• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.325-331
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• 2023

Background: Heat stress is a harmful physical hazard in many occupational settings. However, consequences of occupational heat exposure among workers in a sugarcane factory in Ethiopia are not well characterized. This study aimed to assess the level of occupational heat exposure-related symptoms and contributing factors. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, five workstations were selected for temperature measurement. Heat stress levels were measured using a wet-bulb globe temperature index meter. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select 1,524 participants. Heat-related symptoms were assessed using validated questionnaires. Results: The level of occupational heat exposure was 72.4% (95% CI: 70.2%-74.8%), while 71.6% (95% CI: 69.3%-74.9%) of participants experienced at least one symptom related to heat stress. The most common heat-related symptoms were swelling of hands and feet (78%), severe thirst (77.8%) and dry mouth (77.4%). The identified risk factors were a lack of reflective shields (AOR: 2.20, 95% CI: 1.53, 3.17), not-enclosed extreme heat sources (AOR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.23, 2.51), a lack of access to shade (AOR: 9.62, 95% CI: 6.20, 14.92), and inappropriate protective clothing provision (AOR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.27, 2.71). Conclusions: The burden of occupational heat exposure and heat-induced symptoms was high. Lack of reflective shields, the absence of enclosed extreme heat sources, a lack of access to shade, and inappropriate protective clothing provision were considerable attributes of heat stress. Therefore, the use of mechanical solutions to stop heat emissions at their sources and the key factors identified were areas for future intervention.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.266-272
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• 2013

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of low-level exposure to toluene on T lymphocytes subpopulations.s. Methods: The study lasted from April to October 2010. The subjects were 390 male workers, among whom 137 were chronically exposed to toluene in video-tape manufacturing factories and 253 were controls had never been occupationally exposed to hazardous chemicals. The subpoupulations of CD4+, CD8+, CD16+ (natural killer cells) and total (CD3+) T lymphocytes were examined by two-color staining using monoclonal antibodies. The general and job characteristics of subjects were assessed through a self-administered questionnaire. Results: There was no significant difference in general and job characteristics between both groups. No significant difference in lipid peroxide level was observed between the control and exposed workers, but the concentration of hydrogen peroxide was significantly higher in the exposed workers. The numbers of CD16+ T lymphocytes in controls were significantly higher than those in exposed workers, but no significant differences were found in CD4+, CD8+ and CD3+ T lymphocytes. Hydrogen peroxide levels showed a significantly negative correlation with CD8+ (r = -0.29, p < 0.01), CD16+ (r = -0.56, p < 0.01) and CD3+(r = -0.22. p < 0.01), and toluene levels was significantly negative correlated with CD3+ (r = -0.29, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our results suggest that chronic low-level exposure to toluene affects cell-mediated immunity and the effects might mediate through ROSs (Reactive Oxygen Species) such as hydrogen peroxide.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.224-234
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• 2012

Objectives: This study was conducted in order to obtain information concerning the health hazards that may result from a 13 week inhalation exposure of n-pentane in Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods: This study was conducted in accordance with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines for the testing of chemicals No. 413 'Subchronic inhalation toxicity: 90-day study (as revised in 2009)'. The rats were divided into 4 groups (10 male and 10 female rats in each group), and were exposed to 0, 340, 1,530, and 6,885 ppm n-pentane in each exposure chamber for 6 hour/day, 5 days/week, for 13 weeks. All of the rats were sacrificed at the end of the treatment period. During the test period, clinical signs, mortality, body weights, food consumption, ophthalmoscopy, locomotion activity, urinalysis, hematology, serum biochemistry, gross findings, organ weights, and histopathology were assessed. Results: During the period of testing, there were no treatment related effects on the clinical findings, body weight, food consumption, ophthalmoscopy, urinalysis, hematology, serum biochemistry, gross findings, relative organ weight, and histopathological findings. Conclusion: The no-observable-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of n-pentane is evaluated as being more than 6,885 ppm (20.3 mg/L) in both male and female rats. n-pentane was not a classified specific target organ toxicity in the globally harmonized classification system (GHS).

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.315-317
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• 2017

We present the case of a 45-year-old man with a history of benzene exposure who developed splenic marginal zone lymphoma. For 6 years, he had worked in an enclosed space cleaning instruments with benzene. He was diagnosed with splenic marginal zone lymphoma 19 years after retirement. During his time of working in the laboratory in the 1980s, working environments were not monitored for hazardous materials. We indirectly estimated the cumulative level of past benzene exposure using job-exposure matrices and technical assumptions. Care must be taken in investigating the relevance of occupational benzene exposure in the occurrence of indolent B-cell lymphoma. Because of the long latency period and because occupational measurement data do not exist for the period during the patient's exposure, the epidemiological impact of benzene exposure may be underestimated.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.6 no.4
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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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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.396-402
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• 2021

