Working Conditions Research Articles

Proud but Powerless: A Qualitative Study of Homecare Workers´ Work Experiences and Their Suggestions for How Care for Homebound Older Adults Can Be Improved

ABSTRACT Many older adults with complex care needs live at home due to ageing‐in‐place policies. This study explored homecare workers’ experiences and suggestions for improvements of care. Twelve semi-structured interviews were analyzed thematically, and revealed pride, capability, and satisfaction in their work, yet they feel undervalued and lack support. They advocate for integrated care models, recognition of their competence, flexible work approaches, and committed leadership. This would enhance patient care and address their own working conditions, addressing concerns from being relegated to the bottom of the hierarchy. They emphasize the need for comprehensive approaches, spanning from housekeeping to end-of-life palliative care.

Role of buttering layer composition on microstructural heterogeneity and mechanical properties of Alloy 617 and P92 steel dissimilar welded joints for future Indian AUSC program

AbstractRestrictive operating conditions (even exceeding 700 °C) of materials in advanced ultra super critical (AUSC) power plants and the need to minimize manufacturing and maintenance costs require the production of dissimilar metal welded joints (DMW). Significant differences in the physical and chemical properties of welded materials lead to phenomena that reduce the weldability of the metals used and force the search for solutions that limit unfavorable phenomena, e.g., the use of buttering layers. The study presents a comparison of two types of joints with Alloy 617 (UNS N06617) and ferritic P92 (UNS K92460) steel made using Inconel 82 (ENiCrFe-3) and Inconel 617 (ERNiCrCoMo-1) alloys buttering layer and the corresponding chemical composition of filler metals. All areas of the joints made with the gas tungsten arc welding process were subjected to structural investigations (optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and mechanical tests (microhardness, room and high temperature tensile, and toughness testing). Despite the more complicated welding procedure, sound welded joints were obtained with favorable properties resulting, inter alia, from the reduced thickness of the martensite layer in HAZ of P92 steel and the limited diffusion of alloy components compared to welded joints without the buttering layer. This also resulted in a reduction of the maximum hardness (especially in the case of Inconel 82 buttering—by 15–30 HV0.5 in comparison with Inconel 617 buttering) and an increase in strength while limiting the decrease in plasticity (even 663 MPa tensile strength and 21% of elongation for Inconel 617 buttered joint). Moreover, improved high-temperature performance (approximately 70–100 MPa) of the welded joint following the application of the buttering layer was confirmed. The presented results allow for drawing general conclusions that both proposed welding procedures can be recommended for use in the working conditions occurring at AUSC.

Physical work environment in an activity-based flex office: a longitudinal case study.

This study aimed to investigate and explore Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) management, office ergonomics, and musculoskeletal symptoms in a group of office workers relocating from cell offices to activity-based flex offices (AFOs). The analysis was based on qualitative interview data with 77 employees and longitudinal questionnaire data from 152 employees. Results indicate that there was a need to clarify roles and processes related to the management of OHS. Self-rated sit comfort, working posture, and availability of daylight deteriorated and symptoms in neck and shoulders increased after the relocation and seemed to be influenced by many factors, such as difficulties adjusting the workstations, the availability of suitable workplaces, and age, sex, and individual needs. Research on the long-term effects of physical work environments and management of (OHS) issues after implementing activity-based flex offices is sparse. This study demonstrates the importance of planning and organising OHS issue management when implementing an AFO, and to carefully implement office ergonomics among office workers.

Epidemiology of work-related injuries, musculoskeletal disorders and dermatitis among hospital food service workers in a tertiary hospital in Asia.

