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PubMed1999

Assessment of working conditions in a modern Russian milk processing plant from the aspect of occupational medicine.

AIM: Assessment of harmful industrial factors caused by work conditions in a modern milk processing plant. METHODS: Work conditions, rest, nutrition, medical service, and subjective health indices among the employees in a new milk processing plant were studied. We used a specially formed questionnaire; instrumental measurements of microclimate parameters, noise, and illumination at workplace; laboratory physical and chemical evaluation of air pollution with aerosols and gases in the plant premises; chronometric studies determining the workers' activity during the working day location, and physical and psychological body exertion at the time of industrial activities; and assessment of design and operating documents of the plant. Laboratory studies included 157 workers, 1,724 tests, 26 chronometric studies, and analysis of 11 plant's documents. RESULTS: Unfavorable microclimatic conditions, noise, inadequate illumination, air pollution with dust and toxic substances, physical workload, increased demand for concentration, and monotony of labor in mass production professions were found. A great proportion of workers was dissatisfied with their working conditions and many suffered from occupational diseases and work-related diseases. CONCLUSIONS: The conditions of work in the studied milk processing plant may be classified as harmful and dangerous. The flaws in technological process, omissions in design and construction of the plant, as well as its improper exploitation aggravated industrial harmful factors. In combination with unsatisfactory organization of rest, nutrition, and medical services in the plant these factors may affect the workers' health and cause general and occupational diseases.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Effect of de-industrialisation on working conditions and self reported health in a sample of manufacturing workers.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To explore the impact of de-industrialisation over a 20 year period on working conditions and health among sawmill workers, in the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada. DESIGN AND SETTING: This investigation is based on a sample of 3000 sawmill workers employed in 1979 (a year before the beginning de-industrialisation) and interviewed in 1998. The sample was obtained by random selection from an already gathered cohort of approximately 28 000 BC sawmill workers. Change in working conditions from 1979 to 1998 are described. Self reported health status, in 1998, was used as a dependent variable in logistic regression after controlling for confounders. MAIN RESULTS: Downsizing in BC sawmills eliminated 60% of workers between 1979 and 1998. Working conditions in 1998 were better for those who left the sawmill industry and obtained re-employment elsewhere. Workers who remained employed in restructuring sawmills were approximately 50% more likely to report poor health than those re-employed elsewhere. CONCLUSIONS: Working conditions and health status were better for workers who, under pressure of de-industrialisation, left the sawmill industry and obtained re-employment outside this sector.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Nurses' working conditions: implications for infectious disease.

Staffing patterns and nurses' working conditions are risk factors for healthcare-associated infections as well as occupational injuries and infections. Staffing shortages, especially of nurses, have been identified as one of the major factors expected to constrain hospitals' ability to deal with future outbreaks of emerging infections. These problems are compounded by a global nursing shortage. Understanding and improving nurses' working conditions can potentially decrease the incidence of many infectious diseases. Relevant research is reviewed, and policy options are discussed.

Communicable Diseases↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Associations between working conditions and angina pectoris symptoms among employed women.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine whether psychosocial working conditions are associated with angina pectoris (AP) symptoms in women. METHODS: Data were derived from postal questionnaires filled in by 40- to 60-year-old women employed by the City of Helsinki, Finland, in 2000 to 2002 (n = 7093, response rate 67%). AP symptoms were measured by the Rose Questionnaire. Logistic regression analyses were carried out to examine AP symptoms as outcome. Independent variables consisted of Karasek's job demands and job control, work fatigue, working overtime, work-related mental and physical strain, the work-home interface, and social support, adjusted for age. Confounding effects of socioeconomic status, health behaviors (smoking, binge drinking, body mass index), and menopause were also examined. Pregnant women were excluded. RESULTS: AP symptoms were reported by 6% of participants. Work fatigue was strongly associated with AP. In addition, working overtime, low job control, and high physical strain at work were associated with AP. The associations between psychosocial working conditions and AP symptoms were unaffected by health behaviors, socioeconomic status, or menopause. CONCLUSIONS: Working conditions were associated with the AP symptoms identified by the Rose Questionnaire. Longitudinal studies are needed to disentangle the causal relationships, i.e., whether psychosocial stress is a true risk factor/cause of angina symptoms and cardiovascular disease among women.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Work conditions, mastery and psychological distress: are housework and paid work contexts conceptually similar?

