Evaluation Of Working Conditions Research Articles

Evaluation of working conditions in the production system

The paper analyzes methods for assessing professional risk, emphasizing that the primary method is job certification. Job certification establishes the compliance of the workplace with regulatory characteristics for specific risk factors in the production environment. The analysis reveals that the existing methodology for job certification does not provide insights into changes in the parameters of hazardous and harmful factors in the production environment, and consequently, changes in working conditions between planned certifications. The study advocates for a comprehensive assessment of the collective impact of all factors in the production environment and work processes on the human body. This is achieved through hygienic risk factor assessment. The paper highlights the appropriateness of quantitatively assessing working conditions in points, considering the simultaneous influence of multiple hazardous factors. A procedure for point-based assessment of working conditions is proposed, and the applicability of Haber's Law to determine the cumulative dose of a harmful factor in the body is demonstrated.

Пріоритетні проблеми гігієни та безпеки праці медичних працівників в умовах надзвичайних ситуацій (з досвіду подолання пандемії Covid-19)

Introduction. The working conditions of medical personnel during emergencies significantly differ from those in regular circumstances. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the intensity of biological and psychophysiological factors in the working environment increased substantially, leading to the emergence of additional harmful and dangerous factors, resulting in disruptions to the living and working conditions of the staff. Since the regular work routine of healthcare facilities changes in such situations, there is a pressing need for clear action plans and guidelines to provide quality medical care and safeguard the lives and health of medical workers. The aim of this study is to examine the experience of medical facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, investigate the impact of working conditions during quarantine and the resolution of dangerous situations, substantiate safety measures, and establish guidelines for the behavior of medical personnel and patients during other potential emergencies. Materials and Methods. The research was conducted using questionnaire, survey, hygienic, bibliographic and statistical methods. Results. Peculiarities of the labor activity of medical workers in health care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was recognized as a particularly dangerous disease, and the working conditions of personnel in these conditions were studied. An analysis of the perception of medical workers during the pandemic and the evaluation of working conditions were conducted. The main negative effects on the working conditions of healthcare staff compared to the pre-pandemic period were identified: increased workload and demands on workers, growing emotional stress, insufficient organizational support, financial, and psychological assistance. Additionally, positive influences that eased the tasks of the medical workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and contributed to stabilizing the situation and personal and professional development were highlighted: competence, cooperation, and team cohesion (teamwork). Respondents stated that the acquired experience would prevent them from making numerous mistakes and shortcomings in their work in the future, and they are ready to work under epidemic conditions and other emergencies. To ensure the safety of medical personnel, it is necessary to implement comprehensive measures to prevent occupational diseases, care for human resources, and develop reward and motivation systems. To improve the quality of medical services during emergencies, reduce risks among patients, and safeguard the lives and health of medical workers, mandatory targeted training programs and educational materials are required for preparing healthcare personnel for work in different emergency situations. Conclusions. The working conditions of medical personnel during the fight against the coronavirus infection are hazardous, posing threats to their lives and carrying a high risk of acute occupational diseases and severe forms of illnesses, including death. The main negative influences on the working conditions of healthcare staff include workload, emotional stress, and inadequate organizational support and assistance. Positive effects that facilitated the work of medical during the COVID-19 pandemic were also highlighted: competence, cooperation and cohesion (teamwork), which contributed to the stabilization of the situation in health care facilities, individual and professional development of medical workers. Therefore, it is crucial to create mandatory targeted training programs and educational materials for healthcare personnel to prepare them to work in different emergency situations effectively.

Quality of life and its health and occupational determinants among hospital-based nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nurses worldwide were exposed to increased levels of occupational stress during the COVID-19 pandemic which could have hindered their level of health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This project investigated HRQoL level in nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic and its health and occupational predictors. A cross-sectional design was adopted and targeted full-time nurses in Jordan. Study collected data included demographics, 12-item Short Form health survey (SF-12) to measure HRQoL, Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), nurses' evaluation of work conditions during COVID-19, and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS21). Data was analyzed descriptively to summarize main outcome measures and using multiple linear regression model to identify factors significantly associated with HRQoL. In total 245 nurses successfully completed the survey, 39.6% were males with a mean age of 35±6 years. Participant SF-12 scores were 65.94±17.85 for physical component and 50.09±19.36 mental component. The statistical model significantly explained 53.2% of variance in HRQoL (r2 = 0.534, F = 57.849, p < 0.001). Better sleep quality self-evaluation was significantly associated with higher HRQoL levels, while increased levels of depression, musculoskeletal pain, and financial burden on family were significantly associated with worse HRQoL level. Jordanian nurses' HRQoL level was relatively low during COVID-19. Sleep quality, mental health status, musculoskeletal health status, and financial status were identified as factors possibly influenced HRQoL among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurses' quality of life along with their mental and physical health should be considered by healthcare administrators in the remaining period of COVID-19 and in future similar emergencies.

