Male Cleaners Research Articles

Prevalence of low back pain among street cleaners in Northeastern Nigeria

Context: Street cleaners assume bending and twisting positions for a long period while on the job, making them to be susceptible to low back pain (LBP). Aims: This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of LBP among street cleaners in North-eastern Nigeria. Settings and Design: Sample of convenience was to recruit 381 participants who were street cleaners working within Maiduguri Metropolitan Council. Subjects and Methods: A conveniently sampled participants (n = 381) completed sociodemographic form, Nordic LBP Questionnaire and LBP risk factors form. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the data, and Chi-square statistics were used to explore the differences in LBP prevalence by sociodemographics. Results: The present study shows a 12-month LBP prevalence rate of 78.2% and a crude point (7 days) prevalent rate of 55.1% among the workers, and this condition tend to occur more frequently among those in the age group between 58 and 67 years than their counterparts in the lower age groups (P = 0.001). Male cleaners tend to report LBP more frequently than their female counterparts (P = 0.011), and those with primary or qur'anic education also reported LBP more frequently than their counterparts with secondary or tertiary education (P = 0.046). Performing the same task over and over and working in the same position for long periods were the most frequently chosen risk factors pre-disposing the workers to LBP on their job. Conclusions: The present study identified the needs for workers ergonomic education and employers' consideration for ergonomically fit tools, as potential solution to addressing LBP as an occupational hazard among the workers.

Nonapeptide levels in male cleaner fish brains during interactions with unfamiliar intra and interspecific partners

In nature, cleaner fish face complex situations arising from a highly demanding socio-environment that includes conspecific and mutualistic relationships. The nonapeptide arginine vasotocin (AVT) is known to play a relevant role in the expression of mutualistic behaviour in the Indo-Pacific bluestreak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus). However, the role of the second nonapeptide isotocin (IT) in mediating social behaviour has yet to be established. Here we investigated whether there is a link between the distribution of active nonapeptides across brain regions and cleaners’ social behaviour. Male cleaner fish were exposed to different social contexts: (i) an unfamiliar male conspecific (conspecific context), (ii) an unfamiliar interspecific partner (blond naso tang, Naso elegans; mutualistic context) and (iii) a ball (non-social context). Furthermore, to distinguish between physicochemical and visual stimulations, cleaners were also exposed to an unfamiliar conspecific or an unfamiliar interspecific partner placed in a separate, smaller aquaria while inside the experimental tank. We then measured biologically available AVT and IT levels in distinct brain macro-areas, forebrain, optic tectum, cerebellum and brain stem, using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. We did not find any association between the levels of AVT and social contexts. On the other hand, we found lower levels of IT in the forebrain of cleaners in contact with a conspecific compared to those introduced to a client and a client inside another aquarium. Additionally, cleaners displayed aggression but only towards other conspecifics. These findings indicate that (i) IT in cleaners’ forebrain is linked with mutualistic engagement between cleaners and clients, (ii) stimulation of IT pathways in the forebrain is probably linked with the visual recognition of potential clients and (iii) physicochemical signals are essential to trigger aggressive displays in male conspecifics. The visual stimulation of IT pathways in the forebrain of male cleaner wrasses while introduced to sympatric clients is associated with the establishment of cleaner-client mutualistic relationship; physicochemical signals are important to trigger aggressive displays in male cleaners introduced to conspecifics.

Forebrain neuropeptide regulation of pair association and behavior in cooperating cleaner fish

Animals establish privileged relationships with specific partners, which are treated differently from other conspecifics, and contribute to behavioral variation. However, there is limited information on the underlying physiological mechanisms involved in the establishment of these privileged ties and their relationship to individual cooperation levels. The Indo-Pacific bluestreak cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus often forages in mixed-sex pairs when cleaning fish clients. Intra-couple conflicts often arise during a joint client inspection, which may alter the overall quality of cleaning service provided. Here we tested two hypotheses: a) whether intra-pair association (i.e. association index), measured with joint interspecific cleaning and intraspecific behavior, is correlated with neuroendocrine mechanisms involving forebrain neuropeptides arginine vasotocin (AVT) and isotocin (IT) and b) whether these neuropeptide level shifts relate to an individual's interspecific service quality. We found that partner support (number of cleaning interactions and tactile stimulation) received by male cleaners increased with association index. When cleaners inspected clients alone, cleaners' cheating decreased with association index for females but not males. AVT levels did not differ according to sex or association level. Forebrain IT levels increased with association index for males, whereas no relationship was found for females. Finally, cleaner cheating varied between sex and forebrain IT levels. Findings indicate that variation in pairs' relationships influences male and female cleaner fish differently and contributes to the variation of brain neuropeptide levels, which is linked to distinct cooperative outcomes.

