Job-related Injuries Research Articles

Pain and Discomfort Among Mohs Surgeons: An Ergonomic Model of Procedural Dermatologists

Background: Dermatologic surgeons are at risk for work-related injuries and chronic pain. Objectives: To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of pain and discomfort among fellowship trained Mohs surgeons across the United States Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted of members of the American College of Mohs Surgery (ACMS).Participants reported the continuous variables of hours spent working, standing versus sitting while operating, typing to the electronic medical record, and exercising per week. Results: 107 male and female respondents participated. 88.7% of respondents reported chronic pain; the most common anatomic locations for pain were the neck (54.2%), upper back (38.2%), and lower back (33.6%). At these anatomic locations, male respondents less frequently complained of upper back pain (odds ratio (OR) 0.349, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.155 to 0.787; P = 0.010) but more frequently complained of lower back pain (OR 2.462, 95% CI 1.606 to 13.320; P = 0.044), than female respondents. Respondents were significantly more likely to report regular pain-relieving medication use when suffering from pain at the neck (OR 4.665, 95% CI 1.450 to 15.007; P = 0.006) or upper back (OR 3.366, 95% CI 1.251 to 9.054; P = 0.013). Respondents regularly using sit-stand stools were less likely to report neck pain (OR 0.326, 95% CI 0.105 to 1.015; P = 0.046). Conclusions: Pain is prevalent among Mohs surgeons. Adopting and training in an ergonomically-friendly environment and incorporating an ergonomically aware mindset early in a surgeon’s career may decrease one’s risk for job-related injury and pain.

Perceptions of Occupational Health Hazards Among Jordanian Nurses: A cross-Sectional Study

Occupation health pertains to the health of employees in relation with their workplaces, and is aimed at the prevention of job-related injuries and illnesses. However, given the significance of occupational health and the possible adversarial effects of occupational hazards to the nursing team, there is paucity of evidence on the level of awareness, knowledge and attitudes of nurses towards occupational hazards in the workplace. The aim of this study is to measure levels of perceptions of occupational hazards, and to identify relationships and differences on perceptions of occupational hazards based on sociodemographic characteristics, the study employed cross-sectional, descriptive method. A valid and reliable 13-item questionnaire was used to measure perceptions of occupational hazards. Results showed that nurses had high levels of perceptions of occupational hazards. Nurses with longer lengths of work experiences had higher levels of perceptions of occupational hazards than nurses with shorter lengths of work experiences..the study concluded that hospitals should implement strategies that can support nurses in sustaining high levels of perceptions of occupational hazards, and should find ways to retain nurses within the hospital workforce. Future research can examine personal- and organizational-level factors that can impede or facilitate perceptions of occupational hazards, and explore how perceptions of occupational hazards translate to actual injuries sustained at work, quality of workplace environment, quality of work life, job performance, patient satisfaction, and other relevant organizational and clinical outcomes. Keywords: Nurse; Occupational hazards; Perceptions; Jordan

Analysis of the Pattern of Chest Trauma- A Forensic Approach

Background: After cardiovascular and cancer, the third leading cause of death is trauma. Death due to trauma usually occurs in the first four decades of life. Thoracic injuries are a severe problem due to high-speed vehicle accidents. The two significant types of trauma are penetrating trauma and blunt trauma. Penetrating injuries usually result in the disruption of tissue structure, while blunt injuries result in organ damage or any structure under the tissue without damaging the integrity of that tissue. Blunt injuries include falling from a height, a traffic accident, or job-related injuries. Method: This is a cross-sectional study conducted for one year, and a sample size of 293 was taken. The study encompassed the bodies of patients eligible for autopsy, excluding those with mutilated or decomposed bodies, as well as those with insufficient historical information. Autopsies were conducted following proper patient identification and examination. A T-test was employed to compare male and female groups, while the chi-squared test assessed differences in categorical variables between groups. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 24.0. A value of P 0.05 was considered significant. Result: The study revealed that most of the chest trauma cases occurred in males 70.3% and females 29.7%. Maximum number of trauma was seen between the age group of 21 to 30 years. Out of 293 victims, 235 have blunt injuries, and 58 have penetrating injuries, lung contusion is the most common 51.8% followed by rib fracture, which has occurred in 46.4% victims. Conclusion: The rate of occurrence of chest trauma is higher in males between the age group of 21 to 30 years than females of the same age group. Similarly, the prevalence of blunt chest trauma is much higher as compared to penetrating chest trauma. In blunt injury, the incidence of traffic-related injuries is higher, while in penetrating injuries, stabbing is more common than any other injuries.

