International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health最新文献

Purpose: To investigate the role of personal risk factors in the occurrence of the vascular, neurological and fibroproliferative disorders of the hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) in workers groups exposed to hand-transmitted vibration (HTV).

Methods: HAVS prevalence and incidence data were pooled across a series of cross-sectional studies (total sample: 1272 HTV workers, 579 controls) and prospective cohort studies (total sample: 377 HTV workers, 138 controls) conducted in Central and North-Eastern Italy. The pooled studies included detailed individual-level information about HTV exposure, personal risk factors, medical comorbidities and HAVS disorders. Vibration exposures were evaluated according to the recommendations of ISO standards.

Results: The pooled studies revealed dose-response relationships between HTV exposure and the vascular and neurological components of HAVS. Older age, excessive alcohol intake, and comorbid conditions such as metabolic disorders, traumas/surgery to the neck and upper limbs, and disorders of the cervical spine were differentially associated with HAVS outcomes. Higher BMI had a protective effect on vascular disorders. Data modelling showed no significant interactions between HTV exposure and personal risk factors in the occurrence of upper limb disorders.

Conclusions: The pooled analysis of epidemiological studies with individualised work, personal, and medical data confirmed that HTV exposure is a primary occupational risk factor for disorders in the fingers and hands of users of vibratory tools. Ageing and some personal factors connected to lifestyles and comorbidities were associated with an increased risk for upper limb disorders in HTV workers. Occupational and personal risk factors tended to contribute independently of each other to adverse outcomes in operators of hand-held vibrating machinery.

Background: The high prevalence of mental health issues (MHI) among employees poses significant societal challenges. However, little is known about factors that influence their ability to remain employed, maintain productivity, and thrive at work.

Objective: This study examines differences in occupational health outcomes (burnout, work engagement, and work ability) between employees with and without MHI and the applicability of the Job Demands-Resources model (including job demands, job resources as psychosocial working conditions and sense of coherence (SOC) as a personal resource) among employees with MHI, while particularly controlling for disease-specific factors.

Methods: Pooled data from two measurement waves were analyzed, including employees with current MHI (N = 92) and those without MHI (N = 877) from German-speaking countries. Mixed-effects models examined relationships between sociodemographic, disease-specific factors, psychosocial working conditions, SOC, and occupational health outcomes.

Results: Employees with MHI showed lower occupational health levels (higher burnout, reduced work ability) than those without. Among employees with MHI, SOC and job resources were significantly associated with all occupational health outcomes, while job demands primarily predicted burnout. Sickness absence correlated negatively with both burnout and work ability. The association between SOC and work ability was stronger for employees with MHI than for those without.

Conclusions: Job resources and SOC play a role for occupational health in employees with MHI. Targeted interventions to strengthen these resources should be prioritized.

Purpose: The construction industry is widely acknowledged as one of the most hazardous sectors for workers. This study examined the associations between safety climate and safety behaviour on self-reported injuries in large-scale construction sites in Ethiopia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to May 2023 among 1203 workers from 22 large-scale construction sites. Study participants from each site were selected using a proportional-to-the-size approach. The Nordic Safety Climate Questionnaire (NOSAQ-50) was administered using interviews. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the relationship between safety climate, safety behaviour, and other factors of self-reported injuries.

Results: The prevalence of self-reported injuries in the last twelve months was 35.7% [95% CI (33.0, 38.4)]. Over one-third (35%) of the victims missed more than three workdays due to occupational injuries. Factors affecting self-reported injuries included being a carpenter [AOR = 2.86, 95% CI (1.91-4.28)], being an iron bender [AOR = 1.58, 95% CI (1.02-2.44)], having less than 5 years of work experience [AOR = 1.54, 95% CI (1.18-2.01)], lack of training [AOR = 2.16, 95% CI (1.27-3.72)], low safety climate [AOR = 1.53, 95% CI 1.06-2.21)], low safety participation [AOR = 2.16, 95% CI 1.64-2.86)], and low safety compliance [AOR = 2.32, 95% CI 1.79-3.02)].

Conclusions: This study revealed a high magnitude of injuries and identified a relationship between safety climate, safety behaviors, and occupational injuries in the construction industry. Ensuring the work sites' safety climate and improving compliance with safety rules and procedures is essential.