Despite the relative importance, the prevalence of workplace safety and health issues in hospital food service workers is not well studied. This study describes the epidemiology of work-related injuries and occupational diseases among hospital food service workers (FSWs) in a tertiary hospital in Singapore. Using a total population sampling approach, a cross-sectional self-administered questionnaire was distributed to all FSWs employed at a major tertiary hospital in Singapore. The response rate was 98.4% (n = 125). The overall prevalence of workplace injuries and musculoskeletal symptoms was 35% (n = 43) and 53% (n = 65) respectively. The most common workplace injuries were cuts/lacerations (35.8%), muscle strain (25.4%) and burns (19.4%). The prevalence of workplace injuries among staff performing food preparation duties was higher at 56.3% as compared to 21.6% among staff with no food preparation duties (p < 0.01). The prevalence of workplace injuries among staff performing cooking duties was also higher at 47.5%, compared to 29.3% among staff with no cooking duties (p = 0.05). Staff performing food preparation duties had a higher prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms at 66.7% as compared to 44.6% among staff with no food preparation duties (p = 0.02). Obese staff had a higher prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms at 78.9%, compared to overweight staff at 53.8% and staff with normal weight at 43.1% (p = 0.03). FSWs with jobs involving cooking and preparation of food, and those with obesity, are at higher risk of sustaining workplace injuries or musculoskeletal symptoms. Targeted interventions should be implemented for injury prevention and to mitigate these risks.

Same job, same working conditions? A cross-sectional study to examine the similarities and differences of the working situation in ambulatory and residential youth welfare workers

BackgroundEmployees in social work exhibit high rates of sick leave due to mental health issues. Additionally, work-related demands in youth welfare have increased in recent years. Particularly in light of the escalating shortage of skilled professionals in this field, this trend becomes especially critical. The aim of this study is to systematically examine health-relevant working conditions, coping strategies, and health indicators in youth welfare. A special focus is placed on a differentiated analysis of job-related characteristics in the context of outpatient and residential youth welfare.MethodsMean values, standard deviations and the reliability of scales are measured. In addition to descriptive statistics, t-tests for analyzing mean differences, as well as correlation analyses and odds ratios as measures of association, are computed.ResultsA total of N = 1044 employees in youth welfare participated in the online survey. Among them, 671 individuals belonged to the field of residential youth welfare, and 373 to outpatient youth welfare. The results indicate that, in youth welfare in general, a variety of emotional, social, qualitative, and quantitative demands exhibit high levels. The comparison between outpatient and residential youth welfare reveals differences in half of the demands. The significant differences are observed for social demands and aggression from clients, which are statistically significant higher in the residential setting. Regarding resources, the most significant difference is observed for autonomy, which is higher in the outpatient setting. Overall, the association patterns reveals more similarities than differences between outpatient and residential settings. In both settings working conditions seem to have deteriorated during the pandemic.ConclusionsIn conclusion, the identified job-related characteristics in outpatient and residential youth welfare exhibit more similarities than differences. Nevertheless, the identified differences provide insights into the specific features of each work context, offering valuable starting points for targeted health promotion in practice.Trial registrationThis trial is recorded at the Hamburg University Ethics Committee (AZ 2022_027).

Types of COVID-19 Disaster Work and Psychological Responses in National Guard Service Members.

