Albin Stjernbrandt, Hans Pettersson, Jens Wahlström, Ingemar Rödin, Tohr Nilsson, Lage Burström
{"title":"Hand cold stress testing among Arctic open-pit miners: a clinical study.","authors":"Albin Stjernbrandt, Hans Pettersson, Jens Wahlström, Ingemar Rödin, Tohr Nilsson, Lage Burström","doi":"10.1080/10803548.2024.2383051","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2024.2383051","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Objectives</i>. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of individual characteristics (sex, age, body mass index [BMI] and smoking habits) on the tolerance time, pain ratings and rewarming time of hand cold stress testing (CST). <i>Methods</i>. We included 153 subjects (63% men) working in a Swedish open-pit mine (participation rate 41%). The right hand was immersed in 3 °C circulating water for up to 45 s. Pain ratings were registered every fifth second using a visual analog scale. <i>Results</i>. The tolerance time (mean ± standard deviation) was 35 ± 12 s for men and 29 ± 14 s for women (<i>p </i>= 0.007). The youngest age group (18-29 years) had the longest tolerance time, while the oldest group (54-65 years) had the shortest (<i>p </i>= 0.005). Women had significantly higher pain ratings than men after 5, 10 and 25 s. The group with the highest BMI had the shortest rewarming time (<i>p </i>< 0.001). <i>Conclusions</i>. Age and sex influenced the tolerance time of hand CST, while only sex affected the pain ratings and BMI the rewarming time. When performing CST in future studies, these parameters should be considered.</p>","PeriodicalId":47704,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics","volume":" ","pages":"1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142056919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Farjana Parvin, Md Rafiquzzaman, Md Shohel Parvez, Alberuni Aziz
{"title":"Ergonomic compatibility between sewing workstation and Bangladeshi apparel workers.","authors":"Farjana Parvin, Md Rafiquzzaman, Md Shohel Parvez, Alberuni Aziz","doi":"10.1080/10803548.2024.2385786","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2024.2385786","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Prolonged sitting with awkward posture during sewing results in musculoskeletal disorders among sewing operators. This study aimed to identify the compatibility of the sewing furniture with operators' anthropometry. Therefore, 13 anthropometric measurements of 368 sewing operators were collected and compared with sewing furniture dimensions. The results showed that all anthropometric measurements other than hip breadth were larger for male participants. In addition, statistical analysis performed on the collected data showed significant variation compared to the existing dimensions of sewing machines. Results also indicated a high mismatch for different dimensions of the sewing table and chair, such as seat height, seat width, seat depth, table depth, etc. For this reason, sewing operators often experience musculoskeletal disorders. Finally, this study recommends some guidelines for designing the sewing workstation, which might act as a basis for manufacturers or importers to set provisions for sewing machines.</p>","PeriodicalId":47704,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142074173","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The relationship between core endurance, physical activity level and balance in office workers.","authors":"Songul Baglan Yentur, Ezgi Yarasir","doi":"10.1080/10803548.2024.2387484","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2024.2387484","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Objectives</i>. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between core endurance tests and physical activity level, balance, ergonomics and pain in office workers. <i>Methods</i>. The study included 57 office workers who had been employed for at least 1 year. Core endurance was assessed using McGill core endurance tests. Physical activity, balance, pain and ergonomic risks were evaluated with the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ), timed up and go (TUG), visual analog scale (VAS) and rapid office strain assessment (ROSA), respectively. <i>Results</i>. A significant correlation was found between balance and static core endurance tests. However, no significant correlation was found between ergonomics and physical activity level and core endurance tests except for trunk extension and prone bridge tests. In addition, there was a significant difference in core endurance tests for patients with and without regular exercise habits. Waist circumference and hip circumference measurements were found to be significantly negatively associated with static core tests. <i>Conclusion</i>. Core endurance was found to be associated with exercise habits, balance, hip and waist circumference and ergonomics in office workers. Improving core endurance may be beneficial for preventing musculoskeletal risks in office workers.