workers contracting Weils disease from infected bottles from the cellar where rats have had
access etc.
Dermatitis outbreak due to new uncontrolled chemical or lack of PPE.
Prevention is better than cure and therefore a risk assessment should be applied to the daily work, to
help maintain the health & well being of the workforce.

HS64L5

www.vocationaltraining.org.uk
Epidemiology explanation Issue 2
August 2014

SM

On completion of a study it may be that a link is established between diseases and process as it may
show that the link is possible and needs further investigation.
Problems and Possible Solutions
An epidemiological study is often undertaken because a problem exists already and a solution is
required. Obviously the best solution, is to prevent the problem in the first place. Any chemical or
process should ideally be tested prior to use, but tests based upon, cells, bacteria or animals will not
guarantee that the exposure is harmless to man.
The next best solution to problems is to detect them, as early as is possible or as soon as they
appear to enable good records to be kept. Even if the concern expressed is not about a current
problem these records need to be maintained in case something occurs in the future.
In life we are sometimes confronted with a number of diseases that may well be related to exposures
in the workplace.
If a higher than normal number of people become ill you would want to know if the cause of this
increase is related to the environment people work in. I.e legionnaires disease due to faulty air
conditioning unit.
For the purpose of your NVQ we suggest that you break the stats down into health related issues and
body parts.
There are lots of ways of showing this pictorially in pie charts, bar charts, using a diagram of a body.
etc. See below example.

HS64L5

www.vocationaltraining.org.uk
Epidemiology explanation Issue 2
August 2014

SM

HS64L5

www.vocationaltraining.org.uk
Epidemiology explanation Issue 2
August 2014

SM