Guidance and Position Statements

Guidance and Position Statements

ACOEM provides recommendations for occupational health professionals on managing various situations which may arise in their practice or state the College’s position on a particular subject. These documents may be based upon the scientific literature or consensus opinion.
Use of Contact Lenses in an Industrial Environment

This guidance statement from ACOEM addresses the use of contact lenses and personal protective equipment by the industrial worker and provides recommendations for contact lens use in an eye-hazardous environment.

05/14/2021 By Kenji Saito, MD, and Jeff K. Hovis, OD, MS, PhD
ACOEM OEM Core Competencies – 2021

This guidance statement was approved by the ACOEM Board of Directors in February 2021. Due to the importance of the material contained in these revised OEM Competencies, this peer-reviewed document is being made available prior its being published in print in JOEM.

03/22/2021 By Natalie P. Hartenbaum, MD; Beth A. Baker, MD; Jeffrey L. Levin, MD; Kenji Saito, MD; Yusef Sayeed, MD; Judith Green-McKenzie, MD; Work Group on OEM Competencies
Safely Returning America to Work Part II: Industry-Specific Guidance

This guidance statement was approved by the ACOEM in January 2021. Due to the importance of the material contained in this peer-reviewed document, it is being made available prior its being published in print in JOEM.

03/04/2021 By Tanisha Taylor, MD; Rupali Das, MD; Kathryn Mueller, MD; Glenn Pransky, MD; Philip Harber, MD; Robert McLellan, MD; Natalie Hartenbaum, MD; Amy Behrman, MD; Deborah Roy, RN; Robert Blink, MD
Workers’ Compensation Elements in Different Jurisdictions in the United States

In this guidance statement, ACOEM lays out a description of various aspects of workers’ compensations systems in the United States, with recommendations for minimal standards and best practices in workers’ compensation.

12/07/2020 By Tanisha K. Taylor, MD, MPH; Kathryn L. Mueller, MD, MPH; Robert C. Blink, MD, MPH; David W. McKinney, MD, MPH; Warren Silverman, MD; Rupali Das, MD, MPH; ACOEM Work Group on Workers’ Compensation
Safely Returning America to Work Part I: General Guidance for Employers

This guidance statement is intended to provide return-to-work guidance for both employers and the OEM physicians who will be supporting businesses to implement safe return-to-work strategies.

09/10/2020 By Tanisha Taylor, MD, MPH; Rupali Das, MD, MPH; Kathryn Mueller, MD, MPH; Glenn Pransky, MD; Jennifer Christian, MD, MPH, Robert Orford, MD, MPH; Robert Blink, MD, MPH; Work Group on Return to Work
Occupational Spirometry and Fit Testing in the COVID-19 Era: Updated Recommendations from the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

ACOEM is providing this updated guidance on how to safely conduct spirometry and fit testing in the COVID-19 era

07/10/2020 By Philip Harber, MD, MPH, FACOEM, ATSF; Michael J. Levine, MD, MPH, FACOEM; and Mary C. Townsend, DrPH
ACOEM Calls for National Mandate Requiring Use of Masks to Contain the Spread of COVID-19

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) calls for the immediate adoption of a national mandate to require the wearing of a mask or other face covering in public. 

07/08/2020
Utilization Review in Workers’ Compensation: Review of Current Status and Recommendations for Future Improvement

This ACOEM guidance paper reviews structural elements of UR programs and proposes a possible template for operational standards.

06/21/2020 By ACOEM Utilization Review Task Force
Spirometry in Occupational Health—2020

This 2020 ACOEM guidance statement incorporates recent spirometry testing changes into its recommendations to provide current information for all users of spirometry test results, from those who perform or supervise testing to those who only interpret or review results.

05/21/2020 By Mary C. Townsend, DrPH