Personal Protective Devices Research Articles

Epidemiology of Eye Injuries Caused by Personal Protection Devices and Kinetic Impact Projectile Weapons

This cross-sectional study evaluates epidemiologic data on the ocular trauma burden in emergency departments associated with chemical irritants and kinetic impact projectiles.

Prevalence of work-related occupational injuries and its risk factors among brickfield workers in West Bengal, India

The manual brick making process is a physically demanding job with a high risk of work-related injuries. Prevalence of work-related injuries (17.55%) occurs frequently in manual brick making activities due to inherently hazardous nature. This study analyzes 451 recordable incidents that occurred over a period of 7 years (2011–2017) among 220 male and 180 female workers in a different brickfield of West Bengal, India. The leading cause of brickfield injury was fall from heights, struck by objects, overexertion, lack of awareness, slippage of spade while mud collection etc. Carrying bricks and spading are two activities, in which the injuries occurred most among female and male brickfield workers respectively. Risk factors like MMH, prolonged working time, repetitiveness, awkward posture, lack of rotational task, overcrowded work, Lack of personal protective device, and lastly sleep disturbance and poor income are the key factor for work-related injuries. Sprain and strain, cut or laceration, abrasion, avulsion, and snake or insect bite are the main injuries among both groups of brickfield workers. Lower back and toes are the most affected parts of the body followed by ankle, feet, and hand. From this study, it was also observed that female brickfield workers are much more affected than male agricultural workers. The incident rate among male and female brickfield workers was 18.7 per 1000 workers per year and 21.2 per 1000 workers per year, respectively. So due to injuries in both groups of brickfield workers, their health, productivity and work performance were consequently affected.

Need for assessing the inhalation of micro(nano)plastic debris shed from masks, respirators, and home-made face coverings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This urgent need, as we point out in the manuscript title, stems from the fact that a regulatory gap widely exists in current quality standards and regulations on masks and respirators. By surveying the relevant ASTM, NOISH, EU, China, and ISO standards, as listed in the manuscript, we found no regulation or recommendation pertinent to this type of respirable hazard. Non-medical substitutes, such as face coverings, are also subject to such risks if made with improper household materials. There are numerous studies on assessing the filtration efficiency of masks, respirators, and recently, cloth face coverings (ACS Nano, 2020, 14, 6339; Nano Lett, 2020, 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c02211). This particular issue, however, has been widely neglected by the scientific community. Studies on masks and respirators as a source of respirable debris were found to be anecdotal (Ann. Occup. Hyg. 1986, 20, 131−133). Recent discussions on disposable masks and respirators focused on their widespread use during the current pandemic and disposal into the environment (Sci Total Environ 2020, 737:140279; Waste Manage 2020, 108, 202-205). By putting several top-selling medical face masks and N95 respirators under microscopes, we found plenty of micro(nano)plastic debris on their inner facings, with some appearing to be loosely attached while others still connected to their structural fibers. The two types of debris often appear in the same cluster with similar morphology and texture. Figure 1 in the manuscript shows examples of these, and we have submitted a file containing additional images with methods and QA/QC as further evidence. With the novel coronavirus still looming in our communities, there is a strong ongoing demand for personal respiratory protection devices. Supported by the latest guidance from WHO, many regulatory bodies have made these a compulsory requirement for the public when using public transport, or in certain settings where it is difficult to maintain adequate physical distancing. Respirable hazards such as micro(nano)plastics in these, if pervasively exist, may pose a public health concern. Children, the elderly, and individuals having chronic respiratory diseases may be particularly sensitive to this type of inhalable contaminants. With a growing body of evidence on their adverse effects, micro(nano)plastics is an active research domain with a quickly expanding scope. Researchers studying their inhalation, via atmospheric or other anthropogenic sources, are now facing the reality that there is a piece of plastic garment on top of the mouth and nose of millions of people every day. With these becoming a necessity for many in their daily life and work, questions must be raised over this apparent regulatory gap concerning their long-term use safety. The current pandemic, if anything, should bring this particular issue under scrutiny.

Mask or No Mask? May Be Modified Masks for Health Care Workers Wearing Respirators for Prolonged Hours During The COVID-19 Pandemic!

