SEARCH · PubMed Health
Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Article deals with problems of hygienic evaluation of work conditions as a part of complex hygienic characteristics concerning the intensity and difficulty of work. The system of evaluation was suggested by I.S.Kandror in 60-s and developed by different authors. Studied variant of complex hygienic characteristics contains some new elements and requires further discussion.
BACKGROUND: Although many studies from developed countries have established a relationship between various occupational working conditions during pregnancy and preterm birth, there is little data available in developing countries where both maternal physical labor during pregnancy and preterm birth are common. The aim of this study was to examine the association between difficult occupational working conditions of pregnant women and premature births in the Republic of Benin in West Africa. METHOD: The case-control study included 99 women with preterm babies and 104 women with full-term babies. The participants were residents of the Republic of Benin who delivered between May 1, 2000 and April 30, 2002. Preterm delivery was defined as delivery prior to 37 completed weeks of gestation. The study sample was selected randomly from birth records. Data were collected both reviewing birth records and conducting semi-structured personal interviews with mothers. Logistic regression models were adjusted for mother's age, mother's education, health problems during pregnancy, and twin birth. RESULTS: Although working state of mother during pregnancy did not increase the risk for preterm delivery, carrying heavy loads more than 5 days per week was significantly associated with having a preterm baby (adjusted OR: 5.0; 95% CI: 1.38-18.8; P=0.018). Carrying heavy loads and having worked a lot more than 5 days per week was also significantly associated with preterm birth (adjusted OR: 6.88; 95% CI: 1.45-32.2; P=0.015). CONCLUSION: Reducing heavy loads carrying during pregnancy may also prevent preterm delivery in developing countries. Though replication of these data using a prospective design is needed, our results suggest that educating women about the risks associated with heavy labor during pregnancy is indicated.
This paper evaluated the life and working conditions of physicians who worked in a university hospital. Two questionnaires, one for occupational data and the Medical Outcomes Study 36 - Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) were applied. 91 surgeons and 96 physicians, mainly of the masculine sex, participated in the inquiry. The average age among surgeons was 44.5 and among physicians, 46. The average of weekly working hours was 51.8 hours among the surgeons and 44.1 among the physicians. 87.9% of the surgeons and 51.6% physicians also mentioned working in other hospitals. Only in Physical Aspects there was a significant statistical difference between the groups, with lower rates among physicians.
The investigation of microelectronic devices showed that the working conditions of microscope operators in general satisfy the sanitary and hygienic requirements with the exception of lighting of places of work and the conditions of objects' illumination in the field of microscope view, this being the main reason of visual fatigue. The earliest and most distinct fatigue signs involve the changes in color discrimination acuity, adaptation time to darkness, response time to light stimulus. The measures intended for optimization of working conditions of microscope operators are proposed.
The review of the scientific literature on the role of employment-related physical activity suggests that prolonged standing and long working hours may increase the risk of preterm delivery. Although maternity legislation in many European countries has regulated work schedules and working conditions for pregnant women, none of the European countries except for France seems to have experienced a reduction in preterm rates. France has had both a comprehensive maternity legislation and a national program specifically aimed to reduce preterm birth. Despite the lack of reduction in preterm rates, paid maternity leave, guaranteed job protection, and regulation of hazardous working conditions remain a desirable societal goal for any industrialized nation.
