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PubMed1995

[Hygienic assessment of the working conditions for repairmen in the production of pure nickel and copper metals at nickel mills].

Mechanic workers in electrolysis shops of copper and nickel production appear to work in conditions characterized by some occupational hazards, mostly by air pollution with aerosol of nickel sulfate. The study covered influence of work conditions and complexity on the workers' health state, that is demonstrated by higher morbidity and present occupational diseases.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed2004

Psychosocial working conditions and the risk of esophageal and gastric cardia cancers.

BACKGROUND: For reasons yet unknown, the incidence of esophageal and gastric cardia adenocarcinoma is increasing rapidly and moderately, respectively. These tumors occur predominantly among males. We hypothesized that stressful psychosocial working conditions might be involved in the etiology of these cancers. OBJECTIVE: To study if job strain, work pace satisfaction and coping are linked to the risk of esophageal or cardia cancers. METHODS: A nationwide Swedish population-based case-control study including 189 and 262 esophageal and cardia adenocarcinoma cases, respectively, 167 esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma cases, and 820 controls. All study subjects were interviewed. The relative risk was estimated using odds ratios, with 95% confidence intervals, adjusted for potential confounders. RESULTS: We found no statistically significant associations between two different measures of job strain and the three cancer types, except between one job strain measure and risk of cardia adenocarcinoma (OR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.0-4.8). There was a moderately strong association between having a covert coping style, compared to an overt, and risk of both esophageal (OR: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.2-2.8) and cardia adenocarcinoma (OR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.0-2.3). Among subjects reporting low work pace satisfaction we found an almost 4-fold increased risk of esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma (OR: 3.8; 95% CI: 1.3-11.0), and a nearly 3-fold increased risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma (OR: 2.8; 95% CI: 1.1-7.0). CONCLUSIONS: Work-related stress does not seem to be of importance in the etiology of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus or the gastric cardia. However, the interaction of a stressful work environment and the individual's responses to it may be associated with a moderately increased risk of these cancer types.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2001

Principles for shaping working conditions according to ILO conventions and EC directives.

The strategy for the improvement of occupational safety and health is presented. The role of the state and the workers in shaping working conditions has changed over the years, and this process is traced through ILO and EC documents. There must be a coherent up-to-date national policy in this field. Safety and the protection of the workers' health is perceived by the Community legislation not only in the terms of the worker's individual interest, but also from a social viewpoint, consisted in striving for general improvement of the work environment. The Community regulations aspire to satisfy the public interest, and directives set the maximum level of protection but also serve as minimum standards not infringing the more favourable national regulations. They define requirements that should already be met at the planning and designing stages.

Certification↗
PubMed1989

[Questionnaire survey in the study of working conditions of machine operators in the agriculture].

A questionnaire survey was undertaken among machine operators in order to determine unfavourable occupational factors, fatigue degree, burden and intensity of labour, capacity for work and their health state. It was established that working conditions had certain influence on operators' organism. The relationship of their body effect on anthropometric data, age and length of service was demonstrated.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Internal medicine housestaff and attending physician perceptions of the impact of the New York State Section 405 regulations on working conditions and supervision of residents in two training programs.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the attitudes of internal medicine housestaff and their attending physicians regarding the impact of the reduction in on-call working hours and increased supervision mandated in New York by a revision of the State Health Code (Section 405). DESIGN: Survey of senior medical housestaff and attendings two years after the adoption of the mandated changes. SETTING: Two independent medicine housestaff training programs of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-three percent of third- and fourth-year residents (n = 79) and 60% of voluntary and full-time attendings (n = 266) responded. MEASUREMENTS: A factor analysis of 13 variables that appeared on both versions of the survey identified two interpretable factors. A multivariate analysis of variance compared responses to each factor by group and by campus, and Bonferroni post-hoc comparisons analyzed the items within factors. Chi-square analyses compared responses of residents and attendings to the open-ended questions. RESULTS: Significant differences between the housestaff and attendings groups were found for all fixed-response items (minimum p < 0.05 for all analyses), but both groups agreed that the regulations had a positive impact on resident attitudes regarding the demands on their time. Both groups were also uncertain whether the new regulations had a beneficial effect on the choice of internal medicine as a career, the quality of resident supervision, and residents' intellectual interest in challenging medical problems. Whereas residents agreed that the regulations diminished their fatigue, had no impact on their ability to observe the full impact of interventions on patients, and resulted in better patient care, attendings were uncertain or disagreed. While attendings agreed that the regulations had caused a shift-work mentality among residents, housestaff were uncertain. CONCLUSIONS: Housestaff had more positive attitudes about the impact of the mandated changes in working conditions for residents than did attending physicians in the same institutions. The major benefits seen by residents were less fatigue and more spare time. There was no consensus about whether these changes had a positive impact on internal medicine practice and clinical supervision. There was some concern that a shift-work mentality is developing among residents and that continuity of patient care has suffered. Thus, despite some substantial benefits, Section 405 may not be achieving its goals of improving resident supervision and the quality of patient care by houseofficers.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1989

Measurement of absolute energy spectra from a clinical CT machine under working conditions using a Compton spectrometer.

