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This paper focuses on something not previously addressed by the literature, labour inspection in Spain in the first decades of the Franco dictatorship. Despite the Franco dictatorship's fascist-style approach of regulatory interventionism, this research shows a relapse into an abstentionist conception of labour inspection that led to worker vulnerability. The study has not only found, as was already known, normative similarities with the contemporaneous Italian and German dictatorships, but also similar (although more severe) limitations to the functioning of the inspection service. The slight improvement registered from 1947 onwards and the effort to achieve a limited equivalence with Western democracies also failed to notably improve working conditions, occupational safety and worker protection. The Labour Inspectorate suffered from understaffing and a lack of resources up to the very end of the dictatorship, something which the incipient democracy then inherited. These human and material resource shortages continue to be a problem and are currently debated in Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among healthcare workers is partly attributed to the low adoption of patient transfer assistive devices. This study aimed to evaluate the nurses' perceived workload, technology acceptance, and emotional states during the use of the sliding board (SB) and mechanical intervention in the form of a Motorised Patient Transfer Device (MPTD). The SB and MPTD activities were performed by seven nurses on a simulated patient. The nurses' facial expressions were recorded during the trial. The NASA Task Load Index and technology acceptance questionnaire were also assessed. The MPTD significantly reduced the mean overall NASA-TLX score by 68.7% (p = 0.004) and increased the overall acceptance score (median = 8.30) by 21.2% (p = 0.016) when compared to the SB (median = 6.85). All the subjects reported positive feelings towards MPTD. However, facial expression analysis showed that the nurses had a significantly higher peak density of fear while using MPTD (p = 0.016). Besides, there was no improvement in the negative valence and contempt emotion compared to the SB. Overall, nurses showed positive perceptions and acceptance of MPTD even when they experienced negative emotions. The Motorised Patient Transfer Device (MPTD) reduced the perceived workload of nurses and showed a higher acceptance level compared to the commonly used baseline device (SB). Factors that attributed to the nurses' negative emotions can be used to improve technology and patient transfer processes. More training should be given to familiarise the health practitioners with the new assistive device to reduce their fear of technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violence in the workplace, unethical conduct, illegal behavior, and employees with poor integrity are problematic for any industry. When it comes to working in community-based corrections (CBC), however, poor integrity can cause serious threats to the safety of the employee, their peers, their clients, and the community they serve. The Critical Hire-Screen (CH-S) and Step One Survey II (SOS II) are two pre-employment integrity assessments used in various CBC agencies. The present study explored the degree to which the CH-S and SOS II correlated with and predicted supervisor ratings of correctional officer job performance. Disparate impact analyses were also conducted exploring the degree to which each tool's scale scores differed based on applicant age, gender and racial/ethnic status. Results revealed that only CH-S scale scores correlated with, and significantly differentiated between, supervisor ratings of job performance. Results also revealed that the CH-S and SOS II did not generate scale scores that significantly differed based on age, gender, or racial/ethnic status. Implications for correctional agencies are provided in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agriculture industry lacks novel techniques for analyzing risks facing its workers. Although injuries are common in this field, existing datasets and tools are insufficient for risk assessment and mitigation for two primary reasons: they provide neither immediate nor long-term risk mitigation advice, and they do not account for hazards which fluctuate daily. The purpose of Demeter is to collect safety data about hazards on farms and produce risk analysis and mitigation reports. This application uses a combination of formula-based risk calculations and state-of-the-art graph neural networks (GNNs) to perform risk analysis and reduction. The formula-based risk calculations had a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.2110, and the GNN had an accuracy of 94.9%, a precision of 0.3521, and a recall of 0.8333. Demeter has the potential to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities among agriculture workers by alerting them to risks present in their daily workflow and suggesting safety precautions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violence against employees in human services is a widespread problem worldwide and is reportedly on the rise. The topic in this article is organizational factors in preventing and managing violence against employees executed by service users. Data comes from 86 semi-structured and structured interviews with 101 employees and managers in one of Norway's most extensive national government agencies. The interviews were conducted in a study of an initiative against violence after an employee was murdered at work. The identified factors are related to (1) recognition of employees´ needs to feel safe and acknowledged, (2) project administration and leadership involvement and anchoring, (3) organizationally aligned and adjusted routines and understandings, (4) a generally increased focus on prevention and management of violence, (5) specific measures and (6) service delivery. The study also disclosed essential relationships between these factors, which must be acknowledged in the work to counteract violence. Workplace violence should be an issue of concern for all levels of management. Recognition of employees´ needs and anchoring in the entire organization are just as important as specific measures against violence. A good delivery of services is an important but sometimes neglected factor in the work against violence. The mentioned elements indicate that several equal organizational factors and measurements must be combined to counteract workplace violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work-related deaths are a persistent occupational health issue that can be prevented. However, prevention opportunities can be hampered by a lack of adequate public health resources. The Western States Occupational Network (WestON) is a network of federal, state, and local occupational health professionals that includes a 19-state region of the United States. To encourage public health collaboration, WestON partners examined work-related fatalities within the region. Fatality counts (numerators) were obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries restricted-access research files for all workers ages ≥15 years and fatally injured in WestON states from 2011 through 2017. Estimates of full-time equivalent hours worked (FTE) (denominators) were retrieved from the BLS Current Population Survey. Annual average fatality rates were calculated as number of fatalities per 100,000 FTE over the study period. Rates were stratified by state, select demographics, industry sector, and event/exposure types. Pearson chi-squared tests and rate ratios with 95% confidence probability limits were used to assess rate differences. All analyses were conducted using SAS v.9.4. From 2011 through 2017, the annual average overall occupational fatality rate for the WestON region was 3.5 fatalities per 100,000 FTE, comparable to the overall U.S. fatality rate. Male workers had a fatality rate almost 10 times higher than female workers in the