Cent Of Workers Research Articles

THE DUAL CHALLENGES OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND WORKING LIFE OF CONSTRUCTION WORKERS: A CASE STUDY IN MAYURBHANJ DISTRICT OF ODISHA

Background/Objectives: Today, it is highly emphasized that construction workers participation in the path of countrys development is depending upon by enhancing their social and economic status. In construction activities, health is the important determinant of employment, and it is the deteriorating factors consider to workers especially in construction sector. They are simultaneously engaging in economic and non-economic activities. The aim of this paper is to investigate socio-economic conditions and special emphasis has given to identify the work related problems of building construction workers in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. Methods/Statistical analysis: The study largely relays on field data. A sample size of 300 building construction respondents were selected from the district by employing simple random sampling method. The respondents were interviewed with a well-structured schedule. Simple percentage and regression analysis was used to interpret the data. A multiple regression analysis has been conducted to show the economic impact of the construction work on the construction workers. The Garret Ranking Technique is used for analysing the study of problems faced by unorganised workers in Mayurbhanj District. Findings: In this multiple regression analysis saving is dependent variable whereas income, expenditure and type of work are independent variables. Income and expenditure are significant at 1 percent level and type of work is significant at 10 percent level. In the result of Garret Ranking the health hazards problem got the first rank with 89.44%, followed by ‘Heavy Physical Work got the second rank with 89.11 per cent of workers. This study concluded with some suggestions for improvement of the unorganised workers socio-economic conditions. KEY WORDS: Building workers, socio-economic Condition, work-site problems, Regression Analysis, Garret- Ranking Technique.

An Analysis of Employment Status in Indian Handloom Industry

The handloom industry provides livelihood opportunities to many rural and urban populations in India. The present research was primarily focused on 13 major handloom practising states of India, each of which had more than one per cent share of total employment in India's handloom sector and covered 93 per cent of workers in this sector. The results showed the growth of employment in the handloom weaving sector and described the status of workers in the sector. Handloom census reports 2009-10 and 2019-20 form the database for the present study. It was observed that 4 states had a positive CAGR of the number of workers in the sector from 2009 to 2019, while it declined at the national level. The research also discussed the nature of work, engagement pattern, the average number of working days, average household income etc., and identified differences among the states.

Uncovered workers in plants covered by collective bargaining: Who are they and how do they fare?

AbstractIn Germany, employers used to pay union members and non‐members in a plant the same union wage in order to prevent workers from joining unions. Using recent administrative data, we investigate which workers in firms covered by collective bargaining agreements still individually benefit from these union agreements, which workers are not covered anymore and what this means for their wages. We show that about 9 per cent of workers in plants with collective agreements do not enjoy individual coverage (and thus the union wage) anymore. Econometric analyses with unconditional quantile regressions and firm‐fixed‐effects estimations demonstrate that not being individually covered by a collective agreement has serious wage implications for most workers. Low‐wage non‐union workers and those at low hierarchy levels particularly suffer since employers abstain from extending union wages to them in order to pay lower wages. This jeopardizes unions’ goal of protecting all disadvantaged workers.

The Effects of Minimum Wage Policy on the Long‐Term Care Sector in England

AbstractThe increase in the National Minimum Wage rate in October 2015 and the introduction of the National Living Wage in April 2016 led, in a short period of time, to an aggregated increase in the wage floor of over 10 per cent for workers in England aged 25 and over. The long‐term care (LTC) sector is a labour intensive, low pay sector, and as such, can be substantially affected by changes in minimum wage. We assessed the effects of this exogenous wage increase on independent LTC providers by looking at effects on wages, employment, weekly hours, and employment contracts. Using data from the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC‐WDS) and applying a ‘before‐after’ analysis, we found that the substantial increase in minimum wage had a strong and positive effect on wages in the LTC sector, but with substantial compression of the wage distribution at the lower end. Although, as in other studies, the employment effect was rather elusive, we found that for care homes this can be partially explained by a negative effect on total weekly hours. We also found positive but short‐term effects on employment without guaranteed working hours (i.e. zero‐hour contracts) for both residential and domiciliary care.

