Assessing Workforce Loss in a Turkish Food Factory Before and During COVID-19's First Year

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the extent of implementation of occupational safety and health measures in micro-scale enterprises (MSEs) and to assess the prevalence of occupational injuries and accidents and its relationship with occupational safety and health measures provided in the MSEs. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 595 of MSEs. An index called the Safety and Health Requirement Index (SHRI) was created and used to calculate the percentage of provided occupational safety and health measures. The relationship between the SHRI and the occurrence of occupational accidents and injuries was investigated with the independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA. Results: The mean SHRI score was 60.43%, which was categorized into moderate level. Of the 30.9% of enterprises that had experienced accidents and injuries, the most common types of injuries were musculoskeletal disorders and cuts, and the least common types were pulmonary and hearing problems. Results of one-way ANOVA revealed a statistically significant relationship between the mean SHRI score and industrial branch, enterprise size, and type of accident and injury. The independent samples t-test showed that the occurrence of occupational accidents and injuries was not significantly influenced by provided health and safety measures in MSEs. Conclusion: Given the high percentage of enterprises with very poor to poor levels for the SHRI and the high prevalence of occupational accidents and injuries among the studied MSEs, feasible protective strategies and job safety training programs are required to promote occupational health and safety in the studied MSEs.

An analysis of the application of occupational health and safety legislation in Montenegro shows that there is a comprehensive legal framework that regulates this area, but also certain challenges in its implementation. Occupational health and safety in Montenegro are primarily regulated by the Law on Occupational Health and Safety. This law prescribes the rights, obligations and responsibilities of employers and employees in relation to ensuring safe working conditions. The Constitution of Montenegro also guarantees the right to occupational health and safety as a fundamental human right. Employers are obliged to: Adopt a risk assessment act for all workplaces, organize occupational health and safety activities, provide occupational health and safety measures, train employees for safe work, procure and issue personal protective equipment and supplies. Employees have the right to: Be informed about protective measures before starting work, refuse to work if the prescribed conditions are not provided, provide suggestions and comments on protection issues. Despite the existence of a legal framework, the implementation of occupational safety and health measures in practice is not at a satisfactory level: The situation in the field of occupational safety and health is assessed as unsatisfactory, there is a need for better harmonization of regulations, especially in the field of construction, a lack of information among state institutions on the obligations of implementing the ZZNR has been observed, only 4.8% of employers have prepared a risk assessment act, and the Risk Assessment Act covers only 18.1% of employees. To improve the implementation of ZZNR regulations, it is necessary to implement the following measures: Better harmonization of the Law on Planning and Construction of Facilities with the Law on ZZNR, informing state institutions about the obligations of implementing the ZZNR when they are in the role of investors, adapting the rulebook to modern work methods, especially in construction, strengthening inspection supervision and education of employers and employees. Although there is a solid legal framework, additional efforts are needed to raise awareness, strengthen capacities and improve the implementation of regulations in order to achieve a higher level of occupational safety and health in Montenegro. Continuous monitoring and analysis of the implementation of regulations are key to further improving the situation in this area.

Association between Covid-19 and Pulmonary Embolism (AC-19-PE study)

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) first appeared in China and spread globally in a short time. It was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. Pandemics are a human problem. Due to the risk posed by COVID-19 on human health, all production and service workplaces around the world have slowed down their activities. These developments have caused significant labor and production losses. The most effective and practical way to prevent the transmission of the coronavirus; although there are physical distance, personal hygiene and mask applications, these do not constitute a definitive solution. Governments, organizations, employers and workers are facing important challenges to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and protect safety and health in the workplace. Unsafe workplace conditions and inappropriate working principles lead to significant health risks in the workplace. COVID-19 causes negative effects in all areas where people are present, such as health, social, economic, education, construction, manufacturing, transportation and trade. In this study, protective measures that can be taken are evaluated by reviewing the literature on the negative effects of COVID-19 on human health and therefore on workforce loss. In addition to additional safety measures in the prevention of COVID-19, basic occupational health and safety (OHS) control methods were evaluated in the following order: (1) elimination / substitution, (2) engineering controls, (3) organizational controls, and (4) personal protective equipment (PPE). In addition to the protection of health, due to the effective safety measures, the stress caused by COVID-19 will decrease in people, so comfort in their social lives and productivity in their work lives will be increased. Therefore, governments, employers and workers' organizations have to form a joint organization with universities and health institutions.

