Industrial Health最新文献

This study aimed to develop and test the psychometric properties of a Thai-language version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). The 17-item version of UWES was translated into Thai and a survey was conducted with 507 registered nurses at a public regional hospital in Thailand. Results showed that the alpha and omega total coefficients for the vigor, dedication, and absorption subscales were acceptable. Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) indicated that the three-factor model performed the best for both versions of UWES-17-TH and UWES-9-TH. Both versions correlated positively with job resources and negatively with cognitive, emotional, and physical job demands, and with emotional exhaustion and physical symptoms. They were found to have acceptable reliability and validity and can be used to study work engagement in Thai contexts. For practical reasons, UWES-9-TH might be preferred since it is shorter than the full version. Further studies should include different occupational groups and more male participants.

This article aims to provide a historical overview of how workplace safety and health legislations in Singapore and Japan have evolved, and perform a comparative analysis of the occupational health systems where work-related medical examinations and health screening are concerned. The discourse is centered on three key themes - coverage, comprehensiveness, and continuity of care. The comparative analysis was performed based on secondary data obtained from open-source platforms. Singapore and Japan have robust workplace safety and health legislative frameworks and laws. However, their approaches diverge because of differing socioeconomic and political contexts. Japan's regulations are generally more comprehensive, require more frequent monitoring of workers' health status, and encompass both physical and mental health components. Singaporean companies focus primarily on the physical component of health, and statutory examinations are required only for exposure to specific occupational hazards. With increasing prominence of mental health issues and shift towards preventive care in Singapore, there will be greater emphasis on a holistic approach to each employee's overall health in future. For Japan, the challenge would be to strike a balance between long-term sustainability of current policies against the need for state and corporations to still retain an adequate stake in ensuring workers' overall health.

Presenteeism has been noted to be associated with cognitive factors of pain, such as pain catastrophizing (PC) and pain self-efficacy (PS). Pain perception differs by gender, so it is important to consider gender differences when examining the association between cognitive factors of pain and presenteeism. This study aimed to examine the association between presenteeism and cognitive factors of pain, taking gender differences into account. A cross-sectional survey of 305 workers was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire that included items on pain status, PC, PS, and work performance. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to test whether PC and PS independently influence presenteeism, separately for men and women. Logistic regression analysis showed that PC was extracted in men, and the group with severe PC had higher odds of presenteeism (odds ratio 6.56, 95%confidence interval [CI] 1.83-23.40). Contrarily, PS was extracted in women, with higher odds of presenteeism in the moderate (odds ratio 2.54, 95%CI 1.01-6.39) and low (odds ratio 5.43, 95%CI 1.31-22.50) PS groups than in the high PS. This study showed that the cognitive factors of pain related to presenteeism may differ by gender.

This study aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the Overwork Climate Scale. Japanese workers were invited to participate in online surveys at baseline and 1-month follow-up. The Overwork Climate Scale was translated into Japanese, according to international guidelines. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), while structural validity was evaluated through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Psychological job demands, work engagement, psychological safety, and workaholism were assessed for convergent validity. The number of respondents was 302 at baseline and 169 at follow-up. Results indicated robust Cronbach's alpha values of 0.86 (for overwork endorsement) and 0.80 (for lacking overwork reward) at baseline, complemented by ICC of 0.89 and 0.82, respectively. CFA confirmed the suitability of the two-factor model. Moreover, the Japanese Overwork Climate Scale exhibited significant correlations with anticipated constructs. Structural equation modeling revealed a consistent association between overwork climate and both workaholism and work engagement, similar to the original version. In conclusion, the Japanese version of the Overwork Climate Scale demonstrates acceptable levels of reliability and validity, warranting its potential adoption among Japanese workers.

Psychosocial safety climate (PSC) is defined as the corporate climate in relation to employees' perceptions of organizational policies, procedures, and practices for the protection of employee psychosocial safety and well-being. The present study was based on the Demand-Induced Strain Compensation (DISC) Model and proposed that the interplay between identical job demands and resources would be conditioned by PSC. Particularly, high levels of PSC would enable employees to optimally perceive and utilize more job resources in dealing with corresponding job demands. A study was conducted among 406 Chinese workers from various occupational sectors. The findings of hierarchical regression analyses suggested that PSC a) mitigates the negative relation between emotional resources and exhaustion, b) enhances the positive relation between emotional resources and work engagement, and c) mitigates the negative relation between emotional demands and work engagement. We also found that PSC is a compensatory factor for low cognitive resources and demands encouraging high work engagement. Although we did not find the proposed three-way interactions, the present findings support the idea that high PSC is a fundamental contextual factor conducive to workers' health and well-being, especially in perceiving and obtaining emotional resources.

