Occupational Safety Measures Research Articles

The Problem of Diagnosis in Occupational Brucellosis

Occupational brucellosis is caused by contact with infected animal tissues during work. Workers who are working in veterinary services, occupations with products derived from animals and close contact to waste of animals, processing or keeping or trading animal products and laboratories are under the risk of occupational brucellosis. In this study, 9 cases of occupational brucellosis who were diagnosed between 1 January 2012 -31 December 2017 in the occupational disease hospital were evaluated. Two thirds of the cases (n=6) worked for the same company that works in dairy cattle farming and raw milk production. When all cases were evaluated, it was seen that the necessary occupational health and safety measures were not taken in the workplaces, proper personal protective equipment (PPE) was not used, and there were problems in diagnosis, notification and return to work. It should be keep in mind that these cases are just the tip of the iceberg.

Working Class CEOs: Formation of Occupational Norms and Corporate Labor Policies

We examine the relation between the CEO’s childhood socioeconomic class and corporate labor policies. We find that CEOs raised in low socioeconomic class families are less likely to invest in employee friendly firm policies measured by several types of labor and employment litigation, including litigation by unions, and occupational safety measures. These results are confirmed by crowdsourced employee firm reviews across several workplace dimensions. Our findings are supported by the studies of within-family transmission of occupational knowledge and formation of occupational norms as well as development of empathy and altruistic behaviors in children.

Принципы обеспечения безопасности горных работ при добыче угля

The article provides a description of injuries in coal mining enterprises in Russia. The high injury rate causes the need of developing new effective ways and means of improving safety at mining enterprises. Recently in Russia there has been a tendency for a slight decrease in fatal injuries, which indicates some progress in prevention of industrial accidents. At the same time, the problem of improving the working conditions of coal miners, reducing the level of injuries and occupational diseases in this industry remains a very urgent task.Ensuring safe operation and industrial health and safety is not only reasonable economic policy but one of the constitutional human rights. At Russian coal mining enterprises, they take measures to reduce injuries, the supervisory authorities and employees of the enterprises carry out certain work to comply with safety requirements. However, significant success has not yet been achieved.Despite the fatal injuries and accidents, the issue of industrial mining safety is not becoming a top priority. Occupational safety measures are often financed on a «left-over» principle, and therefore remain not implemented. Many managers do not pay enough attention to safety issues and have little control over the planned activities in this area.The article analyzes the causes of injuries and proposes the key directions for creating normal working conditions in coal mining enterprises.

Healthy Work: Mobile Applications to Reduce the Risk of Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs)

Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) are complaints in the skeletal muscles caused by behavioral errors and work attitudes. If the condition happens every day for long, it can cause permanent pain and damage to muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments and othes. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends ergonomic measures to deal with complaints of MSDs under the Ergonomic Rule of Twenty (ERT) rules. The purpose of this study is applying the method to android application. Work on this application using the steps of waterfall. Testing is done in 5 ways. The first with the blackbox method indicates that the application is running smoothly with no error. The second hardware use with various smartphones and screen size shows that the application is running well on minimum specification 4.3-inch and Android KitKat operating system. The third was carried out to two MSDs expert lecturers indicating that the application was in accordance with the ERT rules and recommended to be used as a media to prevent MSDs complaints. Fourth, by distributing questionnaires to 32 educational staff respondents at University of Darussalam Gontor, actively sitting in front of the computer daily, give good feedback with a score of 82%. Fifth, through users (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=id.amoled.timerapp), 10 users gives rating of 4.6 from March 27 to July 20, 2019. All results show this application complies with ERT rules and helps prevent and reduce complaints of MSDs. This Application is recommended for anyone having a job with the habit of sitting in front of a computer for long time.

