Context Of Occupational Health Research Articles

The Association of Physical Activity Level with Micronutrient and Health Status of Austrian Bank Employees

Background: Favorable health benefits of an active lifestyle have been clearly documented within the context of occupational health. However, a knowledge gap exists regarding the monitoring and comparison of micronutrient status across varying levels of physical activity (PA). This study aimed to investigate the association of PA level with micronutrient status and the associated health biomarkers among a cohort of Austrian bank employees. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, this study involved the participation of bank employees (n = 123; average age: 43 years; 49% males) from the federal state of Tyrol, located in the western part of Austria. To assess PA levels and sedentary behavior, the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ; developed by the WHO) was administered. Accordingly, participants were categorized into three groups: low PA, moderate PA, and high PA. Participants’ blood samples were obtained to measure blood levels of micronutrients, homocysteine, and CoQ10. The values of vitamins and minerals in whole-blood were compared to sex-specific reference ranges and grouped into three categories: below, within, or exceeding the reference range. Results: The prevalence of a high PA level was 61%, while 18% of participants had a low PA level. Overweight/obesity was significantly less prevalent among participants with high PA levels (22%) compared to those with moderate (50%) and low (50%) PA levels (p = 0.045). No significant differences between PA levels were found for sex, age, diet type, homocysteine, or CoQ10 markers (p > 0.05). There was no significant PA-based difference in blood concentrations of most vitamins and minerals (p > 0.05), except for vitamin D (p = 0.001) among females, as well as selenium (p = 0.040) and vitamin B12 (p = 0.048) among males. Conclusion: The present findings offer initial insights into the link between PA behaviors, micronutrient status, and health, highlighting potential implications in occupational health and lifestyle, specifically in developing tailored approaches based on PA levels.

Perceptions of interprofessional team collaboration among professionals working in the occupational health service in Sweden.

Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) among professionals in occupational health (OH) services is crucial when rendering a service to clients and customers. The aim of this study was to describe and compare perceptions relating to IPC among professionals working as OH providers in Sweden. This cross-sectional study with a descriptive and comparative design included 456 respondents representing different OH professions in Sweden. Data were collected using the Swedish short version of the Assessment of Interprofessional Team Collaboration Scale adapted for OH ([AITCS]-SII[OH]), with its 3 subscales Partnership, Cooperation, and Coordination, and were analyzed and presented descriptively. Items and sum scores were dichotomized into inadequate and adequate and compared between sexes, workplaces, types of employment, and professions. According to the responses, items related to openness, honesty, and trust were perceived as adequate among the respondents. The findings show that perceptions about IPC differed among the professions. The perception of IPC also differed between different types of organizations. The results show diverse perceptions between professionals and organizations. The perception of IPC may be influenced by the professional's education in occupational safety and health. Study findings may be used to support further development of IPC in the OH service for the benefit of the clients. To develop IPC in the best interests of both professionals and customers/clients, further studies need to be performed to gain a deeper understanding of IPC in the OH context.

Effect of Active Stretching on Reducing Plantaris Fasciitis Pain on Sales Promotion Girl (SPG) Ramayana Makassar Town Square (MTOS)