region. Fatality rates increased with successive age groups. Alaska and New Mexico had significantly higher fatality rates for all racial/ethnic groups compared to respective regional rates. Wyoming, North Dakota, and Montana had the three highest occupational fatality rates among foreign-born workers. Agriculture/forestry/fishing, mining/oil/gas extraction, and transportation/warehousing/utilities were industry sector groups with the three highest fatality rates regionally. Transportation-related incidents were the most frequent event type associated with occupational fatalities for all 19 states. Work-related fatalities are a crosscutting occupational public health priority. This analysis can be an impetus for collaborative multistate initiatives among a dynamic and varied occupational public health network to better meet the needs of a rapidly changing workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recommendations for returning students to sports and school after concussion are well developed, but at present there are no specific guidelines for returning students to physical education (PE). Many schools utilize current return-to-play protocols for returning students to PE after concussion, which can result in students being prohibited from participation in the PE curriculum until they are symptom free, fully recovered, and medically cleared for all activities. Amid growing evidence that participation in exercise and other "normal" activities facilitates recovery from concussion, students should be allowed to return to PE class even while still experiencing concussion symptoms. A new return-to-physical education (RT-PE) process is presented here that helps to return students safely and successfully to PE while they are recovering from concussion and are still symptomatic. This process mirrors the existing return-to-play protocol, but with important differences. A key component of the proposed RT-PE process is good communication between the student, parents, PE teacher, school nurse and outside medical providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine phthalate exposure in 32 firefighters, the concentrations of urinary phthalate metabolites, immediately (exposure day) and three weeks (control day) after fire suppression, were compared. Mono-(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate, mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate, mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate, mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP), mono-n-benzyl phthalate (MBzP), and total phthalates (∑phthalates) levels, and creatinine-adjusted levels of MBP, MBzP, and ∑phthalates were significantly higher on exposure day than on control day. Phthalate concentration was significantly higher in firefighters who performed the fire extinguishing tasks (geometric mean [GM], 149.9 μg/L) than in those who performed other tasks (GM 70.8 μg/L) (p =.012). The GM concentration of firefighters who were active ≤ 50 m from the fire was 119.0 μg/L, and 37.6 μg/L for those who were > 50 m away (p =.012). The GM concentration was significantly different (p =.039) in firefighters with subjective symptoms after fire suppression (151.9 μg/L) compared to those without symptoms (81.6 μg/L). This study showed that firefighters were exposed to phthalate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although a significant attention, the field of safety ergonomics has not yet been systematically profiled based on recent studies. To fully understand the current research status, basis, hotspots, and development trends in the field, 533 documents from the Web of Science core database were used for knowledge mapping analysis by the bibliometric method. The study found that the USA is the top country in publications, and Tehran University is the institution with the highest number of publications. Ergonomics and Applied Economics are the authoritative safety ergonomics journals. Through co-occurrence and co-citation analysis, current safety ergonomics research is focussed on healthcare, product design, and occupational health and safety. The keyword timeline view indicates that the main research paths are occupational health and safety, and patient safety research. The analysis of burst keywords shows that safety ergonomics research in management, model design, and system design areas are research frontiers in the field. Practitioner summary: This paper presents a knowledge mapping of safety ergonomics research through bibliometric analysis. The research results show the research status, research hotspots, and research frontiers in the field of safety ergonomics, which provides a direction for other scholars to quickly understand the development of this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the usability and user experience challenges of ARROWS, a novel augmented reality (AR) and wearable technology (WT) safety system for roadway work zones, an area with limited existing usability research. We utilized a mixed-method approach with two complementary experiments in indoor and outdoor settings, using the Wizard of Oz methodology and a high-fidelity prototype. We focused on identifying usability challenges, factors contributing to user experience and the distinct needs of highway workers, documenting results using the system usability scale (SUS), the rating scale mental effort (RSME) and a trust score. Participants rated the usability of ARROWS above average in both settings, while making a reasonable level of mental effort. The findings also indicate a significant correlation between perceived trust and usability, highlighting the importance of trust in user experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A model was developed to assess how elevated absolute thresholds and enlarged auditory filters can impede the ability to detect alarms in a noisy background, such alarms being of paramount importance to ensure the safety of workers. Based on previously measured masked thresholds of 80 listeners in five groups (normal hearing to strongly impaired), the model was derived from signal detection theory (SDT) applied to Glasberg and Moore's excitation pattern model. The model can describe the influence of absolute thresholds and enlarged auditory filters together or separately on the detection ability for normal hearing and hearing-impaired listeners with various hearing profiles. Furthermore, it suggests that enlarged auditory filters alone can explain all of the impairment in this specific alarm detection task. Finally, the possibility of further development of the model into an alarm detection model is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approaches to safety culture assessment may have many limits if supported exclusively by quantitative methods. Based on this, a research team developed a quantitative–qualitative approach to assess the maturity of the safety culture on an oil platform. To that end, the team sought to develop and test a method consisting of an initial ethnographic phase followed by four other distinct phases: definition of homogeneous groups; production of customized questionnaires; quantitative evaluation; and qualitative assessment. The results show the emergence of trends, from pre-defined themes in safety culture to specific levels of maturity for each of the homogeneous groups. At the same time, it was perceived that the maturity level of the groups is defined from the daily work practices developed by each one of them. This experience allowed us to propose a framework for assessing the maturity levels of safety culture for the oil and gas industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noise pollution includes undesired sounds that lead to negative physiological and psychological outcomes in individuals. Areas with a unique ergonomic design when compared to other work environments, such as ships, are risky. Identification and limitation or minimization of the impact of noise pollution in ships would directly affect crew health and maximum efficiency of the