• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제6권2호
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• pp.104-113
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• 2015

Background: Given the long hours on the road involving multiple and interacting work stressors (i.e., delivery pressures, irregular shifts, ergonomic hazards), commercial drivers face a plethora of health and safety risks. Researchers goal was to determine whether and to what extent long-haul trucker work schedules influence sleep duration and quality. Methods: Survey and biometric data collected from male long-haul truck drivers at a major truckstop in central North Carolina over a six month period. Results: Daily hours worked (mean = 11 hours, 55 minutes) and frequency of working over government-mandated daily HOS regulations (23.8% "frequently or always") were statistically significant predictors of sleep duration. Miles driven per week (mean = 2,812.61), irregular daily hours worked (63.8%), and frequency of working over the daily hour limit (23.8% "frequently or always") were statistically significant predictors of sleep quality. Conclusion: Implications of findings suggest a comprehensive review of the regulations and operational conditions for commercial motor vehicle drivers be undertaken.

• International Journal of Safety
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• 제5권1호
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• pp.33-36
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• 2006

In laboratories, researchers frequently work using new methods with new tools and materials. So the workers in laboratories are exposed to risk from dangerous articles all the time. In the case of university laboratories, testing is done by the individual at night. Because of that, the risks in university laboratories are higher than in other places. In addition, students and managers in universities generally have little concern for laboratory safety. So students are sometimes injured or killed in laboratory accidents. In this study, 1,000 university students answered questions about university laboratory safety. Their answers have been analyzed to determine the state of actual conditions and to formulate countermeasures. The results indicate that we need to change the safety awareness of the universities and the students. Adequate safety training and safe practice must be implemented by each university to decrease accidents. Development of systematic safety training program suited to the specific conditions of the individual laboratory and formulation of specific counter plans should accidents occur are required.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제6권4호
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• pp.345-352
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• 2015

Background: Goal-oriented communication of risk of hazards is necessary in order to reduce risk of workers' exposure to chemicals. Adequate training of workers and enterprise priority setting are essential elements. Cleaning enterprises have many challenges and the existing paradigms influence the risk levels of these enterprises. Methods: Information on organization and enterprises' prioritization in training programs was gathered from cleaning enterprises. A measure of enterprises' conceptual level of importance of chemical health hazards and a model for working out the risk index (RI) indicating enterprises' conceptual risk level was established and used to categorize the enterprises. Results: In 72.3% of cases, training takes place concurrently with task performances and in 67.4% experienced workers conduct the trainings. There is disparity between employers' opinion on competence level of the workers and reality. Lower conceptual level of importance was observed for cleaning enterprises of different sizes compared with regional safety delegates and occupational hygienists. Risk index values show no difference in risk level between small and large enterprises. Conclusion: Training of cleaning workers lacks the prerequisite for suitability and effectiveness to counter risks of chemical health hazards. There is dereliction of duty by management in the sector resulting in a lack of competence among the cleaning workers. Instituting acceptable easily attainable safety competence level for cleaners will conduce to risk reduction, and enforcement of attainment of the competence level would be a positive step.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.169-174
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• 2017

Background: We assessed the cancer risks of four different Finnish asbestos-exposed cohorts. We also explored if the cohorts with varying profiles of asbestos exposure exhibited varying relative risks of cancer. Methods: The incident cancer cases for the asbestos-exposed worker cohorts were updated to the end of 2012 using the files of the Finnish Cancer Registry. The previously formed cohorts consisted of asbestos mine workers, asbestosis patients, asbestos sprayers, and workers who had taken part in a screening study based on asbestos exposure at work. Results: The standardized incidence ratio (SIR) for mesothelioma varied from about threefold to > 100-fold in the different cohorts. In the screening cohort the SIR for mesothelioma was highest in 2003-2007, In other cohorts it was more constant in 5-year period inspection. The SIR for lung cancer was about twofold to tenfold in all except the screening cohort. Asbestos sprayers were at the highest risk of mesothelioma and lung cancer. Conclusion: The SIR for mesothelioma is high in all of the cohorts that represent different kinds of asbestos exposure. The smaller SIR for mesothelioma in the screening cohort with lowest level of asbestos exposure might suggest dose-responsiveness between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma. It does seem that the highest risk of lung cancer in these cohorts except in the youngest of the cohorts, the screening cohort, is over. The highest SIR for lung cancer of the asbestosis patient and sprayers cohort is explained by their heavy asbestos exposure.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제2권4호
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• pp.375-379
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• 2011

Control Banding (CB) strategies to prevent work-related illness and injury for 2.5 billion workers without access to health and safety professionals has grown exponentially this last decade. CB originates from the pharmaceutical industry to control active pharmaceutical ingredients without a complete toxicological basis and therefore no occupational exposure limits. CB applications have broadened into chemicals in general - including new emerging risks like nanomaterials and recently into ergonomics and injury prevention. CB is an action-oriented qualitative risk assessment strategy offering solutions and control measures to users through "toolkits". Chemical CB toolkits are user-friendly approaches used to achieve workplace controls in the absence of firm toxicological and quantitative exposure information. The model (technical) validation of these toolkits is well described, however firm operational analyses (implementation aspects) are lacking. Consequentially, it is often not known if toolkit use leads to successful interventions at individual workplaces. This might lead to virtual safe workplaces without knowing if workers are truly protected. Upcoming international strategies from the World Health Organization Collaborating Centers request assistance in developing and evaluating action-oriented procedures for workplace risk assessment and control. It is expected that to fulfill this strategy's goals, CB approaches will continue its important growth in protecting workers.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제10권1호
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• pp.3-20
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• 2019