Multiworking Conditions Anomaly Detection of Mechanical System Based on Conditional Variational Auto-Encoder

Existing anomaly detection models of mechanical systems often face challenges for the equipment under multiple working conditions: the learning model under a single working condition is challenging to adapt to new working conditions, and centralized learning of multicondition samples leads to too low detection accuracy. A multiworking condition variational auto-encoder (MW-CVAE) is proposed to solve the problem. Based on the variational auto-encoder model, the working conditions of the equipment are regarded as the input. The anomaly evaluation threshold of each independent working condition is established by the centralized learning of normal multiworking condition samples. At the same time, it is found that the representation of each working condition sample in the space of the hidden layer forms a distribution close to the prior probability, providing a theoretical basis for the separation and evaluation of working conditions. By comparing and verifying the CWRU, JNU, and PU datasets, the new method significantly improves anomaly detection (the F1-score value is increased by 18-19%) and can be widely used in anomaly detection mechanical systems with various discrete working conditions.

Evaluation of working conditions, work postures, musculoskeletal disorders and low back pain among sugar production workers.

It is generally agreed that musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a severe health concern, particularly for agricultural laborers. The study aimed to identify risk factors and work-related disorders among agricultural workers at Amirkabir agro-industry company in Iran. A total of 158 workers, of which 66 were manual harvesting workers (four postures), 40 were fertilizer transportation workers (three postures), and 52 were spraying workers (one posture), were included in the study. The research used questionnaires to collect data, and the postures were analyzed using 3DSSPP software. Related risk factors such as age, body mass index, work experience, working hours, and sports activity were analyzed. The incidence rate of lower back pain (94%), knee pain (82%), neck pain (69%), upper-back (63%), and shoulder (63%) were calculated. The logistic regression revealed that working hours and sports activities are significantly correlated to the wrist/hand and neck MSD with 5.62 and 6.38 times more likely among manual harvesting workers. The 3DSSPP software estimated that the lower back pain, especially in the first posture, for manure transportation workers was very high. Maximum L5-S1 compression, shear, and moment forces in the first posture among manure transportation workers were 7113 N and 472 N, -381 N-m, respectively. The 3DSSPP results also illustrated that compression, shear, and moment forces exceeded the NIOSH limit for the other postures. After interventions, compression, shear, and moment forces among all farm workers decreased. These findings emphasize that farm workers need to be under surveillance continuously at their workstations where interventions and improvement in specific tasks are required.

Physicians' Health-Related Quality of Life and Its Associated Factors During COVID-19 Pandemic in Jordan: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Healthcare workers worldwide have been exposed to extraordinary stress during COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to investigate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) level and its health and occupational associated factors among Jordanian physicians during COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional design using an online survey was adopted targeting physicians at different Jordanian hospitals. The study survey included demographics, HRQoL measured by 12-item Short Form health survey (SF-12) mental and physical components, physicians' evaluation of work conditions during COVID-19, Neck Disability Index (NDI), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS 21), and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Descriptive analyses were conducted to summarize primary data. Factors associated with HRQoL were determined using a multiple variable regression analysis. In total, 326 physicians successfully completed the survey, 44.2% were males with mean age of 32.08 (±6.93). SF-12 mental component mean was 52.13 (±20.84) and physical component mean was 69.24 (±18.1). Physicians HRQoL level was significantly associated with levels of stress (β = -0.23, 95% CI -1.05 to -0.27), depression (β = -0.22, 95% CI -1.09 to -0.28), neck disability (β = -0.30, 95% CI -1.08 to -0.57), health self-evaluation (β = 0.14, 95% CI 1.66-7.87), sleep self-evaluation (β = 0.09, 95% CI 0.16-3.58), and physical activity level (β = 0.09, 95% CI 0.00-0.001). Jordanian physicians' level of HRQoL was relatively low during COVID-19. Healthcare facilities administrators should take into consideration factors associated with physicians' HRQoL level when planning for future healthcare emergencies.