Assessment of Occupational Health and Safety Measures’ Knowledge and Experienced Types of Hazards among Nursing Staff in Rania Hospital

Background and Objectives: In recent years, significant developments have occurred in occupational health and safety programs designed to prevent and control work-related illness and injury. The aims of the study were to assess knowledge of nurses on occupational health and safety measures in hospital and their experienced type of occupational hazards’.Methods: A quantitative descriptive study of non-probability sample was conducted on 50 nurses in Rania general hospital. Data was collected from 10th August 2017 to 25th December 2017. A questionnaire was developed for the purpose of data collection which included socio-demographic attributes of the study sample and questions on occupational hazards and occupational health and safety measures. Frequency, percentage and chi-square tests were used for data analysis.Results: Proper disposal of waste (90%), Acquainting rights and obligations/career and your job Descriptions (88%), Using protective clothing (86%), Having vaccination against infectious diseases within the health facility (76%), Providing a clinic for employees at workplace (74%), Prompt reporting of accidents/injuries (72%) were the most items which nurses implied to them according their knowledge. Nurses mentioned that they experienced following occupational hazards in the hospital: physical 48%, psychological 28%, mechanical/electrical 12%, chemical 22% and biological 10%. There was a significant and highly significant association between years of experience and level of education of nurses with their overall knowledge on occupational health and safety measures, respectively but not with their age.Conclusions: Nurses did not have complete knowledge regarding occupational health and safety measures and they experienced different types of hazards during their working years.

Analysis of the recent occupational accidents occurred at Western Lignite Corporation (Turkey) by data envelopment analysis

Developments of countries are interpreted through many parameters. One of the most important parameters according to the order of importance is perhaps the occupational accidents. Especially in recent years, work related (or occupational) accidents occurred at different sectors did not decrease; they even increased despite the developments in the technology and emphasis made on the regulations. This situation can be interpreted as an open debate in which the employees still do not internalize the work they do. Often, enterprises do not choose the right personnel for the job or the personnel chosen are not oriented to the work with the through proper methods. When the mining sector is taken into account, this problem becomes even clearer. Among the many reasons for this problem, it can firstly be mentioned about the difficulty of employing qualified and well-educated personnel. Since the enterprises do not have many options in the solution of this problem, their approach to work accidents should be institutionally a highest priority. During this process they must also use proactive approaches. For example, all accidents and occupational diseases should be recorded, possible causes of them should be put forth, and statistical analysis should be conducted to guide the future of the institution.
 In this study, the work accidents took place in both underground and surface facilities at Western Lignite Corporation (WLC) which is one of the most important lignite producers in Turkey between the years 2014 and 2018 were analyzed by Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The types of accidents were also examined and interpreted using the information obtained from the calculation of accident frequency, accident weight and accident probability rates. With the sensitivity analysis realized, it was tried to draw attention to the occupational safety measures to be made in the future.

Integral risk assessment to optimize expenses for occupational safety measures at a machine-building enterprise

In the absence of uniform and unified requirements for the assessment of industrial risks at an enterprise, the system approach remains the only tool for a comprehensive assessment of the workplace safety. Implementation of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) system involves identifying, analyzing and reducing risks at the workplace. The purpose of the article is to calculate the minimum expenses for occupational safety measures and minimize production risks identified through the developed procedure for analyzing the hazards of the machine-building enterprise. The research methodology is based on the integrated use of qualitative and quantitative approaches to risk assessment, namely, structured assessment and integral assessment using the “rucksack problem” optimization model. The study identifies the risks that are most common and the most serious ones. The procedure of risk reduction is proposed, which is to determine the minimum costs for achieving each of the integral assessments for the machine-building enterprise. The practical value of work consists in the ability to directly apply the developed methodology for risk assessment at the enterprises of the machine-building industry, and to easily adapt the risk assessment procedure to other conditions.