Background: The workplace risks faced at PT X oil and gas company, located offshore Natuna, are relatively high evidenced by fluctuations in accidents from 2018 – 2022. In 2018, recordable injury attributable to accidents was recorded, then in 2019-2020, there were no accidents, and the prevalence increased in 2021-2022. The company analyzed the main causes responsible for work accidents during this period and carried out intervention measures in Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) program to reverse the trend in 2023. By implementing OHS program, the number of accidents in recordable injury category fell from 4 (2021- 2022) to 1 (2023). This shows that the program has been successful in managing work accidents. Considering that the investigation and analysis identified unsafe acts as the direct causes, Human Factor Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) method was used to analyze other factors associated with accidents. Objective: This study aimed to investigate OHS program actions at PT X in responding to increased work accidents in 2021-2022, and compare with recommendations for improvements from HFACS method. Method: A qualitative design was used with secondary data, comprising 10 work accidents records and investigation reports for recordable injury cases from 2018 – 2022 available in PT X information system. Subsequently, the secondary data were then classified according to four failure stages in HFACS, namely unsafe acts, the precondition of unsafe acts, unsafe supervision, and organizational influence. This classification produced recommendations for improvement, which were then compared with the prevention intervention program for accidents at PT X. Results: The results showed that OHS program intervention to reduce the number of accidents in 2023 was in accordance with the recommendations of HFACS analysis. Conclusion: The application of HFACS in analyzing accidents records and investigation reports produced relatively comprehensive recommendations by focusing on the component stages. Several additional recommendations from the analysis of latent conditions will further improve OHS performance at PT X.

Bu çalışmanın amacı, ülkemizdeki mobilya imalatında çalışanların yatay ve dikey olarak parça taşımaları esnasında karşılaştıkları zorlanmaları araştırmak ve çalışanlar üzerindeki etkilerine dikkat çekmektir. Zorlanma sınır değerlerinin ölçümü için mevcut yöntemler araştırılmış, Federal Almanya İş Güvenliği ve İş Hekimliği Kurumu (BAUA)’nun geliştirmiş olduğu yöntem seçilmiş ve kas iskelet sistemindeki zorlanmalar için hesaplamalar yapılmıştır. Mobilya sektöründe üretim, makine parkı ve insan gücüne dayanmaktadır. Mobilya sektöründe insan gücü kullanımı parça taşımanın yanı sıra makineye parça verme, makineden parça alma, kaldırma ve indirme işlemlerini kapsamaktadır. Bu süreçteki taşıma ve kaldırma işlerinin ergonomik koşullara uygunsuzluğu iş kazalarına ve meslek hastalıklarına yol açmaktadır. Buna bağlı olarak işletmede iş gücü kaybı yaşanmakta, üretim aksamakta ve işletme açısından maliyetler artmaktadır. Araştırma sonuçları ile, mobilya üreten işletmelerde, iş kazalarının ve meslek hastalıklarının engellenebileceği düşünülmektedir. Bu şekilde mobilya üretim tesislerinin çalışma standardının yükselmesi ve verimliliğin artırılması sağlanabilir.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of measures to combat Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on competitiveness in tourism in Nigeria taking strategic dexterity as the moderating variable. Design/methodology/approach Survey research design approach was used for the study. A total of 235 valid questionnaires gathered from the personnel of ten urban tourist centres in Nigeria were used to examine the goodness of model fit, measurement model and structural correlations between constructs. Partial least squares structural equation modelling approach (PLS-SEM) using Advanced Analysis for Composite (ADANCO 2.2.1) was used to evaluate the hypotheses. Findings This study finds that travel restriction, boarder closure and strategic dexterity were significant to competitiveness, among which border closures has generated the highest path coefficient. Moreover, the study finds a significant moderating role of strategic dexterity between travel restrictions, border closure and competitiveness. Future studies can reproduce the study by incorporating mediating variables covering the all-tourist centers in Nigeria. Research limitations/implications This study might be valuable for tourism-related stakeholders, researchers and policy makers as the result finds indicate strong effect of travel restrictions, border closure on competitiveness of urban tourism. Equally, the study provides new insight as the findings shows a significant moderating role of strategic dexterity between travel restrictions, border closure and competitiveness. Practical implications This study might be valuable for tourism-related stakeholders, researchers and policy makers as the result finds indicate strong effect of travel restrictions, border closure on competitiveness of urban tourism. The study provides new insight as the findings shows a significant moderating role of strategic dexterity between travel restrictions, border closure and competitiveness. Originality/value This study is among the few that analyses the effect of measures to combat COVID-19 pandemic on competitiveness in the urban tourism: strategic dexterity as the moderating variables. This study also contributes methodologically through the introduction of PLS-SEM approach.