operation of the systems. Thus, the exposure of the ship crew to noise pollution was measured in the current study. Furthermore, the measurements conducted on the ships were compared to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) A.468 (XII) international standards. In the study, noise measurements were conducted with 72 crew members who met certain criteria in nine ships with different properties to determine noise pollution in these ship environments and the exposure of the crew. The current study analyzed the effects of ship-borne noise pollution on the crew and certain solutions were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. The informal economy in Tanzania, as in many other developing countries, presents numerous workplace safety issues. This study was conducted in stone quarrying (SQ) and soil brickmaking (SBM) sites to assess workers' awareness and perceptions of safety practices, identify common workplace risks and hazards, and evaluate challenges hindering the implementation of workplace safety culture. Methods. A total of 173 workers responded to a semi-structured questionnaire and 15 workers were interviewed. Data were summarized using Stata (version 15). Results. More than 95% of the SQ and SBM workers were exposed to ergonomic hazards and related health risks, due to low awareness (90%) and unavailable leadership structures (>96%) for enforcing and overseeing the implementation of workplace occupational health and safety (OHS) regulations. Conclusion. Due to the lack of regulation and oversight, workers in the informal sector in Tanzania often face hazardous conditions that put their health and safety at risk. Workers use self-intuitions, observations, injuries and near miss incidences to improvise control measures and minimize hazardous risks. This study provides baseline information that can be used for evidence-based decision-making and policy formulation to safeguard workers' safety and health in the informal sectors of Tanzania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. The emergence of COVID-19 has drastically changed the safety outlook of how the work world is viewed by leaders and followers. In this backdrop, the current study aimed at extending the safety leadership literature in the context of organizations operating in crisis situations by investigating the impact of safety-specific transformational leadership on the followers' extra-role behaviors through the mediation of psychological contract fulfillment. Methods. Using a time-lagged and multisource design, data were collected from 384 frontline rescue and healthcare workers dealing with COVID-19-related situations. Results. Results revealed that safety-specific transformational leadership behavior positively affects extra-role behaviors of frontline employees by enhancing their innovative work behavior, knowledge sharing behavior and organizational citizenship behavior. Also, psychological contract fulfillment plays a bridging role in translating the impact of safety-specific transformational leadership behavior on extra-role behaviors. Conclusion. The followers working in an unsafe context view the safety concern of their leader as a fulfillment of their unwritten expectations from their employers. Implications of these findings along with limitations and future research directions are also delineated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fit of fire boots is a crucial factor in the safety and performance of firefighters on the hostile fireground. Firefighters have reported that ill-fitting fire boots restrict their lower body movement and sometimes cause very dangerous situations by falling off behind the wearer. By using computed tomography, this study demonstrates the potential to quantify and visualize the fit of fire boots, which previously relied on subjective feedback from the wearers. The high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) models of two fire boot products allowed a detailed observation and measurement of the internal space of the boots. Also, the boot's internal dimension was compared to the foot measurement of local firefighters, showing the significant differences between the two boots. Lastly, simulation wrapping the 3D scanned foot with the boot revealed large void spaces around the toe box and ankle, as well as the narrower ball width of the boot than the foot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A liquid-cooled garment with active cooling function can make up for deficiency of the human thermoregulatory system and passive thermal insulation of the firefighting protective suit. Fabrics treated at different inlet temperatures and pipeline intervals were applied in multilayered liquid-cooled fabric assemblies (LCFAs). The heat absorbed by the skin and the second-degree burn time were evaluated by the stored energy test under low heat radiation. Results indicated that the thermal protective performance of the LCFAs was significantly improved, with the second-degree burn time increasing more than 50% on average. There was a strong negative correlation between the thermal protective performance and cooling effect under different pipeline intervals, while the negative correlation was weak for different inlet temperatures. The results gained from this study may provide valuable insight for design of the inlet temperature and pipeline interval of a liquid-cooled system in the firefighting protective suit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Studies related to a systematic approach for intervention design to reduce whole-body vibration (WBV) exposure are scarce. This study presents a systematic approach to identifying, selecting and prioritizing safety interventions to fulfill that research gap. Methods. A total of 130 vibration readings for dumper operators were taken from two surface iron ore mines to identify significant determinants of WBV exposure. Initially, age, weight, seat design, awkward posture, machine's age, load tonnage, dumper speed and haul road condition were hypothesized as determinants. Data were collected through standardized questionnaires and field-based observation. A multivariate statistical approach was applied for the practical use of the intervention program. Results. As some of the hypothesized factors were correlated, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) followed by multiple linear regression (MLR) was used to investigate their association with WBV exposure. As per EFA results, hypothesized factors were clubbed under individual, ergonomics and occupational factors. Occupational and ergonomics factors were found to be significantly associated with WBV exposure through MLR and used to form safety interventions to reduce WBV exposure. Conclusions. Our methodological approach is original in the occupational health research area and can be helpful to tailor the safety interventions for the unit level with minimum effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the research trends in ergonomics, industrial safety and health from the 1980s to the present. In the ergonomics area, keywords and abstracts from five journals were analyzed. For industrial safety and health, six journal databases were evaluated. A frequency analysis, a semantic network of keywords and a topic network of abstracts were conducted. The results of ergonomics showed that 'macro-ergonomics' and 'manual material handling' were the most popular topics, and 'ergonomic' and 'electromyography' were the most cited keywords. 'Posture' and 'biomechanics' were the most frequently used with high centrality. The results of industrial safety and health showed that 'job stress' and 'organizational safety' were the most popular topics, and 'occupational exposure' and 'occupational health' were the most cited keywords. 