Civilian Workers Research Articles

Variations in Head-and-Face Shape of Chinese Civilian Workers

This study aims to elucidate variations in head-and-face shape among the Chinese civilian workers. Most respirator manufacturers are using outdated, Western anthropometric data to design respirators for the Chinese workers. Therefore, newly acquired anthropometric data specific to the Chinese population are needed to create more effective personal protective equipment. The three-dimensional (3D) head scans of 350 participants, who were selected from the 3000 participants in the 2006 Chinese Anthropometric Survey, were processed using geometric processing techniques. Each scan was then linked with the others, making statistical shape analysis on a dense set of 3D points possible. Furthermore, this provided for the reduction of scan noise as well as for the patching of holes. Following general scan correspondence and fine tuning, principal component analysis was used to analyze the variability in head-and-face shape of the 3D images. More than 90% of the variability among head-and-face shapes was accounted for with 26 principal components. Future study is recommended so the overall usefulness of the point cloud-based approach for the quantification of variations in facial morphology may be determined.

Integrating Military and Veteran Culture in Social Work Education: Implications for Curriculum Inclusion

This article explores the conceptual question of how to best integrate military culture and issues into social work education. Military service members, veterans, and their families are returning to civilian communities with the ending of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and seeking community-based providers for health and mental health treatments. Civilian social workers need to have an appreciation for the unique psychosocial stressors and needs of this population to be able to engage and intervene effectively with them. The military lifestyle and its demands require an understanding of topics that include coping and adaptation to stress, ecological and systems theories, family roles and functioning, community capacity to support the population, and the effect of these across the lifespan.

From Combat to Khakis: An Exploratory Examination of Job Stress With Veterans

Veterans are having a difficult time reintegrating back into the civilian sector following their service, with nearly 44% reporting some type of problem. The experienced stress and resultant strain associated with this reintegration may be caused by an incongruence between veterans’ military identities and their civilian work environments, a form of strain we term veteran identity strain (Vet-IS). To better understand the experienced strain associated with incongruent veteran and civilian work identities, we examine the effects of military rank on Vet-IS, the moderating role of political skill on the relationship between rank and Vet-IS, and how this relationship affects the outcomes of work intensity and vigor. A mediated moderation analysis of 251 veterans provided support for most study hypotheses, which predicted that rank would have an indirect effect on work intensity and vigor through Vet-IS, conditional upon veterans’ levels of political skill. Contributions and future research directions are discussed.

Analysis of new workers' compensation claims in the Department of Defense civilian workforce, 2000-2012.

This study of Department of Defense (DoD) civilian employees Workers' Compensation (WC) claims for chargeback year 2000 through 2012 aimed to analyze the frequency, rates, and costs of WC claims representing 5% of the DoD annual personnel budget. A multiyear cross-sectional study of WC claims data identified the top five most frequent causes, natures, and anatomical sites; changes in frequency, worker age, costs, and time were evaluated for trends. The annual frequency and rate of new DoD WC claims decreased over time, whereas costs per new claim have increased. New claim frequencies, rates, and costs aggregated in older age groups. The increasing trend in costs of each claim and the overall program costs presents a need for case management. Analysis of WC claims data is necessary to help target injury prevention efforts and reduce program costs.

Revolution, Work, Resistance: French Personalism's Connections with Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy

Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy's Die Europäischen Revolutionen: Die Volkscharaktere und Staatenbildung (1931) was enthusiastically reviewed at the time by Alexandre Marc (1904–2000), originator of pre-war French Personalism in the Ordre Nouveau group and of a radical wing of Europe's post-war federalist movement. This school of critical thought's concept of revolution found confirmation in Rosenstock-Huessy's ‘favorite book'. Its idea of a civilian work service also had a counterpart in the volunteer work camps Rosenstock-Huessy set up in Silesia, as documented in his previous book, Das Arbeitslager, edited with Carl Dietrich von Trotha, one of his students among future leaders of the Kreisau Circle. As a pro-European activist, Trotha would later cross paths with Marc through another German Resistance network, the Red Orchestra, whose leader Harro Schulze-Boysen had been Ordre Nouveau's ally. Rosenstock-Huessy thus appears at the centre of a little-known web of interconnections between German and French ‘Third-Way’ currents, to be unravelled here.

