Workplace Health & Safety最新文献

Background: Working women in the Arab Gulf states face unique challenges to practicing exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), shaped by workplace environments and sociocultural norms. This study explored the lived experiences of employed Omani mothers, focusing on how workplace facilities and cultural factors influence EBF practices.

Methods: A descriptive phenomenological approach was used to examine the breastfeeding experiences of 15 employed Omani women. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed thematically. Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory was applied to interpret findings and develop a culturally relevant framework.

Findings: Key themes included balancing breastfeeding and work demands, workplace support systems, and motivators/barriers to sustain EBF. Intrinsic motivation grounded in faith, workplace flexibility, and family support emerged as facilitators. Participants highlighted barriers such as limited lactation facilities, lack of professional support, and societal stigmas around breastfeeding at work.

Conclusion: Workplace facilities and employer support remain bottlenecks to achieving EBF among working Arab mothers. Addressing these gaps requires breastfeeding-friendly policies and culturally informed interventions within occupational health frameworks. By adapting ecological systems theory, this study offers a structured approach to designing interventions that address individual, organizational, and societal barriers, empowering working mothers to achieve their breastfeeding goals.

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in computer users have multi-faceted etiology. Using narrative analysis, this study explores the strategies that information technology (IT) professionals employ to mitigate the effect of risk factors of MSD in their workplace.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 IT professionals from a state organization in the United States. The findings are summarized through participant profiles. Elements in the narratives were emphasized that show how the participants linked events and experiences related to their work and MSD.

Findings: Participant stories are grouped based on themes using rich descriptions that communicate their approach for possible solutions to prevent MSD in the workplace. Themes are individual risk factors for MSD, proactive approaches like individual awareness of posture and behavior while working, workstation design, and mitigating strategies.

Conclusions: IT professionals employ several strategies to mitigate the effect of risk factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders due to computer use in their workplace that need to be communicated to the management.

Application to practice: Individual stories have highlighted that the participants were self-directed in identifying and exploring mitigating strategies related to work-related MSD. Communication is an important aspect of workplace safety wherein the expertise of the occupational health professionals plays a crucial role. Stories in this study may resonate with other stories of pain and discomfort due to MSD and have implications for organizations and provide us with explicit examples from the manager perspective.

Background: The textile industry, a vital sector in Türkiye, exposes workers to numerous occupational risks, including physical, chemical, and ergonomic hazards. The weaving stage, in particular, involves prolonged exposure to chemicals, noise, and dust, posing significant health challenges. Identifying workplace hazards is critical to safeguarding employee health and productivity.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in two textile factories in Türkiye. This research investigated perceived workplace risks and related factors to which weaving workers are exposed. Sociodemographics, work-related characteristics and perceptions of chemical, noise, and dust exposures were analyzed. A total of 355 people participated in the study.

Findings: Nearly three-quarters of participants were male, 40% were smokers, and 55.8% worked over 45 hours weekly. Chemical exposure was reported in 21.1% of workplaces, 75.5% identified noise as a hazard, and 65.9% noted dusty environments. About 19.3% did not use personal protective equipment (PPE), citing discomfort and perceived inefficacy. Health complaints in the past week included skin issues (10.7%), eye irritation (17.5%), hearing problems (12.7%), and respiratory symptoms (11.5%).

Conclusions: Weaving workers face significant occupational risks, particularly from chemical, noise, and dust exposures. Long-term exposure to these hazards may lead to chronic diseases, reducing workers' quality of life. Training and preventive measures are essential to mitigate these risks and improve workplace safety.

Application to practice: Implementing targeted interventions, such as enhanced workplace planning, safer technologies, regular maintenance, ergonomic support, and comprehensive training programs, can improve health and safety conditions for weaving workers while boosting productivity and reducing healthcare costs.

Background: Public health threats (PHTs) influence how and in what ways managers communicate with employees. Employee resources and information during uncertain times has been noted as a reoccurring gap, especially as it relates to personal protective equipment (PPE). This study explored general and PPE-specific communication practices with 22 healthcare and emergency medical service (EMS) managers to support workers, particularly in the context of preparedness and response.

Methods: Data collection occurred in two phases that involved interviews and small group discussions to identify, examine, and better frame and execute communication practices. Qualitative analysis was informed by the 4i FACT framework and the social ecological model (SEM) to identify relevant communication practices and intervention points within health delivery settings.

Results: Results elucidated perceived, effective leadership practices and interpersonal influences in the workplace. Tangible leadership communication practices were identified as important intervention points within the SEM, with a focus on proactive behaviors to procure necessary PPE and disseminate information. Participants emphasized one-on-one interactions with employees, and the use of trusted messengers to share health-related messages. They also highlighted the challenges of PPE shortages and the importance of access to resources across different job roles, organizations, and work settings.

Conclusions/application to practice: This study contributes insights into communication practices during a public health emergency, offering a nuanced understanding of managerial approaches, PPE-related communication, and the broader contextual factors influencing information dissemination. Further, the integration of frameworks like 4i FACT and SEM provides a structured perspective for future communication strategies, supporting tailored approaches across organizations.

Background: The climate emergency poses significant threats to agricultural productivity, the health and economic prospects of agricultural workers, and animal welfare. This requires development and implementation of adaptation strategies to mitigate the impact in the long-term. The purpose of this study was to identify and map research priorities for climate change adaptation in agriculture, focusing on protecting the health of agricultural workers and livestock animals.

Methods: Based on the One Health framework, we utilized a participatory, mixed-method approach called group concept mapping. In 2023, 20 faculty members from various disciplines at a land-grant university were recruited through email and purposive sampling, based on group concept mapping methodology. Fifteen faculty members brainstormed ways to reduce health risks for agricultural workers and livestock in the Pacific Northwest amid climate change. Forty ideas were sorted and rated for importance and feasibility by 11 and 10 faculty, respectively.

Findings: Multidimensional scaling yielded five clusters: wildfire smoke impacts, basic science, forecasting extreme weather, tradeoffs, and occupational health and labor. Key research areas include studying wildfire smoke's effects on agricultural products, animals, and workers, and identifying adaptive strategies for climate change's impact on humans and livestock. Overall, 25% included all three pillars of the One Health framework.

Conclusions: Most research directions were focused on risk management, with limited emphasis on the One Health framework.

Application to practice: Transdisciplinary collaboration is needed to apply a One Health approach in climate adaptation efforts for agriculture and can be enhanced through transdisciplinary education and training opportunities.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess work system factors and nurse and physician well-being across professionals (nurse vs. physician) and geographic locations (rural vs. urban) during COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This study invited nurses and physicians within four hospitals from one large healthcare system to participate: one urban academic medical center and three rural hospitals. We measured work systems factors using the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) framework and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) survey. Wellbeing was measured using the 2-question summative burnout score, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to measure depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) checklist (PCL) to measure PTSD symptoms. Statistical analyses were conducted using Chi-square (for Likert-scale items) and t-tests (for continuous scales) as appropriate. Statistical significance was set at the .05 level, two-tailed.

Results: Overall, our results suggested that nurses and physicians working in the urban settings experience more impeding work system factors and are more burned out, depressed, exhibit more PTSD symptoms, and face greater overall well-being issues, when compared to nurses and physicians working in the rural settings.Conclusions/Applications to Practice:This study examined a comprehensive set of work system factors and well-being measures to better understand differences between rural and urban settings, and nurses compared to physicians. By examining this entire set of measures, we were able to provide a greater insight into the key differences, highlighting opportunities for policy-level contributions to prevent work related impairments from reaching the healthcare workforce.