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PubMed2000

[Functional aging and compensation of elder workers and ergonomic design].

It was probably inappropriate to use chronological age as the only index for assessing the functional capacities of elder workers. In fact, some functions of elder workers were remained or improved for compensation. The characteristics of functional aging of elder workers were summed up and analyzed. The compensatory mechanisms of accommodation and strategy change, experience and expertise, environmental and social support, and skill learning and retraining were discussed. Finally, the perspective of elder worker ergonomics was depicted in the paper. It is believed that functional age, rather than chronological age, is a scientific index in evaluating the working capacities of elder workers.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Social fate and long-term survival of patients with a recent myocardial infarction, after cardiac rehabilitation.

The aim of this study was to assess the social fate (work resumption) and long-term (four years) survival in 141 patients who completed a cardiac rehabilitation programme after a recent myocardial infarction. Out of the 100 patients who had been working up to recently before the myocardial infarction, 58 resumed their work. Of the predischarge evaluation (clinical data, resting radionuclide ventriculography, bicycle ergometry and 24-h ambulatory ECG monitoring) and bicycle ergometry after the rehabilitation, the only significant predictor of work resumption was a better exercise tolerance at discharge (P less than 0.02). Work was resumed by 68% of white-collar workers and by 52% of blue-collar workers. The four-year cardiac mortality in patients who completed the rehabilitation was 8.5% (N = 12). Four patients died during the first year. Clinical, ventriculographic and ergometric variables collected at hospital discharge, which were related to left ventricular dysfunction, were predictive of survival, while ventricular arrhythmias and markers of myocardial ischaemia were less predictive. The exercise testing performed after the rehabilitation programme was not useful for risk assessment. It is concluded that markers of left-ventricular dysfunction are predictive of a poor outcome; however, due to the low risk of patients who were referred to our rehabilitation unit and completed the rehabilitation programme, it seems reasonable for return to work to be based primarily on clinical information, exercise tolerance, and on psychological and social grounds. An additional extensive cardiological evaluation should be individually tailored for patients with specific symptoms.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

[Fatigue in women conducting work with predominantly dynamic effort. I. Work demands and type of signs of fatigue].

In evaluation of fatigue by the working day and evaluation of chronic fatigue subjective methods have been applied. The fatigue due to the working day was tested twice during a work shift--in the 2nd and 8th working hour. Two professional groups of women were covered by the investigation: knitters (94) and sorters (44). It was a sufficient sample. The fatigue was found to be relatively low--it did not surpass the value of 2 points. Only some symptoms occurred with greater intensity, e.g. tiredness of legs and whole body. This results from the type of work performed by the women. The correlation between the type of fatigue symptoms and type of work is also confirmed by differences in evaluation of knitters and sorters. The evaluation of fatigue in both professional groups did not differ from the results of studies of the fatigue after the working day. Only somatic disturbances were evaluated higher; the differences between sorters and knitters in this group of symptoms possibly being affected by the differences in the workers' age. The obtained results indicate that despite the differences in the type of work, the type and magnitude of fatigue were similar at both workplaces.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Occupational medicine outpatient management of shift workers].

Proceeding from the reasons why the amount of multi-shift work has to be increased further, the tasks of works doctors and research work in the field of industrial medicine are pointed out in this paper. The evaluation of 200,000 medical fitness and follow-up examinations annually and the present results of research work give reasons for revising the examination category "shift workers" in the legal regulations of the medical fitness and follow-up examinations which are being revised as well as orienting and concentrating on certain main fields of research.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical issues: return to work and public safety.

Return to work after cardiac events is an especially delicate question for the clinician. The cardiologic caregiver must evaluate the full clinical picture. including symptoms and morphological and functional status, as well as address complex personal. psychological, social, economic, legal. and ethical issues. The importance of job characteristics is illustrated by the existing, albeit limited, longitudinal data showing that return to high-strain work is a significant independent predictor of mortality in young men post-myocardial infarction.