In enterprises covered by the scheme of the intensified supervision of the State Labor Inspectorate (SLI), working conditions are analyzed every year, and the measures to reduce or eliminate existing hazards are evaluated. The enterprises with high rates of accidents at work and employees exposed to hazardous chemical and physical factors present in the work environment are classified in this category. The list of such enterprises is subjected to annual verification. Enterprises with potential high or increased risk for serious industrial accidents involving noxious chemicals or dangerous for the local environment are also taken into account. The supervision of the State Labor Inspectorate, lasting already for a number of years, greatly contributed--this is confirmed by numerous inspections--to the sustained improvement of working conditions in enterprises of this category. In accord with the suggestions made by parliamentarians, the issue of intensified supervision of enterprises, representing various branches of the national economy, characterized by the highest rates of occupational hazards has been incorporated into the SLI Plan of Action for the years 2001-2003. In January 2001, district inspectorates selected 137 enterprises of various sectors with the highest hazard rates to be covered by the SLI scheme in the nearest future. The systematic control and promotion activities will be aimed at eliminating or substantial reduction of reported hazards. In the previous year, the SLI tried to find out how far the employers fulfill their obligation to check technical conditions in their enterprises, as well as to discuss the possibility of further use of asbestos-containing products. In the opinion of the SLI, the employers do not comply with these requirements, or they are not willing to bear costs of removal or repair of asbestos-containing products. They postpone endlessly all necessary repairs. It is still impossible to evaluate the situation and to explicitly state that after completing works involving asbestos it is removed from premises designed for people. This is of paramount importance for safety of people at schools, kindergartens, high schools, as well as of hospital personnel and patients. In Polish regulations, the maximum admissible concentrations of asbestos for this kind of premises have no as yet been set. The State Labor Inspector has submitted a motion to the Minister of Health on setting permissible concentrations of asbestos dust in premises meant for people. The regulation (still binding) of March 12, 1996 on admissible concentrations and intensities of factors harmful to the human health, emitted by construction materials, devices and equipment in premises intended for people does not take account of asbestos.
AIMS: Very few studies indicating that low-moderate alcohol consumption protects from myocardial infarction (MI) controlled for social support and working conditions, which could confound the findings. Therefore, a first aim was to study the risk of non-fatal and total MI in relation to volume of alcohol consumption and measures of social support and working conditions. A second aim was to analyse the impact of the volume of earlier alcohol use in abstainers. DESIGN: Data came from a case-control study, the Stockholm Heart Epidemiology Program (SHEEP), including first MI among Swedish citizens 45-70 years old. SETTING: Stockholm County 1992-94. PARTICIPANTS: There were 1095 cases of MI in men and 471 in women (928 and 372 were non-fatal), and 2339 living controls from the general population. MEASUREMENT: Information about alcohol use at different periods in life and job strain, social anchorage and life control besides pre-existing health problems, smoking, physical activity, socio-economic status and marital status was obtained by a questionnaire from the cases and the controls. FINDINGS: In multivariate logistic regression analyses, the relative risk for MI (especially non-fatal) was reduced among alcohol consumers. RR for non-fatal MI was 0.52 (95% confidence intervals 0.32, 0.85) in men with a consumption of 50-69.9 g 100% ethanol/day and 0.21 (95% confidence interval 0.06, 0.77) in women with a consumption of 30 g or more per day (reference category 0.1-5 g 100% ethanol/day). Men who were abstainers during the previous 1-10 years and with an earlier average consumption of 5-30 g 100% ethanol/day had a significantly lower relative risk compared to such abstainers with an earlier higher consumption. Earlier consumption among abstainers may also have an impact on gender differences in MI. Analyses showed positive interaction between abstention and low life-control in women, but only 4% of the female cases were due to this interaction. There were no other interactions between measures of alcohol use and social anchorage, life control and working situations. CONCLUSION: Alcohol use had a protective impact on MI, with little impact of job strain, social anchorage and life control, giving increased support for a protective impact of low-moderate alcohol use. The level of previous alcohol consumption among male 1-10-year-long abstainers influenced the risk of MI.
The rating of working places by labour conditions is an important first practical step of introducing state management by an occupational risk. To achieve the goals of rating stipulated in the guidelines requires the correction and specification of some rating provisions.
The influence of physical work conditions on adverse pregnancy outcomes is in Denmark guided by recommendations from the Danish Labour Inspection. In this review, the literature on physically demanding work and its influence on pregnancy outcomes is examined. There is no evidence for posing accurate weight limits designed for pregnant women carrying heavy loads. In relation to work with standing or walking postures, it seems that especially prolonged standing is critical for pregnant women. There is no study that deals with the influence of pulling or pushing on pregnancy outcomes.
