Monitoring of Daily Integrated Exposure of Outdoor Workers to Respirable Particulate Matter in an Urban Region of India

It is more and more recognised that an estimation of the exposure of the population to air pollutants is more relevant than the ambient air quality, since it gives a better indication of health risk. Outdoor workers in an urban region are generally of low income status and are exposed to higher levels of both indoor and outdoor air pollution. Hence respondents from this population subgroup have been selected for this study. Outdoor workers are divided into two categories, viz. traffic constables and casual outdoor workers like watchmen, roadside shopkeepers etc. Most of the respondents are from the lower income group. Each respondent is monitored for a continuous 48-hour period. The sampling frequency is once a week.The study region is situated in the north-west part of the Greater Mumbai Municipal Corporation. It can be classified as industrial cum residential area. The daily integrated exposure of the outdoor workers consists of two major micro-environments, viz. occupational and indoor residential.A personal air sampler was used along with a cyclone to measure levels of Respirable Particulate Matter (RPM). The cyclone has a 50% removal efficiency for particle diameter of 5 m. Paired samples of PM10 (ambient) and RPM (personal) were collected to establish the correlation between them. The average 24-hour integrated exposure to RPM was 322 g/m3 and exceeded the corresponding PM10 level observed at the nearest Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station by a factor of 2.25. The 90% confidence interval for this exposure is 283–368 g/m3. This study clearly demonstrates that the daily integrated exposure and therefore the health risk of outdoor workers in an urban area is significantly more serious than that indicated by ambient air quality data.     

第二代农民工及其市民化研究

农民工市民化是基于乡城劳动力两阶段转移的“中国路径”而提出的现实课题。第二代农民工不仅是一个在社会经济特征和个人特征方面与第一代农民工有着诸多显警不同的流动群体。而且也是最有市民化意愿和亟需市民化的群体。基于现有理论的局限性和中国特殊的现实提出了农民工市民化的命题并深入探讨了其内涵。进而在此基础上考察了第二代农民工的特征、第二代农民工的市民化进程及其面临的挑战。最后就第二代农民工市民化的进程环节和制度创新提出了针对性的对策建议。     

Alteration of body total antioxidant capacity and thiol molecules in human chronic exposure to aluminum

The physiological role of aluminum (Al) is not yet known. Exposure to Al may cause many human disorders. The aim of this study was to explore how occupational human exposure to Al might affect the body oxidative stress. The relation between Al toxicity and oxidative stress was studied in blood samples obtained from 45 primary Al production workers, with a minimum work history of three years in the age range of 29–52 years. They were evaluated for oxidative stress biomarkers including thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) indicator of lipid peroxidation, ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) indicator of total antioxidant capacity, total thiol molecules and Al level in blood. The results showed that workers have significantly higher blood Al levels and concomitant lower blood FRAP and total thiol molecules in comparison to controls. Smokers had lower total thiol molecules than non-smokers. The subjects who had a previous history of disease had lower FRAP levels. It is concluded that Al induces oxidative stress in primary Al production workers. Supplementation of workers with antioxidants may have beneficial effects.     

Occupational injuries of immigrant and Finnish bus drivers

Problem

With baby boomers reaching retirement age, Western countries may need more immigrant workers to ensure productivity. Many studies have suggested a higher occupational injury frequency among immigrant workers, which could considerably reduce their contribution to society. The aim of this study was to examine whether immigrant workers have a higher injury frequency compared to Finnish workers when performing the exact same tasks under the same working conditions.

Method

A total of 176 Finnish and 130 immigrant bus drivers were asked about their occupational injuries during the past 12 months via a questionnaire. In addition, the data contained 134 injuries reported by the transport firm to an insurance company.

Results

There was no significant difference in reporting occupational injuries by self-reporting or by company-records. Because there were more accident-repeaters among Finnish drivers, their injury frequency (114) was higher than that of immigrant drivers (78).

Application/Impact

This study showed that immigrant workers did not have a higher injury frequency than other workers when they worked in the exact same conditions. Immigrant workers can work as safely as native-Finnish workers, when their working conditions and job contracts are at the same level as those of the original population. Immigrant workers can compensate for the shortage of workforce caused by an aging population.     