Occupational Regulation in the European Union: Coverage and Wage Effects

AbstractWe present the first EU‐wide study on the prevalence and labour market impact of occupational regulation in the European Union. Drawing on a new EU Survey of Regulated Occupations, we find that licensing affects about 22 per cent of workers in the European Union, although there is significant variability across member states and occupations. On average, licensing is associated with a 4 per cent higher hourly wage. Using decomposition techniques we show that rent capture accounts for one‐third of this effect and the remainder is attributed to signalling. We find considerable heterogeneity in the wage gains by occupation and level of educational attainment. Finally, occupational licensing increases wage inequality. After accounting for composition effects, licensing increases the standard deviation of wages by about 0.02 log points.

The Precautionary Principle for Shift-Work Research and Decision-Making.

Shift work (working outside of 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM) is a fixture of our 24-hour economy, with approximately 18 per cent of workers in the USA engaging in shift work, many overnight. Since shift work has been linked to an increased risk for an array of serious maladies, including cardiometabolic disorders and cancer, and is done disproportionately by the poor and by minorities, shift work is a highly prevalent economic and occupational health disparity. Here we draw primarily on the state of science around shift work and breast cancer to argue that shift work represents a public health threat serious enough to warrant a precautionary stance. We use the precautionary principle to advance our case and view it as a moral compass for shift work research, empowering public health to cast shift work within the domain of health disparities deserving action despite scientific uncertainty. With the precautionary principle, we call for a deliberative decision-making process and formation of a broad shift work research collaboration to protect the health of many millions who work at night.

Vision assessment in persons with intellectual disabilities

PurposeTo investigate the degree of visual acuity in workers with intellectual disabilities and the impact of vision on their working conditions.MethodsWe recruited 224 workers (mean age 43.77 years, SD ± 12.96; range, 19–72 years) from a workshop for those with intellectual disabilities, to participate in a vision examination program. The assessment consisted of objective refraction, visual acuity, ocular motility, near‐point of convergence, cover/uncover test, stereo acuity and colour perception. Individuals with vision deficits were fitted with spectacles following the screening program.ResultsWithin the past three years, 38.9 per cent of the participants received eye care, 14.3 per cent of participants had not received eye care in more than three years, and 6.7 per cent had not received any eye care. As many as 39.7 per cent of participants did not know whether they had ever received eye care. Entering visual acuity for far vision was 0.52 dec (−0.29 logMAR) and 0.42 dec (−0.38 logMAR) for near vision. Only 14.9 per cent, 11 of all participants aged ≥50 years, owned spectacles for near vision before the examination. After subjective determination of refraction, best corrected visual acuity for far vision was 0.61 dec (−0.22 logMAR) and 0.56 dec (−0.25 logMAR) for near vision (in both cases with p < 0.001). After the examination, 44.6 per cent (33) of all workers aged ≥50 years received a recommendation for reading or bifocal spectacles. In 46 per cent of workers, the threshold of stereopsis was higher than 63 arc seconds, and some form of colour vision deficiency was measured in 12.5 per cent of participants.ConclusionsWorkers with intellectual disabilities are often unaware of their visual deficits. We found that some of their abnormalities can be solved by appropriate optical means and that they could benefit from regular eye care. These workers should be encouraged to be tested and to improve their vision with appropriate lenses.

ENSAYO DE MICRONÚCLEOS DE CITOMA BUCAL EN TRABAJADORES DE FINCAS FRUTÍCOLAS QUE HAN APLICADO PLAGUICIDAS ALREDEDOR DE QUINCE AÑOS

The application of pesticides is a common practice in agriculture. Many of these chemicals are associated with the induction of genetic damage. The chemical groups used and the methods of application vary from one region to another, what makes it difficult to transfer the evidence of genotoxicity detected in other geographical zones. In this research, the level of genetic damage was evaluated in people that have applied pesticides in fruit plantations of Mendoza, Argentina, for 15 ± 3.15 years. Buccal micronucleus cytome assay was used to determine the frequency of micronuclei and other nuclear alterations. Forty people participated in the study (field workers and a control group). Genetic damage in exposed workers showed an increase in micronucleated cells (p ≤ 0.01), nuclear buds and binucleated cells (p ≤ 0.05) compared to the control group. Sixty five per cent of workers have used between one and three personal protection elements, and 70 % have applied pesticides through a turbo disperser. The type and amount of personal protection elements, as well as the machinery used by these groups should be registered systematically in order to compare the results obtained elsewhere. The detected anomalies did not show statistical associations between the confounder factors and the types of agricultural practices. Biomarkers of genotoxicity that showed statistically significant increases in the exposed group can help to understand the current and future problems of health in the human group studied.

