Physiological Demands of Common Occupational Tasks among Australian Police Officers: A Descriptive Analysis
ConclusionPolice officers experienced numerous physiological challenges ranging from an intensity of very light exercise through to near maximal and maximal exercise throughout their working day with occasions where their heart rates exceeded 100 %HRmax. These findings highlight the physiological stress associated with common occupational policing tasks, highlighting the importance of cardiovascular health in police officers and the need for cardiovascular monitoring and conditioning. (Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene)
Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene - March 11, 2022 Category: Occupational Health Source Type: research
Psychological First Aid Intervention after Exposure to a Traumatic Event at Work among Emergency Medical Services Workers
In conclusion, the PFA intervention offered by peer helpers is appreciated by recipients and is a beneficial first step toward support ing EMS workers in the aftermath of workplace trauma. These qualitative findings contribute to the current literature by informing further research about PFA intervention in other high-risk organizations and quantitative studies aiming to test PFA’s efficacy in such settings. (Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene)
Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene - February 28, 2022 Category: Occupational Health Source Type: research
Health Effects of Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia at a High Altitude among Chilean Miners: Rationale, Design, and Baseline Results of a Longitudinal Study
ConclusionsDespite longer periods of acclimatization to CIH, subjects continue to present AMS and sleep disturbance. Compromise of executive functions was detected, including working memory at HA. Further rigorous research is warranted to understand long-term health impacts of high-altitude mining, and to provide evidence-based policy recommendations. (Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene)
Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene - August 26, 2021 Category: Occupational Health Source Type: research
Comment to Dueck et al. ‘Welding Fume Exposure and Health Risk Assessment in a Cohort of Apprentice Welders’: Need for Safety Education and Cardiovascular Diseases Prevention
Recently,Duecket al. (2021) from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada published an article on welding fumes exposure and health risk assessment in a cohort of apprentice welders. Interestingly, they found that levels of atmospheric concentration of total particles and metals increased during training course and especially for manganese, chrome, nickel, and zinc. In multivariate analysis, the principal determinant of particles concentrations was the welding process. (Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene)
Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene - August 16, 2021 Category: Occupational Health Source Type: research
40 Years of AIOH: A Summary of the AIOH2020 40th Anniversary Virtual Symposium
(Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene)
Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene - August 4, 2021 Category: Occupational Health Source Type: research
Contamination of Air and Surfaces in Workplaces with SARS-CoV-2 Virus: A Systematic Review
ConclusionsThe reliability of the reported data is uncertain. The methods used for measuring SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses in work environments should be standardized to facilitate more consistent interpretation of contamination and to help reliably estimate worker exposure. (Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene)
Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene - July 30, 2021 Category: Occupational Health Source Type: research
Characterizing the Chemical Profile of Incidental Ultrafine Particles for Toxicity Assessment Using an Aerosol Concentrator
AbstractIncidental ultrafine particles (UFPs) constitute a key pollutant in industrial workplaces. However, characterizing their chemical properties for exposure and toxicity assessments still remains a challenge. In this work, the performance of an aerosol concentrator (Versatile Aerosol Concentration Enrichment System, VACES) was assessed to simultaneously sample UFPs on filter substrates (for chemical analysis) and as liquid suspensions (for toxicity assessment), in a high UFP concentration scenario. An industrial case study was selected where metal-containing UFPs were emitted during thermal spraying of ceramic coating...
Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene - July 27, 2021 Category: Occupational Health Source Type: research
Experimental Assessment of Workplace Radiation Exposure in Diagnostic X-ray Medical Imaging Centres in Benin from 2019 to 2020
AbstractThe ease of prescribing radiological examinations has prompted an expansion in radiological procedures and, consequently, an increase of occupational dose to medical imaging workers. However, little is known about radiation exposure in the workplace of medical radiology professionals in many countries, and in Benin particularly. The purpose of this study was to assess ambient radiation doses in diagnostic X-ray medical facilities in Benin and to observe whether exposure levels are below reference levels. A total of 72 public and private medical imaging centres participated in a cross-sectional study carried out fro...
Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene - July 13, 2021 Category: Occupational Health Source Type: research
Noise Exposure and Evaluation at Tire- Changing Facilities
AbstractThirty (30) personal noise-exposure samples were collected on 20 tire-changing and repair technicians in three tire-changing facilities to determine their personal noise exposures and to estimate the maximum number of tire changes that could be performed without exceeding occupational exposure limits. Of the 30 projected 8-h time-weighted average noise samples, none exceeded the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ’s Permissible Exposure Limit, 1 (3%) exceeded the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Action Level, and 18 (60%) exceeded the American Conference for Governmental Industrial Hyg...
Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene - July 6, 2021 Category: Occupational Health Source Type: research
What Determines Step-Rate at Work? An Investigation of Factors at the Shift, Worker, Ward, and Nursing Home Levels in Eldercare
ConclusionsWe found that nearly all variability in step-rate in eldercare work occurs between shifts (within workers) and between workers (within wards). The main determinants of step-rate were related to the type of shift, type of work tasks, staffing ratio, break policy, and availability of elevators. (Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene)
Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene - June 17, 2021 Category: Occupational Health Source Type: research
Exposure to Bioaerosols During Fish Processing on Board Norwegian Fishing Trawlers
ConclusionsFishermen in the processing area on board Norwegian trawlers are exposed to airborne bioaerosols as proteins, trypsin, fish allergen parvalbumin, and endotoxin. Levels varied between trawlers and type of production. (Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene)
Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene - June 10, 2021 Category: Occupational Health Source Type: research
Compliance Testing and Homogenous Exposure Group Assessment in the South African Coal Mining Industry
ConclusionsAll three approaches mainly confirmed non-compliance of HEGs. SAMI CoP tended to show compliance of HEGs more than CEN. Non-homogenous HEGs had many job titles that were homogenous according to both SAMI CoP and GSD criteria. There was no perfect agreement of homogeneity by all the indicators. For both future constitutions of HEGs as well as a retrospective assessment of high exposure groups, homogeneity can be improved by using job titles. (Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene)
Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene - June 5, 2021 Category: Occupational Health Source Type: research
Beliefs, Facilitating Factors, and Barriers in Using Personal Dosimeter among Medical Radiation Workers in a Middle-Income Asian Setting
This study highlighted some unique findings in Asian settings. A better understanding of the underlying reasons for the lack of dosimeter use will be useful in developing strategies to increase good practices in personal radiation monitoring. (Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene)
Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene - May 25, 2021 Category: Occupational Health Source Type: research
Quantitative Fit Evaluation of N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators and Coronavirus Inactivation Following Heat Treatment
AbstractReuse of filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs, commonly referred to as N95s) normally meant for single use has become common in healthcare facilities due to shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we report that murine hepatitis coronavirus initially seeded on FFR filter material is inactivated (6 order of magnitude reduction as measured by median tissue culture infective dose, TCID50) after dry heating at 75 °C for 30 min. We also find that the quantitative fit of FFRs after heat treatment at this temperature, under dry conditions or at 90% relative humidity, is not affected by single or 10 heating cycl...
Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene - May 17, 2021 Category: Occupational Health Source Type: research
Exposure to Hand-Arm Vibration in the Australian Workforce
ConclusionsHAV is common in the Australian working population. Given the health risks associated with this exposure, reduction strategies and interventions should be developed, with engineering controls as the starting point for exposure reduction strategies. (Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene)
Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene - May 17, 2021 Category: Occupational Health Source Type: research
