The SOM Podcast

In this monthly Continuing Professional Development (CPD) episode of the SOM Podcast, host Steve Randall talks with Rebecca Burton, a qualified occupational health advisor with over 11 years of experience and a clinical trainer for Diagtech. The conversation centres around spirometry screening in occupational health settings and explores why traditional diagnostic criteria are increasingly being superseded by modern statistical approaches.

Rebecca details the fundamental shift from using a fixed percentage cut-off (such as 70% or 75% of predicted values) to implementing Z-scores for evaluating lung function. She explains how fixed thresholds fail to account for natural age-related lung decline or physiological variations based on height and sex at birth. This oversight frequently leads to false positives in older workers and dangerous under-diagnosis or false negatives in younger, fitter employees who may be exposed to workplace hazards like respirable crystalline silica or flour dust.

The discussion highlights recent shifts in clinical standards, noting that joint guidelines from the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and European Respiratory Society (ERS) formally replaced percentage-predicted models with Z-scores in 2022, a move endorsed by the Association for Respiratory Technology & Physiology (ARTP) in 2025. Rebecca emphasises that occupational health practitioners must look beyond simple software outputs, evaluate longitudinal changes in lung capacity over time, and always weigh clinical context and worker symptoms alongside spirometry data.

Review the full ATS/ERS Spirometry Standards and ARTP Guidelines to ensure your practice aligns with current global standards. Don't forget to subscribe to the SOM Podcast for monthly clinical insights.

The SOM podcast is sponsored by Orchid Live - specialist occupational health software used by a number of SOM members to run every aspect of their occupational health operations. They hold healthcare records for over 1 million UK workers and work with both in-house OH teams and OH providers. You can find out more at OrchidLive.com.

Our monthly SOM News Update brings you the latest stories and insights from SOM and the wider OH world. Hosted by Steve Randall.

The SOM podcast is sponsored by Orchid Live - specialist occupational health software used by a number of SOM members to run every aspect of their occupational health operations. They hold healthcare records for over 1 million UK workers and work with both in-house OH teams and OH providers. You can find out more at OrchidLive.com.

In this episode of the SOM Podcast, Steve Randall interviews occupational health physiotherapist Katherine Roberts about her benchmark research comparing practice in the UK and Australia., supported by the Society of Occupational Medicine’s Jubilee Travel Fellowship.

She highlights the structural differences in funding models and titling pathways between both countries. Her insights reveal how establishing a modern capability framework could transform workforce development and professional recognition for physiotherapists in the UK.

Key Takeaways
Systemic Differences: Australia’s state-based workers' compensation schemes fund occupational health services directly, creating significantly more inherent opportunities for physiotherapists compared to employer-paid systems in the UK.
Shared Training Challenges: Both Australian and UK occupational health physiotherapists rely heavily on informal experiential learning and peer mentorship rather than structured career pathways.
Credentialing Models: Australia utilizes a formal titling process through the Australian Physiotherapy Association to demonstrate competency, whereas the UK’s ACPOHE system is less robustly structured.
Need for Standardized Frameworks: Both countries lack a modern capability framework aligned with contemporary practice, which is vital for defining scope, improving professional recognition, and guiding career development.
Value of Research Grants: The Jubilee Travel Fellowship served as a critical catalyst for the research, providing initial momentum and credentials that facilitated securing future PhD funding.
In addition to the Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM), which awarded her the Jubilee Travel Fellowship, Katherine also thanked:
The University of Exeter: They supported her benchmark research study and provided the official ethical approval required to conduct it.
Academic Supervisors: She highlighted the direct support of Dr. Leanne Wood and Professor Sarah Dean from the university.
Professional Associations: She engaged closely with both ACPOHE (Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Occupational Health and Ergonomics) in the UK and the APA (Australian Physiotherapy Association) during her research trip to Adelaide.

The SOM podcast is sponsored by Orchid Live - specialist occupational health software used by a number of SOM members to run every aspect of their occupational health operations. They hold healthcare records for over 1 million UK workers and work with both in-house OH teams and OH providers. You can find out more at OrchidLive.com.

In our latest Mini-CPD episode, Steve Randall speaks with audiologist Trevor Chapman about how artificial intelligence and machine learning are transforming workplace hearing health.

Trevor breaks down how validated machine learning algorithms enable faster, highly consistent hearing screenings without replacing human clinicians. The discussion covers practical applications, including proactive Temporary Threshold Shift (TTS) testing, cutting-edge hearing aid tech, and tackling the stigma surrounding hearing loss in the workplace.  

Key TakeawaysSpeed & Accuracy: Machine learning algorithms allow hearing screenings to be conducted faster while maintaining the accuracy of a specialized clinical environment.
Human-in-the-Loop: AI doesn't replace staff; it frees up nurses and technicians to focus on broader patient assessments and questionnaire reviews while human oversight handles red flags (e.g., HSE Category 3/4 alerts).
Proactive TTS Testing: Testing hearing before and after noise exposure (every 4 hours) helps measure Temporary Threshold Shift, assessing whether PPE is effective or if equipment needs noise-reduction modifications.
Destigmatizing Hearing Loss: Normalizing routine workplace hearing screenings helps reduce the stigma around hearing aids and prevents broader health issues like social isolation, depression, and cognitive decline.
Connect with Trevor on LinkedIn. The FastAG website.

The SOM podcast is sponsored by Orchid Live - specialist occupational health software used by a number of SOM members to run every aspect of their occupational health operations. They hold healthcare records for over 1 million UK workers and work with both in-house OH teams and OH providers. You can find out more at OrchidLive.com.

Our monthly SOM News Update brings you the latest stories and insights from SOM and the wider OH world. Hosted by Steve Randall.

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Links mentioned in the podcast:

The SOM Leadership Conference 2026

The BMJ is calling for young people to get mental health and employment support before they receive a formal diagnosis. 

Campaigners are calling on the Health and Safety Executive to recognise work-related suicide as a reportable workplace death. 

SOM EVENTS
GDPR and implementation of diversity issues in a workplace, Monday 7th September 1-2pm - register here
Are Fit Notes for Purpose?, Monday 28th September 12-1pm - register here
JAOHL/SOM joint webinar: "Women's Health at Work", Tuesday 29th September 12-1.30pm  Register here.

The SOM podcast is sponsored by Orchid Live - specialist occupational health software used by a number of SOM members to run every aspect of their occupational health operations. They hold healthcare records for over 1 million UK workers and work with both in-house OH teams and OH providers. You can find out more at OrchidLive.com.