Workplace Health & Safety最新文献

Background: In the U.S., opioid-involved overdose deaths rose dramatically from 21,089 in 2010 to 108,000 in 2022. Opioid use and overdoses are increasingly occurring outside clinical settings, necessitating the need for workplace-based interventions. Various industries, including hospitality and service, have reported increased naloxone training to combat workplace overdoses. This study explores the literature on Opioid Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND) training by occupation and identifies areas for future intervention through an occupational health lens.

Methods: This scoping review followed the PRISMA-ScR guidelines and utilized Arksey and O'Malley's five-step framework. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases, covering publications from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2023. Studies were included if they reported on the occupational demographics of OEND program participants and the impact of these programs on knowledge, attitudes, and overdose response.

Results: Seventy-five studies met the inclusion criteria. Most OEND training targeted healthcare providers (71%) and first responders (24%). Other occupational groups, such as service industry workers, construction workers, and librarians, were underrepresented. The review highlighted the need for tailored OEND training in these sectors, emphasizing pragmatic implementation measures.

Conclusions: Increased access to naloxone and comprehensive OEND training are crucial for reducing opioid-related overdose mortality, particularly in non-traditional occupational groups.

Application to practice: Occupational health nurses should prioritize expanding OEND programs to underrepresented occupational groups. Tailored training and harm reduction strategies should be incorporated to address the unique needs of these workers and enhance the effectiveness of overdose response interventions in various workplace settings.

Background: The use of the N95 respirator outside work environments calls for a deeper understanding of the factors that interfere with its fitting, thus effectiveness. Here we determined how beard length influences N95 effectiveness. This research will improve guidance for individuals that use N95s in public spaces but cannot shave due to personal reasons.

Methods: Bearded males (N = 28) participated in this study. Participants' beard length was measured at the chin, mid jawline, and corner of the mouth, and a respirator fit tester was used to conduct a quantitative fit test. Participants then shaved and re-took the test. Fisher's exact test was conducted to determine the association between bearded (BEA) and clean-shaven (CLE) conditions and test passing rate. A mixed effects model was conducted with participants as a random factor to determine the differences in fit factor (FF) scores between conditions. Finally, a regression analysis was completed to determine if there was a linear relationship between the FF response and beard length at the three locations.

Findings: No statistically significant difference in passing rate (p-value = .79) and mean FF scores between BEA and CLE (F_1,54 = 0.75, p-value = .39) was found. Although the regression analysis failed to detect a statistically significant relationship between the FF and beard length at the chin, mid jawline, and corner of the mouth (p-values = .07, .27, and .11, respectively), the results showed a decrease in FF scores when beard length increased.

Conclusion/application to practice: Individuals who cannot shave completely should be encouraged to keep their beard as short as possible since beard length negatively impacts N95 effectiveness.

Background: Individuals living with multiple chronic conditions (MCC; e.g., obesity, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia) are at an increased risk for occupational injuries, decreased work productivity, and early departure from the workforce.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of 200 working adults with obesity and hypertension, diabetes, and/or dyslipidemia was conducted to examine the relationships across self-efficacy, physical function, and healthy behaviors in addition to their relationship with the work environment.

Findings: Self-efficacy was found to have a statistically significant positive association with physical function (p < .001) as well as with eating behaviors (p < .001). Full-time workers reported greater physical function than part-time workers (p < .001), and those working in active/manual labor positions reported more physical activity compared to those working in sedentary positions (p = .001).

Conclusion: Individuals with greater self-efficacy for managing their chronic conditions also had higher physical function capabilities and healthier eating behaviors. In addition, individuals who work full-time reported higher physical function capabilities, and those in active work positions had higher physical activity scores. Future research is needed to implement and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.

Application to practice: Occupational health nurses need to work with employees with MCC to help accommodate healthcare provider visits and/or work restrictions to allow employees to maintain full-time work in addition to encouraging sedentary workers to increase physical activity.

Background: Missed infection control practices may negatively impact quality healthcare and patient safety in acute health care settings. Hence, more research is urgently needed especially in Arab countries. To investigate the elements and reasons of missed infection control activities among nurses in Jordan. The sociodemographic correlates with missed infection control activities were also examined.

Methods: A cross sectional design was utilized in this study. A convenience sample of 960 nurses from seven hospitals in the North of Jordan was used. The Missed Nursing Care Infection Prevention and Control (MNCIPC) Survey was employed to collect the data. Data were analyzed using descriptive inferential, and multivariate regression analysis.