The Role of Umuada Igbo in Conflict Management and Development in Nigeria

The Umuada Igbo in Igbo cultural group is one of the most organized, peaceful and endowed women groups in Nigeria. As individuals and as a group, their contributions as farmers, civil workers and managers of human welfare are central to the ability of households, communities and nation to tackle the challenges of poverty and conflicts. It is to be noted, however, that the Umuada Igbo like other women groups from other nations suffer from decreased access to resources and paternalistic domination. However, their traditional and modern contributions make them to be no “pushovers” in the political, economic, religious and social life of the nation. Their roles in these areas are acknowledged. Their developmental efforts are remarkable in the families, communities and the Church. In families and communities, their reconciliatory roles are unsurpassed in support of their husbands, and the empowerment of rural women since they appreciate that empowerment is essential for a new world order and essential to find solutions to many conflicts. To achieve this, an environment for peace has to be created. As an organized group, they have established goals and strategies to pursue peace. This paper aims at studying their roles as agents of reconciliation and vanguards of development in pre-colonial and post-colonial modern Igbo land of Africa. John Burton’s Human Needs model (theory) was adopted as a theoretical tool of analysis. Suggestions were proffered on how to use the Umuada as an agency of development to improve the status of women in the society.

Bridging Cultures during the Cold War: The British Army of the Rhine’s (BAOR) Dortmund Garrison and their German Civilian Workers

The Cold War, opening immediately after the Second World War, ensured the continuation of a British military presence in Germany for nearly 70 years. This paper looks at the societal aspects left behind when the British left the Ruhr city of Dortmund in 1996. Using the results of qualitative, sociological research carried out in Germany during 2013, it focuses on the ‘German Civilian Units’ within the British Army of the Rhine, and the role of the barracks which long housed the British occupational forces and acted as places to bridge two cultures. These places are shown to have grown into landscapes in which identities were formed and Anglo-German relations established. It is also argued that physical places can have a great impact on people who have sustained contact with them, so that meaning is added to them, which in turn, influences lives.

Health effects of occupational exposure to uranium: Do physicochemical properties matter?

Purpose: Physicochemical properties of uranium, including isotopic composition and solubility, are determinants of its toxicity. We reviewed epidemiological studies in civilian and military workers known to be exposed to uranium with different physicochemical properties to investigate its long-term effects, such as cancerous and circulatory diseases.Materials and methods: We systematically searched the Pubmed and the Scopus databases to identify studies of uranium- processing workers (published between 1980 and 2013) and veterans of the wars in the Persian Gulf and the Balkans (published between 1991 and 2013) in which defined outcomes, such as lung, lymphohematopoietic, kidney cancers, and circulatory diseases were examined. Results from these studies in terms of risk of each health outcome (mortality or incidence) and analyses of dose-response relationship were examined to present the impact of uranium physicochemical properties on the observed results.Results: Twenty-seven articles were reviewed. There is some evidence for increased lung cancer risk among uranium-processing workers. The evidence is less strong for lymphohematopoietic cancer. We found that most of the studies insufficiently assessed the physicochemical properties of uranium and some of them used proxies for the exposure assessment and risk estimation analyses. Studies of veterans of the wars in the Persian Gulf and the Balkans are uninformative in respect to internal uranium exposure.Conclusions: Existing epidemiological data on the physicochemical properties of uranium and associated health outcomes are inconclusive. Further studies among certain groups of uranium-processing workers (uranium-enrichment and fuel-fabrication workers) could contribute to our knowledge of the health effects of uranium with respect to its physicochemical properties.

Prevalence of silicosis among Xiangyang-Chongqing Railway construction workers 40 years after dust exposure

To investigate the prevalence of silicosis among workers who had participated in tunnelling of the Xiangyang-Chongqing Railway construction project and had returned to their home town and lived free of dust exposure for 40 years, and to provide a scientific basis for government decision. A total of 3417 civilian workers who had participated in tunnelling of the Xiangyang-Chongqing railway construction project during 1968 to 1972 were subjected to high-kV chest X-ray for primary examination. The suspected cases of silicosis underwent examination in Chongqing Center for Disease Control and Prevention for a confirmed diagnosis. Among the 3661 workers who were to undergo physical examination as planned, 3417 (93.34%) actually participated in this examination. The detection rate of silicosis was 9.34% (319/3417), including 192 cases of stage I, 116 cases of stage II, and 11 cases of stage III. No significant difference was found in average exposure time between different stages (F = 1.873, P > 0.05). The detection rate of silicosis was the highest among pneumatic drill workers, followed by tunnelling workers, blasters, supporting workers, and persons doing casual work. Significant difference was found in detection rate between different types of workers (χ² = 112.79, P < 0.05). Four decades after dust exposure, the prevalence of silicosis among workers who participated in tunnelling of the Xiangyang-Chongqing Railway construction project remains serious. Routine examination for silicosis, as well as documentation of patients' health status and follow-up investigation, should be carried out in these workers.