The present Covid-19 pandemic along with the previous SARS, MERS and other infectious disease outbreaks have led to guidelines recommending the routine use of respirators for healthcare workers, many of whom work for prolonged hours [1]. In recent years, it is generally accepted that operating theatre staff has to wear respirators. A respirator is a personal protective device that is worn on the face, covers at least the nose and mouth, and is used to reduce the wearer’s risk of inhaling hazardous airborne particles (including dust particles and infectious agents), gases, or vapors. Further the respirators used should be an unvalved Filtering Facepiece respirator (FFP2, that has no exhale valve) in operatory of clinical and hospital setting [2].

Synthea™ Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) model and synthetic data set

March through May 2020, a model of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) disease progression and treatment was constructed for the open-source Synthea patient simulation. The model was constructed using three peer-reviewed publications published in the early stages of the global pandemic, when less was known, along with emerging resources, data, publications, and clinical knowledge. The simulation outputs synthetic Electronic Health Records (EHR), including the daily consumption of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other medical devices and supplies.For this simulation, we generated 124,150 synthetic patients, with 88,166 infections and 18,177 hospitalized patients. Patient symptoms, disease severity, and morbidity outcomes were calibrated using clinical data from the peer-reviewed publications. 4.1% of all simulated infected patients died and 20.6% were hospitalized. At peak observation, 548 dialysis machines and 209 mechanical ventilators were needed. This simulation and the resulting data have been used for the development of algorithms and prototypes designed to address the current or future pandemics, and the model can continue to be refined to incorporate emerging COVID-19 knowledge, variations in patterns of care, and improvement in clinical outcomes. The resulting model, data, and analysis are available as open-source code on GitHub and an open-access data set is available for download.

CDC Addresses Non-Occupational Noise-Induced Hearing Loss.

CDC Addresses Non-Occupational Noise-Induced Hearing Loss.

What Best Predicts the Use of Hearing Protection Devices?

AbstractThe use of protective devices to safeguard health in noisy environments is crucial. Intensive exposure to pop, rock, and jazz (PRJ) music leads to irreversible damage to the auditory system. This study analyzed the psychological variables that best predict the use of personal hearing protection devices (PHPD) in professional PRJ musicians and the relative importance of PHPD in general as well as in four different occupational contexts, after controlling for auditory measures and condition. Professional musicians’ attitudes toward PHPD and behavior were assessed. Analyses showed that the best predictor of current usage was the duration of previous use, followed by additional psychological factors that predict usage in the four occupational settings. Researchers can draw on the current findings to explore other psychological factors and mechanisms that may facilitate the use of PHPD. For example, the finding that custom-made PHPD predicts the use of PHPD could be explored further by identifying the underlying psychological mechanisms, such as perception of ownership or identification processes. Studies should examine the other barriers/inducements to the use of PHPD in addition to those examined here, including the social factors connected to particular musical ensembles. Overall, psychological approaches encouraging behavioral change should be implemented, such as reminding individuals about previous use of PHPD, drawing their attention to these devices and the occupational environment, and enforcing PHPD norms to augment occupational health and safety.The questionnaire used in the experiment is available online at https://www.press.uillinois.edu/journals/ajp/media/redicts_the_use_of_hearing_protection/index.html

Levels of some reproductive hormones, cadmium and lead among fuel pump attendants in Benin City, Nigeria

Infertility is a common public health challenge in Nigeria. The causes of infertility in both males and females are multifactorial, and the contributions of endocrine abnormalities had been reported from both the Northern and Southern regions of Nigeria. The effect of occupational exposure on endocrine levels among petrol pump attendants has not been sufficiently documented in our setting. This study evaluated the levels of reproductive hormones, blood cadmium, and lead among fuel pump attendants in Benin City. A total of 60 petrol attendants and 30 healthy non-occupationally exposed subjects were recruited for the study. A blood specimen was collected and evaluated for follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone as well as blood cadmium and lead using ELISA and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) respectively. Serum levels of FSH, LH, estradiol, progesterone and testosterone were significantly lower among fuel attendants than non-occupationally exposed control subjects. The mean levels of blood cadmium and lead were significantly higher among fuel attendants than controls. Reproductive hormone levels significantly correlated with the duration of exposure to petrol fumes, FSH (r=-0.50, p=0.001), LH (r=-0.52, p=0.001), estradiol (r=0.32, p=0.009), progesterone (r=-0.35, p=0.005) and testosterone (r=-0.48, p=0.001). Blood cadmium and lead correlated negatively with reproductive hormones except between lead with estradiol (r=0.14, p=0.276) which was positively correlated. The levels of measured reproductive hormones were significantly lower, while cadmium and lead were significantly higher in fuel attendants than non- occupationally exposed control subjects. Exposure to petroleum fumes may be a risk factor and may be associated with reproductive hormone abnormalities. Personal protective devices should be worn by petrol attendants in order to avoid the adverse consequences of the observed abnormalities. Key words: Sex hormones, fuel pump attendants, occupational exposure.