Evaluation of working conditions at a central sterile services department in northern Brazil.

Introduction:Environmental conditions and the work process in the Central Sterile Services Department expose workers to many hazards.Objectives:To analyze the working conditions that have an influence on the overall health of workers at a Central Sterile Services Department of a hospital in northern Brazil.Methods:This study used employed the ergonomic analysis of work. Three data collection tools were applied to characterize sociodemographic and occupational profiles. Furthermore, physical environmental hazards were analyzed using specific equipment. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed in Stata®13 software.Results:Thirty-five workers participated in the study, most of whom were women, aged above 40 years, and worked as nursing technicians. It became evident that workers were exposed to inappropriate lighting and to noises coming from autoclaves, from the central air conditioning, and from the use of medicinal gas. The risks for musculoskeletal injuries on spine, shoulders, and lower limbos were specifically related to overload resulting from the posture maintained for long periods. Female sex was associated with severe or excruciating pain” (p = 0.04).Conclusions:Sound, mechanical, and visual hazards were found. Most participants complained of musculoskeletal pain, and the cervical spine was the site with the most frequent reports of excruciating pain. These results point out to the need of a policy to improve the quality of work in the health care unit studied; however, these findings may also bring light to the problem in other institutions that have a physical structure similar to that found in this research.

Evaluating biologic factor at workplaces: questions and suggestions

Introduction.Special evaluation of work conditions sometimes fails in identifying biologic factor as an occupational hazard in work with infected and (or) potentially infected materials (including field, clinical, autopsy samples) suspicious for presence of pathogenic biologic agents, as well as considering allergic component in biologic factor’s influence on workers exposed.Objectiveis to improve methods of identification and evaluation of biologic factor, criteria and classification of work conditions for workers exposed to pathogenic biologic agents, for more objective assessment of their work conditions.Materials and methods.Based on Rospotrebnadzor data, the authors analyzed occupational morbidity caused by exposure to biologic factors over 2005–2017. Analysis also covered work conditions of workers exposed to biologic factors, according to results of workplace certification by work conditions, performed by Testing Laboratory FGBNU «NII MT» over 2001–2013 at 1024 workplaces of medical and non-medical personnel in medical institutions of Moscow, 26 workplaces of FGBNU «N.F. Gamaleya National Research Institute of epidemiology and microbiology» with RF Health Ministry, 32 workplaces in purification facilities MGUP «Promotkhody». Analysis of the work conditions over 2014–2017 was based on results of special evaluation of work conditions at 326 workplaces (data by FGBNU «NII MT»).Results and discussion.The authors scientifically justified ways to improve quality and adequacy of work conditions evaluation by biologic factor at workplaces of individuals exposed to biologic pathogens. To objectify the work conditions evaluation by biologic factor, the authors suggested a «Classification of work conditions under exposure to biologic factor» that helped to identify and evaluate health risks with consideration of all biologic objects at the workplaces.Conclusion.Suggested «Classification of work conditions under exposure to biologic factor» helps to identify and evaluate biologic factor as an occupational hazard at all workplaces with pathogenic microbes, as well as analyze occupational health risks for workers and justify measures to minimize those risks.

Preventing deterioration of occupational health in employees of electric locomotive construction plant

Complex study of work conditions and health state covered workers of electric locomotive construction plant. Occupational health disorders appeared to be highly reliably associated not only with traditional factors of work and working process, but also with psycho-social occupational factors. Findings were leading types of diseases in the workers, prediction of health risk from circulatory system diseases. Based on integrated approach to evaluation of work conditions, workers’ health care and well-being at workplace, the authors specified and scientifically justified a complex program of health disorders prevention for workers of major electric locomotive construction plant.

Фізіолого-гігієнічна оцінка умов праці банківських працівників

Фізіолого-гігієнічна оцінка умов праці банківських працівників

ERGONOMICS EDUCATION IN ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

The motivation of research was poor quality of working conditions in orthopedic practice which results from lack of use of ergonomics principles by medical staff. Hence, the research objective was to indicate the most important determinants for creating high-quality working conditions in operating room, particularly when performing orthopedic procedures. As methodology, the observations, video-registrations and interviews with orthopedic professionals were conducted. Based on the research material, the ergonomic and workflow assessments were examined. The research outcomes confirmed a problem of low quality working conditions during orthopedic surgeries resulted from insufficient knowledge and awareness of orthopedists regarding ergonomics. There was diagnosed a need for creation of a specialized guide for orthopedists and medical decision makers of how to improve working conditions in operating room on the background of the human and technical perspectives. As a result there was proposed the comprehensive online course on ergonomics for orthopedists and all medical staff who are interested in and are responsible for safety and comfortable conditions at their workplace. Hence the future scope is formulated as the monitoring and evaluation of working conditions after implementing ergonomics course within medical staff.