Objective: to determine the effect of active stretching on reducing plantar fasciitis pain in Sales Promotion Girl (SPG) Ramayana Makassar Town Square (MTOS). Method: a quasi-experimental research design method. This study was carried out with a pretest-posttest design using a control group. The pretest was carried out in both groups, followed by active stretching interventions in the form of Active Calf Stretch and Achilles Tendon Stretch in the experimental group, while the control group was only given intervention in the form of Achilles Tendon Stretch. After that, a posttest was carried out in both groups. The population in this study is the entire SPG in Ramayana MTos. The sample in this study amounted to 60 SPGs which were determined using the Non-probability sampling method where all members of the sample were selected based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The collected data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test. Results: The Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test showed a p value = 0.001 or a p value <0.05, which means that there is an effect of active stretching exercises on reducing plantar fasciitis pain. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is an effect of active stretching on reducing plantar fascia pain. Conclusion: this study has shown that active stretching exercises significantly reduce plantar fasciitis pain among Sales Promotion Girls (SPGs) at Ramayana Makassar Town Square (MTos). The findings underscore the efficacy of incorporating active stretching interventions to alleviate discomfort in this specific group. Implications of the research: The demonstrated efficacy of active stretching exercises in alleviating plantar fasciitis pain offers a practical solution for enhancing the occupational health and well-being of Sales Promotion Girls (SPGs) and similar professionals. By integrating these exercises into their routines, employers and individuals can potentially mitigate the impact of pain on job performance and overall comfort. Originality/value: This research offers a distinct and original contribution by examining the impact of active stretching exercises specifically on Sales Promotion Girls (SPGs) afflicted with plantar fasciitis pain. The focus on this specific occupational group provides a novel perspective within the context of pain management and occupational health. By investigating the efficacy of active stretching interventions tailored to the needs of SPGs, the research brings a fresh perspective to addressing the unique challenges faced by individuals in roles that involve prolonged standing and walking.

HBM4EU chromates study - Usefulness of measurement of blood chromium levels in the assessment of occupational Cr(VI) exposure.

Occupational exposures to hexavalent Chromium (Cr(VI)) can occur in welding, hot working stainless steel processing, chrome plating, spray painting and coating activities. Recently, within the human biomonitoring for Europe initiative (HBM4EU), a study was performed to assess the suitability of different biomarkers to assess the exposure to Cr(VI) in various job tasks. Blood-based biomarkers may prove useful when more specific information on systemic and intracellular bioavailability is necessary. To this aim, concentrations of Cr in red blood cells (RBC-Cr) and in plasma (P–Cr) were analyzed in 345 Cr(VI) exposed workers and 175 controls to understand how these biomarkers may be affected by variable levels of exposure and job procedures.Compared to controls, significantly higher RBC-Cr levels were observed in bath plating and paint application workers, but not in welders, while all the 3 groups had significantly greater P–Cr concentrations. RBC-Cr and P–Cr in chrome platers showed a high correlation with Cr(VI) in inhalable dust, outside respiratory protective equipment (RPE), while such correlation could not be determined in welders. In platers, the use of RPE had a significant impact on the relationship between blood biomarkers and Cr(VI) in inhalable and respirable dust. Low correlations between P–Cr and RBC-Cr may reflect a difference in kinetics.This study showed that Cr-blood-based biomarkers can provide information on how workplace exposure translates into systemic availability of Cr(III) (extracellular, P–Cr) and Cr(VI) (intracellular, RBC-Cr). Further studies are needed to fully appreciate their use in an occupational health and safety context.

Methodological Issues in Analyzing Real-World Longitudinal Occupational Health Data: A Useful Guide to Approaching the Topic.

Ever greater technological advances and democratization of digital tools such as computers and smartphones offer researchers new possibilities to collect large amounts of health data in order to conduct clinical research. Such data, called real-world data, appears to be a perfect complement to traditional randomized clinical trials and has become more important in health decisions. Due to its longitudinal nature, real-world data is subject to specific and well-known methodological issues, namely issues with the analysis of cluster-correlated data, missing data and longitudinal data itself. These concepts have been widely discussed in the literature and many methods and solutions have been proposed to cope with these issues. As examples, mixed and trajectory models have been developed to explore longitudinal data sets, imputation methods can resolve missing data issues, and multilevel models facilitate the treatment of cluster-correlated data. Nevertheless, the analysis of real-world longitudinal occupational health data remains difficult, especially when the methodological challenges overlap. The purpose of this article is to present various solutions developed in the literature to deal with cluster-correlated data, missing data and longitudinal data, sometimes overlapped, in an occupational health context. The novelty and usefulness of our approach is supported by a step-by-step search strategy and an example from the Wittyfit database, which is an epidemiological database of occupational health data. Therefore, we hope that this article will facilitate the work of researchers in the field and improve the accuracy of future studies.

