International Journal of Occupational Safety and Health (nepjol.info)
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Scientific Model Development for Machinery Safety using Machine Reliability, Integrity and Availability
Get PDFIntroduction: Machines are equipment that increases productivity and efficiency in a workplace. Machine Reliability, Integrity, and Availability are the most critical factors to ensure machinery safety in a workplace.
Methods: Throughout this study, a series of reviews of previous literature are described in relation to the elements of reliability, integrity and availability. This study examines the methods used to investigate levels of each element as well as the results of performing the analysis. Each review is chosen from the aspect of the safety feature that can be interpreted from the research study. A scientific model that utilizes an improved Bottom-up Approach is proposed to further improve the worker\u27s safety and enhance the productivity of an industry.
Results: Research shows that the chosen reviews have positive and negative change towards the level of machinery safety and a more substantial approach is needed to further strengthen the issue. The proposed model combines the effort of employee and various management organization as a team. The model is validated using Bias- Variance Trade off method that analyses the proposed model in a 27MW power plant with a selection of employee and management.
Conclusion: Model validation proves that the proposed model is an effective method to increase the machinery reliability, integrity and availability in a workplace. The scientific methodology provided will help management as a team to avert mechanical accidents from occurring at an initial stage
Correlation between the Guyon Canal Syndrome and the Forward Head Posture in Prolonged Smartphone Users
Get PDFIntroduction: From youth to the eldest, smartphones have become an essential gadget of life. Neutral head posture plays an important role in our day-to-day activities as it is responsible for stability. Although smartphones have made our lives easier, they tend to increase the number of complaints related to the cervical spine, hand complex, wrist, and elbow pain as a result of their excessive use. This might result in various faulty postural adaptations, which can greatly contribute to the increased risk of musculoskeletal disorders. Also, its prolonged use can lead to forwarding head posture (FHP), which can be accompanied by Guyon Canal Syndrome (GCS). This study aimed to find and determine the correlation between Guyon canal syndrome and forward head posture in prolonged smartphone users.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that consisted of 80 college subjects who were selected based on the criterion for selection. The data that was collected included, demographic details, smartphone usage characteristics, the severity of pain, presence of FHP, and mechanosensitivity of the ulnar nerve. Statistical analysis was done using a non-parametric test. Spearman’s correlation coefficient test was used.
Results: The results of this study among the 80 prolonged smartphone users showed that 42 users (52.5%) were in the age group of 18–21, and 38 users (47.5%) were found to be in the age group of 22–25. Most of them were right-handed i.e., 61 (76%), while 19 (24%) were left-handed. In BMI, normal-weighing subjects (18.5-24.9) were 48 (60%) and overweight subjects were 32 (40%). Mean + SD of Smartphone Addiction Scale, Visual Analogue Scale, Upper Limb Tension Test and Occiput to Wall Distance was 29.99 + 6.50, 1.48 + 0.86, 0.73 + 0.45, and 2.78 + 0.96, respectively. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was shown to have a moderately positive correlation between both SAS and VAS (r = 0.36, p = 0.0010), SAS and ULTT (r = 0.14, p = 0.022), and SAS and OWD (r = 0.17, p = 0.013). Linear regression was used to check the correlation and significance between FHP and GCS, where the r value was (0.27) and the p-value was 0.0177, which was found to be statistically significant.
Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, we found that there was a positive correlation between forwarding head posture and Guyon canal syndrome in prolonged smartphone users. FHP can give rise to moderate pressure on the ulnar nerve, which mainly supplies the fifth finger of the hand, causing Guyon Canal Syndrome. Hence, we can conclude that in subjects with prolonged usage of smartphones, FHP can further progress and these subjects may have the tendency to develop GCS
Impacts of Mercury Exposure on Human Health, Safety and Environment: Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis (1995 to 2021)
Get PDFIntroduction: Mercury is a highly toxic and persistent contaminant found in food and parts of the environment. Over the years, global research on mercury poison has soared owing to concerns about its effects on human health, occupational safety, and environmental sustainability. Although numerous studies have identified and examined the various types, sources, toxicity, exposure, and impacts of mercury, comprehensive studies on the research landscape and scientific developments on the subject areas are currently lacking. Therefore, this paper shows a bibliometric analysis (BA) and literature review (LR) of the top publications, funders, organisations, and countries working on Mercury research worldwide.
Methods: The research landscape on the subject area was examined by BA from 1995 to 2021, whereas the scientific developments were highlighted through LR.