Absolute measurements of photon energy spectra (keV-1 sr-1 mA-1 s-1) from a clinical CT machine have been performed under normal working conditions (140 mA tube current) using a Compton spectrometer. The inaccuracy of the measured spectra is estimated to be +/- 6%, determined by uncertainties in dead-time corrections and in the parameters of the geometrical set-up. Absorbed doses measured in thermoluminescent LiF dosimeters agree within this uncertainty with calculated ones derived from measured spectra (80 kVp, 120 kVp and 140 kVp) and tabulated mass energy absorption coefficients for LiF. Comparison with tabulated energy spectra from the literature clearly shows the effect of the extremely small anode angle (7 degrees) in the CT machine (15 degrees and 17 degrees for the tabulated energy spectra).

Algorithms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Back pain in industry: prevalence, correlation with work conditions and requests for reassignment by employees].

Using data from a cross-sectional survey of 974 employees of a metal company in Germany, we analysed the frequency of chronic back pain, ist associations with working conditions, and the requests for workplace modifications, expressed by persons afflicted with chronic back pain. With a prevalence of 32% chronic back pain was the most common health problem. Physical work exposures, such as lifting and carrying as well as working in an awkward position, were strongly (multivariable odds ratios > or = 2.8) associated with chronic back pain, whereas environmental factors were moderately (multivariable odds ratios = 1.6) associated. Most psychosocial stressors, such as time pressure, and conflicts with co-workers and superiors, were moderately associated with chronic back pain as well (age-adjusted odds ratios between 1.4 and 1.8). Stress symptoms, such as irritation and strain, are rated as mediators by possibly linking psychosocial stressors to chronic back pain. If the individual subject is compelled to perform monotonous or repetitive work, he feels underrated, and this has proved to be a risk factor in its own right. Prolonged exposure to physical stressors (> 7 years) was associated with a strongly elevated risk for chronic back pain (age-adjusted odds ratios > or = 4.0 compared to the nonexposed). Blue collar workers afflicted with chronic back pain requested a reduction of their physical work load significantly more often than their non-afflicted colleagues. In contrast, female white collar employees with chronic back pain layed most emphasis on more physical exercise at work. Worksite health promotion programmes should consider these differences in order to meet the specific needs and preferences of different occupational groups.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Better working conditions won by 'nurse wave' action: Japanese nurses' experience of getting a new law by their militant campaign.

Japanese nurses, like their counterparts in many other countries, are suffering from staff shortages and severe working conditions. The Japan Federation of Medical Workers' Unions (Nihon Iroren) launched a campaign in 1989 for nurses called the 'Nurse Wave'. Their demands were many: to increase the numbers of nursing staff, the regulation of night shifts, the implementation of a five-day working week everywhere, a fair appraisal of nurses' work, better vocational training, etc. Nurses in white uniforms assembled at meetings, marched and took part in nation-wide strikes. They collected over 5.4 million petition signatures, which they submitted to Parliament. After three years of campaigning, they won the enactment of a law for securing sufficient numbers of nursing personnel. This struggle, which highlighted the most pressing demands of nurses and was supported by the general public, was a new experience for Japanese nurses. It was a militant movement which demanded that the Government should change its health policy. Against the sluggish image of the Japanese labour movement, strikes and demonstrations organized by nurses dressed in white have made a strong impression on the Japanese people. As health care is a public service on which the life and death of people depend, a strike at a health institution naturally has constraints and must follow specific procedures. In this article, the measures taken by Nihon Iroren to minimize the consequences of strikes on patients and the local community, the impact of the nurses' movement on the society, as well as the lessons drawn from the campaign, are presented.

Humans↗
PubMed1997

[Identification of working conditions in small enterprises. A project for drafting hygienic recommendations for employers--concepts for monitoring].

One of the outcomes of the transformation process which has been lasting already for few years is a dynamic development of so called small business. The level of knowledge of work hygienic and sanitary conditions in very limited in this group of enterprises. The research project which is being now implemented attempt a comprehensive identification and then evaluation of working conditions in small enterprises as well as the disclosure of essential failures and their sources. The results obtained will be used as a basis for developing hygienic recommendations and guidelines for employers how to improve health and hygienic conditions. The first step in the project implementation was to select provinces (voivodships) and enterprises operating there, in which the research is going to be carried out and to develop a research instrument in the from of a questionnaire which will be used to collect information on working conditions in enterprises selected. The questionnaire is composed of two sections: (1) an essential one dealing with hygienic and sanitary aspects of the work environment and conditions understood in their broadest sense, and (2) a supplementary one addressed entirely to employers and raising the question of their awareness as to the hazards related to the work environment.

