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PubMed1995

An empirical examination of shift strategies in the service industry: how hospitals adapt to industry change.

Research on the ability of firms to select different strategies in an effort to shift their strategic position has focused almost entirely on the mature manufacturing industries. In this paper, we propose that the relationship of strategy selection in manufacturing extends to the service industry, and test this proposition in one very visible faction of the service industry, health care. The results of this study show that health care organizations use both operational and strategic shift strategies to adjust to new environmental conditions.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2003

[Comments on studies of industrial and non-industrial environments in Brazil: a comparative approach].

Air quality in industrial environments has been studied since the second half of the 20th century. Well-documented results show that exposure to chemical pollutants through their consumption, production, and storage can damage workers' health. New research focusing on non-industrial environments has shown unexpected correlations between air quality and health effects. Artificial ventilation systems have been related to health-related complaints and a high rate of absenteeism. Symptoms related to air quality in non-industrial environments are recognized by the World Health Organization and encompassed under the so-called sick building syndrome (SBS). In Brazil there are few studies comparing indoor air quality and health. The present study is intended to map the studies already conducted in Brazil in order to encourage further research in this area, due to its importance for public health.

Air Conditioning↗
PubMed1991

Defining the problem and finding the cure--the state of the diagnostics industry in Europe. A statement issued by the Verband der Diagnostica Industrie, e.V.

This article charts the development of the diagnostics industry with special reference to the situation in Germany, and describes its vital role in health care and sickness prevention. The industry has suffered a recent leveling out in growth; the author assesses the reasons for this, outlining measures that have impeded its development and discouraged the medical profession from making the most of the opportunities offered by laboratory diagnostics. Remedies are suggested that will allow the industry to achieve its maximum potential to the benefit of all.

Clinical Laboratory Techniques↗
PubMed2002

Pollution control of industrial wastewater from soap and oil industries: a case study.

Industrial wastewater from soap and oil industries represents a heavy pollution source on their receiving water body. This paper studies a case of pollution control at Tanta Soap and Oil Company, Banha Factory, Egypt. The factory production includes soap, edible oil, and animal fodder. About 4,347 m3/day of industrial wastewater effluent was discharged via gravity sewers to the public sewerage system. Most of the effluent was cooling water because the cooling process in the factory was open circle. In spite of the huge quantity of cooling water being disposed of, disposal of wastewater was violating pertinent legislation. Three procedures were used for controlling the pollution at the Banha Factory. Firstly, all open circuit cooling systems were converted to closed circuit thus reducing the quantity of the discharged wastewater down to 767 m3/day. Secondly, the heavily polluted oil and grease (O&G) wastewater from the refinery unit is treated via two gravity oil separator (GOS) units, dissolved air floatation (DAF), and biological units in order to reduce the high levels of O&G, BOD, COD, and SS to the allowable limits. Thirdly, the heavily polluted waste effluent from the 'red water' saponification unit is treated separately by acidification to convert the emulsified fatty acid to free form in order to be separated through an oil separation unit. The effluent is then passed to liming stage to neutralize excess acidity and precipitate some of the dissolved matters. The mixture is finally clarified and the pH is adjusted to the allowable limits. The effluent wastewater from the three processes is collected and mixed in a final equalization tank for discharging effluent to the public sewerage system. The characteristics of the effluent water are very good with respect to the allowable Egyptian limits for discharging effluent to the public sewerage system.

Bioreactors↗
PubMed1953

Industrial accidents: some medical problems of the Industrial Accident Commission.

The Industrial Accident Commission is dependent on reports of physicians for the prompt and equitable handling of industrial injury cases.Sometimes medical reports are inadequate for commission purposes. Among the more frequent inadequacies are: (1) Failure to use the commission's standard method of measuring and recording disability. (2) Inadequate description and evaluation of subjective complaints. (3) Failure to give estimate of normal, in the case of bilateral extremity injuries. Physicians can help the injured person, the employer and the Industrial Accident Commission by considering report requirements.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed1982

Human exposure to styrene. IV. Industrial hygiene investigations and biological monitoring in the polyester industry.

An industrial hygiene study of 10 glassfiber reinforced polyester plants (including 90 workers) was undertaken to investigate the styrene exposure in this industry and to estimate biological limit values (BLV's) for the urinary metabolites of styrene: mandelic (MA) and phenylglyoxylic acids (PGA). Time weighted average (TWA) styrene exposures were found ranging from 2 to 200 ppm. The urinary elimination of metabolites correlated well with exposure and the BLV's corresponding to an 8-h exposure at 100 ppm were consistent with earlier laboratory findings (end-of-shift sample: MA 1640, PGA 510, MA + PGA 2150; next-morning sample: MA 330, PGA 330, MA + PGA 660 mg/g creat.). Total metabolites (MA + PGA) in the next-morning sample or mandelic acid in the end-of-shift sample are recommended for routine monitoring of exposure to styrene. The study revealed the need for further research on how to reduce styrene exposure in this industry.