The effect of shift work on the diet of accident and emergency nurses at a general hospital in Malta

PurposeThe purpose of this paper was to investigate the effect of shift work on diet and lifestyle in nurses working in the accident and emergency department in a general hospital in Malta.Design/methodology/approachThis study was a cross-sectional, quantitative survey, whereby data were collected by the use of anonymous questionnaires consisting of a demographic and anthropometric questionnaire, a lifestyle questionnaire and a food frequency questionnaire to assess dietary intakes. In total, 110 nurses completed the study and were divided into three groups: day nurses, rotating-shift nurses and night-shift nurses.FindingsShift working nurses consumed significantly more energy compared to day nurses (night-shift nurses 1,963 ± 506 kcal; rotating-shift nurses 2,065 ± 655 kcal; day nurses 1,722 ± 486 kcal; p = 0.04). Shift working nurses also consumed more protein (p = 0.04), fat (p = 0.047) and fibre (p = 0.005) compared to day nurses; however, day nurses were the most likely to smoke (p = 0.009).Practical implicationsShift work does influence the diet of nurses in Malta. It is recommended that access to healthy food, and time and facilities for physical activity are made available across all working hours and that nurses aim to exercise regularly, eat healthily, quit smoking if necessary and get good-quality sleep where possible.Originality/valueIn total, 22 per cent of workers in Malta work shifts, and Malta currently has one of the highest rates of obesity in Europe. This study considers the impact of shift work on diet.

Savings banks and working-class saving during the Swedish industrialisation

This article deals with savings banks and the extent to which they encouraged workers to save. A study of probate inventories from three Swedish towns shows that just 20–30 per cent of workers had assets in savings banks during the second half of the nineteenth century. Saving patterns differed greatly among groups of workers. Savings banks were most important for unskilled, unmarried women, but married workers were more likely to invest in, for example, real estate (1870s) and insurance (1900s). Family considerations greatly affected saving decisions, which detracted from the appeal of savings banks. Their emphasis on individual saving was more suitable for those who needed a flexible alternative to use for different saving needs. This flexibility also made it easier for savings banks to meet growing competition and can explain why they continued to attract workers in the twentieth century. Although savings banks never dominated the workers' saving arena, they probably promoted unmarried workers' awareness of the advantages of saving. Consequently, since all married workers had previously been unmarried, savings banks most likely contributed to fostering saving habits among the working class.

Woodworking injuries: A comparative study of work-related and hobby-related accidents

The primary objective of this study was to describe the injury characteristics and demographics of patients injured during woodworking activities, upon their arrival to the emergency department in a regional of France where this industry is prevalent. The secondary objective was to compare patient and injury characteristics for work-related and hobby-related accidents. A cohort of 87 patients who had suffered a woodworking accident over a two-year period was evaluated; 79 were available for follow-up. The context and circumstances of the accident, nature and location of the injuries and patient demographics were recorded. Hobby-related accidents accounted for two-thirds of the accidents (51/79). Most of the injured workers were either loggers (35%) or carpenters (46%). The hand was injured in 53 cases (67%). Work-related accidents resulted in significantly more serious consequences in terms of hospital stay, work stoppage, resumption of work or retraining than hobby-related accidents. For the workplace accidents, 86% occurred on new machines; more than 25% of the machines involved in accidents at home were over 15 years. Sixty-eight per cent of workers were wearing their safety gear, while only 31% of those injured during recreational woodworking wore the appropriate gear. Several elements of prevention should be improved: information about the need to maintain the equipment, protect the worker with suitable clothing, and learn which maneuvers are considered hazardous. Safety gear should be regularly inspected in the workplace.

Workplace bullying and incivility: a systematic review of interventions

Purpose– Workplace mistreatment has a negative impact on the health and well-being of approximately 20 per cent of workers. Despite this, few interventions have been evaluated and published. The purpose of this paper is to address the question “what interventions designed to reduce workplace bullying or incivility are effective and what can be learnt from evaluated interventions for future practice?”Design/methodology/approach– A systematic review was undertaken in which 11 electronic databases were searched, yielding 5,364 records. Following screening on abstract and title, 31 papers were retained for detailed review and quality assessment. Subsequently, 12 interventions to address workplace bullying or incivility were critically appraised.Findings– The papers spanned a wide range of approaches to and assumptions about resolving the problem of bullying and/or incivility. Half the studies focused on changing individual behaviours or knowledge about bullying or incivility, and duration of intervention ranged from two hours to two years. Only four studies were controlled before-after studies. Only three studies were classed as “moderate” in terms of quality, two of which were effective and one of which was partially effective.Originality/value– A final synthesis of results of the review indicate that multi-component, organisational level interventions appear to have a positive effect on levels of incivility, and should be considered as a basis for developing interventions to address workplace bullying.

