Workplace Risk Research Articles

Estimation of heavy metal exposure in workplace and health risk exposure assessment in steel industries in Iran

Abstract Measuring air pollutants such as heavy metals in the workplace, usually takes a long time, equipment and budget and due to variation in concentration, the results of short term researches are not reliable. To assess the health risk of workers in the smelting unit of an alloy steel factory to long term exposure to heavy metals, a simple, fast and less expensive method was used for evaluation with the combination of suspended dust analysis and PM 10 measuring. The results showed that the highest and lowest concentration value was respectively recorded for Pb and Cd. Although, the average concentrations of heavy metals were lower than the recommended levels of occupational exposure, their occupational carcinogenic risks were different. The carcinogenic risk of Pb, Ni and Cd was low and acceptable, but was higher and unacceptable for Cr; therefore, using protective respiratory equipment and more efficient local ventilation was recommended.

Migration and Health in the Construction Industry: Culturally Centering Voices of Bangladeshi Workers in Singapore.

Construction workers globally face disproportionate threats to health and wellbeing, constituted by the nature of the work they perform. The workplace fatalities and lost-time injuries experienced by construction workers are significantly greater than in other forms of work. This paper draws on the culture-centered approach (CCA) to dialogically articulate meanings of workplace risks and injuries, voiced by Bangladeshi migrant construction workers in Singapore. The narratives voiced by the participants suggest an ecological approach to workplace injuries in the construction industries, attending to food insecurity, lack of sleep, transportation, etc. as contextual features of work that shape the risks experienced at work. Moreover, participant voices point to the barriers in communication, lack of understanding, and experiences of incivility as features of work that constitute the ways in which they experience injury risks. The overarching discourses of productivity and efficiency constitute a broader climate of threats to worker safety and health.

Psychological safety climate and workplace bullying in Vietnam’s public sector

ABSTRACTThe bureaucratic and impersonal nature of public management can fertilize workplace bullying and risks for psychological health and safety. Psychological safety climate (PSC) is an important indicator to reduce psychological hazards. Yet, there have been few studies conducted to examine the existence of PSC in the public sector in non-Western economies. This study examined the implementation of PSC and its effects on 274 employees from six branches of a Vietnamese public sector organization. The results suggest that senior management in organizations should consider positive work conditions and an effective system of policies, procedures, and practices for the prevention of psychosocial hazards.

National Estimates of Exposure to Formaldehyde in Italian Workplaces.

Formaldehyde is classified as human carcinogen and the association with nasopharyngeal cancer has been observed in many epidemiological studies. The aim of this study is to evaluate data about occupational exposure levels to formaldehyde in the Italian working force. Airborne concentrations of formaldehyde were extracted from the Italian database on occupational exposure to carcinogens and refer to the period 1996-2014. Descriptive statistics were calculated for exposure-related variables. The number of workers potentially exposed was estimated for the activity sectors better characterized in the database. An analysis through linear mixed models was performed to determine factors influencing the exposure level. A total of 1610 formaldehyde exposure measurements were selected from the database, having an overall arithmetic mean of 0.12 mg m-3 and a geometric mean of 0.04 mg m-3. The activity sectors with the highest number of measurements were the manufacturing of chemicals and chemicals products (N = 529) in men and the health and social work in women (N = 105). The number of workers potentially exposed in the selected sectors was 49450, and the most predictive independent variables of the exposure level resulted to be the occupational group and the year of measurement. The occupational exposure to formaldehyde occurs in a variety of different sectors, but currently workers at higher risk are those employed in the healthcare sector and in the wood processing industry. Prevention measures have to be targeted to reduce the risk to workers' health, also in a gender perspective. This study confirms the important role of occupational exposure databases as a valuable source of data for the epidemiological assessment of risks in workplaces.

Workplace Risks from Bacterially Derived Toxic Gases

Workplace Risks from Bacterially Derived Toxic Gases

100 years of occupational safety research: From basic protections and work analysis to a multilevel view of workplace safety and risk.