Analyzing Factors Affecting User Acceptance of Korea's Social Security Information System

Organizational innovation specialists and scholars suggest that the success of incorporation of new systems and technologies into an organization correlates to the degree of acceptance of its affected members. This research was administered in an involuntary environment in which civil workers in charge of social welfare were introduced to a new social security information system, called

‘Woe Betide Us If They Win!’: National Socialist Treatment of the Spanish ‘Volunteer’ Workers

AbstractDuring 1941 the need for workers in Germany increased. As a result, the National Socialists requested allied and neutral countries to recruit volunteer workers. The total number of volunteers from these countries employed by the Nazis during the Second World War was similar to the total number of the civilian workers from occupied Poland. In spite of the better conditions offered to these volunteers and the efforts to indoctrinate them, the National Socialists failed to attract them to their cause. This article examines the reasons for this failure, taking as an example the case of the Spanish volunteers. The research is mainly based on the documents of the German-Spanish Society (Deutsch-Spanische Gesellschaft, DSG) of Berlin, which was the principal intermediary between the Spanish volunteers, and the National Socialist and Spanish authorities.

Incidence and Predictors of Hand-Arm Musculoskeletal Complaints among Vibration-exposed African Cassava and Corn Millers.

BackgroundCassava and corn milling is a growing small-scale enterprise in Africa. We aimed to determine the incidence of hand–arm musculoskeletal complaints among vibration-exposed Congolese cassava and corn millers in the previous 12 months.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted, prior to a follow-up study, from March to May 2013 among cassava/corn millers in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo, in which 365 millers age-matched to 365 civil workers anonymously answered a questionnaire.ResultsOverall incidence of hand–arm musculoskeletal complaints was 25.8% in millers (vs. 5.2% in civil workers; p < 0.001). The risk of experiencing musculoskeletal symptoms was seven times higher in millers [vs. civil workers; odds ratio (OR) = 7.10; 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.03–12.50; p < 0.0001]; 2.4 times higher in smoking millers (vs. smoking civil office workers; OR = 2.36; 95% CI: 1.42–3.88; p < 0.001); 3.6 times higher in millers with longer daily exposure (> 8 hours; vs. those working ≤ 8 hours; OR = 3.56; 95% CI: 1.93–3.61; p = 0.026); and 7.4 times higher in young millers (vs. older millers, OR = 7.39; 95% CI: 1.29–75.52; p < 0.001). Smoking, number of cigarettes, and daily exposure duration were positively correlated with musculoskeletal complaints.ConclusionThis study revealed a relatively high incidence of musculoskeletal complaints among African cassava and corn millers. The use of anti-vibration protective equipment and the regulation of this hazardous occupation may reduce the burden of musculoskeletal disorders in millers.

Counseling Male Members of the Canadian Forces

The lives of men working in the Canadian Forces (CF) are vastly different from civilian life. The hardships and competition they endure often results in impersonal and alienating feelings. Such a life demands that their personal needs are subsumed by the overarching goals of the institution, necessitating that all men embrace the dictums of the CF. As a result of these unique hardships, the psychological well-being among the regular forces is generally worse compared to civilian workers. Counselors need to attune psychotherapy to the specific psychological and sociocultural adaptation stresses that these men have experienced as part of the military acculturation process that shifts them to embrace a more “militarized” worldview. Counselors should alter their approach to accommodate the traditional masculine ideology that underlies how these military men interface with the world. Lastly, counselors should rely on counseling interventions that promote therapeutic lifestyle changes and build on psychological resilience, such as skills building, therapeutic enactment, and mindfulness-based therapies.