This research examined how the conditions of paid work and unpaid housework were related to women's sense of mastery, depressed mood and anxiety. The data for these analyses were taken from the American Changing Lives (ACL) survey (House, 1986). This research draws from a subsample of 992 black and non-Hispanic white women aged 24 to 59. The conditions of work on the job and in the home are not consistently related to women's psychological functioning. Among employed women, decision latitude on the job is related to depressed mood indirectly through their sense of mastery; the physical demands of work are directly related to depressed mood, but the effect is stronger among employed women than employed homemakers. In contrast, decision latitude at home is directly related to depressed mood among homemakers; the physical demands of housework are related to depressed mood only indirectly through women's sense of mastery. This pattern is repeated in the relationship between anxiety and decision latitude both at home and on the job, and in the relationship between anxiety and physical demands of work on the job. Both unpaid housework and paid work are forms of productive activity, but these findings suggest they are not a ubiquitous entity with similar effects for all women. Rather the context of work shapes the effect of work conditions for women's psychological functioning.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

[Work conditions and occupational features of female fur farmers].

The authors present some problems faced during use of "R 2.2.755-99" Manual in evaluating work conditions of female fur farmers. Gender approach appears necessary in evaluation of work conditions through physical, chemical, biologic factors and work intensity. The authors suggest evaluation scale for work conditions in influence of negative odorants on workers.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Influence of working conditions on job satisfaction in anaesthetists.

BACKGROUND: We studied job satisfaction, physical health, emotional well-being and working conditions in 125 Austrian and Swiss anaesthetists. METHODS: Responses to self-reporting questionnaires were evaluated. Dependent variables included job satisfaction, emotional well-being and physical health. Independent variables included age, sex, marital status, position and working conditions as assessed by the Instrument for Stress-related Job Analysis. RESULTS: Control over work shows a strong effect on job satisfaction in anaesthetists, for example influence on handling tasks (P=0.001), time control (P=0.002) and participation (P=0.001), whereas task demands and task-related problems did not have any effect. Anaesthetists in leading positions and specialists reported lower job satisfaction (P=0.012) than did anaesthetists in non-leading positions. Job satisfaction was associated with better physical health (P=0.001) and better emotional well-being (P=0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that a high level of job satisfaction in anaesthetists correlates with interesting work demands and the opportunity to contribute skills and ideas. To improve job satisfaction, more attention should be paid to improving working conditions, including control over decision-making, and allowing anaesthetists to have more influence on their own work pace and work schedule.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

The relevance of psychosocial variables and working conditions in predicting nurses' coping strategies during the SARS crisis: an online questionnaire survey.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationship between psychosocial variables and working conditions, and nurses' coping methods and distress in response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) crisis in Canada. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: The sample consisted of 333 nurses (315 women, 18 men) who completed an Internet-mediated questionnaire that was posted on the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) website between March and May 2004. The questionnaire was restricted to respondents who had to authenticate their RNAO membership with a valid username and password before accessing the questionnaire. This served a dual purpose: to ensure that only RNAO nurses completed the questionnaire and thereby safeguarding the generalizability of the findings; and second, to prevent any one nurse from contributing more than once to the overall sample. RESULTS: Correlational analysis yielded several significant relationships between psychosocial variables and working conditions, and the traditional correlates of burnout and stress. Three multiple regression analysis revealed that the model we evolved--including higher levels of vigor, organizational support, and trust in equipment/infection control initiative; and lower levels of contact with SARS patients, and time spent in quarantine--predicted to lower levels of avoidance behavior, emotional exhaustion, and state anger. CONCLUSIONS: By employing models of stress and burnout that combine psychosocial variables and working conditions, researchers can account for significant amounts of variance in outcomes related to burnout. These findings highlight the importance of vigor and perceived organizational support in predicting nurses' symptoms of burnout. For healthcare administrators, this means that a likely strategy for assuaging the negative outcomes of stress should address nurses' psychosocial concerns and the working conditions that they face during novel times of crisis.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2002

[Do maternal social factors, health behavior and work conditions during pregnancy increase the risk of low birth weight in Lithuania?].