Review and Statistical Analysis of U.S. Structural Firefighting Injuries: Their Causes and Effects

Safety and prevention of injuries should always be considered in a firefighting environment due to the hazardous conditions experienced on the fireground. These hazardous environmental conditions lead to an increased risk of contracting job-related injuries and illnesses. This review article focuses on evaluating from a statistical perspective the potential solutions found in the literature and how they decrease the likelihood and impact of occupational firefighting injuries. Investigating, identifying, and prioritizing the most common activities leading to injury, the nature of injury, and the body parts affected is a vital step in the implementation of preventive solutions. The scientific community has conducted various studies to evaluate the main injuries and injury profiles commonly suffered by firefighters. Researchers have conducted many independent studies on firefighter communities in the United States, while others have referenced national databases from sources such as the National Fire Protection Association, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. Unfortunately, the results of these independent studies lacked standardization in survey categories and terminology, impairing the ability to obtain a clear consensus among studies on the primary nature of injuries, the body parts injured, and the activities contributing to these injuries. Consequently, this review article performed a comparative statistical analysis of published data between 1992 and 2020 to define and rank the most common work scenarios where firefighters were likely to be injured, the most common types of injuries, the parts of the body affected, and the activities that most contribute to United States firefighter injuries as documented in both national databases and independent research surveys. The statistical analysis consisted of determining the mean, standard deviation, confidence intervals (95%), and coefficients of variation for the reported data. The present study identified that despite the preventative measures taken by many organizations in the firefighting community, strains and sprains were still the leading type of injury reported from all the databases under this analysis.

INVESTIGATE THE FUNCTIONING OF THE POWER-LOOM INDUSTRY THROUGH RULA AND REBA

Employees in India frequently complain about musculoskeletal issues. Currently, manual labor is a common component of power loom industries, making the problems of job-related musculoskeletal ailments and injuries at various body sites of important importance. To measure job processes, workload assessment, and work stress in the current study, video was taken. The Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method was utilized to quantify the risk variables connected to upper extremity problems. While the physical issues were measured with the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA). This ergonomic study sheds light on the analysis of worker posture in the power loom sector. The study's participants were the 15 power-loom industry employees at MIDC Solapur (Maharashtra, India).Then, using a video clip that showed the workers' various tasks, images were taken for analysis. It was concluded as a result that the power loom industry is not ergonomicsaware or aware. According to RULA and REBA's examination of the problem utilising postural analysis, the staff is working more than is safe. The vast majority of workers are stooped over. Since there is a moderate to high risk of musculoskeletal issues among the workforce, many interventions are employed to avoid WMSDs or their symptoms, such as training, ergonomic adjustments, rest relief, and exercises.

Non-fatal injuries among police officers during use-of-force encounters.

Occupational injuries are common in police work due to routine exposure to conflict, violence, accidents, and other hazards. However, little is known about the factors associated with non-fatal job-related injuries among police officers. To study the factors associated with non-fatal job-related injuries among Tucson, AZ, police officers during encounters involving the use of force. Data were analysed on all use-of-force cases involving Tucson police officers from January 2018 through June 2020. Logistic regression models were used to assess the factors that influence the likelihood of officer injuries. Overall, about 11% of officers involved in a use-of-force encounter were injured. Multivariate analyses reveal that defensive physical resistance by the suspect increases injury risk among officers. When suspects assault officers or others during the encounter, the risk of officer injury also increases significantly. Certain types of force used by police, such as hands-on tactics and TASER use are also associated with increased risk of injury among officers. The age and race of the suspect are not associated with the likelihood of injury among officers. Certain suspect behaviours and use-of-force modalities increase the risk of injury among officers. Understanding these risk factors can help employers put in place appropriate measures to reduce the risk of occupational injuries among police officers.