Results: Results showed that mercury research has gained global prominence since the discovery of the Minamata disease in 1956. The most prolific mercury researchers, institutions, and funders are from the United States, Japan, Brazil, Canada, and China, whereas the publications on Mercury research doubled over the period. The top source titles for publications on Mercury are Neurotoxicology, Science of the Total Environment, and Environmental Health Perspectives. However, Micheal Aschner (US) and Takashi Yorifuji (Japan) are the most prolific researchers. Co-occurrence analysis revealed that mercury, methyl mercury, fish, toxicity, and Minamata disease are the most cited keywords, which shows the correlation nexus between fish consumption and mercury poisoning.
Conclusion: The LR showed that mercury research is widely investigated due to global concerns about its impact on human health, safety, and the environment
Assessment of oral health status and tobacco-related habits among the employees of North-West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), Belagavi City - A Cross-Sectional Study
Get PDFIntroduction: Transport workers have a very haphazard and incongruent schedule which makes it difficult for them to follow proper oral hygiene practices. The prevalence of tobacco habits is also found to be high due to their long periods of work and constant stress. This study aimed to assess the oral health status and tobacco habits of the government bus drivers and conductors of NWKRTC, Belagavi City, Karnataka.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 451 Government Bus drivers and other employees of NWKRTC who gave consent for the study. WHO Oral Health Assessment Form 2013 was used to record the oral health status and a self-designed, validated questionnaire was employed for recording the oral hygiene practices and tobacco-related habits. Descriptive statistics and Chi-Square was used for statistical analysis.
Results: The mean age of the employees of NWKRTC is 43.55 years and there are 414 males as compared to only 37 females. The mean DMFT score was 5.55±3.08. 228 of them had some kind of tobacco habit with guthka (25.9 percent) being the most prevalent one. 57 employees had manifestations of leukoplakia and OSMF. There was an association between tobacco habits and oral mucosal lesions as well as the DMFT score.
Conclusion: The Oral Health Status of the Government employees of NWKRTC is poor. It is further compounded by the high prevalence of tobacco habits and associated lesions and it is a problem that needs to be addressed immediately
Analysis of the semantic network of post-traumatic stress disorder using Korean social big data
Get PDFIntroduction: In this study, we wanted to examine how post-traumatic stress disorder was discussed in Korean newspaper articles with semantic network analysis suitable for unstructured big data analysis.
Methods: This study analyzed 11,304 articles related to post-traumatic stress reported by four major Korean newspapers for three years from July 30, 2017, to July 30, 2020. R 3.6.2 program was used to calculate TF and TF-IDF values, and UCINET 6.0 and interlocked NetDraw was used for DC, EC, and CONCOR values.
Results: As a result of deriving 50 major keywords with high TF-IDF values in newspaper articles related to a post-traumatic stress disorder, TF-IDF values were high in the order of \u27sick leave\u27, \u27solitary confinement\u27, \u27detention center\u27, \u27standing order\u27, and \u27prisoner\u27. As a result of conducting a CONCOR analysis to determine which sub-clusters keywords are classified into, the researcher derived each cluster based on words included: \u27PTSD by crops\u27 (cluster 1), \u27PTSD by broadcasting accidents\u27 (clusters), \u27PTSD by farm livestock accidents\u27 (cluster 3), and \u27PTSD by various accidents\u27 (cluster 4).
Conclusions Based on the research results, post-traumatic stress disorder needs to be managed nationally. As such, we intend to provide basic data for policy development and intervention programs
Risks and Safety of Women Healthcare Workers in Aizawl District, Mizoram, India
Get PDFIntroduction: The women healthcare workers, besides their role in the promotion, prevention, and protection of health for their patients, are exposed to different types of occupational risk at the workplace. The aim of this study was to explore the types of occupational risk encountered by the women healthcare workers and to assess the health and safety measures implemented for the women healthcare workers.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among one hundred women healthcare workers in Aizawl district, Mizoram, India. A self-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on the respondents\u27 demographic profile, workplace risks, and safety measures. The Work Safety Scale was used to measure the safety measures and was reframed to suit the study\u27s context and person correlation was calculated.
Results: The results show that women healthcare workers experience a greater number of physical risks at the workplace i.e., back pain, headache, eye problem, loss of appetite and needle syringe injuries which is followed by psychosocial (anxiety, insomnia, abuse by patients, low self-esteem and depression) and reproductive risks (irregular menstrual cycle, stillbirth, low birth weight and cervical cancer). The health and safety measures implemented for the healthcare workers are satisfied with an average mean score of 3.64. The study revealed that no clear regulations and recommendations on safety measures have been developed by healthcare settings.
