Occupational and environmental health
Work-related disease and injury, workers' compensation, and environmental hazards in Australia.
High-yield points
Always take an occupational history: current and past jobs, exposures, protective equipment and similar illness in co-workers.
Workers' compensation schemes are state-based; the treating doctor completes a certificate of capacity focusing on what the worker can do.
Asbestos exposure causes mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer, with latency of decades; Australia banned all asbestos in 2003.
Silicosis from engineered stone benchtops has surged among young workers; Australia banned engineered stone from July 2024.
Q fever and leptospirosis in abattoir, farm and animal workers.
Noise-induced hearing loss: high-frequency (4 kHz) notch on audiometry.
Heat-related illness is a growing risk for outdoor workers; fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workers have higher rates of mental health problems.
India vs Australia
Where the answer the AMC marks correct differs from what’s usually taught in Indian MBBS.
| Aspect | India (MBBS)What you learn in MBBS | Australia (AMC)What the exam marks as correct |
|---|---|---|
| Law and compensation | Factories Act and ESI scheme. | Safe Work Australia and state regulators; state workers' compensation. GPs complete certificates of capacity focused on return to work. |
| Occupational lung disease | Silicosis, byssinosis and coal workers' pneumoconiosis. | Silicosis from engineered stone (banned since July 2024), asbestos diseases, and re-emerged coal workers' pneumoconiosis in Queensland. |
| Fitness to drive and work | Basic medical certificate. | Austroads standards, stricter for commercial drivers than private drivers. |
Law and compensation
India (MBBS)
Factories Act and ESI scheme.
Australia (AMC): what the exam expects
Safe Work Australia and state regulators; state workers' compensation. GPs complete certificates of capacity focused on return to work.
Occupational lung disease
India (MBBS)
Silicosis, byssinosis and coal workers' pneumoconiosis.
Australia (AMC): what the exam expects
Silicosis from engineered stone (banned since July 2024), asbestos diseases, and re-emerged coal workers' pneumoconiosis in Queensland.
Fitness to drive and work
India (MBBS)
Basic medical certificate.
Australia (AMC): what the exam expects
Austroads standards, stricter for commercial drivers than private drivers.
The Australian context
Commercial drivers must meet stricter Austroads medical standards than private drivers. Workplace health and safety is regulated by Safe Work Australia and state regulators. Coal workers' pneumoconiosis re-emerged in Queensland in 2015.