Journal of Occupational Health最新文献

Objectives: As digitalization has made knowledge work multilocational, the need for space-efficient, modern-design offices, including activity-based offices, has increased. However, studies of how activity-based offices are related to employee well-being, particularly in hybrid work, are rare. This study investigated whether the perceived activity-based office environment in hybrid work is associated with employee well-being and self-reported work ability.

Methods: We used a cross-sectional survey of 971 employees working in activity-based offices in 5 Finnish organizations in 2022. The workplaces were observed, and the employees responded to a survey of their office environment perceptions, well-being, and work ability. The survey covered burnout risk scores, work engagement, daily recovery, self-reported work ability, insomnia, and pain symptoms. We used the regression analysis general linear model to analyze associations between the environmental perceptions and employee outcomes, adjusting for age, gender, supervisory position, and telework frequency or effort-reward imbalance.

Results: Employees' daily recovery and self-reported work ability were better when the employees' office environment perceptions (task privacy, satisfaction with work environment, person-environment fit, workspace support for interaction, ease of workspace switching) were more positive. These associations remained in the adjusted models. Additionally, work engagement increased, and burnout risk scores and insomnia symptoms decreased when workplace conditions were perceived more favorably.

Conclusions: More favorable perceptions of activity-based offices are associated with better employee well-being and self-reported work ability in hybrid work. The perceived office environment seems essential for employee well-being and work ability even when psychosocial aspects (effort-reward imbalance) are taken into account.

School refusal is rising globally and has reached an all-time high in Japan. It imposes critical work-family conflict on employed parents, with preliminary surveys linking it to job loss, depression, and anxiety. Despite its public health importance, work-family conflict due to school refusal has scarcely been studied in occupational health. This Opinion reviews existing research on parents of school-refusing children, discusses how occupational health professionals can support this underserved population, and outlines priorities for future research to mitigate the impacts on working-age parents' health and employment.

Objectives: Microplastics have been detected in the atmosphere, raising concerns about their impact on the lungs. There have been reports on the effects of surface functional groups in evaluating the physicochemical properties of microplastics, but no reports have evaluated their chronic effects. We performed intratracheal instillation in rats to evaluate the acute and chronic effects on the lungs of microplastics with different surface functional groups.

Methods: Unmodified, NH2-modified, and COOH-modified polystyrene particles with a particle size of 1 μm were intratracheally instilled into the lungs of rats. Rats were dissected at 3 days, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after exposure to analyze inflammatory cells and lung injury factors in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and to observe histopathological findings in the lungs.

Results: A significant increase in the number of inflammatory cells in BALF was observed up to 1 week after exposure to the NH2-based modified polystyrene compared with the negative control group. A significant increase was observed 3 days after exposure, and histopathological findings in the lungs also showed an influx of inflammatory cells into the alveolar space in the acute phase, but not in the chronic phase. In in vitro studies using RAW cell lines, NH2-based modified polystyrene also induced the highest oxidative stress compared with unmodified and COOH-based modified polystyrene.

Conclusions: These results suggest that these polystyrenes do not have high pulmonary toxicity, although there are differences in toxicity due to differences in surface functional groups only in the acute phase.

Objectives: To develop an occupational exposure risk assessment scale for nursing staff during major public health emergencies based on the Likelihood Exposure Consequence (LEC) method. The purpose was to provide managers with a reliable tool for assessing occupational exposure risk faced by nursing staff and to serve as a reference for the formulation of occupational protection standards.

Methods: The item pool of nursing occupational exposure risk factors was screened using the LEC and accident causation theory. This was achieved through a comprehensive literature review, semistructured interviews, and group discussions. The nursing occupational exposure risk assessment scale was developed in conjunction with the Delphi method. The LEC method was used to assess the risk of occupational exposure among nursing staff in hospital clinical fever settings and to determine the level of occupational exposure risk.

Results: Two rounds of expert inquiry were conducted to obtain the results. The recovery rates of the questionnaires deemed effective were 100%. The coefficients pertaining to expert authority were 0.807 and 0.835, and the coefficients associated with expert opinion coordination were 0.785 and 0.808, respectively. In the assessment of nursing occupational exposure risk in fever clinics, 9 risk factors were identified, with a Danger (D) value of ≥70 and risk level of ≥3. These risk factors encompassed personnel, technical, environmental, and management aspects. Considering the prevailing unsafe factors, it is recommended to enhance personnel management training, bolster protection skills, upgrade environmental facilities, improve the supervision system, and implement other appropriate rectification measures.

Conclusions: The scale is both scientifically rigorous and have the ability to present evidence in order to enhance the occupational environment for nursing personnel and guarantee their occupational safety. Additionally, it can function as a policy reference for enhancing the response mechanism of the medical and health systems.

Objectives: Noise is a pervasive environmental factor in manufacturing settings and is a well-known cause of noise-induced hearing loss. However, its effects on autonomic nervous system function and cognitive work performance have not been thoroughly investigated. This study aimed to elucidate the impact of high-intensity noise exposure on autonomic activity and cognitive performance using objective physiological and behavioral indicators.

Methods: Task performance was assessed using two 15-minute sessions of the Uchida-Kraepelin test. Autonomic nervous system activity was evaluated through continuous monitoring of heart rate variability (HRV) and measuring salivary amylase activity at 3 time points: immediately before the first test, between the 2 test sessions, and immediately after the second test. All measurements were conducted on 2 separate days under the absence of noise or the presence of 90 dB(A) pink noise.

