Red light: A novel,non-pharmacological intervention to promote alertness in shift workers

Introduction: Night work requires inversion of the natural, diurnal human activity-rest cycle and is associated with decreased alertness and some measures of performance, reduced safety, adverse health effects, and chronic disruption of the melatonin cycle that has been associated with increased risk for several major diseases. Previous studies show that red light exposures at night can promote alertness and improve performance while not negatively affecting melatonin secretion. Method: This ongoing crossover, mixed (within- and between-subjects) design field study is testing the efficacy and acceptance of red light delivered to day-shift and night-shift workers using personal light glasses while they are at work. Each participant experienced three lighting interventions at the eyes: red light (50 lx, 630 nm, the treatment intervention), blue light (50 lx, 460 nm, the positive control intervention), and dim white light (10 lx, 3,000 K, the placebo control). During the interventions, participants underwent visual performance testing, submitted salivary melatonin and cortisol samples, and provided subjective reports of sleepiness, sleep disturbance, and general health over the 20-week protocol. Due to the ongoing nature of the study, only the performance and subjective reports are presented here. Results: Preliminary results indicate that response times were improved by the red and blue interventions, but not accuracy and hit rates. Blue light was associated with improvements to self-reported sleep disturbances compared to dim light. Conclusions: These field results partially support our laboratory results that showed a positive effect of red light for promoting alertness and certain performance outcomes during the day and at night. Practical Applications: Red light may be used to improve response times in shift workers. Continued research will elucidate the lighting interventions’ effects on melatonin and objective sleep measures (actigraphy).     

Simple analytical method for determination of pesticide residues in human serum by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

The aim of this study was to develop an analytical method for the determination of residues of organophosphorus and carbamate pesticides which are widely used in Tunisia. This method involves a liquid-liquid extraction procedure followed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) for the identification and quantification of compounds. Ionization of molecules was performed by the electrospray mode. Multiple reactions monitoring (MRM) was the acquisition mode used for the monitoring of two MS/MS transitions for each compound. The average recoveries obtained, at three different fortification levels, ranged between 65% and 106% for most of the pesticides studied, except for methamidophos (lower than 25%).The linearity of the method was in the range of 5 to 50 μ g/L with a correlation coefficient from 0.995 to 0.999, depending on the analyte. The estimated limit of detection and limit of quantification were 2 μ g/L and 5 μ g/L, respectively. The precision of the analytical procedure was satisfactory and the coefficients of variation, evaluated at three concentration levels were lower than 15% for most pesticides studied. The application of the method was investigated in a population of agricultural workers chronically exposed to various pesticides some of which, such as carbofuran, carbendazim, methomyl and pirimicarb, were detected in some serum samples.     

Assessment of oxidative stress due to exposure to pesticides in plasma and urine of traditional limited-resource farm workers: Formation of the DNA-adduct 8-hydroxy-2-deoxy-guanosine (8-OHdG)

The objective of this study was to assess the risk of genotoxicity caused due to oxidative stress using plasma and urinary levels of 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in farm workers for six months during a growing season. Blood and urine samples were collected once a month for six months (June to November 2003) from farm workers (n = 15) and urban unexposed controls (n = 10). Plasma and urinary levels of 8-OHdG were evaluated by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) technique. There was no significant difference in the urinary levels of 8-OHdG between the farm workers and the control group, but there was an approximately four-fold increase in mean values of plasma 8-OHdG levels in the farm worker group (P ≤ 0.05).     

煤矿特种作业人员岗位安全胜任力模型研究

针对某些矿工个人具有事故倾向性现象,提出建立矿工安全胜任力模型,以加强矿工安全管理.笔者首先在对矿难人因事故报告材料分析基础上,从中发现特种作业人员应该具备的关键行为和素质,同时通过对煤矿企业特种作业人员访谈,最终设计煤矿特种作业人员岗位安全胜任力调查问卷,通过初试后的问卷项目内容分析、项目关键程度分析、探索性因子分析,形成特种作业人员岗位安全胜任力正式调查问卷.由正武调查获取数据,通过信效度分析,获得使煤矿特种作业人员表现出高安全绩效的关键素质和行为特征,构建煤矿特种作业人员岗位安全胜任力模型,安全胜任力包括安全责任意识、应急处理能力、隐患识别能力和自制力.     