Risk Management in Occupational Health and Safety Context: A Proposal for a Coherent Structure of Concepts and Terminology

Applying and developing specific methodologies, a system of definitions/ concepts is characterized and elaborated which is intended to be coherent and sufficiently comprehensive to allow for a terminological treatment of the Management Process Risk and, consequently, contribute to a justified uniformity of the terminology applicable to Safety Engineering. This paper proposes a coherent and interrelational structure of concepts, definitions, and terms, focused on the risk concept. As a conclusion and synthesizing those definitions, it was possible to construct a proto glossary with biunivocal relations between them.

Occupational exposure to particles and air pollutants in a car paint workshop

Abstract Background In auto paint workshops there are several chemical, physical and biological agents that are harmful to health, making it essential to guarantee the well-being and safety of workers. In this sense, the assessment of the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) of these places, in an associated context of occupational health, proves to be important. Methods The present study had as main objective to evaluate the occupational exposure of workers in an automobile painting workshop to particles and air pollutants. The data collection consisted of the evaluation of air quality, using for this purpose, the assessment of atmospheric pollutants carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), formaldehyde (CH2O), carbon dioxide sulfur (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10, breathable and inhalable particles) and the meteorological variables temperature and relative humidity. The collected data was processed using the statistical software IBM SPSS version 27.0. The interpretation of the statistical tests was performed with a 95% confidence level for a maximum random error up to 5%. Results We found that the concentrations of inhalable particles recorded in some workstations exceeded the legally established exposure limit value. Conclusions IAQ should be a priority concern for the government and for all professionals working in the area of Occupational Health and Safety having in mind the implementation of measures that promote the continuous improvement of the IAQ of the facilities, thus guaranteeing a good assessment and monitoring of workstations, preventing atmospheric pollutants from reaching concentrations that could put workers' health at risk.

Do consumers care about work health issues? A qualitative study on voluntary occupational health activities and consumer social responsibility

AbstractAs occupational health management (OHM) and work health promotion (WHP) become increasingly prominent in companies worldwide, little is known about consumers' attitudes towards work health‐related issues. Do consumers consider the health of employees in German companies to be important? Do German companies consider consumers to be relevant stakeholders in voluntary occupational health (OH) and well‐being activities? In the first of two qualitative interview studies, German consumers were asked which actors they consider to be responsible in OH contexts and whether or not they prefer OH‐related product attributes to other socially desirable ones. During a second qualitative interview study with representatives from German companies, suppliers, institutions, and organizations concerned with voluntary and legally mandatory OH, participants were asked about their expectations regarding whether or not consumers are interested in such OH activities. Both studies highlight the difference between the consumers' perspective on OH issues and responsibilities on the one hand and what companies and stakeholders believe consumers think about OH issues and responsibilities on the other. The findings show that consumers can recognize non‐mandatory OH and well‐being activities as elements of their own social responsibility (ConSR), while companies usually do not consider this perspective in their corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Responsibility for chemical exposures: perspectives from small beauty salons and auto shops in southern metropolitan Tucson

BackgroundThroughout the United States, low-wage, minority workers are disproportionately affected by occupational illnesses and injuries. Chronic exposure to hazardous chemicals at work can lead to serious illnesses, contributing to health inequities. In this article, we expand on theories of ‘responsibilization’ in an occupational health context to reveal how responsibilities for workplace chemical exposures are negotiated by workers and owners in Latinx-owned small businesses.MethodsWe conducted semi-structured interviews with a total of 22 workers and owners in auto repair shops and beauty salons – two high-risk industries – in Southern Metropolitan Tucson. Participants were asked about their insights into workplace chemical exposures and health. A qualitative analysis team with representation from all study partner organizations collectively coded and reviewed the interview data in QSR International’s NVivo 11 and identified overarching themes across the interviews.ResultsWe identified three primary themes: 1) ambivalence toward risks in the workplace; 2) shifting responsibilities for exposure protection at work; and 3) reflections on the system behind chemical exposure risks. Participants discussed the complexities that small businesses face in reducing chemical exposures.ConclusionsThrough our analysis of the interviews, we examine how neoliberal occupational and environmental policies funnel responsibility for controlling chemical exposures down to individuals in small businesses with limited resources, obscuring the power structures that maintain environmental health injustices. We conclude with a call for upstream policy changes that more effectively regulate and hold accountable the manufacturers of chemical products used daily by small business workers.

