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PubMedDate not supplied

Cytogenetic analysis of buccal cells from shoe-workers and pathology and anatomy laboratory workers exposed to n-hexane, toluene, methyl ethyl ketone and formaldehyde.

People employed in the shoe manufacture and repair industry are at an increased risk for cancer, the strongest evidence being for nasal cancer and leukaemia. A possible causal role for formaldehyde is likely for cancer of the buccal cavity and nasopharynx. Exfoliated buccal cells are good source of tissue for monitoring human exposure to inhaled and ingested occupational and environmental genotoxicants. To assess the cytogenetic damage related to occupational exposure to airborne chemicals during shoe-making and the processes in pathology and anatomy laboratories, the micronuclei (MN) count per 3000 cells was measured in buccal smears from shoe-workers (group I, n = 22) exposed to mainly n-hexane, toluene and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and from anatomy and pathology staff (group II, n = 28) exposed to formaldehyde (FA). Eighteen male university staff were used as controls. The mean time-weighted average (TWA) concentrations of n-hexane, toluene and MEK in 10 small shoe workshops were 58.07 p.p.m., 26.62 p.p.m. and 11.39 p.p.m., respectively. The measured air concentrations of FA in the breathing zone of the anatomy and pathology laboratory workers were between 2 and 4 p.p.m. Levels of 2,5-hexadione (2,5-HD) and hippuric acid (HA), metabolic markers of n-hexane and toluene exposure, respectively, were significantly higher in the urine of workers in group I than in control subjects (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). The mean (+/- SD) MN (0/00) [corrected] frequencies in buccal mucosa cells from workers in group I, group II and controls were 0.62 +/- 0.45%, 0.71 +/- 0.56% and 0.33 +/- 0.30%, respectively (p < 0.05 and p < 0.05 compared with controls for group I and group II, respectively). The effects of smoking, age and duration of exposure on the frequency of micronucleated buccal cells from workers in all three groups studied were also evaluated. Overall, the results suggest that occupational exposure to organic solvents, mainly n-hexane, toluene, MEK and FA, may cause cytogenetic damage in buccal cells and that use of exfoliated buccal cells seems to be appropriate to measure exposure to organic solvents.

Anatomy↗
PubMed1981

Food substitution with worker feeding programs: energy supplementation in guatemalan sugarcane workers.

An energy supplementation program provided free of charge a low energy (15 kcal) and a high energy (350 kcal) soft drink to two group of sugarcane workers in Guatemala. The high energy supplement supplied 550 kcal/day on a weekly basis. The workers tended to be moderately energy deficient before supplementation. Significant increases in total daily energy intake were obtained with the high energy supplement, but by less than the energy content of the supplement. Workers maintained energy balance with supplementation. The degree of substitution with energy supplementation was not related to the energy intake status of the workers' households. These households did generally not improve their energy intake status with worker supplementation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Sleep habits and sleep disturbances in industrial workers in Israel: main findings and some characteristics of workers complaining of excessive daytime sleepiness.

Detailed data about sleep habits, sleep complaints, life style, work, past and present health were obtained from 1,502 industrial workers. In agreement with previous studies, one-third of the workers reported having problems with sleep. A relatively large percentage of workers complained of excessive daytime somnolence (EDS), which was unrelated to sex, age, education, and area of origin. Compared to the total population, workers complaining EDS had signficantly more pre- and postsleep complaints, midsleep disturbing phenomena, and work accidents, and they were less satisfied with their work. They also had a significantly higher prevalence of asthma, high blood pressure, headaches, and arthritis and ulcers, and they consumed significantly more medications. Based on the cluster of pre- and postsleep complaints of workers complaining of EDS, and on preliminary results from the second phase of this project (which includes laboratory polysomnographic recordings), it is suggested that in most cases, various forms of breathing disorders in sleep are responsible for EDS.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Quantification of personal solar UV exposure of outdoor workers, indoor workers and adolescents at two locations in Southeast Queensland.

