Science With Purpose: 50 Years of the Institute of Occupational Medicine

The Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) was founded in 1969 by the then UK National Coal Board to complete its nation-wide epidemiological study of lung disease in coal miners, the Pneumoconiosis Field Research. The results quantified risks in the industry and were influential across the world in setting preventive standards. The research, based on epidemiology, was multidisciplinary from the start, and the IOM's broad scientific expertise was applied across many other industries with an increasing focus on environmental measurement and ergonomics. In 1990, as the coal industry declined, IOM became a self-funding research charity with a strong commercial arm. It has expanded its research, often with European collaborators and funding from governments, and has achieved wide recognition. This has most recently been applied during the pandemic in areas of hospital ventilation, personal protection, and viral exposure research, illustrating IOM's ability to respond to new environmental or occupational challenges.

Automated summary

The Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) was established by the UK National Coal Board in 1969 to conduct a nationwide epidemiological study on lung disease in coal miners. The research findings quantified the risks in the industry and had a global impact in establishing preventive standards. Over time, the IOM's scientific expertise expanded to other industries, with a particular focus on environmental measurement and ergonomics. As the coal industry declined, the IOM transformed into a self-funded research charity and continued its research with European collaborators and government funding. The recent application of their research in areas such as hospital ventilation and viral exposure during the pandemic highlights the IOM's ability to adapt to new environmental and occupational challenges.