Industrial Health最新文献

Mental disorders occur frequently in physicians owing to overwork and poor psychosocial work environment. This study aimed to investigate the circumstances, characteristics, and background factors affecting mental disorders in physicians. Basic data such as sex, age at onset, alive or dead, occupation, name of disease, industrial accident recognition factors, load factors other than working hours, and overtime hours (for 31 cases of mental disorders and suicides for 11 years from 2010-2020) were obtained from the Japan Research Center for Overwork-Related Disorders database. The results showed 13 cases of suicide (41.9%) and 21 cases of mood disorders (67.7%). As for the factors recognized as industrial accidents, "extreme long working hours" related to overwork accounted for 6 cases (20.7%), and "quantity and quality of work" accounted for 27 cases (93.1%). Furthermore, clinical residents comprised 14 cases (45.2%) of the 31 mental disorder cases and 7 cases (53.8%) of the 13 suicide cases. Therefore, measures to prevent overwork and suicide in clinical residents are urgently needed in the context of mental disorder in physicians.

This paper explores the current landscape of collective bargaining agreements in Greece, alongside the broader legislative framework governing occupational heat stress. The findings reveal that the existing framework regulating occupational heat exposure remains general and insufficient. The specific circulars on heat stress prevention do not carry the same legal weight as laws or presidential decrees. Therefore, the adoption of dedicated legislation addressing occupational heat stress is considered essential. Effective protection requires the implementation of preventive measures across all sectors, for all categories of workers, and throughout all periods-not only during officially declared heatwaves. Labour inspectorate workplace inspections should be intensified, as enforcement remains limited. Heat stress provisions are rarely included in collective bargaining agreements. The weakening of collective bargaining following the economic crisis has contributed to this gap. The role of trade unions and workers' occupational safety and health (OSH) representatives is critical in strengthening collective bargaining and safeguarding workers from occupational risks. To improve heat stress management, the study highlights the need for expanded awareness-raising initiatives, sector-specific training, enhanced understanding and use of the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index, systematic recording of worker morbidity and mortality, and strengthened research efforts on heat stress prevention.

This study examines the role of trade unions and social dialogue in shaping the Italian prevention system for occupational health and safety (OHS) risks associated with heatwaves. Drawing on the European project Adaptheat, it addresses a research gap on the short-term impacts of climate change on the workforce and the interventions of social actors to address them. The methodology combined literature review, documentary analysis, and qualitative interviews with different stakeholders, including workers, in Apulian agriculture and in logistics warehouses. Findings show that trade unions have been pivotal in translating scientific evidence- particularly from the Worklimate project- into institutional measures and into collective bargaining agreements. Despite regulatory progress, the system relies mainly on regional ordinances, resulting in fragmented and reactive prevention rather than integrated and proactive planning. Compared with international benchmarks, the Italian case underscores the need to strengthen the regulatory framework, linking heatwave related OHS protection with broader labour and social rights.

Climate change is already not only a global problem, but also poses a growing risk to the health and safety of workers. For this reason, this study analyses the measures taken as part of the ADAPTHEAT project in Hungary to mitigate heat-related risks in the workplace. The research focuses on legislation and employers' practices, which were analysed on the basis of risk assessments, collective agreements and case studies. The findings highlight that workplace heat stress is not only a concern in traditionally high-risk sectors such as agriculture but affects nearly all workplaces. Despite recent legislative changes in Hungary, the regulatory framework and employer obligations remain rather general. Therefore, raising awareness among employers and employees remains essential. The study also emphasizes the important role of trade unions and health and safety representatives in advocating for improved protection.

The study examines the role of collective bargaining in protecting workers from heat stress in Spain, a country that is particularly vulnerable to rising temperatures. Through an analysis of 596 collective sectoral bargaining agreements (CBAs) registered between 2020 and 2025, 14 heat action plans (HAPs), and 13 interviews with key actors, the integration of preventive measures into labor regulations is evaluated. Only 51 CBAs (8.6%) include preventive clauses that go beyond clothing measures and only 8 (1.3%) contained an adequate set of norms to address it in a more or less comprehensive manner. Company heat action plans, although more detailed and flexible, are highly heterogeneous and have limited coverage. Recent regulatory reforms in 2023 (RD-Law 4/2023) and 2024 (RD-Law 8/2024) require heat-specific measures and protocols for adverse weather events respectively, opening a window for strengthening prevention through sectoral and company agreements in the form of CBAs and HAPs. It is concluded that, despite some advanced examples, protection remains insufficient and uneven. The combination of a more precise legal framework,proactive collective bargaining and workers' participation regarding heat stress prevention is essential to avoid the exacerbation of health inequalities in an increasingly warmer climate, especially in sectors and companies with weak union presence.

