Occupational Health Research Research Articles

Investigation of the influence of a large steel plate on the magnetic field distribution of a magnetic proximity detection system.

A magnetic proximity detection system is mounted on a mobile mining machine to prevent underground workers from being pinned or struck by machine motion. The system generates magnetic fields around the machine to determine safe working distances. The miner-worn component measures the magnetic field in order to approximate location. Large masses of steel, such as those from mining equipment, can alter the magnetic field distribution. This affects the locational accuracy of the system, thus adversely impacting worker safety. To examine this problem, U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health researchers developed a method and test system to study the influence of a steel mass on the magnetic field distribution. The results show that a steel plate can strengthen the magnetic field perpendicular to the generator by up to 40 percent. Furthermore, they show that the degree of the influence on the field distribution is a function of distance. The results from this study can be used to further develop and improve the performance and reliability of electromagnetic proximity detection systems used in underground mining applications.

Incorporating internal context into the design of occupational health and safety research and intervention programmes in SMEs

ABSTRACTSafety interventions for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have proliferated recently in developed economies but research highlights the limited success of these programmes. A broader approach incorporating the characteristics of SMEs is required, particularly with consideration given to their internal context, as research has generally focussed on methods and tools to control specific safety risks within SMEs without fully considering the elements and characteristics that define each SME to systematically address its needs. SMEs require something more than a readily prepared template to complete a safety management system aligned to their business. Further research incorporating the internal context of SMEs and the ways in which an SME has structured itself can address the internal context and provide congruence for the effective planning and implementation of research and safety interventions. This paper proposes what may be appropriate as a first step for SMEs to participate in such research and interventions.

Collection and Extraction of Occupational Air Samples for Analysis of Fungal DNA.

Traditional methods of identifying fungal exposures in occupational environments, such as culture and microscopy-based approaches, have several limitations that have resulted in the exclusion of many species. Advances in the field over the last two decades have led occupational health researchers to turn to molecular-based approaches for identifying fungal hazards. These methods have resulted in the detection of many species within indoor and occupational environments that have not been detected using traditional methods. This protocol details an approach for determining fungal diversity within air samples through genomic DNA extraction, amplification, sequencing, and taxonomic identification of fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. ITS sequencing results in the detection of many fungal species that are either not detected or difficult to identify to species level using culture or microscopy. While these methods do not provide quantitative measures of fungal burden, they offer a new approach to hazard identification and can be used to determine overall species richness and diversity within an occupational environment.

The preventable burden of work-related ill-health.

The fraction of ill-health overall attributable to occupational conditions has not been extensively evaluated, thus contributing to the perception of a lesser relevance of education and research in occupational health in respect to other fields of medical research and practice. To assess the relevance of work-related conditions on the aetiology of human ill-health in different health domains. We extracted the risk estimates associated with heritability and with occupational risk factors for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), major depressive disorder (MDD) and long QT syndrome (LQTS) from 13 published international reports. The selection criteria for the eligible studies were: genome-wide studies, or studies of the occupational risk factors associated with one of the three diseases of interest. We calculated and compared the respective population attributable fraction for the combined occupational risk factors, and for heritability. We estimated that occupational risk factors would account for 12% (95% confidence interval (CI) 4-19) of CLL, 11% (95% CI 7-15) of MDD and 10% (95% CI 2-13) of LQTS burden in the general population. The corresponding figures for heritability would be 16% (95% CI 11-22), 28% (95% CI 20-5) and 17% (95% CI 7-27). More efforts in capacity building and research in occupational health are warranted aiming to prevent ill-health and to preserve a productive life for the ageing work population.

Correction to: A Systematic Review of Community Health Workers' Role in Occupational Safety and Health Research.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake in the affiliation of co-author Ashley M. Bush.

Is perception of safety climate a relevant predictor for occupational accidents? Prospective cohort study among blue-collar workers.

