International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics最新文献

Objectives. This study aimed to assess migraine prevalence among healthcare workers, identify work-related productivity loss and determine the need for a migraine-friendly workplace. Methods. An online survey was conducted among employees from 18 hospitals in a healthcare group, using a three-question ID-migraine test for diagnosis. Data collection was conducted between October and November 2023. The survey collected sociodemographic data, migraine characteristics, most bothersome symptoms, migraine disability assessment scale (MIDAS) scores, and work productivity and activity impairment (WPAI) data. The survey also inquired about workplace factors that worsen migraines. Results. The study included 666 participants, 366 (54.9%) diagnosed with migraine. Participants experienced a mean of 7.44 (SD 6.06) headache days per month, with 51.9% reporting severe headache intensity. Severe MIDAS scores were found in 47% (n = 172). WPAI scores were mean (SD) 4.71% (11.07) for absenteeism, 50.97% (25.53) for presenteeism, 52.24% (25.89) for overall work productivity loss and 55.07% (27.16) for non-work-related activity impairment. The most bothersome symptom was photophobia (43.2%). Common workplace migraine triggers included lighting conditions (79.5%), inadequate rest environments (70.4%) and prolonged screen exposure (69.6%). Conclusions. Improving lighting, creating comfortable rest areas, reducing screen time, shortening hours and lightening workloads could reduce productivity loss in workplaces.

This study investigates the effectiveness of watering indoor plants as a stress-reduction strategy compared to engaging in computer tasks among college students. Participants randomly assigned to one of two groups each performed their respective activities for 15 min. A comprehensive evaluation included measures of blood pressure, electroencephalography, the semantic differential method and the state-trait anxiety inventory to assess emotional and physiological responses. Results revealed a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure, while electroencephalography data showed neural patterns associated with a more relaxed cognitive state. Participants in the plant-watering group also exhibited higher meditation scores, reinforcing the stress-relieving potential of this intervention. Psychological data indicated that those in the plant-watering group reported greater relaxation, comfort and perceived connection to nature, as well as lower anxiety scores, compared to the computer task group. These findings highlight the benefits of nature-based activities in reducing stress and promoting well-being in academic and work environments.

Objectives. Fatigue Monitoring Tools (FMTs) are one strategy employed to monitor and mitigate effects of fatigue in occupational settings. In ambulance services, these tools often involve simple, validated, rapid self-assessment instruments. This study reports on the frequency of FMT completion by paramedics, identifies their attitudes and perceptions towards these tools and examines how prevalent fatigue education is among paramedics. Methods. The study was a cross-sectional, online survey using validated instruments and open-ended questions which were analysed via descriptive statistics and content analysis. Paramedics were recruited through college membership, social media and study flyers. Results. Of the 223 participants, nearly all (85.0%) were found to infrequently use FMTs, with 76.8% reporting no FMT completion in the last 30 days. Non-completion was due to poor managerial response, poor fatigue safety culture, competing priorities at the start of a shift and perception the tool is not fit for purpose. Half of all participants had received fatigue education, but 79.4% felt they would benefit from further training. Conclusion. This study demonstrates low utilization rates of FMTs amongst paramedics due to varying, potentially preventable, organizational factors. Integration of fatigue education and streamlined fatigue management processes could promote fatigue safety culture within the paramedical setting.

As noise is one of the most significant stress factors in the teaching profession, its impact in real classroom situations was investigated in Study 1. Noise levels (N = 56) were measured, and teachers were surveyed afterward. In Study 2, assumed correlations between school-specific noise sources, noise perception and strain were quantified in a sample of 820 teachers via online survey. The results show significant correlations between measured sound levels during classroom teaching and teachers' perceived loudness and annoyance. Noise annoyance turned out to be an important predictor for teachers' perceived strain and varied depending on the school-specific noise, with an important role of verbal student behavior. The results highlight the need for tailored noise prevention measures in schools to reduce noise-related strain among teachers. Furthermore, they indicate that existing regulations for workplace noise may not be always applicable to schools as measured 'ear-safe' volumes also cause noise-related strain.

This study investigates how sustained governance of hidden hazards influences safety performance in port systems, using data from 54 production and key non-production enterprises within the Tianjin Port Group. Employing correlation analysis, regression modeling and mediation-moderation analysis, the study finds that both systematic hazard governance and standardized safety management significantly improve safety outcomes. Basic management-level governance directly reduces the frequency of incidents, while site-level governance enhances safety performance indirectly by promoting standardization. Moreover, the overall risk level of hidden hazards moderates the effectiveness of these governance strategies. The study confirms the alignment between hazard inspection frameworks and safety management systems, and proposes a closed-loop model to support continuous improvement and long-term risk control in high-risk port environments.

