Psychosocial and Individual Characteristics and Musculoskeletal Complaints Among Clinical Laboratory Workers

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are an important health problem among healthcare workers, including clinical laboratory ones. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of MSDs and individual and psychosocial risk factors among clinical laboratory workers. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 156 workers of 30 clinical laboratories in 3 towns of Iran. The Nordic questionnaire with individual and psychosocial risk factors was used to collect data. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed. The prevalence of reported MSDs among the study population was 72.4% in the past 12 months. The most prevalent MSDs were pain in the lower back and neck; 42.7% and 33.3%, respectively. Significant relations were found between MSDs and age, gender, heavy work at home and job control (p < .05). MSDs among laboratory workers were high and associated with age, gender, heavy work at home and job control. More research into measuring these factors and workplace physical demands is suggested.     

Manual Material Handling Assessment Among Workers of Iranian Casting Workshops

Manual material handling (MMH) tasks can be found in most workplaces and they may constitute a risk factor for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of WMSDs and to compare MMH loads with the acceptable weight and force limits among Iranian casting workers. Data were collected from 50 workers of casting workshops who performed MMH tasks. The Nordic musculoskeletal disorders questionnaire and the Snook tables were used as tools for data collection. Hand/ wrist symptoms were the most prevalent problems among the workers (84%). The results of the Snook tables showed that the loads in lifting (84%), lowering (86%), carrying (66%), pushing with initial (43%) and sustained force (59%), and pulling tasks with initial (48%) and sustained force (93%) exceeded recommended limits. WMSDs occurred in high rates among the workers and, thus, ergonomics interventions should focus on decreasing WMSDs and redesigning MMH tasks.     

Workers’ Involvement—A Missing Component in the Implementation of Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems in Enterprises

Effective implementation of occupational safety and health (OSH) legislation based on European Union directives requires promotion of OSH management systems ( OSH MS). To this end, voluntary Polish standards (PN-N-18000) have been adopted, setting forth OSH MS specifications and guidelines. However, the number of enterprises implementing OSH MS has increased slowly, falling short of expectations, which call for a new national policy on OSH MS promotion. To develop a national policy in this area, a survey was conducted in 40 enterprises with OSH MS in place. The survey was aimed at identifying motivational factors underlying OSH MS implementation decisions. Specifically, workers’ and their representatives’ involvement in OSH MS implementation was investigated. The results showed that the level of workers ‘ involvement was relatively low, which may result in a low effectiveness of those systems. The same result also applies to the involvement of workers’ representatives and that of trade unions.     

Respiratory Problems of Workers in the Zarda Industry in Kolkata,India

This study was undertaken to assess the pulmonary and respiratory problems of workers in a zarda factory. A total of 70 permanent zarda workers (50 manufacturing workers and 20 office ones) were studied in a factory in Baguihati, Kolkata, India. The study included (a) completion of a questionnaire (on pulmonary and respiratory problems), (b) measurement of physical parameters, (c) spirometry and (d) measurement of peak expiratory flow rate. At the same time, the worksite was analyzed with an OSHA-recommended ergonomics checklist. Many zarda manufacturing workers complained of respiratory symptoms. Continuous exposure to the tobacco processing environment reduced the workers’ lung volume and peak expiratory flow rates. Our study indicates that zarda manufacturing workers may have respiratory and pulmonary disorders related to exposure to tobacco dust in their work environment.     

农民工工伤保险现状及问题分析

通过文献分析和实地调研发现,造成我国农民工工伤保险参保率低、企业逃保、退保率高、申请工伤补偿难度大的原因可分为宏观和微观两个层面:城乡二元户籍制、劳动力供求关系、工伤保险制度等因素客观上使得农民工受歧视,地位低,工伤求偿困难;企业主观上追求短期利益和侥幸心理是构成其逃保、退保的主要因素.可通过优化制度体系、强化政府监管...     