Objectives The capability of safety climate to predict accidents has been the target of widespread debate in occupational health and safety research. The objective of this prospective cohort study was to employ a shortened five-item safety climate survey to investigate whether safety climate reports in 2012 are predictive for accidents reported within the last 12 months in 2014. Methods In both 2012 and 2014, 3864 blue-collar workers answered the Danish Working Environment and Health Cohort Study. Logistic regression was used to study the association [odds ratio (OR)] of reporting a work-related accident (yes/no) with more than one day of sickness absence (outcome) within the last 12 months in 2014 with the number of safety climate problems (predictor). The analyses were cumulatively adjusted for age, gender (model 1), socioeconomic class, occupational group, lifestyle (model 2), and previous accidents in 2012 (model 3). Results Of the safety climate problems reported in 2012, 1017 (28%) participants reported one problem, 357 (10%) reported two and 614 (17%) reported three or more problems. Using the number of safety climate problems as a continuous variable, all models showed a dose-response relationship between number of safety climate problems in 2012 and at least one accident in 2014 (trend-test, P<0.001). Compared to participants with no safety climate problems, participants reporting two safety climate problems in 2012 had a higher risk for reporting an accident in 2014 [OR 1.84, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22-2.77], and the risk was higher for participants reporting three or more safety problems (OR 2.22, 95% CI 1.60-3.09). Conclusions A higher number of safety climate problems progressively increased the OR for reporting at least one accident within the last 12 months at the two-year follow-up. The five-item safety climate survey is a simple and important tool that can be used as part of risk assessment in blue-collar workplaces.

A Systematic Review of Community Health Workers’ Role in Occupational Safety and Health Research

We systematically reviewed the literature to describe how community health workers (CHWs) are involved in occupational health and safety research and to identify areas for future research and research practice strategies. We searched five electronic databases from July 2015 through July 2016. Inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) study took place in the United States, (2) published as a full peer-review manuscript in English, (3) conducted occupational health and safety research, and (4) CHWs were involved in the research. The majority of 17 included studies took place in the agriculture industry (76%). CHWs were often involved in study implementation/design and research participant contact. Rationale for CHW involvement in research was due to local connections/acceptance, existing knowledge/skills, communication ability, and access to participants. Barriers to CHW involvement in research included competing demands on CHWs, recruitment and training difficulties, problems about research rigor and issues with proper data collection. Involving CHWs in occupational health and safety research has potential for improving inclusion of diverse, vulnerable and geographically isolated populations. Further research is needed to assess the challenges and opportunities of involving CHWs in this research and to develop evidence-based training strategies to teach CHWs to be lay-health researchers.

Burnout and work-related stress in Italian rehabilitation professionals: A comparison of physiotherapists, speech therapists and occupational therapists.

Healthcare workers are exposed to work related stresses that significantly increase their risk of burnout. To evaluate and compare burnout and work related stress levels in three categories of health professionals: physiotherapists, speech therapists and occupational therapists. A convenience sample of 391 health professionals participated, including 210 physiotherapists, 101 speech therapists and 80 occupational therapists. We collected general socio-demographic information and administered the standardized Italian version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Management Standards Indicator Tool. We found the proportion of professionals with high-risk scores in the three dimensions of the MBI to be as follows: Emotional Exhaustion 32%, Depersonalisation 13% and Personal Accomplishment 9%. Overall, 14% of participants were at high risk of burnout. No significant differences were found between the three professional categories. Five subscales of the HSE were associated with burnout: Control (p < 0.01), Management support (p < 0.01), Relationship (p < 0.05), Role (p < 0.01), and Change (p < 0.05). Like all health care workers, rehabilitation professionals are at a high risk of burnout. There are common mechanisms underlying burnout in the different professional groups investigated. Further research in occupational health in rehabilitation settings is needed to prevent burnout.

Probability of causation for occupational cancer after exposure to ionizing radiation

BackgroundProbability of causation (PC) is a reasonable way to estimate causal relationships in radiation-related cancer. This study reviewed the international trend, usage, and critiques of the PC method. Because it has been used in Korea, it is important to check the present status and estimation of PC in radiation-related cancers in Korea.MethodsResearch articles and official reports regarding PC of radiation-related cancer and published from the 1980s onwards were reviewed, including studies used for the revision of the Korean PC program. PC has been calculated for compensation-related cases in Korea since 2005.ResultsThe United States National Institutes of Health first estimated the PC in 1985. Among the 106 occupational diseases listed in the International Labor Organization Recommendation 194 (International Labor Office (ILO), ILO List of Occupational Diseases, 2010), PC is available only for occupational cancer after ionizing radiation exposure. The United States and United Kingdom use PC as specific criteria for decisions on the compensability of workers’ radiation-related health effects. In Korea, PC was developed firstly as Korean Radiation Risk and Assigned Share (KORRAS) in 1999. In 2015, the Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute and Radiation Health Research Institute jointly developed a more revised PC program, Occupational Safety and Health-PC (OSH-PC). Between 2005 and 2015, PC was applied in 16 claims of workers’ compensation for radiation-related cancers. In most of the cases, compensation was given when the PC was more than 50%. However, in one case, lower than 50% PC was accepted considering the possibility of underestimation of the cumulative exposure dose.ConclusionsPC is one of the most advanced tools for estimating the causation of occupational cancer. PC has been adjusted for baseline cancer incidence in Korean workers, and for uncertainties using a statistical method. Because the fundamental reason for under- or over-estimation is probably inaccurate dose reconstruction, a proper guideline is necessary.