</p>","PeriodicalId":47704,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics","volume":" ","pages":"1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142037297","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bus drivers' anger and anger expression in driver-passenger conflicts.","authors":"Yi Tang, Qun Chen, Shi Ye","doi":"10.1080/10803548.2024.2387485","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2024.2387485","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bus driver anger due to passenger misbehavior may lead to serious bus accidents, yet there are no mature tools available to capture bus driver reactions during driver-passenger conflicts. The bus driver anger scale (BDAS) and the bus driver anger expression inventory (BDAX) were developed to measure the anger levels and expressions of drivers in such conflicts. A bus driver anger model was developed based on 400 questionnaires in Changsha, China. The findings indicate that drivers are most likely to be angered by passenger violations and quarrels among passengers. Drivers irritated by passenger irregularities tend to employ personal aggressive expression or adaptive/constructive expression. Disputes among passengers may lead drivers to resort to unreasonable methods of venting their emotions. Moreover, passengers' rude behaviors can trigger bus drivers' aggressive personal expressions. Therefore, it is necessary to establish passenger regulations and encourage drivers to express their anger reasonably in driver-passenger conflicts.</p>","PeriodicalId":47704,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics","volume":" ","pages":"1-14"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142037296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Khalil Taherzadeh Chenani, Mehdi Jahangiri, Farzan Madadizadeh, Vida Sadat Anoosheh
{"title":"Factors associated with occurrence of workplace violence against healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a meta-analysis.","authors":"Khalil Taherzadeh Chenani, Mehdi Jahangiri, Farzan Madadizadeh, Vida Sadat Anoosheh","doi":"10.1080/10803548.2024.2381981","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2024.2381981","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Objectives</i>. Healthcare systems all over the world are increasingly alarmed by the prevalence of workplace violence (WPV) directed at healthcare workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the aim of the current review was to investigate the factors associated with WPV against HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. <i>Methods</i>. This study was conducted in December 2021. Four international databases along with two Iranian databases were searched. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement served as the foundation for the reporting procedure. <i>Results</i>. A total of 13 articles were included in the analysis. Results showed that females are less at risk of WPV (odds ratio [<i>OR</i>] 0.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.67, 0.84], <i>p</i> = 0.000 based on a fixed-effects model). Moreover, significant association was found between education level (<i>OR</i> 1.09, 95% CI [1.05, 1.14]), age (correlation = 0.025, 95% CI [0.014, 0.036]) and work experience (correlation = 0.028, 95% CI [0.016, 0.016]) and WPV. <i>Conclusion</i>. The primary factors linked to WPV exposure were found to be gender, education level, age and work experience. Additional research is necessary to provide more accurate and detailed data.</p>","PeriodicalId":47704,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics","volume":" ","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141996684","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Evaluation of a passive back-support exoskeleton during in-bed patient handling tasks.","authors":"Liying Zheng, Chandra Sekhar Varma Alluri, Ashley L Hawke, Jaejin Hwang","doi":"10.1080/10803548.2024.2383077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2024.2383077","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study evaluated the effects of a back-support exoskeleton on the trunk and hip joint angles, lower back muscle activity and heart rate during four patient handling tasks: assisting a patient from sitting to lying, laterally repositioning the patient and turning the patient in two directions. Eight participants performed these tasks with and without the exoskeleton. Results demonstrated a significant reduction in the lower back muscle activity, but less pronounced effects for other tasks involving minimal trunk flexion. Hip flexion angles were reduced for all tasks when the exoskeleton was worn. The amount of reduction in the muscle activity and changes in the trunk and hip angles varied by task. The exoskeleton did not affect the heart rate across all tasks. The exoskeleton appeared to be more effective in tasks requiring substantial trunk flexion, indicating its potential benefits for reducing lower back muscle strain during such activities.</p>","PeriodicalId":47704,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics","volume":" ","pages":"1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141996683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Differentiating hand gestures from forearm muscle activity using machine learning.","authors":"Ryan Cho, Sunil Puli, Jaejin Hwang","doi":"10.1080/10803548.2024.2383021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2024.2383021","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study explored the use of forearm electromyography data to distinguish eight hand gestures. The neural network (NN) and random forest (RF) algorithms were tested on data from 10 participants. As window sizes increase from 200 ms to 1000 ms, the algorithm accuracies increased with RF from 85% to 97% due to the increased temporal resolution. It was also noticed that the RF performed better with an accuracy of 85% than the NN with accuracy 80% when the temporal resolution was smaller, indicating the RF will be efficient when quick-response time is important. As the window size increases, the NN showed higher performance, suggesting that NN will be useful when higher accuracy is required. Future studies should increase the sample size, include more hand gestures, use different feature extraction methods and test different algorithms to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the system.</p>","PeriodicalId":47704,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics","volume":" ","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141976930","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nansel Vonkat, Umar Ali Umar, Musa Hassan Ibrahim, Ayodeji Nathaniel Oyedeji