The National Guard (NG) served as a critical component of the U.S. response to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Understanding the impact of types of pandemic-related disaster work on mental health responses can aid in sustaining NG service members' health and preparation for subsequent activations and future pandemics. We surveyed 1,363 NG unit (NGU) service members (88% Army; 80% enlisted; 32% 30 to 39 years old; 84% male) following activation in response to the pandemic. Surveys were administered between August and December 2020, which was approximately 2 to 3 months post-activation. Surveys assessed overall activation stress, participation in different types of disaster work, probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression, and anger. A disaster work stress scale assessed different types of disaster work during activation and associated stress levels. For each individual, we calculated an overall work task stress (WTS) scaled score, with a maximum score of 100. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship of high-stress disaster work tasks to post-activation PTSD, anxiety and depression, and anger, adjusting for socio-demographic and service-related variables. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Uniformed Services University (USU) in Bethesda, MD. Among NGU service members, 12.7% (n = 172) described their activation as very/extremely stressful. The work tasks with the highest scaled scores were as follows: (1) Patient transportation (WTS scaled score = 100); (2) working with the dead (WTS = 82.2); and (3) working with families of coronavirus disease 2019 patients (WTS = 72.7). For each individual's work tasks, we identified the work task associated with the highest WTS score. The top one-third of WTS scores were classified as the high-stress group. Approximately 9% of participants (n = 111) had probable PTSD, 6.7% (n = 85) had clinically significant anxiety and depression, and 12.3% (n = 156) had high anger. Multivariable logistic regression analyses, adjusting for covariates, found that NGU service members exposed to the highest level of disaster WTS were more likely to report PTSD (odds ratio [OR] = 1.48 [95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.13-1.94], χ2 = 7.98), anxiety and depression (OR = 1.91 [95% CI = 1.17-3.13]; χ2 = 6.67), and anger (OR = 1.63 [95% CI = 1.13-2.37]; χ2 = 6.66) post-activation. Identifying work tasks associated with high levels of stress can help detect individuals at risk for adverse mental health responses post-exposure. Distinguishing features of high-stress work conditions can be generalized to other types of work conditions and disaster response and are important targets for planning and preventive efforts.

An Electromechanical Impedance-Based Imaging Algorithm for Damage Identification of Chemical Milling Stiffened Panel

The multiple intersecting stiffeners on the chemical milling stiffened panel (CMSP) limit the application of active health monitoring methods on it. An imaging algorithm based on electromechanical impedance (EMI) and probability-weighting is proposed to achieve quantitative evaluation and localization of the damage on CMSP. The proposed algorithm compensates for the difference in sensor performance with coefficients and there is no need to determine the key parameters of the algorithm through prior experiments. In the paper, the applicability of ultrasonic guided wave (GW) and EMI on CMSP was first studied through the finite element method. Based on EMI and the mean absolute percentage deviation (MAPD), the selected damage indicator (DI), a probability-weighted damage imaging algorithm are proposed and experimentally verified. The results indicate that due to the reflection and attenuation effects of stiffeners on GW, the signal characteristics of damage scattering waves are contaminated, making it difficult to quantitatively characterize the damage from GW signals through DIs. MAPD is positively correlated with the damage degree and has consistency in characterizing the signal of different PZTs under the same working condition. The feasibility and accuracy of the proposed algorithm are verified through experiments which show a strong engineering application capability.

Assessment of ergonomic risks in car radio manufacturing using the Suzanne Rodgers and NIOSH criteria: a practical application

Companies from Industrial Pole of Manaus look for automation to reduce ergonomic risks, even if the degree of autonomy will depend on organizational technical projects, that is, we visualize two different strands to develop ergonomic actions with the objective of improving working conditions related to health and productivity. Many interests about ergonomics are due to legislation, to adapt the work conditions, it is necessary to measure the ergonomic risks through established criteria. The present study aims to verify the contribution of ergonomic risk assessment instruments in practice, even though the process is quite robust, using the NIOSH and Suzanne Rodgers Criteria we visualize several potential to mitigate the risks inside this manufacturing process. The research was conducted through a literature review, and case study, raising the operative mode of all the workstations, mainly considering the comments of the employees involved, since all the methods present had potential for application, but a standardization of the evaluation for data collection become the main factors in determining the risk factors related to musculoskeletal disorders. According to the knowledge acquired and accumulated during the data collection, observed the ergonomic thermometer of the manufacture, where the moderate risk was evident, even if it is a process with automation, but this study will guide to a more effective work in search of the reduction of the ergonomic risk within the organization by the multifunctional team, in the search for the ergonomically correct process.

