{"title":"Electrocardiographic and Blood Electrolytes Findings in Athletic Students of Sports Academy in Bangladesh","authors":"F. Begum, Juma Rahman, R. Kabir","doi":"10.4172/2329-6879.1000218","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4172/2329-6879.1000218","url":null,"abstract":"Regular intensive exercise and training may cause structural and functional changes in the heart and also in their electrolyte level. We conducted a case control study among 50 athletic students of 20-30 years old enrolled from a renowned sport academy of Bangladesh named Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan (BKSP). 50 age-matched healthy non-athlete men were selected as controls. Electrocardiograph was recorded by Bionet Cardiocare-2000 (EKG-2000). Serum sodium, potassium and chloride levels were measured by The Beckman Coulter AU auto-analyzer, and serum bicarbonate level was measured by Dimension. Data were collected during the colder part of the year. In this study, heart rate was significantly (p<0.001) decreased and QRS duration was significantly (p<0.05) prolonged in study group than that of control group. Also, Serum sodium and Serum chloride level were lower and Serum potassium level was higher in study group than that of control group, which were statistically non-significant. These findings support other researchers conducted in different countries worldwide. Therefore routine screening of athlete’s will provide information regarding their physiologic adaptation to exercise and also helpful to measure water and electrolyte requirement before going for training session and match play.","PeriodicalId":19397,"journal":{"name":"Occupational medicine and health affairs","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89686359","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. Lunt, David Wick, E. Robinson, L. Andersen, V. Grosjean, Zofia MockaÅÅo, N. Wiezer
{"title":"Work-Life Balance: Time for a Change","authors":"J. Lunt, David Wick, E. Robinson, L. Andersen, V. Grosjean, Zofia MockaÅÅo, N. Wiezer","doi":"10.4172/2329-6879.1000E111","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4172/2329-6879.1000E111","url":null,"abstract":"Jennifer Anne Lunt1, David Fish Wick1, Ed Robinson1*, Lars L. Andersen2, Vincent Grosjean3, Zofia Mockallo4 and Noortje Wiezer5 1Partnership for Europe Research on Occupational Safety and Health (PEROSH) Wellbeing Group, Health and Safety Executive, Harpur Hill, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 9JN, UK 2Partnership for Europe Research on Occupational Safety and Health (PEROSH) Wellbeing Group, National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark 3Partnership for Europe Research on Occupational Safety and Health (PEROSH) Wellbeing Group, INRS, Paris, France 4Partnership for Europe Research on Occupational Safety and Health (PEROSH) Wellbeing Group, Central Institute of Labour Protection National Research Institute, Poland 5Partnership for Europe Research on Occupational Safety and Health (PEROSH) Wellbeing Group, TNO, Leiden, The Netherlands","PeriodicalId":19397,"journal":{"name":"Occupational medicine and health affairs","volume":"6 1","pages":"1-1"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90966006","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Developing Health Literate Businesses: A Qualitative Study","authors":"K. Sørensen, K. Czabanowska, H. Brand","doi":"10.4172/2329-6879.1000216","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4172/2329-6879.1000216","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: In recent years, health and healthy living have become increasingly important issues both in society at large and in the workplace. This study aims to explore how multinational companies develop health literacy strategies in the realm of corporate social responsibility to promote health at work and healthy living. \u0000Methods: In-depth, semi-structured interviews were made with key staff in 14 multinational companies possessing knowledge on the business’ health initiatives and analysed to develop a grounded theory. \u0000Findings:The study resulted in a three- tiered theoretical model implying that in order to improve health literacy businesses should make a clear strategic choice and incorporate health at work as a core value. Health programmes should be based on strategic policies and integrated in core business, rather than as independent health projects. The approach should be sustainable and match the needs of employees including health literacy as an explicit target. Health literacy outcomes should be measured and evaluated to follow the progress and ensure a proper fit between actual needs and the efforts undertaken. \u0000Societal implications: A mind shift is needed at business level to encourage health literate decisions not only in the fitness room, but also in the boardroom as part of corporate social responsibility. \u0000Originality: As only scarce research exists on health literacy and corporate social responsibility, the generated theory provides new perspectives for business actions on health literacy to promote health at work and healthy living.","PeriodicalId":19397,"journal":{"name":"Occupational medicine and health affairs","volume":"23 1","pages":"1000216"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78171796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The investigation of intra-rater and inter-rater agreement in Assessment of Repetitive Task (ART) as an ergonomic method","authors":"Jafari Roodbandi, A. Choobineh, V. Feyzi","doi":"10.4172/2329-6879.1000217","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4172/2329-6879.1000217","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Intra-rater and inter-rater assessment is a reliable method to determine the correlation between various observation results made by the same rater and between the observations of a rater and his/her colleagues. This study was intended to investigate intra-rater and inter-rater agreement in ART method, which is an ergonomic method to assess repetitive tasks. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2015 to assess body postures of 14 tasks in marquetry work via ART posture analysis method. Data were analyzed using SPSS 11 and Excel software. Results: For rater 1, ICC was 0.84 and for rater 2, it was 0.99. Inter-rater ICC value in the first assessment was 0.87 and in the second one, after a week, was 0.75. The results revealed that intra-rater agreement for rater 2 was better than that for rater 1 and inter-rater agreement was acceptable according to the ICC values. Discussion and conclusion: According to the research results, there was a relatively appropriate correlation for inter-raters and intra-raters in ART method. In order to improve intra-rater and inter-rater agreement, it is recommended that the assessment take place with both raters present in workplace and in addition to applying direct observational techniques, the body postures of the subjects be photographed while doing the tasks.","PeriodicalId":19397,"journal":{"name":"Occupational medicine and health affairs","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80109559","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"To assess the prevalence of occupational health related risks and use of safety measures among employees in Bralirwa processing industries in Rwanda","authors":"Edward Mbonigaba","doi":"10.4172/2329-6879.1000215","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4172/2329-6879.1000215","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Worldwide, occupational health related injuries have become potential public health issue leading to disability and death causing abandonment of work. Rwanda is one developing country which is at risk of having work related injuries due to the fact that its industrial economy is growing at a very fast rate which has attracted many investors in industrial sector. \u0000Objective: • To assess the prevalence of occupational health related risks and • To asses use of safety measures among employees in Bralirwa processing industries in Kigali Rwanda and • To specifically identify the types of occupational health related risks faced by the brewery employees, • To establish the occupational safety measures used by the brewery employees. \u0000Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study design carried out in Bralirwa processing industries in Kigali Rwanda from August to October 2012. This study employed mainly quantitative methods of data collection. A sample of 220 respondents was selected. Quantitative data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires and observational check list. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 17 and Stata soft ware computer packages. The study findings were summarized using proportions, percentages, frequencies and presented tabular format and figures. \u0000Results: Majority 72.7% (160/220) of the respondents were male. Half 50% (110/220) of the respondents were in the age range of 31-45 years. The findings indicated that 86.4% (190/220) of the respondents reported having suffered from occupational health related injuries. \u0000Conclusion: More than three quarters of the respondents reported having suffered from occupational health related injuries and these were physical injuries like falls, cuts and electrocutions and ergonomic related risks like fractures and dislocations. \u0000 Recommendations: The industry management should organize training and sensitization programs for the employees, hold regular meetings with employees to discuss on a number of health and safety issues.","PeriodicalId":19397,"journal":{"name":"Occupational medicine and health affairs","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83192225","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Methods overview of the commercial driver individual differences study","authors":"R. Hanowski","doi":"10.4172/2329-6879.S1.021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4172/2329-6879.S1.021","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19397,"journal":{"name":"Occupational medicine and health affairs","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73096165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comparative Study of Regulating the Moral Harassment: Lessons for China","authors":"Kai Liu","doi":"10.4172/2329-6879.1000214","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4172/2329-6879.1000214","url":null,"abstract":"Moral harassment in the workplace is increasingly recognized as a stressor with serious consequences for employees and organizations alike. The work environment can influence people’s exposure to moral harassment. Through the comparative study of the Chinese legal regime and the European legal