Biomonitoring as an Underused Exposure Assessment Tool in Occupational Safety and Health Context-Challenges and Way Forward.

Recent advances in analytical chemistry have allowed a greater possibility of using quantitative approaches for measuring human exposure to chemicals. One of these approaches is biomonitoring (BM), which provides unequivocal evidence that both exposure and uptake of a chemical have taken place. BM has been a longstanding practice in occupational health for several reasons. BM integrates exposure from all routes. It can help identify unintentional and unexpected exposures and assess the effectiveness of existing risk-management measures. BM also provides relevant information to support policy development by delivering better evidence of workers’ exposure to chemical substances, even within the framework of the present regulations. Thus, BM can allow for both the evaluation of the impact of regulation and identification of further needs for new or improved regulation. However, despite all these well-recognized advantages, BM is currently an underused exposure assessment tool. This paper provides an overview of the key aspects to be considered when using BM in the context of occupational health interventions. Additionally, this paper describes the potential of BM as an exposure assessment tool, distinguishing the role of BM in exposure assessment and health surveillance and clarifies ethical and communication aspects to guarantee that general data protection regulations are followed. In addition, actions and research needs are identified (particularly with reference to the European situation), which aim to encourage the increased use of BM as an exposure assessment tool.

Development and Validation of the Operational Definitions of the Defining Characteristics of the Nursing Diagnosis of Insomnia in the Occupational Health Setting.

To develop and validate the operational definition (ODs) for each defining characteristic (DC) contained in the Nursing Diagnosis (ND) "insomnia" (00095) in the occupational health context. Methodological study carried out in two stages, including a consensus of experts to develop the ODs (Stage 1) and an online Delphi panel, performed in two rounds, to validate them (Stage 2). The 15 ODs proposed in Stage 1 were narrowed down to six validated ODs in the first round (diagnostic content validity index [DCVI] = 0.80-0.89). In the second round, five ODs were validated (DCVI = 0.80-0.94). Finally, the remaining four ODs were validated by the general consensus of experts. The ODs were validated, although there remains some doubt as to whether some of the DCs can be applied to the field of occupational health. The ODs developed and validated could improve the diagnostic accuracy of the ND "insomnia" (00095) in the context of occupational health.

Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Validation of the Standardised Nordic Questionnaire Spanish Version in Musicians.

Background: The Standardised Nordic Questionnaire (SNQ) is an instrument to analyse the musculoskeletal symptoms in an ergonomic or occupational health context. We aimed to cross-culturally adapt and evaluate the psychometric properties of the SNQ among Spanish musicians. Methods: Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric validation (reliability, validity, and feasibility) was performed. Reliability was analysed by test-retest reliability (Cohen’s Kappa) and internal consistency (Kuder–Richardson). Content and face validity were measured by the Expert Committee and the opinion of participants. Construct validity (Mann–Whitney U test) was measured by comparing with questionnaires used to assess pain and disability in neck, shoulders, upper back, and low back regions. Feasibility was calculated with the average response time. Results: A total of 312 Spanish musicians were included. The Spanish version of SNQ achieved good semantic, conceptual, idiomatic, and content equivalence. For most of the variables, test-retest reliability was good to very good (k = 0.60–0.81). The internal consistency showed good to acceptable (Kuder–Richardson 20 (KR20) = 0.737–0.873). Participants with versus without musculoskeletal problems in a related region showed significantly higher disability/pain, indicating a good construct validity. About the feasibility, the average response time of the questionnaire was 6 min (±2). Conclusions: The results show that the Spanish SNQ is reliable, valid, and feasible screening tool to assess musculoskeletal problems among musicians.

