Annals Of Work Exposures and Health最新文献

This study evaluated hand-arm vibration (HAV) risks associated with common tools and tasks performed by automotive trades workers (boilermakers, tire fitters, and heavy vehicle (HV) mechanics) in a workshop that serviced HVs and some light vehicles (LVs). Assessment of task and daily HAV exposure occurred over a week and followed the methodology from AS ISO 5349:2013. Screening for task-based ergonomic hazards was conducted using the Manual Tasks Risk Assessment Tool V 2.0 (ManTRA) and Quick Exposure Check (QEC) tools to inform the HAV assessment. Workers (with varied prior HAV exposure) also completed a screening questionnaire for related health effects that may be caused or exacerbated by HAV exposure. Boilermakers had typical and individual daily HAV exposures exceeding the recommended exposure action value (EAV) of 2.5 m/s2. In comparison, HAV exposures for mechanics and tire fitters were below the EAV. The use of pneumatic needle scalers and impact wrenches was associated with the highest exposure to HAV. Ergonomic risk factor scores were higher for the hand and arm during several boilermaker and tire fitter tasks. Several workers who completed the screening questionnaire were referred for further medical review. Task vibration measurements had a strong positive linear correlation (r = 0.932, P-value <0.001) with the 75th percentile values reported by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for tools used prior to 2015. A conservative approach to the management of HAV risks is recommended, based on the variability and uncertainty in measurements and existing risk models.

In the absence of regulatory criteria, the National Environmental Protection (Assessment of Site Contamination) Measure (the NEPM) Health Investigation Level (HIL) for lead in soil has been used to assess risks to adults that may have workplace exposure to lead-containing dust on internal surfaces of buildings, and the subsequent requirement for lead specific remediation. The NEPM HIL A screening criteria of 300 mg/kg for lead in soil was developed to protect young children who may display pica behaviours. This commentary explains why application of this screening criteria to occupational exposures arising from lead-containing dust in government buildings has resulted in the overestimation of potential lead exposure risk in adult workers performing building refurbishment or facility maintenance activities, and the unnecessary implementation of lead specific remediation activities. Work-specific and site-specific exposure assessments should follow screening activities to ensure worker protection with or without lead-specific remediation of the site.

Exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is known to increase the risk of the development of silicosis, in addition to lung cancer and other diseases. While much evidence of the link between underground tunnel construction and the resultant development of silicosis exists, limited information is available on the levels of occupational exposure to RCS or the prevalence of RCS-related disease in tunnelling in Australia. Publicly available RCS exposure data were sourced from the construction of 3 major Queensland tunnelling projects between 2007 and 2013. Statistical evaluation was performed to estimate RCS exposure, and together with estimates of workforce size and risk estimates, the future excess number of silicosis and lung cancer in that tunnelling workforce were estimated. In a cohort of around 2,000 workers who serviced the Queensland tunnel projects, it was estimated that between 20 and 30 cases of lung cancer and between 200 and 300 cases of silicosis would develop over their lifetime as a result of exposure to RCS. This paper highlights the likely future burden of disease, the need for case-finding and better control measures to reduce RCS exposure in this high-risk cohort.

The balance of male and female sex hormones is essential for maintaining and regulating the reproductive process. This retrospective cohort study aimed to assess the relationship between long-term occupational exposures to waste anesthetic gases (WAGs), comprising a mixture of sevoflurane, isoflurane, and nitrous oxide (N2O), and the levels of sex hormones in operating room personnel. The sample included 39 operating room staff who had been exposed to WAGs for more than 1 year without any pre-existing medical conditions or diseases that could affect the reproductive system, and 37 healthy employees from other hospital wards who had no occupational exposure to WAGs. Blood samples were collected from the antecubital vein on days 2 to 3 of the menstrual cycle of female subjects for measurement of luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and anti-Müllerian hormone. Furthermore, serum levels of luteinizing hormone, FSH, testosterone, and inhibin B were measured in male individuals by the ELISA method. Among exposed participants, the urinary concentrations of sevoflurane and N2O, but not isoflurane, were higher than the proposed biological exposure values for these agents. The serum levels of sex hormones in WAGs-exposed operating room staff were significantly lower than in the unexposed participants, with Cohen's d coefficients higher than 0.8, in both sexes. After adjusting for potential confounders, significant associations were found between sex hormone levels and long-term exposure to these chemicals. The results of our study indicated that chronic occupational exposure to high levels of WAGs, especially N2O, is related to damage to the expression and metabolism of sex hormones. The prolonged effects of these impacts on the function of female and male reproductive systems require further investigation.

Background: Eldercare work is physically demanding, which may contribute to high rates of sickness absence. Understanding the temporal patterns of time on feet and sitting, the latter assumed to represent recovery, and how they depend on organizational and individual factors is key to a better work organization that can effectively promote health, but this has not been studied before.

Aim: To describe temporal patterns of time on feet and sitting among homecare and nursing home workers and examine their associations with setting, job demands and resources, job title, and age.

Methods: Swedish homecare (n = 101) and nursing home (n = 73) workers wore accelerometers for 7 consecutive days to assess physical behaviors. Short (≤5 min), moderate (>5 to ≤30 min), and long (>30 min) bouts of time on feet and sitting were identified, with their relative distribution expressed in 5 ratios and analyzed using compositional data analysis procedures. Workers also completed a questionnaire on job organizational factors (job demands and resources) and individual factors (job title and age). MAN(C)OVA models were used to analyze differences in behaviors between eldercare settings, with organizational and individual factors being added in 2 consecutive models. Univariate analyses followed the multivariate models.

Results: Homecare and nursing home workers spent most of the workday on their feet (51.9% and 56.9%, respectively). The only statistically significant difference between settings was that homecare workers spent 30.1% less time sitting in long bouts relative to moderate and short compared to nursing home workers (P = 0.011), and this difference remained after adding covariates. Higher age was associated with more time on feet relative to sitting (P = 0.002, η2 = 0.06) and more time on feet in long bouts relative to moderate and short bouts (P = 0.001, η2 = 0.06) with medium effect sizes, as well as to more time on feet in moderate bouts relative short bouts (P = 0.011, η2 = 0.04), and less sitting in long bouts relative to moderate and short bouts (P = 0.019, η2 = 0.03) with small effect sizes.

Conclusions: Temporal patterns varied by setting and age, with homecare workers sitting less in long bouts than nursing home workers, and older workers spending more time on feet than younger workers. These findings suggest that work setting and worker characteristics are associated with temporal patterns of physical behavior, although most effects were small-to-moderate and their practical relevance remain uncertain and warrants further study.