Health Status Of Employees Research Articles

Investigation of an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease: Hereford, UK 2003

This report describes the investigation and control of a community outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Hereford, UK, in November 2003. Outbreak investigation consisted of epidemiological survey, identification and environmental investigation of potential sources, microbiological analysis of clinical and environmental samples and mapping the location of potential sources and the movement and residence of cases. Each identified source was allocated a 'composite score' based on different zones of exposure and wind direction. Altogether, 28 cases were identified, with an overall case fatality rate of 7%. All cases had epidemiological links to Hereford city centre. The 'composite score' identified a cluster of cooling towers as being the most likely source of the outbreak. Environmental samples from one of the cooling towers in the cluster and clinical samples from two patients were positive for Legionella pneumophilia serogroup 1 and were indistinguishable by molecular sub-typing. In this outbreak, the use of microbiological, environmental and epidemiological techniques facilitated the rapid identification of a cooling tower as the source of this outbreak. This study illustrates the continuing importance of cooling towers as a source of Legionnaires' disease and the utility of obtaining and comparing both clinical and environmental samples.

Promoting Health at the Workplace: Challenges of Prevention, Productivity, and Program Implementation

In the current complex employment landscape providing employer-sponsored benefits involves much more than offering financial protection when employee illness drives a need for costly medical treatment. The transitions in work from product/service production to knowledge generation, along with the transitions in the predominant health and disease conditions from acute illness to preventable chronic disease, require employers to recognize the need to manage their health investment more strategically. This includes the more recent requirement to maximize their investment by ensuring that provisions for maintaining and improving employee health status are incorporated into their health benefits approach. Meanwhile employee health improvement, a highly active but emerging field, is in the process of incorporating experience, research, and more effective methods that result in favorable and demonstrable employee health (and corporate cost-benefit) outcomes.

Effectiveness of an Incentive-Based Online Physical Activity Intervention on Employee Health Status

The objective of this study was to test whether a financial incentive integrated with health benefits for an online physical activity program was associated with increased employee participation and improved health status among participants compared with nonparticipants. Participation in the Virtual Fitness Center (VFC), an online physical activity program associated with a 150 dollars cash rebate, was assessed. Risk status for 2004 VFC participants and nonparticipants was compared using a health risk appraisal. A total of 53.8% of total eligible employees were VFC participants and reduced their risk for physical inactivity (8.4% points), life dissatisfaction (2.1), low perception of health (1.9), high risk status (1.3), smoking (0.4), and high body weight (0.2). Providing a cash incentive is one strategy for encouraging VFC participation and eliciting improved health status in an employer-sponsored, web-based physical activity program.

A survey on mental health status of employees in soft-ware enterprise

目的 了解软件企业(以下简称软企)职工心身健康水平及影响因素.方法采用症状自评量表(SCL-90,不含精神病因子)、应激敏感性量表(SUS)、简易应对方式问卷(CPS)以及自拟的应激感受量表(SRS),对软企职工进行评估,并采用t检验及多因素逐步回归分析的方法研究其心身健康状况及影响因素.结果软企职工SCL-90中强迫、偏执两因子均分显著高于全国常模.依次为:(1.74±0.57)分vs(1.62±0.58)分(P＜0.01);(1.50±0.54)分vs(1.43±0.57)分(P＜0.01).人际关系敏感、焦虑两因子均分低于全国常模.依次为:(1.59±0.55)分vs(1.65±0.51)分(P＜0.05);(1.34±0.43)分vs(1.39±0.43)分(P＜0.05).有8%的软企职工存在不同程度的心身健康问题,其中较为常见的心理症状为强迫、人际关系敏感、偏执、敌对与焦虑等.积极、消极应对方式分均显著高于常模.依次为:(3.22±0.52)分vs(1.78±0.52)分(P＜0.01);(2.36±0.54)分vs(1.59±0.66)分(P＜0.01).家庭应激、社交应激、SUS总分、工作应激、性别及消极应对方式依次进入回归方程.结论软企职工的心身健康问题不容忽视.应激的高感受量与高敏感性、应激应付资源的缺乏是导致心身健康状况不良的重要因素,女性较男性更易出现心身症状。

Incapacity for work of employees of the selected metallurgical plant related to age.