Quantification of human exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation at two locations was performed to study the effect of occupation (outdoor workers, schoolchildren and home workers) and location on personal UV exposure. The study took place on 13 and 14 February 1997 in Toowoomba (27.5 degrees S, 151.9 degrees E) and Brisbane (27.4 degrees S, 153.1 degrees E) in Southeast Queensland, Australia. From the data collected by calibrated ambient UV monitoring stations located in Toowoomba and Brisbane, Toowoomba received 16% more UVB (280-320 nm) than Brisbane from 07:00 to 17:00 Australian Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the 13 February, 1997 and 10% more UVB on the 14 February 1997. All groups, regardless of occupation, in this study received a median erythemal UV exposure of over 2 MED on the shoulder over the 2 day period. The highest median erythemal UV exposure to the shoulder over the 2 day period was 6 MED in Toowoomba outdoor workers. The median 2 day erythemal exposure to the shoulder was 33% higher in Toowoomba than in Brisbane for the outdoor workers, 50% higher in Toowoomba compared to Brisbane for the schoolchildren and 25% higher in Toowoomba than Brisbane for the home workers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

TANF workers' responses to battered women and the impact of brief worker training: what survivors report.

Battered women (n = 159) report on their experiences with their Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) case workers. Workers most often ask about physical harm, feelings of fear, and police involvement. They least often create a safety plan, give information about work exemptions, and ask whether the partner had a gun. Women's major reasons for not talking about abuse are that the worker did not ask and a fear of negative outcomes. Workers who attended 1-day training are more likely than untrained workers to discuss the women's fear and physical harm, to help develop a safety plan, and to be viewed as generally helpful.

Battered Women↗
PubMed2005

Patient safety--worker safety: building a culture of safety to improve healthcare worker and patient well-being.

Patient safety within the Canadian healthcare system is currently a high national priority, which merits a comprehensive understanding of the underlying causes of adverse events. Not least among these is worker health and safety, which is linked to patient outcomes. Healthcare workers have a high risk of workplace injuries and more mental health problems than most other occupational groups. Many healthcare professionals feel fatigued, stressed, in pain, or at risk of illness or injury-factors they feel impede their ability to provide consistent quality care. With this background, the Occupational Health and Safety Agency for Healthcare (OHSAH) in British Columbia, jointly governed by healthcare unions and healthcare employers, launched several major initiatives to improve the healthcare workplace. These included the promotion of safe patient handling, adaptive clothing, scheduled toileting, stroke management training, measures to improve management of aggressive behaviour and, of course, infection control-all intended to improve the safety of workers, but also to improve patient safety and quality of care. Other projects also explicitly promoting physical and mental health at work, as well as patient safety are also underway. Results of the projects are at various stages of completion, but ample evidence has already been obtained to indicate that looking after the well-being of healthcare workers results in safer and better quality patient care. While more research is needed, our work to date suggests that a comprehensive systems approach to promoting a climate of safety, which includes taking into account workplace organizational factors and physical and psychological hazards for workers, is the best way to improve the healthcare workplace and thereby patient safety.

British Columbia↗
PubMed2001

Case studies of violations of workers' freedom of association: service sector workers.

Workers' rights violations in the United States are widespread and growing. The bulk of the National Labor Relations Board's work now involves unfair labor practices, most related to employers' violations of workers' rights. Numerous research studies document these violations. As part of its report "Unfair Advantage: Workers' Freedom of Association in the United States under International Human Rights Standards," Human Rights Watch conducted a series of case studies in a dozen states, covering a variety of industries and employment sectors, analyzing the U.S. experience in the light of both national law and international human rights and labor rights norms. The article presented here includes a discussion of the general context of increased workers' rights violations under U.S. law and the first of the case studies: service sector workers.

Capitalism↗
PubMed2001

Health and safety organizing: OCAW'S worker-to-worker health and safety training program.