Air↗
PubMed2001

Use of solvents in industries in Korea: experience in Sinpyeong-Jangrim industrial complex.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the most popular solvent and typical type of solvent work among solvent-using workplaces in Korea. METHODS: In practice, 862 solvent-using workshops in Sinpyeong-Jangrim industrial complex in Pusan were investigated in a 2-year period from March 1995 to February 1997. Solvent vapors in the breathing zone of workers were collected by personal sampling with charcoal tubes. The exposed charcoal was extracted with carbon disulfide, and the solvents in the extract were analyzed by flame ionization detector-equipped gas chromatography (FID-GC). RESULTS: Solvents were used in painting, glue application, cleaning, printing and solvent-mixing workshops in decreasing order of popularity. Toluene was the most frequently measured solvent. In the five types of solvent work, acetone, hexane, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene and xylenes were also used frequently. CONCLUSIONS: Toluene was identified as the most frequently used solvent in solvent works in Korean manufacture industries in the late 1990s. Eight types of solvent were popularly used in five popular types of solvent work. These trends are very similar to the cases reported for industries in Japan.

Adhesives↗
PubMed1992

Occupational lung diseases in the industrializing and industrialized world: commonalities and contrasts: measurement tools.

Research on occupational lung disease has been a growing challenge over the past 4 decades. Exposure to respiratory toxins has increased in many industrializing countries of the world while new and old hazards continue to exist in the industrialized world. The focus of this paper is on measurement tools commonly used in the study of occupational lung diseases. The emphasis is on epidemiology, a discipline which has contributed to the understanding and control of occupational lung disease. An examination of these tools reveals that (1) there are more commonalities than contrasts in available methods; (2) researchers in industrializing settings can contribute much to our understanding of occupational lung diseases; (3) international collaboration is needed in refining measurement tools; and (4) international collaboration should proceed on studies of preventive strategies.

Bronchial Provocation Tests↗
PubMed2000

Fetal death and congenital malformation in babies born to nuclear industry employees: report from the nuclear industry family study.

BACKGROUND: There is some concern about the genetic effects of exposure to low-level ionising radiation, but the evidence is sparse and conflicting. Most work has concentrated on cancer in offspring and little has been done on adverse reproductive outcome. We aimed to assess whether the offspring of men and women who are occupationally exposed to ionising radiation are at increased risk of fetal death and congenital malformation. METHODS: We analysed pregnancies reported by an occupational cohort of nuclear industry workers in the UK, employed at establishments operated by the Atomic Energy Authority, Atomic Weapons Establishment, and British Nuclear Fuels. Employment and radiation monitoring data supplied by employers was linked to each pregnancy. FINDINGS: 11,697 men and 1903 women reported one or more singleton pregnancy conceived after first employment within the nuclear industry, the men reporting a total of 23,676 singleton pregnancies and the women 3585. The risks of fetal death and congenital malformation were not related to whether the father had been monitored before conception or to the dose of radiation received. Among pregnancies reported by women, the risk of early (<13 weeks of gestation) miscarriage was higher if the mother had been monitored before conception (odds ratio [OR] 1.3, 95% CI 1.0-1.6), but there was no trend with dose. The risk of stillbirth was also higher if the mother had been monitored before conception (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.0-4.6), but the finding was based on only 29 cases (13 exposed). The risk of any major malformation, or of specific groups of malformations, was not associated with maternal monitoring, or dose received, before conception. INTERPRETATION: We found no evidence of a link between exposure to low-level ionising radiation before conception and increased risk of adverse reproductive outcome in men working in the nuclear industry. Similarly for women there was no evidence of an association between monitoring before conception and malformation in offspring. The findings relating maternal preconceptual monitoring to increased risk of fetal death are equivocal and require further investigation.

Abnormalities, Radiation-Induced↗
PubMed2002

Industrial medicine and acute musculoskeletal rehabilitation. 2. Acute cervical spine and shoulder injuries in the industrial setting.