A Qualitative Study of Barriers to Personal Protective Equipment Use among Laundry Workers in Government Hospitals, Hawassa, Ethiopia.

Background The need to reduce the transmission of infectious diseases makes the use of personal protective equipment and safety medical devices compulsory among hospital laundry staff. The practice, however, remains to be low among hospital laundry staff members. Globally, not many studies seem to have been carried out to sufficiently tell us about the barriers to personal protective equipment use among hospital laundry workers. Related studies in Ethiopia are even fewer. This study assessed the barriers to personal protective equipment use among laundry staff of government hospitals in Hawassa City, Southern Ethiopia, 2019. Methods Two qualitative data-gathering methods—focus group discussions and key informant interviews—were used to collect data for this study. Eight focus group discussions were conducted with hospital laundry workers. Similarly, six key informant interviews were held with Infection Prevention and Patient Safety Officers. Thematic analysis was performed using Open Code 4.02. Result Organizational- and individual-level barriers such as unavailability of essential personal protective equipment, a disharmonious work environment, low perception of susceptibility, and belief about personal protective equipment interference with work performance were identified as the major barriers to personal protective equipment use in the present study. Conclusion Organizational- and individual-level barriers have been identified as causes for the low level of personal protective equipment use among hospital laundry workers. Therefore, improving institutional supplies in quantity and quality may have a positive implication for the improvement of infection prevention practices in the study area. Also, designing sustainable strategies and raising laundry workers' awareness of a safe work environment may lead to the improvement of infection prevention practices.

COVID-19 Pandemic in Nepal: A Threat to Low Resources Countries

At present, the global community is experiencing a pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that caused coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the third disease from a coronavirus to cause a global outbreak. Person-to-person transmission occurs through droplet or contact transmission and if there is a lack of rigorous infection control or if no proper personal protective equipment (PPE) is available, it may endanger the first-line healthcare workers. In Nepal most of the cases are those who traveled to China and India till date, the infection is transmitted to clusters of societies only. Health workers as well as the general public has to be protected from getting infection applying established and universal infection prevention strategies including social distancing, hand hygiene and application of personal protective devices as required. Person-to-person contact is one of the most predominant ways of transmission of the disease, hence general public as well as all the professional workers have to follow the infection prevention approaches.

Head and neck radiotherapy amid the COVID-19 pandemic: practice recommendations of the Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO).

Management of patients with head and neck cancers (HNCs) is challenging for the Radiation Oncologist, especially in the COVID-19 era. The Italian Society of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) identified the need of practice recommendations on logistic issues, treatment delivery and healthcare personnel’s protection in a time of limited resources. A panel of 15 national experts on HNCs completed a modified Delphi process. A five-point Likert scale was used; the chosen cut-offs for strong agreement and agreement were 75% and 66%, respectively. Items were organized into two sections: (1) general recommendations (10 items) and (2) special recommendations (45 items), detailing a set of procedures to be applied to all specific phases of the Radiation Oncology workflow. The distribution of facilities across the country was as follows: 47% Northern, 33% Central and 20% Southern regions. There was agreement or strong agreement across the majority (93%) of proposed items including treatment strategies, use of personal protection devices, set-up modifications and follow-up re-scheduling. Guaranteeing treatment delivery for HNC patients is well-recognized in Radiation Oncology. Our recommendations provide a flexible tool for management both in the pandemic and post-pandemic phase of the COVID-19 outbreak.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s12032-020-01409-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Noise Induced Hearing Loss in Glass Factory Workers in Delta State Nigeria: An 8 year follow up.