In 1987, the Oil, Chemical, and Atomic Workers International Union (OCAW) was funded as one of the original eleven awardees of the Superfund Worker Training Program of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The OCAW, with the Labor Institute, developed a hazardous waste worker and hazardous materials emergency responder health and safety training program that was specific to its members in the represented industries. A social history is developed to explore a union-led, worker health education intervention. The program sought to develop worker-trainers who would conduct the training, using the Small-Group Activity Method, participate in curriculum development, and ultimately use health and safety training as a vehicle for identifying, developing, and mobilizing health and safety activists among the membership. Although the direction for this effort came from progressive leadership, it arose from the political economy of labor/management relations within specific industrial sectors.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Integrating smoking cessation into worker training among Latino immigrant workers: development of a program.

The prevalence of smoking among Latino immigrant workers needs to be addressed with culturally and linguistically appropriate smoking cessation programs. One innovative approach to reaching these workers is through worker health and safety training programs. These programs offer multiple opportunities to provide smoking cessation messages, a "teachable moment" to focus on health issues, and the likelihood that peers and family members will share these messages. A collaborative effort between an occupational health and safety training facility and a university utilizing Latino and non-Latino personnel developed a smoking cessation program integrated with worker health and safety training. Preliminary results of an evaluation of the program indicate that the program was able to reach a wide range of immigrant workers and improve their knowledge of the risks of smoking and the effectiveness of different methods of quitting smoking.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Respiratory morbidity in rubber workers: I. Prevalence of respiratory symptoms and disease in curing workers.

One hundred twenty-one men who were exposed to tire-curing fumes responded to respiratory symptom questionnaires. Results were compared with questionnaires of 189 nonexposed workers who were employed by the same three tire manufacturing plants. The curing workers had a higher prevalence of chronic bronchitis than the controls. Of the curing workers with more than ten years of experience to fumes, 25% met the criteria for the epidemiological diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Increased respiratory morbidity in the curing workers was related to both intensity and length of exposure to fumes. Because cigarette smoking and other variables cannot explain the difference between the curing and control groups, we attribute the greater prevalence of respiratory morbidity to exposure to curing fumes. These findings warrant further longitudinal studies and reduction of exposure, especially for workers on the manual automobile tire presses, which is the high-exposure group.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Recommendations to strengthen the role of lady health workers in the national program for family planning and primary health care in Pakistan: the health workers perspective.

BACKGROUND: This study was planned to assess the strengths and weakness of the National Program for Family Planning and Primary from the Lady Health Workers (LHIW) perspective. We conducted this study in order to develop recommendations for strengthening LHWs' role in Primary Health Care (PHC) in Pakistan in consultation with the health workers. METHODS: A qualitative study, based on key informant interviews, was carried out in Karachi, Pakistan. A total of 20 workers were interviewed. Analysis was carried out by grouping similar responses in a matrix and then analysis with reference to context. RESULTS: Motivations for joining program included financial benefits, convenient timings and an opportunity to serve humanity. Training was deemed satisfactory but clinical training was resented because of doctors' attitudes. Further training needs identified included basic information about common ailments, reproductive issues and basic clinical skills. Major strengths of the program mentioned included provision of services at grass root level, reinforcement of health messages and the community acceptability of workers. Weaknesses mentioned included the contractual nature of job, low salaries, irregularity of payment, no career development and poor logistical support. CONCLUSION: Giving LHWs permanent government employee status and a raise in salary may strengthen the workers functions. Eligible LHWs should be given incentives (skills, career development, financial). The community must be educated about assigned role and responsibilities of LHWs and patient referral system by the LHW needs to be strengthened. The valuable role of LHWs in PHC in Pakistan must be acknowledged and further improvements pursued.

Family Planning Services↗
PubMed1985

Longitudinal study of grain elevator and control workers with demonstration of healthy worker effect.

Changes in the respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function of 441 grain elevator workers and a control group of 180 civic workers during a three-year period were compared. The grain handlers who left their jobs during the interval between the first and second surveys were found to have shown a significantly higher prevalence of cough and shortness of breath at the beginning of the study period than those who remained employed; this difference was not observed among the civic workers. The grain and civic workers who were examined on both occasions showed similar longitudinal changes in their symptoms and pulmonary function. Nevertheless, the results of this study are biased by the healthy worker effect among the grain handlers.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1982

Mortality among rubber workers: V. processing workers.