Occupational exposures and associated risk factors among U.S. casino workers: a narrative review.

We conducted a narrative literature review of U.S. casino occupational health and safety research based on the following inclusion criteria: 1) focused on workers, 2) provided information pertaining to exposures present in the occupational environment (e.g., hazards, stressors, etc.), and 3) pertained to casino, gaming, or gambling workers. Following a multi-step process, a total of 11 articles were identified that related to the occupational health and safety of U.S. casino workers. These articles primarily focused on environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposures (n = 7 articles), with the remaining articles related to casino worker risk behaviors (i.e., problem gambling and drinking) (n = 2), and psychosocial stressors (n = 2). Our results demonstrate that the overwhelming consensus in the literature is that ETS leads to high respirable particulate matter (PM2.5), tobacco toxin levels and exposures among gaming employees. Our results also suggest that harassment, low autonomy at work, and unsafe work conditions may be of concern, especially for female workers. We identified major gaps in the casino worker occupational safety literature including a lack of studies that evaluated noise exposure, injury data, ergonomics, psychosocial hazards, or long term respiratory health outcomes related to ETS exposure. Future research regarding the occupational safety and health of U.S. casino workers should address these gaps in the literature.

Wildland fire smoke and human health

The natural cycle of landscape fire maintains the ecological health of the land, yet adverse health effects associated with exposure to emissions from wildfire produce public health and clinical challenges. Systematic reviews conclude that a positive association exists between exposure to wildfire smoke or wildfire particulate matter (PM2.5) and all-cause mortality and respiratory morbidity. Respiratory morbidity includes asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchitis and pneumonia. The epidemiological data linking wildfire smoke exposure to cardiovascular mortality and morbidity is mixed, and inconclusive. More studies are needed to define the risk for common and costly clinical cardiovascular outcomes. Susceptible populations include people with respiratory and possibly cardiovascular diseases, middle-aged and older adults, children, pregnant women and the fetus. The increasing frequency of large wildland fires, the expansion of the wildland-urban interface, the area between unoccupied land and human development; and an increasing and aging U.S. population are increasing the number of people at-risk from wildfire smoke, thus highlighting the necessity for broadening stakeholder cooperation to address the health effects of wildfire. While much is known, many questions remain and require further population-based, clinical and occupational health research. Health effects measured over much wider geographical areas and for longer periods time will better define the risk for adverse health outcomes, identify the sensitive populations and assess the influence of social factors on the relationship between exposure and health outcomes. Improving exposure models and access to large clinical databases foreshadow improved risk analysis facilitating more effective risk management. Fuel and smoke management remains an important component for protecting population health. Improved smoke forecasting and translation of environmental health science into communication of actionable information for use by public health officials, healthcare professionals and the public is needed to motivate behaviors that lower exposure and protect public health, particularly among those at high risk.

Network Analysis for Occupational Safety and Health Research Trends on Migrant Workers