Effect of Employees’ Welfare Programmes on the Organization’s Corporate Performance in Bowen University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho

The study examined the effect of employees’ welfare on the organizational effectiveness in Bowen University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho (BUTH), Nigeria. Using the survey method, 384 staff members of Bowen University Teaching Hospital (BUTH), Ogbomosho were sampled to test three hypotheses. The findings of the study showed that the available welfare programmes (job-related injuries and illness prevention facilities; subsidized medical facilities for employee’s family members; training and development) in BUTH had a significant impact on employees’ performance (R2=.642, F= 16.413, P<.05). It was further established that there was a positive and significant relationship between corporate performance and economic welfare scheme (r = .209, p<.05), recreational welfare services and corporate performance (r = .169, p<.05), while no significant relationship was found between corporate performance and facilitative welfare scheme (r = .070, p>.05) of the hospital. The findings of the study indicated employees’ lack of trust in the BUTH’s welfare programmes (β=.318, t= 5.287, p<.05), tedious procedures in applying for the use of welfares’ facilities (β=.270, t= 4.283, p<.05), bad leadership (β=.238, t= 4.136, p<.05), and poor implementation of welfare programmes (β=.122, t= 2.286, p<.05) as the major factors affecting the effectiveness of employees’ welfare programmes in BUTH. The study thus recommended improvement of workers’ working conditions and general welfare in order to elicit employees’ job satisfaction and motivation for increased work performance in the hospital

Traumatic injuries among Alaska’s young workers: Linking cases from four data systems

BackgroundYoung workers (aged 15–24 years) experience higher rates of job-related injury compared with workers aged 25–44 years in the United States. Young workers may have limited or no prior work experience or safety training, which can contribute to their injury risk. In 2018, Alaska had the second highest work-related fatality rate and 14th highest non-fatal injury rate in the United States. This study aimed to characterize nonfatal and fatal occupational injuries among young workers in Alaska.MethodsTo describe injury patterns among Alaska young workers from 2014–2018, we used data from four datasets: Alaska Workers’ Compensation, Alaska Occupational Injury Surveillance System, Alaska Trauma Registry, and Alaska Fishermen’s Fund. The datasets were merged two at a time and filtered by the worker characteristics (e.g., age and sex) and incident characteristics (e.g., date of injury). Duplicates were then manually identified between the datasets using the variables above. The injury narrative and Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System codes were used last to verify true duplicates. Descriptive analyses were performed after the duplicates were merged.ResultsDuring the 5-year study period 2014–2018, young workers experienced 20 fatal and 12,886 nonfatal injuries. Residents of Alaska comprised 85% of nonfatal and 70% of fatal injuries. The top three major occupation groups with the highest number of injuries were production (1,391, 14%), food preparation (1,225, 12%), and transportation/material moving (1,166, 11%). The most common events leading to injuries were struck by object or equipment (2,027, 21%), overexertion involving outside sources (1,385, 14%), and struck against object or equipment (905, 9%). The most common nature of injuries were sprains/strains/tears (3,024, 29%), cuts/lacerations (1,955, 19%), and bruises/contusions (1,592, 15%).ConclusionAlthough progress has been made in reducing worker injuries, Alaskan young workers still experience injuries and fatalities frequently. Based on findings, there is a clear need for employers, researchers, public health professionals, parents, and young workers to prioritize young worker safety through an integrated approach, from education and training to adequate workplace supervision and support.

Examining the Sectorial Differences in ESG Practices of Select Companies in India : A Comparative Testing Based on Scores

A quest for sustainable development has propelled investors and corporates to adopt environmental, social, and governance (ESG) philosophy in their investment and business decisions. In this scenario, ESG scores appear to be an indicator of the sustainable performance of a firm. The present study seeks to compare the ESG practices of 100 top companies (by market capitalization) across 10 sectors in India. For analysis, CRISIL’s overall ESG scores and the scores of each of its dimensions have been used. Application of oneway ANOVA and Welch ANOVA reveals that there exist statistically significant differences between sectors on all the three dimensions of ESG viz; environment, social, and governance. Information Technology and Financials sectors turned out to be the leaders in ESG performance owing to low carbon footprints, water consumption and waste generation, and job-related injuries. Companies in cement, metals & mining, and chemicals were found to be underachievers due to their intrinsic nature of production resulting in the emission of toxic gases and a high propensity for energy and power usage. These sectors try to compensate for low environmental performance by undertaking numerous social welfare measures and high disclosures. It was also found that irrespective of the sector, companies’ environmental performance lagged behind social and governance performance.