'Dust' and 'exposure' were frequently used with high centrality. The results would be helpful in understanding the trends of research efforts and foreseeing trends of future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports new data for 1028 non-fatal occupational accidents dated between January 2010 and April 2015 by applying the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) technique. A comprehensive survey was conducted at four shipyards in Tuzla, Istanbul and Yalova regions in Turkey and a workplace questionnaire appropriate for the AHP technique was carried out. The obtained results indicated that inadequate safety equipment and protective clothing, unsuitable usage of machines and tools, and disobeying occupational health and safety (OHS) procedures were the most common risk factors for the accidents. Hence the preventive measures could be identified by analyzing non-fatal accident data. After the identification of the descriptive measures, the priority order of these measures was asked of the occupational safety professionals in the shipbuilding industry, and we used the AHP method to evaluate the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transtheoretical model of behavior change (TTM) can be used to help people to stop smoking and engage in other addictive behaviors. It has also been used on cancer prevention, HIV risk reduction, dietary change, exercise, occupational safety, and organizational change initiatives. TTM can be used with other therapies to assess an individual's stage of change. This literature review examines the origins, actors, principles, applications, and evidence relevant to the development of TTM and the ways that it is being applied by members of the social work profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Did government mines inspectors in late Victorian Britain display overt bias towards employers when assigning blame for fatal underground explosions? Inspectors were closer to managers and coal owners than they were to miners or mine supervisors in terms of status, background, and engineering experience. That inspectors had more in common with management could have led to favouritism or regulatory capture, as was suggested at the time by miners and more recently by historians. To adjudicate these claims, this article applies the technique of qualitative content analysis to the comments of mines inspectors in their published annual reports. The findings reveal that inspectors frequently condemned employers and their representatives, especially after gas and coal dust explosions that took 10 or more lives. By contrast, following blasting explosions, which typically killed only one person, they usually blamed the miners themselves. The available evidence therefore suggests that any discernible pro-employer bias on the part of the inspectorate was limited to smaller explosions where it was easier to ignore systemic factors and deem individual workmen to be at fault. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychiatric nurses are at a higher risk for exposure to violence and aggression, leading to potential burnout, moral injury, post-traumatic stress, and turnover. There is little evidence of a preferred strategy to support nurses and decrease the impact of traumatic experiences on psychiatric nurses. The aim of this integrative review was to explore potential strategies to decrease the impact of traumatic experiences among nurses in psychiatric settings. Following a systematic search of PsycINFO/Ovid, CINAHL, and MEDLINE/Pubmed, Joanna Briggs Institute quality appraisal tools were used to analyze quality of the articles. Thirteen articles met the inclusion/exclusion criteria for this study. Data were analyzed and synthesized into three key themes and seven sub-themes. Three themes were noted to be common to the included texts. 1. Interpersonal Supports (Formal Support, Peer/Supervisor Support, and Informal Family/Social Support). 2. Organizational Supports (Perception of Job Safety/Satisfaction, Promoting Personal Resilience, Supporting Team Resilience, and Organizational Commitment to Resilience). 3. Protection of Personal Resources. Many common suggestions for decreasing the impact of exposure to violence and trauma were noted across the thirteen articles, however, there is little evidence of a preferred strategy, how strategies are developed and employed or the efficacy of any particular strategy. Further investigation is needed to identify and evaluate supportive interventions, their feasibility and efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rising e-commerce trend with Covid-19 pandemic has significantly increased the need for motorcycle-couriers. The aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between job satisfaction and occupational safety and health (OSH) of motorcycle-couriers and to evaluate the opinions of OSH specialists about the importance of motorcycle-couriers' life satisfaction and OSH perception levels. The relationship between life satisfaction and perception of OSH of 750 motorcycle-couriers was addressed using quantitative research methods through two different scales (Life Satisfaction Scale and Occupational Safety Perception Scale). The views of 20 OSH specialists about the importance of motorcycle-couriers' perception of life satisfaction and OSH levels were addressed using qualitative research methods. There was a negative linear relationship between perception of OSH and life satisfaction levels of motorcycle-couriers. All OSH specialists evaluated the level of life satisfaction as an important factor in OSH practice of motorcycle-couriers and all were of the opinion that the job was quite risky and adequate OSH measures were not sufficiently guaranteed. The findings suggest that there is a need for some legal regulation of this occupation and ensuring necessary occupational standards are applied. This could include increased responsibility of companies/employers and could provide training programs to improve OSH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine how natural disasters affect corporate innovation. Using a comprehensive sample of U.S. firms and inventors, we find that natural disasters significantly drop innovation quantity and quality. The results are robust to include a broad set of regional characteristics, matching analysis, and alternative proxies for innovation. These effects persist for up to three years after the disaster. We also provide suggestive evidence that financial constraints due to natural disasters give firms less incentive to innovate. Further analysis shows that natural disasters have impacts on inventor relocation, innovation productivity, and innovation risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hearing protection device (HPD) fit-testing is a recommended best practice for hearing conservation programs as it yields a metric of the amount of attenuation an individual achieves with an HPD. This metric, the personal attenuation rating (PAR), provides hearing health care, safety, and occupational health personnel the data needed to select the optimal hearing protection for the occupational environment in which the HPD will be worn. Although commercial-off-the-shelf equipment allows the professional to complete HPD fit tests in the field, a standard test methodology does not exist across HPD fit-test systems. The purpose of this study was to compare the amount of attenuation obtained using the "gold standard" laboratory test (i.e., real-ear attenuation at threshold [REAT]) and three commercially available HPD fit-test systems (i.e., Benson Computer Controlled Fit Test System [CCF-200] with narrowband noise stimuli, Benson CCF-200 with pure tone stimuli, and Michael and Associates FitCheck Solo). A total of 57 adults, aged 18 to 63, were enrolled in the study and tested up to seven earplugs each across all fit-test systems. Once fitted by a trained member of the research team, earplugs remained in the ear throughout testing across test systems. Results revealed a statistically significant difference in measured group noise attenuation between the laboratory and field HPD fit-test systems (p <.0001). The mean attenuation was statistically significantly different (Benson CCF-200 narrowband noise was +3.1 dB, Benson CCF-200 