Workplace Health & Safety最新文献

Background: Occupational drivers are exposed to a wide range of risk factors, including sedentary behavior and physical inactivity, which can contribute to various chronic diseases. However, exercise interventions are likely to alleviate the negative associations and reduce chronic disease risks. This systematic review aimed to inventorize research studies investigating the effects of physical activity and exercise interventions on health outcomes in occupational drivers, and to assess interventions that have demonstrated effectiveness on health outcomes in occupational drivers.

Methods: The electronic databases "Web of Science," "Scopus," and "PubMed" were searched using keywords related to "occupational drivers," "exercise," and "health outcomes." Studies were included if they examined the effects of physical activity and exercise among occupational drivers on the following health outcomes: pain, disability, lifestyle factors (sleep, weight, physical activity, nutrition), fatigue, stress, and cardiometabolic risk factors. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed by the Cochrane Risk of Bias tools for randomized and non-randomized studies.

Results: Fourteen articles were included (three randomized and 11 non-randomized controlled trials). All studies were judged to have an overall risk of bias as "some concerns, low, moderate or serious." Evidence suggests that stretching and isometric exercises have significantly improved pain, disability, and fatigue. In contrast, multicomponent lifestyle interventions have enhanced physical activity levels, cardiometabolic risk factors, anthropometrics (body mass index, weight, waist circumference), sleep, and dietary intake among occupational drivers.

Conclusion: The available evidence indicates the potential benefits of exercise interventions and physical activity for health outcomes in occupational drivers. However, high-quality studies are needed in the future to establish stronger evidence supporting the effect of the exercise intervention.

Background: Most agree that occupational stress is caused by workplace strains, tensions, and demands that originate from characteristics of the work. The accumulation of multiple types of stress has been found to have calamitous effects on health and well-being. One such occupation, emergency telecommunicators, experiences a multitude of stressors within their day-to-day work environment. Structural stressors are the sources of stress that are embedded in the way the work is designed and reinforced through workplace policies, practices, and procedures. This scoping review aimed to analyze occupational stressors directly promulgated by the structure and work design that impact emergency telecommunicators and to identify recommended organizational interventions.

Methods: This scoping review utilized the methodological framework of Arksey and O'Malley which examined research literature, identified gaps in the literature, and mapped key concepts. Electronic databases of CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, PychNET, PubMed, Social Index, and Academic Search Complete were used to identify relevant literature on occupational stress of emergency telecommunicators.

Results: Across 17 included articles, four key themes related to workplace stressors of emergency telecommunicators were identified: (a) staffing problems, (b) poor physical work environment, (c) career development issues, and (d) inequity. The four themes were derived from literature to extract stressors related to workplace policies, procedures, and practices. Implications for stakeholders to reduce stress were interwoven in the themes. This review aimed to expand on existing literature pertaining to structural stressors that have an impact on emergency telecommunicators.

Background: Prior research suggests leader-based interventions are considered to have a much stronger influence on worker safety behavior and climate than worker-based interventions. However, no prior research has evaluated training effectiveness of safety-specific leadership skill development for front-line supervisors on dairy farms. A tailored safety leadership training program targeting dairy farm supervisors was developed, delivered, and evaluated for its training effect on the supervisor's safety leadership behavior.

Methods: A 12-module safety leadership training program was developed and delivered in an asynchronous format using e-learning methods to 73 dairy farm supervisors, representing 30 farms across five western U.S. states. We employed the Kirkpatrick Model to evaluate different levels of training effectiveness.

Findings: Evaluation of knowledge gained among participants revealed significant differences between pre- and post-test scores with medium to very large learning effect sizes across all training modules, particularly with training modules addressing safety culture, workplace conflict, and safety meetings. Safety leadership behavior change evaluation revealed significant pre-post training effects across most training modules, particularly regarding safety dialogue, hazard assessment, safety modeling, and conducting safety meetings.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that safety leadership training can result in essential leadership behavior change among front-line dairy farm supervisors.

Application to practice: This study provides many insights into the successful implementation of a safety leadership training program in a challenging industrial sector (rural/remote workplaces, immigrant workforce), as well as training effectiveness evaluation using novel data collection methodology. Additional research is needed on the effectiveness and sustainability of safety leadership training in high-risk industrial sectors such as agriculture.

Background: Excessive heat stress led to more than 400 deaths in the United States from 2011 to 2021. Common methods for heat injury prevention revolve around measurements of the environment and fail to account for the unique individual response to stressors.

Methods: An observational approach was utilized with nine helicopter-based emergency medical services personnel during emergency flights to compare core temperature readings obtained from an ingestible temperature monitoring pill and the estimated core temperature reading of the Slate Safety Band V2 wearable device. Comparison of data was conducted within Microsoft Excel programming to determine the mean square error (MSE), root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), mean biased error (MBE), and Bland-Altman plot development.