Evaluation of the health state of employees in relation to the working environment is one of the main tasks of occupational medicine. The specified results represent a part of a methodically oriented project which was focused on evaluation of: age structures of employees in the metallurgical plant being monitored in comparison with the age structure in the whole region, evaluation of the health status of employees in the plan by means of absolute and relative indicators of morbidity and even their dependence on age. The analysis was carried out during three successive years in approximately 10 000 employees of a metallurgical plant. The selected six groups of diagnoses represented from 40 % to 50 % of all employees suffering from a disease. Particularly the following diagnoses according to the International Classification of Diseases were involved there: I10-I15 (hypertensive disease), I20-I25 (ischaemic heart disease), J00-J06 (acute infections of upper respiratory airways), K20-K31 (diseases of oesophagus, stomach and duodenum), M15-M19 (arthroses) and M50-M54 (dorsopathies). The age structure of employees related to men and women was considerably statistically significantly different from the age structure of the region. From the economic point of view on incapacity for work, we consider the number of days of absence from work for the reason of the disease as an indicator with the highest informative value. We noted two dominative maxima in men and women for this characteristic. A proportion of patients with acute infections of upper respiratory airways ranged from 40 % to 50 % out of total cases of diagnoses we have followed up, the highest number of patients was in men aged 20-24 with a subsequent significant decrease. We did not find any noticeable dependence on age for this diagnosis in women, only a slight increase in older age categories was evident. Dorsopathies are the second most frequent group; they were from 30 to 38 % out of all monitored diseases. The age dependence was evident especially in women aged 40+. Considering duration of incapacity for work and its repeatability, dorsopathies seem to be the most relevant health problem in employees in heavy industry, and especially in women. The participation of the remaining four selected groups of diseases is relatively low. Both in men and women, the hypertensive disease ranged from 1.9 %-3.7 %, ischaemic heart disease from 0.4 %-6.5 %, diseases of oesophagus, stomach and duodenum from 5.3 %-9.0 % and arthroses from 4.7 %-6.8 % in three years in question.

日本語版Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (RAS)の作成と信頼性・妥当性の検討

The present study investigated the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (RAS) preparatory to study the relationship between self-expression skills and mental health status of employees at a Japanese worksite. Assertiveness is one of self-expression skills and defined as standing up for one's own rights as well as for others. RAS that the most widely used was developed by Rathus in the U.S.A. and consists of 30 items. We developed the Japanese version of RAS (J-RAS) along with a back-translation. The subjects were 173 participants of a 2-day assertiveness training course from July to December, 2001 and 364 workers in a manufacturing company in the Kyushu area. We sent the J-RAS to the 173 participants before they commenced the course, and of them 170 participants returned sufficient answers for analysis. During the course their trainers completed the objective evaluations on assertive self-expression. We compared their answers with the trainers' evaluations by the Pearson's correlation to certify the J-RAS's validity. We also mailed the J-RAS to the manufacturing workers in June, 2001. Of them, 266 workers returned sufficient answers by the end of the month. We calculated the Cronbach's alpha coefficient by them to certify the internal consistency reliability of the J-RAS. In August, 2001, we mailed the J-RAS again to 98 workers who agreed to retake the test. We studied the Pearson's correlation between the initial answers and the following ones to certify the test-retest reliability of the J-RAS, using the 98 answers of the workers who agreed to be retested. Our results found that 19 item sets, excluding Q3--7, 9, 13, 19, 20, 25, 28, had significantly positive correlation with the objective evaluations. The sum of the 19 items of the J-RAS (19-item J-RAS) had significantly higher correlations with the objective evaluation than that of 30 items of the J-RAS (30-item J-RAS). The internal consistency reliability of the 19-item or 30-item J-RAS was high, because their Cronbach's alpha coefficient was more than 0.80. Their test-retest reliability was also high, because the Pearson's correlation coefficient between the initial test and the subsequent test was more than 0.84 (ps < 0.001). Our results implied that the validity and reliability of the J-RAS was could be considered as acceptable and that the 19-item J-RAS measured the assertiveness of Japanese people more exactly than the 30-item J-RAS.