SAFETY AND HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT AT OMAN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

In this research a field survey was conducted via 30 interviews with safety and health experts and risk management staff in the field of construction industry in Oman followed by a questionnaire divided into six categories. 151 responses were analysed. The aim was to explore the availability, awareness, type and implementation of ORA. Six key risks were identified; namely: working at heights; working on fragile roofs; using electrical equipment; working under high voltage overhead power lines; working in confined spaces; working without knowing how to use the provided emergency equipment. All respondents were male gender and 61 per cent of them were below the age of 40. 59 per cent of respondents have education equal to or below the national diploma (≤ 12 level). 75.5 per cent of the respondents work in construction industry followed by the consultants (19%). 53 per cent of respondents were labourers and technicians. 96 per cent of projects were residential, commercial or a combination of residential and commercials buildings. 81.3 per cent of workers were having equal or less than 10 years of experience in the construction projects. 53 per cent of respondents never experienced fatality during their work. 53.6 per cent of respondents indicated that they do not have Risk Assessment Matrix for Occupational Safety and Health. All respondents agreed that it is important or very important to apply Occupational Risk Assessment Matrix in accordance with the local regulations. Only 42.4 per cent strongly agree that HSE personal should carry out risk assessment before any activity. Most respondents showed willingness of applying risk management by workers.

Socio-economic Status of Fish Farmers in Arunachal Pradesh: An Analytical Study

Agriculture is the main source of livelihood for the majority of the people of Arunachal Pradesh, the eastern most State of India, accounting for nearly 32 per cent of NSDP and more than 60 per cent of workers engaged in agricultural activity. Given the hilly topography (only around five per cent land is available for cultivation) and continuing dominance of low productivity shifting cultivation, diversification of agriculture that raises the earnings of those dependent on agriculture remains one of the fundamental challenges. On the other hand the State has untapped potential for fisheries in terms of many rivers, wetlands, ponds, lakes and area under rice-fish culture system. Hence, in this background the present paper makes an in-depth study of socio-economic status of fish farmers in Arunachal Pradesh. The study is based on both secondary data and primary data which is collected from 300 sampled fish farmers of the State by applying multistage sampling technique.

The Effects of Over, Required and Under-Education on Earnings in Manufacturing Sector in Malaysia

This paper presents returns to education by taking into account the quality of jobs match held by workers in the manufacturing sector of Malaysia. This type of study is quite rare not only in the country but also across developing nations. Using the Second Malaysia Productivity Investment Climate Survey (PICS-2), nearly 20 per cent and 30 per cent of workers employed in jobs for which they are overeducated and undereducated, respectively. Further findings indicated that over-education is more acute amongst highly-educated workers whilst under-education is more evident for lowly educated workers. By gender, women have a higher proportion of over-educated workers compared to men. Consequently, over-education leads to lower productivity in terms of earnings. In the study, augmented Mincer earnings equation, i.e. the ORU model clearly showed that although returns to surplus education was positive ( ), the return was lower thanthe returns to required education ( ), approximately 6 per cent against 10 per cent. This means that overeducated workers earn significantly lower than their co-workers who are in similar jobs but who have less education, but well matched. Moreover, the ORU model signified that returns to required education was much greater than returns to actual educational attainment. All of these implied that the rate of return to education depends on the allocation of skills over jobs where earnings is not fully embodied but is (partly) determined by job characteristics and/or by the quality of the match between skills supplied by the worker and skills required by the job. Nevertheless, the situation of over-education among highly educated workers in the Malaysian labour market may impede the country’s intention to move toward the state of being a high-income country, as outlined in the “New Economic Model” blueprint, since it reduces individuals’ productivity. JEL Classifications: J24, J31 Keywords: Over-education, required education, surplus education.