EXPOSURE TO WORKPLACE BULLYING AND SUICIDAL IDEATION: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

There is evidence of the effects of exposure to workplace bullying on victims who may manifest symptoms of depression, anxiety, burnout, somatization, sleep difficulties, and posttraumatic stress; however, few studies have examined the impact of workplace bullying on suicidal ideation. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between exposure to workplace bullying and suicidal ideation and how feelings of defeat and entrapment mediate this relationship. Also, it was intended to examine how rumination moderates this relationship. As a framework, it was used the Integrated Motivational-Volitional Model of Suicide Behavior (IMV) in which has been integrated several theoretical models of suicide. A total of 898 employed subjects participated in this cross-sectional design study. To examine the hypotheses, PLS-SEM model was used using the SMART-PLS program. Exposure to workplace bullying,defeat and entrapment were positively and significantly related to suicidal ideation. Meanwhile,feelings of defeat and entrapment mediated the relationship between exposure to workplace bullying and suicidal ideation and rumination moderated the relation between exposure to workplace bullying and feelings defeat. The results of the present study have both theoretical and practical implications, among which we can mention that results support and expand the IMV model of suicidal behavior. The exposure to workplace bullying brings a challenge for the psychologists in the occupational health context, and human resources practitioners in the management of this phenomenon in organizations to prevent it and in a worst case scenario, to respond in an effective manner due to its individual and organizational impact.

The Safe Use of Pesticides: A Risk Assessment Procedure for the Enhancement of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Management.

The attention paid to the use of pesticides has increased notably in recent years as demonstrated by the issue of laws and regulations requiring their safe and environmentally-conscious use (e.g. Directive 2009/128/EC and Regulation (EC) no. 1272/2008). Despite the benefits that can be achieved by pursuing the targets of stricter legislative framework, the difficulties for farmers in complying with it are remarkable, especially for small-sized companies. In fact, in contrast to other occupational health and safety (OHS) contexts, in the case of pesticides even a preliminary analysis on the relationship between pesticide use and the consequent exposure risks for the workers is a complex task. In order to reduce the above-mentioned gap, the present study is focused on the development of an easy-to-use tool for carrying out occupational risk assessment of agricultural activities related to the use of pesticides. The procedure was developed by starting from the Agricultural Health Study (AHS) approach and its improvements, and continuing to the thorough development of a tool for preliminary risk assessment, providing a simplified model for its practical application by farmers. A case study concerning olive cultivation was used for its first verification. The results achieved should be considered as an initial step for the promotion of safer practices when using pesticides, providing a consistent base for their further validation.

A burnout model of job crafting: Multiple mediator effects on job performance

Studies establish that job crafting, i.e. the proactive changes made in one's work through balancing available job demands and resources, results in various positive outcomes at the individual, job, and organisational levels. This study examines how employees proactively craft their jobs to avoid stress and burnout, and become better performers. We ground our study in the occupational health context of knowledge workers. Structural equation models on data from 268 Information Technology (IT) management professionals demonstrate the coping effect of job crafting in decreasing role stress and burnout, and increasing one's psychological availability, along with multiple mediation effects in improving job performance.

