Work-A Journal of Prevention Assessment & Rehabilitation最新文献

Background: Confined space work poses a significant threat to worker safety and health, especially in industrial environments like petrochemical plants and refineries. These environments present additional hazards beyond those inherent to confined spaces, such as high pressures, temperatures, and exposure to toxic, flammable, and combustible substances.

Objective: This study aimed to apply the Deparis method (Participatory Risk Diagnosis) to confined space work in the oil and gas industry. The goal was to identify the key risk factors involved from the perspective of the workers themselves, propose risk reduction measures where feasible within the Deparis framework, and highlight factors that require more sophisticated methodologies for risk mitigation.

Methods: The study employed the Deparis method to assess 20 different working conditions. The survey yielded a range of results, encompassing issues with readily achievable on-site solutions to more intricate challenges requiring specialized expertise and resources.

Results: The Deparis method successfully identified risk factors present in the tasks from the workers' perspective. The application of risk reduction measures proposed by the method allowed for the criticality of most factors to be reduced to acceptable levels. However, certain critical areas, such as physical space constraints, task organization, communication with confined space workers, and exposure to chemical and biological hazards, were found to require alternative approaches to achieve the desired safety levels.

Conclusions: The study underscores the effectiveness of the Deparis method as a valuable tool for evaluating risks in confined space operations and advocates for its broader adoption due to its demonstrated efficacy. Additionally, the study highlights the need for further research and development of more sophisticated risk mitigation strategies for specific critical areas in confined space work within the oil and gas industry.

Background: The accurate processing of auditory signals holds significant importance in military occupations and can be adversely affected by exposure to noise.

Objectives: This study investigates the correlation between annual noise exposure (ANE) and military personnel's auditory attention and hearing loss.

Methods: This study assessed 220 military personnel serving in an armored brigade unit. The Noise Exposure Questionnaire (NEQ) was employed to quantify annual noise exposure, while the Dichotic Digits Test (DDT) was used to measure auditory attention. Additionally, the study examined the hearing threshold of personnel across frequencies ranging from 500 to 8000 Hz.

Results: The mean ANE among the personnel was 76.80±7.26 dB, and the average number of correct responses in the Dichotic Digits Test (DDT) was 73.74±4.85. The results of the correlation analysis indicated a significant inverse relationship between annual noise exposure and auditory attention (P < 0.001), as well as a notable direct correlation between personnel's annual noise exposure and hearing loss across all frequencies (P < 0.001).

Conclusions: The results of this study showed that the increase in annual noise exposure has increased the rate of hearing loss in both ears and decreased the auditory attention of military personnel.

Background: Night work includes working between 10 pm and 6 am, which has known effects on people's health. One of the hormones influenced by the circadian rhythm is thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH).

Objective: Considering the effects of night shift-work on the thyroid gland, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between thyroid nodules and night shift-work among the employees of Yazd Electricity Company.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study on employees of Yazd Electricity Company. Demographic information including age, gender, level of education, smoking, work experience and shift- work was recorded and blood pressure, height and weight of the subjects were measured. Thyroid sonography was performed for the subjects. The frequency of thyroid nodules in each group of night shift and non-night shift work groups was determined and compared.

Results: Among 433 participants, 47 people (10.9%) were night shift-workers and 386 people (89.1%) were non-night shift-workers. The frequency of thyroid nodule was 12.8% among night shift-workers and 18.1% among non-night shift-workers, and no significant correlation was seen between two groups (P = 0.438). Also, the frequency of thyroid nodule was not significantly different between two groups in terms of smoking, gender and work experience. Uni-variate and multi-variate logistic regression model showed that old age and high BMI increased the probability of abnormal thyroid sonographic findings by 6% and 8%, respectively.

Conclusions: There was no relationship between night shift-work and the frequency of thyroid nodule.

Background: Due to the emergence of smartphone addiction, as a 21th century phenomenon, investigating its subsequent negative effects is essential.

Objective: The present study aims to test the predicting effect of smartphone addiction on musculoskeletal discomfort in hand/neck region as well as cognitive failures.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed in which 533 smartphone users (60.2% females and 39.8% males; mean age: 35.9±11.0 years) participated. Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS), Cognitive Failures Questionnaires (CFQ), Neck Disability Index (NDI) and Cornell Hand Discomfort Questionnaire (CHDQ) were used for data collection. Age, gender and occupational use of electronic devices were considered as socio-demographic factors. Independent t-test, chi-square, and logistic regression were used for data analysis.

Results: The overall prevalence of smartphone addiction was 37.9% among Iranian 20-61 years users. Addicted smartphone users were 3.3, 2.2, 2.9, and 2.8 times more likely to develop musculoskeletal discomfort in right hand, left hand, neck, and cognitive failures than non-addicted smartphone users. High occupational use of electronic devices predicted right-hand discomfort (by 2.6 times) as well as cognitive failures (by 3.4 times). Women were significantly more likely to develop all the studied outcomes. Age did not predict any of the studied outcomes.

Conclusions: Addiction to smartphones can lead to a sharp rise in the prevalence of neck and hand discomfort, as well as cognitive failures, particularly among working age people. This is concerning issue that requires effective preventive and corrective measures. Developing behavioral approaches to address this problem can help reduce its impact on society.

Background: Burnout is an increasingly common problem in modern work settings that significantly affects people's health and well-being. Several studies have emphasized the impact of career burnout on employees' performance and efficiency. It is unknown whether career burnout mediated by personal burnout may affect employees' perception of their workplace physical environment attributes.

Objectives: This research aims to understand if personal and career burnout can affect employers' acoustic environment evaluation of their workplace.

Method: Considering commonly experienced or highly experienced personal and career burnout among working women, the study targeted female university faculty members. The research involved stratified sampling and employed data from 272 individuals across five public and private universities in Tehran. Collected data were analyzed using SmartPLS (latest release 4.1).

Results: The results revealed a significant link between personal and career burnout and the subjective evaluation of workplace acoustic environment. Career burnout mediated the relationship between personal burnout and negative evaluation of the workplace acoustic environment.

Conclusion: This study provides compelling evidence that experiences of burnout, whether related to personal or career aspects, substantially impact the subjective assessment of the acoustic environment within the workplace. The results underscore the complex interplay between an individual's degree of burnout and their subjective perception of the acoustic dimensions of their work environment. The findings extend our understanding of how psychological factors might shape our interpretation of the physical workplace.

Background: Although research suggests that mentors largely shape apprentices' work attitudes and behaviors, questions remain as to how and when negative mentoring experiences can influence the formation of craftsmanship spirit among apprentices.

Objective: This study, grounded in social exchange theory and regulatory focus theory, proposed and empirically examined the mediating role of occupational identity and the moderating role of regulatory focus (i.e., promotion focus and prevention focus) in the relationship between negative mentoring experiences and craftsmanship spirit.

Methods: Using three-wave data among 345 apprentices and their immediate mentor in manufacturing companies in China, we employed SPSS PROCESS macro to examine the mediating role of occupational identity and the moderating role of regulatory focus.

Results: The main results demonstrated that occupational identity partially mediated the link between negative mentoring experiences and craftsmanship spirit. Moreover, regulatory focus moderates the relationship between negative mentoring experiences and occupational identity, such that the relationship is stronger among employees with a higher prevention focus, and weaker among employees with a higher promotion focus.

Conclusions: Organizational managers need to be aware of the negative impact of masters' negative mentoring on apprentices' occupational identity and craftsmanship, especially for individuals with a high prevention focus, where this negative effect is more pronounced.

Background: The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations (UN) have promoted the concept of decent work as a Sustainable Development Goal for 2030 to address critical global problems. Occupational safety and health (OSH) are components of decent work, primarily through the ILO social protection objective of the goal, and are linked to various other objectives.

Objective: This Commentary applies a previously published staging framework to stimulate thinking about how the OSH field can contribute further to the achievement of decent work.

Methods: To advance the contribution of the framework, the different functions of OSH (research, practice, advocacy, governance, and professional education) were used to identify impediments to achieving decent work and develop recommendations for each determinant in the framework.

Results: Promoting and achieving decent work are complex issues that require a multifactorial approach. Numerous recommendations supporting systems thinking and transdisciplinary approaches are provided.

Conclusions: The OSH field can expand to further address decent work.

Background: Appropriate cognitive performance is vital for a firefighter, but many occupational factors can negatively affect it.

Objective: This study assessed the correlation between job stress, burnout, and cognitive performance in firefighters.

Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted in three fire stations in Iran in 2023 with 61 participants, including 34 firefighters in the exposed group and 27 office workers in the control group. After ensuring the confidentiality of the obtained information and completing the demographic information checklist, Job stress and burnout levels were measured using standardized questionnaires, and cognitive functions were assessed using two computerized tests: Stroop and continuous performance.

Results: The mean age and work experience of firefighters were 33.29±9.44 and 10.42±3.51 years, respectively. The firefighters' job stress and burnout levels were, on average, 163.12±9.18 and 88.89±4.28, respectively, significantly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05). The results of the Pearson correlation test revealed a strong correlation (r = 0.719) between job stress and burnout. Pearson correlation coefficient (r = -0.512-0.757), yielded from psychological tests, demonstrated that firefighters' job stress and burnout had moderate to strong associations with certain indicators of Stroop and continuous performance tests.

Conclusion: According to the obtained results, it is recommended to take fundamental measures to reduce occupational stress and burnout of firefighters as a factor affecting cognitive performance.

Background: Various tools had been used to measure the level of burnout, anxiety, and depression. The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory assesses personal, work or job, and patient related burnout. While DASS21 assesses stress, anxiety, and depression.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the validity, reliability of Copenhagen burnout tool and DASS-21 amongst the faculty members employed in Pakistan.

Methods: This cross-sectional research incorporated 384 medical, dental, and nursing faculty working full time at university. Data for research was collected from January to May 2023. Copenhagen and DASS21 survey were the survey tools used to identify the level of burnout and stress. Reliability of both tools was assessed using Cronbach alpha. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to detect factorial structure of both tools. Pearson correlation was conducted to detect association between various domains. Multiple logistic regression was computed to detect relationship between the domains.

Results: From a total of 384 participants, there were 118 (30.7%) males, 266 (69.3%) females. There were 169 (44%) medical, 140 (36.5%) dental, and 75 (19.5%) nursing faculty. Reliability analysis revealed satisfactory results for both tools. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated a four-model fit for the CBI, whilst a three-factor model was observed for DASS21. Personal burnout demonstrated positive and significant correlation with work related burnout, and stress, while it showed significant but negative correlation with depression.

Conclusion: Female faculty displaced higher academic burnout as compared to men. A statistically significant correlation between burnout, anxiety, and depression. Both tools displayed high reliability and validity for the current sample.