The Effect of Occupational Health and Safety Management on Performance in the Banking Sector, Ghana

A survey was conducted to investigate the impact of occupational health and safety measures (OHSMs) on the performance of Banks in Ghana. Questionnaires were administered to employees of various Banks in the country. Using a Likert scale, respondents were asked to assess the impact of OHSMs on the performance of their Banks. The reliability of the survey data collected was tested using Cronbach’s alpha. Subsequently, Pearson correlation and simple regression were used to understand the statistical relationships between variables in terms of the magnitude and the direction (positive or negative) and to determine the degree of variance among dependent and independent variables. Findings suggest that there was a slightly moderate positive correlation between OHSMs and performance of Banks. Although employees generally agreed that OHSMs were in practice, the measures should be improved and government should reinforce policies for the implementation of OHSMs and ensure compliance by the Banks.

Health Hazards, Occupational Safety Measures and Knowledge Assessment among Nurses Exposed to Chemotherapy Drugs in Ain Shams University Hospitals, Egypt

Introduction: Several chemotherapeutic drugs are known to be teratogenic and mutagenic to humans. Nursesare the main group of health care workers that are exposed to these drugs during their work. Generally, thework activities that pose the greatest risk of exposure are the preparation and administration of antineoplasticdrugs, and cleaning of chemotherapy spills. Aim of work: 1) To estimate the prevalence of hazardous effectsto which nurses handling cytotoxic drugs (CDs) are exposed 2) To evaluate the current safety measures usedin clinical practice and 3) To assess nurses’ knowledge regarding cytotoxic Drugs. Materials and methods: Across-sectional study was carried out at the Oncology and Hematology unit at Ain Shams University Hospitals,Egypt. The study was carried out on (73) nurses. A convenience sampling was used to select the studysubjects using well-structured self-administered questionnaire and observational check list. Collected datawere analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Result: Almost more than half of the study nursesfrequently complained from recurrent headache (64.4%), skin irritation (63%), eye irritation (61.6%), and hairloss (52.1%). Reproductive effects were also found: menstrual irregularities (32.9%), low birth weight babies(23.3%), premature labor (19.2%), and malignancy (15.1%). During handling CDs, the majority of nurses(89%) utilized gloves, (61.6%) utilized gowns, and none of them utilized goggles. About (72. %) had fair totalknowledge score regarding CDs, and only few of them (11.0 %) had good total score. Conclusion: Toxiceffects of CDs were highly prevalent among the studied nurses. The safety practice and adopting protectivemeasures among the majority were not consistent with the National Institute for Occupational Safety andHealth (NIOSH) guidelines despite the fair total knowledge score they had.

Assessment of hematological, biochemical and Oxidative Stress parameters on Agricultural Pesticides Application Workers in Egypt

Abstract: The present study was carried out from November (2015) - October (2017) to determine the toxicological effects of pesticides exposure on agricultural application workers. Blood samples of the investigated workers were collected from Giza, Qalyubiyah and El-Buhayrah Governorates, Egypt. Thirty male individuals represented pesticide application workers were involved from the three governorates. Also, 25 male individuals (aged 18-55 years) were selected randomly from Cairo Governorate to represent the unexposed (control) group. Ten ml of blood sample per individual was collected and serological analysis for hematological (RBCs, TLC, Hb, PCV, MCV, MCH, MCHC), biochemical (ALT, AST, total protein, urea, creatinine and uric acid) and oxidative stress (GSH.R, MDA and AChE) parameters were carried out. Results: About 53% of workers involved was with an average level of education, between 18 and 35 years of age (57%), working in their field for 6 to 10 years (40%), about eight hours a day for six days a week on average (67%). Hb, MCH, MCHC, ALT, AST, AlP, TP, urea, creatinine and MDA were increased significantly by 5.58, 9.23, 3.75, 55.49, 42.44, 30.07, 6.83, 49.33, 25.48, and 133.02% respectively. While the levels of Alb, GSH.R and AChE activity were significantly decreased by 14.51, 8.33 and 21.04% respectively. a significant positive correlation between exposure duration and ALT, AST, creatinine, urea and MDA. While, there were significant negative correlations between exposure duration and total protein, alkaline phosphatase, AChE Activity, GSH.R, RBCs, Hb, PCV, MCV and MCH. Conclusions: Increasing of pesticide application workers vital parameters gives an indication of the occurrence of various health consequences due to chronic exposure to pesticides. These results can be explained by the fact that the negligence of workers in following occupational safety and health measures from wearing protective tasks, not smoking, drinking and eating during the application of pesticides, resulting from the low awareness of workers about the risks of the materials dealt with and the decrease in their educational and cultural level increases the chances of exposure to the pesticide. On the health of the worker.