Objective: Organophosphate insecticides (OPIs) are widely used worldwide, raising growing concerns over their potential thyrotoxic effects. Despite mounting evidence, inconsistencies persist regarding their impact on thyroid hormone (TH) regulation in humans. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between OPI exposure and TH levels in adults, addressing a critical gap in environmental health research.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted on Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Google Scholar before 15th May 2025. After extraction, a bibliometric analysis was applied to synthetize the associations between OPIs and TH in adults; while a meta-analysis was performed to summarize epidemiological investigations with THs, including thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), total and free triiodothyronine (T3 and FT3), and total and free thyroxine (T4 and FT4).

Results: From an initial pool of 852 articles, thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria for bibliometric analysis. Most were published between 1999 and 2024, with a peak in 2010, and originated primarily from the USA and Spain. Of these, seven studies, encompassing data from 6308 adults were included in the meta-analysis and grouped by five THs. The meta-analysis revealed significant negative associations in serum levels of T3 [β = - 0.02 (95% CI - 0.03, - 0.01)], and FT3 [β = - 0.02 (95% CI - 0.03, - 0.01)].

Conclusion: These findings highlight the potential endocrine-disrupting effects of OPI exposure in adults, particularly on the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis (HPT), and emphasize the need for continued investigation into the public health implications of such environmental exposures.

Purpose: This study examines, among older workers with strenuous physical or mental work, the longitudinal associations between sociodemographic, work, personal, and health factors and working until the statutory retirement age categorized as working in good health, working in poor health, and employment exit before the retirement age.

Methods: The study was embedded in the Study on Transitions in Employment, Ability and Motivation (STREAM) from the Netherlands. The sample consists of participants who, at any wave, were working at age 60 and for whom it was clear if and how they exited employment (n = 3969). Multinomial regression analyses were performed to examine the association between sociodemographic, work, personal, and health factors and working until the retirement age, separately for those with strenuous physical (n=658 (16.6%)) and mental work (n = 470 (11.8%)).

Results: Higher mastery was associated with lower odds of working until retirement in poor health and employment exit in those with strenuous physical or mental work. Sickness absence and a poor financial situation were associated with employment exit. Only in those with strenuous physical work, sickness absence was also associated with working until retirement in poor health. Obesity was associated with higher odds of working until retirement in poor health.

Conclusions: Workers with strenuous work more often work until retirement in poor health and exit employment more often than those without strenuous work. Health, mastery and workers' financial situation play a major role in whether workers can work until the statutory retirement age, and whether this is in good health.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to examine the impact of ergonomics training, exercise, and manual therapy program on neck pain, neck awareness, sleep quality, and fatigue severity in individuals employed in a textile factory.

Methods: Sixty textile factory workers aged 18-60 with neck pain were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 30) or control group (n = 30). The intervention group received ergonomic training, exercise, and manual therapy, while the control group received only ergonomic training. Outcomes-including neck pain (Bournemouth Neck Questionnaire), neck awareness (Fremantle Neck Awareness Questionnaire), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and fatigue severity (Fatigue Severity Scale)-were measured at baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 12). The clinical study is registered under the following number: NCT06484569.

Results: A significant difference was observed in both groups in terms of neck pain, neck awareness, sleep quality, and fatigue severity variables. A subsequent comparison of the post-treatment values of the two groups revealed a significant discrepancy between all outcome measures. A substantial difference was identified between the intervention and control groups with regard to fatigue severity, neck awareness, sleep quality, and neck pain.

Conclusion: The combination of ergonomics training, manual therapy and therapeutic exercise may represent an effective strategy for the management of neck disorders in textile workers.

Objective: To measure and determine the occupational cardiovascular workload and cardiovascular fitness among older employees (50 +) in four physically demanding occupational groups.

Methods: Health investigations, including aerobic capacity, were performed on 120 construction and kitchen workers, cleaners, and assistant nurses. Cardiovascular load was assessed over three working days using heart rate (HR) measurements. Data was processed for average loads (HR and Relative HR reserve (%HRR)) and measures describing variations in loads, such as time spent in different heart rate intensities.

Results: Participants' mean age was 57 (SD 4.1) years, and 63% of the participants were female. The mean %HRR over occupational groups was 24.9% (SD 6.8). Of the participants, 43% had an average cardiovascular load above 24.5%HRR and 11% over 33%HRR. Depending on the work sector, 22-37% of the worktime was spent in intensities over 30%HRR, and 2-4% was spent in cardiovascular intensities over 50%HRR. The average VO₂max was 33.2 (SD 8.2) ml/kg/min for all, for men 39.0 (SD 7.0), and for women 29.8 (SD 6.9).