Burnout, Professional↗
PubMed2004

[Study on work ability and its risk factors in chemical plant workers].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the status of work ability and occupational stress in chemical plant workers and to ascertain the risk factors affecting work ability. METHODS: The method of cluster random sampling was adopted. Work ability and occupational stress were measured using the methods of work ability index (WAI) and occupational stress questionnaire (OSQ) in 1030 workers. The risk factors for work ability decline were evaluated. RESULTS: The variables that influence work ability included disorder of musculoskeletal function (OR = 2.316), current health (OR = 2.070), diseases (OR = 2.144), poor sleeping (OR = 1.573), easy excitement (OR = 1.660), degree of movement (OR = 1.127), physical load (OR = 1.124), problem in working process (OR = 1.126), lack of exercise (OR = 1.408), and education level (OR = 2.247). CONCLUSION: The main risk factors influencing work ability included the physiological, mental factors and the level of education. For reducing the risk factors, relevant measures should be taken to protect the work ability and promote the health of workers.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Guidelines for the medical surveillance of shift workers.

Occupational health physicians should evaluate workers' fitness for shift and night work before their assignment, at regular intervals, and in cases of health problems connected with night work. The evaluation should be accompanied by a careful job analysis to ensure that shift schedules are arranged according to ergonomic criteria. This arrangement can reduce health problems and make coping with irregular workhours possible, even for people suffering from contraindicative illnesses. Both health disorders representing absolute or relative contraindication and actual work conditions should be taken into account. Health checks should be aimed at detecting early signs of intolerance, such as sleeping and digestive trouble, drug consumption, accidents, and reproductive function. Their periodicity should be set in relation to specific work conditions, individual characteristics, and social factors known to influence tolerance to shift work. Shift workers should receive clear information on the possible negative effect of shift work, and also counseling for coping with shift and night work.

Counseling↗
PubMed1988

The proposal of the Italian Committee on Occupational Cardiology.

This paper describes a protocol of assessing specific working fitness of post-myocardial infarction patients proposed by the Italian Committee on Occupational Cardiology. After cardiovascular (cross-sectional echocardiography, Holter monitoring and maximal symptom-limited ergometric test) and psychological evaluation (CBA-2.0), two ambulatory ECGs were used during work to confirm the first judgement of specific work fitness expressed by occupational specialists. The preliminary results obtained in 106 uncomplicated male patients (mean age 49 +/- 8 years) show that: (i) return to work (89.6%) at 117 +/- 51 days after the acute event is mainly related to socio-occupational variables rather than to cardiovascular status; (ii) the results of the ambulatory monitoring usually confirm the first judgment of specific work fitness; (iii) heart rate responses recorded during work are unrelated to the judgment of fitness; and (iv) the repeatability of the results observed during the two ambulatory ECGs at work is good.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Hygienic evaluation of occupational quantization of the activities of finishing shop workers].

Highlighted are the data on the functional state of the cardiovascular, respiratory and muscular systems of schoolchildren and adult workers, the data obtained while using systems quantitation of professional activity. It is shown that compared to workers the schoolchildren perform various operations of production quantum with higher physiologic strain. Established changes in systole frequency of schoolchildren confirm some strain of their functional circulatory system because of insufficient training and higher response of the cardiovascular system to work load. The use of systems quantitation during the working process enables one to identify a number of determinant affecting the process of forming schoolchildren's vocational skills and functional state.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

What are the clinical benefits of correcting the catabolic state in haemodialysis patients?