The role of human resources management practices in enhancing the level of social responsibility (An exploratory study of the opinions of a sample of workers in the company Hawkari pharmaceuticals and medical supplies in Iraq)

This study aims to identify the role of of human resource management practices and the level of social responsibility in the Iraqi Hawkary company which is engaged in the distribution and marketing of pharmaceutical products, along with to identify the role of (correlation and impact) of the practices of human resources management in enhancing the level of social responsibility. Directed by the built model, two main hypotheses and drives from them sub hypotheses rises, a questionnaire used as a tool to collect data, amd to test hypotheses of study, the researchers relying on a set of statistical methods. 60 questionnaires distributed to the study samle, 51 questionnaires returned, while 44 questionnaires were suitable for analysis. The most result of this study was the following: the level of human resource management practices and social responsibility in Hawkary Company is high. There is a positive correlation between practices of human resource management and enhance the level of social responsibility in Hawkary pharmaceutical company. There is stastically a significant impact of human resource management practices on enhances the level of social responsibility in Hawkary pharmaceutical company. Based on the this results this study recommend to the need for the companies to rely on diverse sources of attraction and selection of professionals, companies should working tokeep excellence human resources and the application of occupational safety measures and develop specific programs to reduce accidents at work and the need for the Department companies activating style human relationships at work and that treats all employees of the company fair and equal manner. Keywords: Human resource management practices, social responsibility, economic responsibility, legal responsibility and ethical responsibility.

Post Hepatitis B vaccination sero-conversion among health care workers in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana.

BackgroundHBV vaccine is known to offer protection against transmission of HBV infection. Health care workers are mandated to have this vaccination as part of their occupational health safety measures. Post vaccination response data for HCWs in our setting is not available. This study therefore aimed to evaluate the anti-HBs titre levels after Hepatitis B vaccination among HCWs from selected heath facilities in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana.MethodsA multicenter (3 selected sites) analytical cross-sectional study involving 711 HCWs was conducted. Five (5mls) of blood samples were collected from each study participant and the serum used for HBV immunological profile testing anti-HBs quantification by ELISA test (Fortress Diagnostics Limited, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom). Data analyses were performed using Stata version 14.0 software (STATA Corp, Texas USA).ResultsThe median age of participants was 29 years (IQR = 26–35 years). Majority (80.9%, n = 575) took their vaccination from Government health facilities compared with 19.1% (n = 136) from private vaccination sources. A total of 7 (3 males and 4 females) were found to be HBsAg positive giving prevalence of 1%. In all, 8.2% (n = 58) of the HCWs had anti-HBs titre levels <10IU/ml giving a sero-protection rate of 91.8%. HCWs who received 3 doses of HBV vaccine were more likely to be sero-protected as compared to those who received only one dose in multivariate analysis (aOR = 3.39, 95%CI: 1.08–10.67), p<0.037). Gender, cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption were not found to be associated with sero-protection.ConclusionThere is a high HBV vaccine efficacy among HCWs in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana with higher prevalence of anti-HBs titre level associated with full vaccine dose adherence. Post vaccination antibody titre determination could be an integral part of HBV vaccination protocol for HCWs in Ghana.