Does Inequity Aversion Motivate Punishment? Cleaner Fish as a Model System

In human social interactions, punishment is often directed at cheating individuals. Subjective reports and neuro-imaging studies indicate that the experience of interacting with a cheat produces negative emotions and that the act of punishing a cheat assuages these feelings. However, while negative emotions may elicit punishment, the precise source of these emotions remains obscure. Specifically, it is often very difficult to tease apart whether punishing individuals are inequity averse (upset because cheating partner receives more than they should) or, more simply, whether they might be loss averse (upset because their payoffs did not meet their expectations). We compare results on punishment and inequity aversion in humans with results from a non-human model system, the cleaning mutualism between bluestreak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) and its reef-fish ‘clients’. Male cleaner fish are known to punish females that cheat during joint client inspections, but a recent study failed to demonstrate evidence for inequity aversion in this species. We suggest that punishment in cleaner fish may be motivated by loss aversion rather than inequity aversion. Punishment in humans might also often be motivated by loss aversion—and empirical studies that disentangle the two competing motives for punishment are a clear research priority.

Male cleaner wrasses adjust punishment of female partners according to the stakes

Punishment is an important deterrent against cheating in cooperative interactions. In humans, the severity of cheating affects the strength of punishment which, in turn, affects the punished individual's future behaviour. Here, we show such flexible adjustments for the first time in a non-human species, the cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus), where males are known to punish female partners. We exposed pairs of cleaners to a model client offering two types of food, preferred 'prawn' items and less-preferred 'flake' items. Analogous to interactions with real clients, eating a preferred prawn item ('cheating') led to model client removal. We varied the extent to which female cheating caused pay-off reduction to the male and measured the corresponding severity of male punishment. Males punished females more severely when females cheated during interactions with high value, rather than low value, model clients; and when females were similar in size to the male. This pattern may arise because, in this protogynous hermaphrodite, cheating by similar-sized females may reduce size differences to the extent that females change sex and become reproductive competitors. In response to more severe punishment from males, females behaved more cooperatively. Our results show that punishment can be adjusted to circumstances and that such subtleties can have an important bearing on the outcome of cooperative interactions.

MORNING CLEANING: JEFF WALL AND THE LARGE GLASS

Jeff Wall's Morning Cleaning, Mies van der Rohe Foundation, Barcelona, 1999, is a cinematographic digital transparency picturing the German Pavilion designed by Mies for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona and reconstructed in the 1980s. The tableau involves the arrested action of a male cleaner, oblivious to the gaze of the spectator, as he washes the windows separating the interior from an outdoor pool, where the morning sun illuminates Georg Kolbe's sculpture Dawn. Contrary to Michael Fried's reading of Morning Cleaning as a renewal of the antitheatrical aims of High Modernist painting, this essay looks to Duchamp's Large Glass as the model for its structuring tensions. Morning Cleaning is considered as a Duchampian delay in relation to the politics of modernist glass architecture in Wall's Kammerspiel essay, and as a ‘countermonument’ to the reconstructed pavilion as fetish, emptied of social meaning and the traumatic history of modernity.

Relationships between asthma and work exposures among non‐domestic cleaners in Ontario

Cleaners have been reported to have increased risk for work-related asthma symptoms but few studies have studied non-domestic cleaners. In this study, we compared work-related asthma symptoms among cleaners and other building workers and determined associations with tasks. School and racetrack workers in Ontario, Canada, completed a questionnaire to identify the prevalence of cleaning tasks, physician-diagnosed asthma, new-onset asthma, respiratory symptoms, and work-related asthma symptoms. Cleaners and controls had a similar prevalence of most asthma outcomes although female cleaners reported significantly more respiratory symptoms; odds ratio (OR), 2.59 confidence intervals (CI) 1.6-4.3, and work-related asthma symptoms, OR 3.90 (CI 2.1-7.4) compared with female controls with adjustment for age and smoking history. Male cleaners showed a non-significant trend to more physician-diagnosed asthma, adjusted OR 2.10 (CI 0.9-4.8) and work-related asthma symptoms, adjusted OR 1.53 (CI 0.8-3.0). The work-related asthma symptoms among men were significantly associated with waxing floors, OR 2.19 (CI 1.0-4.4); wax-stripping floors, OR 2.54 (1.2-5.2); spot-cleaning carpets, OR 2.20 (1.3-3.8); and cleaning tiles, OR 4.46 (1.0-19.3) and grout, OR 2.12 (1.1-4.0). Female cleaners have more asthma symptoms worse at work than controls. Work-related asthma symptoms among male cleaners were associated with a number of specific cleaning tasks. Findings suggest the need for school cleaners to have reduced exposure to cleaning chemicals and need for protective strategies during performance of tasks expected to exacerbate asthma, such as wax stripping.