The lifestyles change of children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic due to antipandemic measures can affect their sleep health. Existing studies have used convenient samples and focused on the initial months of the pandemic, leaving a knowledge gap on changes in young people's sleep patterns under the "new normal" under COVID-19. As part of a territory-wide epidemiological study in Hong Kong, this cross-sectional study recruited primary and secondary school students by stratified random sampling. Sleep parameters were collected using the structured diagnostic interview for sleep patterns and disorders. We investigated the pandemic's effects on sleep parameters by comparing data of participants recruited pre-COVID and those recruited during COVID using multivariate regression, adjusting for age, sex, household income, seasonality, and presence of mental disorders, and the moderators and mediators of the effects. Between September 1, 2019 and June 2, 2021, 791 primary and 442 secondary school students were recruited and analyzed. Primary school and secondary school participants assessed before COVID had a longer sleep latency on school days (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.0-5.2 minutes, adjusted P-value = .010; and 95% CI= 3.9-13.0 minutes, adjusted P-value = .004, respectively) and nonschool days (95% CI = 1.7-7.2 minutes, adjusted P-value = .005; 95% CI = 3.4-13.7 minutes, adjusted P-value = .014, respectively). Low household income was a moderator for later bedtime (adjusted P-value = .032) and later sleep onset (adjusted P-value = .043) during nonschool days among secondary school students. Changes associated with COVID have a widespread and enduring effect on the sleep health of school-aged students in Hong Kong. Household income plays a role in adolescent sleep health resilience, and the impact of antiepidemic measures on the health gaps of the youth should be considered. Chau SWH, Hussain S, Chan SSM, etal. A comparison of sleep-wake patterns among school-age children and adolescents in Hong Kong before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Clin Sleep Med. 2023;19(4):749-757.

Epidemiologic Changes Caused by the Preventive Measures for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: An Additional Challenge for Pediatricians

BackgroundThe media play a critical role in informing the public about the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the pandemic, international travel has been a highly contested subject at both the international and national levels. We examined Canadian media reporting on international travel restrictions during the pandemic, how these restrictions aligned with the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005), and how the narrative around international travel evolved over time.MethodsWe analysed articles from Canada’s top three national newspapers by circulation – The Globe and Mail, The National Post and The Toronto Star - published between Jan 1, 2020 - May 31, 2020. Our search yielded a total of 378 articles across the three newspapers. After removing duplicates and screening the remaining articles, we included a total of 62 articles for the analysis. We conducted a qualitative media content analysis by using an inductive coding approach.ResultsThree major themes were identified within the articles. These included: 1) The role of scientific and expert evidence in implementing travel restrictions; 2) Federal legislation, regulation and enforcement of international travel measures; and 3) Compliance with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines in travel restriction policy- and decision-making. The federal government relied primarily on scientific evidence for implementing international travel restrictions and fully exercised its powers under the Quarantine Act to enforce travel regulations and comply with the IHR 2005. The government embraced a rules-based international order by following WHO recommendations on international travel, contributing to a delay in border closure and travel restrictions until mid-March.ConclusionThe media focussed significantly on international travel-related issues during the early phase of the pandemic. The dominant media narrative surrounded the need for earlier travel restrictions against international travel.