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to present, evaluate and propose a tool for the assessment of psychosocial working conditions in epidemiological studies. A referent group of the large epidemiological study, the MUSIC-Norrtälje study of musculoskeletal disorders, was used. The respondents were 950 working persons (585 female and 365 male). METHOD: Self-administered questionnaire and personal interview were used. The responses were subjected to factor analysis. The resulting model had components generated from the demand-control-support model and action theory. RESULT: The result supported the use of different aspects of psychological job demands. The interview data seemed to be more related to factual exposure and the questionnaire data more to individual perception. The usefulness of the model was supported by associations between the model and psychosomatic symptoms and sleep disturbances. CONCLUSION: A combination of interview and questionnaire increases the possibility of interpreting the association between working conditions and health and may provide a more effective basis for interventions.
More than twice as many workdays are lost to illness than for personal or family reasons. We examine possible workplace determinants of sickness absence among French workers in the food processing industry. These workers are exposed to a variety of environmental and organizational constraints: cold, uncomfortable postures, assembly-line work, and irregular schedules. In 1987-1988, a medical examination and questionnaire were administered to 558 men and 790 women as part of a study of 17 poultry slaughterhouses and 6 canning factories. Women's and men's working conditions were very different, and their sickness absences for musculoskeletal and respiratory illnesses were related to some of their specific working conditions: cold exposure, ill-adapted work stations, and problems with their supervisors and co-workers. If male and female workers were combined into a single analysis that adjusted for sex, many of the associations operant for a single sex could no longer be seen.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The objective of this study was to describe and analyse the changes in working conditions and health among dairy farmers in Scania in southern Sweden during the period 1988-2002 by a repeat of a mail-in survey. Altogether, 83 % of the male and 90 % of the female dairy farmers reported some kind of symptoms in the musculoskeletal system during the 12 months prior to the 2002 questionnaire. This is an increase compared to the farmers in 1988. The highest significant changes were an increase of symptoms in the shoulder, neck and in the wrists/hands. The milkers reported most often incidental as well as persistent symptoms in the shoulders. The frequency of hip symptoms was significantly higher among those male milkers who had quit milking during the interim than for the active milkers in 1988. The milkers studied in 2002 had, on average, increased their working time per week, increased the number of cows milked as well as the use of more milking units. In 1988, almost all the milkers studied were working in tethering systems while in 2002 more than one quarter were working in loose-housing systems. The opinion among most of the farmers, both in 1988 and in 2002, regardless of age or sex, was that silage handling and the milking procedure were the most strenuous work operations. On the other hand, the milkers obtained their greatest pleasure from the actual milking job as well as from their work to promote the welfare of the animals. Unprofitability and great investment demands had a bearing on the retirement of milkers but, on the other hand, a high potential of the milkers could have continued 10-15 more years as dairy farmers if the work conditions had been better, e.g. associated with fewer health problems. Apart from the need for developing technical devices to facilitate the milking operation, further research is needed concerning the dairy farmers' well-being and quality of life, perceived stress, and leisure time activities and how these and similar factors influence the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms. Strategies for preventive and intervention measures must consider physical workplace factors as well as personal and lifestyle characteristics.
STUDY OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations of various types of employment with six self reported health indicators, taking into account the part played by demographic variables, individual working conditions and four ecological indicators at the country level. DESIGN: Cross sectional survey (structured interview) of a sample of the active population of 15 European countries aged 15 years or over. Main independent variables were nine types of employment categorised as follows: small employers, full and part time permanent employees, full and part time fixed term employees, full and part time sole traders and full and part time temporary contracts. Main outcome measures were three self reported health related outcomes (job satisfaction, health related absenteeism, and stress) and three self reported health problems (overall fatigue, backache, and muscular pains). Logistic regression and multilevel models were used in the analyses. SETTING: 15 countries of the European Union. PARTICIPANTS: 15 146 employed persons aged 15 or over. MAIN RESULTS: Precarious employment was consistently and positively associated with job dissatisfaction but negatively associated with absenteeism and stress (as compared with full time permanent workers). Fatigue, backache and muscular pains also tended to be positively associated with precarious employment, particularly with full time precarious employment. Small employers reported high percentages of stress and fatigue, but absenteeism was relatively low. Sole traders generally reported high percentages of all outcomes, except for absenteeism, which was low. For each type of employment (except temporary contracts), full time workers tended to report worse health outcomes than part time workers. Patterns were generally consistent across countries. Associations persisted after adjustment for individual level working conditions and were not modified by country level variables. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to examine the relations between various types of employment and six health related indicators for all 15 member states of the European Union. Suggestive patterns worthy of further exploration have been found. Standardised definitions of types of underemployment and health related outcomes, more potent epidemiological designs and the inclusion of socioeconomic information (for example, social security systems, incapacity benefit schemes) at the regional level are proposed for inclusion in further research.