Conclusion: The study concluded that better regulation is needed, required to protect and safeguard the physical, psychological, and reproductive risks that women healthcare professionals encounter at the workplace
Stress and Depression in the Workplace of Educators in the Philippines
Get PDFIntroduction: Workplace stress and depression should be properly treated to maintain productivity in teaching. Unmanaged stress and depression could lead to severe outcomes that affect the environment in the classroom. Thus, managing stress and preventing depression in the workplace are significant aspects of successful teaching.
Methods: This study aims to determine the level of workplace stress and depression of the educators in the Philippines by gathering their demographic profiles, levels of workplace stress, and the level of depression. A correlation was used if there is a significant difference in the profile between workplace stress and a state of depression. This research study used the descriptive survey method with educators as respondents in the questionnaire during the school year 2019-2020 with a total of 407 respondents.
Results: Based on the study results, teachers disagree that they experience stress in the workplace, and teachers seldom experience depression. The difference shows that the level of stress and depression are lower at vocational and college levels.
Conclusion: Based on the findings, teachers should understand how to practice stress management and prevent depression. School administrators and policymakers should look at possible interventions to minimize the level of stress and depression of educators
A Cross-Sectional Study on Empathy and its Association With Stress in Medical Students
Get PDFIntroduction: Empathy is the cornerstone of the doctor-patient relationship and a crucial quality associated with better patient compliance and clinical outcomes. This study aims to assess the level of empathy and its association with the level of stress in 3rd and 4th year medical students
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Kathmandu Medical College after taking ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee and informed written consent from all the participants. The respondents completed a structured questionnaire including demographic profile, Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Student Version, and Perceived Stress Scale. Data were entered and analyzed in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20.
Results: A total of 255 questionnaires were obtained with a response rate of 85.2%. The mean empathy score was 101.79 (SD = 11.26) and the mean perceived stress score was 18.55(SD = 5.56). There was a statistically significant negative correlation between empathy and stress (p-value <0.01) and similar negative correlations were seen in sub-group analysis. Female students had higher empathy scores compared to their male counterparts (p-value <0.01). Fourth-year students reported lower empathy scores than third-year students (p-value <0.05).
Conclusion: Stress was found to be a significant determinant of empathy among medical students. Medical educators must be aware of this and should try to incorporate means to alleviate stress in medical education. Furthermore, effective stress management techniques to preserve empathy in medical students with a view to improve clinical competency and achieve optimum patient care needs to be studied
Measurement of risk and stressors of post-traumatic stress disorder during the first lockdown period of COVID-19 among Industrial workers, Hyderabad, India
Get PDFIntroduction: Post-traumatic stress disorder usually occurs after a traumatic event and this COVID-19 pandemic has affected mental health to a great extent. While there is extensive research being conducted about this aspect among the general population, the most neglected are the Industrial workers during the first lockdown period. The aim of the study was to assess the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms using the impact of event scale-revised (IES-R), their main stressors and coping measurements among the industrial workers of Hyderabad.
Methods: A telephonic interview schedule was adopted to fill the online questionnaire among Industrial workers of age group 20-55 years during the lockdown period. Hundred and seventy-four participants were included in our study and data was collected using standardized tools IES-R and brief resilient coping scale. Various stressors and also their coping strategies were elucidated.
Results: At the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms were found among 20.6% and at risk of suppressed immune system functioning which is presumed to have its effect for the next 10 years was 13.8%. The main stressors of COVID-19 with increased IES-R score were not staying with family members, influence of social media, Any acquaintance with COVID-19 infected person effect on daily life and white-collar group. Coping measurements with a brief resilient coping scale found 17.4% as low resilient copers.
Conclusion: This identification of high-risk post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms needs to be addressed earlier to bring up preventive strategies such as counseling services in the occupational health care centers of our industries
Suicidal ideation and suicide commitment in Health Care Workers during COVID-19 pandemic: a review of the literature
Get PDFIntroduction: Suicide represents an important public health concern since it leads to more annual deaths globally than violence, war and natural disasters combined. It is evident that during this pandemic year the phenomenon acquires even greater importance especially in the categories at risk, such as health care workers (HCWs). The aim of this review is to analyze literature evidence regarding health care providers\u27 suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide commitment during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: International databases and digital worldwide media reports were screened between March 2020 and March 2021. The authors conducted a systematic review and described evidence using a narrative approach with some focus points based on the PICO framework. Inclusion or exclusion of literature is done according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations.
Results: What emerged is a range of SI that varies from 4 to 8% and the main risk factors seem to be loneliness, not having children and personal history of mental disorders.
Conclusion: SI, and in worst cases suicide commitment, seem mental health outcomes not to be underestimated, especially in an emergency that is protracting. They require monitoring by health surveillance systems with a goal of prevention and support