UNLABELLED: The objective of the paper was to evaluate the importance of maternal social factors, health behavior (smoking, alcohol drinking and drug abuse) and working conditions on incidence of low birth weight (LBW). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Statistical analysis was performed utilizing database of Medical Birth Registry for the years 1995-1998 using the indicators of maternal social factors, health behavior and working conditions. Statistical analysis was carried out using statistical package SPSS 10.0. RESULTS: During 1995-1998 the incidence of LBW (< 2500 g) was 3.6 per cent. Young (< 20 years) and older (> or = 35 years) maternal age, low (primary or basic) education and "lone mother" status (single, divorced or widowed) increased the risk of delivering LBW baby. The odds ratio of smoking mothers to deliver LBW baby was 3.3. Odds ratios of LBW newborns associated with alcohol drinking and drug abuse were 10.3 and 6.1 respectively. The odds ratio of mothers physically abused during pregnancy to deliver LBW baby was 2.7. However, the harmful working conditions were not associated with the higher odds of LBW. Young and older age was attributable for 22.2 and 49.3 per cent LBW cases in the exposed group respectively. While attributable fraction in exposed due to the low educational level and unfavourable marital status accounted to 38.9 and 52.9 per cent LBW cases respectively. Smoking was attributable for 68 per cent LBW cases, alcohol drinking--87.2 per cent, drug abuse--80.5 per cent LBW cases among exposed mothers. Preventable population attributable risk for unfavourable marital status was 11.7 per cent, low education--9 per cent, smoking--8 per cent, older age--6.9 per cent. Drug abuse and hard manual work had minimal association while harmful working conditions were not associated with higher risk to deliver the LBW baby in the total population. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal health behavior peculiarities and hard manual work are related to newborns' birth weight, and medical professionals should encourage quitting the hazardous habits and regulation of workload for expectant mothers. Adverse social factors contribute to the higher incidence of LBW. The solution of social problems should become the priority of State health policy.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Caring for severely ill cancer patients. A comparison of working conditions in hospital-based home care and in hospital.

The goal of the study was to compare working conditions in a hospital with the conditions in a specialized hospital-based home care (HBHC) unit, which aims to replace hospital care for patients in need of institutional car. Staff (doctors included) in a HBHC unit (n = 35) and on three hospital wards (n = 113) participated in the study. All staff members worked regularly with severely ill cancer patients. Question about stress, job satisfaction and working conditions were asked in a self-administered questionnaire. Both groups showed a limited degree of continuous stress and a high degree of job satisfaction. Thus, the overall perception was than the working conditions were good. When significant differences were found, the responses of the HBHC staff were more positive. This included items such as more freedom to make their own decisions (P < 0.001), better co-operation between day and night shifts (P < 0.001), a more reasonable work load (P = 0.0001), fewer problems in communication with patients (P < 0.001), and fewer problems with tension (P < 0.05) and with sleeping (P < 0.05). The findings may be due to several factors: the HBHC staff were older, more often married, had more children, had worked longer in health care and were thus more experienced. Complementary explanations may be continuous education within the HBHC and an organization stimulating the staff's own initiative, but also capable of supporting when necessary.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Burnout, Professional↗
PubMed1998

A cross-sectional study of self-reported work conditions and psychiatric health in native Swedes and immigrants.

Several studies have demonstrated that immigrants in Scandinavian countries are more affected by psychosocial disabilities than the native-born population. The aim of the study was to evaluate the possible impact of work-related stressors on psychiatric health in immigrants compared to native Swedes. The study included a cluster selected cohort of 1,040 men born in 1944 (participation ratio = 79.9%), living in Gothenburg, Sweden. Of these, 182 (18.0%) were immigrants, defined as being born outside Sweden. Information on work conditions and psychiatric health were obtained by self-administered questionnaires. Employment in native Swedes showed inverse associations to frequent use of anxiolytics [relative risk (RR) = 0.2; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.06-0.4], frequent use of hypnotics (RR = 0.1; CI = 0.02-0.2) and use of antidepressants (RR = 0.3; CI = 0.2-0.5). None of the employed immigrants used anxiolytics or hypnotics frequently. Swedes seemed to display a number of psychiatric ill-health factors related to working conditions. These factors included frequent use of hypnotics, frequent insomnia, use of antidepressants, a high degree of melancholy, and were related to shift work, dissatisfaction with current work and management and a low degree of influence on work situation, often related to a high degree of stress at work and a frequent desire to change type of work. These associations were not seen in immigrants, apart from the risk of frequent insomnia (RR = 4.7; CI = 1.2-18.3) and dissatisfaction with colleagues (RR = 10.4; CI = 2.2-48.8) when working in shift. With a few exceptions, non-optimal working environment was associated with a low degree of life satisfaction in both groups. It was hypothesized that optimal working conditions are important for maintaining psychiatric health, and that immigrants, when employed, seem less affected by impaired working conditions than native Swedes.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗
PubMed1986

[Health status and working conditions of female workers in the textile industry in Lódź].