Cutaneous and respiratory symptoms among professional cleaners

Occupational dermatitis is very common and has a large economic impact. Cleaners are at an increased risk for both work-related cutaneous and respiratory symptoms. To compare the prevalence of occupational cutaneous symptoms among professional indoor cleaners to other building workers (OBW) and to determine associations with exposures and with respiratory symptoms among cleaners. A questionnaire completed by indoor professional cleaners and OBW to compare rash and respiratory symptoms between these groups examined workplace factors such as training, protective equipment and work tasks. In total, 549 of the 1396 professional cleaners (39%) and 593 of the 1271 OBW (47%) completed questionnaires. The prevalence of rash was significantly higher in the cleaners compared to the OBW. For male cleaners, 21% (86/413) had a rash in the past 12 months compared to only 11% (13/115) of OBW (P < 0.05). The rashes experienced by the cleaners were more likely to be on their hands and worse at work. Cleaners washed their hands significantly more often than OBW. Cleaners with a rash were less likely to have received workplace training regarding their skin and were more likely to find the safety training hard to understand. Cleaners with a rash within the past year were significantly more likely to have work-related asthma symptoms than cleaners without a rash (P < 0.001). This study demonstrates a strong link between work-related symptoms of asthma and dermatitis among cleaners. Effective preventive measures, such as the use of protective skin and respiratory equipment, should be emphasized.

Evolutionary Cooperation: Male Cleaner Fish Aggression May Promote Female Cooperation

A new study has shown that mixed-sex pairs of cleaner fish provide a better - more cooperative - service than singletons despite pairs facing an apparent Prisoner's dilemma.

Epidemiology of occupational injury among cleaners in the healthcare sector

The cleaning profession has been associated with multiple ergonomic and chemical hazards which elevate the risk for occupational injury. This study investigated the epidemiology of occupational injury among cleaners in healthcare work settings in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Incidents of occupational injury among cleaners, resulting in lost time from work or medical care, over a period of 1 year in two healthcare regions were extracted from a standardized operational database and with person-years obtained from payroll data. Detailed analysis was conducted using Poisson regression modeling. A total of 145 injuries were identified among cleaners, with an annual incidence rate of 32.1 per 100 person-years. After adjustment for age, gender, subsector, facility, experience and employment status, Poisson regression models demonstrated that a significantly higher relative risk (RR) of all injury, musculoskeletal injury and cuts was associated with cleaning work in acute care facilities, compared with long-term care facilities. Female cleaners were at a higher RR of all injuries and contusions than male cleaners. A lower risk of all injury and allergy and irritation incidents among part-time or casual workers was found. Cleaners with >10 years of experience were at significantly lower risk for all injury, contusion and allergy and irritation incidents. Cleaners were found to be at an elevated risk of all injury categories compared with healthcare workers in general.

Population-based study of non-infectious rhinitis in relation to occupational exposure, age, sex, and smoking.

Many types of occupational exposure are associated with the risk of non-infectious rhinitis. We investigate the risk factors for this association. A random population of 2,044 subjects (aged 21-51) answered a questionnaire that was comprised of detailed questions on occupational exposure, nasal complaints, and smoking. NIR was defined as the sensation of nasal blockage and/or attacks of sneezing without having a cold. The incidence rates for NIR among exposed and unexposed were calculated. In the different exposed groups, only NIR with onset after the start of exposure was regarded as exposed. If a subject reported NIR before the relevant exposure started, he/she was excluded from that analysis. Relative risks (RR) were calculated as incidence rate ratios. Odds ratios controlling for smoking, age, and atopy were also calculated. The incidence rate for NIR was 13.5/1,000 person-years. Males exposed to fire fumes (RR 2.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5-4.1), women exposed to paper dust (RR 2.0, 95% CI 1.5-2.9), and male cleaners (RR 3.1, 95% CI 1.9-5.1) displayed an increased risk of developing NIR. Smoking was associated with an increased risk of NIR for both sexes. Exposure to several occupational irritants is associated with a higher risk of developing NIR.

Cleaning behaviour in the teleost, Symphodus melanocercus: females are more specialized than males

In the Mediterranean Sea, the most conspicuous cleaner fish is the wrasse, Symphodus melanocercus, a specialized cleaner wrasse. In this fish species, energetic investments in reproduction are different for males and females. Female S. melanocercus were found to be more active in cleaning and ingested significantly more gnathiid isopod larvae than males. Male cleaners foraged more on benthic animals and showed a strong preference for clients according to their mucus characteristics. Results indicate that female S. melanocercus are more likely to be specialized, in terms of cleaning behaviour, than males. We suggest that females are more honest than males and that they play an important role in preserving the good reputation of S. melanocercus as a cleaner fish.