Cause-specific mortality was evaluated among 2,666 men employed in the processing division of a rubber manufacturing plant. The division was divided into two sections: front processing (compounding, mixing and milling operations) and back processing (extrusion, calendering, cement mixing and rubberized fabrics operations). Mortality rates for all processing workers combined and for men in each section were compared with rates for U.S. White males or for workers employed in other divisions of the same plant. Compared with either referent group, men in the processing division had increased mortality from leukemia, emphysema, and cancers of the stomach, large intestine, and biliary passages and liver. An excess number of deaths from stomach and larger intestine cancer was found predominantly among men in the front processing section (33 observed vs. 17.7 expected deaths, based on rates in nonprocessing workers). Increased mortality from leukemia (14 observed vs. 7.3 expected) and from emphysema (22 observed vs. 11.0 expected) was present among men employed in the back processing section. Examination of mortality from these causes according to age and the year starting work, duration of employment, and years since starting work in the relevant sections of the processing division suggested that observed excesses of stomach cancer, large intestine cancer, leukemia, and emphysema among processing workers are related to occupational exposures. These results are consistent with the findings of studies of other groups of rubber workers.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Analysis of mortality patterns and workers' compensation awards among asbestos insulation workers in Ontario.

Mortality and workers' compensation patterns were studied among 1,064 Ontario asbestos insulation workers. A proportional mortality analysis of 153 asbestos worker deaths found increased mortality from malignant diseases (65 deaths observed; 35.1 expected), cancers of the lungs and pleura (32 deaths observed; 11.5 expected), peritoneal mesothelioma (4 deaths), and respiratory diseases (14 deaths observed; 7.9 expected). Despite the publicity given to asbestos-associated diseases, dependents of many men potentially eligible for workers compensation awards have not received pensions because claims were not filed. These findings suggest that much occupationally related disease is not being recognized in Ontario.

Asbestos↗
PubMed1999

Gender differences in the healthy worker effect among synthetic vitreous fiber workers.

The aim of this study was to determine whether the healthy worker effect and its component parts operate similarly for women and men. A cohort of workers from 14 synthetic vitreous fiber factories in seven countries, employed for at least 1 year between 1933 and 1977 and followed up to the early 1990s, included 375 deaths and 53,608 person-years among females and 2,568 deaths and 210,073 person-years among males. Standardized mortality ratios for all-cause and circulatory diseases were adjusted for country, age, calendar time, and gender. In addition, internal comparisons were adjusted for time since hire and employment status. The analyses addressed the following: 1) the healthy hire effect, 2) the time since hire effect, and 3) the healthy worker survivor effect. In this cohort, an overall healthy worker effect was not present in either gender. The healthy hire effect, based on standardized mortality ratios for years 1-4 since hire, was observed in males (standardized mortality ratio (SMR) = 0.8; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.7, 1.0) but was less in females (SMR = 0.9; 95% CI: 0.5, 1.6). The relative risks increased slightly with time since hire in males but not in females. Higher mortality ratios were seen among those leaving employment than among those who remained actively employed; however, this effect was substantially greater for women (relative risk (RR) = 3.4; 95% CI: 1.8, 6.3) than men (RR = 1.8; 95% CI: 1.5, 2.1). The gender difference for active versus inactive status was stronger up to age 60 (men: RR = 1.7; 95% CI: 1.4, 2.0; women: RR = 3.6; 95% CI: 1.8, 7.1) than above that age. In conclusion, it appears that there is a stronger selection of healthy men than women into the workforce, while health-related selection out of the workforce is stronger for women than men.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

A cohort study of disability pensioning among Norwegian painters, construction workers, and workers in food processing.