Health and social impacts of a flood disaster: responding to needs and implications for practice

Carlisle in northwest England suffered its worse floods for more than 180 years in 2005. A study, reported here, was undertaken to assess the health and social impacts of these floods via in‐depth, taped individual and focus‐group interviews with people whose homes had been flooded and with agency workers who helped them. Respondents spoke of physical health ailments, psychological stress, water health‐and‐safety issues related to the floods, and disputes with insurance and construction companies, which they felt had caused and exacerbated psychological health problems. Support workers also suffered from psychological stress. Furthermore, it was found that people had low expectations of a flood and were not prepared. The findings are presented in five sections covering flood risk awareness, water contamination issues, physical health, mental health, and impact on frontline support workers. The discussion focuses on the implications of the findings for policy and practice vis‐à‐vis psychological health provision, contamination issues, training and support for frontline support workers, matters relating to restoration, and preparation for flooding.     

建筑行业农民工的职业安全健康现状及对策

通过分析现阶段我国建筑行业农民工的常见职业性伤害事故以及职业安全健康现状,从教育、技术、监管3个方面提出了引导农民工学会利用法律、通过合法渠道维护自身权益;改善农民工的就业环境,加强个体防护,讲究文明礼貌,遵守职业行为准则,培养科学、文明、健康的生活方式等具体措施,为农村富余劳动力转移提供更多的就业机会,增加农民收入促进城乡经济协调发展,保障建筑行业农民工的职业安全健康提供科学依据。     

医护人员血源性病原体职业危害研究进展

本研究的目的是了解医护人员血源性病原体职业接触流行特征、职业危害及其研究进展。结果表明,发生针刺及其他锐器损伤的最主要的职业群体是护理人员,最容易导致医护人员损伤的锐器为注射器针头、玻璃安瓿、缝合针和手术刀片等,导致医护人员锐器伤的最常见的医疗操作是注射、缝合和采血。发生血源性病原体职业接触后,医护人员可能感染HBV、HCV及HIV等多种血源性病原体。国内既往研究大多关注伤害发生率及相关危险因素,未对血源性病原体职业接触后感染HBV、HCV及HIV的风险开展研究,尚需通过建立队列,开展前瞻性调查研究。     

工伤保险在社保制度中的排序变化及其内涵

目前我国常见的社会保险制度排序是养老保险、医疗保险、失业保险、工伤保险和生育保险,工伤保险制度位列第四位;而在计划经济时期的劳动保险制度系列中,工伤待遇规定曾位居第一位,尔后才是医疗待遇规定、养老待遇规定和生育待遇规定。上述排序变化的出现不会是立法者的偶然随意之为,而是以实行市场经济体制改革后我国劳动者-企业-国家之"三方关系"出现的根本性变化为背景原因的,与制度本身从一种面向牺牲了个人安全和健康的建设功臣们实施的国家慰谢待遇向以分散风险、损失共担为机理的保险制度发生的转化密切相关。针对近年来极端劳资纠纷事件增多的趋势,我国的劳动安全管理及工伤保险立法决策还应更加注重向弱势劳动者的倾斜。     

重视职工安全心理与需要

通过对职工安全心理过程 ,职工个性差异 ,管理人员安全心理以及职工安全需要的分析 ,阐述了其与企业安全生产的关系 ,并提出了满足职工安全需要 ,促进企业安全生产的途径     

生活垃圾重金属对环卫工人身体健康影响研究

以珠江三角洲5市（广州、深圳、佛山、惠州和肇庆）生活垃圾为研究对象,分析了55个生活垃圾样品的干基组分及典型重金属（As、Cd、Hg、Cr和Pb）的含量,采用主成分因子分析探论重金属的主要影响因素及可能来源,并结合人体健康风险评价模型,用蒙特卡洛模拟定量评价生活垃圾收运、分类及处理各环节环卫工人的健康风险.结果表明,珠江三角洲5市生活垃圾中As、Cd、Hg、Cr和Pb的浓度分别为（4.49±1.18）,（1.95±1.96）,（0.41±0.60）,（147.28±160.48）和（121.59±199.42） mg/kg;生活垃圾中Hg和Pb可能主要来源于金属制品和镀金材料;Cd和Cr可能主要来源于金属制品、镀金材料、快餐垃圾和包装垃圾;As可能主要来源于生活垃圾中的沙土和草木组分.生活垃圾的收运、分类及处理环节,街道清扫保洁工人、分类收运工人和填埋处理工人的非致癌风险基本不用考虑,但致癌风险很高,致癌风险指数最高可达安全阈值的6倍,主要风险暴露途径为手-口摄入（非食物途径）;垃圾焚烧处理工人的非致癌风险和致癌风险均很高,非致癌风险和致癌风险指数最高值分别约为安全阈值的11倍和90倍,主要风险暴露途径为手-口摄入和呼吸吸入;相同暴露环境下,女环卫工人的非致癌风险和致癌风险概率均略高于男环卫工人.因此,生活垃圾收运、分类及处理环节需做好安全防范措施,对重金属人体暴露途径进行阻隔.