Collaborative case management to aid return to work after long-term sickness absence: a pilot randomised controlled trial

BackgroundDespite high levels of employment among working-age adults in the UK, there is still a significant minority who are off work with ill health at any one time (so-called ‘sickness absence’). Long-term sickness absence results in significant costs to the individual, to the employer and to wider society.ObjectiveThe overall objective of the intervention was to improve employee well-being with a view to aiding return to work. To meet this aim, a collaborative case management intervention was adapted to the needs of UK employees who were entering or experiencing long-term sickness absence.DesignA pilot randomised controlled trial, using permuted block randomisation. Recruitment of patients with long-term conditions in settings such as primary care was achieved by screening of routine records, followed by mass mailing of invitations to participants. However, the proportion of patients responding to such invitations can be low, raising concerns about external validity. Recruitment in the Case Management to Enhance Occupational Support (CAMEOS) study used this method to test whether or not it would transfer to a population with long-term sickness absence in the context of occupational health (OH).ParticipantsEmployed people on long-term sickness absence (between 4 weeks and 12 months). The pilot was run with two different collaborators: a large organisation that provided OH services for a number of clients and a non-profit community-based organisation.InterventionCollaborative case management was delivered by specially trained case managers from the host organisations. Sessions were delivered by telephone and supported use of a self-help handbook. The comparator was usual care as provided by participants’ general practitioner (GP) or OH provider. This varied for participants according to the services available to them. Neither participants nor the research team were blind to randomisation.Main outcome measuresRecruitment rates, intervention delivery and acceptability to participants were the main outcomes. Well-being, as measured by the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), and return-to-work rates were also recorded.ResultsIn total, over 1000 potentially eligible participants were identified across the sites and invited to participate. However, responses were received from just 61 of those invited (5.5%), of whom 16 (1.5%) were randomised to the trial (seven to treatment, nine to control). Detailed information on recruitment methods, intervention delivery, engagement and acceptability is presented. No harms were reported in either group.ConclusionsThis pilot study faced a number of barriers, particularly in terms of recruitment of employers to host the research. Our ability to respond to these challenges faced several barriers related to the OH context and the study set up. The intervention seemed feasible and acceptable when delivered, although caution is required because of the small number of randomised participants. However, employees’ lack of engagement in the research might imply that they did not see the intervention as valuable.Future workDeveloping effective and acceptable ways of reducing sickness absence remains a high priority. We discuss possible ways of overcoming these challenges in the future, including incentives for employers, alternative study designs and further modifications to recruitment methods.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN33560198.FundingThis project was funded by the NIHR Public Health Research programme and will be published in full inPublic Health Research; Vol. 6, No. 2. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Ambulatory Assessment of Psychophysiological Stress among Police Officers: a Proof-of-Concept Study

Occupational stress has been widely recognized as a global challenge and has received increased attention by the academic community. Ambulatory Assessment methodologies, combining psychophysiological measures of stress, offer a promising avenue for future prevention and/or rehabilitation stress research. Considering that policing is well known for being a particularly stressful occupation, Emergency Responders Officers (EROs) stress levels were investigated. Particularly, this study analyzed: (i) physiological stress data obtained during shifts and compared these data with baseline levels (days off), as well as (ii) with normative values for healthy populations; (iii) stress symptoms differences from beginning to end of shift; (iv) stress events and events intensity and (v) the acceptability and feasibility of this proof-of-concept study in a highly stressful occupation. A Geo-location event system was used to help retrospective accounts of psychological stress, combined with electrocardiogram (ECG) data and mobile self-reports, that include stress symptoms, event types and event intensity. Results suggest that EROs experience high levels of stress (both on-duty and off duty) when compared to healthy populations. Stress symptoms increase from the beginning to end of the shift. However, the mean events intensity was very low. It can be concluded that stress may not always be diagnosed when using merely self-reports. These findings highlight the importance of combining both self-report and physiological stress measures in occupational health contexts. Finally, results confirm the acceptability and feasibility of the multi-method used. Key implications for policy makers and applied practitioners in the area of occupational health and future research directions are discussed.

