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PubMed1994

Special report. Drug testing in the workplace: an update.

Workplace drug testing has become widespread in the U.S. and is a major component of the nation's "war on drugs." A recent annual survey by the American Management Association shows that the number of workplace drug-testing programs in surveyed companies grew almost 300% between 1987 and 1993. Nearly 85% of the 630 firms responding to the 1993 survey conduct some form of drug testing. Among activities sparking interest in drug testing are some highly publicized catastrophes in which drugs or alcohol played a major role--for example, the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska which raised concern over threats to public safety. While the popularity of drug testing has increased, programs have been criticized at the same time for being inaccurate, costly, invasive of privacy, and even illegal in certain cases. As alternatives to urinalysis and other tests, companies have introduced impairment tests--also called performance tests and "fitness-for-duty" tests--which are computer-based and measure employees' eye-hand coordination or cognitive skills. Tests also have been introduced to detect drug residues on surfaces. In this report, we'll review some recent studies on drug testing and some of the programs currently being conducted.

Data Collection↗
PubMed1995

Workplace violence.

Whether you work in the acute care, continuing care or outpatient setting, you cannot afford to ignore the effects of workplace violence. The costs are significant when you consider that they affect morale, productivity, service delivery, turnover and ultimately your financial success. Remember, a violent incident doesn't end when the incident is over. People must cope with the consequence of verbal or physical abuse and continual feelings of anger, guilt and fear. We must recognize workplace violence as a major occupational health and safety hazard. Most importantly, a program that reduces or eliminates violence requires an organizational and personal acknowledgment that violence towards employees is unacceptable.

Canada↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prevention of violence in the workplace.

Violence, crime and trauma at work cost employers millions of dollars annually in time lost and disability claims, poor customer service, crisis public relations, increased turnover and difficult lawsuits. The core problem of violence in the health care setting is that it is associated with the main purpose of the organization--providing a service to the public. Clearly the task of preventing violent incidents is integral to the business of managing a medical group practice. While there are no good statistics on the actual incidence of violence in the health care professions, more than ever before, health care providers are responding to the cumulative abuse they experience as "part of their job" with lingering psychological and physical reactions. A sad outcome is frequently witnessed when these same staff erupt in angry or aggressive behavior toward unsuspecting coworkers, supervisors, clients and even their own families. The author offers a systematic approach to assessing the risk of workplace violence, including practical methods for risk control and prevention. Additionally, understanding the potential hazards and associated costs of workplace violence, allows managers to take the appropriate measures to decrease risk to the work force and consequently to the organization.

Employee Incentive Plans↗
PubMed1996

OSHA 3148: Analysis of workplace violence guidelines.

OSHA has developed guidelines that are the agency's recommendations for reducing workplace violence, specifically in the health care and social services work environments. These guidelines are intended to be advisory in nature as well as informational in content to assist employers in establishing a safe workplace by creating effective violence prevention programs. These guidelines should be used and adapted to meet the specific needs and resources of each place of employment.

Documentation↗
PubMed1993

Managing AIDS in the workplace.

Because of the AIDS epidemic and the protections afforded individuals with AIDS under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), employers are well advised to ensure compliance under applicable law to reduce exposure to employee claims of discrimination and to efficiently manage workplace issues associated with AIDS. Employers should implement AIDS policies and programs designed to educate their workforce to reduce the spread of AIDS and to clear up any misunderstandings about the disease which could wreak havoc in the workplace. This article summarizes suggested action steps for employers and outside resources to consult for guidance.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1999

Chemical eye injuries in the workplace. Prevention and management.

1. The majority of ocular burns are related to accidents at work. Acute ocular chemical injuries require emergent recognition and management. 2. Copious irrigation of the eye, done immediately at the scene, is the most important factor in the long term prognosis of ocular chemical burns. 3. After irrigation has been completed and the eyes have been allowed to rest, visual acuity can be tested and referrals can be made to health care facilities and an ophthalmologist. 4. The nurse conducts health hazard assessments of the workplace, provides information about workplace chemicals and their risks, and ensures proper safety protective equipment and emergency supplies. Practicing emergency procedures such as irrigation is important. 5. The nurse monitors and analyzes injury exposure episodes and trends, along with coordinating referrals, treatments, and follow up care for workers with ocular chemical burns.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2000

Violence in the workplace: violence prevention strategies in the operating room.