新生代农民工市民化问题探析——基于生活满意度视角

新生代农民工市民化是我国当前重大社会问题,了解新生代农民工市民化的需求与驱动力对于促进其主动市民化,构建和谐社会具有重要意义。本文认为农民工市民化的过程就是其在城镇就业、定居进而构建并不断提高生活满意程度的过程,因而生活满意度是新生代农民工市民化的实质驱动力。利用四川省成都市的实地调查数据与实证分析,基于296份新生代农民工的问卷调查,采用多元回归分析技术,探讨了经济收入、社会福利、社会地位及社会关系等对新生代农民工生活满意度的影响程度。分析结果表明:新生代农民工具有追求平等、发展与融入城市的强烈愿望,其生活满意程度取决于经济收入、社会福利、社会地位及社会关系等方面与城市人的横向比较结果。最后提出了就业环境公平化、社会福利均等化及市民化教育等对策建议,从而有利于促进其从经济、社会到心理的城市融入。     

行为经济学视角的农民工隐性户籍墙分析

20世纪70年代滞涨后,大量无法解释应对的现实问题让人们意识到,主流经济学关于人的基本假设存在不足,在经济研究中结合人的心理的探讨是必要的。为解释现实中农民工不积极申请积分制入户,文章利用二元Logistic模型对武汉市数据进行了分析,并基于行为经济学中的失望/后悔效应、牺牲陷阱、偏见与错觉理论解释了结果,提出作为户籍制度衍生的社会屏蔽,隐性户籍墙应囊括由二元户籍导致的对农民和市民在社会生活一切方面的歧视,其对农民工农转非选择的作用不仅在于这些客观歧视,还在于农民工面对歧视时的主观心理。改革开放后,我国大规模的人口流动持续至今,未来相当长的时期内还会日趋活跃,尤以农民工的流动突出,凸显农民工市民化的重要性。当前,农民工对市民化的犹豫不愿意,反映户籍改革及其配套制度的建立完善不到位,其与促进农民工市民化、城镇化、实现城乡一体化的要求尚有差距。     

Effect of restaurant types on compensation claims for work-related musculoskeletal disorders in France

Objectives. The economic burden of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) is industry specific. The objective was to analyse compensation claims for WMSDs among restaurant workers in France taking into account the type of restaurant. Methods. Data for 2014 were obtained from the French National Health Insurance Fund for Salaried Workers. A chi-square test was used to compare claims, incapacity and lost work day rates in different types of restaurant. Results. Prevalence for WMSDs differed significantly by the type of kitchen: collective restaurant (7.2/1000 workers), traditional restaurant (1.7/1000), and fast food restaurant (1.0/1000). There were more male claimants in traditional restaurant workers (51.0%) than in collective restaurant workers (40.1%) but more female claimants in collective restaurant workers (50.1%) than in traditional restaurant workers (39.4%). Permanent incapacity was significantly more prevalent in collective restaurant workers (49.6%), than in traditional (41.9%) and fast food (8.5%) restaurant workers. In collective restaurant workers, as a percentage, claims, permanent incapacity and lost work days increased with age range or work experience. Conclusions. Prevalence for WMSDs and therefore incapacity and lost work days are different according to the type of restaurant. Preventive strategies should take these differences into consideration.     

Psychosocial and ergonomic survey of office and field jobs in a utility company

Introduction. The effect of different kinds of work on the psychosocial assessment of workers under the same management and organizational environment is investigated. Methods. A voluntary assessment in a utility company was carried out using the short version of the Copenhagen psychosocial questionnaire (CoPsoQ) on two occasions, 1.5 years apart. Initially, 25 office workers (11 men and 14 women) participated, while 14 of those workers (8 women and 6 men) participated in the second assessment together with 32 field workers. The sewage, water treatment and maintenance workers, totaling 32 men, also participated in a field ergonomics assessment using the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries field work ergonomic checklist. Results. The longitudinal outlook was fairly stable, with sustained severe scores in many CoPsoQ subscales and intensification of severity of workers’ control over work and esteem for men. A significantly higher esteem score resulted for field rather than office workers. Workers subjected to foul odors showed similar severity of psychosocial factors. Discussion. For most psychosocial dimensions, the organizational design and management system in place, as well as the overall cultural environment in which it operates, create a much stronger and more decisive impact than job-specific factors.     

农民工工伤保险先行赔付机制的可行性研究

由于我国现行工伤保险赔付机制的不完善,致使农民工在出现工伤之后由于企业没有缴费而得不到救助。为改变这种状况,现在政府推行的扩大工伤缴费覆盖面和简化工伤受理补偿的程序,固然能够取得一些成效,而配套实行先行赔付的机制,会更为便于操作和更为直接有效。这种机制的实质是,克服传统行政管理的不足,真正运用社会化的方式,实现工伤员工享受工伤补偿的普惠性,促使用人单位、政府和司法有关部门能够把工伤社会保障的责任切实承担起来。