Dr Bill Glass

In the 50 years since Dr Bill Glass qualified as an occupational physician, he has developed a reputation for challenging both his medical colleagues and government agencies to take workers seriously and accept that they know better than anyone – doctors included – when it comes to their job and way it affects them.

Bill’s interest in occupational medicine began at Otago Medical School in the late 1950s. He went to England to do a postgraduate qualification in the field before taking a post as deputy medical officer of health in Auckland.

In subsequent years he has worked in private practice, with trade unions and government agencies, at medical schools, and on a wide range of public bodies, including the panel of the Notifiable Occupational Diseases System and the National Asbestos Medical Panel, which he still convenes.

He has also been a key player in medico-legal work, providing expert evidence in support of many people seeking ACC cover for work-related health conditions or gradual process injuries.

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