Violence in the workplace has escalated, becoming a growing occupational hazard for health care workers today. Training and education strategies to de-escalate and prevent the rise in violent assaults in the health care setting are needed. A violence prevention program was developed at William Beaumont Army Medical Center to educate the operating room (OR) staff about prevention and intervention strategies to de-escalate or prevent violent assaults in their workplace.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Genetic information in the workplace. Implications for occupational health surveillance.

Rapid progress in understanding the human genome has made individual genetic information accessible through genetic testing. Different types of genetic testing may be encountered in the workplace. Genetic screening examines individuals for specific inherited characteristics. Genetic monitoring evaluates individuals for acquired modifications to their genetic material. A recent survey provides evidence that some employers are conducting genetic testing of their employees and using the genetic information they obtain to make employment related decisions. Occupational and environmental health nurses must be prepared to meet the challenges presented by the complex issues related to genetic information in the workplace.

Algorithms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Workplace adjustment and intergenerational differences between matures, boomers, and xers.

The authors explored the factors influencing occupational adjustment related to workplace stress among 413 nurses at a Midwestern pediatric hospital. Among critical factors found in responses to their questionnaire and follow-up focus groups were differences in work adjustment and intergenerational conflicts. Both real and perceived workplace stress can manifest itself both fiscal and human costs by increasing turnover, absenteeism and worker's compensation claims as well as "faulty products and negative behaviors." Baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) and Generation Xers (those born between 1965 and 1981) reported quite different issues and perceptions of occupational stress.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2000

Weekly patterns in smoking habits and influence on urinary cotinine and mutagenicity levels: confounding effect of nonsmoking policies in the workplace.

Lifestyle factors such as smoking have been shown to influence urinary mutagenicity. Therefore, these factors have to be considered carefully when evaluating occupational genotoxic exposures. We investigated day-to-day variability in active and passive tobacco smoke exposure by studying urinary cotinine levels and determined their influence on observed urinary mutagenicity. Urinary cotinine was assessed for 105 subjects employed in the rubber manufacturing industry in the Netherlands on Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Urinary mutagenicity was measured by the Salmonella typhimurium strain YG1041 with metabolic activation for the Sunday urine sample and a pooled weekday urine sample. A sharp decrease in urinary cotinine concentration was observed during the week compared to Sunday for smokers (39%; P < 0.01) and nonsmokers (23%). Different smoking habits on Sunday resulted in higher regression coefficients for categorical proxies for smoking habits and urinary mutagenicity levels. However, regression coefficients for urinary cotinine and urinary mutagenicity were similar for the Sunday and weekday urine samples (beta = 0.29 and beta = 0.28, respectively). Consequently, these estimates were used to adjust urinary mutagenicity for tobacco smoke intake. Cotinine-adjusted urinary mutagenicity levels were comparable between smokers and nonsmokers, and a similar increase in urinary mutagenicity of 39% and 34%, respectively, was observed for both smokers and nonsmokers due to occupational genotoxic exposures or other changes in lifestyle factors. These results indicate that the introduction of nonsmoking policies in the workplace has reduced exposure to mainstream and environmental tobacco smoke, resulting in a temporal variation in lifestyle-related mutagenicity. Therefore, adequate adjustment for daily tobacco smoke exposure is a necessity when using the urinary mutagenicity assay to evaluate possible genotoxic exposures in the workplace.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Interpersonal conflict and sarcasm in the workplace.

Violence and aggression in the workplace are problems that most Americans confront on a daily basis. The present study is an exploration of the predisposition to conflict in a work environment in which personality traits responsible for increased sarcasm and increased anger in response to sarcasm are identified. Participants represented two subdepartments within a city general hospital. The Keirsey Temperament Sorter (D. Keirsey, 1998) test for departmental temperament and a sarcasm survey designed by the author were used to test for frequency of sarcasm and anger in relation to differing categories of sarcasm. Angry reactions were gauged in relation to sarcasm directed at job performance, personal life, behavior, and appearance. Conclusions from this study point to many variables as causes for workplace anger; these include influences from organizational culture, work environment, psychological defense mechanisms, leadership decisions, stress, task orientation, and personality differences. Sarcasm trigger points leading to anger may be predicted based on a work group's personality composition. A homogeneous personality composition within a work group may involve factors such as personality characteristics common to a particular profession, organizational demands, and hiring practices.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Smoking policies in manufacturing and assembly workplaces, Wisconsin, 1999.