The study examined the determinants of compliance to safety and health measures in construction sites in Kampala Central Division, Uganda. Questionnaires containing information relating to safety and health measures at the sites were administered randomly to the construction workers selected from four (4) selected building sites across the division. The results revealed that there was a 95% level of compliance to safety and health measures which is considered an unacceptable standard and requires attention in the short term according to the scale developed by MBSAT, among the building construction workers in the division. It was also established that there were no personal determinants that affected compliance to safety and health measures within the division as all of them were found to be statistically insignificant. This indicated that none of the personal determinants is a significant predictor of compliance (at 5% level of significance). The results further revealed that there was a significant association between three organizational determinants of compliance: adequacy of legislation, availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) and availability of standard operating procedures (SOPs) or policy. This proved that there is an association between personal and organizational determinants of compliance to occupational safety in construction sites in Kampala Central Division (at 5% level of significance). However in practice this means there is no one single factor which can determine compliance but a combination of factors of which the organizational factors are more significant in compliance than personal determinants.

Changes in Multiple Myeloma Treatment Patterns during the Early COVID-19 Pandemic Period

On New Zealand's weak, strong and muddled management of a COVID-19 epidemic.

Bu çalışmada, açık ocak maden faaliyeti yürüten bir maden firması çalışanlarının iş sağlığı ve güvenliği ve iş verimliliği arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemiştir. Maden firmasına ait saha içerisinde önceden yaşanan kazalar ve alınan önlemler incelenmiştir. Demografik özellikler, iş sağlığı ve güvenliği ve verimlilik durumları ile ilgili anket formları düzenlenmiştir. İlgili formlar 56 kişiye uygulanmış ve tamamı değerlendirmeye alınmıştır. İşyerlerinde çalışan güvenliğini tehdit eden risklerin olması çalışanların verimliliğini önemli ölçüde olumsuz etkilediğini bulduk. Sağlık ve güvenlik önlemlerinin alınması ise çalışanların özgüvenlerini arttırdığı gibi işe karşı olan aidiyet duygularını da olumlu etkilemiştir. Çalışmamızda eğitim durumları ortaöğretim ve altında olanların iş kazası yaşaması (%10,7) daha fazla iken eğitim seviyesi yüksek olanların daha az (%1,7) olduğu bulunmuştur. Mesleki deneyim durumları incelendiğinde ise 5-10 yıl çalışanlar daha fazla iş kazasına (%5,3) maruz kalmıştır. Bu durum gereksiz özgüven, çalışırken gerekli ve dikkati göstermemelerinden kaynaklandığını söyleyebiliriz. İşyerlerinin iş güvenliği konusunda yapmış oldukları proaktif uygulamalar çalışanların verimliliğini arttırmıştır. Aynı şekilde yaşanan bir iş kazasından sonra alınan reaktif önlemler çalışanların daha dikkatli olmasına neden olmuştur. Çalışmamız işe bağlılığın daha yüksek yaş, daha düşük eğitim ve çevresel risk (düşük ve yüksek) ile önemli ölçüde ilişkili olduğunu göstermektedir.

Due to its dynamic nature, rapid technology change, uneducated employees, harsh working conditions, many work accidents, and heavy consequences of accidents, occupational health and safety (OHS) practices are essential in the construction industry. However, occupational Health and Safety measures in the construction industry come with additional costs. Therefore, employers who have to bear a cost to take OHS measures may consider OHS costs unnecessary without considering the costs they will bear after work accidents and occupational diseases. This research aims to estimate the optimal costs of OHS budgets to reduce the number of accidents with lost time injury and whether the carried costs for occupational health and safety in the construction industry impact the lost time injuries. Therefore, OHS costs in the construction industry are grouped into eight categories: fire, work equipment, electricity, health, personal protective equipment, general equipment, training and occupational health and safety service costs. This research is based on the standard unit costs set for the 8 OHS criteria required by the OHS laws, accident severity rates and actual unit costs that the projects have carried for five years for the construction of 15 buildings with 220.000 m2- 500.000 m2 indoor space which is located in Istanbul Turkey, started in 2013 and completed in 2017. Since the research was conducted before January 1, 2020, there is no requirement for an ethics committee permission document. According to the research results, as the costs of occupational health and safety services, fire and training increased, accident severity rates has decreased. However, the impact of other variables on accident severity rates was not statistically significant. Thus, construction enterprises that want to decrease the accident severity rates in their projects need to emphasise occupational health and safety services, fire, and training criteria.