Effect of training on knowledge, attitude and practice of safety measures among battery chargers in Ilorin metropolis

Objective: Good knowledge of safety measures against hazards of lead-acid battery work is important in the control of the work-related health problems. The study assessed the effects of training on knowledge, attitude and practice of safety measures among battery chargers in Ilorin, Nigeria.Methods: The study was a quasi-experimental (non-randomized) study with pretest and post-test design. A total of 107 battery chargers were recruited each for intervention and control group. The study group was offered training on occupational safety measures while the control group did not have training at this stage. Post intervention data was collected 12 weeks after the pre-intervention. Multistage sampling technique was used to select 214 registered battery chargers working in Ilorin in to the study. Data obtained through interviewer-administered questionnaires were analysed using SPSS version 16 software.Results: Less than one-fifth (15.9%) of the study group had good knowledge of hazards relating to battery which increased significantly to more than three-quarters (76.2%) post-intervention. The majority (85.0%) of the study group and (86.0%) of the control group had positive attitude towards safety measures pre-intervention. There was no significant improvement in attitude post intervention. The safety practice of less than one-tenth (6.5%) of the study group was rated good pre-intervention which increased significantly to almost one-fifth (17.8%) post-intervention. There was no significant improvement in the Kwowledge, attidude or practice of safety measures among the control group post intervention.Conclusion: Association of the battery chargers should organize in conjunction with the health institutions training of their members on hazards prevention and safety practices.Keywords: Training, battery, safety measures, workers, Ilorin

Job requirement level, work demands, and health: a prospective study among older workers

PurposePersons in lower occupational positions experience higher rates of morbidity compared to workers in higher advantaged positions. Working conditions may explain this occupational health gradient. Most studies consider either psychosocial or physical work demands at one point in time. In our study, we examine both physical and psychosocial work demands and their association with health status differentiated by job requirement level. We further distinguish between constant and changing work demands.MethodsUsing data from the first two waves of the German cohort study on work, age and health, we analyse a sample of 3644 older workers born in 1959 and 1965. We test direct and mediating effects of high physical and psychosocial work demands on functional physical and mental health. For this, we estimate a prospective path model using multiple linear regression models.ResultsOur results show that (1) constant high physical and psychosocial work demands affect physical and mental health negatively and (2) high physical workload partly mediates the relationship between job requirement level and physical health. Moreover, at least for men, a reduction of physical and psychosocial workload improves mental health status.ConclusionsResearch and prevention measures currently focus particularly on psychosocial work demands. Our study shows that high physical workload is still present among older workers. Its negative health effect refers to occupational safety and health measures that take into account both the physical and psychosocial work environment as well as workers’ occupational positions.

Assessment of Occupational Health and Safety Measures for Staff in Food and Beverages Department: As Applied to some Three-Star Hotels

The research aims to identify the extent of application of occupational health and safety measures and determine the level of staff's awareness of these measures and the most important dimensions and obstacles facing their application. The field study was conducted on a sample of (376) staff of the food and beverage department in some three-star hotels in Sharm El-Sheikh. The results revealed a positive impact of the dimensions, a negative impact of obstacles on the application of occupational health and safety measures. The research recommends to implement a master plan for occupational health and safety measures, in accordance with the international system, ISO 45001:2018 and apply the principle of participatory management to the decision making regarding improving working conditions.

Occupational health outcomes among international migrant workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