Evaluation of effect of different membership functions on risk assessment

This study aims to define the relationship between risk degrees and risk indexes on different functional structures with the assumption that risk degrees may not always present a linear relationship with the risk indexes. In this way, risk indexes suitable for expert evaluation of working conditions and computed using three different membership functions are determined. Among the membership functions used, one is preferred as linear and the others are preferred as non-linear. Additionally, a new fuzzy risk assessment (RA) algorithm is developed using these three membership functions. With this new fuzzy RA algorithm, a more flexible and precise process becomes available, while information loss during the determination of the risk index of danger sources is prevented. As a result, non-linear increasing membership function is selected as most suitable for the expression of the relationship between risk degrees and risk indexes.

Evaluation of working conditions and perceptions of health status and the importance of health in child and young workers in the industrial site

Aim: To evaluation of working conditions and perceptions of health status and the importance of health in child and young workers in the ýndustry. Method: Descriptive research was conducted at industrial area, between December 2014-February 2015. The universe includes 50 male workers and the whole universe was included in the survey. Data were collected by using the questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics and working conditions of workers, Perception of Health Status Scale and the Importance of Healt Scale. Results: Study data demonstrated that 48% were working 9 to 11 hours a day, 32% it is not the time to rest during the day, 70% had no lunch break, 64% were earning 100-300 Turkish liras per week, 76% had no social security. According to workers; the work place 10% were insufficient ventilation, 12% were insufficent to light up and 32% were insufficient heating. Also, 34% stated that their work is too heavy for them. Occupational accident rate is 18%. 70% of the workers perceive health as “good”, the mean score of perception of health was 1.9±0.54. Mean score of importance of health scale was 4.72±3.09. Conclusion: Child and young workers were work in ventilation, heating and lighting is insufficent environments with low wages and long hours. The workers perceive health as “good”, but they see it as not important value to be healthy.

Expert and clustering method of quality evaluation of working conditions

Expert and clustering method of quality evaluation of working conditions

Гігієнічна характеристика, оцінка умов праці та професійного ризику для здоров'я електромонтерів з ремонту та монтажу кабельних ліній

Гігієнічна характеристика, оцінка умов праці та професійного ризику для здоров'я електромонтерів з ремонту та монтажу кабельних ліній

Prediction and evaluation of working conditions on high-speed craft using suspension seat modelling

Severe working conditions on board high-speed craft adversely affect not only the safety, health and performance of the crew but also the performance of the vessel as a technical system. Human factors–based ship design combined with appropriate vibration mitigation techniques and work routines for the crew can improve the working conditions and reduce the risks for performance degradation and adverse health effects. To enable development and use of such means, methods for prediction and evaluation of working conditions are needed for both existing high-speed craft and craft under design. This article presents a 2-degree-of-freedom seat model compatible with both measured and simulated input data. The interaction between seat and human is treated using the concept of apparent mass. The model is validated against experiment data collected on board a 10-m, 50-knot high-speed craft equipped with high-standard suspension seats. Evaluation measures defined in ISO 2631-1 and ISO 2631-5 are used to compare experiment data to modelled data. The seat model slightly overestimates the experiment Sed dose by a mean of 6.5% and underestimates the experiment vibration dose value (8 h) by 4.0%. It is concluded that model data correlate well with experiment data.

Evaluation of work conditions and occupational health risk factors in enterprises within a 10-year period in Latvia