Productivity, wages, and the returns to firm-provided training: fair shared capitalism?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which the productivity gains associated with workplace training are shared by both the firms concerned and their workers. The approach is both theoretical and empirical as an explicit formula for the internal rate of return for firms and workers is derived; and production and cost functions are estimated in conjunction with wage and productivity equations. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a unique linked employer-employee longitudinal dataset with detailed information on firm formal training and run regression models to obtain the determinants of the internal rate of return to firm-sponsored training. Analysis of training costs is also provided as well as the econometric framework required to control for firm heterogeneity. Findings – The results obtained from the model specifications indicate that an additional hour of training per worker results in an increase of 0.12 per cent in productivity and 0.04 per cent in wages, or an increase of 0.16 and 0.08 per cent, respectively, if one uses firm training as a stock variable. It is also found that 82 per cent of the gains in productivity are captured by firms and 18 per cent by workers. Given the training costs, it is obtained an IRR of 13 per cent for firms and 33 per cent for workers at sample means. Practical implications – Training investments are good otherwise they would not even be considered by firms. However, knowing with greater accuracy the gains captured by firms (and workers) is critical for policy makers in their decision-making process. The estimates found in the paper shows that firm training is a genuinely worthwhile investment for all participants. Originality/value – The authors derive an explicit formula for the internal rate of return to firm-sponsored training and provide workers’ and firms’ shares of the productivity gains using firm-level data. Another original contribution is that the gains enjoyed by firms are computed as net gains, that is, net of the training costs on the one hand, and net of all the gains accruing to workers through higher wages on the other.

Psychiatric evaluation of a group of workers in the aluminium industry

Objective The aim of the study was to assess cognitive functions, depression, anxiety, and personality changes in workers in the aluminium industry. Participants and methods A cross-sectional analytical study was carried out on 50 workers employed in ‘General Metal Company’, which manufactures aluminium. Fifty individuals with no history of occupational exposure to aluminium were randomly selected from relatives of patients attending the outpatient clinic of industrial medicine in Kasr Al Aini hospital to form a control group. Both groups were matched for age and sex. All of the examined individuals were subjected to clinical, laboratory and environmental examinations that included aluminium and copper dust measurement, noise measurement and heat measurement. The workers were diagnosed according to the ICD-10 research diagnostic criteria. Both groups were subjected to different neuropsychological tests that included the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS). Results The results showed that serum and urinary aluminium levels were higher in the exposed group when compared with the control group (nonexposed group), with highly statistically significant differences. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups with respect to serum copper. There were statistically significant differences between them in all subtests of the WMS (information, orientation, logical memory, digit span and associate learning) except with respect to mental control. Most cases were within the normal range of values according to MMSE, but there was a statistically significant difference. There was a statistically significant difference between the exposed and control individuals as regards all subscales of the EPQ (psychotism, neurotism, extroversion, lying and criminality). Seven per cent of workers had severe depression, 11% had moderate depression and 25% had mild depression in the exposed group, whereas 20% had mild depression in the control group. There was a statistically significant difference between the exposed and control group with respect to depression. Six per cent of workers in the exposed group had severe anxiety, whereas 30 and 34% had mild and moderate anxiety levels, respectively. There was a highly statistically significant difference between the exposed and control groups with respect to anxiety. There was statistically significant negative correlations between serum and urinary aluminium level and the information, logical memory and digit span subtests of the WMS. Serum copper shows no significant correlations with all subtests of Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS). The increase in serum and urinary aluminium levels led to a decrease in the scores of MMSE (a negative correlation, which was statistically significant). In contrast, serum copper showed no statistically significant correlation with the scores on MMSE. There was no statistically significant correlation between metal levels in the exposed group (serum aluminium, urinary aluminium and serum copper) and any of the parameters of the Eysnek personality test, apart from criminality, which seemed to have a statistically significant positive correlation with serum aluminium level. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between serum aluminium and HDRS, whereas there was no statistically significant correlation between urinary aluminium and serum copper with HARS. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between serum aluminium and the HARS. With respect to urinary aluminium and serum copper, there was no statistically significant correlation with the HARS. Conclusion The study showed that exposed workers in the aluminium industry are suffering from cognitive decline, memory affection, depression, anxiety and personality changes. Proper monitoring and improved hazard control are strongly recommended.