Functional movement screen did not predict musculoskeletal injury among emergency medical services professionals.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) professionals frequently experience job-related injuries, most commonly overexertion or movement injuries. Data on injury reduction in EMS professionals is limited. The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is a movement analysis tool suggested to predict musculoskeletal injury, but it has not previously been evaluated for EMS professionals. To evaluate the effectiveness of the FMS to predict musculoskeletal injury among EMS professionals. In October 2014, EMS professionals employed in an urban third-service EMS agency volunteered to participate in FMS administered by certified screeners. Age, sex, height and weight were recorded. After screening, participants were instructed on exercises to correct movement deficiencies. We reviewed recorded injuries from 2013 to 2016. We performed descriptive statistics. With logistic regression modeling, we described factors that predicted musculoskeletal injury. We generated a receiver operating curve (ROC) for FMS prediction of musculoskeletal injury. 147 of 240 full-time employees participated in the FMS. Participants' mean age was 33.7 years (SD = 9.6) and the majority (65%) were male. The median initial FMS score was 14 (IQR 11-16). Area under the ROC curve was 0.603 (p = 0.213) for FMS ability to predict any musculoskeletal injury within two years. Female sex was associated higher odds of injury (OR 3.98, 95% CI 1.61-9.80). Increasing age, body mass index (BMI) category, and FMS score≤14 did not predict musculoskeletal injury. The FMS did not predict musculoskeletal injury among EMS professionals.

Prevalence of Job-Related Injuries among Construction Workers in Eastern Region, Saudi Arabia

The aim of the study was to detect the prevalence of work-related Musculoskeletal Injuries among construction workers, to evaluate injury-related sick leave, and identify factors contributing to injury.
 the study was conducted and distributed to Saudi construction companies in three cities in the eastern region and 201 workers were approached and 149 were enrolled in the study. Jobs were categorized based on level of impact and jobs with similar levels were grouped together. Multiple Regression was used to evaluate stress categories and a cluster analysis was run on scaled and normalized types of stress and pain to identify factors closely associated with sick days taken. The results showed a response rate of 74.1%. A univariate analysis was used, and it demonstrated a 75.2% pain in upper and lower extremities, 61.7% pain was reported in upper extremities (Shoulder and Neck > Wrists and Hands > Elbow) and 12.8% pain reported in lower extremities (Lower back > Hips > Knees). In conclusion, the prevalence of work-related MSI in this large construction company was 75.2%. stratified multiple regression suggests job categories are good predictors of physical stress exposure and sick leave taken, also, the amount of force exerted, and vibration experienced by workers is closely linked to sick leave taken as well. Medium and high pain levels were linked to keyboard work, pushing / pulling, lifting and use of vibrating tools these workers would benefit from training emphasizing ergonomics and an explanation of proper techniques to handle tools. Lastly, applying new engineering controls would be helpful in the prevention of injuries that can minimize sick leave.

FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME OF ARTHROSCOPIC ACL RECONSTRUCTION WITH HAMSTRING GRAFT

Background: The most common joint to be injured in our body is knee joint, and the commonest ligament to be injured is anterior cruciate ligament in the knee.Etiology includes road trafc accidents and sport injuries. The ACL, along with other ligaments, the capsule are the stabilizers of the knee and prevents anterior translation, and limits valgus and rotational stress. The articular cartilage injuries in acute ACL tears constitutes from 16 – 46%, and in chronic tears, the incidence increases further2. For prevention of further worsening of the existing lesions and also to prevent formation of new lesions, stablity of the knee should be achieved.The present study is to assess the functional outcome of arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using hamstring tendon (gracilis and semitendinosus) autograft in patients with ACL tears. Methods: Study design: Hospital Based Observational study. Study period: September 2019 to August 2021. Sample size: 30 30 consecutive patients who underwent arthroscopic ACL reconstructions with hamstring graft were taken for this study. Results: Out of these, 27 patients were male and 3 were female. Right side affected in 18 patients and left side in 12 patients. The most common mechanism of the injury was sports activity in 17 patients, RTA injuries in 10 patients and other job related injuries in 3 patients. Isolated ACL tears in thirteen patients in our study and rest had associated injuries to menisci in same knee.Better postoperative functional scores are seen with patients with isolated ACL injuries compared to those patients with associated injuries of the knee like meniscal tears. Observations include anterior drawer test was negative in 83.33% of patients at 3 months, 86.67% of patients at 6 months and at 1 year 96.15% of patients had a negative anterior drawer test. Full range of motion attained in 86.67% of patients at 3 months, 93.33% of patients at 6 months and at 1 year 96.15% of patients.Pivot shift test was negative postoperatively for all the patients at any follow-up. Postoperatively at 3 months 25 (83.33%) patients had 5/5 quadriceps power (MRC grading) 92.3% of them had 5/5 power at latest follow up. Complications include Supercial infection and Deep infection in our study. Conclusion: Anterior cruciate ligament tears are most common at a mean age of 28 years with preponderance to male gender. The most common mechanism of the injury was sports activity. Isolated ACL injury is more common than along with associated meniscal injuries.Anatomic single bundle reconstruction with quadrupled hamstring graft gives good functional results.Hamstring graft xation with endobutton and interference screw gives better functional outcome.

Occupational Injuries among Latino/a Immigrant Cattle Feedyard Workers in the Central States Region of the United States.

Agriculture is a dangerous industry with high rates of occupational injuries. Immigrants comprise the majority of the hired agricultural workforce in the United States, and these workers may be at a higher risk for job-related injuries. This study addressed the frequency, characteristics, and risk factors of occupational injuries among Latino immigrant cattle feedyard workers. Data were collected through structured interviews with Latino immigrant cattle feedyard workers in Kansas and Nebraska (n = 243; 90.9% male). Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to identify risk factors for injury. Nearly three-fourths of participants (71.2%) reported having experienced one or more injuries in the past while working on a cattle feedyard. The most frequent types of reported injuries, including those not requiring medical care, were bruises/contusions (40%), cuts/lacerations (21%), and sprains/strains (12%). These injuries were mainly caused by animals/livestock (33%), chemicals (23%), falls (12%), and tools (9%). Significant risk factors for injury included male gender (OR 5.9), being over age 35 (OR 2.6), working on a large or an extra-large feedyard (OR 5.4), having 11 or more employees on the feedyard (OR 3.6), and working more than eight hours a day (OR 4.7). Having received safety training was also associated with greater risk of injury in a univariable model (OR 2.6). Cattle feedyard workers are at high risk for injury and require more effective preventive measures.

The Human Tissue-Engineered Cornea (hTEC): Recent Progress.

Each day, about 2000 U.S. workers have a job-related eye injury requiring medical treatment. Corneal diseases are the fifth cause of blindness worldwide. Most of these diseases can be cured using one form or another of corneal transplantation, which is the most successful transplantation in humans. In 2012, it was estimated that 12.7 million people were waiting for a corneal transplantation worldwide. Unfortunately, only 1 in 70 patients received a corneal graft that same year. In order to provide alternatives to the shortage of graftable corneas, considerable progress has been achieved in the development of living corneal substitutes produced by tissue engineering and designed to mimic their in vivo counterpart in terms of cell phenotype and tissue architecture. Most of these substitutes use synthetic biomaterials combined with immortalized cells, which makes them dissimilar from the native cornea. However, studies have emerged that describe the production of tridimensional (3D) tissue-engineered corneas using untransformed human corneal epithelial cells grown on a totally natural stroma synthesized by living corneal fibroblasts, that also show appropriate histology and expression of both extracellular matrix (ECM) components and integrins. This review highlights contributions from laboratories working on the production of human tissue-engineered corneas (hTECs) as future substitutes for grafting purposes. It overviews alternative models to the grafting of cadaveric corneas where cell organization is provided by the substrate, and then focuses on their 3D counterparts that are closer to the native human corneal architecture because of their tissue development and cell arrangement properties. These completely biological hTECs are therefore very promising as models that may help understand many aspects of the molecular and cellular mechanistic response of the cornea toward different types of diseases or wounds, as well as assist in the development of novel drugs that might be promising for therapeutic purposes.