The impact of COVID-19 on police officer wellness

ABSTRACT Disaster policing requires considerably more effort than working under normal conditions, thereby exacerbating existing threats to employee wellness. Research suggests that such working conditions may be harmful to physical and mental health outcomes, including increasing absenteeism. This study relies on personnel records from 3,398 police officers across 12 police services to determine the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacted police officer work attendance and absenteeism, controlling for officer – and community-level characteristics. Results indicate that compared to the previous time-period, work attendance decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic and absenteeism increased. Data shows that a greater proportion of officers worked fewer days during the pandemic compared to the time-period before, and a smaller proportion worked a greater number of days. Multilevel mixed effects models indicate that COVID-19 largely contributed to decreasing attendance and increasing absenteeism beyond the effects of community conditions and officer demographics.

Eco-Friendly Inorganic Binders: A Key Alternative for Reducing Harmful Emissions in Molding and Core-Making Technologies

Many years of foundry practice and much more accurate analytical methods have shown that sands with organic binders, in addition to their many technological advantages, pose risks associated with the emission of many compounds, including harmful ones (e.g., formaldehyde, phenol, benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and sulfur), arising during the pouring of liquid casting alloys into molds, their cooling, and knock-out. The aim of this research is to demonstrate the potential benefits of adopting inorganic binders in European iron foundries. This will improve the environmental and working conditions by introducing cleaner and more ecological production methods, while also ranking the tested binders studied in terms of their harmful content. The article pays special attention to the analysis of seven innovative inorganic binders and one organic binder, acting as a reference for emissions of gases from the BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes) and PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) groups and other compounds such as phenol, formaldehyde, and isocyanates (MDI and TDI) generated during the mold pouring process with liquid metals. The knowledge gained will, for the first time, enrich the database needed to update the Reference Document on The Best Available Techniques for the Smitheries and Foundries Industry (SF BREF).

The Psychosocial Considerations for Behaviour Change, Mental Health, and Work-Related Satisfaction in Preregistration Nurses, during Coronavirus Pandemic

The mental health of healthcare workers was affected by physical and psychological challenges during the pandemic. The aim was to study how psychosocial considerations can help manage behaviour change, mental health, and work satisfaction of nurse trainees in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. This cross-sectional study involved ninety-nine students. Participants’ anxiety, fear of the coronavirus, and perceived work satisfaction were measured by GAD-7, FCV19S, and COM-B scales and assessed using descriptive, correlational, and linear regression analysis. The significant zero-order correlations between job satisfaction and fear, anxiety, and psychosocial considerations were significant. They indicated moderate strength that allowed for further inferential development to find the best predictors of job satisfaction. The findings suggested that 50% of trainees showed anxiety above the suggested ≥8 cut-off on GAD-7, and 48% scored high for fear on FCV19S. There was a significant effect between year groups (F (2, 99) = 4.25, p=0.02, η2 = 0.081), with a Tukey post hoc test showing a significant difference between training years 1 and 2 with a p=0.015. A significant linear regression found that psychosocial variables in behaviour change (p≤0.001) and anxiety (p=0.011) were significant factors in job satisfaction, explaining 53.4% of the variance. Conclusion. Satisfaction was associated with higher levels of psychosocial considerations and low levels of anxiety and fear, which adds to previous literature on job satisfaction in nurse education. Future implications must examine ways to alleviate mental health effects and support policies and curricula to address this need.

