Industrial Health最新文献

Jockeys endure considerable physical and psychological demands, rendering them vulnerable to occupational injuries such as fractures, concussions, and soft tissue damage. This descriptive case series presents the medical and occupational histories of three professional jockeys with long-term disabilities following work-related accidents. Each individual commenced their jockey career in early adolescence. All sustained head trauma from horse falls and had histories of hospitalization due to injuries incurred while riding. Documented injuries included rib, vertebral, clavicular, and upper extremity fractures, adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder, and ligament rupture in the lower extremity. Two of the cases underwent extended periods of physical therapy but reported minimal functional recovery. These findings highlight the insufficient preventive strategies and limited long-term support available to injured jockeys. Enhanced occupational safety measures, regular medical evaluations, and access to physical and mental rehabilitation are essential to address the occupational hazards in this profession. Further studies are warranted to develop targeted interventions for injury prevention and long-term care.

This study investigates the impact of face shape on the pass rate of personal protective equipment N95 mask fit tests among Taiwanese healthcare workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fit tests are crucial for controlling and preventing infection, but research indicates that face shape can affect the test's effectiveness. HCWs underwent a qualitative fit test and were categorized into round, square, long, and oval face shapes based on their profile pictures. A total of 352 HCWs participated the intervention, and 287 participants passed the test, among those participants, long shaped face had a passing rate of 80.2% and oval-shaped faces was 91.7%, while round-shaped faces had the lowest passing rate of 42.9%. This study reveals that long and oval shaped face participants in Taiwanese healthcare workers have a higher fitting rate than round-shaped participants, indicating better mask fit test pass rates.

Work-life imbalance is associated with occupational burnout and poor mental health outcomes, which may impair cognitive performance. However, few studies have investigated this association. Therefore, we examined the association between work-family conflict and cognitive performance using a 10-min psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) in a cross-sectional study of 437 women working in aged care services in Japan. Work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC) scores were divided into low, moderate, and high. PVT measurements included mean reaction time (RT), slowest 10% RT, and lapses (number of responses >500 ms), categorized by median values. Higher scores indicated impaired cognitive performance. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for impaired PVT performance were calculated using a multivariable logistic regression model. The ORs (95% CIs) for high WFC compared with low WFC regarding impaired PVT performance were 2.63 (1.26-5.45) for mean RT, 2.61 (1.25-5.46) for slowest 10% RT, and 3.21 (1.51-6.82) for lapses. However, no significant association was found for FWC. WFC was associated with impaired cognitive performance, whereas FWC was not. This is the first study that suggests managing WFC may improve cognitive performance. Further longitudinal studies are needed to examine causality and improve work environments for employees with high WFC.

In this prospective cross-sectional epidemiological study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between psychosocial job-related stress (effort-reward imbalance [ERI]) and fingernail cortisol levels. In total, 136 daytime employees (109 women and 27 men; age 18-72 [38.9 ± 12.9] years) at a school uniform sewing factory were recruited. Fingernail-based cortisol analysis was performed in September 2017 (Time 1, baseline) and December 2017 (Time 2). The participants completed a short version of the Japanese ERI questionnaire at baseline. Multiple linear regression analyses controlling for potential confounders revealed that the effort score was positively associated with cortisol levels at Time 1 (β=0.252, p=0.004) and Time 2 (β=0.188, p=0.048), whereas no significant associations were observed for reward or ERI ratio. These findings suggest that linking adverse psychological working conditions to stress-related disorders may be biologically plausible. This study also highlights the importance of evaluating specific components of psychosocial stress at work in relation to chronic biological stress markers to enhance understanding of stress-related health risks and inform effective occupational health interventions.