{"title":"Ergonomics and health risk awareness of workers involved in manual material handling at Sabon Gari Market in Zaria, Nigeria.","authors":"Nansel Vonkat, Umar Ali Umar, Musa Hassan Ibrahim, Ayodeji Nathaniel Oyedeji","doi":"10.1080/10803548.2024.2383060","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2024.2383060","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study assessed the manual handling of materials in a local market environment and evaluated workers' awareness of ergonomics and health risks. Of 315 workers surveyed, 308 responded. The findings revealed a high prevalence rate of 96.4% for injuries and musculoskeletal discomfort, attributed to a low ergonomics and health risk awareness rate of only 6.8%. Consequently, 75% of workers resorted to self-medication or drug abuse for relief. The study also explored barriers to using engineering equipment, finding that 26.3% of respondents cited cost as a barrier, while 51% believed that the introduction of engineering equipment would lead to job loss. This research is valuable for practitioners and researchers as it highlights the current state of ergonomics and health risk awareness among workers who handle heavy loads. The study also highlights the need for improved ergonomic practices and health risk awareness to reduce injury rates and promote safer work environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":47704,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics","volume":" ","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141903207","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Evaluation of safety culture factors in the construction industry: a cross-country study of sites.","authors":"Figen Atasever, Meksut Alev, Serap Tepe, Bulent Mertoglu","doi":"10.1080/10803548.2024.2382523","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2024.2382523","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the construction industry, most safety culture studies are limited to a single country, with minimal attention to cross-country studies. This limits creating a foundation for a robust framework and reliable safety culture scale. This study addresses this gap by studying safety culture in 10 countries, including those without previous studies. The survey instrument, completed by 311 construction employees, identified seven key factors measuring safety culture, with content and construct validity ensuring the reliability and validity of survey findings. Results indicated that work experience, education level and employment status have significant impacts on employees' safety culture. Additionally, similarities and differences in these factors across countries were investigated, and the fatalism and optimism factor and the work pressure and priority factor are the most significant contributors to the weakening of safety culture in the construction industry. This research allows industry practitioners to systematically assess on-site safety culture, oversee practices and improve.</p>","PeriodicalId":47704,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics","volume":" ","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141903208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ruan Eduardo Carneiro Lucas, Eugenio Andrés Díaz Merino, Luiz Bueno da Silva, Wilza Karla Dos Santos Leite, Jonhatan Magno Norte Silva, José Flávio Rique Júnior
{"title":"Influence of extended working hours and physical recovery on absenteeism in the footwear industry from a system dynamics model.","authors":"Ruan Eduardo Carneiro Lucas, Eugenio Andrés Díaz Merino, Luiz Bueno da Silva, Wilza Karla Dos Santos Leite, Jonhatan Magno Norte Silva, José Flávio Rique Júnior","doi":"10.1080/10803548.2024.2382619","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10803548.2024.2382619","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Objectives</i>. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are recurrent in the footwear industry, resulting in absenteeism. This study aimed to quantitatively analyze the influence of overtime work and physical recovery time on the occurrence of WMSD-related absenteeism using a system dynamics model. As ergonomic methods have limitations in quantitatively simulating the behavior of these relationships, the integration of computational modeling techniques has emerged as a methodological alternative to bridge this gap. <i>Methods.</i> An ergonomic work analysis (EWA) was developed in a production cell of a large company. A model of causal relationships (causal loop diagram) and a simulation model (flow and stock diagram) were then developed, where three scenarios for overtime and physical recovery time were analyzed. <i>Results</i>. Working an additional hour resulted in a 42% increase in physical overload, leading to 7.62 leave requests per year and 78.7 days of employee absenteeism. Increasing the physical recovery time by 15 min reduced the overload to 36.5%, resulting in 6.8 leave requests per year and 71.1 days of employee absenteeism. <i>Conclusions.</i> Properly managing excess workload and providing adequate physical recovery for professionals is necessary to mitigate the productivity impacts of absenteeism in the footwear industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":47704,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics","volume":" ","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141898635","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}