UNLABELLED: This self-directed learning module highlights the underlying anatomy and biomechanics of the cervical spine and shoulder as a basis for developing a differential diagnosis of contributing pathology in an industrial injury. This includes components of the history, examination, and appropriate diagnostic testing that are necessary to develop an optimal rehabilitation plan. Treatment options are reviewed and include medications, therapy, selective injections, and return-to-work programs in the industrial setting. OVERALL ARTICLE OBJECTIVES: (a) To be able to identify neck and shoulder pathology, (b) to effectively evaluate cervical spine and shoulder injuries, and (c) to rehabilitate acute cervical spine and shoulder injuries in the industrial setting.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1985

The practice of industrial hygiene: Role Delineation Analysis American Board of Industrial Hygiene.

To better assure that the content of the American Board of Industrial Hygiene's Core and Comprehensive Practice Examinations are reflective of the current practice of the profession, the Board conducted a validation of their test specifications. The validation effort involved development of Domains of Practice, i.e. Recognition, Evaluation, Control, and for Comprehensive Practice, Management. Within each domain, Task Statements and the associated knowledge and skills necessary to successfully complete the task were identified. This overall "role delineation" was submitted to a random sample of 200 Certified Industrial Hygienists who were asked to identify the relative importance of each Domain and each Task and identify the percent of time and industrial hygienist might devote to each. An excellent response rate of 68.5% was achieved and provided ABIH with sets of weights for each Domain and Task Statement. These weights will be used by the ABIH to update future versions of the two examinations with initial influence in 1986 followed by a greater impact in 1987.

Certification↗
PubMed2005

Science-based solutions to obesity: what are the roles of academia, government, industry, and health care?

The complexity of the obesity epidemic requires the cooperation of key stakeholders in this effort. No one sector, academia, government, industry, or health care, has been successful in combating this disease to date. On March 10-11, 2004, The Harvard Medical School Division of Nutrition hosted the symposium "Science-Based Solutions to Obesity: What is the Role of Academia, Government, Industry, and Health care?" as a platform to address the role of these stakeholders, both individually and collectively, in combating the nation's epidemic of obesity. The proceedings from the symposium, included in this supplement, discuss the following: the science of obesity-related topics such as genetics, protein and weight loss, portion size, energy density, and behavior; the need for more aggressive government policies; industry's role in using research and development capabilities to promote healthier, portion-controlled products; and how to translate nutrition information from medical doctors to patients.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2002

Experiences and challenges in industrialized countries: control of iron deficiency in industrialized countries.

This paper provides a synopsis of the experience in combating iron deficiency in industrialized countries and identifies the reasons for the considerable success and future challenges. Significant progress has been made over the last century in reducing and even eliminating iron deficiency in many industrialized countries. Current estimates are that the prevalence of iron deficiency has declined to <20% in many of these countries, even among women and young children, compared with 30 to 70% in many developing countries. The reasons for this success cannot be attributed solely to a single approach but rather to a range of factors that have occurred over time as a result of both economic development and the implementation of specific policies. Several factors have contributed to improving both iron intakes and reducing iron losses; these include fortification, supplementation, dietary diversification and public health measures. For example, the decline in anemia in infants can be attributed to the introduction of iron-fortified formula and complementary foods in the 1960s to 1970s. Similarly, the enrichment and fortification of cereals with iron that began during World War II in North America and Europe is a result of effective public-private partnerships. Despite these successes, iron deficiency remains a public health concern in industrialized countries for selected subgroups such as women of reproductive age with excess menstrual losses and pregnant women who cannot meet increased requirements from the diet alone. Constant vigilance and innovative approaches for screening and combating this problem are thus still required even in developed countries.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Why the health care industry should fight union organization and the high cost the industry will pay if its fight is unsuccessful.

The health care industry is being hit hard with an aggressive effort by outside unions to organize health care employees. The interest of health care workers in union organization and their receptiveness to the unions' messages has grown substantially over the last five years--with negative effects on health care workers and the health care industry as a whole. This article addresses union trends in health care, discusses specific cases and their outcomes, and makes recommendations on what the health care industry can, and should, do to preserve a union-free work environment.