pure tone was +2.1 dB, and Michael and Associates FitCheck Solo was +2.5 dB) from the control laboratory method. However, the mean attenuation values across the three experimental HPD fit-test systems did not reach statistical significance and were within 1.0 dB of one another. These findings imply consistency across the evaluated HPD fit-test systems and agree with the control REAT test method. Therefore, the use of each is acceptable for obtaining individual PARs outside of a laboratory environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards is a trusted resource that displays key information for a collection of chemicals commonly encountered in the workplace. Entries contain chemical structures—occupational exposure limit information ranging from limits based on full-shift time-weighted averages to acute limits such as short-term exposure limits and immediately dangerous to life or health values, as well as a variety of other data such as chemical-physical properties and symptoms of exposure. The NIOSH Pocket Guide (NPG) is available as a printed, hardcopy book, a PDF version, an electronic database, and a downloadable application for mobile phones. All formats of the NIOSH Pocket Guide allow users to access the data for each chemical separately, however, the guide does not support data analytics or visualization across chemicals. This project reformatted existing data in the NPG to make it searchable and compatible with exploration and analysis using a web application. The resulting application allows users to investigate the relationships between occupational exposure limits, the range and distribution of occupational exposure limits, and the specialized sorting of chemicals by health endpoint or to summarize information of particular interest. These tasks would have previously required manual extraction of the data and analysis. The usability of this application was evaluated among industrial hygienists and researchers and while the existing application seems most relevant to researchers, the open-source code and data are amenable to modification by users to increase customization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outdoor workers perform tasks throughout the year that expose them to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and increase their risk of UVR-related adverse health effects. Multiple studies on occupational solar UVR exposures during summer have been published but similar investigations during other seasons are limited. The purpose of this study was to assess solar UVR exposure in an eastern North Carolina university setting during all four seasons (fall, winter, spring, and summer) to assess risk for outdoor workers, particularly groundskeepers, throughout the year. UVR effective irradiance (UVReff) was measured by area monitoring using a digital data-logging radiometer and a weatherproof UVR detector for 164 days from October 2020 to October 2021. Results showed that hourly and daily mean UVReff exceeded the 1-hr and 8-hr ACGIH Threshold Limit Values (TLVs), respectively, in all months and seasons at varying degrees. Winter had the lowest mean UVReff (3.4 × 10−3 ± 1.7 × 10−3 mW/cm2), but 91.1% and 100% of the hourly and daily UVReff measurements, respectively, still exceeded the TLVs. This study demonstrates the risk of overexposure to solar UVR among outdoor workers during cold months and seasons and the importance of implementing UVR protection throughout the year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the first 20 high-priority chemical substances selected by USEPA to undergo risk evaluation as part of the Toxic Substances Control Act, as amended by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act of 2016 is 1,3-butadiene (1,3-BD). Because much of the literature related to occupational exposure to 1,3-BD is associated with the use of the substance in synthetic rubber production and few data have been published for exposures to 1,3-BD manufacturing workers, existing industrial hygiene data collected at facilities where the substance is manufactured or processed as a reactant were compiled and analyzed. The dataset was comprised of personal air samples collected between 2010 and 2019 at facilities located throughout the United States and was compiled into a single database using a uniform data collection template. Data designated by the companies as full-shift were stratified by job group and one of three operational conditions of the workplace: routine, turnaround, and non-routine. Data designated by the companies as short-term and task-level were stratified by task description, sample duration, and operational condition. The final aggregated database contained a total of 5,676 full-shift personal samples. Mean concentrations of 1,3-BD for the job groups ranged from 0.012 ppm to 0.16 ppm. High-end estimates of 1,3-BD air concentrations for the job groups under routine operations ranged from 0.014 ppm to 0.23 ppm. The aggregated database also included 1,063 short-term and task-level personal samples. For short-term samples (< =15 min), mean concentrations ranged from 0.49 ppm to 3.9 ppm, with the highest concentrations observed for the cleaning and maintaining equipment tasks. For task samples with durations greater than 15 min, mean concentrations ranged from 0.49 to 3.6 ppm, with the highest concentrations observed for the unloading and loading task. In addition to the personal air sampling records, information on the use of PPE during various tasks was compiled and analyzed. This data set provides robust quantitative air concentration data and exposure control information for which occupational exposures to 1,3-BD in the Manufacturing and Processing as a Reactant condition of use can be assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Latino Day Laborers (LDL) face a variety of factors which have been associated with at-risk drinking. The objective of this study was to assess the association of at-risk drinking with measures of work site conditions. Methods: Data from surveys conducted with 307 LDL in Houston, TX in 2015 were analyzed. Sociodemographic information and measures of exposures to hazardous products at the worksite, adverse working conditions, and work stressors were collected. Measures of positive working climate at the jobsite and a climate that promoted jobsite safety were also included. Participants were administered the Hazardous Use items from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test of Consumption (AUDIT-C). Participants were classified as low-risk or at-risk drinkers based on AUDIT-C score. Logistic regression models were run to assess the associations of the sociodemographic and worksite related variables with drinking status. Results: One-hundred-five (34.2%) participants were classified as at-risk drinkers. At-risk drinking was associated with past-month income, being formerly married (compared to having never married), and lack of housing. At-risk drinking was also associated with measures of a positive working climate and a climate that promoted jobsite safety. Conclusions: One-third of our participants were classified as at-risk drinkers. At-risk drinking was associated with stressors in the form of lack of housing and no longer having a spouse but was also associated with increased income and with positive workplace factors. At-risk drinking was thus a function of both stressors and positive factors, including a positive work site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Workplace burnout has strong negative consequences for both workers and organisations. Following Self-determination theory (SDT), we hypothesised that workplace materialism – the relative importance given to extrinsic (fame, money, image) versus intrinsic (relationships, pro-sociality, self-development) work goals – is a key antecedent of burnout. The relationship between work goals and burnout is expected to be mediated by lower satisfaction and higher frustration of basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. Extending