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PubMedDate not supplied

[Accidents in the workplace caused by alcohol intoxication].

Fatal accidents in the workplace can be caused by work conditions, aggravation of a chronic disease or alcohol intoxication. The purpose of this paper was to show the influence of ethyl alcohol on accidents in the workplace with regard to the occupation and age of the examined individuals. A group of victims whose deaths resulted from other external factors (suicide, poisoning by non alcoholic agents, etc.) was separated and not included. Statistical analysis of the autopsies carried out in the Forensic Medicine Department, Silesian University of Medicine, Katowice in the years 1992-2001 showed that accidents in the workplace amounted to 4-6% of the total number of deaths in the space of a year with alcohol (ethanol) being the causative factor in 3-15%.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2005

[Constructing a breastfeeding-friendly workplace: demonstration from hospital].

To breastfeed is a right of women and infants. However, breastfeeding is viewed as a " Private domain" rather than as a "public domain" issue. Many people therefore think that it is unnecessary to use public policy to solve problems associated with breastfeeding. Nurses, due to heavy work loads and responsibilities, and shift rotation, have to face many difficulties when they combine breastfeeding and work. Since the question of whether nurses may successfully breastfeed their offspring in the workplace is one of particular significance, this article considers the importance of breastfeeding in the workplace and nurses experiences thereof, and the international criteria for a friendly breastfeeding workplace for women, in order to discuss ways in which Taiwan's health care institutions should create breastfeeding-friendly environment.

Breast Feeding↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Trends in injuries, illnesses, and policies in Canadian healthcare workplaces.

BACKGROUND: Analysis of workers' compensation data and occupational health and safety trends in healthcare across Canada was conducted to provide insight concerning workplace injuries and prevention measures undertaken in the healthcare sector. METHODS: Timeloss claims data were collected for 1992-2002 from the Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada. Labour Force data from Statistics Canada were used to calculate injury rates. The Occupational Health and Safety Agency for Healthcare in British Columbia coordinated with provincial occupational health and safety agencies in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia to analyze injury data and collate prevention measures in their regions. RESULTS: The national timeloss injury rate declined from 4.3 to 3.7 injuries per 100 person-years since 1998. Musculoskeletal injuries consistently comprised the majority of timeloss claims. Needlestick injuries, infectious diseases and stress-related claims infrequently resulted in timeloss claims although they are known to cause great concern in the workplace. Prevention measures taken in the various provinces related to safer equipment (lifts and electric beds), return-to-work programs, and violence prevention initiatives. Different eligibility criteria as well as adjudication policies confounded the comparison of injury rates across provinces. DISCUSSION: Since 2000, all provinces experienced healthcare restructuring and increased workload in an aging workforce. Despite these increased risks, injury rates have decreased. Attribution for these trends is complex, but there is reason to believe that focus on prevention can further decrease injuries. While occupational health is a provincial jurisdiction, harmonizing data in addition to sharing data on successful prevention measures and best practices may improve workplace conditions and thereby further reduce injury rates for higher risk healthcare sector occupations.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2006

State-specific prevalence of current cigarette smoking among adults and secondhand smoke rules and policies in homes and workplaces--United States, 2005.

Smoking causes premature death and disease in children and adults who do not smoke but are exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS). To assess the state-specific prevalence of current smoking among adults in the United States and the proportions of adults who report having smoke-free home rules and smoke-free policies in their workplace, CDC analyzed data from the 2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicated a threefold difference (from lowest to highest) in self-reported cigarette smoking prevalence in 50 states, the District of Columbia (DC), Puerto Rico (PR), and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) (range: 8.3%-28.7%). Wide variations also were observed in USVI and the 14 states that assessed prevalence of smoke-free home rules (from 63.6% [Kentucky] to 82.9% [Arizona]) and smoke-free workplace policies (from 54.8% [Nevada] to 85.8% [West Virginia]). Evidence-based, comprehensive tobacco prevention and control programs that focus on decreasing smoking initiation, increasing smoking cessation, and establishing smoke-free workplaces, homes, and other venues should be continued and expanded to reduce smoking prevalence, exposure of nonsmokers to SHS, and smoking-related morbidity and mortality.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Occupational health physician and risk assessment in workplaces].

The aim of this report is to analyse and discuss about professional duties of occupational health physicians dealing with risk assessment and health surveillance in workplaces. There are specific regulatory standards today regarding safety and health surveillance and protection of workers in occupational settings; on the other hand no clear recommendation exist, from the regulatory and practical point of view, in defining the specific tasks of a company doctor in risk assessment and management. Generally speaking safety professionals more often required by employers in risk assessment are industrial hygienists or safety and security technicians or engineers. The role of occupational physicians is almost confined to the practice of health surveillance. The paper highlights some specific circumstances in which occupational company doctors must be involved in risk assessment and management, it also describes their unique role in chemical and carcinogen hazard and risk assessment and management. Interactions between occupational health physician, workforce and employers are also underlined, because of their relevance from educational and social point of view, mainly in small and medium enterprises. In these particular workplaces the company doctor is often the unique safety professional directly implied in a good relationship with workforce and may have some opportunity in promoting safe behaviour related to job risks. Methods and occupational settings are described in order to promote and enhance the occupational health physician duties in workplaces, other than the health surveillance alone.

Humans↗
PubMed2006

Development of an evidence-based conceptual framework for workplace assessment.

One solution to the underutilization of workplace accommodations is to use teleconferencing technology to conduct remote assessments, effectively expanding the geographical area that experienced rehabilitation specialists can cover. However, such an effort requires a highly structured and comprehensive assessment protocol. This paper reports on the analysis of 53 existing assessments to develop a conceptual framework for assessment and the use of that framework to evaluate the applicability of 10 work-related assessment protocols for remote tele-assessment. While none of the 10 protocols were found to be sufficiently comprehensive for our purposes, the conceptual framework itself will serve as an important tool to structure a new comprehensive protocol that will be developed. Moreover, the framework can also be used by providers of workplace assessments to evaluate the suitability of any assessment protocol to meet the needs of any particular individual or workplace situation.

Ergonomics↗
PubMed1994

Workplace-related homicide among health care workers in the United States, 1980 through 1990.

OBJECTIVE: To improve understanding of the epidemiology of fatal violence directed toward physicians and other health care workers (HCWs) in health care settings. DESIGN: Analyses of data for 1980 through 1990 from the National Traumatic Occupational Fatalities surveillance system. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Overall occurrence of occupational injury deaths and occurrence of workplace-related homicides among HCWs. RESULTS: From 1980 through 1990, a total of 522 HCWs died from injuries sustained while working. The most common causes of death were motor vehicle crashes (122 [23.4%]), homicide (106 [20.3%]), and suicide (88 [16.9%]). Firearms were used in the greatest number (78 [73.6%]) of workplace-related homicides among HCWs. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the need for strengthened surveillance and more accurate estimates of the risks of workplace-related violent injury for HCWs in the United States.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed1996

Workplace violence: occupational health nurses' beliefs and experiences.

The purpose of this descriptive study was to describe occupational health nurses' beliefs about workplace violence and violence prevention education. The study examined what nurses believe about their intentions and ability to provide violence prevention education, as well as barriers they perceive to providing such programs. A survey was sent to a random sample of 700 members of the AAOHN; 357 surveys were used for data analysis. The study found that many occupational health nurses believe they and their companies are at risk for violence. In addition, many of the occupational health nurses had experienced harassment, threats, or assaults at their workplaces during the previous 12 months. Few occupational health nurses had provided violence prevention programs in their workplaces or intended to provide such programs during the following 12 months. The largest barrier to providing violence prevention education was the employer did not recognize violence prevention education as part of the nurse's job responsibilities.

Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice↗
PubMed1997

Workplace violence. Prevalence, prevention, and first-line interventions.

Workplace violence is increasing, but through education, prevention, and man aging escalating crises, critical care nurses can help to minimize the negative consequences of violence. Critical care nurses are particularly prone to acts of aggression and acts of violence due to the stressful environment for them, their families, and their patients. Developing violence prevention skills and interpersonal communication skills, not always highly valued in a critical care environment, are important steps in deterring workplace violence. Although not all incidents of workplace violence can be prevented, recognizing the individual at risk for violence and intervening on the behalf of all involved is a responsibility of every employee including the critical care nurse.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Workplace domestic violence. Intervention through program and policy development.

