JOB EXPOSURE MATRICES IN INDUSTRY

Job exposure matrices (JEM) are designed to link information on occupation with information on exposure to specific workplace hazards. in spite of some [imitations, JEM are particularly useful in large retrospective epidemiological studies. The development of JEM designed for a company or an industrial sector have a more specific field of application than JEM used in population-based studies, and can therefore be based on a more detailed classification of occupations and better exposure information. This article reviews on-going research related to the design of JEM in support of industry-based studies. The review covers design aspects related to the structure of JEM, and specially the four main axes that may produce differences on exposure characteristics: agent (exposure), job, time and place. Attention has also been given to the different sources of information on exposure, the characteristics of the exposure and the validation of exposure estimates.