PubMed · 16225006
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Joe Ziemba. 2005. Clean agent evolution.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16225006/
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OBJECTIVES: Functional capacity evaluations (FCEs) are commonly used to determine return-to-work readiness and guide decision making following work related injury, yet little is known of their validity. The authors examined performance on the Isernhagen Work Systems' FCE as a predictor of timely and sustained recovery in workers' compensation claimants with upper extremity disorders. A secondary objective was to determine whether FCE is more predictive in claimants with specific injuries (that is, fracture) as compared to less specific, pain mediated disorders (that is, myofascial pain). METHODS: The authors performed a longitudinal study of 336 claimants with upper extremity disorders undergoing FCE. FCE indicators were maximum performance during handgrip and lift testing, and the number of tasks where performance was rated below required job demands. Outcomes investigated were days receiving time-loss benefits (a surrogate of return to work or work readiness) in the year following FCE, days until claim closure, and future recurrence defined as whether benefits restarted, the claim reopened, or a new upper extremity claim was filed. Cox and logistic regression were used to determine the prognostic effect of FCE crudely and after controlling for potential confounders. Analysis was performed separately on claimants with specific and pain mediated disorders. RESULTS: Most subjects (95%) experienced time-loss benefit suspension within one year following FCE. The one year recurrence rate was 39%. Higher lifting performance was associated with faster benefit suspension and claim closure, but explained little variation in these outcomes (r2 = 1.2-11%). No FCE indicators were associated with future recurrence after controlling for confounders. Results were similar between specific injury and less specific groups. CONCLUSIONS: Better FCE performance was a weak predictor of faster benefit suspension, and was unrelated to sustained recovery. FCE was no more predictive in claimants with specific pathology and injury than in those with more ambiguous, pain mediated conditions.
There is a paucity of studies focusing on the lifting of rods or long awkward heavy objects. In-the-hole (ITH) drilling is a heavy repetitive mining task, which has been identified as having a relatively high incidence and severity rate of musculoskeletal injuries. The purpose of this study was to examine how the load experienced by ITH drill operators changed when lifting a vertical drilling rod (1.61m, 35kg) using two rod heights and four different foot positions. In addition, a symmetrical lift with a lifting index (LI) of 1.4 also served as a comparison to determine possible risk of low back injury. Eleven experienced ITH drill operators participated in the study. Each subject was required to lift a vertical drilling rod until the upper body was in an erect posture using four different foot positions (0 degrees =subject facing the rod, 45 degrees =subject oblique to the rod, 90 degrees =subject right side to the rod and freestyle). In addition, two rod height conditions were studied where the base of the vertical rod was supported either (1) at ground level (height of rod CG=0.83m) or (2) on a 20cm rack (height of rod CG=1.03m). Finally, each subject lifted a 21.5kg box in the sagittal plane, which corresponded to an LI of 1.4 in the NIOSH lifting equation. Reflective markers were placed on the subjects, and three video cameras and one force plate were used to record the forces and the motion of the subjects' segments. Two surface electrodes were applied on the right and the left erector spinae (ES) at the level of L3. Back loading was defined by the level of the peak moments, the mechanical work and erector spinae muscle activity (EMG). It was found that the vertical height of the rod had the most significant impact on back loading, while the effect of the initial foot positioning relative to the rod was limited by the technique adopted by the drillers. Moreover, it was found that some of the subjects used techniques less strenuous for the back than others. Finally, the asymmetrical lifting component was found to be the most negative aspect of lifting an ITH drill rod compared to a standard symmetrical lift (NIOSH).
Human activities in the Antarctic have resulted in hydrocarbon contamination of these fragile polar soils. Bioremediation is one of the options for remediation of these sites. However, little is known about anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation in polar soils and the influence of bioremediation practices on these processes. Using a field trial at Old Casey Station, Antarctica, we assessed the influence of fertilization on the anaerobic degradation of a 20-year old fuel spill. Fertilization increased hydrocarbon degradation in both anaerobic and aerobic soils when compared to controls, but was of most benefit for anaerobic soils where evaporation was negligible. This increased biodegradation in the anaerobic soils corresponded with a shift in the denitrifier community composition and an increased abundance of denitrifiers and benzoyl-CoA reductase. A microcosm study using toluene and hexadecane confirmed the degradative capacity within these soils under anaerobic conditions. It was observed that fertilized anaerobic soil degraded more of this hydrocarbon spike when incubated anaerobically than when incubated aerobically. We conclude that denitrifiers are actively involved in hydrocarbon degradation in Antarctic soils and that fertilization is an effective means of stimulating their activity. Further, when communities stimulated to degrade hydrocarbons under anaerobic conditions are exposed to oxygen, hydrocarbon degradation is suppressed. The commonly accepted belief that remediation of polar soils requires aeration needs to be reevaluated in light of this new data.