How to find the information?
From this website you can query and download all the contents of MatEmESp, a job-exposure matrix for the working population in Spain that allows obtaining information on indicators of exposure to risk factors at work (safety, hygiene, ergonomic and psychosocial), on the conditions of employment and on the sociodemographic characteristics of the workers in each job. From this page you can also access CAREX 3 (through the link in the upper right corner of the main page). CAREX 3 is a database with information on the number of Spanish workers exposed to carcinogens by economic activity. More information on how to query CAREX 3 can be found by accessing the corresponding link. Information on how to query MatEmESp is provided below.
Basically, MatEmESp contains the information organized by jobs (according to codes of the 1994 Spanish National Occupation Classification, CNO94) and by agents (in six categories: sociodemographic factors, employment conditions, safety, ergonomic, psychosocial and hygienic risks). Exposure estimates are found at the crossovers between jobs and agents, which would be the cells of the matrix. To get to that level, we must go through some previous screens, as described below.
Attention: the columns, rows and cells of the MatEmESp database are in Spanish. Any search in MatEmESp must be done in Spanish
In accordance with its basic structure of MatEmEsp, to query data we can choose one of the following options: through the “Jobs” menu or through the “Agents” menu, both in the header of the main page of the application. The query from jobs is more suitable to answer a question such as what are the exposures and / or occupational characteristics of workers in a certain job?. The query from agents is more suitable to answer a question such as what are the jobs with exposure to a certain agent?
It is highly recommended to know well the structure and organization of the information in MatEmESp to carry out efficient and useful searches. MatEmESp includes thousands of data, and a certain familiarity with the system is essential to take advantage of and to understand well all the information available. The inexperienced user may spend more time than necessary, or even fail in the search for the information that interests him or her. A reading of the following explanations and calmly going through the different screens and links of MatEmESp before starting the query will allow to obtain the maximum performance of it.
Starting the query from JOBS
Accessing MatEmESp from the Ocupaciones menu, you can query available information by going through the different levels of aggregation of jobs in the CNO94 (one, two, three and four digits), or through a free text search engine that identifies codes. For example, by entering in the window "Código CNO94" the number "960" the system takes us directly to the job “Peones de la construcción” -unspecialized construction workers- classified with code 960 in CNO94). By entering key terms in the window “Definición o Notas de la ocupación” (definition or notes of the job) the term "construcción" (construction) the system shows us the occupations in whose definition or detailed description that term appears. To locate the code and description of the job you wish to query, it may help to access the complete structure of the CNO94 . From Jobs itis also possible to query information available for jobs classified into four and six categories of social classes (Clases sociales) as proposed by the Working Group of the Spanish Epidemiology Society in 2000 (Atención Primaria, vol. 25, no. 5, pp. 350 -363).
By default, when entering the search by Jobs, a list appears with the jobs in the first level of aggregation of the CNO94 (one digit, 10 categories). We can descend in the level of aggregation (more digits) of the jobs through the links in the CNO94 codes or in the text with the descriptions of the jobs (to find a higher level of disaggregation, more digits). We can also go back to higher levels of aggregation (less digits) through the link that appears above each table with the list of jobs in the corresponding level.
From each table with the list of jobs we have links to the data available in the matrix through the links "Ver" (see) Exposiciones (exposures)and "Ver" Trabajadores (workers).
If we access Ver/Trabajadores, we obtain information on the number of workers in the occupation in question and their percentage with respect to the total number of workers in Spain in the period covered by the matrix (referring to three years: 1996, 2000 and 2005).
If we access Ver/Exposiciones, we obtain a new screen in whose header the code CNO94 is provided (under the header "CNO94") and the textual description (under the header "Definición" / definition) of the job we are querying (for jobs to 4 digits, detailed descriptions of the tasks and other characteristics of the job are also included under the heading "Notas" / notes), the previous group of aggregation in CNO94 (under the heading "Grupo (group) CNO94", which allows us, as we have already indicated first, move backwards in the hierarchical tree of the classification), the social class (under the heading “Clase social” / social class) to which the job is assigned (available only for jobs classified to three or four digits) and the link “Trabajadores (N/%) ”, which provides us with the same information that we found in the Ver/Trabajadores
link described above.
The link "Exportar datos a Excel” (export data to Excel) also appears in this screen. Through it, a database can be exported in Excel format with the data provided by MatEmESp for the job and agents with estimates. The use of the information is free, but in the event that any publication is generated (document, report, article, etc.) that includes any type of information from MatEmESp, the indications in this regard described in the header menu Terms of use must be followed.
Continuing with the Ver/Exposiciones screen, the agents in which the exposure has been evaluated for that job appear below, differentiated under one or two tables (which include a list of agents organized into the six categories that have been considered in MatEmESp: sociodemographic factors, employment conditions, and safety, ergonomic, psychosocial and hygienic risks) identified with one of the following messages:
(AGENTS EVALUATED FOR THE JOB, WITH EXPOSURE: below there is a list of the agents having been evaluated in relation to this job, with the result that THERE IS EXPOSURE TO THE CORRESPONDING AGENT IN THIS JOB)
(AGENTS EVALUATED FOR THE JOB, WITHOUT EXPOSURE: below is a list of the agents having been evaluated in relation to this job, but the result of this evaluation is that THERE IS NO EXPOSURE TO THE CORRESPONDING AGENT IN THIS JOB)
As is derived from both messages, in the event that the agent has been evaluated for the job that we are querying, this agent will appear in one of the two tables. The agents that appear in the table under the first of these headings (AGENTES EVALUADOS PARA LA OCUPACIÓN, CON EXPOSICIÓN) are agents in which, after the evaluation process, it has been estimated that there is exposure for the job and corresponding code. The agents that are listed in the table under the second of these headings (AGENTES EVALUADOS PARA LA OCUPACIÓN, SIN EXPOSICIÓN) are agents that have also been considered in the evaluation process for that job, but the result of this evaluation is that there is no exposure to such agents.