This study evaluated the effects of evaporative cooling using a water-soaked inner t-shirt with a ventilation garment on physiological and perceptual responses during walking in Hot/Dry (40 °C, 30% relative humidity) and Warm/Humid (32 °C, 80% relative humidity) environments (wet-bulb globe temperature [WBGT] 31.5 °C). Eight men performed a 60-min moderate-intensity exercise protocol under control (CON, fan-off of a ventilation jacket while wearing a dry inner t-shirt) and evaporative cooling conditions (EVA, fan-on of a ventilation jacket while wearing an inner t-shirt soaked with 350 mL of tap water) in each environment. Rectal temperature was ~0.4 °C lower during exercise in EVA than CON in both Hot/Dry (37.7 ± 0.4 vs. 38.1 ± 0.3 °C, p=0.001) and Warm/Humid (37.8 ± 0.4 vs. 38.2 ± 0.4 °C, p=0.002), with no difference between environments. Whole-body sweat loss in EVA was halved compared to CON in both Hot/Dry (0.56 ± 0.12 vs. 1.08 ± 0.23 kg, p<0.001) and Warm/Humid (0.47 ± 0.10 vs. 1.12 ± 0.21 kg, p<0.001). Thermal sensation and discomfort were lower in EVA than in CON in both environments (both p<0.05). Thus, wearing a water-soaked inner t-shirt with a ventilation garment helps mitigate thermophysiological and perceptual responses in environments where ambient temperature exceeds skin temperature and in high humidity (≤WBGT 31.5 °C).

Working in hospitals as healthcare workers is inherently stressful, which indirectly affects employees' adherence to procedures for infection prevention and control (IPC). While ample research exists on IPC practices, the majority neglects the psychosocial aspects of work, particularly job characteristics and safety-related organizational climates. This study utilized a two-wave multilevel panel study design with a 4-month interval, involving 379 participants across 23 critical care units in Malaysian hospitals. Grounded in the Conservation of Resources theory, we examined how job demands (i.e., workload, emotional demands, and job complexity) influence IPC practices and how three types of safety climate constructs-safety climate, psychosocial safety climate, and psychological climate-moderate the effects of job demands on IPC. Contrary to our predictions, none of the job demands were directly associated with IPC practices. However, we found that only the safety climate moderated the relationships between workload and job complexity with IPC practices. These findings suggest that each type of safety climate uniquely buffers the effects of specific job demands on IPC practices. Hospital management should implement tailored interventions to serve distinct functions in mitigating the impact of job demands on IPC adherence.

This study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Japanese workers, focusing on the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and different types of work (desk work, in-person work, physical labor, and unemployment), as well as various demographic factors. Using a web-based survey conducted in February 2021, we collected data from 19,941 workers aged 20-65 yr. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) was used to measure workers' fear, with analysis focusing on the total score and two subfactors: emotional fear reactions (Factor 1) and symptomatic expressions of fear (Factor 2). The findings showed that fear of COVID-19 was significantly higher among unemployed individuals and those with serious mental illness, identifying these groups as particularly vulnerable. Our analysis also suggests that broad occupational categories, such as "physical labor", can mask the distinct risks faced by specific subgroups, including frontline care workers. The results suggest that intervention strategies tailored to the specific needs of these vulnerable groups should be developed to provide adequate support in a future pandemic, along with enhanced mental health services. By elucidating variations in fear levels across worker populations, this study contributes to the formulation of effective public health strategies in response to global health crises.

The occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) of industry is a key issue in reducing risks and accidents in the workplace. A study to evaluate the OHSMS factors in the perception of workers in Nakhon Ratchasima province using a questionnaire of 937 people from 13 types of industries. The results showed confirmed of questionnaire met the recommended criteria and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) between observable with variables of safety management found safety management's Goodness of fit indicators. The perception of safety management in industry found that most safety officers were aware of occupational health and safety policy focuses on loss prevention and control and compliance with the law (99.51%) that had the highest influence on safety management (β=0.432) while most employees were aware of communication back to management to jointly promote safe working practices and appointment of safety committee and safety officer (91.13%) that had the highest influence on safety management (β=0.327). The study on OHSMS in industrial sectors found that safety officers focus on policy compliance and risk prevention, while employees emphasize communication and safety committees. Discrepancies in safety perceptions highlight the need for better alignment between officers and employees. The study suggests combining compliance-focused programs with proactive employee engagement to strengthen safety culture. Future research should explore the impact of these approaches on accident rates and employee satisfaction across sectors.

The Dhokra manufacturing process involves long hours of constrain sitting posture with highly precession-based tasks. Comparative assessment was done to find the effectiveness of the new workstation. The objective of this study is to find out the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) among Dhokra handicraft artisans by analysing the existing workspace and redesigning a new workstation with ergonomic consideration to improve working postures. This study consists of three phases. In the first phase, ergonomics study of existing hand crafting process of Dhokra handicraft was evaluated. Based on the findings, a new proposed workstation was considered consisting of sitting anthropometric body dimensions and reachability aspects. In the second phase, a new workstation prototype was developed considering anthropometric dimension and tested against grid board to optimize the dimensions for the final working prototype for the artisans. Finally, in the third phase, a comparative study of the workstations was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the new workstation. Artisans reported a high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain symptoms with age in upper body part, lumber, and buttocks. Results of ergonomic assessment showed the current work setup is poorly designed. A new optimised sit workstation considering ergonomic principle works effectively reducing MSD during prolonged working activity. Lack of ergonomic principles in the existing work setup is responsible for the artisan's discomfort and the prevalence of MSD.