Starting with initiatives dating back to the mid-1800s, we provide a high-level review of the key trends and developments in the application of applied psychology to the field of occupational safety. Factory laws, basic worker compensation, and research on accident proneness comprised much of the early work. Thus, early research and practice very much focused on the individual worker, the design of their work, and their basic protection. Gradually and over time, the focus began to navigate further into the organizational context. One of the early efforts to broaden beyond the individual worker was a significant focus on safety-related training during the middle of the 20th century. Toward the latter years of the 20th century and continuing the move from the individual worker to the broader organizational context, there was a significant increase in leadership and organizational climate (safety climate) research. Ultimately, this resulted in the development of a multilevel model of safety culture/climate. After discussing these trends, we identify key conclusions and opportunities for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record

A Review on Methods for Assessing Risk Factors of the Upper Limb Disorders among Cashiers in Grocery Retail Industries

This paper provides an overview of the various methods that have been developed for the assessment of risk factors for upper limb disorders among cashiers in grocery retail industries. This paper is essential as upper limb disorders have been known as one of the prime cause of work-related disability in various countries. The methods used for the assessment were the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire, the Assessment of Repetitive Tasks (ART), the Job Strain Index (JSI) and the Occupational Repetitive Actions (OCRA) Checklist. DASH questionnaire is a structured interview in determining the prevalence of the upper limb disorders, while ART, the JSI and OCRA Checklist act as a direct observation in examining the involvement of risk factors. Basically, these tools dealt with the measurements of symptoms, posture observation, and workplace risk assessment, as they are the most relevant tools for assessing the risk factors faced by the workers in grocery industries. The use of these tools assessed the risk factors and consequently reduces the risk of injuries among the workers.

Endoscopic multiple biopsy and rapid diagnosis by in situ fixation and histopathologic processing

Endoscopic forceps biopsy and fixation are laborious and prolong the procedure and anesthesia. Multiple biopsy overcomes these shortcomings with a single endoscope pass that cuts, like a needle biopsy, up to 25 biopsy samples of uniform size and depth during endoscope withdrawal. Biopsy specimens are collected in acquisition order and stored in a perforated plastic storage chamber within the perforated metal tip. The tip is cut off, immersed in fixative, and sent to pathology. A formatted log identifies each biopsy specimen by site and position. In pathology, the plastic storage cylinder, designed for processing and microtomy with biopsy specimens in situ, supports rapid diagnosis by frozen section and microwave or routine paraffin processing. After a 10-patient Institutional Review Board safety study and US Food and Drug Administration registration, biopsies were performed in 57 patients during colonoscopy, upper GI endoscopy, and ERCP. A blinded retrospective study compared colon surveillance biopsies in 15 patients who underwent multiple biopsy with 15 patients who underwent forceps biopsies performed by anonymous physicians on the same day. Patient information was removed from slides, and forceps biopsies were oriented manually for blinding. Multiple biopsy specimens fixed and processed in situ were not significantly different from batched processed forceps biopsy specimens for depth, orientation, fixation, artifacts, and diagnostic information. Multiple biopsy colonic specimens were significantly (26%) smaller with better epithelial preservation than forceps specimens. Each biopsy saves 61 seconds during withdrawal. Single-pass multiple biopsy reduces biopsy time with less specimen damage, work, workplace risk, and soiling. Diagnostic quality is equal to forceps biopsy with better epithelial preservation, although 26% smaller. In pathology, in situ processing and microtomy reduce work and workplace risk. Grossing and manual orientation are unnecessary. Rapid diagnosis by frozen section and microwave or paraffin processing are facilitated. Multiple biopsy speeds diagnosis and improves productivity in endoscopic biopsy and histopathologic processing.