Occupational exposure to noise and hearing thresholds among civilian aircraft maintenance workers

High noise exposure is anticipated to be present in the aircraft maintenance operations in civil aviation sector. The objective of the present study is the assessment of noise exposure and hearing threshold of the aircraft maintenance workers in this sector. Noise levels were measured in the aircraft hangers and in the workshops at a main international airport in Saudi Arabia. Two hundred aircraft maintenance workers were subjected to pure tone audiometry. The average Leq,8h at most of the aircraft maintenance operations was considerably high and most of the workers (89.5%) were exposed to noise levels ≥85 dBA. Frequency analysis of sound pressure levels revealed that the contribution of the octave bands 1, 2 and 4 kHz to the overall noise level was high. The audiograms of the examined workers showed significant hearing impairment as compared to non-noise-exposed Saudi employees. Although the observed excessive noise levels can cause hearing loss, the effect among the studied aircraft maintenance workers was mild. This might be attributed to the usage of hearing protection devices, the intermittent nature of the workers' exposure to noise and job rotation. Statistical analysis revealed significant association of both age and usage of hearing protectors with hearing loss. The effect of exposure duration on hearing loss was also detected. Relevance to industryUnlike military aircraft maintenance workers, exposure of civilian workers to noise is not sufficiently addressed. The data presented in this study may be used to set appropriate measures for hearing protection among those workers.

Investing in Vets: Strategies to Help Returning Gulf War Vets Enter the Civilian Work Force Successfully

This article discusses the need for an integrated and active change management approach by social workers working in American businesses to develop corporate policies that address the work and personal concerns of the Gulf War Era II veterans who will be returning home over the next 3 years. Many of these veterans were involved in intense combat and/or served multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. The challenges that veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan face in their efforts to find jobs and productive work, to establish relationships at work, to remain steadily employed and fulfilled, and to further their education, are discussed.

The Impact of Military Work Experience on Later Hiring Chances in the Civilian Labour Market. Evidence from a Field Experiment

Abstract This study directly assesses the impact of military work experience compared with civilian work experience in similar jobs on the subsequent chances of being hired in the civilian labour market. It does so through a field experiment in the Belgian labour market. A statistical examination of our experimental dataset shows that in general we cannot reject that employers are indifferent to whether job candidates gained their experience in a civilian or a military environment.

EXPLAINING EARLY EXIT RATES FROM THE ROYAL NAVY

The Royal Navy (RN) is striving to achieve the right manpower mix through improved retention levels. This paper analyses the ratings’ exit patterns from the RN using a hazard regression framework. We hypothesise that similar to civilian workers, job transition decisions of the RN ratings are dependent upon alternative job availability and macroeconomic conditions. In addition, working conditions, gender and skill mix, family commitments and promotion prospects in the Navy influence their decisions to leave early. We estimate the unemployment elasticity for males to be −0.65 (female −0.51), which is high, compared to the elasticity reported for the US Navy. The civilian wage is positively related to exit probability from the RN. Overall, married ratings are less likely to exit as compared to their unmarried counterparts, but married female ratings are 88% more likely to leave early as compared to unmarried females in the Navy. Promotion to higher ranks reduces the probability of early exists.

Anti-Japanese Struggle of Korean Civilian Workers Attached to the Japanese Military in Indonesia in the late Stages of Japanese Imperialism

Anti-Japanese Struggle of Korean Civilian Workers Attached to the Japanese Military in Indonesia in the late Stages of Japanese Imperialism

Using Standardized Clients to Train Social Workers in Intimate Partner Violence Assessment

Evidence-based assessment in intimate partner violence (IPV) is critical to the accurate understanding of risk and to the development of interventions that increase safety. In this study standardized clients (actors) were used to train Army civilian social workers in evidence-based assessment of IPV and in the evaluation of the curriculum's effectiveness. Participation in this training curriculum increased the following: the participants' knowledge about the empirical basis for content areas explored in IPV assessment, their exploration of content critical to an IPV assessment interview, and their interviewing process skills. The results support the effectiveness of using standardized clients in IPV assessment training and evaluation.

Spanish Civilian Labour for Germany During the Second World War?

AbstractFor political reasons, the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco limited the number of civilian Spanish workers sent to Germany during the Second World War. Despite agreeing to send 100,000, the number of workers never exceeded 9,550. Their impact on the German war economy was small. This paper demonstrates that, in limiting worker transfers, Franco went against his own economic incentives, considering that the Spanish government was taking a commission from the workers’ remittances. By limiting the number of workers sent, Franco satisfied the Allies’ pressure to minimise cooperation with Germany. In support of this argument, this article offers updated estimates for the number of workers, their skill levels and remittances. It also provides the first estimates of Spanish costs and income from the programme.