This September, DriverCheck attended the 40th Annual OEMAC/CBOM Scientific Conference in Ottawa where we heard from experts on a variety of occupational and environmental medicine-related subjects. Speakers and topics included aerospace considerations in occupational medicine by Dr. Heather Langille, Dr. Greg Banta on the impact of climate change and the effects of heat stress on workers, occupational considerations on the use of pain and sleep medications from Dr. Sebastien Straube and Dr. Alain Sotto, respectively, as well as the role of occupational inquests by Dr. Jennifer Clara Tang.

Of particular interest was Dr. Monique Gignac’s presentation on episodic disability and the Job Demands and Accommodation Planning Tool (JDAPT). Dr. Gignac, Scientific Director and Senior Scientist at the Institute for Work & Health (IWH), defined episodic disability as the changing and unpredictable nature of many health conditions such as Crohn’s disease, arthritis, and depression, which may cause temporary dysfunction when active, but which may also have periods of remission that don’t require workplace accommodation. JDAPT is an award-winning planning tool developed by the IWH in collaboration with experts and individuals living with disabilities to assist workers with episodic disabilities to break down barriers. The tool focuses on job demands to provide individuals and employers with practical guidance for workplace accommodations that is relevant to a wide range of physical, cognitive, and mental health conditions. The JDAPT tool takes users through a series of questions related to the individual’s job demands to formulate a customized list of recommendations to guide workplace accommodation planning. The JDAPT tool is available free and online which can be accessed here: https://aced.iwh.on.ca/jdapt/worker-en/access.

DriverCheck encourages employers to explore JDAPT and how it might complement or enhance their existing accommodation planning process and discussions.

We are excited to take the learnings from this year’s event and implement them in our own practice, and we look forward to seeing what OEMAC/CBOM Scientific Conference has in store for next year. These sessions are valuable opportunities to receive updated information on a range of topical issues as well as to network with other professionals in the field of occupational and environmental medicine. For more information on next year’s conference to be held in Edmonton, please visit https://oemac.org/2024-annual-scientific-conference/.