DEVELOPMENT AND OUTLOOK OF OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE IN SLOVENIA

The European Society for Occupational Medicine notes that numerous differences exist between EU members regarding their policies associated with occupational health and safety; one of the reasons for this is the historical variety of approaches. If we wish to unify our occupational health and safety systems, we thus need a common, unified policy and a common European training programme. The key challenges that European occupational medicine will be facing in the future are as follows: globalization, presentism, aging of the workforce, inter-generational cooperation, stress and workplace- related burnout (mental disorders), musculoskeletal diseases (especially various types of dorsalgia), occupational injuries, work following a prolonged absence from the workplace, occupational disability, occupational rehabilitation, the impact of work on the private life and vice-versa, outsourcing, self-employment, precarious employment, prolongation of working life, encouragement of healthy living after retirement, etc. The European Society for Occupational Medicine thus proposes that the new common strategy include a list of priorities and objectives with timelines and that it anticipate collaboration between all stakeholders (workers, employers, experts and the government), while occupational medicine practitioners must become the workers’ (impartial) advisers regarding workplace risks (total professional impartiality). Key words: occupational medicine, development, outlook, key challenges

Causes, consequences and countermeasures to driver fatigue in the rail industry: The train driver perspective

Fatigue is an important workplace risk management issue. Within the rail industry, the passing of a stop signal (signal passed at danger; SPAD) is considered to be one of the most major safety breaches which can occur. Train drivers are very aware of the negative consequences associated with a SPAD. Therefore, SPADs provide a practical and applied safety relevant context within which to structure a discussion on fatigue. Focus groups discussing contributing factors to SPADs were undertaken at eight passenger rail organisations across Australia and New Zealand (n = 28 drivers). Data relating to fatigue was extracted and inductively analysed identifying three themes: causes, consequences, and countermeasures (to fatigue). Drivers experienced negative consequences of fatigue, despite existing countermeasures to mitigate it. Organisational culture was a barrier to effective fatigue management. A fatigue assessment tool consistently informed rostering, however, shift swapping was commonplace and often unregulated, reducing any potential positive impact. In discussing fatigue countermeasure strategies, drivers talked interchangeably about mitigating task related fatigue (e.g. increasing cognitive load) and sleepiness (e.g. caffeine). Ensuring the concepts of fatigue and sleepiness are properly understood has the potential to maximise safety.

Health and safety risks in Britain's workplaces: where are they and who controls them?

AbstractThis is the first paper to identify the correlates of workplace managers' perceptions of the health and safety risks faced by workers and the degree to which workers have control over those risks. The risks that workers face and the control they have over those risks are weakly negatively correlated. Managerial risk ratings are positively associated with both injury and illness rates, but not with absence rates. The control rating is also positively associated with injury and illness rates, but it is negatively correlated with absence rates. Workers are more likely to be exposed to health and safety risks when their workplace is performing poorly and where it has been adversely affected by the recession. Union density is positively associated with risks but is not associated with workers' control over risks. Having on‐site worker representatives dealing with health and safety is linked to lower risks than direct consultation between management and employees over health and safety. However, there is no evidence that particular types of health and safety arrangement are related to workers' control over health and safety risks.

Moral Context and Risks of Death

When an industry poses a risk of premature death to consumers, workers, or others, regulatory agencies employ a figure known as the “value of a statistical life” (VSL) to monetize the life-saving benefit of regulations designed to reduce that risk. Use of the VSL, which currently hovers around $9 million, has been highly controversial. While a number of prominent scholars have vigorously endorsed the VSL as necessary to the cost-benefit analysis of mortality risk regulations, other prominent scholars have vehemently rejected the very idea of attaching a monetary value to a statistical human life. This article stakes out a more nuanced position based on a largely neglected aspect of mortality risk regulation: moral context. Whether and how the VSL is used to guide mortality risk regulation should depend on two morally significant features of the particular risk imposition in question: (i) the extent to which those exposed to the risk benefit from the industrial activity that gives rise to the risk and (ii) the extent to which those exposed to the risk bear the costs of compliance with the risk-reducing regulation. These two features vary in characteristic ways depending on the type of risk imposition at issue. Consumption risks — risks of death associated with using or con-suming a particular product — typically fall on consumers who not only benefit meaningfully from the industry but who also bear all or sub-stantially all of the costs of risk-reducing regulations. Using a VSL to guide risk regulation in this moral context is defensible on the basis of the norm of personal autonomy. By contrast, workplace risks — risks of death associated with employment in a particular industry — typically fall on workers who benefit from the industry but who do not bear the costs of risk-reducing regulations. In this moral context, using a VSL to guide risk regulation is not normatively defensible. However, using the underlying economic concept of willingness-to-pay to guide the regulation of workplace mortality risks is defensible on the basis of the norm of equity.