1. Workplace domestic violence is a costly and increasing concern to business. 2. Like other workplace hazards, workplace domestic violence has identifiable characteristics. 3. Effective intervention strategies can be developed that involve a multidisciplinary team approach, as well as written policies, procedures, and education. 4. Occupational health nurses can take a leadership role in obtaining management's support to send a strong message to perpetrators that domestic violence is not tolerated.

Domestic Violence↗
PubMed1998

Chemicals in the workplace: incorporating human neurobehavioral testing into the regulatory process.

In February 1996, the United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive sponsored a workshop on the role of human neurobehavioral tests in the regulation of chemical exposures in the workplace. This paper presents the review of neurobehavioral testing that was initially prepared for the workshop but has been expanded and updated for publication. Information sources for the review were drawn from "preamble to the regulation," in the 1989 air contaminants project, an attempt by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to update the 1968 regulatory limits of workplace exposures. The scientific citations listed in the preamble provide a chemical database to review for evidence of neurobehavioral testing to support limit setting. Several conclusions emerged: 1) A wide range of nervous system effects were reported in the scientific citations for the 172 chemicals identified with effects on the nervous system; 2) Citations of studies with human neurobehavioral test results are used to support limit setting, but many are old studies primarily of acute effects; 3) There is frequently a delay of several years after publication before studies with neurobehavioral testing are cited in regulatory forums; 4) With the 1989 proposed regulatory limits never legally adopted, there has not been an update for most of the substances affecting the nervous system since 1971; 5) Investigators should be more aware of the regulatory process and submit studies reporting neurobehavioral test results to organizations that regulate and recommend workplace exposure limits; 6) Issuances in the Federal Register by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provide a framework for assessing neurotoxic risks that can be used by investigators to help identify and report nervous system effects using neurobehavioral testing in a more uniform fashion.

Behavior↗
PubMed2005

Disability management practices in education, hotel/motel, and health care workplaces.

BACKGROUND: The high costs and the impact of work disability have become a growing concern for workplaces. As a result, workplace disability management approaches have been developed to lower disability costs, protect the employability of workers, and promote early return to work. METHODS: A stratified random sample of 455 employers in education (n = 157), hotel/motel (n = 110), and health care (n = 188) sectors who completed a mailed Organizational Policies and Practices (OPP) questionnaire is reported. The OPP questionnaire asked questions about eight workplace disability management practices. The article examined the multi-dimensionality, internal consistency, and discriminant validity of the OPP and compares disability management practices across the three sectors. RESULTS: The OPP questionnaire showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.95) and discriminant validity. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for each of the eight subscales demonstrated that there were statistically significant differences between the sectors in ergonomic practices (F (2,452) = 15.8, P < 0.001), disability case management (F (2,452) = 4.6, P < 0.01), return to work (F (2,452) = 10.3, P < 0.001), and people-oriented culture (F (2,452) = 4.5, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: On examining disability management practices in education, hotel/motel, and health care sectors, the OPP seems to be a promising instrument that can be used to assess and monitor how employers are managing disability.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1992

Workshops are not enough: making Right-to-Know training lead to workplace change.

The underlying intent of Right-to-Know laws and regulations is to improve workplace conditions through worker empowerment. These regulations require employers to educate their employees about the nature and hazards of toxic substances found in the workplace, and methods to reduce exposure. This paper describes a Right-to-Know training program for over 4,000 local government employees which involved workers, their union, and management in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the program. A combination of quantitative and qualitative evaluation determined the program was successful at individual, group, and structural levels. The evaluation results suggest that Right-to-Know training programs can make an important contribution to improving workplace health and safety when they are a well-integrated component of a comprehensive safety and health program: they use participatory training methods, they are tailored to address specific conditions faced by the participants, and there is active labor-management collaboration.

Curriculum↗
PubMed2002

Assessment of feasibility of workplace health promotion.

