Anthony D. LaMontagne, Christopher Lockwood, Andrew Mackinnon, David Henry, Laura Cox, Neil R. Hall, Tania L. King
{"title":"MATES in Manufacturing: A Cluster RCT Evaluation of a Workplace Suicide Prevention Program","authors":"Anthony D. LaMontagne, Christopher Lockwood, Andrew Mackinnon, David Henry, Laura Cox, Neil R. Hall, Tania L. King","doi":"10.1002/ajim.23698","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajim.23698","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The MATES in Construction suicide prevention program was adapted to the manufacturing sector and evaluated in a pilot of the program.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Ten manufacturing worksites were randomly assigned to intervention (5 sites) and wait-list control (5 sites) conditions in a two-arm cluster randomized design. 1245 workers responded at baseline (87% response rate) and 648 at final (35% response rate). Literacy of Suicide Scale (LOSS) was assessed as a process outcome, and help-seeking intentions as the primary outcome (General Help-Seeking Questionnaire [GHSQ] score). Secondary outcomes included help sought, suicidal thoughts and likelihood of suicide attempt scores, and Kessler-6 scores. Linear mixed models for repeated measures were used in intention-to-treat (ITT) and completer analyses.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>All sites finished the trial, with intervention periods ranging from 8 to 11 months; however, none of the five intervention sites fully implemented the intervention as planned. ITT analyses showed an improvement in LOSS scores within the intervention group (0.49, 95% CI 0.13–0.49), but the mean difference in change between intervention and control included the null (0.34, 95% CI −0.10 to 0.80). The primary outcome of GHSQ scores also improved within the intervention group, but the difference in change included the null (mean difference 1.52, 95% CI −0.69 to 3.74). No secondary outcomes improved relative to control in ITT or completers analyses. Exploratory analysis of disaggregated GHSQ help sources showed greater improvement in mean difference in change for the main MATES message of seeking help from MATES Connectors.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The intervention, as implemented, was not effective at achieving the primary or secondary outcomes.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Trial Registration</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry: ACTRN 12622000122752.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7873,"journal":{"name":"American journal of industrial medicine","volume":"68 4","pages":"331-343"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajim.23698","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142969408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ryann E. Yeo, Fanni R. Eros, Paul A. Demers, Jeavana Sritharan
{"title":"Risk of Raynaud's Phenomenon Among Workers in the Occupational Disease Surveillance System","authors":"Ryann E. Yeo, Fanni R. Eros, Paul A. Demers, Jeavana Sritharan","doi":"10.1002/ajim.23700","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajim.23700","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Introduction</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) is linked to occupational exposures such as vibration, cold temperature, and chemicals. However, large cohort studies examining RP by occupation and sex are scarce. To address this gap, this study aimed to assess risk of RP by both occupation and sex in a large cohort of workers in Ontario, Canada.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Workers with accepted lost-time compensation claims were linked to physician billing records to identify diagnoses of RP between 2002 and 2020. A 3-year washout (disease-free) period was applied, and follow-up was limited to 5 years. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for diagnoses of RP, adjusted for age at start of follow-up, birth year, and stratified by sex.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A total of 7,131 RP cases were identified among 810,739 workers. Among men, higher risks were observed for truck drivers (HR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.08–1.41), driver-salesmen (HR = 2.54, 95% CI = 1.21–5.34), those in mining and quarrying-related cutting, handling, and loading (HR = 2.57, 95% CI = 1.29–5.15), and construction trades laboring and elemental work (HR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.24–2.34). Among women, higher risks were observed for those working in waitressing and related (HR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.22–2.38), food and beverage preparation (HR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.02–1.76), and electrical equipment fabricating and assembling (HR 1.96, 95% CI = 1.08–3.55).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Study findings show elevated risks of RP among various occupations, with notable differences between men and women. These differences may be attributable to variations in potential exposures and susceptibility to RP. Findings underscore the need for large cohort studies to examine RP across various occupational groups and both sexes.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7873,"journal":{"name":"American journal of industrial medicine","volume":"68 4","pages":"344-357"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajim.23700","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142942842","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nazia Zerin, Scott P. Breloff, Fei Dai, Robert E. Carey, Christopher M. Warren, Kevin D. Moore, Ashley L. Hawke, Erik W. Sinsel, John Z. Wu