НОВАЦІЇ У ВІТЧИЗНЯНІЦЙ НОРМАТИВНІЙ БАЗІ З ПИТАНЬ БУДУВАННЯ АВТОМОБІЛЬНИХ ДОРІГ ІЗ ЦЕМЕНТОБЕТОННИМ ДОРОЖНІМ ПОКРИВОМ

Introduction. The article deals with the issues of expanding the regulatory and technical base of the road sector for the construction of roads with cement concrete pavement. The article covers the issues of improving the existing and developing new requirements for the construction of cement concrete pavements with pin-connected slabs, reinforced slabs with pin connection, with continuous reinforcement and using rolled cement concrete mixtures using modern technologies. Improvement of the national regulatory framework is carried out on the basis of the analysis of existing legal acts, regulatory documents, technical literature related to the objects of standardization and, of course, taking into account the requirements of safety and environmental protection and the factors and features established by the current martial law in Ukraine. The work concerns the developed national standards for the installation of cement concrete pavements, namely those innovations that have already been agreed upon and are planned to be submitted to the National Standardization Body for adoption in the near future. Problem statement. Implementation of a unified technical policy to ensure the reliability and durability of roads, increase the efficiency of capital investments, implementation of scientific and technical achievements of science and best domestic and international practices in the practice of construction of roads with cement concrete pavement, issues of saving material, labor, financial and energy resources, improving the quality of construction work, labor safety and health conditions, rational use of land and other types of natural resources. The fact of constant growth in the intensity of heavy vehicles traffic, which is associated with the transportation of heavy machinery, agricultural products, metallurgical products, etc., significantly affects the reduction of the service life of roads with non-rigid pavement. This necessitates the search for alternative solutions for the construction of more durable pavement structures, one of which is the improvement of existing and introduction of new technologies for the construction of cement concrete pavements.

Learning from the Past, Looking to Resilience: Housing in Serbia in the Post-Pandemic Era

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly reshaped life across the globe, significantly influencing the future of housing. The enactment and densification of diverse activities within one place have resulted in varying degrees of conflict between the built and social environment. This conflict is directly related to the degree of housing adaptability to new life, work, and leisure conditions. Movement restrictions and distance learning have significantly impacted the young population, which is susceptible to ‘enforced togetherness’ conditions. However, studies on post-pandemic housing in Serbia are rare. This paper investigates the relationship between the built and social environment, focusing on current trends in multi-family housing from the perspective of the progressive change of life standards in the post-pandemic era. It also includes a survey of the living conditions of architecture students in Serbia during lockdown and distance learning, offering insights into the impact of the physical environment on virus transmission and social dynamics. The main objective of this study is to formulate guidelines for developing a resilient housing model in Serbia that will address both current and future crises. From the findings, it can be concluded that radical changes in housing policy are necessary to enable less interdependence among layers within the system striving to be resilient.

Management of work stress among arts and science school administrators in Nigeria using rational emotive occupational health coaching: A randomized controlled trial evaluation.

The working circumstances of the administrators are appalling due to the nature of education in Nigeria. These administrators put in a lot of overtime to fulfill the expectations of their positions, which stresses them out. But there is no information in the literature about how administrators of science schools deal with their demanding environments. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate how administrators of secondary scientific schools in the Southeast could manage work-related stress by using rational and emotive occupational health coaching. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) experimental design was used for the investigation, with 106 people divided into 2 groups-one for the intervention and one for the control. A selection of these participants came from southeast Nigerian special scientific schools. The Occupational Stress Index (OSI) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) served as the foundation for our data collection procedure. A posttest was given following the 12-week intervention, and then there was a 2-month follow-up assessment. Repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilized to ascertain the effects both within and across groups. It was revealed that rational emotive occupational health coaching had significant effect on the management of work stress among southeast secondary arts and science school administrators, F (2, 208) = 1452.484, P = <.050, ŋ2 = .933, and F (1, 104) = 18076.988, P = <.050, ŋ2 = .994). The management of work stress among southeast secondary arts and science school administrators was significantly improved through rational emotive occupational health coaching.

Risk analysis of noise-induced hearing loss of workers in the automobile manufacturing industries based on back-propagation neural network model: a cross-sectional study in Han Chinese population.