Source characterization of nervous system active pharmaceutical ingredients in healthcare facility wastewaters

Nervous system active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), including anti-depressants and opioids, are important clinically administered pharmaceuticals within healthcare facilities. This study provides source characterization data describing the composition and magnitude of nervous system APIs present in healthcare facility wastewaters. Concentrations and mass loadings of ten nervous system APIs and three nervous system API metabolites are reported for wastewaters from a hospital, nursing, assisted living, and independent living facility within a single municipality. Concentrations of nervous system APIs ranged from non-detectable levels for alprazolam in all four facility wastewaters to a high of 290 ng/L amitriptyline in nursing facility wastewater. The summed mean concentration of all thirteen analytes ranged from 402 ng/L in independent living facility wastewater to 624 ng/L in assisted living facility wastewater. Wastewater flow rates from each facility were combined with concentration data to estimate the daily mass loading of nervous system APIs leaving each facility through wastewater discharge to the municipal sewer system. The total mass loading of all thirteen analytes for the hospital, nursing, assisted living, and independent living facility was 228, 44, 29.5, and 28.1 mg/day, respectively. The total mass loading of nervous system APIs contributed to the municipality's wastewater from all four facilities was 330 mg/day.     

农民工参加工伤保险的影响因素研究——基于政策和企业视角的实证分析

为了解我国农民工参加工伤保险的影响因素,提高农民工工伤保险的参保率,通过对全国9个省市共3 848名农民工的问卷调查,应用Logistic回归模型分析政策的因素和企业的因素对农民工参加工伤保险的影响。结果表明,农民工是否参加工伤保险受到各地工伤保险政策以及农民工所在企业两方面的影响。从政策的角度看,个体工商户参加工伤保险的规定、工伤保险基金的统筹水平以及工伤保险的偿付方式对农民工参加工伤保险有显著影响;从企业的角度看,农民工所在企业是否建有工会、企业所有制对农民工参加工伤保险有显著影响。建议各地进一步明确工伤保险政策中对个体工商户的参保要求,继续提高工伤保险基金的统筹水平,增加农民工领取工伤保险偿付的方式。建议劳动保障部门加强对未建有工会的企业,加强对私企,特别是个体工商户的监察力度。     

影响农民工职业安全健康需求的自身因素分析

农民工群体为国家经济发展做出了重要贡献,但其职业安全健康状况却令人担忧。通过文献整理发现,农民工自身职业安全需求低是造成这种现象的重要原因之一。从农民工自身角度来分析,来自以下四方面的原因共同制约着农民工对职业安全的需求：（1）农民工知识结构欠缺、工作年限普遍较短、缺乏对职业安全的认知意识,影响农民工对职业危害的认知;（2）来自家庭的增收压力和降低寻找工作的间接成本的要求造成了目前农民工经济压力大的状况;（3）自身技能水平较弱以及缺乏对就业信息的分析能力,削弱了他们的就业竞争力;（4）农民工群体之间缺乏沟通信任以及长期的低社会地位限制了他们的谈判能力。以上四方面原因相互作用,产生效力叠加,共同导致了目前农民工职业安全需求不足的状况。     

Evolution of worker sterility in honey-bees (Apis mellifera): how anarchistic workers evade policing by laying eggs that have low removal rates

In anarchistic honey-bee colonies, many workers’ sons are reared despite the presence of the queen. Worker-laid eggs are normally eaten by other workers in queenright colonies. Workers are thought to discriminate between queen-laid and worker-laid eggs by the presence or absence of a queen-produced egg-marking pheromone. This study compared the survival of three classes of eggs (worker-laid eggs from anarchistic colonies, worker-laid eggs from non-anarchistic queenless colonies, and queen-laid eggs) in both queenright normal colonies and queenright anarchistic colonies, in order to test the hypothesis that anarchistic workers evade policing by laying more acceptable eggs. As expected, few worker-laid eggs from non-anarchistic colonies survived more than 2 h. In contrast, worker-laid eggs from anarchistic colonies had much greater acceptability, which in some trials equalled the acceptability of queen-laid eggs. Anarchistic colonies were generally less discriminatory than normal queenright colonies towards worker-laid eggs, whether these originated from anarchistic colonies or normal queenless colonies. This indicates that the egg-removal aspect of the anarchistic syndrome involves both worker laying of eggs with greater acceptability and reduced discriminatory behaviour of policing workers. Received: 19 July 1999 / Received in revised form: 3 November 1999 / Accepted: 20 November 1999     

铁路职工健康管理模式探讨

从专业健康管理人员、健康管理标准化、健康理念及健康管理组织结构等方面概述目前铁路开展健康管理面临的主要问题,提出建立铁路职工健康管理模式的对策和建议,即深化健康管理理念、强化健康信息平台健康管理功能、建立标准化健康管理模式和打造全方位健康管理团队,通过标准化、信息化健康体检数据管理,建立全链条、闭环式铁路职工健康管理模式,对提升铁路职工健康水平具有积极意义。