Rapid review of the literature on medical-occupational requirements for firefighters Working Paper

Occupational health aims to prevent injuries and illnesses caused by work conditions and to promote the well-being of workers. High-risk activities from an occupational point of view may not only have impacts on the health of each of the workers, but may also require compliance with certain medical-occupational conditions in order to be carried out, within this group. of workers carrying out activities are firefighters. For this reason, the objective of this rapid review of the literature will be to synthesize the evidence on requirements to give recommendations to mitigate occupational risk. The method used will be a rapid review of the literature both in indexed databases and in gray literature. The results in relation to the physical state of the aspiring firefighter highlight variables to be considered, such as oxygen consumption and heart rate. In relation to the cardiometabolic risk, it is important to mitigate it because it is the main cause of death in this group of workers. Finally, in relation to mental health, it is necessary to monitor the appearance of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In conclusion, a contrast of the standard occupational medical requirements with the international requirements evidenced in the reviewed literature was made to propose a strategy for health promotion and disease prevention in this group of workers.