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) comprising 20 chronic enfeebled haemodialysed patients, the clinical benefit of daily growth hormone treatment for six months was evaluated. Nine patients (five male, four female) were treated with rhGH 4 i.u./m2/day and eleven with placebo (seven male, four female). Their mean age was 46.5 years (range 18-68). No difference in mean age was found between the groups. A significant increase in insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) was observed in the rhGH-treated group (200 to 527ng/ml, p = 0.01), while a decrease was noticed in the placebo group (285 to 219ng/ml, p = 0.02). S-GH did not change significantly in either group, and there were no differences between the two groups in terms of weight, haemoglobin, s-albumin, -urea or -creatinine, which all remained unchanged during the trial. Patients' lean body mass, as measured by DXA-scanning, increased significantly in the rhGH-treated group (43.4 to 46.7kg, p = 0.004), while no change was observed in the placebo group (44.9 to 45.2kg, p = 0.76). The changes in lean body mass between the two groups were significant, p = 0.001. Left ventricular muscle mass increased significantly (227 to 286g, p = 0.03) in the rhGH-treated group, but not in the placebo group (292 to 253g, p = 0.3). The changes in left ventricular muscle mass between the two groups were significant (p = 0.02). The maximal working capacity decreased slightly and insignificantly in both groups, when measured by bicycle ergometry. Isometric muscle contraction force and endurance did not change significantly in either group. Patients' opinion about the influence of the treatment on their general well-being and working capacity, evaluated blindly on a subjective scale, improved significantly in the rhGH-treated group (9.7 to 12.6, p = 0.02), while no change was experienced in the placebo group (9.9 to 10.7, p = 0.2). No difference was however demonstrable between the two groups (p = 0.4). Thus we conclude that adult patients in long-term haemodialysis treated with rhGH experienced an increase in their lean body mass and left ventricular muscle mass. This increase in muscle mass did not, however, improve muscle contraction force or endurance when measured objectively. The rhGH-treated patients nevertheless had a subjective feeling of a slight improvement in their general wellbeing.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1998

A descriptive analysis of "not aeronautically adaptable" dispositions in the U.S. Navy.

BACKGROUND: All aviation personnel in the U.S. Navy are evaluated for aeronautical adaptability (AA) in both initial and periodic examinations and for daily aeromedical disposition. By definition, all aviation personnel with a diagnosed personality disorder or those with maladaptive personality traits that have had a documented effect on safety of flight, crew coordination, or mission completion, are determined to be Not Aeronautically Adapted (NAA). METHODS: NAA dispositions were examined for demographic data, basis for disposition, and frequency of personality features. RESULTS: NAA dispositions were made on the basis of personality disorders and maladaptive personality traits in 29% and 35% of the cases, respectively. The officer and enlisted NAA dispositions were distinctly different in terms of frequency of personality features. Obsessive-compulsive features were present in 58% of officer and 10% of enlisted NAA dispositions. Dependent and avoidant features were present in excess in comparison to psychologically healthy aviators, suggesting the incompatibility of these features with aviation.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1989

Return to work following back surgery: a review.

Nineteen articles published between 1980 and 1986 were reviewed to determine the prognosis for returning to previous employment following back surgery. Seventy-seven percent of the cases reviewed returned to their previous level of employment. Nearly 11% of cases had additional back surgery during the period of follow-up. Data from three articles suggest that 82% of patients are able to return to their previous level of employment following primary back surgery compared to 59% of patients who have had multiple back surgeries. Recommendations for work activity following back surgery should be individualized for each patient. A work-hardening program including assessment of cardiovascular fitness and task performance can be used to progressively increase activity to the highest achievable level. Prevention of back injuries in the workplace will increase employee morale and reduce employee turnover and workers' compensation costs.

Back Pain↗
PubMed1993

After-effects of night work on physical performance capacity and sleep quality in relation to age.

The after-effects of night work on physical performance capacity and sleep quality were studied. Ten younger (age < or = 34 years) and eight older (age > 34 years) experienced shift workers were examined. Subjects performed cycle ergometer tests at an exercise intensity requiring 70% of the individual maximal oxygen uptake. Two conditions were studied: a baseline condition, i.e. the last day of a 4 days-off period, and a recovery condition after a period of seven consecutive night shifts, i.e. the second day-off after the night-shift period (32 h after leaving the night-shift period). Sleep quality of the sleep period preceding the test was also measured for both conditions. During the recovery condition the endurance time (i.e. time to exhaustion) was reduced by an average of 20% (-160s, P < 0.05) for the older shift workers only. In both age groups exercise ventilation, heart rate, oxygen uptake, perceived exertion and sleep quality remained unaffected. These findings support the hypothesis that the aging shift worker is faced with increasing complaints, even after the night-shift period. However, to clarify the mechanisms responsible for these after-effects of night work, further extensive studies must be designed.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

The use of the ventilatory anaerobic threshold for the development of exercise guidelines.