previous correlational evidence, we tested the prospective relationships among these constructs using a three-wave longitudinal design among a large sample of Chilean workers (N = 1841). Both individual-level (cross-lagged panel model) and within-person (trait-state-occasion model) longitudinal analyses supported that materialism predicted subsequent levels of burnout through higher need frustration. Need satisfaction did not predict subsequent burnout in either analysis. Additionally, we found that burnout predicted subsequent need frustration, suggesting a dangerous reciprocal relationship between both constructs. Our findings support SDT and highlight the potential risks of emphasising materialism in organisational settings. Indeed, contrary to common organisational practices, our findings suggest that burnout can be reduced by lowering the importance of extrinsic goals, fostering intrinsic goals, and building working environments to avoid frustrating basic psychological needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory study looked at the experiences of social work, occupational therapy, and nursing students who participated in an interprofessional simulation that was offered virtually due to the impact of COVID-19. The simulation was a one-day event that introduced advanced care planning to the students through an IPE team approach and incorporated various learning and teaching modalities. Using conventional content analysis of the post-program survey data from 255 students (35 occupational therapy; 87 social work; and 133 nursing), three primary themes were identified for the value of learning virtual interprofessional collaboration during a pandemic: (1) catalyst for telehealth education; (2) patient, family & professional safety; and (3) connection and continuity of care. In addition, students identified four primary themes that were learned and perceptions of what could lie ahead beyond the simulation: (1) patient & family convenience and inclusion; (2) expand interprofessional team involvement; (3) alleviate disparities/increase access; and (4) the "new normal" of virtual IP Collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmers are at an elevated risk for injuries and are, therefore, highly sought after for research studies. However, their participation in research studies is low. We examine how characteristics of the farmer, farm location, and timing of recruitment contact impact the probability that farmers will engage and participate in a study of injuries and related farm hazards. Study data were obtained from the Farm Safety Study conducted at the University of Iowa between June 2019 and March 2020. We used recruitment data from participants enrolled using Farm Journal magazine subscription lists. Multinomial logistic regression was used for predictive modeling. Predictor variables included the time of day and the farm season in which phone contact for study recruitment was attempted, as well as the rurality of the farm. Two models were created to characterize screening and participation of farmers in the study. Farm season and time of day of the last recruitment call increased the likelihood of farmers being screened for study participation and completing the study. Specifically, contacting farmers during the growing season and during the daytime, regardless of farm rurality, resulted in higher probabilities of participation. Studies of agricultural injury may be more efficiently conducted, with higher participation responses, when circumstances of the recruitment call are considered. This work serves as a starting place for much-needed methodological research to identify factors that increase participation of farmers and farm workers in research studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this exploratory pilot study was to reduce marine fatalities in Norton Sound using knowledge shared from Alaska Native salmon set gillnetters in Unalakleet, AK. The following objectives to address this goal were: 1) identify factors that influence safety for Alaska Native commercial set gillnetters in Norton Sound; 2) use findings from objective 1 to improve commercial fishing training, education, and resources; and 3) disseminate and communicate results from objective 1 to commercial fishers in the Norton Sound fleet, commercial fishing safety partners, and the Alaska Native injury prevention community. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with Alaska Native commercial set gillnetters in Unalakleet, AK. We utilized knowledge shared to identify factors that influence safety for their fleet. Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Methodology, 10 interviews were recommended for a homogenous sample. Most participants learned to fish at a young age from the family, with safety lessons passed on by family members. Fishing is a lifestyle and interconnected with harvesting and a way of living. Set gillnetters in Norton Sound use open skiffs and have limited access to workable Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) and safety training. Participants reported health benefits but also negative long term physical effects, financial stress, and difficulty fishing with age. Respect and awareness of the ocean was reported as the most important strategy to reduce risk. Stories were shared of falls overboard, capsizing, and local fatalities and hazards, such as being overloaded with fish, entanglement, and maneuvering a small boat in large waves. Stronger winds and shifting weather patterns were experienced from climate change. This exploratory pilot study identified factors that influence safety for Alaska Native commercial set gillnetters. Findings should be used to 1) determine best methods to influence behaviors to reduce risks in this hazardous fishery; 2) increase awareness and promote expanded application of best practices, equipment, and resources; 3) encourage and promote outreach initiatives targeted for this unique population; and 4) develop tailored training programs for commercial fishing in an open skiff. Research with Alaska Native fishing communities will require value and respect of indigenous knowledge, collaboration with local people, and follow-up to bring findings back to the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart warehouses require software-based decision-making tools to manage the receiving, storing, and picking of products. A major challenge in achieving efficient operations is deciding where to store products associated with incoming orders. The storage location assignment problem (SLAP) is more complex in large-size warehouses due to several functional objectives and numerous possible shelving solutions. This paper introduces an artificial intelligence algorithm that seeks to find an acceptable solution to SLAP with presented linear and nonlinear objective functions. The near-optimal technique exploits basin-hopping and simulated-annealing algorithms to find a solution when considering four functional objectives including worker safety, which has not been optimized using similar approaches. The algorithm is experimentally evaluated, and results demonstrate that reasonablely achieved solutions are comparable to those obtained by well-known existing solvers. Furthermore, the problem could be solved with non-linear objectives which is beyond the commercial solvers' like SCIP capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The safety of terminal operations is the foundation of international commercial port operations. One of the main safety issues in the ports is that operators often fail to comply with safety codes. The existing literature has shown that the safety climate, safety self-efficacy, and safety compliance each play an important role in a company's safety management, and this paper seeks to establish a safety compliance model in the maritime context. In particular, the research introduces the concept of non-compliance cost and explores the relationships between safety compliance and the non-compliance cost, the safety climate and safety