The debate on the potentially adverse effects of long-term occupational exposure to organic solvents has mainly been based on observations in cross-sectional studies. We present results from a retrospective cohort study of three cohorts: 11,542 industrial and house painters, 36,899 construction workers, and 9,314 workers in food processing, all identified by the 1970 Norwegian census. The cohorts were followed to the end of 1987 for registration of disability pensioning by linkage of the census files to the files of the National Insurance Administration. The analysis revealed an increased risk for disability pensioning due to neurosis among the painters, compared with construction workers (rate ratio = 1.62; 95% confidence interval = 1.36-1.93) and compared with the workers in food processing (rate ratio = 1.84; 95% confidence interval = 1.42-2.38). The painters were also at increased risk of disability pensioning due to alcoholism. We found no major differences in ischemic heart diseases, disability pensioning due to all causes, or overall mortality. These results support the hypothesis that occupational exposure to organic solvents is a risk factor for disabling effects on the central nervous system.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Worker recovery expectations and fear-avoidance predict work disability in a population-based workers' compensation back pain sample.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, population-based cohort study. OBJECTIVES: To examine whether worker demographic, pain, disability, and psychosocial variables, assessed soon after work-related back pain disability onset, predict 6-month work disability. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Greater age, pain, and physical disability, and certain psychosocial characteristics may be risk factors for prolonged back pain-related work disability, although many studies have been small, findings have been inconsistent, and some psychosocial variables have not been examined prospectively. METHODS: Workers (N = 1,068) completed telephone interviews assessing demographic, pain, disability, and psychosocial variables 18 days (median) after submitting Workers' Compensation back pain disability claims. Administrative measures of work disability 6 months after claim submission were obtained. RESULTS: At 6 months, 196 workers (18.4%) were receiving work disability compensation. Age, race, education, and baseline pain and disability were significant predictors of 6-month disability. Adjusting for baseline demographics, pain, disability, and other psychosocial variables, high work fear-avoidance (odds ratio, 4.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.6-13.7) and very low recovery expectations (odds ratio, 3.1, 95% confidence interval, 1.5-6.5) were significant independent predictors. CONCLUSIONS: Among individuals with acute work-related back pain, high pain and disability, low recovery expectations, and fears that work may increase pain or cause harm are risk factors for chronic work disability.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Ten years' experience using an integrated workers' compensation management system to control workers' compensation costs.

This work presents 10 years of experience using an Integrated Workers' Compensation Claims Management System that allows safety professionals, adjusters, and selected medical and nursing providers to collaborate in a process of preventing accidents and expeditiously assessing, treating, and returning individuals to productive work. The hallmarks of the program involve patient advocacy and customer service, steerage of injured employees to a small network of physicians, close follow-up, and the continuous dialogue between parties regarding claims management. The integrated claims management system was instituted in fiscal year 1992 servicing a population of approximately 21,000 individuals. The system was periodically refined and by the 2002 fiscal year, 39,000 individuals were managed under this paradigm. The frequency of lost-time and medical claims rate decreased 73% (from 22 per 1000 employees to 6) and 61% (from 155 per 1000 employees to 61), respectively, between fiscal year 1992 and fiscal year 2002. The number of temporary/total days paid per 100 insureds decreased from 163 in fiscal year 1992 to 37 in fiscal year 2002, or 77%. Total workers' compensation expenses including all medical, indemnity and administrative, decreased from $0.81 per $100 of payroll in fiscal year 1992 to $0.37 per $100 of payroll in fiscal year 2002, a 54% decrease. More specifically, medical costs per $100 of payroll decreased 44% (from $0.27 to $0.15), temporary/total, 61% (from $0.18 to $0.07), permanent/partial, 63% (from $0.19 to $0.07) and administrative costs, 48% ($0.16 to $0.09). These data suggests that workers' compensation costs can be reduced over a multi-year period by using a small network of clinically skilled health care providers who address an individual workers' psychological, as well as physical needs and where communication between all parties (e.g., medical care providers, supervisors, and injured employees) is constantly maintained. Furthermore, these results can be obtained in an environment in which the employer pays the full cost of medical care and the claimant has free choice of medical provider at all times.

Accidents, Occupational↗