{"title":"Phase Level Assessment of Ergonomic Intervention Effectiveness in Reducing Knee Musculoskeletal Disorder Risks During Residential Roof Shingle Installation","authors":"Nazia Zerin, Scott P. Breloff, Fei Dai, Robert E. Carey, Christopher M. Warren, Kevin D. Moore, Ashley L. Hawke, Erik W. Sinsel, John Z. Wu","doi":"10.1002/ajim.23701","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajim.23701","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study aimed to assess how knee savers (KSs) and knee pads (KPs) alleviate risks of knee musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among roofers during various phases of shingle installation. These phases encompass (1) reaching for shingles, (2) placing shingles, (3) grabbing a nail gun, (4) moving to the first nailing position, (5) nailing shingles, (6) replacing the nail gun, and (7) returning to an upright position.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In a laboratory setting, nine male participants simulated the shingle installation task on a slope-adjustable roof platform (0°, 15°, and 30° slopes) under four intervention conditions: no intervention (NO); with KPs only (KP); with KSs only (KS); and with both KPs and KSs (BO). Knee flexion, abduction, adduction, and internal/external rotations were measured to assess intervention impact through statistical analysis.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Phase 5 (nailing shingles), one of the riskiest phases, saw reduced knee rotations, with BO and KP interventions being the most effective. Phase 6 (replacing the nail gun) exhibited notable reductions in all knee rotations, primarily due to BO intervention. Significant improvements in certain knee angles for other phases were noted, particularly with BO intervention.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>BO and KP can lower knee strain by minimizing extreme knee postures and thereby reducing the risk of MSDs during the installation of shingles, especially at critical periods and on steeper slopes. This study highlights the importance of applying focused ergonomic techniques in the roofing sector to improve workers' musculoskeletal health.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7873,"journal":{"name":"American journal of industrial medicine","volume":"68 S1","pages":"S131-S143"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142942841","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Alternative Formulations of Job Strain and Sleep Disturbances: A Longitudinal Study in the United States","authors":"Yijia Sun, Megan Guardiano, Mayumi Saiki, Jian Li","doi":"10.1002/ajim.23686","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajim.23686","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Sleep disturbances are a major public health concern in the United States, leading to adverse health outcomes. In the working population, job strain has been identified as an important risk factor for sleep disturbances, but evidence from the United States remained limited. This study aimed to examine longitudinal associations between job strain and sleep disturbances in the United States, with a focus on the alternative formulations of job strain.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A total of 1721 participants were drawn from two waves of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study, with an average 9-year follow-up period. Job strain was measured using Karasek's Job-Demand-Control model and operationalized in six formulations: standard quadrant, simplified quadrant, linear, quotient, logarithm quotient, and quartile based on quotient. Generalized Estimating Equations were used to estimate longitudinal associations of alternative formulations of job strain at baseline with sleep disturbances across follow-up. Corrected Quasi-likelihood Information Criterion (QICu) was used to assess the goodness of fit.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>All approaches showed that higher job strain at baseline was significantly associated with an increase in sleep disturbances across follow-up. QICu scores indicated that continuous Demand-Control formulations (linear, quotient, logarithm quotient) had better model performance of 4602.66, 4604.28, and 4601.99, respectively. The logarithm quotient showed the best fit.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our findings imply the importance of early workplace interventions in reducing job strain to improve sleep hygiene. They further show that the continuous formulations quantifying job strain were more consistent and robust, which provides suggestions for future workplace health research in the United States.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7873,"journal":{"name":"American journal of industrial medicine","volume":"68 3","pages":"264-272"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142942859","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gollapalli Muralidhar, A. Vinoth, Upasana Uniyal, Krishna Nirmalya Sen
{"title":"Enhancing Construction Safety Through Workplace Surveillance and Systematic Follow-Ups","authors":"Gollapalli Muralidhar, A. Vinoth, Upasana Uniyal, Krishna Nirmalya Sen","doi":"10.1002/ajim.23703","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.23703","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Globally, construction jobs are associated with serious occupational safety and health (OSH) risks. In large construction projects, managing OSH risks is challenging due to a multitude of factors, and it is important to have sound management strategies and innovative solutions to tackle these ever-evolving OSH risks. Safety surveillance plays a pivotal role in accident prevention in the construction industry. We evaluated the effectiveness of ongoing surveillance coupled with proactive management follow-up in a cross-section of 26 large construction workplaces.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Trained safety observers were deployed using a digital platform to record and report risk conditions, along with the details such as category, potential risk, responsible persons, and so forth. At the same time a predictive tool to calculate the possibility of severe adverse outcomes such as “Lost Time Incident” (LTI) or fatality was introduced. The outcomes were followed up and reviewed by the leadership teams on a regular basis.