Rehabilitation of the working population after occupation injuries

Introduction. The urgency to maintain health and man’s working population’s performance capability is inextricably linked to occupation-related injuries. They remain one of the most relevant heads of losses for both the employee and the employer and the state in the form of insurance benefits, sickness certificates, disability benefits, rehabilitation programs, and compensation payments. High rate of posttraumatic complications, disability and demographic losses call for improving in the treatment delivery at all its stages. The purpose is to improve rehabilitation effectiveness in patients after job-related injuries in recognition of the international classification of functioning of post-traumatic disorders of the upper extremities. Material and methods. 3,201 patients with domestic and job-related injuries of the body’s locomotor apparatus underwent rehabilitation treatment within second and third rehabilitation stages under twenty-four-hour inpatient treatment and outpatient care. Upper extremities injuries were in 57% cases; lower extremities injuries - 38%. Combined injuries made up 5 %. Since 2020, there has been introduced the work of a multidisciplinary team (MDT), consisting of doctors of physical and rehabilitation medicine (PRM) as well as doctors of physical therapy, neurologists, internists, reflexologist, traumatologist, doctors in exercise therapy, trainers in exercise therapy, clinical psychologists, ergotherapists, and specialized doctors (cardiologist, dietitian, endocrinologist, osteoporosis specialist, etc.). Results. The clinical practice of using treatment methodology from the position of rehabilitation potential and diagnosis is shown. Possible ways for improving the effectiveness of recovering the population’s health after injuries are analyzed using international standards. The main steps, tasks, and medical and social rehabilitation opportunities are discussed using the international classification of functioning, disability, and health (ICF). Conclusion. Our experience with patients of a traumatic profile, including individuals after job-related injuries, shows the reasonableness of using ICF in rehabilitation as a unified international tool and should be further used.

The Process Of Farmers’ Occupational Health Behavior by Health Belief Model: Evidence From Iran

ABSTRACT Farm work is considered among the highest risk jobs throughout the world. Occupational health behavior is a critical factor that influences agricultural job-related injuries and diseases. Yet, while educational programs have been set up to encourage farmers to behave more safely, many of these programs do not sufficiently take into account the factors that induce farmers to exhibit risky behavior. The present study aimed to explore the factors underpinning farmers’ occupational health behavior using the Health Belief Model (HBM). The study was conducted using aquestionnaire survey of 382 farmers representative of the farmers of Kermanshah province, Iran. The face and content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by apanel of experts in occupational health, and its reliability by apilot study establishing internal consistency measured by Cronbach’s alpha. The results showed that four dimensions of the HBM (perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits, cues to action, and perceived self-efficacy) influence farmers’ occupational health behavior (FOHB), with the theoretical model accounting for 54.9% of the variance of FOHB. The findings confirm the potential of the HBM to explain FOHB and the relevance of using the theory in studying farmers’ protective behaviors such as the use of chemical pesticides, protection against sunlight, protection of hearing, etc.

Nonfatal Occupational Injuries to Younger Workers - United States, 2012-2018.

Adolescents and young adults represent approximately 13% of the U.S. workforce (1). Compared with adult workers, young workers (aged 15-24 years) experience higher rates of job-related injury (2,3). To describe injuries among young workers and inform research and prevention activities, CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) analyzed national data for 2012-2018 from the occupational supplement to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System* (NEISS-Work) and for 2018 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII).† During the 7-year period, an estimated 3.2 million (95% confidence interval [CI]=2.6-3.7) nonfatal, job-related injuries to young workers were treated in hospital emergency departments (EDs). From 2012 to 2018, annual rates of work-related injuries§ treated in the ED (ED-treated injuries) declined overall across all age groups but ranged from 1.2 to 2.3 times higher for workers aged 15-24 years compared with those for adults aged 25-44 years. Workers aged 18-19 years had the highest rate of ED-treated injuries. In 2018, among all age groups, workers in service occupations¶ had the highest percentage of injuries requiring at least 1 day away from work. Among workers aged 15-17 years, those in the leisure and hospitality industry had the highest percentage of work-related injuries requiring at least 1 day away from work. Occupational injuries can have long-term impacts on health (4). The disproportionate risk of injury among young workers highlights the need for sustained, targeted public health efforts to prepare this population with essential workplace safety and health competencies before they enter the workforce and to provide high-quality safety training and close supervision on the job. NIOSH and its partners developed a free curriculum to teach adolescents workplace safety and health competencies, which includes identification of workplace hazards and methods for addressing them, how to understand their rights and responsibilities as workers, and how to voice concerns about work safety issues (5).