self-efficacy. The researchers conducted an empirical study at container terminals in Taiwan, and applied the Hierarchical Linear Model to analyze the empirical data. The results of this study reveal that an organization's safety climate, non-compliance cost and the employees' safety self-efficacy positively affect worker safety compliance. Among these factors, the non-compliance cost has a mediating effect that mediates the relationship between the safety climate and safety compliance, although the non-compliance cost does not mediate the relationship between the employees' safety self-efficacy and safety compliance. Based on these findings, this article discusses the theoretical and practical implications for safety management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, global industrial and construction growth has underscored the importance of safety. Yet, accidents continue, often with dire outcomes, despite numerous safety-focused initiatives. Addressing this, this article introduces a novel approach using YOLOv8, a rapid object detection model, for recognizing personal protective equipment (PPE). This method, leveraging computer vision (CV) instead of traditional sensor-based systems, offers an economical, simpler and field-friendly solution. We established the Color Helmet and Vest (CHV) and Safety HELmet dataset with 5K images (SHEL5K) datasets, comprising eight object classes like helmets, vests and goggles, to detect worker-worn PPE. After categorizing the dataset into training, testing and validation subsets, diverse YOLOv8 models were assessed based on metrics including precision, recall and mAP50. Notably, YOLOv8x and YOLOv8l excelled in PPE detection, particularly in recognizing person and vest categories. This innovative CV-driven method promises real-time PPE detection, fortifying worker safety on construction sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores safety perceptions in Jordan's road construction sites, where work-zone hazards have been insufficiently addressed despite extensive research elsewhere. The study focuses on the impact of safety measures on workers and their environment, providing in-depth insights into roadway construction projects' safety climate. The study analyzed responses from the Project-Based Group (PB) and the General-Based Group (GB). The PB group included 75 subjects interviewed face-to-face, while the GB group had 43 subjects who filled out an online form. The ratings indicate that staff training, traffic operations, loading/unloading, and site administration safety measures are perceived positively. However, there is a need to improve general site safety and maintenance/management protocols. Safety perceptions differ significantly between the PB and GB groups across multiple safety factors. While the response rates are similar to some extent, differences in safety measure evaluations emphasize the need for targeted interventions. The study highlights the importance of standardized safety protocols, particularly in areas like general traffic safety and maintenance. Using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), the research identifies nine factors that shed light on safety perceptions. Sociodemographic elements such as age, job roles, education, and representation significantly impact perceptions. The correlation analysis reinforces the association of factors. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis model (1st and 2nd order) confirms a strong association between the latent and observed variables. However, some model fit criteria were still unmet, signaling the need for further refinement. Despite challenges, the research provides valuable insights into construction safety perceptions, guiding future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has increased the exposure risk of workers to occupational health risk factors and diseases. This study aims to investigate the impacts of climate change on the occupational health indicators at the workplaces in Iran. This study was conducted during 2021 in three climatic regions of Iran. Required data was collected from Health Deputies of Medical Universities and Iran Meteorological Organization. Stepwise linear regression model used for data analysis and predictions were done based on three scenarios of SSP1–2.6, SSP3–7.0, and SSP5–8.5 during the period of 2021–2100. This indicated 2.6 and 2.9 times higher percentage of workers who were exposed to heat stress and Ultra Violet (UV) radiation, respectively, in the provinces understudy. This study suggests a holistic approach to address potential impacts of climate change on workers' health and safety that would benefit in making decisions on climate-related planning and developing the adaptation strategies at workplaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mindful organizing is a team-level capability that allows teams in high-risk environments to anticipate when something can potentially go wrong and adapt their operations just in time to protect the organizational system from negative consequences. This study aimed to extend our understanding of how mindful organizing affects employees' propensity to engage in a broad range of safety citizenship behaviours through the mediation of participative safety self-efficacy. Participative safety self-efficacy is a psychological state that enables individuals to have confidence in their capability to engage in constructive behaviours that go beyond the formal requirements of their job description. A multilevel mediation model was tested using data collected from a large sample of chemical workers (N = 443) operating in fifty work teams. The findings showed that mindful organizing on a team level fosters both individual safety citizenship (helping; voice; initiative) and prescribed safety compliance through enhancing individual participative self-efficacy. This mediation relationship is significantly stronger for safety citizenship than for safety compliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the author discusses articles within the issue on topics including advancements in surveillance science, role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in surveillance research, and benefits of leveraging health data and geographic information systems technology.

The article argues that child farm injuries are never accidents and that the professional discipline of agricultural safety and health and the agricultural media failed to keep pace with injury prevention or occupational safety groups that have transitioned their terminology term from accident to incident. It traces the historical roots of the problem of accidents and highlights initiatives undertaken by the U.S. National Farm Medicine Center to replace the term accident with an alternate term.

Library and Information Science (LIS) literature on employee engagement is scarce, with most publications focusing on a related concept of job satisfaction. This article, however, contributes to an understanding of engagement experiences as manifested by public librarians in the context of working with immigrant communities. The study, guided by hermeneutic phenomenology and conducted through qualitative interviews, relies on William Kahn's classical theory of employee engagement and investigates the expression of three components—meaningfulness, safety, and availability—in the work of these individuals. The sample is recruited from library staff serving immigrant populations in large metropolitan libraries in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and New York City, USA. The study concludes that the most important component of engagement in this research population is the meaningfulness of one's work which, in itself, is a composite and complex concept, elucidated in great detail in the study. Meaningfulness is followed by the availability of energies invested in librarians' workplace roles, with safety as the least significant factor. The study observes that librarians' approach to working with immigrants is akin to following