Nursing--a human service increasing in size and significance--is facing deep changes. The organization of hospital wards is also influenced by these profound changes. The aim of this psychological research project sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Science, Research and Technology (BMBF) and part of the Saxonian Public Health Association was to determine the external and individual working conditions that put the personnel's health at risk, particularly in regard to burnout syndromes. Investigations should show possibilities in work organization that minimize such risks. Organizational designs have to ensure high quality levels of nursing care, as well as high quality of working conditions in nursing for the individual employee. This empirical study presents the results of an investigation of 53 medical, surgical and intensive care units of 7 Saxonian hospitals with 336 employees of the nursing departments. The size of the hospital, the service profile, the nursing standards and the organizational conditions of the nursing service influence work pressure and working attitude.
Comparison of unauthorised absenteeism rates were made between two large textile factories in Isfahan, Iran. The working conditions in the study factory were rather unsatisfactory, unlike the control factory. Comparison showed significantly higher rates for the study factory: the average annual duration per person was 7 days in the study factory versus 2.5 days in the control factory, and lost time percentage was 2.4% in the former versus 0.84% in the control. Inception rate of persons was 0.73 versus 0.48, and point prevalence rates 0.002 versus 0.001, whilst period prevalence rates were 0.016 versus 0.011 for the study and control factories respectively. Examination of the study factory data was made to determine any possible relationship between unauthorised absenteeism rates and age and length of employment. It was found that higher unauthorised rates were found amongst the younger workers, 100% for those age 19 and under, versus 59.6% for those age 50 and over. 9.16% of workers employed for 1--4 years took such leave against 70.14% of those employed for 10 or more years. Only 18.8% of all workers took certified sickness absenteeism and the rate increased with age. It was suggested that worker dissatisfaction toward unsatisfactory working conditions may be expressed in terms of unauthorised absenteeism. In view of the widespread consequences of such absenteeism, it is recommonded that closer attention be paid to improve the quality of working life.
OBJECTIVE: To examine whether improvement and/or deterioration of functional gastrointestinal symptoms relate to psychosocial factors, and whether patients with such symptoms have special characteristics with regard to working environment in comparison to a referent population. DESIGN: Multicentre, prospective study of consecutive patients seeking medical advice at health centres for gastrointestinal symptoms. SETTING: Several municipalities in Sweden: Vänersborg, Trollhättan, Tibro, Alfta, Borensberg, Malmö, Kungälv, Hudiksvall, Vadstena, and Sandviken. PARTICIPANTS: 615 patients, aged 18-81 years, who after medical examination, upper endoscopy and laboratory test were defined as having functional gastrointestinal disorders. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Initial characteristics and response to treatment according to a 5-graded symptom score as obtained from a psychosocial questionnaire collected during and at the end of a four-week treatment period. RESULTS: Patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders differed from a referent population of actively employed women and men in the county of Stockholm. They felt less possibility to influence their working conditions. Shift workers were also overrepresented. Psychosocial background factors had an effect on improvement of symptoms during four weeks of treatment. There were some differences between men and women. For women, working hours and home circumstances were important. After four weeks women who worked part-time felt better than those who worked full-time. Married women made a better recovery than single women. For men, working conditions had a greater effect on recovery. Those who felt that they received support from their colleagues at work improved to a greater extent than the other men.