Asbestos, especially chrysotile, continues to be exposed to humans globally. Hence, it should be disposed properly to prevent asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma and lung cancer. This study aimed to verify whether forsterite, a heating product of chrysotile, can cause carcinogenicity, particularly mesothelioma. Forsterite (FO-1000) and enstatite (EN-1500) produced by heating chrysotile at 1000°C and 1500°C, respectively, were subjected. We injected 10 mg of chrysotile, FO-1000, or EN-1500 in rats intraperitoneally and observed the development of peritoneal mesothelioma until 24 months. The incidence of peritoneal mesothelioma in the chrysotile group was 91.2%, whereas in the FO-1000 and EN-1500 groups, peritoneal mesothelioma did not develop. Urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine and serum N-ERC/mesothelin concentrations significantly increased in the chrysotile group that developed peritoneal mesothelioma, while they only temporarily changed in the FO-1000 or EN-1500 groups during early treatment. Furthermore, there was a significant homozygous deletion of the CDKN2A/p16 gene in the chrysotile group compared to the control group, in contrast to no significant difference in the FO-1000 and EN-1500 groups. Therefore, this study provides clear evidence that forsterite is a nonmesothelioma carcinogen and suggests that forsterite and enstatite are sufficient substances for chrysotile detoxification.

Problem drinking causes a decline in labor productivity among working population. This study examined whether work characteristics, work-family status, and social activities are associated with future problem drinking behavior among Japanese civil servants. A total of 1,535 participants (men: 63.1%, women: 36.9%) with no problem drinking behavior were followed up from 2014 to 2019. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the factors associated with future problem drinking behavior. During the five-year follow-up period, the cumulative incidence of problem drinking was 9.6% and 5.8% in men and women, respectively. In both men and women, frequent drinking around three times a week or more and alcohol consumption of two units or more at baseline were associated with future problem drinking. In men, compared with low-grade employees, high-grade employees were less likely to become problem drinkers (OR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.33-0.95). Shift workers were significantly associated with the incidence of problem drinking (OR: 2.96, 95% CI: 1.46-6.00). In women, poor own work performance was significantly associated with problem drinking (OR: 5.30, 95% CI: 1.57-17.86). In conclusion, disadvantaged work characteristics are associated with the development of problem drinking. To prevent problem drinking, attention should be paid to poor work characteristics.

This study was to investigate the employment status of pregnant women in Japan and identify risk factors associated with resigning from work during pregnancy. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with 975 postpartum women in Tokyo and its suburbs, focusing on those who were employed during pregnancy. Women who were employed when they became pregnant were selected and divided into two groups: those who did not resign and those who resigned; the groups were analyzed separately. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to examine associations between employment resignation and risk factors. The analysis revealed that 79% continued working, while 8.1% resigned. Risk factors for resignation included non-regular employment (OR: 13.1, 95% CI: 6.6-25.9), fewer employees (OR: 3.4, 95% CI: 1.8-6.4), and shorter employee tenure (OR: 2.4, 95% CI: 1.1-5.2). Non-regular employment status, a smaller number of employees, and shorter employee tenure were identified as risk factors for working women resigning from their job during pregnancy. In work situations and work environments that encourage pregnant women to leave the workforce, developing systems to improve these conditions for pregnant employees may help women to progress in the labor force.

Paramedics commonly experience both poor sleep and mental health symptoms. Clarifying whether sleep or mental health symptoms are a challenge prior to commencement of employment is important, as early prevention and intervention initiatives during training could support these workers. Paramedicine students (n=53) were included, with sleep disorder screening (obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia and restless legs syndrome), and mental health outcomes (depressive symptoms: Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and anxiety symptoms: General Anxiety Disorder-7). Data were analysed using robust regression models, adjusted for age, sex, and shift work status. Meeting criteria for a sleep disorder (n=21) was associated with higher scores for anxiety (8.2 [95% CI: 5.9-10.5] v 4.6, [3.4-5.8]) and depressive symptoms (11.1 [8.6-13.6] v 4.4 [3.1-5.7)] compared to those who did not meet the criteria for a sleep disorder (n=32). Depressive symptoms were lower in those with perceived control over sleep (5.2 [3.2-7.2] v 9.8 [7.7-11.8]). There was no interaction between sleep disorder risk and perceived control over sleep on mental health symptoms. Investigation and management of factors contributing to low perceived control over sleep, together with early screening and management of sleep disorders, are likely to be important priorities to support paramedic student wellbeing prior to commencing shift work.

Understanding the effects of lifestyle and radiation on health is important for the health management of disaster recovery workers. International research has demonstrated the relationship between natural disasters and diseases. The lifestyle and working conditions following the Great East Japan Earthquake potentially increased the incidence of cardiovascular disease and obesity among affected individuals. The aim of this study was to analyze the body mass index (BMI) of 1,341 emergency workers who responded to the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The BMI of each emergency worker was measured immediately after the accident and compared with that measured at the initial survey conducted 5 yr later to determine the effect of lifestyle habits on BMI. Awareness of the frequency of eating out and caloric intake helped maintain their BMI, while evacuation contributed to the increase in BMI. Prevention of obesity, which can trigger or exacerbate certain health conditions, such as heat exhaustion, infection, and cerebro-cardiovascular disease, requires diet counseling, with a focus on maintaining adequate caloric intake; moreover, special consideration should be provided to evacuated workers.