Editorial: Harm‐free care or harm‐free environments: expanding our definitions and understandings of safety in health care

Editorial: Harm‐free care or harm‐free environments: expanding our definitions and understandings of safety in health care

Foundational workplace safety and health competencies for the emerging workforce

IntroductionYoung workers (aged 15–24) suffer disproportionately from workplace injuries, with a nonfatal injury rate estimated to be two times higher than among workers age 25 or over. These workers make up approximately 9% of the U.S. workforce and studies have shown that nearly 80% of high school students work at some point during high school. Although young worker injuries are a pressing public health problem, the critical knowledge and skills needed to prepare youth for safe and healthy work are missing from most frameworks used to prepare the emerging U.S. workforce. MethodsA framework of foundational workplace safety and health knowledge and skills (the NIOSH 8 Core Competencies) was developed based on the Health Belief Model (HBM). ResultsThe proposed NIOSH Core Competencies utilize the HBM to provide a framework for foundational workplace safety and health knowledge and skills. An examination of how these competencies and the HBM apply to actions that workers take to protect themselves is provided. The social and physical environments that influence these actions are also discussed. ConclusionsThe NIOSH 8 Core Competencies, grounded in one of the most widely used health behavior theories, fill a critical gap in preparing the emerging U.S. workforce to be cognizant of workplace risks. Practical applicationsIntegration of the NIOSH 8 Core Competencies into school curricula is one way to ensure that every young person has the foundational workplace safety and health knowledge and skills to participate in, and benefit from, safe and healthy work.

Workplace Respirable Dust Monitoring And Risk Factor Assessment In Foundry Process

A study was carried out among iron foundry workers to assess occupational exposure to ambient respiratory dust in their work environment and rates of risk factors in each process by using Bayesian decision analysis (BDA) and AIHA (American Industrial Hygiene Association) exposure categorization guidelines. A total of 93 respirable dust samples were collected in various processes, including the molding, melting, shakeout, heat treatment, felting and finishing units of the foundries. The mean concentrations of respirable dust were 1.40±0.86 mg/m 3 in the molding process, 1.42±0.63 mg/m 3 in melting, 0.56±0.59 mg/m 3 in shakeouts, 1.63±0.85mg/m 3 in heat treatment, 2.17±0.61 mg/m 3 in felting, and 3.30±3.47 mg/m 3 in the finishing sections, respectively. The mean levels of respirable dust in the finishing process exceed the ACGIH standard (TLV 3 mg/m 3 ). The results of BDA show that the respirable dust exposures were in AIHA Category 4 for shakeouts (96.7% probability), felting (98.1% probability), and finishing (100% probability), respectively. The exposures belonged to category 3 for molding (52.8% probability), melting (79.4% probability) and heat treatment (40.3% probability), respectively. Therefore, it is required to have immediate control and safety adaptation by personal protective equipment of proper respiratory musk, engineer control, chemical analysis of respirable dust, exposure surveillance in order to prevent from being exposed to respirable dust among the foundry workers.

Low Back Pain Prevalence and Related Workplace Psychosocial Risk Factors: A Study Using Data From the 2010 National Health Interview Survey

