Disparate exposure to physically demanding working conditions in France

BackgroundOur study was aimed at examining disparate exposure to physically demanding working conditions in France, a key objective being to identify the types of employees/jobs requiring high-priority preventive actions.MethodsWe analyzed the data from the 2017 French nationwide cross-sectional survey (SUMER) on occupational hazards to which French employees in various sectors were subjected. The prevalence of several types of physically demanding working conditions (lifting of heavy loads, awkward body postures, vibrations, noise, and extreme temperatures) was explored. Potential associations of individual and job characteristics with these factors of hardship at work were studied by multivariate logistic regression.ResultsIn total, 48% of employees were exposed to at least one physically demanding working condition and 24.8% were exposed to multiple constraints. While managers and intellectual professionals were exposed relatively infrequently to physical constraints, blue-collar workers experienced the highest frequency of exposure. On the one hand, the role of company size depended on the factor of hardship at work considered; on the other hand, employees in large-scale companies were generally less exposed. As expected, employees in the construction industry were the most exposed to physical constraints; that said, our results also show that some activities in the services sector (e.g., personal care, administrative and support services) were quite significantly affected by a wide array of physically demanding working conditions.ConclusionNotwithstanding the establishment in France of Plans de Santé au travail (preventive workplace health and safety plans), occupational risks were found to be high, and above all, they were unevenly distributed among the various socio-professional categories, and strongly contributed to social inequalities in health. Our results identify the types of publics to be designated as high-priority targets for preventive measures aimed at reducing the adverse impacts of physically demanding working conditions and the incidence of associated musculoskeletal disorders.     

社会支持对企业员工工作倦怠的影响

目的了解企业员工的工作倦怠状况，探讨社会支持对企业员工工作倦怠的影响并提出组织管理建议。方法以社会支持问卷和MBI-GS问卷对588名企业员工进行调查。结果企业员工的工作倦怠程度并不高，但仍存在．且以情绪耗竭的程度教高；社会支持与工作倦怠及共各构面部分呈显着负相关，社会支持对工作倦怠及其各构面具有显着的预测力，结论社会支持对企业员工工作倦怠有一定的影响．应引起管理者的重视。     

Sensitization to green coffee bean (GCB) and castor bean (CB) allergens among dock workers

Summary Dock workers (n = 218) occupationally exposed to green coffee beans (GCB) were studied, using a specific questionnaire for allergic symptoms and skin tests for common and occupational allergens. Thirty-one workers (14.3%) complained of allergic symptoms of the eye, nose and bronchial system at the workplace. The prick tests, using both commercial allergens and specific extracts prepared from the most common types of coffee and their corresponding sacks, confirmed a sensitization in 21 workers (9.6%). A positive skin reaction to castor beans (CB) was found in nearly all these cases; in ten workers there was also a positive reaction to GCB allergens and in 14 cases prick tests were positive to extracts of sacks. There was a good concordance between prick tests and specific IgE for CB (95.0%) and also, but to a lesser extent, for GCB. The authors concluded that there is a significant risk of sensitization to CB and GCB allergens in dock workers occupied in handling green coffee bean, despite the fact that the exposure is not continuous. CB emerged as a common contaminant of GCB from various countries. For effective prevention, a modification of the methods of transport is required to avoid CB contamination to other products. Eliminating environmental dust during shipping operations is the most important preventive measure and it can be achieved by the use of containers, as some exporting countries are already doing.     

Workplace status and risk of hypertension among hourly and salaried aluminum manufacturing employees

An inverse relationship between workplace status and morbidity is well established; higher job status has been associated with reduced risks of heart disease, hypertension, and injury. Most research on job status, however, has focused on salaried populations, and it remains unclear whether job status operates similarly among hourly workers. Our objectives were to examine whether hourly status itself influences risk of hypertension after adjustment for socioeconomic confounders, and to explore the role of fine-scale job grade on hypertension incidence within hourly and salaried groups. We examined data for 14,999 aluminum manufacturing employees in 11 plants across the U.S., using logistic regression with adjustment for age, sex, race/ethnicity and other individual characteristics. Propensity score restriction was used to identify comparable groups of hourly and salaried employees, reducing confounding by sociodemographic characteristics. Job grade (coded 1 through 30, within hourly and salaried groups) was examined as a more refined measure of job status. Hourly status was associated with an increased risk of hypertension, after propensity restriction and adjustment for confounders. The observed effect of hourly status was stronger among women, although the propensity-restricted cohort was disproportionately male (96%). Among salaried workers, higher job grade was not consistently associated with decreased risk; among hourly employees, however, there was a significant trend, with higher job grades more protective against hypertension. Increasing the stringency of hypertension case criteria also increased the risk of severe or persistent hypertension for hourly employees.     

Study of Laser Ocular Effect and Damage

In this paper, the characteristics and regularities of acute ocular injuries by direct laser exposure are briefly reviewed, typical cases of ocular injuries from accidental laser exposure are reported, and laser occupational harm to the eye are discussed on the basis of epidemic investigation of personnel engaged in laser work.     

家禽加工流水线作业工人颈肩腕疾患的调查

对１４９名家禽加工厂作业女工的颈肩腕疾患进行了调查。结果表明：观察组职业性颈肩腕疾患ＯＣＤ，（肩周炎、尺管综合征、腕管综合征、腱鞘炎、肱骨内外髁炎）的总发生率为３９．６０％，与对照组相比差异有非常显著意义（Ｐ＜０．０１），其发生率与工龄、年龄及工种别有关。我们认为ＯＣＤ发生的职业危险因素主要是上肢反复用力活动、静力作业、不合理的操作姿势，而且低温、高温的作业环境对ＯＣＤ的发生也起到一定的促进作用。     

花都区职业性健康体检面临的困境及对策探讨

通过对花都区职业性健康体检工作现状的分析，探讨职业性健康检查面临的困境，包括监督执法力度不足，部门之间不够协调、用人单位领导及劳动者职业卫生意识差、管理制度不完善以及经济因素等，继而提出一些对策：建立健全监督体制、完善管理制度、加强队伍建设、加大宣传和健康教育力度、建立相应的社会保险制度等。     

高校辅导员职业倦怠感的产生原因及对策

本文从社会根源、组织根源及个人因素三个方面入手,对工作负荷、角色冲突与角色模糊、公平感、职业特征、人格因素等影响高校辅导员工作倦怠的主要因素进行了初步诠释,并针对三个根源因素提出相应的应对策略.