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Background Precarious employment (PE), characterized by reduced worker rights, and employment and income insecurity, has complex public health implications including negative impacts on workers’ mental and physical health, occupational health and safety, wellbeing, and inequities in access to health and social protections. There is, however, a knowledge gap regarding effectiveness of interventions. We describe findings from a review of evaluated interventions with potential to address PE. Methods Our systematic review followed the 2020 PRISMA framework and covered PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and sources of grey literature. We included qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods studies evaluating initiatives to reduce workers’ PE published from 2000 to 2021 and focused on adult workers. Results The 23 eligible studies from across the world evaluated diverse strategies addressing PE including tax and trade reforms, industrial disputes legislation, business registration, and use of incentives to stimulate permanent contracts. Also included were union strategies to reach precarious workers, the provision of social benefits, and youth apprenticeships. Generally, while most initiatives had the potential to tackle certain PE aspects, they usually acted only on one or two PE dimensions. Additionally, the evaluation components were missing key details, thus, limiting the generalizability of findings, as did the heterogeneity of study designs, initiative purposes, economic and political context, and diverse populations targeted. Conclusions The increase in PE prevalence and its complex health implications requires sustainable upstream public health solutions. Multidisciplinary collaborations among public health and occupational health practitioners along with researchers, evaluation specialists, economists, and politicians could facilitate the implementation and evaluation of policies and standards regulating and monitoring PE and its health impacts. Key messages • Preca

The world of work is facing an ongoing pandemic and an economic downturn with severe effects worldwide. Workers trapped in precarious employment (PE), both formal and informal, are among those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we call attention to at least 5 critical ways that the consequences of the crisis among workers in PE will be felt globally: (a) PE will increase, (b) workers in PE will become more precarious, (c) workers in PE will face unemployment without being officially laid off, (d) workers in PE will be exposed to serious stressors and dramatic life changes that may lead to a rise in diseases of despair, and (e) PE might be a factor in deterring the control of or in generating new COVID-19 outbreaks. We conclude that what we really need is a new social contract, where the work of all workers is recognized and protected with adequate job contracts, employment security, and social protection in a new economy, both during and after the COVID-19 crisis.

Background Both women's and men's occupational health problems merit scientific attention. Researchers need to consider the effect of gender on how occupational health issues are experienced, expressed, defined, and addressed. More serious consideration of gender-related factors will help identify risk factors for both women and men. Methods The authors, who come from a number of disciplines (ergonomics, epidemiology, public health, social medicine, community psychology, economics, sociology) pooled their critiques in order to arrive at the most common and significant problems faced by occupational health researchers who wish to consider gender appropriately. Results This paper describes some ways that gender can be and has been handled in studies of occupational health, as well as some of the consequences. The paper also suggests specific research practices that avoid errors. Obstacles to gender-sensitive practices are considered. Conclusions Although gender-sensitive practices may be difficult to operationalize in some cases, they enrich the scientific quality of research and should lead to better data and ultimately to well-targeted prevention programs. ⌐ 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Death rates among US veterans of the Persian Gulf War were lower than rates among non-deployed veterans and the US population at large, with the exception of injury deaths; returning veterans were at significantly greater risk of injury mortality. Similar patterns of excess injury mortality were documented among US and Australian veterans returning from Vietnam. In spite of these consistent findings little has been done to explain these associations and in particular to determine whether or not, and how, war related exposures influence injury risk among veterans returning home after deployments. Hypothesized pathways: Several potential pathways are proposed through which injury might be related to deployment. First, increases in injury mortality may be a consequence of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and symptoms of other psychiatric conditions developed after the war. Second, physical and psychological traumas experienced during the war may result in the postwar adoption of "coping" behaviors that also increase injury risk (for example, heavy drinking). Third, greater injury risk may he the indirect consequence of increased experiences of ill defined diseases and symptoms reported by many returning veterans. Fourth, veterans may experience poorer survivability for a given injury event resulting in greater mortality but not morbidity. Finally, the process that selects certain individuals for deployment may lead to a spurious association between deployment status and injury mortality by preferentially selecting individuals who are risk takers and/or exposed to greater hazards. Conclusions: More research and attention from policymakers is needed to clarify the link between deployment and postwar increased risk of injury., Prepared in collaboration with Social Sectors Development Strategies, Inc., Natick, MA.

The sheared auriferous vein system is hosted within interbedded greywackes and shales of the Lower Proterozoic Burrell Creek Formation. Gold was first discovered in 1873 and by 1906 the area had produced a record 1.5 tonnes Au. The mineralisation is intimately associated with the Pine Creek shear zone and is in a variety of styles reflecting a complex interaction of structural with lithological controls: shear-hosted lode-style veining, complex folded stockworks and sheeted vein systems. Veining has been episodic with early quartz veins typically refractured and brecciated by later suphide-rich fluids. Gold is invariably associated with these latter phases and occurs as single grains and clusters up to 5 mm across. Since 1991 a comprehensive review of previous work, 38 507 m of drilling and four resource estimates have indicated a resource of 11 500 000 t at 2.4 g/t Au. The mine will be developed as two open-cut pits. The larger Crosscourse pit contains 91% of current reserves of 8 820 000 t at 2.25 g/t Au. Production will be 1 250 000 t/a with metallurgical testwork indicating recoveries of 96% for the weathered zone, 96.8% for the transition zone and 94.4% for the fresh zone., The sheared auriferous vein system is hosted within interbedded greywackes and shales of the Lower Proterozoic Burrell Creek Formation. Gold was first discovered in 1873 and by 1906 the area had produced a record 1.5 tonnes Au. The mineralisation is intimately associated with the Pine Creek shear zone and is in a variety of styles reflecting a complex interaction of structural with lithological controls: shear-hosted lode-style veining, complex folded stockworks and sheeted vein systems. Veining has been episodic with early quartz veins typically refractured and brecciated by later suphide-rich fluids. Gold is invariably associated with these latter phases and occurs as single grains and clusters up to 5 mm across. Since 1991 a comprehensive review of previous work, 38 507 m of drilling and four resource estimates have indicated a resource of 11 500 000 t at 2.4 g/t Au. The mine will be developed as two open-cut pits. The larger Crosscourse pit contains 91% of current reserves of 8 820 000 t at 2.25 g/t Au. Production will be 1 250 000 t/a with metallurgical testwork indicating recoveries of 96% for the weathered zone, 96.8% for the transition zone and 94.4% for the fresh zone.