Workplace hazard exposure and practice of safety measures by workers in selected factories in Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria

Background: Workplace safety measures are intended to reduce injuries, accidents and hazards to employees. This study was to determine the workplace hazard exposure, practice of safety measures and use of private protective equipment by workers in selected factories in Nnewi, Anambra State Nigeria. Methods: Using a cross-sectional descriptive design, a semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and an observational checklist were data collection tools. Using a stratified sampling and proportionate random sampling techniques 816 staff from three strata participated in the study.Results: Out of the 634 completely filled questionnaires, 97.5% respondents were males and 65.8% were aged 26-40years. Majority (78.6%) had four or less years of experience and 23.5% earned between N21,000-N30,000 monthly. Most (96.8%) were trained to use protective equipment and 93.7% believed that their current job was hazardous. Out of the 182 respondents with high level of workplace hazard exposure, 64.3% were aged 26-30 years. Most respondents (92.6%) reported having at least one job-related injury within the past year while 49.7% felt that they may lose their job due to work-related injury. There was a statistically significant relationship between workplace hazard exposure and level of practice of safety measure (p< 0.005) and level of personal protective equipment use (p< 0.001). Conclusion: Age and length of service at the factory had significant influence on the level of hazard exposure, level of safety practice and level of personal protective equipment use. In-service trainings and incentives for consistent practice of safety measures and PPE use could lead to lower accidents.

Agro-industrial accidents linked to length of service, operation site and confidence in employer adherence to safety rules

BackgroundThe agriculture sector consistently ranks among the most hazardous occupational industries globally with high risk of job-related injuries, illnesses, disability, and death. In 2015, the agricultural fatal work injury rate in the United States was 22.8 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers; seven times the all-worker fatal injury rate of 3.4 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers. In this study we identified the factors that are associated with workplace accident and injuries at the Goldtree (SL) Limited Company - a private international agro-industrial palm kernel oil company operating in eastern Sierra Leone.MethodsThis is a descriptive research that made use of both qualitative and quantitative research techniques to collect and analyse agro-industrial occupation-related accident and injuries of workers attached to the Goldtree (SL) Limited Company, an international palm kernel oil producing and marketing company in Sierra Leone. We analyzed the responses of 100 workers at the Goldtree (SL) Limited Company that are related to their work safety, adherence to work safety guidelines as well as working habit.ResultsThirty nine (39.0%) of the workers interviewed in this study said they had been involved in some forms of occupational accident; (33.3%) of those involved in some form of occupational-related accidents have been working in the company for 3–5 years, 22.0% have been working at the company for at least 2 years; 7.7% have been working for 6–8 years (X2 = 9.88, p-value = 0.02).ConclusionWorkers who have spent few years in the job, and those workers who have confidence that management is committed to addressing health and safety issues, believed that their working tools were in excellent condition, or agreed that they have the rights and responsibilities for an effective workplace health and safety system have decreased odds of experiencing occupational-related accidents or injury at the study site.

Epidemiology of Needlesticks and Sharps Injuries amongHealthcare Workers and Organizational Safety Climate

Introduction: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are exposed to different health hazards as a part of occupational risk including needlestick and sharps injuries (NSS of which more than 65% had ≥2 injuries. Risk factors of NSS respectively). The best factors attributing to organizational safety climate were the readily accessible sharps containers 81.1% and open communication between staff nurses and supervisors 78.9%. Conclusion: The risk of NS&SIs is still high among HCWs that underlines the emphasis on enhancing the organizational safety climate to decrease the risk of job-related injuries with all its consequences.