본 연구의 목적은 UN의 17개 지속가능발전목표(SDGs) 가운데 여덟 번째 목표인 양질의 일자리의 관점에서 이주노동자의 산업안전보건과 관련된 국내 선행연구의 동향을 파악하여, 지속적으로 증가하고 있는 이주노동자를 대상으로 한 산업안전보건 관련 연구의 현황을 분석·성찰하고 이를 토대로 후속 연구와 관련 정책의 방향을 제시하는 것이다. 이를 위해 2000년부터 2016년까지 한국교육학술정보원(KERIS)에서 제공하는 학술연 구정보서비스(RISS)에 수록된 국내 학술지, 학위논문, 연구보고서 등 35편의 관련 연구 결과를 중심으로 연도별, 연구주제별 내용을 살펴보았으며, 연구별 주요 주제어 빈도분석을 통해 주제어간 상관관계를 밝히고자 실시한 네트워크분석의 주요 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 기초분석 결과 이주노동자 산업안전보건 분야에 대한 국내연구는 ‘법/제도/정 책’, ‘안전보건실태/근로환경’, ‘의료/건강/보건’, ‘산업재해’ 관련 연구가 전체의 83% 를 차지하였고, 또한 전체의 60%에 해당하는 연구가 안전보건교육의 필요성과 중요성을 언급한 것으로 나타났다. 논문별 주요 주제어의 전체 빈도분석에서는 ‘산업재해’, 안전보건교육’, ‘불법체류’ 순으로 높은 빈도수가 산출되었다. 상위 3개 키워드를 제외한네 가지 중심성 분석결과를 살펴보면, 연결정도 중심성에서는 ‘산업안전보건법’과 ‘의 사소통’이, 매개 중심성과 근접 중심성에서는 ‘산업안전보건법’이, 아이겐벡터 중심성 에서는 ‘의사소통’이 각각 가장 영향력 높은 노드로 분석되었다. 마지막으로, 연구결과 분석에 근거하여 향후 이주노동자 및 고용사업주 대상의 효율적 산업안전보건교육 방안을 제안하였다.The purpose of this research was to propose the necessity of follow-up studies and policy directions, based on the analyzed domestic research trends of previous studies. This is relating to the continuously increasing migrant worker s occupational safety and health from the perspective of ‘decent work’; which is the 8th target of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Thirty-five research papers listed on the RISS (Research Information Sharing Service) were selected from KERIS (Korean Education and Research Information Service) between 2000 and 2016, and a network analysis was executed to illuminate the correlation and frequency of key words among studies. A basic trend analysis indicated that 83% of domestic research topics were focused on “law/system/policy”, “OSH (Occupational Safety and Health) condition/working environment” and “medical care/health/hygiene”, furthermore 60% of studies mentioned the necessity and importance of OSH education. As a result of the whole frequency analysis, it was found that the following words were used with the highest frequency by this order: “industrial disaster”, “OSH education”, and “illegal stay.” In connection with the outcome of the four types of centrality analysis, it was evident that the most influential nodes for each analysis were as follows: “OSH act” and “communication” in degree centrality, as well as both betweenness and closeness centralities in relation to the “OSH act”, and “communication” in eigenvector centrality. Lastly, based on the analysis of research findings, application of blended learning and smart learning was suggested for effective OSH education with a discussion on the methods to support substantive revitalization of OSH education for both migrant workers and their employers.

Why work is so problematic for people with disabilities and long-term health problems.

Occupational health researchers and practitioners are well aware of the stubborn gap in employment rates between disabled and non-disabled people in countries within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) [1]. They may be less aware that many of the causes of this gap can be found in the workplace. The example of employers’ attitudes towards sickness absence shows how some of these causes might be traced back to the behaviour of employers. UK employers are particularly likely to be exercised by levels of sickness absence [2]. Even though UK rates of sickness absence are modest by European standards, and levels of sick pay are among the lowest in Europe, a higher proportion of sick pay is paid by employers.

Industrial Internet of Things: (IIoT) applications in underground coal mines.

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), a concept that combines sensor networks and control systems, has been employed in several industries to improve productivity and safety. U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) researchers are investigating IIoT applications to identify the challenges of and potential solutions for transferring IIoT from other industries to the mining industry. Specifically, NIOSH has reviewed existing sensors and communications network systems used in U.S. underground coal mines to determine whether they are capable of supporting IIoT systems. The results show that about 40 percent of the installed post-accident communication systems as of 2014 require minimal or no modification to support IIoT applications. NIOSH researchers also developed an IIoT monitoring and control prototype system using low-cost microcontroller Wi-Fi boards to detect a door opening on a refuge alternative, activate fans located inside the Pittsburgh Experimental Mine and actuate an alarm beacon on the surface. The results of this feasibility study can be used to explore IIoT applications in underground coal mines based on existing communication and tracking infrastructure.

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.