Conclusion: We found a high mean cardiovascular load at work among the senior workers in all four work sectors, but low proportions of the worktime were spent in high intensity levels. Despite a high mean cardiovascular load at work, a high proportion of the workers had low cardiovascular fitness. Given the possible negative effects of occupational physical activity and to meet future demographic challenges, future interventions should aim to reduce physical loads and increase physical fitness in the workforce.

Objectives: Agricultural workers exhibit a distinctive disease pattern, including an elevated incidence of brain and other central nervous system (CNS) tumors. Despite this, there is a gap in research that explores various agricultural sectors and different types of brain and CNS tumors. Hence, the objective of the current nested case-control study was to provide evidence in this area.

Methods: The Danish Cancer Registry was used to identify men diagnosed with brain and CNS tumors. The study encompassed a total of 6475 cases, each matched with 100 cancer-free male controls based on the year of birth. Inclusion criteria mandated that both cases and controls were born in Denmark and acquired a documented employment history, obtained from the Supplementary Pension Fund Register.

Results: We observed no association between overall brain cancer and the combined group of agricultural employees. However, an increased risk of specific cancerous gliomas of the brain in agricultural workers, including diffuse/anaplastic astrocytoma (OR = 1.37, 95% CI 1.09-1.72) and glioma malignant tumors (OR = 1.38, 95% CI 0.56-3.37) was observed. Additionally, specific agricultural sectors, including agricultural service and livestock farming, were associated with an increased risk of brain tumors. In contrast, for tumors affecting the meninges, spinal cord, cranial nerves, and other parts of the CNS, either inverse or no associations were generally observed.

Conclusions: The findings indicated a heightened risk of particular cancerous brain gliomas in those employed in agriculture. Additionally, individuals employed in specific agricultural sub-sectors, such as agricultural service and livestock farming, exhibited an increased risk of brain tumors.

Purpose: This study analysed workers diagnosed with primary lung cancer after shipyard employment who applied for compensation benefits in South Korea between 2012 and 2023.

Methods: This retrospective case-series study examined 86 epidemiological investigations of shipyard workers with primary lung cancer, who were referred to the Institute of Occupation and Environment for occupational disease determination between January 2012 and December 2023. Of these, 53 patients determined to have work relatedness (occupational lung cancer) were included as the final participants. Data were extracted from epidemiological investigation reports and statistically analysed to identify the exposure characteristics and general characteristics.

Results: The mean latency periods for lung cancer by carcinogen include asbestos (33.2 years), welding fumes (32.4 years), painting (30.6 years), crystalline silica (29.2 years), hexavalent chromium (25.0 years), and diesel engine exhaust (26.5 years). Asbestos-related lung cancer was predominantly observed during welding (n = 12), ship repair (n = 9), and insulation (n = 4). Welding fume-related cases primarily involved piping and steel outfitting (n = 14), and assembly welding (n = 12). Crystalline silica exposure occurred primarily during power tool grinding (n = 6), with additional cases in painting, cleaning, and grinding tasks.

Conclusions: This study identified specific carcinogen exposure patterns and occupational characteristics associated with lung cancer among Korean shipyard workers. These findings reflect the unique context of Korea's shipbuilding industry and can inform targeted prevention policies and international comparative studies.

Purpose: Compressed workweek arrangements, where employees work extended daily hours in exchange for fewer workdays, are adopted to address individual and organizational needs. While advocates highlight benefits such as improved work-life balance and reduced commuting time, the effects on employee health/well-being and work outcomes remain unclear. The objective of the current paper is to summarize existing knowledge on the longitudinal relationship between compressed workweeks and employee health/wellbeing and work outcomes.

Methods: We conducted a systematic search in Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Cinahl, and Web of Science in March 2023. We included peer-reviewed publications that empirically investigated the longitudinal relationship between compressed work schedules and employee health/well-being or work outcomes in employees working no more than 55 h a week. Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria. The study is registered in Prospero (CRD42020172595).

Results: The 20 longitudinal studies yielded mixed results, identifying positive and negative effects on health/well-being and work outcomes. Most studies found no significant differences in at least one outcome. Results suggest that a compressed workweek increases sickness absence but also improves shift satisfaction. Predominantly negative health effects were observed when comparing a compressed workweek to fixed day work, mixed effects when comparing a compressed workweek with 12 h shifts to alternative shifts arrangements, and limited evidence for a compressed workweek with 10 h shifts.

Conclusion: The impact of compressed workweeks remains uncertain, demonstrating mixed results on employee health and work outcomes. The findings vary depending on the length of shifts and alternative schedule.