Background: Styrene is one of the aromatic compounds used in acetonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) producing petrochemicals, which has an impact on health of workers. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the health risks of styrene emitted from the petrochemical industry in Iran. Methods: Air samples were collected based on NIOSH 1501 method. The samples were analyzed by the Varian-cp3800 gas chromatograph. Finally, risk levels of styrene's health effects on employees were assessed by the quantitative method of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and the semiquantitative way by the Singapore Occupational Safety and Health Association. Results: Based on the results, the employees had the highest average exposure to styrene vapors (4.06 × 10^-1mg.(kg - day)^-1) in the polybutadiene latex (PBL) unit. Therefore, the most top predictors of cancer and non-cancer risk were 2.3×10^-4 and 7.26 × 10^-1, respectively. Given that the lowest average exposure (1.5 × 10^-2mg.(kg - day)^-1) was in the dryer unit, the prediction showed a moderate risk of cancer (0.8 × 10^-6) and non-cancer (2.3 × 10^-3) for the employees. The EPA method also predicted that there would be a definite cancer risk in 16% and a probable risk in 76% of exposures. However, according to the semiquantitative approach, the rate of risk was at the "low" level for all staff. The results showed that there was a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the units in exposure and health risk of styrene (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Given the high risk of styrene's health effects, appropriate control measures are required to reduce the exposure level.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.290-298
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study was identify the influences of occupational stress and burnout on turnover intention of caregivers in geriatric hospitals. Methods: The data were collected from 176 caregivers working at three geriatric hospitals located in Gyeonggi province. A self-reported questionnaires was used to assess the level of occupational stress, burnout and turnover intention. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression by SPSS/WIN 18.0 program. Results: The turnover intention was positively correlated with occupational stress(r=.438, p<.01) and burnout(r=.418, p<.01). The influencing factors of turnover intention were occupational stress(${\beta}$=.290, p<.001), burnout(${\beta}$=.253, p=.001) and education level(${\beta}$=.182, p=.006). Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that it is necessary to develop stress management program so that caregivers in geriatric hospitals can reduce occupational stress and burnout.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.213-217
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• 2016

Background: The objective of this study is to identify high-risk groups for industrial accidents by setting up 2003 as the base year and conducting an in-depth analysis of the trends of major industrial accident indexes the index of industrial accident rate, the index of occupational injury rate, the index of occupational illness and disease rate per 10,000 people, and the index of occupational injury fatality rate per 10,000 people for the past 10 years. Methods: This study selected industrial accident victims, who died or received more than 4 days of medical care benefits, due to occupational accidents and diseases occurring at workplaces, subject to the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act, as the study population. Results: According to the trends of four major indexes by workplace characteristics, the whole industry has shown a decreasing tendency in all four major indexes since the base year (2003); as of 2012, the index of industrial accident rate was 67, while the index of occupational injury fatality rate per 10,000 people was 59. Conclusion: The manufacturing industry, age over 50 years and workplaces with more than 50 employees showed a high severity level of occupational accidents. Male workers showed a higher severity level of occupational accidents than female workers. The employment period of < 3 years and newly hired workers with a relatively shorter working period are likely to have more occupational accidents than others. Overall, an industrial accident prevention policy must be established by concentrating all available resources and capacities of these high-risk groups.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.192-200
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study aimed to investigate job stress levels of occupational health managers and whether job stress levels were affected by various factors such as size and types of company and work-related characteristics of occupational health managers. Methods: The study was conducted from May to September 2011 in the chemicals manufacturing factories in Korea and total subjects were 59 occupational health managers. We measured job stress levels of occupational health managers using Korean occupational stress scale (KOSS) questionnaires and the information of company characteristics was obtained using a self-reported questionnaire. Results: The characteristics of company such as type, size and industries and job characteristics of occupational health managers were significant factors in job stress. Job demand, job control, job insecurity, organizational system and occupational environment scores were significantly associated with type, size and industries of company. In multiple regression analyses, we found that job demand was significantly associated with occupational position and type of company, and job insecurity was significantly associated with working hour. Also, we found that lack of reward was significantly associated with education level, speciality, duration of work and hour and type of company. Conclusion: These results indicate that job stress of occupational health managers is significantly associated with work-related characteristics and company's characteristics.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.135-140
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• 2023

Introduction: With recent higher awareness of the necessity of improving healthcare workers' wellbeing, we aimed to overview systematic reviews dealing with interventions on well-being, occupational health, and aging of healthcare workers. Methods: From three databases (PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science), a scoping review of systematic reviews was carried out to determine current knowledge on interventions focused on the well-being or aging of healthcare workers. Only systematic reviews were considered, with appropriate extraction and quality evaluation. Results: Of the total of 445 references identified, 10 systematic reviews were included, mostly published since 2019. Nurses were the most frequent targets of interventions, and mental health was the main outcome described. The overall level of quality was also heterogenous, with high to low-quality reviews. Conclusions: Workers' mental health well-being was the major outcome targeted by intervention, with varying level of evidence. Further studies are needed with integrative approaches on global health and life course perspectives, with a focus on the plurality of settings, worker types, and women.