Below the tables with the agents evaluated for the job code that we are querying, additional information is included under the following message:
(Exposure estimates related to this job are also available in the following agent categories and CNO94 codes)
Under this message appear the codes of jobs related to the one we are querying, at a higher and / or lower level of disaggregation, for which there are additional data for the agents mentioned. Since it has not been possible to obtain information in a homogeneous way for all jobs at the different levels of aggregation of CNO94, the objective is that through the links shown under this message the user can complete the information required by searching in the different occupational codes in which this information can be found.
Exposure estimates for the agents queried from "Jobs"
As we have already indicated, the table “AGENTES EVALUADOS PARA LA OCUPACIÓN, CON EXPOSICIÓN” presents the list of agents with exposure estimates for the corresponding job. In this table you can do a free text search in each category of agents (ALWAYS IN SPANISH). For example, the term “golpe” (coup) in the sub-list of “Seguridad (security) agents” identifies all the agents in whose name and / or description that term appears. Along with each agent in the list there is a basic description of the agent and two links: The Datos (data)link, which takes us to a new screen with the values of the exposure estimators for the agent and job we are in; and the link on the agent's name, which would take us to the same source that we would access if we started the search from the Agents menu (which presents the table of jobs evaluated for each agent, see next section).
Through the Datos link we get to the table with the contents of the cells of the matrix (the cells are the crossing points with the information corresponding to a specific agent and a specific job in MatEmESp): the exposure estimates. The header of this table reminds us of the query we are making (the job and the agent that we are crossing in the querying process). Depending on the agent (for example, caidas/falls) and the estimator (for example, incidencia/incidence) that we are querying, we will find here different types of information, including the period to which the estimate refers, exposure subgroups (for example, for some agents and estimators we will find the information disaggregated by age groups or sex), the description of the estimator and the value of the estimate of the exposure corresponding to the agent and the job that we are combining. The Más info (more info) link, in the last column of the Datos table, opens a new window with information about the origin of the data for the agents and exposure estimators available in MatEmESp. The definition of the job, the agent and the estimator that we are querying is included, as well as the criteria and sources used to obtain the data. It also includes, whenever available or applicable, reference values for the estimator (conveniently defined, in Spanish) as well as the minimum and maximum values of the estimator in all the jobs evaluated. In some cases, comments (also in Spanish) from the evaluators who have carried out the corresponding estimates are also included. It is highly recommended to query this information to fully understand the full scope and meaning of the data available in MatEmESp.
Starting the query from AGENTS
The Agents header menu first takes us to a table with the six categories of agents considered in MatEmESp (sociodemographic, employment conditions, safety, ergonomic, psychosocial and hygiene). If from this screen we access any of these categories of agents, a table appears with all the agents included in that category and their corresponding definition (in Spanish). A search window allows us to locate key terms in the list of agents and / or in the texts with the definitions.
Entering each specific agent, we first find the header with information related to the agent: its definition, the category to which it belongs, the criteria followed to estimate the exposure and the sources on which the estimates are based (this information, always in Spanish, is completed with the Más info links that will appear in the Datos table that has been previously described and will be discussed again later).
Similar to what we found when starting the query from Jobs, through the link "Exportar datos a Excel" that appears on this same screen it is possible to export the exposure estimates for the agent in the different jobs evaluated in Excel format. The use of the information is free, but in the event that any publication is generated (document, report, article, etc.) that includes any type of information from MatEmESp, the indications in this regard described in the header menu Terms of use must be followed.
On the same screen for each specific agent, the link Exportar datos a Excelappears, which allows exporting a database in Excel format with the values provided by MatEmESp for the estimators of exposure to the agent in the corresponding jobs evaluated. Before exporting, a file must be completed with the user's identification data and a brief description of the intended use for the downloaded information. In the event that any publication is generated (document, report, article, etc.) that includes any type of information from MatEmESp, the indications in this regard described in the header menu Terms of use must be followed.
Further down this same screen, the jobs for which the exposure to the agent being queried has been evaluated appear, differentiated under one or two tables identified with one of the following messages:
(JOBS EVALUATED FOR THE AGENT, WITH EXPOSURE: below is a list with the jobs that have been evaluated in relation to this agent, with the result that THERE IS EXPOSURE TO THE AGENT IN THE CORRESPONDING JOB)
(JOBS EVALUATED FOR THE AGENT, WITHOUT EXPOSURE: below is a list of the jobs that have been evaluated in relation to this agent, but the result of this evaluation is that THERE IS NO EXPOSURE TO THE AGENT IN THE CORRESPONDING JOB)