Within a cross-sectional representative study of textile industry workers in Lódź, the rate of chronic diseases in particular occupational groups of women, as related to age, socio-living conditions and work environment, has been analysed. Furthermore, a representative gynaecologic examination has been carried out in a randomly selected group of women and occupational and non-occupational workload has been estimated. The study delivered ample information on the health conditions and revealed a number of disadvantageous phenomena inherent in the population and in the gynecologic care system for the women employed in the test plants.

Female↗
PubMed1999

Working conditions and health effects of ethylene oxide exposure at hospital sterilization sites.

Ethylene oxide (EtO) is a powerful disinfectant and sterilant for heat-sensitive surgical items and instruments. Its use in hospitals constitutes an important source of occupational exposure that is sometimes underestimated, such as in cases of EtO device malfunction when the safety rules of procedure are not strictly followed or when individual or collective protective equipment is lacking. We carried out a descriptive study of the health care workers who were assigned to EtO sterilization units of the Lille University Hospital Centre in Lille, France (n = 16). Before the modification of the sterilization units in the development of a single, central sterilization site, we studied the workplaces, occupational conditions, and work procedures of the health care workers exposed to EtO. The aim was to assess the risk of EtO overexposure of the workers in order to improve workers' health and security in the future sterilization center. The study was based on a physical examination, a questionnaire covering each subject's personal and occupational history, and a complete ocular examination. For occupational conditions, the studies of each workplace were also performed by the occupational physician. Area and personal breathing air samplings were performed at each exposure site. Fourteen of the 16 operators had posterior and anterior subcapsular lens opacities, three of which seemed to be directly and primarily related to occupational exposure; the other ten seemed to be rather common and compatible with age. High levels of EtO exposure were reported in the oldest site (90 parts per million [ppm] during the changing of the gas bottle), where exposure often exceeded French threshold limits (permissible exposure limit: 1 ppm 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) in air; short-term excursion limit: 5 ppm 15-minute TWA in air), or the current US recommended and legal exposure limits for EtO advocated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (permissible exposure limit: 1 ppm 8-hour TWA in air; excursion limit: 5 ppm 15-minute TWA in air), and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health standard (recommended exposure limits: 0.1 ppm 8-hour TWA in air; 5 ppm 10-minute TWA in air). The faults in the work processes, such as interruption of the sterilization cycle and disregard for the use of protective devices, were very common.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Hygienic characteristics of working conditions and their effect on the functional state of workers engaged in the manufacture of reinforced concrete products].

The study of the impact of working conditions on body functioning state of those engaged in the production of reinforced concrete products showed that these working conditions were characterized by a number of unfavourable factors, complex occupational aerosol and industrial microclimate being the leading ones. It was pointed out that working conditions affected the degree and the character of shifts in workers' body functioning state. Climatic and geographical characteristics also had some influence on the parameters of occupational microclimate and workers' body functioning state.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Resident Medical Officer working conditions in New Zealand: results of a recent survey.

AIMS: To survey Resident Medical Officers (RMOs) and Senior Medical Officers (SMOs) working at Auckland District Health Board (ADHB) on various aspects of RMO-working conditions and to trial the use of electronic keypad responders for this purpose. METHODS: In April 2004, the Physicians Grand Round at ADHB was used as a forum to conduct a survey on RMO working conditions in New Zealand. Results were collected anonymously using electronic keypad responders and recorded in a spreadsheet to allow analysis and comparison of the two professional groups. RESULTS: 27 RMOs and 32 SMOs attended and participated in the survey, answering 11 questions. Responses showed significant differences between the two groups in 7 of the 11 questions asked. In addition, both groups favoured changes to the status quo on a significant number of issues. CONCLUSIONS: RMOs and SMOs in New Zealand have differing opinions regarding the working conditions of RMOs. This study supports the need for wider scale, national discussion of these issues and the development of appropriate strategies to address these differences and their implications.

Contracts↗
PubMed2000

[Approaches to occupational evaluation of allergy danger caused by work conditions].

The authors defined major criteria for allergenic danger caused by work conditions. The criteria include sensibilizing activity, intensity of chemical allergen, routes of its intake, combinations and associations with other occupational hazards and, according to hygienic classification of work and to classification of chemical allergens, to importance in causing the allergic diseases, are assessed in points. Using the criteria, considering various associations of allergies and concomitant factors and their correspondence to occurrence and severity of immunologic and allergic disorders, clinical signs of allergies (including occupational), the authors specified integral scale for evaluation of allergenic danger caused by work conditions.

Humans↗