Abstract

Women represent close to half of the active population in Quebec, but most information about occupational diseases comes from studies done on men. Nevertheless, a study funded by the IRSST revealed differences in exposure to chemical and physical contaminants between men and women in several occupations.

The aim of this activity is to enhance the CANJEM Canadian job exposure matrix’s ability to assess female workers’ occupational exposure by adding specific data drawn from women’s job histories to the matrix. A job exposure matrix provides information on the probability, frequency and intensity of exposure to occupational risk factors, for a given occupation and period.

Improving the CANJEM would make it possible to better monitor workplaces in order to set research and intervention priorities. The ultimate goal would be to support programs targeting the prevention of occupational diseases.