This study aims to predict the risk of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) through a back-propagation neural network (BPNN) model. It provides an early, simple and accurate prediction method for NIHL. Population based, a cross sectional study. Han, China. This study selected 3266 Han male workers from three automobile manufacturing industries. Information including personal life habits, occupational health test information and occupational exposure history were collected and predictive factors of NIHL were screened from these workers. BPNN and logistic regression models were constructed using these predictors. The input variables of BPNN model were 20, 16 and 21 important factors screened by univariate, stepwise and lasso-logistic regression. When the BPNN model was applied to the test set, it was found to have a sensitivity (TPR) of 83.33%, a specificity (TNR) of 85.92%, an accuracy (ACC) of 85.51%, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 52.85%, a negative predictive value of 96.46% and area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) is: 0.926 (95% CI: 0.891 to 0.961), which demonstrated the better overall properties than univariate-logistic regression modelling (AUC: 0.715) (95% CI: 0.652 to 0.777). The BPNN model has better predictive performance against NIHL than the stepwise-logistic and lasso-logistic regression model in terms of TPR, TNR, ACC, PPV and NPV (p<0.05); the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of NIHL is also higher than that of the stepwise and lasso-logistic regression model (p<0.05). It was a relatively important factor in NIHL to find cumulative noise exposure, auditory system symptoms, age, listening to music or watching video with headphones, exposure to high temperature and noise exposure time in the trained BPNN model. The BPNN model was a valuable tool in dealing with the occupational risk prediction problem of NIHL. It can be used to predict the risk of an individual NIHL.

A new multiple mixed augmentation-based transfer learning method for machinery fault diagnosis

Abstract With the continuous development of various industries, the diagnosis of industrial equipment faults has been receiving increasing attention in recent years. Considering the complex and variable working conditions, and the limited amount of fault data, transfer learning has become an effective solution for fault diagnosis. Data augmentation techniques, particularly generative adversarial networks, have achieved tremendous development within the filed of transfer learning fault diagnosis. However, traditional data augmentation methods experience difficulty in extracting features conducive to fault diagnosis from fault data under complex operating conditions, particularly in the case of raw vibration data from bearings. Therefore, this study proposes a new multiple mixed augmentation based transfer learning (MMATL) method for machinery fault diagnosis. First, an augmentation chain that dynamically adjusts data augmentation strategies in accordance with the model's performance is constructed based on AutoAugment. Then, a multiple mixed augmentation strategy that integrates fault data into the augmented data from the augmentation chain to obtain enhanced data suitable for training is proposed. This strategy consists of multiple augmentations, augmentation mixing, and data mixing. Finally, experiments confirm the effectiveness of MMATL on the bearing datasets from the gearbox of the Chinese CRH380A high-speed train and the test rig at the University of Paderborn in Germany. Results indicate that the method can adaptively extract features from fault data that are conducive to fault diagnosis under complex operating conditions.&amp;#xD;

Speed Sensor-less Control of Induction Motor based on Super-helical Sliding Mold

Background: With the continuous progress of technology and the development of shield enterprises, higher requirements are put forward for speed estimation and system stability in the sensorless control system of induction motors in shield machines. Method: In order to solve the problems of velocity observation error and sliding mode vibration of the induction motor velocity observation method based on sliding mold observer, an improved superhelical sliding mold observer is proposed by combining the currently known invention patents and the information based on the induction motor control. Result: The open square of the current error value is introduced into the continuous function of the sliding variable of the observer, and two different functions are used in the boundary layer to replace the sign function, which reduces the sliding mode noise and vibration problems, and the stability of the observer is proved by the Lyapunov stability theory. After that, a phase-locked loop alternative model-referenced adaptive algorithm is used as the rotational speed observation link, which solves the problem that the conventional model-referenced adaptive algorithm relies on the current-modeled magnetic chain observer. Conclusion: The improved super-helical sliding mode observer and phase-locked loop control method effectively reduce the system vibration and speed estimation error of the motor under different speeds and loading conditions, and the observed currents are smoother, which improves the stability of the system. Simulation and experimental results under different working conditions show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Fault Diagnosis of Driving Gear in Battery Swapping System based on Audio Features and SRC-Adaboost

