International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Prevalence and risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders among farmers involved in manual farm operations.
Authors: Jain R, Meena ML, Dangayach GS Abstract The aim of the current investigation is to determine the risk factors affecting the musculoskeletal system of 100 manual working farmers of India. The information regarding prevalence and risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. For evaluating the risk in operations, rapid entire body assessment (REBA) and rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) techniques were used. The existence of various risk factors and their influence on the MSDs were found significant during crop cutting/harvesting and weeding op...
Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health - November 21, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Tags: Int J Occup Environ Health Source Type: research

A meta-analysis of airborne asbestos fiber concentrations from work with or around asbestos-containing floor tile.
Authors: Perez AL, Nelson ML, Cheng TJ, Comerford CE, Scott PK Abstract In this meta-analysis, exposures to airborne asbestos during work with or around floor tiles were characterized according to several variables: study, sample type, activity, and task. Personal breathing zone, bystander, and area sample exposure concentrations were differentiated and compared against current occupational exposure limits to asbestos. In total, 22 studies, including 804 personal, 57 bystander, and 295 area samples, were included in the analysis. The arithmetic mean airborne fiber concentrations were 0.05, 0.02, and 0.01 ...
Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health - October 27, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Tags: Int J Occup Environ Health Source Type: research

Chemical use in the semiconductor manufacturing industry.
CONCLUSIONS: Each year, 4.3 and 8.3 tons of chemicals were used per person in factories A and B, respectively. Because of the high level of commercial secrecy and the use of many unregulated chemicals, more sustainable policies and methods should be implemented to address health and safety issues in the semiconductor industry. PMID: 30281405 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health)
Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health - October 4, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Tags: Int J Occup Environ Health Source Type: research

Occupational health and safety in cannabis production: an Australian perspective.
The objective of this paper is to describe the current landscape of the commercial Australian cannabis industry, summarise occupational health and safety (OHS) hazards in cannabis-related working environments, and provide suggestions for safeguarding worker health and well-being in this emerging industry. A comprehensive search of peer-reviewed and grey literature published between 1900 and 2017 was undertaken to identify case studies and original epidemiological research on OHS hazards associated with the cannabis cultivation and the manufacture of cannabis-based products. The review found that the majority of OHS studies...
Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health - October 4, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Tags: Int J Occup Environ Health Source Type: research

Using leading and lagging indicators to select safe contractors at the prequalification stage of construction projects.
Authors: Liang H, Zhang S, Su Y Abstract The contractor-selection decision at the prequalification stage is critical to the project success. An insufficient prediction of contractors' safety capacities using only lagging indicators may hinder the continuous improvement of safety performance in the construction industry. This research enhanced construction management and practices by proposing a comprehensive safe contractor selection model which integrated both leading and lagging indicators. First, a set of leading and lagging safety indicators were identified based on literature review and expert opinion...
Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health - September 26, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Tags: Int J Occup Environ Health Source Type: research

Bio-monitoring of DNA damage in matchstick industry workers from Peshawar Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study corroborates that matchstick chemicals can potentially damage the DNA of exposed subjects. PMID: 30247095 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health)
Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health - September 26, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Tags: Int J Occup Environ Health Source Type: research

Heat stress in rice vermicelli manufacturing factories.
CONCLUSION: Workers in indoor rice vermicelli manufacturing factories can be exposed to heat stress, and the current measures in place may not be sufficient to protect workers against heat stress injuries. Preventive measures such as engineering controls and heat acclimatization programs are important. PMID: 30222068 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health)
Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health - September 19, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Tags: Int J Occup Environ Health Source Type: research

Impact of occupational cadmium exposure on bone in sewage workers.
Authors: Taha MM, Mahdy-Abdallah H, Shahy EM, Ibrahim KS, Elserougy S Abstract Cadmium (Cd) is one of the environmental risk factors for bone loss. The present study included 40 sewage workers occupationally exposed to Cd. Forty nonexposed men were included as a control group. Current smokers represented 65% and 47.5% of the exposed and control groups, respectively. The study aimed to investigate the hazard of occupational Cd exposure on bone health. This was achieved through measuring serum and urinary Cd, and calcium (Ca), in addition to serum osteoprotegerin (OPG) and estrogen receptor-α gene. Results ...
Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health - September 19, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Tags: Int J Occup Environ Health Source Type: research

Seropositivity in animals and risk of occupational brucellosis among abattoirs personnel associated with poor work practices and absence of safety policy in Egypt.
Conclusions The current findings reveal the missing role of concerned authorities and lack of written safety policy. The data highlights the need for further research, including isolation and characterization of the causative agents, and reliable epidemiological studies. PMID: 30222073 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health)
Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health - September 19, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Tags: Int J Occup Environ Health Source Type: research

Variations in perinatal mortality associated with different polluting fuel types and kitchen location in Bangladesh.
This study examines the association between household air pollution from use of polluting cooking fuels and perinatal mortality in Bangladesh. We analysed the data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys (BDHS) 2004, 2007, 2011, and 2014. The two outcome variables were stillbirth and early neonatal mortality. The exposure variable was type of primary cooking fuel used in the household (clean vs. polluting). Bivariate and multivariable analyses were conducted to obtain the crude and adjusted odds ratio (aOR), respectively. In the adjusted model, the exposure to polluting fuels was associated with early neonatal m...
Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health - August 31, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Tags: Int J Occup Environ Health Source Type: research

Digging deeper into the shared variance among safety-related climates: the need for a general safety climate measure.
Authors: Hutchinson DM, Andel SA, Spector PE Abstract We combined three independent streams of workplace climate research, safety, violence prevention, and civility, to devise a general safety climate scale that explicitly addressed a variety of risks. A confirmatory factor analysis suggested that a higher-order factor may be responsible for the similarity in relationships across these safety-related climate measures with exposure to organizational hazards and resulting employee outcomes. As a result, a concise 10-item measure was developed and validated to assess a possible general safety climate factor. ...
Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health - August 31, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Tags: Int J Occup Environ Health Source Type: research

Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among Indian railway sahayaks.
In conclusion, railway sahayaks were found to have high rate of MSDs which may be associated with lifting/carrying heavy loads in awkward postures. Ergonomic interventions must be implemented to reduce the risk level on this group of workers. PMID: 30146953 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health)
Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health - August 28, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Tags: Int J Occup Environ Health Source Type: research

Resurgent lead poisoning and renewed public attention towards environmental social justice issues: A review of current efforts and call to revitalize primary and secondary lead poisoning prevention for pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children within the U.S.
This study calls for action during a time of renewed public attention to resurgent lead poisoning within the U.S. PMID: 30139311 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health)
Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health - August 26, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Tags: Int J Occup Environ Health Source Type: research

Prevalence and correlates of psychological stress among teachers at a national key comprehensive university in China.
Authors: Li W, Kou C Abstract The present study investigated the levels of stress and associated factors in university teachers to provide a foundation for exploring strategies for preventing teacher stress. We conducted a cross-sectional survey using a composite questionnaire with the 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) as the core at a comprehensive university located in northeast China. The number of effective respondents was 603. The average K10 score was 22.87 ± 8.18, and the positive rate (K10 > 21) was 54.06%. University teachers generally experienced high stress levels. The h...
Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health - July 29, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Tags: Int J Occup Environ Health Source Type: research

Influence of vitamin intake and MTHFR polymorphism on the levels of DNA damage in tobacco farmers.
CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that folate, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6 deficiency may be associated with genotoxic effect in individuals exposed to pesticides. PMID: 30052162 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health)
Source: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health - July 29, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Tags: Int J Occup Environ Health Source Type: research