Although Wisconsin's clean indoor air law prohibits or restricts smoking in certain areas, it specifically exempts manufacturing and assembly workplaces from its provisions. We conducted a mail survey of 1500 randomly selected employers to determine the nature and extent of smoking policies in Wisconsin's blue-collar workforce. Of the 1042 (70%) respondents, 49% prohibit all smoking; 26% allow smoking only in designated areas; 18% allow smoking in all areas except designated non-smoking areas; and 7% allow smoking anywhere. Larger employers were more likely to have smoking policies. Of the 61% of respondents who indicated having a formal smoking policy, the reasons for having the policy were safety (40%), health (38%), or employee request (12%). For those employers without a smoking policy, the main reasons were that few employees smoke (37%), the decision is left to the employee's discretion (32%), or employees may object to having a policy (10%). About half of the employees in manufacturing and assembly workplaces continue to be exposed to environmental tobacco smoke.

Health Policy↗
PubMed2001

Adolescents and the workplace.

Adolescents have always played a major role in the workplace, whether using employment to add to the family's income needs or to provide the adolescent with "extra" spending money. Although employment affords many positive aspects to today's youths (including improved self-esteem and practical, real-world skills), there are many potential risks faced by the working adolescent. Workplaces create physical risks for disability, and adolescents who work long hours do so to the detriment of their social and educational obligations. Physicians should be aware that teens are working in record numbers, they should take careful occupational histories, and they should be aware of the pitfalls common to employment in their area (farm hazards in rural communities versus homicide and personal injury risks in an urban area, for example). Physicians should join with other authority figures in communities to push for the safest working environments possible for their adolescent patients.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Substance abuse in the workplace: epidemiology, effects, and industry response.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) reveals self-reported information on illicit drug and alcohol use among full-time, part-time, and unemployed U.S. workers, including information on workplace policies, workers' health, productivity, absenteeism, job turnover rates, accidents, and injuries. Selected statistics from 1985, 1993, and 1999 NHSDAs are reviewed in this chapter, with focus on the effectiveness and outcomes of a comprehensive Drug-Free Workplace Program, including industry and employee response and the effects of a drug testing program.

Female↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Tobacco in the workplace.

Tobacco use, the leading cause of preventable death, has numerous adverse impacts in the workplace. It is associated with increased healthcare costs and disability, greater absenteeism, decrements in job performance, and increased risk of injury, and secondhand smoke is a major pollution problem. Tobacco dependence responds to treatment, and employers have several opportunities to offer treatment to employees and their families. Smoke-free environments can help smokers cut back or quit. Combining sound workplace policies and treatment with community involvement in tobacco control provides synergies to reduce tobacco use in the community as well as in the workforce. These activities benefit workers and their families, employers, and society at large.

Female↗
PubMed2001

[How to solve the problem of smoking at workplaces].

This paper addresses the problem of the cessation of tobacco smoking at workplaces in major enterprises of Poland. The data were collected in 2000 by means of a questionnaire sent to 755 enterprises employing at least 100 workers. The Polish law on the health protection against harmful effects of tobacco consumption forbids smoking at workplace premises except for those isolated and specially set-up for smoking. Almost 80% of enterprises introduced appropriate bans on smoking. 14% of which are total bans. However, only 40% of companies control whether the regulations are followed by employees and 75% of the firms set up smoking-rooms that could effectively isolate tobacco smoke. Over 60% of enterprises introduced additional procedures to convince their staff to quit smoking. Educational materials stressing the relationship between ill health and smoking are usually distributed. About 17% of enterprises have introduced disciplinary measures. Financial bonuses, psychological or pharmacological therapy are rather rare (around 1%). The main reasons for antismoking measures are: legal regulations and care of employee's health (60% each), and fire protection (50%). Economical aspects have rarely been reported (25%). Together with non-smokers, the enterprise management have been recognized as the most substantial champions of quitting smoking. About 85% of medical staff attribute this role to themselves, but only 15% of managerial workers perceive them as partners in antismoking campaign. In conclusion, there is a great need to encourage medical staff, managers and workers to become more active in implementing programs on health promotion at work with special emphasis put on antismoking campaigns.

Guidelines as Topic↗
PubMed2002

The workplace and alcohol problem prevention.

Workplace programs to prevent and reduce alcohol-related problems among employees have considerable potential. For example, because employees spend a lot of time at work, coworkers and supervisors may have the opportunity to notice a developing alcohol problem. In addition, employers can use their influence to motivate employees to get help for an alcohol problem. Many employers offer employee assistance programs (EAPs) as well as educational programs to reduce employees' alcohol problems. However, several risk factors for alcohol problems exist in the workplace domain. Further research is needed to develop strategies to reduce these risk factors.

Alcohol Drinking↗