Background: Noise induced hearing loss is a well known recognized hazard in factory workers. This is due to the fact that the level of noise in most factories exceed the WHO acceptable limits. This was an 8 year follow up study on glass factory workers to determine the effect of noise on their hearing status over that period.Materials and Methods: Audiometry was carried out on the factory workers using a diagnostic audiometer. This was repeated after 8 years. All the workers had their ears examined prior to Audiometry which was done in a quiet area in the factory clinic. Thereafter data was collected and analysed.Results: The subsequent screening showed that all the workers had increased threshold of hearing and the Prevalence rate of hearing impairment had increased from 9.1% to 40.8%. All workers admitted to intermittent use of personal protective devices (ear muffs/ear plugs) despite being counselled on their use 8 years earlier.Conclusion: Hearing Conservation measures should be instituted in factories. Pre-employment screening should be mandatory as well as annual audiological screening and the labour laws should be strengthened to ensure adequate compliance by industries.

Telemedicine and the 2019 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

In 2020 during the CoronaVirus Disease19 (COVID19) pandemic caused by da SARS‐CoV‐2, the weakness of e‐health (electronic health) (ie the lack of direct contact between physician and patient) may prove to be a strength, given the high contagiousness and relative lethality of the virus. In Italy the lack of preparation for supporting the patient load (shortage of personal protection devices, shortage of Intensive Care Unit) beds in comparison with other European Countries, and the poor early diagnostic and therapeutic activity has led us to suggest a project that uses an online platform between General Practitioners and patients in order to reduce moving infected individuals and to perform the diagnosis and treatment early on.

Minimal or No Touch Electrocardiography Recording and Remote Heart Rhythm Monitoring during COVID-19 Pandemic Era

At the end of year 2019, the world faced an outbreak of a highly virulent novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which changed the way physicians, including cardiologists, do their routine clinical practice. As distance limitation and efficient use of personal protective devices must be employed to prevent the pandemic spreading, even simple electrocardiogram (ECG) taking that involves directly placing electrode leads on a patient’s body may become riskier. This review will discuss the possibility of minimal or no touch EKG using the latest wireless technologies, beneficial in monitoring COVID-19 patients for cardiovascular problems or patients who seek cardiac care, but with posing risk of concomitant COVID-19.

Rancang Bangun Alat Pelindung Proses Intubasi

Medical treatment of patients during the Covid-19 pandemic is a problem for medical staff related to the high risk of transmission. Medical staff (NAKES) need to be equipped with hight protective equipment to ensure they are not directly exposed from the patients whose status is unclear, whether infected or not. The most important equipment is protective equipment at the time of intubation that is useful to protect the doctor from sprinkling the patient's saliva. This study aims to redesign the intubation trachel instrument by the Department of Anesthesiology Uttaradit Hospital, Thailand by considering aspects of ergonomics and material limitations in Indonesia, especially in the city of Padang. The study was conducted using anthropometric data of Agro Industrial Engineering students. The results of this study are finding a trachel intubation tool that is simpler and more ergonomic without reducing its function as a personal protective device.

OZONE DECOMPOSITION OVER ACTIVE COAL ANCHORED Cu(II), Co(II), OR Mn(II) CHLORIDES

The known catalyst based on the inorganic support, MnCl2/SiО2, and used in personal respiratory protective devices showed its lack of prospects because of the very heavy load per a protective device and the short time of its protective action. As opposed to it, metal complex compositions based on activated carbons (AC) hold much promise. Since we intended to use activated carbons or compositions based on them in respirators protection against ozone, such an important parameter as the time of protective action was determined for activated carbons of different ranks and for the best one among MCl 2 /AC compositions (M is Cu, Co, or Mn, AC is activated carbon of KAD-iodnii rank) at initial ozone concentrations, СinО 3 , of 1,5 mg/m 3 and 10 mg/m 3 . For selection of the most effective MCl 2 /KAD-iodnii AC composition, the kinetics of ozone decomposition was investigated at СinО 3 = 500 mg/m3. The results of the latter testing showed that activity of the MCl2/KAD-iodnii AC compositions depended not only on the metal and anion nature but also on a degree of the activated carbon surface filling with metal ions. The maximum degree of ozone decomposition in a steady-state mode was demonstrated by MnCl 2 /KAD-iodnii AC. This fact can be explained by MnO 2 formation as a result of MnCl 2 oxidation with ozone. MnO 2 can be a secondary catalyst and stabilize the process of ozone decomposition. The time of protective action for activated carbons significantly depends on their chemical nature and specific micropore and mesopore volumes and increases in the order SKN-K < ART < KAD-iodnii < AG-3 < SKN-2M. MnCl2 anchoring on activated carbon of KAD-iodnii rank resulted in an essential increase in the time of protective action: an ozone outlet concentration was lower than MPCO 3 even in 48 hours. The protective properties of the catalyst for ozone microconcentration decomposition obtained by activated carbon of KADiodnii rank impregnation with MnCl2 are much better than those of the known domestic and foreign analogues and this composition can be used in the devices for protecting environment and human beings against ozone.

When open source design is vital: critical making of DIY healthcare equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical devices needed during the COVID-19 pandemic were widely reported in early 2020. In response, civic DIY volunteers explored how they could produce the required equipment. Members of communities such as hacker- and makerspaces employed their skills and tools to manufacture, for example, face shields and masks. The article discusses these civic innovation practices and their broader social implications by relating them to critical making theory. Methodologically, it is based on a digital ethnography approach, focusing on hacker and maker communities in the UK. Communities’ DIY initiatives display characteristics of critical making and ‘craftivism’, as they assessed and counteracted politicised healthcare supply shortages. It is argued that their manufacturing activities during the COVID pandemic relate to UK austerity politics’ effects on healthcare and government failure to ensure medical crisis supplies. Facilitated by open source design, communities’ innovation enabled healthcare emergency equipment. At the same time, their DIY manufacturing raises practical as well as ethical issues concerning, among other things, efficacy and safety of use.

The Inadequacy of Regulatory Frameworks in Time of Crisis and in Low-Resource Settings: Personal Protective Equipment and COVID-19

COVID-19 pandemic is plaguing the world and representing the most significant stress test for many national healthcare systems and services, since their foundation. The supply-chain disruption and the unprecedented request for intensive care unit (ICU) beds have created in Europe conditions typical of low-resources settings. This generated a remarkable race to find solutions for the prevention, treatment and management of this disease which is involving a large amount of people. Every day, new Do-It-Yourself (DIY) solutions regarding personal protective equipment and medical devices populate social media feeds. Many companies (e.g., automotive or textile) are converting their traditional production to manufacture the most needed equipment (e.g., respirators, face shields, ventilators etc.). In this chaotic scenario, policy makers, international and national standards bodies, along with the World Health Organization (WHO) and scientific societies are making a joint effort to increase global awareness and knowledge about the importance of respecting the relevant requirements to guarantee appropriate quality and safety for patients and healthcare workers. Nonetheless, ordinary procedures for testing and certification are currently questioned and empowered with fast-track pathways in order to speed-up the deployment of new solutions for COVID-19. This paper shares critical reflections on the current regulatory framework for the certification of personal protective equipment. We hope that these reflections may help readers in navigating the framework of regulations, norms and international standards relevant for key personal protective equipment, sharing a subset of tests that should be deemed essential even in a period of crisis.

Toward an improved hearing safety standard for impulse noise exposure in the Canadian Armed Forces

Introduction: Current hearing safety standards for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) do not adequately address exposure limits for mitigation of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) from weapon noise. Recommendations for updating the hearing safety standard are being formulated by the recently initiated Noise Health Hazard Working Group (NHHWG). In this article, we aim to provide a way forward for the NHHWG. Methods: On the basis of experience with auditory research, noise measurement, acoustic standards development, interactions with CAF members, and a review of the literature, we present an overview of the current state of knowledge regarding impulse noise. The topics include impulse noise measurement, engineering and administrative controls for noise exposure, and use of personal hearing protection devices (HPDs). Results: Although technology for impulse noise measurements and ways to account for HPDs have improved substantially in recent years, not much has changed in hearing damage risk criteria. Energy-based metrics can account for the impulse duration and frequency-dependent characteristics of the HPD, which are important considerations in calculating allowed exposures. Discussion: The NHHWG is recommended to focus on measurements of current weapons systems in various configurations and training environments and to evaluate the use of energy-based metrics, together with frequency-dependent HPD insertion loss.

SafetyGuidelines for Sterilityof Face Shields During COVID 19 Pandemic.

Face shields are personal protective equipment devices that are to be used by many health care workers during COVID 19 pandemic for protection of the facial area and associated mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth) from droplet spread of infection. Face shields are generally not used alone, but in conjunction with other protective equipment like cap, mask, goggle, and are therefore classified as adjunctive personal protective equipment. In the wake of scarcity of face shields during the COVID 19 Pandemic, consideration of innovating newer methods of manufacturing must be considered to overcome the present day scarcity without jeopardising the safety of front line Heath care workers. All initial fast innovations comes with advantages and disadvantages, hence we thought of putting down simple guidelines for new emerged face shield use.