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Enhanced efforts from worksite safety observers resulted in capturing of higher number of safety lapses, which necessitated additional efforts from the line managers to take prompt corrective and preventive actions to mitigate OSH-related risks. Over the study period, the rate of risk conditions being recorded showed a gradual downward trend, as did the associated rates of recorded injuries.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study affirms the hypothesis that a structured proactive approach with active leadership involvement and prompt remedial actions can aid in significant improvement of working conditions and safety performance at construction projects.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7873,"journal":{"name":"American journal of industrial medicine","volume":"68 S1","pages":"S98-S105"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143513508","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"California Warehouse Industry Worker Injury Rates in the Occupational Health and Safety Administration's Injury Tracking Application, 2018–2023","authors":"Stella Beckman, Naissem Andamel, Robert Harrison","doi":"10.1002/ajim.23697","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajim.23697","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Occupational health and safety surveillance in the US relies primarily on federal and state administrative data sources which all have limitations created by underreporting and different sampling frames. To begin closing data gaps, in 2019 the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration began requiring many US business establishments to submit injury and illness data to the Injury Tracking Application (ITA). We present an example use of these data by characterizing injuries in the California warehousing industry.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Yearly ITA data for 2018–2023 were obtained and cleaned to exclude invalid records, resulting in 3717 records from California General Warehousing and Storage (GWS, NAICS 493110) establishments. Annual rates of total reportable injuries and cases of injuries requiring days of job transfer or restriction (DJTR) were calculated.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Total injury rates peaked in 2021, with 5.87 injuries per 100 workers. While total injury rates subsequently declined, 2023 DJTR rates remained elevated over 2018 rates (3.21 vs. 1.84 per 100 workers). The primary analytical limitations were potential bias due to underreporting, and difficulty in identifying warehouse establishments.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The ITA data are a valuable addition to existing administrative data sources, with several limitations similar to those in other administrative datasets. The findings of consistently elevated total and DJTR injury rates in California's warehousing industry are consistent with previous research and indicate that outreach and enforcement efforts should be expanded to protect the health and safety of warehouse workers.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7873,"journal":{"name":"American journal of industrial medicine","volume":"68 3","pages":"295-303"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142891427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sarah Tucker, Yi Du, Rishad Ahmed, Gleb Haynatzki, Suraj Adhikari, Risto H. Rautiainen
{"title":"Dermal Exposure to Agrochemicals as Risk Factor for Skin Cancer in Farmers and Ranchers in the US Central States","authors":"Sarah Tucker, Yi Du, Rishad Ahmed, Gleb Haynatzki, Suraj Adhikari, Risto H. Rautiainen","doi":"10.1002/ajim.23696","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajim.23696","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Farm operators are at a high risk of developing skin cancer due to their occupational sun exposure. With the growing incidence of skin cancer, it is also important to evaluate other occupational risk factors. Farm operators confront numerous physical, chemical, and biological hazards in their work environment. This study investigated whether dermal exposures to pesticides/fertilizers, animals/livestock, detergents/disinfectants, and fuels/solvents/paints were associated with the risk of skin cancer in farm and ranch operators.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Surveillance data from the Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (CS-CASH) Farm and Ranch Health and Safety Surveys in 2018 and 2020 were used to explore the risk of skin cancer in farm operators in seven US central states. Farm production variables from the DTN Farm Market database were merged with survey responses. The associations of skin cancer and exposure variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression modeling.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The prevalence of skin cancer was 10% among 7943 operators. Univariable analyses showed that men had 1.62 times higher odds of skin cancer compared to women. The odds of skin cancer increased significantly with age. Livestock, fed cattle, cow-calf, and beef production increased the odds of skin cancer. Exposure to pesticides/fertilizers and fuels/solvents/paints also increased the odds of skin cancer compared to unexposed operators. In the final multivariable model, the associations of skin exposure to pesticides/fertilizers (odds ratio (OR) = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.08–1.56) and to fuels/solvents/paints (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.01–1.45) remained statistically significant after adjusting for sex, age, and state. Having livestock also increased the odds of skin cancer (OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.00–1.38).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Skin is a critical source of occupational exposures among farm operators. Increased odds of skin cancer in this study emphasizes the need for better protection against exposures to chemicals including pesticides/fertilizers, and fuels/solvents/paints.