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Objective@#To investigate the effects of the interaction between occupational noise exposure and arterial stiffness on blood glucose, so as to provide insights into for early prevention of diabetes among workers exposed to occupational noise.@*Methods@#A total of 518 noise workers were selected from a tobacco plant in Wuhan City. Participants' gender, age and work duration were collected using questionnaire surveys, and participants' height and weight were measured. Blood glucose and arterial stiffness were detected, and the noise intensity was measured in working environments with a personal noise dosimeter. The effects of occupational noise exposure, arterial stiffness and their interactions on blood glucose were examined using a multiple linear regression model.@*Results@#A total of 518 workers were included, with 398 males (76.83%), a mean age of (40.85±10.68) years, a mean working age of (19.50±12.69) years, a mean body mass index of (23.66±3.31) kg/m2, and a mean blood glucose level of (5.15±0.99) mmol/L. There were 247 workers with occupational noise exposure (47.68%) and 175 workers with arterial stiffness (33.78%). Multiple linear regression analysis showed significant associations of noise (β'=0.112) and arterial stiffness (β'=0.168) with blood glucose, and there was an additive interaction between noise and arterial stiffness on blood glucose (β'=0.314).@*Conclusion@#The interaction between occupational noise and arterial stiffness affects blood glucose.
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Objective To investigate the relationship between occupational noise exposure and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, as well as prediabetes diagnosed by HbA1c. Methods A total of 1 181 workers from a cigarette factory were selected as the research subjects using a judgment sampling method. Workers were divided into control, low-level noise exposure and high-level noise exposure groups, consisting of 236, 359, and 586 individuals, respectively. The blood sample was collected for HbA1c test and occupation noise exposure intensity in workplace was detected by an area-sampling method. Results There were no statistical significant differences in HbA1c levels and prediabetes prevalence among the three groups of workers (all P>0.05). After adjusting for potential confounding factors such as years of service, gender, smoking, pack-years of smoking, alcohol consumption, and body mass index, multiple linear regression analysis showed that the high-level noise exposure group had higher HbA1c level than the control group (P<0.05). Multivariable logistic regression analysis results showed that the high-level noise exposure group had higher risk of prediabetes compared with the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Occupational noise exposure could be a risk factor for the increased HbA1c levels and prediabetes incidence among the occupational population. More attention should be paid to the effects of occupational noise exposure on the HbA1c level in occupational health surveillance.
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Objective To analyze the detection level and distribution characteristics of occupational contraindications in pre-employment occupational health examination, and to provide a reference for relevant management departments to strengthen the control of personnel exposed to occupational hazards. Methods The data of pre-employment occupational health examination of 2 626 workers in a vehicle manufacturing enterprise from September 2018 to December 2020 were collected. The detection rate of occupational contraindications was calculated according to the judgement standard, and the distribution of occupational contraindications in different gender, length of service and age was analyzed. Results The detection rate of occupational contraindications was 13.71%, and there was no significant difference between the genders. The detection rate in the 40-45 years old group was the highest (31.75%), and the difference among the different age groups was statistically significant (χ2=30.16, P2=30.20, P<0.01). Conclusion Relevant departments should strengthen the occupational health supervision and management of vehicle manufacturing enterprises and urge enterprises to pay attention to the pre-job occupational health examination as well as the health of workers.
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Background The hearing of Chinese young adults is far less sensitive than 0 dB defined by international standards, with the threshold values mostly being at double digits, which is worthy of investigation. Objective To study the influencing factors of hearing threshold measurement. Methods The hearing measurements were conducted in two different ways, one was a standard method performed in a specialized audiometry experiment room, and the other one was an on-site audiometry test which included a daily examination of hearing and an onsite hearing test. From the workers who participated in the occupational health examination, 300 people were randomly selected as experimental subjects, and their hearing was measured in the hearing examination room of the Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment Institute according to standard methods. A total of 9 766 workers from the General Motors factory were included in the daily group, and their hearing thresholds were measured in the hearing examination room in the factory. There were 4 617 people in the onsite group, and their hearing was measured in the test chamber of our mobile medical vehicle in their factories. The hearing threshold data of the three groups, i.e. experiment, daily examination and on-site, was compared and analyzed. In addition, the environmental noise in the hearing examination room and the mobile test chamber was measured. Results The hearing threshold value of the experimental group was the lowest. Despite this, its dB value remained at double digits at any frequency band. The hearing value of the daily group was in the middle. The onsite group had the highest hearing threshold, which was 58.2% higher than that of the experimental group. As the hearing data was not normally distributed, Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test was conducted for statistical analysis. It was found that the hearing threshold difference among the three groups was statistically significant at all the frequency band (P< 0.01). The ambient noise level was 23.9-28.3 dB(A) in the hearing examination room, and 32.5 - 67.9 dB (A) in the mobile test chamber. Age and gender were not confounding factors to the results. Conclusion The hearing test method and its environmental noise were able to make the threshold measurements shift up significantly. The environmental noise of the mobile test chamber in the examination vehicle has exceeded the standard and needs to be improved.