Objectives. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of chronic musculoskeletal pain among employees of a large German chemical company and how it varies depending on occupational group. Methods. Cross-sectional data were collected between 2019 and 2022 during a voluntary occupational health check-up, including a written questionnaire. Chronic musculoskeletal pain was defined as lasting at least 3 months in the past year. Occupational group was operationalized either by self-reported work area or by the International Standard Classification of Occupations 2008 (ISCO-08). Associations between occupational group and chronic musculoskeletal pain were analyzed using robust Poisson regression. Results. The final sample included 13,705 employees. The 12-month prevalence of chronic musculoskeletal pain was 18.6% for the whole sample, and 22.0, 21.9, 20.2 and 15.0% for employees in the work areas other, office, research/laboratory and production/craft, respectively. Regression analyses showed that the prevalence was 24.1% (p < 0.001) lower for employees in production/craft and 11.2% (p < 0.05) lower for employees in research/laboratory compared to office employees in the fully adjusted model. Conclusions. The high prevalence of chronic musculoskeletal pain underscores the importance of both the prevention and management of chronic musculoskeletal pain. Thereby, workplace-specific needs-based offerings could play an important role.

Ergonomics plays a significant role in fabric preparation, ensuring that the work environment, equipment and tasks are designed to enhance worker comfort, safety and efficiency. The intricate process of water vapour movement through textile structures is controlled by several variables, e.g., openness, thickness and pore size of the fabric as well as the inherent fibre characteristics. This study investigates the effect of tank temperature, pick density of the shell layer and fan speed on the reduction in relative humidity in the microclimate of the shell layer of fire protective clothing. The Box-Behnken model is used to make predictions and analyse the results. Analyses were performed for 3D surface plots at 22, 32 and 42 pick density for various tank temperature and fan speed combinations. The model is statistically significant (p = 0.0007). The results can be used for design and development of thermal protective clothing.

Violence in the workplace is an emerging issue for occupational and public health. There has been growing concern about how to combat it with effective interventions. This study aims to determine the prevalence of workplace violence across all sectors and to identify the risk factors that influence violence in Turkey using logistic regression. Firstly, it was seen that the prevalence of violence was 22.87% and that being female, being young, having low education and having a chronic mental disease significantly increased the chance of being exposed to violence. Our results show that the risk of victimization is almost six times higher if the job is difficult. In addition, people working in the human health sector were more than twice as likely to be victimized as those working in the education sector. According to the results, the factors influencing workplace violence point to the power imbalance.

Objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of work-related musculoskeletal system disorders (WRMSDs) in health personnel working in the operating room, the factors affecting WRMSDs, and the relationship between work-related sleep disturbance and musculoskeletal system problems. Methods. The study included 315 health personnel working in the operating room for at least 1 year. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) were investigated with the Cornell musculoskeletal discomfort questionnaire (CMDQ), and sleep disorders were assessed with the Jenkins sleep scale. Results. In total, 57.5% of the operating room personnel had chronic MSDs. CMDQ scores were statistically significantly higher in women than in men (p < 0.01). CMDQ scores were statistically significantly higher in employees with sleep problems (p < 0.01). No statistically significant correlation was found between CMDQ scores and smoking, shift working periods and regular exercise (p = 0.63, p = 0.29 and p = 0.543, respectively). Jenkins sleep scale and Visual analog scale values were statistically positively correlated with CMDQ values (p < 0.01). Conclusion. Women and people with sleep disorders were potentially more at risk for WMRSDs in this study. More comprehensive studies with large populations are needed to determine the risk factors for WMRSDs in operating room personnel and to develop preventive methods to prevent WMRSDs.

Companies provide employees with occupational health and safety (OHS) training through videos on YouTube. In this study, the reliability of 118 YouTube videos related to OHS was evaluated by two experts using Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and global quality score (GQS) scales. Six video variables - video duration, number of subscribers, likes, views, publication time and comments - were evaluated based on video source (five groups) and type (seven groups). The correlation analysis found a positive significant relationship between all variables except publication time-number of comments. Scores according to video source and type were 1.9 out of 4 on the JAMA scale and 2.3 out of 5 on the GQS scale. These scores show that the videos are inadequate and of poor quality. There was a statistically significant difference between video durations according to video type. Moreover, video sources differ depending on the number of subscribers and comments.