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7873,"journal":{"name":"American journal of industrial medicine","volume":"68 3","pages":"286-294"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajim.23696","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142891429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reviewers for the American Journal of Industrial Medicine 2024","authors":"John D. Meyer","doi":"10.1002/ajim.23699","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajim.23699","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":7873,"journal":{"name":"American journal of industrial medicine","volume":"68 2","pages":"210-213"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142885118","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Psychosocial Hierarchy of Controls: Effectively Reducing Psychosocial Hazards at Work","authors":"Asta Kjærgaard, Emilie Marie Rudolf, Julie Palmqvist, Mikala Ernebjerg Jakobsen, Jeppe Zielinski Nguyen Ajslev","doi":"10.1002/ajim.23694","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajim.23694","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Psychosocial hazards in the workplace contribute to mental disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and musculoskeletal ill-health. The Hierarchy of Controls applied to NIOSH <i>Total Worker Health</i> (TWH HOC) aims to mitigate these hazards through effective interventions. This study proposes a revision of the model resulting in a HOC for psychosocial hazards (P-HOC) and explores its application in improving the working environment.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We reviewed recent literature on organizational and individual interventions to revise the TWH HOC to a psychosocial HOC framework. Subsequently, the modified P-HOC was applied to a qualitative case study of nine Danish companies participating in the Danish “Agreement to problem-solve” labor inspection strategy. We analyzed the types of initiatives implemented and gathered qualitative data on employee and management perspectives on their effectiveness.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The study led to a revision of the TWH HOC resulting in a P-HOC prioritizing organizational measures with documented effect, and indicating the importance of comprehensive measures. Findings from the qualitative study indicate a predominant contemporary focus on lower-level P-HOC initiatives, such as individual-based approaches and administrative controls. While these interventions show some improvements in mental well-being and work culture, they seem insufficient to enhance the comprehensive psychosocial environment. Companies implementing higher-level interventions experienced greater efficacy, particularly when employing multifaceted approaches.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The study emphasizes the need for a more robust application of higher-level measures and multifaceted interventions to better improve the psychosocial working environment. Future research should investigate the P-HOC's varying impact and explore alternative frameworks for better intervention outcomes.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7873,"journal":{"name":"American journal of industrial medicine","volume":"68 3","pages":"250-263"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajim.23694","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142871154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
John Dement, Knut Ringen, Marianne Cloeren, Sammy Almashat, William Grier, Patricia Quinn, Kim Cranford, Anna Chen, Scott Haas
{"title":"Hearing Loss Is Associated With Increased Mortality in a Cohort of Older Construction Trades Workers","authors":"John Dement, Knut Ringen, Marianne Cloeren, Sammy Almashat, William Grier, Patricia Quinn, Kim Cranford, Anna Chen, Scott Haas","doi":"10.1002/ajim.23693","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajim.23693","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Hearing loss has been associated with increased mortality, and there is evidence that regular use of hearing aids reduces the mortality risk. However, these associations have not been sufficiently studied in worker populations at high risk for noise-induced hearing loss.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Medical examination data for 19,379 workers employed in US Department of Energy (DOE) facilities were used. Speech-frequency pure-tone average hearing loss and hearing aid use were ascertained. Mortality status through 2021 was obtained from the National Death Index. Cox regression examined the association between hearing loss and mortality and the impact of hearing aid use.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Eight thousand eighty-one workers (41.3%) had speech-frequency hearing loss and 2228 (15.3%) of these workers reported use of hearing aids. A total of 5398 deaths occurred over a median follow-up of 11.1 years. Hearing loss was an independent risk factor for higher mortality with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 1.10 (95% CI = 1.03−1.17). The HR increased with hearing loss severity but the relationship was non-linear. Hearing aid users were at 30% reduced risk of mortality compared to those not using hearing aids (HR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.63−0.77).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Results are consistent with research linking hearing loss with increased mortality and the preventive impact of hearing aid use. These findings should inform workers' compensation programs in favor of: (1) better coverage of hearing loss for noise-exposed workers, and (2) inclusion of hearing aids in medical benefits. Reduction in noise exposures is a priority and workers with hearing loss should be encouraged to use hearing aids.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7873,"journal":{"name":"American journal of industrial medicine","volume":"68 3","pages":"273-285"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142863124","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}