Administrative Personnel↗
PubMed1999

Cancer in children of nuclear industry employees: report on children aged under 25 years from nuclear industry family study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether children of men and women occupationally exposed to ionising radiation are at increased risk of developing leukaemia or other cancers before their 25th birthday. DESIGN: Cohort study of children of nuclear industry employees. SETTING: Nuclear establishments operated by the Atomic Energy Authority, Atomic Weapons Establishment, and British Nuclear Fuels. SUBJECTS: 39 557 children of male employees and 8883 children of female employees. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cancer incidence in offspring reported by parents. Employment and radiation monitoring data (including annual external dose) supplied by the nuclear authorities. RESULTS: 111 cancers were reported, of which 28 were leukaemia. The estimated standardised incidence ratios for children of male and female employees who were born in 1965 or later were 98 (95% confidence interval 73 to 129) and 96 (50 to 168) for all malignancies and 109 (61 to 180) and 95 (20 to 277) for leukaemia. The leukaemia rate in children whose fathers had accumulated a preconceptual dose of >/=100 mSv was 5.8 times that in children conceived before their fathers' employment in the nuclear industry (95% confidence interval 1.3 to 24.8) but this was based on only three exposed cases. Two of these cases were included in the west Cumbrian ("Gardner") case-control study. No significant trends were found between increasing dose and leukaemia. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer in young people is rare, and our results are based on small numbers of events. Overall, the findings suggest that the incidence of cancer and leukaemia among children of nuclear industry employees is similar to that in the general population. The possibility that exposure of fathers to relatively high doses of ionising radiation before their child's conception might be related to an increased risk of leukaemia in their offspring could not be disproved, but this result was based on only three cases, two of which have been previously reported. High conceptual doses are rare, and even if the occupational association were causal, the number of leukaemias involved would be small; in this study of over 46 000 children, fewer than three leukaemias could potentially be attributed to such an exposure.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Organization and classification of work history data in industry-wide studies: an application to the electric power industry.

Industry-based cohort studies require systems for organizing work history data. Although the ultimate goal may be to assess the hazards of specific exposures, classification of the job titles that comprise work histories serves an important descriptive purpose in itself and is often necessary before exposure data can be obtained. A system we have created for organizing jobs in a study of 135,000 workers at five electric power companies highlights conceptual and practical issues in managing work history data for epidemiological studies. Job characteristics including function, location, and authority were used to develop a system of 28 occupational categories. Comprehensibility, flexibility, and efficiency were important criteria in designing the system. Assessment of exposures was an implicit goal; the same categories will define job-exposure matrices for numerous agents. A combination of computer algorithms and expert judgment was used to assign individual job titles to the categories. This system facilitates examining the effects of various agents and controlling for confounding. The 28 categories can be collapsed and regrouped to analyze disease risks in relation to exposures to magnetic fields and other agents; even exposures not previously considered could be brought into the study with this generic system for organizing the electric power industry.

Data Collection↗
PubMed1985

Urinary cytology in workmen engaged in the petrochemical industry with reference to non-industrial risk factors.

Urine cytology was evaluated in 8,406 male workers of 8 petrochemical factories in western and northern Germany during the routine medical check-up performed by the department of industrial medicine of the respective factory. All relevant data referring to possible private and occupational risk factors were registered and evaluated. Four percent (n = 358) of the 8,406 workers examined exhibited Pap 3/4 cytology. Urological examination did not reveal any bladder tumor in those workers with either a single Pap 4 or a repeated Pap 3 finding on cytology. Our study showed that deterioration of cell differentiation correlated significantly with age and cigarette smoking. Furthermore, a risk group (males above 40 years of age exposed to occupational chemicals, smokers, and coffee drinkers) differed from a non-risk group. Age and cigarette smoking seemed to be the determinant factors. No correlation could be adduced between any kind of industrial exposure and urine cytology.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Ergonomics in industrially developing countries: does its application differ from that in industrially advanced countries?

Demographic characteristics of industrially developing countries (IDCs) and some comparisons with industrially advanced countries (IACs), particularly those aspects relevant to ergonomics, are presented. The majority of IDC populations are engaged in subsistence agriculture (the "informal" sector) and consideration is given to the scope for ergonomics interventions, aimed primarily at raising productivity to alleviate the poverty suffered by rural families. Ergonomics issues prevalent in the "formal" sector are also discussed and the importance of finding simple, low-cost solutions through participatory approaches emphasised. The possible contributions of ergonomics to alleviating problems common to both sectors, such as transport, are also indicated and attention is drawn to the difficulties of applying formal standards. The improvement of living and working conditions from incorporating an ergonomics approach into the sustainable livelihoods model, by enhancing human capital, is described in the context of the other livelihood assets. This demonstrates the importance of the cultural dimension for the successful delivery of ergonomics benefits. The application of ergonomics differs between IDCs and IACs particularly through the limited infrastructure in IDCs to support ergonomics activity and interventions. This broaches the different contributions that can be made by ergonomics and occupational health practitioners and implies the need for closer collaboration between these professions.

Agriculture↗