Pesticide management approach towards protecting the safety and health of farmers in Southeast Asia

It is estimated that pesticide production and use have increased continuously in the countries of Southeast Asia in recent years. Within the context of protecting the safety and health of workers in the agricultural sector, there is an existing gap in the implementation of the pesticide management framework because safety and health effects arising from occupational exposures continue to be reported. This study aims to provide narrative similarities, differences and weaknesses of the existing pesticide management system in Southeast Asian countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) within the context of occupational safety and health. This is preliminary traditional review study. Pesticide regulation and management at the country level were identified using web-based search engines such as Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed and Google. Book, reports, legislation document and other documents retrieved were also gathered from international organizations and specific websites of governmental agency in Southeast Asian countries. The scope of this review is only limited to literature written in English. In total, 44 review articles, reports and documents were gathered for this study. The approach of pesticide management in protecting safety and health in the agricultural setting were benchmarked according to the elements introduced by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, namely, (1) the protection of workers and (2) the practice of safety. All countries have assigned a local authority and government organization to manage and control pesticide use in the agricultural sector. The countries with the highest usage of pesticide are Thailand, Philippines and Malaysia. Most Southeast Asian countries have emphasized safety practice in the management of pesticide usage, but there were less emphasis on the element of protection of workers within the framework in Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. The governing bodies in the countries of Southeast Asia have placed significant effort to develop framework related to pesticide management at the country level. The implementation of pesticide management based on the existing framework is evident in most of the countries but needs to be improved. It is suggested that emphasis be given to the implementation of diagnosis, health surveillance and reporting system as well as following or adopting standard guidelines for the protection of workers in terms of safety and health in the agricultural sector.

Influence of Work Pace on Upper Extremity Kinematics and Muscle Activity in a Short-Cycle Repetitive Pick-and-Place Task.

This study investigated the extent to which controlled changes in work pace in a cyclic pick-and-place task influence upper extremity kinematics and muscle activity, and whether an effect depends on working height. Thirteen participants performed the task for 4 min at each of five work paces ranging from 8 to 12 cycles·min-1 in each of two experimental conditions where the hand was moved horizontally with an average upper arm elevation of 30° and 50°, respectively. For each work cycle, we calculated the average and standard deviation of the upper arm elevation angle and the activity of the trapezius and deltoid muscles, as well as the angular peak velocity. We summarized these seven variables by calculating averages across cycles and cycle-to-cycle variabilities. At 30° arm elevation, pace significantly influenced within-cycle angle variation, cycle-to-cycle variability of the average angle, angular peak velocity, and cycle-to-cycle variability of peak velocity. However, only angular peak velocity increased monotonically across all paces from 8 to 12 cycles·min-1). Average activity in the trapezius and the deltoid were the only muscle activity variables to increase consistently with pace. These effects of work pace did not change with working height. The present study did not find any consistent work pace effect on upper extremity kinematics and muscle activity, in spite of a comprehensive empirical basis compared to previous literature. While our results suggest that work pace may not be of critical concern in an occupational health context, we encourage further studies verifying or disproving this notion.

Visual demands and visual fatigue among ophthalmologists.

Visual demands, especially for near vision, are becoming increasingly more frequent at the workplace, and might cause visual fatigue or asthenopia. The tasks performed by ophthalmologists involve visual effort, raising interest in their study within the context of occupational health. To estimate the prevalence of visual complaints and its relationship to work demands among ophthalmologists at a university hospital in Lisbon. Occurrence of visual fatigue symptoms was assessed by means of a symptom questionnaire - College of Optometrists in Vision Development Quality of Life (COVD-QoL) - and through the identification of near points of accommodation and convergence. Schirmer's test was used to assess tear production. The results were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics, Spearman's coefficient and the Wilcoxon test for p<0.05. Most among the 27 analyzed physicians reported visual fatigue (n=25), dry eyes and frequent blinking (n=27). Schirmer's test evidenced differences at the end of the working day and the near points of accommodation and convergence indicated occurrence of visual fatigue. The results showed significant differences between the beginning and the end of the working day among ophthalmologists, with occurrence of visual fatigue at the end of the working day. These findings point to the need to implement a health surveillance program to prevent occupational visual disorders.