regime, namely, through comparing legal systems vis-a-vis preventing moral harassment at the workplace, t China can learn from the EU by including psychological risks in the occupational hazards, stipulating moral harassment as more comprehensive concept include its complete content in the legal text, and to adopting ‘soft laws’ in order to complement the statutory laws.","PeriodicalId":19397,"journal":{"name":"Occupational medicine and health affairs","volume":"29 1","pages":"1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81017644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"High toxicity and carcinogenesis of occupational exposure to 4, 4-methylenebis (2-chloroaniline) (MBOCA)","authors":"Hong-I Chen","doi":"10.4172/2329-6879.1000213","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4172/2329-6879.1000213","url":null,"abstract":"4,4 -Methylenebis (2-chloroaniline) (MBOCA) is an aromatic diamine used widely as a curing agent for polyurethane and epoxy resins. The most notable risk factor for the development of lower urinary tract cancers is occupational exposure to aromatic amines, first noted in England in 1895 [1]. A sentinel case of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder was diagnosed in an MBOCA manufacturing factory in Taiwan in 2005 [2]. There is also no information regarding the daily dose of MBOCA to which workers were exposed or the route of exposure [3]. However, it remains unclear whether MBOCA causes malignancy.","PeriodicalId":19397,"journal":{"name":"Occupational medicine and health affairs","volume":"77 1","pages":"1-1"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85913635","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Demographic patterns of acoustic shock syndrome as seen in a large call centre","authors":"A. John, Loyal K. Poonamjeet, M. Peter, N. Musa","doi":"10.4172/2329-6879.1000212","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4172/2329-6879.1000212","url":null,"abstract":"Call centers represent one of the fastest growing industries in East Africa. However, there are health and safety hazards unique to this new industry. This field is underexplored for workers of call centers in East Africa and this study sought to establish the presence of acoustic shock syndrome, the age and sex characteristics of the staff involved and to determine correlation between duration of exposure and development of Acoustic shock syndrome. In a descriptive cross-sectional study, a total of 1351 employees, male 579 and female 772 subjects were recruited. They were screened for Acoustic shock syndrome. The age group of the subjects for this study ranged from 19-55 years. Those subjects with other medical conditions were excluded. The subjects were screened for acoustic shock syndrome using a questionnaire and the age, sex and duration of work was also sort. The total number of people with Acoustics shock syndrome were 385. This study has noted that 13% of workers at call centers develop Acoustic Shock syndrome irrespective of their duration of exposure. Males and females are affected equally. The peak groups affected are those with 3 and 5 years of work experience. Methods of noise measurement in such work environments need to be implemented so that a time weighted average can be established for protection of exposed workers.","PeriodicalId":19397,"journal":{"name":"Occupational medicine and health affairs","volume":"30 1","pages":"1-2"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82082263","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Measuring health of the home makers in Kerala","authors":"Jayasree Ak","doi":"10.4172/2329-6879.1000210","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4172/2329-6879.1000210","url":null,"abstract":"Kerala, one of the southern states of India is well known for its remarkable achievements in the field of health. State’s infant mortality Rate (IMR) is 12 against an IMR of 178 in the country. Maternal mortality rate of Kerala is 66 per lakh while national rate is 178 per lakh [1]. Female literacy (90%) is attributed as one of the major determinant of this achievement. But it is enigmatic to observe that the female work participation in the paid work force is as low as 28% [2]. But their contribution to the productive and reproductive sphere of social life is recognized in recent times. Majority of women who undertook the role of wives and mothers in the past, counted themselves as housewives considered the work done as their dutiesnot counting the value of their never ending toil to maintain the integrity of family. Value of their work was not accounted because it did not have exchange value. Consistent persuasion of women’s organizations resulted in counting house wives as contributors to the economy of nation. Now they are recognized as “home makers” which mean that their contribution got valued at least in the conceptual level. But they have yet to be compensated in daily life for their contribution. Gender division of labor and stereotyping prevail in all social relations both in private life and public sphere. Studies show that 80% of domestic work is performed by the home makers/ housewives [3].","PeriodicalId":19397,"journal":{"name":"Occupational medicine and health affairs","volume":"29 3 1","pages":"1-1"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79371774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}