Previous studies have reported associations between nonrestorative sleep (NRS) and various physical and mental illnesses. However, its long-term relationship with subjective health and work performance remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between NRS and subjective health and work performance among Japanese workers. A longitudinal cohort study was conducted using health examination and medical claims data from fiscal years 2018 to 2023, involving 36,160 workers. NRS was assessed at baseline based on responses to the question, "Do you feel refreshed after a typical night's sleep?" Longitudinal associations of NRS with subjective physical and mental health and work performance were analyzed using generalized linear models. The prevalence of NRS was 55.4%. NRS was significantly associated with poorer subjective physical health (aOR=1.77, 95% CI: 1.65-1.91) and mental health (aOR=1.66, 95% CI: 1.54-1.79). In addition, workers with NRS exhibited 3.6% lower work performance (95% CI: 3.25-3.88) compared with those with restorative sleep and incurred an estimated annual productivity-related economic loss of approximately JPY 160,000 per worker. These findings indicate that NRS is associated with decreased subjective health and reduced work performance. Early screening and intervention for NRS may help improve workers' health and productivity.

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of self-reported musculoskeletal symptoms in a sample of Norwegian nurses, and to investigate whether work characteristics, demographic factors, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and shift work disorder were associated with such symptoms. A total of 1875 nurses (67.5% response rate) completed a questionnaire which surveyed frequency of musculoskeletal symptoms in different body regions during the last year, work characteristics, including shift schedule and number of night shifts and quick returns (QRs), demographic factors including age, sex, marital status, children living at home, percentage of full-time equivalent, and symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and shift work disorder. Data were analyzed with chi-square tests and crude and adjusted logistic regressions. Over half of the nurses (53.8%) reported musculoskeletal symptoms in one or more body regions. Compared with day only, two-shift rotation was associated with musculoskeletal symptoms (adjusted OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.20-2.14), whereas three-shift rotation and night only were not. Neither number of night shifts nor QRs were associated with musculoskeletal symptoms. Probable anxiety (aOR 2.23, 1.73-2.87), depression (aOR 2.08, 1.44-3.00), insomnia (aOR 2.45, 1.95-3.09), and shift work disorder (aOR 1.61, 1.28-2.02) were associated with musculoskeletal symptoms. Further research is necessary to elucidate causality.

This study investigated the association between changes in the work environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic and andropause symptoms in Japanese male workers. A web survey of 374 employed male workers in Japan (mean age=45.6 yr, SD=13.2) was conducted in February 2023. Participants were asked about harassment at work, telecommuting hours, working hours, and communication with supervisors and coworkers. Andropause symptoms were measured using the Aging Males' Symptoms scale. Multiple regression analyses were conducted. Certain changes in the work environment were significantly associated with the total score of andropause symptoms, including increased (β=0.30), unchanged (β=0.19), and decreased (β=0.23) harassment at work, decreased communication with supervisors (β=-0.20), and telecommuting hours making up approximately half of (β=0.12) or almost all working hours (β=0.09) (all p<0.05). When stratified into younger (≤49 yr) and older (≥50 yr) groups, those associations were robustly significant in the younger group. Harassment at work had significant effects on andropause symptoms among the younger group. Harassment at work worsened andropause symptoms in the younger group, while a reduction in communication with supervisors may have alleviated symptoms.

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.

Heat reduces labor productivity, leading employers to adjust work schedules. However, no international climate service exists for managing heat-related productivity losses. This study estimated summer workability loss (WL) across Italy for various 8-h work shifts and integrated the data into a WebGIS tool providing municipal-level insights. Global ERA5 climatological data (2009-2017) was downscaled to a 2.5 km grid over Italy and the workability equation calculated WL for different shifts (5am-1pm, 6am-2pm, 7am-3pm, 8am-4pm, 9am-5pm). The data was integrated into the Google Earth Engine (GEE) App for improved visualization. Compared to WL for workers performing high metabolic rate tasks in the sun, WL decreased significantly (p<0.01) for moderate metabolic rate tasks in the sun (60%) and for high metabolic rate tasks in the shade (over 90%). Starting shifts earlier than 9am reduced WL: by 4% starting 1 h earlier and nearly halving WL starting 4 h earlier (5am). The GEE "Worklimate 2.0 App" (https://ee-worklimate.projects.earthengine.app/view/workabilityloss) visualizes these findings. This study shows that rescheduling work hours and providing shade can significantly reduce WL in Italy, though additional heat adaptation strategies are needed to fully mitigate WL. The GEE App is the first international climate service for analyzing heat-related WL across working shifts.

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).