ObjectivesThe objectives of this study were to estimate prevalence of low back pain, to investigate associations between low back pain and a set of emerging workplace risk factors, and to identify worker groups with an increased vulnerability for low back pain in the United States. MethodsThe data used for this cross-sectional study came from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey, which was designed to collect data on health conditions and related risk factors from the US civilian population. The variance estimation method was used to compute weighted data for prevalence of low back pain. Multivariable logistic regression analyses stratified by sex and age were performed to determine the odds ratios (ORs) and the 95% confidence interval (CI) for low back pain. The examined work-related psychosocial risk factors included work-family imbalance, exposure to a hostile work environment, and job insecurity. Work hours, occupation, and other work organizational factors (nonstandard work arrangements and alternative shifts) were also examined. ResultsThe prevalence of self-reported low back pain in the previous 3 months among workers in the United States was 25.7% in 2010. Female or older workers were at increased risk of experiencing low back pain. We found significant associations between low back pain and a set of psychosocial factors, including work-family imbalance (OR 1.27, CI 1.15-1.41), exposure to hostile work (OR 1.39, CI 1.25-1.55), and job insecurity (OR 1.44, CI 1.24-1.67), while controlling for demographic characteristics and other health-related factors. Older workers who had nonstandard work arrangements were more likely to report low back pain. Women who worked 41 to 45 hours per week and younger workers who worked >60 hours per week had an increased risk for low back pain. Workers from several occupation groups, including male health care practitioners, female and younger health care support workers, and female farming, fishing, and forestry workers, had an increased risk of low back pain. ConclusionsThis study linked low back pain to work-family imbalance, exposure to a hostile work environment, job insecurity, long work hours, and certain occupation groups. These factors should be considered by employers, policymakers, and health care practitioners who are concerned about the impact of low back pain in workers.

Incorporating human factors-related performance variation in optimizing a serial system

Work-related health problems cause an operator to be in different health-states and to have different performance levels in terms of productivity and the number of defective items produced. Human factors studies usually investigate workplace risk factors to reduce the negative effects of occupational health problems. However, they rarely optimize the performance of operation systems. To this end, this paper presents an analytical modeling framework integrating human factor aspects (workplace risk factors) into a serial assembly system performance optimization model. First, a health-state Markov chain is developed to model an employee’s work-related health conditions, which varies due to workplace risk factor exposure levels. Then, the total cost of the assembly system is minimized with respect to incorporating operational and financial consequences of the work-related health-states with other features of the system such as customer demand, inventory capacity and production costs. Ultimately, this study compares the optimum total cost of the system with and without including human factors. The results of numerical analysis show that the total cost increases from 0.1 percent to 32 percent in the presence of different workplace risk factors. This research opens a new window to considering a human factors (ergonomic) intervention not only as an occupational health and safety solution, but also as an operation improvement method leading to the design of safer and more efficient systems. Managers may also take the advantages of this study by having more opportunities to better deal with production variations via improving workplace ergonomic conditions.

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Risk management of occupational exposure to nanoparticles during a development project: A case study

<p>La producción de productos basados en la nanotecnología va en aumento, junto con la conciencia de los posibles efectos nocivos de algunos nanomateriales. Junto con los avances tecnológicos, existe la necesidad de mejorar el conocimiento de la seguridad y salud y aplicar ese conocimiento en los entornos laborales. La enfoques "Safety-by-design” están atrayendo la atención como herramientas útiles para desarrollar productos y procesos de producción más seguros. El enfoque de Análisis Sistemática de Diseño podría ayudar a identificar las soluciones para el control de los riesgos laborales mediante la definición de los escenarios de emisiones y de exposición y los posibles obstáculos a interrumpirlos. Cuando la gestión de riesgos durante un proyecto de desarrollo de las azulejos cerámicos fotocatalíticos, fue posible identificar escenarios de emisiones de las nanopartículas relevantes y las barreras relacionadas. Así, las posibles formas de reducirlos podrían ser definidas, lo que, a su vez, pueden dar lugar a un proceso de producción inherentemente más seguro.</p>

An investigation into the risk perceptions held by maximum security correctional officers

ABSTRACTMaximum security correctional officers play a crucial role in the establishment of order within their respective institutions of employment, yet they are also exposed to numerous occupational dangers that can threaten their general welfare. When they perceive high levels of injurious risk from workplace hazards, this cannot only jeopardize their job performance but lead to a poorly managed prison institution. Currently though, few studies have explored correctional officer perceptions of workplace dangers and risks, and even fewer have explored the factors that influence officer perceived risk of injury. Questionnaire data from a statewide population of maximum security correctional officers (N = 649) were gathered in order to examine officer perceived risk of injury from workplace dangers, and the antecedents to this judgment. Results illustrated how officers perceived a high degree of injurious risk from their work, and that their risk perceptions were largely a product of psychological features of dangers. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed.