Annals Of Work Exposures and Health最新文献

Objectives: With continued global warming, the effects of elevated temperatures on the health of agricultural workers are a particular concern. This study characterized the levels of heat stress in Thai sugarcane workers and investigated whether season and harvesting method were associated with it.

Methods: Three hundred sugarcane workers in Nakhon Sawan Province, Thailand, were recruited, and information on demographics, working conditions, and clothing characteristics was collected from participants during the cooler months (n = 152 participants, mid-January to mid-February) and hotter month (n = 148, March). Heat stress was measured using the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index, and the WBGT instruments were operated for a full work shift in the sugarcane fields where the participants worked. One-hour time weighted average (TWA) effective WBGT (WBGTeff-1hrTWA) estimates were determined for different times of the day based on the measured WBGT and clothing adjustment factor.

Results: The average WBGTeff-1hrTWA in the cooler months ranged from 22.5 °C during the early morning to 31.3 °C during the hottest time of the day, and for the hotter month, it ranged from 25.4 °C to 33.9 °C, respectively. The measured WBGT, natural wet-bulb temperature (Tnwb), dry-bulb temperature (Tdb), globe temperature (Tg), air velocity (Av), and absolute water vapor pressure (ea) were all statistically significantly higher in the hotter month than in the cooler months. Harvesting during the hotter month and harvesting burnt sugarcane were significantly associated with increased effective WBGT. The harvesters' heat stress in both seasons exceeded the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists - Threshold limit value for 72.7% of the working time in the cooler months and 90.9% in the hotter month.

Conclusions: The heat stress in Thai sugarcane workers was high in both seasons, particularly in the hotter month and when harvesting burnt sugarcane. This results in a very high risk of developing heat-related health effects, and measures are needed to reduce heat stress. Heat stress in agricultural and other outdoor work in tropical climates is an immediate and growing problem.

Exposure to manufactured nanomaterials (MNs) is a growing concern for occupational health and safety. Reliable methods for assessing and predicting MN exposure are essential to mitigate associated risks. This study presents the development of the Nano Exposure Quantifier (NEQ), a mechanistic model designed to assess airborne MN exposure in the workplace. By utilizing a dataset of 128 MN measurements from existing exposure studies, the model demonstrates its effectiveness in estimating MN exposure levels for particles smaller than 10 µm. The NEQ provides estimates in terms of particle number concentration accompanied by a 95% confidence interval (CI), enabling a comprehensive assessment of MN exposure. The NEQ includes 2 quantitative models: a simplified tier 1 model and a more comprehensive tier 2 model. Both tier 1 and tier 2 models exhibit robust performance, with correlation coefficients (r) of 0.57 and 0.62, respectively. The models exhibit a moderate level of error, as indicated by residuals' standard deviation of 4.10 for tier 1 and 3.90 for tier 2. The tier 1 model demonstrates a slightly higher overestimation bias (1.15) compared to the tier 2 model (0.54). Overall, the NEQ offers a practical and reliable approach for estimating MN exposure in occupational settings. Future validation studies will investigate the impact of initial calibration efforts, heteroscedasticity, and further refine the model's accuracy.

Objectives: Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a carcinogen that has been causally linked to kidney cancer and possibly other cancer sites including the liver and lymphatic system. Its use in China has increased since the early 1990s due to the growing metal and electronic industries. We aimed to summarize the major sources of occupational exposure to TCE over time in China.

Methods: Occupational TCE exposure assessments were extracted from both the Chinese and English scientific literature, as well as from industrial hygiene surveys performed in Guangdong, Tianjin, and Hong Kong. Weighted mean concentrations were summarized by occupation and industry.

Results: We extracted over 12,412 measurements from 55 industries and 35 occupations across China since 1976, of which at least 201 were from case reports. More than half of the measurements were derived from 4 industries, including "manufacture of footwear" (29%), "manufacture of electronic components and boards" (17%), "manufacture of games and toys" (14%), and "manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment" (13%). Several occupations, including "electronic-equipment assemblers," "metal-, rubber-, and plastic-products assemblers," "metal finishing-, plating-, and coating-machine operators," "precision-instrument makers and repairers," "printing-machine operators," and "ore and metal furnace operators" were identified as having high risks of TCE exposure, with either pooled weighted mean task-based or full-shift concentrations over 150 mg/m3 over the years. TCE exposure levels varied across different occupations and changed over time. In 1990 and earlier, 1991 to 2000, the exposure levels were at their highest with pooled weighted mean task-based concentrations of 202.8 and 242.9 mg/m3, respectively. Subsequently, the level decreased to 118.7 mg/m3 from 2001 to 2010 before increasing again to 216.0 mg/m3 from 2011 onwards. This overall trend was also observed for "electronic-equipment assemblers" and "metal finishing-, plating-, and coating-machine operators." However, for "precision-instrument makers and repairers," the exposure levels consistently declined over the years.

Conclusions: Over the past few decades, degreasing-related occupations, such as "electronic-equipment assemblers" and "metal finishing-, plating-, and coating-machine operators" have been consistently identified as being at high risk of significant TCE exposure and continued to warrant attention. Identifying high-risk industries and occupations can inform the development of targeted interventions and regulations to mitigate TCE exposure. Furthermore, enhancing the quality and coverage of exposure measurement data in occupational settings will advance epidemiological investigations in occupational health.

Introduction: Agricultural workplaces have a high number of incidents and fatalities, with the majority occurring from machinery use. Farmers' behaviour plays a critical role in maintaining safety, as improper or unsafe practices often lead to injuries and fatalities. This review categorises interventions targeting farm machine safety, examining both the behaviour change techniques (BCTs) used and their reported outcomes to understand how the techniques influence safety practices and outcomes on farms.

Methods: The systematic review is reported in accordance with the Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis guidelines. Seven electronic databases were searched for relevant studies published before June 2024, and the quality of included studies was assessed using Cochrane risk of bias assessment tools. Analysis of intervention behavioural components was guided by the behaviour change wheel framework and BCT taxonomy (v1). The findings were synthesised using a narrative review.

Results: Nine studies were included and a total of 21 BCTs were identified. The most frequently coded BCTs were 4.1 (instruction on how to perform the behaviour), 10.8 (incentive [outcome]), and 16.3 (vicarious consequences) (each n = 6). Reported outcomes included reductions in injury rates, improved adoption of safety devices, implementation of safety measures, and positive shifts in safety norms and perceptions. However, due to variations in intervention design and reporting, assessing the direct impact of specific BCTs on these outcomes proved challenging.

Discussion: The use of BCT taxonomy provided a common language for describing intervention components and enabled the standardisation of intervention content analysis. While patterns were observed regarding the commonly used BCTs, their implementation and outcomes, the heterogeneity and limited details provided by studies limited our ability to discern their effectiveness. Providing (i) greater transparency in reporting active intervention components and (ii) clearer connections between components and specific outcomes, will enable enhanced comparisons of future studies, and facilitate a greater understanding of how to support safe machine-related behaviours on farms.

Objective: The objectives of this study were to evaluate daily hand-arm vibration (HAV) exposure among groundskeepers, characterize power tools used, and estimate lifetime cumulative HAV exposure dose.

Methods: Seventeen groundskeepers and ten office workers employed at two US southeasterrn institutions were recruited as a target exposure group and a reference group, respectively. A 6-d exposure assessment of HAV was scheduled, and vibration dosimeters were used to obtain daily vibration exposure value, A(8). Information on power tools used and corresponding operation duration was recorded to assign the real-time vibration data collected from the dosimeters for tool characterization in terms of vibration total value (ahv) and frequency. Lifetime cumulative exposure dose, ahv-lifetime, was determined using ahv for all tools used and lifetime exposure duration obtained through a questionnaire.

Results: The individual groundskeepers' average A(8) ranged from 0.8 to 2.6 and from 1.0 to 2.6 m/s2 for the right hand and left hands, respectively. Among 11 power tools used by the groundskeepers, grass trimmers contributed the most to the vibration exposure. The average ahv of the individual tools ranged from 8.0 (chainsaws) to 1.9 m/s2 (seating mowers and handheld blowers) for the right hand and from 6.4 (push mowers) to 1.4 m/s2 (backpack blowers) for the left hand. The highest acceleration peak of grass trimmers, edgers, backpack blowers, pole saws, riding blowers, and hedgers was observed between 100 and 200 Hz while riding mowers, seating mowers, push mowers, and chainsaws showed the highest acceleration peak at lower frequencies (≤63.5 Hz). The groundskeepers' average ahv-lifetime was 76,520.6 and 61,955.5 h m/s2 for the right and left hands, respectively. The average ahv-lifetime of office workers was 2,306.2 and 2,205.8 h m/s2 for the right and left hands, respectively, which was attributed to personal hobby activities.

Conclusion: Three groundskeepers' average A(8) reached 2.5 m/s2, the Action Limit recommended by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). The highest contribution to the vibration exposure was observed during grass trimmer operations with a major acceleration peak at 100 Hz. The groundskeepers' ahv-lifetime was 33 and 28 times higher for the right and left hands, respectively, than the office workers.

As differential exposure to airport-generated aerosols may affect employee lung function, the main objective of this study was to longitudinally evaluate spirometry measures among Air France employees. In addition, an exploratory exposure assessment to airport aerosol was performed in a small cohort of workers using personal monitoring devices. Change in lung function over a ~6.6-yr period was documented for office workers (n = 68) and mechanics (n = 83) at Paris-Roissy airport, France and terminal (n = 29), or apron (n = 35) workers at Marseille airport, France. Overall, an excessive decline in lung function was found for 24.75% of airport workers; excessive decline occurred more often for terminal workers (44.83%) as compared to mechanics (14.47%; P = 0.0056), with a similar tendency for apron workers (35.29%) as compared to mechanics (P = 0.0785). Statistically significant differences/tendencies were detected among the yearly rates of change for %-predicted values of forced expiratory volume in 1 s, forced vital capacity, peak expiratory flow, and from 25% to 75% forced expiratory flow. For the latter variables, the terminal and/or apron workers at Marseille generally had significantly faster lung function decline as compared to office workers and/or mechanics in Paris, although the latter were exposed to a higher level of elemental carbon. No relation between lung function decline and exposure to airport tarmac environments was evidenced. Multivariate exploration of individual variables representing sex, smoking, atopy, respiratory disease, residential PM2.5 pollution, the peak size of particles in lung exhalates or exhaled carbon monoxide at the time of follow-up failed to explain the observed differences. In conclusion, this study documents the first evidence of excessive lung function decline among certain airport workers in France, although the identification of emission sources (environmental factors, aircraft exhaust, etc) remains challenging.

Aim: The aim was to evaluate the role of insufficient use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk for healthcare workers (HCW) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Prospective study within the COBRA cohort, including 15,127 HCW. Daily assessment of insufficient use of PPE, defined as self-reported PPE failure or noncompliance, in relation to SARS-CoV-2 infection ascertained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Statistical analysis involved calculating incidence rate ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results: The included HCW contributed to 780,515 risk days including 67,723 d (8.7%) with insufficient PPE use and 133 events (positive PCR test). Self-reported insufficient use of PPE was slightly associated with infection with COVID-19 in HCW, but the data were statistically consistent with parameter values ranging from a protective effect to a to a doubling in risk (IRR 1.3, 95% CI 0.8; 2.3). Sensitivity analyses restricted to high-risk departments and to a period with a sufficient supply of PPE and a fully developed testing system, respectively, confirmed these findings.

Conclusion: Insufficient use of PPE among HCW during the pandemic in Denmark was uncommon but associated with a slightly increased risk of COVID-19 among HCW. However, the findings are uncertain due to the limited number of cases and the potential for misclassification bias stemming from the self-reported nature of the exposure.

Objectives: Workers in the stone benchtop industry in Australia are at high risk of silicosis due to exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) from the dry processing of artificial stone. In Victoria, Australia, a multifaceted response including education, regulatory changes, inspection site visits, and occupational health screening programme began in 2019. We aimed to review the success of this approach to safety practices in the industry.

Methods: Data were available from 2 sources: first, responses provided by workers during their occupational health screening (2019 to 2024), which included a systematic occupational history. Jobs examined included roles in the stone benchtop industry with RCS exposure and were analysed in relation to reported safety practices pre and postregulatory changes in August 2019, which prohibited unrestricted dry cutting. Second, data were obtained from the Regulator describing the numbers of visits to industry worksites and the numbers and types of compliance notices issued between 2018 and 2024.

Results: In total, 1921 jobs from 1007 workers were eligible for analysis, of which 869 were prior to the 2019 regulatory change and 557 commenced after. The proportion of workers reporting "never" dry cutting rose from 17.3% to 67.2% (P < 0.001), use of recommended ventilation and respirator increased from 26.0% to 36.5% (P < 0.001), and 44.9% to 86.5% (P < 0.001), respectively. Of the 543 worksites visited (2757 site visits in total), 352 (64.8%) received at least one compliance notice and the types of notices varied over time. Administrative controls/housekeeping and health monitoring notices were the most common in 2019 to 2021 but tools/equipment notices increased substantially in 2022 onwards.

Discussion: Prior to the changes, a large proportion of jobs involved unrestricted dry processing of artificial stone with inadequate protection. After the changes, practices improved although some jobs continued to involve dry processing without adequate control of dust.

Conclusions: This multifaceted approach vastly improved safety practices in the stone benchtop industry over 5 years. These data are relevant to occupational health and safety professionals and regulators in countries where artificial stone is used and potentially for implementation of new measures in response to a new workplace hazard in future.