This review aimed to identify risk factors for occupational accidents and illnesses among young workers in the Nordic countries and to attain knowledge on specific vulnerable groups within the young working force that may need special attention. We conducted a systematic review from 1994 to 2014 using five online databases. Of the 12,528 retrieved articles, 54 met the review criteria and were quality assessed, in which data were extracted focusing on identifying occupational safety, health risk factors, and vulnerable groups among the young workers. The review shows that mechanical factors such as heavy lifting, psychosocial factors such as low control over work pace, and organizational factors such as safety climate are all associated with increased injury risk for young Nordic workers. Results show that exposures to chemical substances were associated with skin reactions, e.g., hand eczema. Heavy lifting and awkward postures were risk factors for low back pain, and high job demands were risk factors for mental health outcomes. The review identified young unskilled workers including school drop-out workers as particularly vulnerable groups when it comes to occupational accidents. In addition, apprentices and young skilled workers were found to be vulnerable to work-related illnesses. It is essential to avoid stereotyping young Nordic workers into one group using only age as a factor, as young workers are a heterogeneous group and their vulnerabilities to occupational safety and health risks are contextual. Politicians, researchers, and practitioners should account for this complexity in the education, training and organization of work, and workplace health and safety culture.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.220-226
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• 2022

Background: Research on the impact of psychosocial risks on well-being at work remains scarce in low- and middle-income countries, especially in the banking sector. This study sought to examine the relationships between job demands, job resources, well-being, job satisfaction, and work engagement in the Zimbabwean banking sector. Methods: An online survey was administered to 259 employees from five banks. Hierarchical multiple regression tested the relationships between job demands (quantitative demands, emotional demands, work pace, and work-family conflict), job resources (possibilities for development, social support from colleagues and supervisors, quality of leadership, and influence at work), well-being, work engagement, and job satisfaction. Interactions between all variables were tested. Results: Job demands were negatively related to well-being, work engagement, and job satisfaction. Job resources had positive relationships with the same. Work pace had positive relationships with well-being and work engagement. Influence at work moderated the relationship between emotional demands and work pace with well-being. Possibilities for development moderated the relationship between work-family conflict and well-being. Work-family conflict moderated the relationship between social support from colleagues and job satisfaction. Emotional demands, work pace, and quantitative demands moderated the relationship between influence at work with job satisfaction and work engagement. Conclusion: Job demands should be reduced where possible in order to enhance employee well-being, work engagement, and job satisfaction. The job resources that should be availed to facilitate a positive psychosocial work environment in the banking sector include social support from supervisors, influence at work, and possibilities for development.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.1131-1136
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• 2013

Parabens, the esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid, have been widely used as antimicrobial preservatives in cosmetic products, drugs, and processed foods and beverages. However, some parabens have been shown to have weak estrogenic effects through in vivo and in vitro studies. Because such widespread use has raised concerns about the potential human health risks associated with exposure to parabens, we developed a simultaneous analytical method to quantify 4 parabens (methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butyl) in human urine, by using solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. This method showed good specificity, linearity ($R^2$ > 0.999), accuracy (92.2-112.4%), precision (0.9-9.6%, CV), and recovery (95.7-102.0%). The LOQs for the 4 parabens were 1.0, 0.5, 0.2, and 0.5 ng/mL, respectively. This method could be used for quick and accurate analysis of a large number of human samples in epidemiological studies to assess the prevalence of human exposure to parabens.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.1-10
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• 2010

The Finnish risk assessment practice is based on the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act aiming to improve working conditions in order maintain the employees' work ability, and to prevent occupational accidents and diseases. In practice there are hundreds of risk assessment methods in use. A simple method is used in small and medium sized enterprises and more complex risk evaluation methods in larger work places. Does the risk management function in the work places in Finland? According to our experience something more is needed. That is, understanding of common and company related benefits of risk management. The wider conclusion is that commitment for risk assessment in Finland is high enough. However, in those enterprises where OSH management was at an acceptable level or above it, there were also more varied and more successfully accomplished actions to remove or reduce the risks than in enterprises, where OSH management was in lower level. In risk assessment it is important to process active technical prevention and exact communication, increase work place attraction and increase job satisfaction and motivation. Investments in OSH are also good business. Low absenteeism due to illness or accidents increases directly the production results by improved quality and quantity of the product. In general Finnish studies have consistently shown that the return of an invested euro is three to seven-old. In national level, according to our calculations the savings could be even 20% of our gross national product.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제1권2호
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• pp.158-166
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• 2010

Objectives: This study aimed to find gender distinctions in terms of the sociology of the population; to determine work-related factors; to analyze gender differences in daily living, work, sports, and art performances; and to identify gender-related factors that limited performance of daily living and work activities. Methods: A questionnaire was designed that included disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (DASH), accident history, disease history, work duration at current workplace, marital status, job satisfaction, job autonomy, and physical demands of the job. Out of 1,853 workers surveyed, 1,173 questionnaires (63.3%; 987 males, 186 females) included responses to DASH disability and DASH optional work and were judged acceptable for analysis. Results: Upper extremity functional limitation during work and daily living was higher for females than males. The limitations for males increased according to their household work time, accident history, work duration, job satisfaction, physical demand, and job autonomy. Meanwhile, female workers' upper extremity discomfort was influenced by their disease history, job satisfaction, and physical demands. In addition, the size of the company affected male workers' upper extremity function, while marriage and hobbies influenced that of female workers. Conclusion: This study addressed sociodemographic factors and work-related factors that affect each gender's upper extremity function during daily living and working activities. Each factor had a different influence. Further studies are needed to identify the effect that role changes, not being influenced by risks at work, have on musculoskeletal disorders.