Commerce↗
PubMed2003

Working conditions and health of the employees of public bus and trolleybus transport in Lithuania.

A questionnaire was used for investigation of 788 workers from three transport enterprises. The questionnaire was used for evaluation of occupational environment, lifestyle, psychosocial factors and self-evaluation of health. The most harmful occupational factors are unsatisfactory microclimatic conditions, diesel fuel, cooling oil, vibration, musculoskeletal load, and mental tension. Worker's lifestyle isn't healthy: 46% of them are smoking, 83% are drinking alcohol, 53% are physically inactive, 82% have bad nutrition regimen, 27% are everyday suffering from stressful situations. Main health impairments are musculoskeletal (46.2%), respiratory tract (22.2%), gastrointestinal (17.3%) and central nervous system (32.2%) diseases. Musculoskeletal disorders are statistically related to bad ergonomic work conditions, long workday hours, aged employees and long work experience of workers (p<0.05-0.002).

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Association of plasma antibodies against the inducible Hsp70 with hypertension and harsh working conditions.

Autoantibodies against certain stress or heat shock proteins (Hsps) may play a role in the pathogenesis and/ or prognosis of some diseases. Using immunoblotting with human recombinant Hsps and univariate and multivariate logistic regression models, we have investigated the presence of antibodies against Hsp70, the inducible member of the 70-kDa family of heat shock proteins, and analyzed its possible association with hypertension and working conditions. Plasma and serum were collected from 764 steel mill workers from 6 work sites exposed to (1) severe noise; (2) severe noise and dust; (3) noise, dust, and heat; (4) noise and heat; (5) severe noise and heat; and (6) office conditions (control). Workers with prolonged exposure to stresses such as noise, dust, and high temperature and a combination of these in the workplace had a high incidence (26.6% to 40.2%) of antibodies to Hsp70 compared to the lowest incidence (18.6%) of antibodies to Hsp70 in the control group of office workers. Moreover, there was a statistical association of antibodies against Hsp70 with hypertension. The statistical correlation between the presence of antibodies to Hsp70 and hypertension is higher in the group of workers with blood pressure of 160/95 mmHg than in the 140/90-mmHg group after excluding possible effects of the workplace stresses. These results suggest that harsh workplace conditions can increase the production of antibodies against Hsp70 and that the presence of antibodies to this stress protein may be associated with hypertension. The precise mechanism for the elevation of antibodies against Hsps by environmental and workplace stresses and their relation to hypertension remains to be established.

Autoantibodies↗
PubMed2005

Association of personality and work conditions with depressive symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have found a relationship between job-related stress and depressive symptoms in different occupational groups, and that personality may modify the risk of developing depressive symptoms. We aimed to examine the association of personality and other individual and work conditions with depressive symptoms. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: A sample of 498 teachers answered a questionnaire concerning individual and work characteristics, some job-related perceptions, and the wish to change jobs. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D) and personality was measured by the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-125). RESULTS: Depressive symptoms were associated with female gender, age, low job satisfaction, high job stress, the wish to change jobs, working at a public school, and with higher scores on harm avoidance and novelty seeking and lower scores on self-directedness. CONCLUSIONS: Our results underline the influence of personality traits on the development of depressive symptoms independently of other individual characteristics and the occupational context.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Effect of working conditions on vision in microcomputer users].

The paper presents the conditions of the ocular strain due to accommodation and convergence, and adaptation to the varying lighting in computer users. It discusses the features of a screen monitors, work unit lighting and organization. Bad working conditions as well as undetected or uncorrected refraction defects are the basic cause for subjective and objective symptoms of eye discomfort. The paper shows the need for an adaptation of glasses to the atypical working distance.

Accommodation, Ocular↗
PubMed1997

[Significance of working conditions of hospital specialists whether or not to recommend a medical career].

In this study we examine to what extent hospital specialists would recommend their children or grandchildren to choose a medical career and the sort of working conditions that influence their recommendation. During the spring of 1996 we issued a questionnaire to 664 hospital specialists who qualified in 1970 (107 specialists). 1980 (260 specialists) and 1990 (297 specialists). One out of three specialists would advise his or her children or grandchildren against choosing a medical career. Retired doctors have a more positive attitude than those in employment. 45% of specialists working in hospitals were overworked, and among these 58% of doctors with little scope for decision-making would not recommend a medical career whereas 15% of doctors with greater decision-making responsibilities would advise against a medical career. Job satisfaction contributes positively to hospital specialists recommending a medical career.

Career Choice↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Nursing understood as a vocation and its relationship to nurses' attitudes towards work conditions].

This study aimed at reflecting about nursing as job by disconsidering the widely accepted conception that identifies it as an assistance activity for that conception might hinder actions towards coping with and changing work conditions. The study attempted to place in history the context in which the vocational/religious model was elaborated as well as to identify the manifestations of that conception in the discourse of Nursing freshmen and seniors, pointing out the fact that the teaching activity must be permeated by the conception of nursing/work.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