Abstract Because of electrification condition, key components of battery swapping system (BSS) for electric heavy trucks (EHT) are always damaged by electric erosion, which poses challenges to the safety and efficiency of high-intensity transportation. Due to the special working condition of BSS, the fault diagnosis of its driving gear encounters several issues, including reciprocation motion, low and fluctuating speed, complicated noises. To solve these problems, audio features, including Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) and Gammatone cepstral coefficients (GTCC), are extracted from the vibration signals, then, these features are utilized to construct original dictionary, after that, based on data augmentation and dictionary learning, a robust dictionary is generated from the original dictionary, finally, with the robust dictionary, sparse representation-based classification is integrated into AdaBoost to achieve an accurate fault diagnosis for the driving gear in BSS. The effectiveness of the fault diagnosis scheme is validated based on the monitoring data of BSS, and the accuracy of fault diagnosis is 99.17%.&amp;#xD;

Behavioral skills training for teaching safety skills to mental health service providers compared to training-as-usual: a pragmatic randomized control trial.

Violence in the healthcare workplace has been a global concern for over two decades, with a high prevalence of violence towards healthcare workers reported. Workplace violence has become a healthcare quality indicator and embedded in quality improvement initiatives of many healthcare organizations. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Canada's largest mental health hospital, provides all clinical staff with mandated staff safety training for self-protection and team-control skills. These skills are to be used as a last resort when a patient is at imminent risk of harm to self or others. The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of two training methods of this mandated staff safety training for workplace violence in a large psychiatric hospital setting. Using a pragmatic randomized control trial design, this study compares two approaches to teaching safety skills CAMH's training-as-usual (TAU) using the 3D approach (description, demonstration and doing) and behavioural skills training (BST), from the field of applied behaviour analysis, using instruction, modeling, practice and feedback loop. Staff were assessed on three outcome measures (competency, mastery and confidence), across three time points: before training (baseline), immediately after training (post-training) and one month later (follow-up). This study was registered with the ISRCTN registry on 06/09/2023 (ISRCTN18133140). With a sample size of 99 new staff, results indicate that BST was significantly better than TAU in improving observed performance of self-protection and team-control skills. Both methods were associated with improved skills and confidence. However, there was a decrease in skill performance levels at the one-month follow-up for both methods, with BST remaining higher than TAU scores across all three time points. The impact of training improved staff confidence in both training methods and remained high across all three time points. The study findings suggest that BST is more effective than TAU in improving safety skills among healthcare workers. However, the retention of skills over time remains a concern, and therefore a single training session without on-the-job-feedback or booster sessions based on objective assessments of skill may not be sufficient. Further research is needed to confirm and expand upon these findings in different settings.

The Relationship of Hot Work Climate on Physiological Response in Traditional Clover Leaf Oil Refining Workers

In the clove leaf oil refining process which uses steam, it produces a hot temperature residue which affects clove leaf oil refinery workers. Exposure to a hot working climate can have an impact on human physiological responses such as an increase in body temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure and weight loss. as a result of producing quite a lot of sweat fluid. This research aims to investigate the physiological responses of clove leaf oil refinery workers to exposure to a hot working climate. In the clove leaf oil refining process, which utilizes steam, the production of hot temperature residue affects the workers. Exposure to such conditions can lead to various physiological responses, including increased body temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure, and weight loss due to significant sweating. Employing a quantitative research design with a cross-sectional analytical approach, data were collected from all 22 workers using a total sampling technique. The primary data collected were subjected to analysis using paired simple t-tests and the Pearson correlation test to explore relationships between variables. The findings reveal significant increases in physiological responses post-work, including elevated body temperature, pulse rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and a reduction in body weight. The obtained p-values for all variables were &lt;0.05, indicating statistically significant differences between pre-work and post-work conditions. Furthermore, the Pearson correlation test analysis between heat stress data and post-work physiological responses, including body temperature, pulse rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as body weight, revealed moderate to strong correlations (r). These results underscore the detrimental impact of hot working climates on the physiological well-being of clove leaf oil refinery workers. Such findings highlight the urgent need for implementing appropriate measures to mitigate heat-related health risks in occupational settings, safeguarding the health and safety of workers.