The Association of Health Risks With Workers??? Compensation Costs

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between health risks and workers' compensation (WC) costs. The 4-year study used Health Risk Appraisal data and focused on 1996-to-1999 WC costs among Xerox Corporation's long-term employees. High WC costs were related to individual health risks, especially Health Age Index (a measure of controllable risks), smoking, poor physical health, physical inactivity, and life dissatisfaction. WC costs increased with increasing health risk status (low-risk to medium-risk to high-risk). Low-risk employees had the lowest costs. In this population, 85% of WC costs could be attributed to excess risks (medium- or high-risk) or non-participation. Among those with claims, a savings of $1238 per person per year was associated with Health Risk Appraisal participation. Addressing WC costs by focusing on employee health status provides an important additional strategy for health promotion programs.

The relationship of lifestyle factors, personal character, and mental health status of employees of a major Japanese electrical manufacturer

To examine the relationship lifestyle factors, personal character, mental health status, and job strain a self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted among employees of a leading electrical manufacturing company in Japan. A total of 2,327 workers (Male=1,668, Female=659) responded to the survey. We analyzed the relationships of health practices based on such factors as: Free child (FC) from the Egogram, the Working-life satisfaction, and the General Health Questionnaire-28 through Path-analysis techniques.The following results were obtained: The mental health status was significantly affected by such factors as health practices, Working-life satisfaction, personal character (FC), life satisfaction, and age. Health practices and personal character (FC) showed a direct relationship to the mental health status and an indirect relationship to the Working-life satisfaction and life satisfaction. The variances accounting for mental health status were 41.8% in male workers and 43.8% in female workers.Path-analysis data suggested that mental health status was affected about 40% by lifestyle, personal character, Working-life satisfaction, and life satisfaction. It was suggested that there might be important factors affecting mental health status but which are unknown to us by as much as 60% in the present day. These findings suggested the necessity of further investigation of the relationship among lifestyle factors, mental health status, and job strain among employees of a reputable company in the present day.

The Relationship of Lifestyle Factors, Personal Character, and Mental Health Status of Employees of a Major Japanese Electrical Manufacturer.

The Relationship of Lifestyle Factors, Personal Character, and Mental Health Status of Employees of a Major Japanese Electrical Manufacturer.

Effects of shiftwork on lifestyle and mental health status of employees of a major Japanese electrical manufacturer

To examine the effect of shiftwork on lifestyle and mental health, a self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted among employees of a leading electrical appliances manufacturing company in Japan. The questionnaire included eight health practices recommended by Morimoto, the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) and demographic variables. Considering the effects of type of occupation, working hours and gender, analysis was focused on 295 male blue-collar mere employees working less than 8 hours per day and engaged in daytime work or two-shift work.Scores for Health Practice Index (HPI) and physical exercise of shift workers were significantly lower than those of daytime workers for those from 30 to 45 years of age (p<0.05). However, in scores for HPI and each lifestyle factor, no significant difference was found among shift workers and daytime workers 29 or younger and 46 and older. In scores for the total GHQ-28 and its four subscales, no significant differences were found among shift workers and daytime workers 29 or younger, between 30 and 45, and 46 years of age and older. No significant effect of shiftwork was found on mental health status and lifestyle practices excluding physical exercise.The findings suggested reduction of physiological and psychological stress due to shiftwork among employees of the major company. However, the effect of shiftwork on lifestyle practices and mental health status might be affected by various factors. Therefore an investigation of the work load in regard to shiftwork should be conducted precisely in the future.

Family system and work environment predictors of employee health risk: A discriminant function analysis

Abstract Intuitive reasoning linking family functioning and the work environment to the health status of employees, remains in need of confirmatory evidence. This study focuses on the health risk status of 117 women and 39 men who completed the Healthier People Health Risk Appraisal Inventory, received a physical examination, and completed questionnaires on family functioning and the work environment. A discriminant analysis comparing resilient (low health risk) with vulnerable (high health risk) subjects revealed for female employees, six family and eight work factors in predicting health risk with 86.3% accuracy; for male employees six family and four work factors predicted health risk with 87.2% accuracy. Implications for theory, intervention, and research are discussed.

Notes on Tension Discharge Rates as an Employee Health Status Predictor

Notes on Tension Discharge Rates as an Employee Health Status Predictor

NOTES ON TENSION DISCHARGE RATES AS AN EMPLOYEE HEALTH STATUS PREDICTOR.