BACKGROUND: A simple empirically based method for assessment of the feasibility of workplace health promotion programs is described, focusing on cancer hazards (lifestyles, workplace hazards, deficient early detection). The basic components of feasibility are addressed: extent of hazards; needs of employees for hazard reduction and acceptability of WHP; and social context. METHODS: The procedure consists of six modules: guidelines on feasibility assessment; employee questionnaire; interview checklists for probing attitudes of management and partners (social context); data form; debriefing; and assessment of feasibility. Pretesting was completed in 16 workplace communities representing industry, construction, transport, telecommunications, health care, lodging and catering, teaching, and municipality jobs in five countries; a total of 1,085 subjects completed the employee questionnaire on health hazards, needs, and acceptability. RESULTS: The method demonstrated its utility in obtaining and summarizing the necessary data. Feasibility was assessed for the 16 test communities. CONCLUSION: The procedure can be customized; it has a high degree of face validity or understandability, and it is applicable in a wide variety of settings.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1998

The development and use of respirator response functions as part of a workplace exposure monitoring program for control of potential respiratory hazards.

The traditional hierarchy of measures for control of potential respiratory hazards in the workplace includes (in order of preference) engineering controls, workplace practices, and use of respiratory protection. Although third in this hierarchy, respirators can be an important component of the control mix-particularly for difficult-to-control jobs, as an interim measure (pending implementation of other controls), and in cases where exposure is intermittent. One of the problems associated with the use of respirators as a control measure is that valid and adequate data on respirator usage are often not available. Absent these data it is difficult to determine the practical effectiveness of respirators and exposure calculations which include the protective effect of respirators are speculative. This paper presents models (and appropriate statistical fitting techniques) suitable for quantification of respirator usage and defines three potentially useful measures of effectiveness for a respirator program. These models are illustrated with monitoring data on refractory ceramic fiber (RCF) developed as part of a Consent Agreement between the RCF industry and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. For this substance there are extensive and comprehensive monitoring data available. The models and methods of analysis may prove applicable for other potential respiratory hazards in the workplace.

Ceramics↗
PubMed1988

New occupations and the division of labor in workplace alcoholism programs.

New occupations surrounding workplace alcoholism and employee assistance programs have emerged. The impetus for the development of the new occupations was grants from the NIAAA to fund individuals to initiate, develop, and maintain employee alcoholism/assistance programs, followed by large-scale privatization. Two other organizations also figure prominently in the development, the NCA and ALMACA. Thus, the alcoholism roots in workplace programming are undeniable. A certification process of employee assistance professionals is now underway. The content areas for employee assistance certification are agreed upon, representing a core of competency-based knowledge and skills desirable for workplace alcoholism/assistance programming. The certification process can establish the boundaries of employee programming and maintain the ability of employee assistance to provide constructive solutions for alcoholic employees and their families.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1988

Growth and transformation in workplace alcoholism programming.

The origins of contemporary workplace programs to provide constructive assistance to employees with alcohol problems are described. The transformation from industrial alcoholism programming to employee assistance programming is delineated in terms of a seven-component "core technology." The high degree of reported success of these programs is described with general findings from a survey of 480 private-company sites. Increasing rates of self-referral for assistance with alcohol problems are described in terms of factors facilitating such referrals. Basic research knowledge is summarized, together with a projection of new studies considered to be critical for maximizing the effectiveness of alcoholism intervention as it relates to workplace programs. Throughout the chapter the large-scale impact of workplace programming is emphasized, with an urgency for greater attention to be paid to these activities by the alcohol problem research community.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1995

[Sleep disorders in professional man and women and their relationship to the workplace].

In Switzerland as well as in many other industrialized countries, sleep disturbances are among the most prevalent health problems. Reliable knowledge about the social and personal conditions of sleep disturbances and especially about their association with conditions is however limited. Using data from the Bern workplace Health Project ("Härz-AsProjekt", n = 774) a logistic regression model was applied to study the association between an indicator of sleep disturbances composed both of problems falling asleep and problems waking-up during the night and several work-related factors. Sleep disturbances were found to be directly associated with perceived work load, time pressure and physical work demands and inversely associated with social acceptance at workplace, work satisfaction and the ability not to become immersed into work. Under comparable working conditions these associations did not differ for men and women. It was concluded that psychosocial demands and resources of the workplace do affect the quality of sleep.

Adolescent↗