Results: Exposure to noise significantly increased low-frequency (LF) and the LF/(LF + high-frequency [HF]) ratio. HF and the coefficient of variation of R-R intervals (CVRR) showed no significant change. Salivary amylase activity was also significantly elevated during noise exposure, particularly after task completion. Performance on the Uchida-Kraepelin test revealed a significant decrease in the response volume ratio under noise exposure. The number and rate of incorrect responses remained unchanged.

Conclusions: High-intensity noise exposure activates the sympathetic nervous system and impairs work performance by reducing processing speed while maintaining accuracy. These findings underscore the importance of considering noise not only as an auditory hazard but also as a factor affecting cognitive ergonomics and occupational performance.

Objectives: The purpose of this secondary analysis of data from a previous randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to investigate whether an internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) stress management program improved work performance, sick leave, and intention to leave among nurses in Vietnam and Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Full-time nurses were recruited from hospitals in Vietnam and Thailand. A 2-arm, parallel-group, RCT was conducted. The intervention groups were provided a 7-week self-guided iCBT program. As secondary outcomes, work performance (on-the-job performance and quality of nursing care), sick leave days, and intention to leave the profession and the organization were assessed at baseline and 3-month and 6-month follow-ups in each group.

Results: A total of 1203 participants were randomly allocated to the intervention and the control group. The program significantly improved on-the-job performance at 3-month follow-up (P = .0499), although the effect was nonsignificant at 6-month follow-up; Cohen's d was 0.16 and 0.04, respectively. The program also significantly reduced sick leave at 6-month follow-up (coefficient = -0.21; 95% CI, -0.36 to -0.07; prevalence ratio 0.81), although the effect at 3 months was nonsignificant. However, the effects of the intervention on the quality of nursing care and the intention to leave the profession or the organization were not significant.

Conclusions: A smartphone-based iCBT stress management program improved on-the-job performance at 3-month follow-up and decreased sick leave days at 6-month follow-up among hospital nurses in Vietnam and Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: This study aimed to develop a personal exposure measurement method that concurrently determines both the inhalable fraction and vapor concentration of tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP).

Methods: A personal sampler, the IFV Pro, equipped with a glass-fiber filter (GFF) and a Chromosorb 106 adsorption tube was used. Postsampling, TBP was extracted or desorbed separately from the GFF and Chromosorb 106 using dichloromethane containing tri-n-amyl phosphate as an internal standard. The solutions obtained were analyzed via gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector. The evaluation parameters for validating the method included extraction efficiency, desorption efficiency, retention efficiency, storage stability, method quantitation limit, and reproducibility. Results The extraction efficiency of TBP from the GFF ranged from 97% to 100%, whereas the desorption efficiency from Chromosorb 106 was between 98% and 102%. The retention efficiencies for TBP were 0% (not quantitative, <0.68 μg/sample) to 88% on the GFF, and 7% to 95% on Chromosorb 106, culminating in a total retention efficiency of 95%-98%. Relative SDs, indicative of reproducibility, ranged from 0.8% to 6.9%. Both TBP on the GFF and in the Chromosorb 106 tube maintained stability under refrigeration at 4°C for at least 7 days. The method quantitation limit was established at 6.00 μg/sample. Conclusions A method was established to measure both the inhalable fraction and vapor concentration of TBP across an air concentration range of 0.05 to 10 mg/m3. This method is potentially valuable for assessing TBP exposure levels in workers.

Objectives: Teleworking from home was widespread during the 2019 coronavirus disease pandemic. This working practice is expected to maintain popularity among employers and employees. Compared with in-person workers, teleworkers tend to be less physically active and have more musculoskeletal pain. Interventions specific to reducing health risks among teleworkers have not been identified. This study will examine the effects of an occupational lifestyle intervention encompassing 3 components: physical activity promotion, musculoskeletal health, and work environment improvement.

Methods: This cluster randomized trial will have a target sample size of 500 participants. The target population is healthy adults aged 18-64 years who telework at least once per week. Randomization will be conducted on a stratified block basis for clusters of 20 to 100 individuals within the recruited companies. The intervention period will be 12 weeks and comprise individual (online lectures, feedback, and periodic email messages), sociocultural (team building through step competition), physical (poster and tabletop pop-up), and organizational (encouraging message from an executive) strategies. The intervention group will be compared with a wait-list control group. The primary outcome will be the number of steps taken, as assessed by an accelerometer, and the secondary outcomes will be musculoskeletal pain and a telecommuting environment. The study protocol was registered with the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (ID: UMIN000053861) (https://center6.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr/ctr.cgi?function=brows&action=brows&recptno=R000061478&type=summary&language=J).

Results: Study enrollment began in March 2024, and the intervention will be completed by March 2025.

Conclusions: The results of this study are expected to provide helpful data for promoting healthy teleworking practices.

Objectives: To develop a device to evaluate the permeation resistance of chemical-protective boots continuously in contact with liquid chemicals, and to compare the permeation time of the component material test pieces with the permeation time of the whole boot and thus evaluate its performance.

Methods: The permeation time was calculated for toluene, dichloromethane, and acetone in 4 types of boot, according to Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) T 8117:2005.

Results: The permeation test for whole boots showed shorter permeation times than those of the component materials, according to JIS T 8117:2005. The permeation time of toluene was more than twice that of boots C and D. The permeation time of dichloromethane was more than twice that of boots A and C and more than 3 times shorter for boot A.

Conclusions: The differences between the whole-boot tests and the material tests were thought to be related to variations in thickness, type of material, difference in adhesion, and penetration from pinwheels. This method enables the determination of the permeation of chemicals and other performance characteristics of the whole boot, which cannot be determined using testing of material specimens alone. By using this device for testing, appropriate boots that are protective against specific chemicals and can prevent chemically induced damage to the feet can be more efficiently selected.