a calling, not simply performing work-related duties. It also notes that the phenomenon of vocational awe influences and accounts for librarians' dedicated and committed service to immigrant communities even when the workplace safety net is tentative and uncertain. These findings provide food for thought to public library managers who wish to support and retain their talented, dedicated, and culturally competent staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As frontline providers, first responders are not always thought of as patients with unique health beliefs. During early and continued distribution, many first responders in the United States chose to refuse vaccination. Guided by the health belief model and emerging research related to SARS-COV-2, the aim of this study was to further explore the complex message conditions that contributed to first responders' early vaccination decisions. An online survey was conducted between March 1 and March 31 2021, among first responders in the state of Kentucky, which has lagged behind most states in the percentage of the population who are fully vaccinated. The first responder sample included Firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), and paramedics who completed a Qualtrics survey that included measures aimed at assessing health beliefs about SARS-COV-2, beliefs about SARS-COV-2 vaccines, source trustworthiness, and vaccine motivation. First responders were also asked to rank the importance of various information sources about SARS-COV-2 and its vaccines. Findings suggest significant differences exist among first responders who have chosen to receive SARS-COV-2 vaccines and those who have refused, including source preference, conspiracy beliefs, and perceived risk. Future directions, including the exploration of institutional mistrust as a health belief are discussed. These findings offer practical insights that may improve continuing approaches to discover and use preferred communication sources to reach the vaccine-hesitant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural reliability analysis is of critical importance for ensuring the safety of many engineering systems. This paper proposes an efficient structural reliability analysis method based on stochastic configuration networks (SCNs), which is constructed by learning the real performance function of the structure. In this article, two kinds of innovative surrogate models of performance function are constructed based on the trained SCNs. To improve the approximation accuracy and efficiency of SCNs for complex high-dimensional performance functions, the improved high-dimensional model representation is applied to decompose the multivariate function into a combination of several low-dimensional functions. An innovative SCN-based learning strategy is proposed to simultaneously approximate all the low-dimensional component functions. By performing Monte Carlo Simulation on the established SCN-based surrogate models, we can successfully evaluate the failure probability of many complex multi-dimensional engineering structures. The proposed SCN-based reliability analysis method provides a powerful tool for estimating the failure probability of complex multi-dimensional engineering structures. Effectiveness of the proposed method in terms of accuracy and efficiency as well as stability is demonstrated through several numerical experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neonicotinoid insecticide sulfoxaflor is widely used in Egypt. This work assessed the safety of using sulfoxaflor in squash to consumers, along with the residue behaviour. Supervised field trials were conducted to investigate the dynamics and terminal residues of sulfoxaflor in squash under Egyptian field conditions for several agricultural practices, including worst-case scenarios. A QuEChERS-based protocol coupled with LC-MS/MS was employed to measure residues in squash fruits; the limit of quantitation was successfully validated at 0.01 mg/kg. Sulfoxaflor residues reduce in squash fruits via a first-order decay process, with a calculated half–life (t1/2) of 6.13 days and significant degradation (88.5%) after 14 days. During harvest, the terminal residues of sulfoxaflor were ranged from 0.365 to 1.611 mg/kg and from 0.576 to 1.865 mg/kg on sampling days of 3, 7 and 14 days when applied 2-3 times at single or double recommended dose, respectively. A consumer risk assessment was performed employing the FAO/WHO approach; the risk quotients (RQs) were ≤0.0102, and hence; no significant health risks associated with consumption of squash treated with sulfoxaflor were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coaching is rapidly evolving in clinical medicine, including for clinical skills (CS) learning. Yet a schema is needed for how to coach students in the many CS that are pivotal to the practice of medicine. These twelve tips aim to provide practical strategies for teachers and educators to coach students for CS learning. The tips cover many important aspects of CS coaching, including establishing a safe space, ways to prepare to coach, setting goals, guiding a coaching relationship, fostering coaching conversations, and in-person or virtual approaches. Together, the tips align as seven key steps of an overall coaching process. The twelve tips apply equally to coaching struggling students and all students seeking to improve CS and offer a guide for coaching at an individual or program level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hospitals represent complex organizations where a range of hospital workers, from physicians to administrators, encounter a deluge of information they must quickly process and act upon. New technologies implemented to streamline patient care, like electronic health records and wearable technologies, have both enhanced and complicated communicative exchanges between hospital workers and their organizations. Hospital workers feeling over saturated with workplace communication, and thus unable to effectively manage or interpret workplace messages, experience what has been labeled communication overload, which can negatively impact worker productivity and concentration. This study examines hospital workers (N = 303) in a Midwestern U.S. healthcare network, and uses structural equation modeling to offer a preliminary theoretical model that demonstrates the effects and outcomes of communication overload in high-risk organizations. The model offers theoretical implications through depicting communication overload as indirectly related to burnout, job satisfaction, and organizational identification through participation in decision-making and organizational safety climate. Results suggest that even if communication overload is an expected state in high-risk organizations, managers can prevent its negative effects on workers' job attitudes by providing workers opportunities to get involved in organizational decision-making and constructing a robust organizational safety climate. Finally, we suggest pairings of organizational safety communication channels and sources through which high quantities of safety information can be communicated without communicatively overloading workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article examines the automobility norm in Swedish road safety policy and its impact on planning for cycling. The author argues for a change in road safety policy to include broader societal and policy goals. The study compares Swedish road safety policy to Dutch policy and concludes that road safety policy should embrace additional goals, disrupt the discourse around cycling, and address feelings of unsafety and fear. The article highlights the differences in cycling safety policies between Sweden and the Netherlands, with Sweden emphasizing individual protection gear and the Netherlands prioritizing liveability and perceived safety. The text includes a list of references and documents related to traffic safety and cycling policies in both countries. [Extracted from the article]