SummaryBackgroundGlobally, there are more than 150 million international migrant workers—individuals who are employed outside of their country of origin—comprising the largest international migrant group. A substantial number of migrants work in hazardous and exploitative environments, where they might be at considerable risk of injury and ill health. However, little data on occupational health outcomes of migrant workers exist, with which to inform global policy making and delivery of health services.MethodsFor this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched Embase, MEDLINE, Ovid Global Health, and PsychINFO databases for primary research published between Jan 1, 2008, and Jan 24, 2018, reporting occupational health outcomes among international migrant workers (defined as individuals who are or have been employed outside their country of origin), without language or geographical restrictions. We excluded studies containing mixed cohorts of migrants and native workers in which migrant data could not be disaggregated, and studies that did not explicitly report migrant status. The main outcome was prevalence of occupational health outcomes (defined as any injury, mortality, or physical or psychiatric morbidity due to an individual's work or workplace environment) among international migrant workers. Summary estimates were calculated using random-effects models. The study protocol has been registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42018099465.FindingsOf the 1218 studies identified by our search, 36 studies were included in our systematic review, and 18 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The systematic review included occupational health outcomes for 12 168 international migrant workers employed in 13 countries and territories, mostly employed in unskilled manual labour. Migrant workers originated from 25 low-income and middle-income countries, and worked in the following sectors: agriculture; domestic, retail, and service sectors; construction and trade; and manufacturing and processing. Migrant workers had various psychiatric and physical morbidities, and workplace accidents and injuries were relatively common. In the meta-analysis, among 7260 international migrant workers, the pooled prevalence of having at least one occupational morbidity was 47% (95% CI 29–64; I2=99·70%). Among 3890 migrant workers, the prevalence of having at least one injury or accident, including falls from heights, fractures and dislocations, ocular injuries, and cuts was 22% (7–37; I2=99·35%).InterpretationInternational migrant workers are at considerable risk of work-related ill health and injury, and their health needs are critically overlooked in research and policy. Governments, policy makers, and businesses must enforce and improve occupational health and safety measures, which should be accompanied by accessible, affordable, and appropriate health care and insurance coverage to meet the care needs of this important working population.FundingWellcome Trust.

Mapping of Noise Propagation in Quarries for Environmental Perspective

In this study noise measurements were made in a quarry belonging to a private, company located in the boundaries of Karaomerler village, Konya (Turkey). Noise levels were measured at 42 points, in the operation field and equivalent noise levels were determined and the results were mapped using NetCad program. With the help of the obtained noise maps, it is recommended to take preventive measures, where necessary. Proper reading of maps is crucial for effective and sufficient measures in terms of occupational health and safety measures have to be taken.

Mapping of Noise Propagation in Quarries for Environmental Perspective

In this study noise measurements were made in a quarry belonging to a private, company located in the boundaries of Karaomerler village, Konya (Turkey). Noise levels were measured at 42 points, in the operation field and equivalent noise levels were determined and the results were mapped using NetCad program. With the help of the obtained noise maps, it is recommended to take preventive measures, where necessary. Proper reading of maps is crucial for effective and sufficient measures in terms of occupational health and safety measures have to be taken.

Perception and practice of occupational safety measures against HIV infection among health care personnel in a tertiary health care facility of Ganjam district, Southern Odisha, India

Background: Globally, 36.7 million people were living with HIV. The prevalence in India is estimated to be 0.26% and it is in the range of 0.21-0.25% in Odisha. The objectives were to assess the perception on HIV and the preventive practices among the health personnel in a tertiary level health facility of South Odisha.Methods: This study was hospital based cross-sectional study. Place of study was OPDs, indoor wards, emergency Department of MKCG Medical College, Berhampur, Ganjam, Odisha, India. Study period was from December 2017 to February 2018. Study participants were all the health care workers present during the visit were interviewed using semi structured questionnaire. Sample size were 174 health personnel. Those who didn’t give consent for the study were excluded from the study. Statistical tests used were percentage and proportion. Statistical software used-SPSS 16 version.Results: Out of 174 respondents 67.8% were doctors, 14.9% staff nurses and 17.3% other professionals. Among safety measures, gloves, mask, apron and cap were used by 69%, 11.5%, 13.8% and 5.7% respectively. The patient’s HIV status was enquired by 78.9% male health personnel during treatment. 90% female health personnel had come across HIV positive patients during treatment procedure. The knowledge about basic PEP regimen was present in 54.4% male and 80% female health personnel.Conclusions: The study participants were not aware about all the mode of transmission. There is gap in knowledge and practices of safety gears. Perceptions and practice of doctors were no way better than other health personnel. Knowledge and practice of safety gear should be enforced by the hospital authority to keep its work force safe and healthy.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Regarding Occupational Hazards and Safety Measures among Oil and Gas Workers in South-South Nigeria

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Regarding Occupational Hazards and Safety Measures among Oil and Gas Workers in South-South Nigeria