Findings: A significant bias (t = 17.58, p < .001) toward the Slate Safety device reading higher with an average difference of -0.48°C (-0.86°F) was found, meaning the average temperature reading is 0.48°C (-0.86°F) higher with the Slate Safety device. A significant correlation of .26 (p < .001) was noted between the ingestible pill and the wearable device with a 95% confidence interval of 0.23 to 0.29. Aggregate core temperature data demonstrated an MSE of 0.43, an RMSE of 0.65, an MAE of 0.54, and an MBE of -0.48.

Conclusions/application to practice: The ability to monitor the physiological parameters of a worker remotely adds safety tools relative to the risks of heat stress. The slightly higher reading associated with the Slate Safety wearable device provides an added safety margin to protect our workers.

Background: During shortages, elastomeric half-mask respirators (EHMRs) are an alternative to reusing N95 filtering facepiece respirators but require between-use disinfection. The objectives of this study were to (a) measure microbial reductions on EHMR surfaces under laboratory conditions by a standardized procedure using wipes impregnated with health care disinfectants and to (b) measure microbial reductions on EHMRs disinfected by volunteer health care providers.

Method: We inoculated EHMR (Honeywell model RU8500) surfaces with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus atrophaeus spores, and bacteriophages MS2 and Φ6, and disinfected them using two wipes with hydrogen peroxide (HP), alcohols, and quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs). Then, we randomized 54 volunteer subjects into three groups (Group 1: two wipes with instructions, Group 2: five wipes with instructions, Group 3: no instructions or set number of wipes) and used 0.5% HP wipes without precleaning on EHMRs inoculated with Raoultella terrigena and MS2.

Findings: The laboratory study demonstrated that all organisms achieved at least 4 log₁₀ median reductions (HP>QAC/alcohol>QAC>QAC/saline). Pseudomonas was highly susceptible to HP and QAC/alcohol and Φ6 to all disinfectants. MS2 reduction was highest using HP and lowest using QAC/saline. Bacillus was least susceptible. The volunteer study showed a 3 to 4 log₁₀ average reductions of bacteria and virus; Raoultella reductions were greater than MS2, with variability within and between subjects. Conclusions: HP disinfectant wipes used in laboratory and by volunteers reduce bacteria and viruses on EHMRs by 3 to 4 log₁₀ on average.

Implications for practice: Commercially available hospital disinfectant wipes reduce bacteria and viruses on EHMRs and can fill the need for between-use disinfection. HP and combination QAC/alcohol have the greatest efficacy under our test conditions.

Background: Healthcare worker (HCW) well-being is essential for safe, high-quality patient care, but clinicians and front-line staff continue to experience alarming rates of burnout. This pilot study evaluated a novel 6-week program of remote wellness coaching supported by daily digital messaging to reduce burnout and increase well-being among HCWs.

Methods: In spring 2023, staff from a large community health center in California were invited to participate in this single-group pretest-posttest study in an academic-practice partnership. Thirty-four participants who were mostly female (91%), Latina (77%), 36 years old on average (range = 20-61), and represented all major job categories provided informed consent and completed the baseline survey. Of these, 17 completed 6 weekly 20-minute coaching sessions; received daily messages about stress management, self-care, workplace well-being, social connections, and lifestyle and health behaviors, and completed follow-up data collection. The Wilcoxon matched pair signed-rank tests assessed changes from baseline to 2-months follow-up.

Results: Self-reported burnout decreased from 59% at baseline to 35% at follow-up. Work exhaustion (p < .05), stress (p < .05) and sleep problems (p < .01) reduced significantly, and wellness practices (p < .05), moderate physical activity (p < .01), and healthy daily eating (p < .05) improved.

Conclusions/applications to practice: Our pilot study suggests that a brief digital wellness program may address burnout and increase health and well-being among front-line staff and clinicians. Healthcare settings should consider this type of program for their workers, especially given the added burden of COVID-19 on the healthcare system.

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can result in severe depression. Yet, it is not clear how to improve health-promoting behavior and reduce depressive symptoms. This study aimed to examine whether social support mediates the link between PTSD, depression, and health-promoting behaviors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 308 Korean Coast Guards in Gangwon-do, South Korea, in October and November 2020. The variables of PTSD and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Korean versions of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depressive Scale-Revised. Health-promoting behaviors and social support were assessed using the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II and the Korean version of the Personal Resource Questionnaire 85-Part 2. Multiple regression analysis and Sobel tests were performed.

Findings: Higher levels of PTSD symptoms and lower levels of social support were significantly associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms. Social support had a significant partial mediating effect on the association between PTSD and depressive symptoms. In addition, lower levels of PTSD symptoms and higher levels of social support were significantly associated with higher levels of health-promoting behaviors. Social support has a full mediating effect on the association between PTSD symptoms and health-promoting behaviors.

Conclusions/application to practice: Our findings indicate that social support may mediate the association between PTSD symptoms and health outcomes. Occupational health nurses can use these findings to proactively develop interventions which improve social support for coast guard workers who are at risk of developing PTSD due to exposure to traumatic events on their job.