Findings: The majority of the participants worked as registered nurses (78.4%). The highest missed infection control activities were: screening new admissions for Multi Resistant Organisms (MRO), wearing gloves for both preparing and administration of all antibiotics, and informing staff and visitors for the need for transmission-based precautions (when managing a patient with a MRO). The least missed infection control activities reported by nurses were performing hand hygiene after touching patients, and before drug administration. The reasons of missed infection control measures most frequently reported by nurses were: urgent patient situation, followed by inadequate number of clerical staff, and unexpected rise in patient volume and or acuity.

Conclusion: This research suggests that interventions to reduce missed infection control measures should focus on the education and training of nursing staff as well as a adopting nurse: patient ratio in managing nursing workload, which should not exceed 1:4.

Background: Shift workers commonly experience insomnia that is associated with various factors such as sex, employment period, dietary behavior, and quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to examine the prevalence of insomnia among shift-working airline mechanics and identify the factors that influence insomnia.

Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive study aimed to investigate sleep problems, dietary habits, and QoL among 180 airline mechanics and explore the factors that influence sleep problems.

Findings: Of the 180 participants, 83 and 97 were included in the insomnia and non-insomnia groups, respectively. The dietary behavior score was lower in the insomnia group (28.56 ± 6.27) than that in the non-insomnia group (31.73 ± 6.11). The insomnia group had lower QoL scores than those in the non-insomnia group. In the logistic regression analysis, factors related to insomnia were 6 to 9 years of shift work experience (OR = 4.108, p = .042) and physical domain and general health of QoL (OR = 0.506, p < .001; OR = 0.763, p = .027).

Conclusion/application to practice: Shift-working airline mechanics with insomnia exhibited lower dietary behavior scores and lower QoL scores than those without insomnia. Considering that insomnia symptoms in maintenance workers can affect aviation safety, effective management is essential. In particular, the risk of insomnia was higher in those with 6 to 9 years of shift work experience. Therefore, airlines should develop protocols aimed at improving dietary behavior and QoL to manage insomnia symptoms. Additionally, closely monitoring insomnia symptoms is crucial for workers with 6 to 9 years of shift work experience.

Background: Evidence-based interventions for the prevention of safety incidents at work are most effective when they include a focus on the hierarchy of controls. However, prior studies addressing the effects of safety leadership and safety climate are limited. The determination and adoption of evidence-based interventions specifically in the U.S. Agricultural, Forestry, and Fishing (AgFF) sector can be a challenge, and prior studies have shown a paucity of evidence-based occupational safety and health practices in the AgFF sector.

Methods: We enrolled 73 dairy farm supervisors from 27 U.S. farms to participate in a 12-module dairy leadership training program. We employed the Kirkpatrick Model (KM) to evaluate different levels of training effectiveness.

Findings: Participant reactions to the program were positive (KM level 1), and evaluation of knowledge gained among participants revealed 90% had learned new safety leadership information (KM level 2) that could be applied in their role as a dairy farm supervisor (KM level 3). Nearly 88% reported favorable experiences during their training participation. Post-training group interviews with supervisors (n = 21) provided information regarding training experiences and constructive feedback regarding opportunities for training improvement. Behavior change evaluation revealed nearly 50% of observed safety hazards on farms were related to livestock handling (21.6%), trips/falls (17.1%), and moving machinery (10.4%). The largest percentage of observed workplace conflicts were verbal (27.8%).

Conclusions/application to practice: The application of the Kirkpatrick Model of training evaluation suggests participating dairy farm supervisors had positive experiences with the training program, and acquired safety hazard and workplace conflict identification skills.

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: The number of women in the chemical industry has recently increased due to more women pursuing science careers. It is necessary, therefore, to analyze the emerging health risks for female workers in the chemical industry. This study examines the relationship between occupational health and sex/gender in the chemical industry, with a gender perspective.

Methods: We present a scoping review (n = 97). After removing duplicates and applying eligibility criteria, we selected 27 articles published in the last decade that explored the industry's occupational risks.

Findings: Most of the papers include predominantly male samples and describe adult populations, mainly from developed countries. The studies focus on various employment contexts of chemical industries. We identified health risks in oncology, dermatology, and the respiratory system, among others. We found that particular emphasis was given to the relationship between occupational exposure and cancer, especially breast cancer. Furthermore, we observed sex/gender differences in the prevalence of respiratory and dermatological disorders. These results highlight the need to consider specific sex/gender-based health risk factors in the chemical industry.

Conclusions/application to practice: The chemical industry is considered a crucial health determinant, however, the studies focused on sex/gender-based differences without considering gender-specific physiology and work circumstances. Although some studies do mention sex/gender disparities, such as occupational rhinitis, which is more frequent in women, studies are scarce. The absence of a segregated analysis with a gender perspective could lead to the ignorance of emerging health risks for female workers, highlighting the urgent need to include a gender perspective in future research.