The article discusses a study pertaining to the validity of the tension discharge rate scale (TDR) for measuring employee health status. The scale utilizes a 7-point response format and is designed...

Paint Spray Gun Injury of the Hand

LEAD poisoning is a well-known occupational hazard in a number of industries and trades. 1-3 While working conditions and health status of employees in industries with well-recognized potential lead hazards are improving, unexpected sources of lead exposure continue to generate disease. 4 We report a clinical case of lead poisoning that occurred as a consequence of an industrial accident— paint spray gun injury to the hand. Such accidents have attracted attention 5-8 for reasons related to the sequelae of the traumatic injury; to our knowledge, this is the first reported case of lead poisoning resulting from such an injury. Report of a Case A 41-year-old man, a painter, used a high-pressure paint-spraying gun to apply paint on the hull of a ship. On Jan 10, 1980, the hose of the paint-spraying installation broke, and paint was injected under high pressure into the palm of his left hand. He was first examined

Paint spray gun injury of the hand. Report of an unusual source of lead poisoning

LEAD poisoning is a well-known occupational hazard in a number of industries and trades.^1-3While working conditions and health status of employees in industries with well-recognized potential lead hazards are improving, unexpected sources of lead exposure continue to generate disease.⁴ We report a clinical case of lead poisoning that occurred as a consequence of an industrial accident— paint spray gun injury to the hand. Such accidents have attracted attention^5-8for reasons related to the sequelae of the traumatic injury; to our knowledge, this is the first reported case of lead poisoning resulting from such an injury. <h3>Report of a Case</h3> A 41-year-old man, a painter, used a high-pressure paint-spraying gun to apply paint on the hull of a ship. On Jan 10, 1980, the hose of the paint-spraying installation broke, and paint was injected under high pressure into the palm of his left hand. He was first examined

The impact of energy production on human health.

Private industry is properly concerned with the prevention of disease and the maintenance and promotion of health of employees, as well as the health of consumers as affected by its products, and the health of the community as it is affected by the industry. To operate responsibly, industry critically needs scientific information in each of these areas. And, it follows that industry's involvement in the generation, communication, and use of scientific information is obligatory. The petroleum industry represents a dominant form of energy for the nation. A thorough evaluation of its health relationships is important not only in its own right, but also because the petroleum industry can serve as a basis for comparison with other energy sources, especially the new and alternate resources to be developed in the future. To view in perspective industry's role in handling health-related information, a number of examples from the petroleum industry wich deal with the occupational health status of employees are presented. The areas of industry's impact upon the health consumers and community health, while equally important, are considered more briefly. Finally, certain inappropriate devices are pointed out, which - when applied to the derivaton and utilization of scientific information - ill servemore » the scientific community and the public, with particular reference to regulatory processes.« less

Objective criteria for evaluating occupational health programs.

An objective scoring system is proposed as a single and flexible method of evaluating occupational health programs to appraise the extent to which existing programs approach a basic standard of excellence as defined by a theoretical model based on published and professionally acceptable guidelines and standards. This proposed system emphasizes the importance of an interdependent relationship between four program components: (1) guiding philosophy and policy; (2) organizational structure; (3) resources; (4) occupational health services, and it stresses the importance of long range health commitments to employee health status in contrasts to short range health commitments aimed primarily at an economic payoff to a sponsoring agency, institution, or company. The proposed evaluation scheme should enable self-evaluation by individual programs. Additionally, programs can utilize this evaluative tool to examine their influence on such important questions as employee hospital utilization and other specific elements of employee health in an objective, relatively simple manner.

Hospital employees: corridor consultations or health maintenance.

The creation of an employee health program in a hospital is a logical step in the provision of a fringe benefit to underpaid and frequently aged and disabled workers. The needs for medical surveillance in the hospital situation are multifold and relate to the builtin hazards of the operation of patient care. These hazards include infectious disease (tuberculosis, Q fever, homologous serum jaundice, staphylococcic infections, and other bacterial, viral, rickettsial, parasitic, and fungus disorders), contact dermatoses, ionizing radiation, and patient-induced trauma and other injuries. Estimation of the work capacity of applicants for work, medical preparation of accepted applicant for work, maintenance and improvement of health status of employees, medical supervision of the work environment, and medical care for illness and injury, compromise an ideal health service.