The general interest in the application of exercise testing to evaluate the work capacity or change in the functional ability of individuals has resulted in the development of a variety of noninvasive tests and test parameters such as the anaerobic threshold. This paper presents a computer program written in BASIC that determines the anaerobic threshold from expired respiratory gases collected from an incremental exercise test. Results are summarized in tabular as well as graphical format. The use of the incremental exercise test in conjunction with this computer program will provide another means of efficiently determining the exercise capability of the patient.

Anaerobic Threshold↗
PubMed2006

High-demand jobs: age-related diversity in work ability?

High-demand jobs include 'specific' job demands that are not preventable with state of the art ergonomics knowledge and may overburden the bodily capacities, safety or health of workers. An interesting question is whether the age of the worker is an important factor in explanations of diversity in work ability in the context of high-demand jobs. In this paper, the work ability of ageing workers is addressed according to aspects of diversity in specific job demands and the research methods that are needed to shed light upon the relevant associated questions. From the international literature, a body of evidence was elicited concerning rates of chronological ageing in distinct bodily systems and functions. Intra-age-cohort differences in capacities and work ability, however, require (not yet existing) valid estimates of functional age or biological age indices for the specific populations of workers in high-demand jobs. Many studies have drawn on the highly demanding work of fire-fighters, ambulance workers, police officers, medical specialists, pilots/astronauts and submarine officers. Specific job demands in these jobs can be physical, mental or psychosocial in origin but may cause combined task-level loadings. Therefore, the assessment of single demands probably will not reveal enough relevant information about work ability in high-demand jobs and there will be a call for more integrated measures. Existing studies have used a variety of methodologies to address parts of the issue: task analyses for quantifying physical work demands, observations of psychological and physiological parameters, measures of psychosocial work demands and health complaints. Specific details about the work ability of ageing workers in high-demand jobs are scarce. In general, specific demands are more likely to overtax the capacities of older workers than those of younger workers in high-demand jobs, implying greater repercussions for health, although these effects also vary considerably within age cohorts. Functional tests for job-specific work ability should be developed for high-demand jobs in order to monitor individual functional ageing and to facilitate well-timed intervention. It is concluded that a shift from 'no-diversity thinking' to 'diversity thinking' is needed in the context of deciding about the work ability of ageing workers in high-demand jobs.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Sleep problems in Japanese industrial workers.

In order to investigate the prevalence of a disordered condition due to shift work (DCSW) and the influence of sleep disorders on the performance of working and driving, a preliminary questionnaire was conducted on industrial workers. Among 332 shift workers, 110 (33.1%) were found to suffer from DCSW. Subjects with DCSW were found to be working shorter periods in shift work than were subjects without DCSW. The rate of sleepiness-related troubles while driving and working were highest in the subjects with probable hypersomnia. This finding encourages the need for early diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders among industrial workers.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Task frequency as a function of age for the powerline technician trade.

It is traditionally believed that worker productivity declines with age. The greatest contributor to this stereotype, particularly in physically demanding jobs, is that older workers can no longer maintain their sustained level of work due to the age-associated decline in physical capacity. The objective of this study was to determine the change in the frequency of task performance as a function of age in the power line technician (PLT) trade. The task requirements of the PLT occupation were determined through the use of a detailed job demands analysis (JDA) and the frequency at which these tasks were performed was acquired through a survey derived from the JDA. The results of the survey were assessed as a function of age. Older lineworkers (> or = 50 years) were found to spend more time working on the ground whereas the younger PLTs (< or = 39 years) more frequently performed the climbing tasks and the corresponding work on the poles and towers. In contrast the older PLTs performed all pushing/pulling tasks at a greater or equal frequency to that of the younger lineworkers. Despite these differences the frequency of task performance is similar across the age groups studied.

Adult↗