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Objective:To investigate the safety and protection level of radiological treatment in the CT modules in the makeshift hosptials in Wuhan during the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 cases.Methods:The layout of the CT modules in makeshift hospitals, radiological protection facilities and personal protective equipment were investigated. Based on the national standards, the CT dose index was estimated and the radiological protection level at the CT modules were measured.Results:The layout of the CT modules in makeshift hospitals is reasonable, with well-equipped radiological protection facilities. Of 23 CT modules, 20 were up to standards with acceptability of 87.0%. The other three were unqualified each with 1 detection points having values in excess of the national standards. Which, after being modified immediately reached the national standards. In addition, CT dose index for 7 CT modules were estimated, with CTDI W within ±7.5%. Conclusions:The CT modules in Wuhan meet the requirements of radiological safety and protection during the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 cases.
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Objective@#To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of neck and shoulder pain (NSP) among automobile manufacturing workers and to provide a theoretical basis for prevention of NSP.@*Methods@#From November 5 to November 19, 2017, a total 446 works who had worked for more than one year were recruited from an automobile plant by cluster sampling method. Chi square test and unconditional logistic regression were used to exam the relation between influencing factors and NSP.@*Results@#The annual prevalence rate of NSP was 34.8%. Multifactor regression analysis showed that age、work fatigue、department staff shortages、lifting heavy objects in awkward positions、neck flexion foreword and prolong sitting position work were the risk factors of NSP (OR=2.18, 95%CI:1.49~3.18; OR=4.52, 95%CI:1.27~16.00; OR=1.66, 95%CI:1.04~26.68; OR=2.10, 95%CI:1.16~3.81; OR=2.25, 95%CI:1.39~3.66; OR=2.42, 95%CI:1.06~5.56) and work break was the benefit factors of NSP (OR=0.58, 95%CI:0.36~0.94) .@*Conclusion@#The annual prevalence rate of NSP among automobile manufacturing workers was high. Lifing heavy objects、awkward working positions and unreasonable work arrangement were the major risk factors of NSP, and work break can effectively reduce the risk of NSP. Effective ergonomic intervention should be carried out to prevent the occurrence of NSP.
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OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of low back pain in workers in automobile manufacturing plants. METHODS: A judgment sampling method was used to select 394 workers with working length ≥1 year in an automobile manufacturing plant as study subjects. A questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate the prevalence of low back pain in these workers using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire. RESULTS: The prevalence of low back pain in these study subjects was 28. 9%( 114/394). The multivariate logistic regression analysis results showed that the relative risk ranked from high to low is as follow: uncomfortable working posture [Odds ratio( OR) =7. 31,95% confidence interval( 95% CI) = 2. 92-18. 28],feeling tired after work( OR = 5. 34,95% CI = 1. 22-23. 32],the commu time more than 30 minutes( OR = 2. 76,95% CI = 1. 38-5. 52),insufficient operating space( OR = 2. 22,95% CI = 1. 28-3. 83),hand or arm frequently used at work( OR = 2. 08,95% CI = 1. 14-3. 78) and age( OR = 2. 00,95% CI = 1. 19-3. 35),that were all risk factors of low back pain( P < 0. 05). CONCLUSION: The frequent use of hand or arm at work,insufficient operating space,uncomfortable working posture,feeling tired after work,and long commute time are the main influencing factors affecting the low back pain of automobile manufacturing workers.
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Dust sample mass gain is too smaller to satisfy the limit of detection (LOD) even in most cases during dust sampling at workplaces nowdays, especially for respirable fraction. Therefore, it is aimed to solve the problem by increasing sample load with high flow rate samplers.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In A and B two shipyards respirable welding fume was sampled by high flow rate cyclone samplers of FSP-10 (10 L/min) for 2-2.5 hours and normal flow rate FSP-2 (2 L/min) for 3-4 hours with a stratigy of parallele sampling at the same workpalce, in order to compare their mass gain, coincidence rate with LOD, and airborn dust concentration.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Sample mass gain of 0.97±0.40 mg and 1.61±0.86 mg respectively in the two factories by FSP-10 was significantly higher than that of 0.29±0.12 mg and 0.51±0.27 mg by FSP-2 (t-test, P<0.05 in both cases) , increasing herewith the coincidence rate with LOD from 26.8% (when sampling with FSP-2, calculated together with samples of the two factories) to 89.7%. However there was no significant difference in dust concentrations by the two different samplers, 0.53±1.88 vs 0.73±1.61 mg/m(3) by FSP-2 and FSP-10 in the shipyard A and 1.14±1.78 vs 1.01±1.63 mg/m(3) in the factory B (t-test, P>0.05 in every case) . In addtion, sample loading by FSP-2 was found to be correlated to sampling time (R(2)=0.7906, y=0.002 6x) , therefore, it has to sample for ≥192.3 min to meet the LOD (0.5 mg) in case of normal flow rate.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>By using of high flow rate cyclone FSP-10 the problem of LOD could be solved, along with increased sample mass and similar respirable dust concentration by the two samplers. Some techincal improvements of FSP-10 and increasing of LOD coincidence rate by other methods was also disscussed.</p>