Amazon’s Mechanical Turk as a Viable Source for Organizational and Occupational Health Research

Crowdsourcing is an increasingly popular method for organizational and occupational health research. Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) is at the forefront of this trend, but few studies have examined the labor market characteristics of MTurk workers (Turkers) or results of organizational and occupational health data as compared to published benchmarks. To address these gaps, we review the current MTurk literature and present the results of a multi-wave study of Turker labor characteristics and organizational and occupational health variable relationships. We found Turkers to be broadly distributed across the labor market, indicating MTurk is a viable option for both generalizable and understudied samples, as well as a source for targeted occupational sectors. Additionally, we found effect size magnitudes to be comparable to published benchmarks, and data displayed high levels of test-retest reliability and stability of relationships across time. Our results support the use of MTurk as a viable source for organizational and occupational health research assuming general methodological concerns and validity threats are addressed (see Cheung et al. Journal of Business and Psychology 1–15, 2016).

Associations between perceived leadership and presenteeism in an industrial population.

Presenteeism has received increasing attention in occupational health research but the evidence for its association with perceived leadership is scant. To assess the association of perceived leadership and presenteeism among industrial workers. Survey responses from employees on perceived leadership were linked to the personnel register of a food industry company. The Presenteeism Scale method was used to determine the presenteeism percentage. Perceived leadership was measured as a composite variable of six individual items on motivating and participating leadership. Generalized linear models were used to determine the association of perceived leadership with presenteeism. There were 847 participants. The majority of office workers of both genders reported better perceived leadership than factory workers. We found that perceived poor leadership was associated with a higher likelihood of presenteeism (rate ratio (RR) 1.64, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) 1.51-1.78). However, there was variation amongst and within occupational groups and genders, with a higher risk of presenteeism amongst male factory workers (RR 2.28, 95% CI 2.02-2.52) than female office workers. Leadership was found to be significantly associated with presenteeism, with a greater risk of presenteeism in those reporting poor perceived leadership. The association between levels of perceived leadership and presenteeism was stronger in men than women. Organizations should focus on motivating leadership practices to reduce the risk of presenteeism, especially among men.

The Changing Role of Health Care Professionals in Nursing Homes: A Systematic Literature Review of a Decade of Change.

Although the role of health care professionals is known to have changed over the last years, few formal efforts have been made to examine this change through means of a scientific review. Therefore, the goal of this paper was to investigate the changing role of health care professionals in nursing homes, as well as the conditions that make this change possible. A systematic review of health care literature published in the last decade (2007–2017) was utilized to address these goals. Our findings suggest that although health care in nursing homes is shifting from task-oriented care to relation-oriented care (e.g., through an increased focus on patient dignity), various obstacles (e.g., negative self-image, work pressure, and a lack of developmental opportunities), needs (e.g., shared values, personal development, personal empowerment, team development, and demonstrating expertise), and competences (e.g., communication skills, attentiveness, negotiation skills, flexibility, teamwork, expertise, and coaching and leadership skills) still need to be addressed in order to successfully facilitate this change. As such, this paper provides various implications for health care research, health care institutions, practitioners, HR professionals and managers, and occupational health research.

Dissemination and Implementation Research for Occupational Safety and Health.

The translation of evidence-based health innovations into real-world practice is both incomplete and exceedingly slow. This represents a poor return on research investment dollars for the general public. U.S. funders of health sciences research (e.g., NIH, CDC, NIOSH) are increasingly calling for dissemination plans, and to a lesser extent for dissemination and implementation (D&I) research, which are studies that examine the effectiveness of D&I efforts and strategies and the predictors of D&I success. For example, rather than merely broadcasting information about a preventable hazard, D&I research in occupational safety and health (OSH) might examine how employers or practitioners are most likely to receive and act upon that information. We propose here that D&I research should be seen as a dedicated and necessary area of study within OSH, as a way to generate new knowledge that can bridge the research-to-practice gap. We present D&I concepts, frameworks, and examples that can increase the capacity of OSH professionals to conduct D&I research and accelerate the translation of research findings into meaningful everyday practice to improve worker safety and health.

Translation research in occupational safety and health: A proposed framework.

Translation research in occupational safety and health is the application of scientific investigative approaches to study how the outputs of basic and applied research can be effectively translated into practice and have an impact. This includes the study of the ways in which useful knowledge and interventions are disseminated, adopted, implemented, and institutionalized. In this paper, a 4-stage framework (Development, Testing, Institutionalization, and Evaluation) is presented. Translation research can be used to enhance the use and impact of occupational safety and health knowledge and interventions to protect workers. This type of research has not received much attention in the occupational safety and health field. However, in contemporary society, it is critical to know how to make an impact with the findings and outputs of basic and applied research. This paper provides a novel framework for consideration of how to advance and prioritize translation research for occupational safety and health.