It is six years since the publication of the third edition, and it has been a period of enormous change in the field of occupational health. The importance of trying to reduce the costs of health care has led the Government to look closely at the need for prevention in respect of work-related disease, and to consider how occupa- tional health cover might be extended to more workers, especially those in small and medium-sized enterprises. The Health and Safety Executive, which in the past tended to concentrate mainly on workplace accidents, has been directing its attention more and more towards health issues, in particular to stress