Influência da posição ortostática na ocorrência de sintomas e sinais clínicos de venopatias de membros inferiores em trabalhadores de uma gráfica na cidade do Recife-PE

Embora ainda não haja evidência da relação direta causa-efeito da doença venosa com o trabalho, existe consenso atual na opinião médica de que a postura de trabalho pode agravar o desenvolvimento da mesma. O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a influência da permanência prolongada na postura ortostática com o desencadeamento e/ou agravamento de sinais e sintomas referentes aos transtornos venosos de membros inferiores em funcionários de uma gráfica em Recife, entre maio e julho de 2008. Foram analisadas as condições e os meios que são colocados à disposição do trabalhador para desenvolver sua atividade laboral. Os funcionários responderam a um questionário onde foram abordadas questões referentes aos transtornos circulatórios de membros inferiores com queixas ao longo do dia e no final do expediente de trabalho. Também foi realizada a perimetria dos membros inferiores antes e após a jornada de trabalho. Foi observada a presença de varizes em 64% dos funcionários e o aumento das medidas de perimetria em todos os funcionários após a jornada de trabalho. Dentre as queixas relatadas, destaca-se a sensação de peso e cansaço, dores, cãimbras e presença de edema nos membros inferiores. Os resultados indicam uma associação positiva entre as condições de trabalho no setor investigado e o surgimento ou agravamento de sinais e sintomas referentes aos transtornos venosos nos membros inferiores nos funcionários.

Gendered, Invisible Work in Non‐profit Social Service Organizations: Implications for Worker Health and Safety

Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) play an important role in the provision of health and social services. In Canada the nonprofit sector includes 7.5 million volunteers and employs over 1.6 million paid workers. The sector is overwhelmingly female‐dominated — women make up over 80 per cent of workers in these nonprofit services. Work performed by women has traditionally been undervalued and invisible. It has often been considered safe by researchers, employers, policymakers and sometimes even workers themselves. Although there is some indication that jobs in the restructuring social services sector can be characterized by constant demand, high stress and violence, research into the working conditions and health hazards of these types of jobs has not been a priority. Using data from a qualitative study examining work in NPOs, we trace the ways that work performed in these workplaces is both gendered and invisible. We identify three types of invisible labour. ‘Background work’ facilitates and supports more visible and recognized organizational activities. Certain organizational language obscures the full spectrum of work that takes place in the organizations and the risks it may involve. ‘Empathy work’ includes the relationship building, counselling and crisis intervention that comprise key components of social service delivery. ‘Emotional labour’ involves the management of client emotions and workers' own emotions in the process of working with clients and delivering care under conditions of scarcity and contraction. The invisibility of these activities means that much of the day‐to‐day work done in the organizations, while particularly important in the context of social service restructuring, is taken‐for‐granted and undervalued by organizational outsiders. As a result, many of the hazards present in the jobs are hidden from view and workers' health may be compromised. We argue that the invisibility and taken‐for‐grantedness of certain types of work in NPOs is reflected in, and constitutive of, particular exclusions and shortcomings of current occupational health and safety systems designed to protect the health of workers.

Dual sensitization to rat and mouse urinary allergens reflects cross‐reactive molecules rather than atopy

Sensitization to rats and mice can develop in laboratory animal workers exposed to only one species. Reasons for this dual sensitization are unclear but may reflect a genetic predisposition to developing allergy (atopy) or alternatively cross-reactivity between rat and mouse urinary allergens. We examined cross-reactivity between rat and mouse urine and the effect atopy has on dual sensitization in laboratory animal workers. In a cross-sectional study the frequency of sensitization to rat and/or mouse was analysed in 498 employees exposed to both rat and mouse at work and 220 to rat only. RAST inhibitions, western blots and blot inhibitions were carried out on a subset of five individuals to assess cross-reactivity. Fourteen per cent of workers were sensitized to rats and 9% to mouse. Over half (62%) of rat sensitized individuals were also mouse sensitized and the majority (91%) of mouse sensitized individuals were also rat sensitized. IgE cross-reactivity was demonstrated between rat and mouse urine using RAST inhibitions. Rates of atopy did not differ between rat only sensitized individuals compared with those sensitized to both species. Sensitization to cats and rabbits was more common amongst those with dual sensitization. Dual sensitization to rat and mouse reflects IgE cross-reactivity rather than atopy. Individuals with dual sensitization are more likely to be sensitized to other animal allergens. These findings will have implications for individuals working with only one rodent species who develop sensitization and symptoms to be aware of the potential for allergy to other species.