Evaluation of work conditions and occupational health risk factors in enterprises within a 10-year period in Latvia The objective of the study was to conduct a survey in the field of occupational health and safety the results of which could be used in rational and effective decision making for elaboration of employment and social policy programmes and for ensuring occupational safety and health programme development. During the study the following groups of people were surveyed: employers, occupational health and safety specialists, and employees. The traditional work risk factors (physical, chemical, biological) have changed to new risks (psychosocial, ergonomic, microclimatic) in Latvia today. The study included objective assessment of occupational health and safety situation (analysis of work environment risk factors measurement data bases, information on occupational diseases, workplace accidents). Results of measurements showed that one-third of measured risk factors values exceeded mandatory or recommended limits but situation has been improved during the last years (2002 compared to 2006). The results of surveys reveal insufficient assessment of risk factors in workplaces and selection of most hazardous ones only. Awareness and understanding of employers and employees regarding occupational health and safety requirements was dissatisfactory. The results of the study reveal a low level of workplace accidents compared to other countries within EU, which may be the result of poor registration system in Latvia. Strengthening of occupational safety and health normative basis and improvement of qualification of occupational physicians has increased the number of occupational diseases and patients revealed for the first time from 1996 to 2006. Early diagnose of occupational diseases and effective rehabilitation is an important question to favour a more rapid return of workforce after occupational morbidity. Study showed that attention should further be paid to simplification of legal requirements, development of alternative methods for informing and educating people, as well as recurrent definition of national indicators to assess efficacy of implemented measures related to occupational health and safety.

A pilot field evaluation on heat stress in sugarcane workers in Costa Rica: What to do next?

Background: Climate change is producing major impacts including increasing temperatures in tropical countries, like Costa Rica, where the sugarcane industry employs thousands of workers who are exposed to extreme heat.Objectives: This article outlines a pilot qualitative evaluation of working conditions and heat in the sugarcane industry.Design: A literature review, direct observations and exploratory interviews with workers were conducted to reach a preliminary understanding of the dimensions of heat-related health issues in the sugarcane industry, as a basis for the design of future studies.Results: The industry employs temporary workers from Nicaragua and Costa Rica as well as year-round employees. Temporary employees work 12-hour shifts during the harvest and processing (‘zafra’) season. In many cases, sugarcane field workers are required to carry their own water and often have no access to shade. Sugar mill workers are exposed to different levels of heat stress depending upon their job tasks, with the most intense heat and workload experienced by the oven (‘caldera’) cleaners.Conclusions: Research is needed to achieve better understanding of the multiple factors driving and interacting with heat exposures in the sugarcane industry in order to improve the health and safety of workers while maintaining worker productivity.

Ergonomic and biomechnical analysis of automotive general assembly using XML and digital human models

Automotive general assembly requires many manual assembly operations to be carried out by human workers. Ergonomic analysis is an important part of the design and evaluation of products, jobs, tools, machines and environments for safe, comfortable and effective human functioning. Most recent researches have involved the evaluation of working conditions to prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The majority of previous research on automotive companies has mainly considered the results of ergonomic analyses such as RULA (Rapid Upper Limb Assessment), REBA (Rapid Entire Body Assessment) and OWAS (Ovako Working Posture Analysis System). Analysis of static posture including reachability, clearances for arm, hand and tool has also been used to evaluate working conditions. However, in addition to static posture analysis, a biomechanical analysis in dynamic conditions should also be conducted. There are no integrated frameworks or standard schema for ergonomic analysis using digital human models in digital environments. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new framework for the evaluation of working conditions by ergonomic and biomechanical analysis using digital models based on XML standard schema, including: products, processes, manufacturing resources and human workers. This paper presents the analysis results using the proposed framework for automotive general assembly operations. We propose a new framework for the evaluation of the assembly operations and their environments. Then we apply a digital human model to the dynamic simulation of general automotive assembly operations based on standard schemas in XML and PPRH (Product, Process, Resource and Human). Using PPRH information based on a standard XML schema to analyze the ergonomic and biomechanical results, the engineer can visualize, analyze and improve assembly operations and working environments in automotive general assembly shops using digital models.

Factors affecting the methods of employees management in agrobusiness companies in the region Vysočina

Based on a questionnaire survey carried out among managers of medium size companies (over 50 employees) of agricultural business in the region Vysočina, it was found that the prevalently production and processing companies (86.3%) reside mostly in small and medium size towns and villages (82.4%). According to the opinion of respondents, the companies employ a too big number (9.8%) of employees while 88.2% respondents consider the situation as adequate to the requirements and possibilities. The respondents estimate (35.2%) that the level of present wages is disproportionately low. At the same time, they anticipate the growth of requirements for qualification (66.7%) with respect to the permanent technological development. However, they do not expect (82.4%) a corresponding marked increase of wages. The evaluation of working conditions has to be an indivisible part of the proper management of human resources in the companies of the region. These conditions are evaluated as satisfactory (88.2%) but in the horizon of 5 years, requirements for their improvement are expected by 78.4% managers of the monitored companies.