Trend of work-related injuries in the Philippines from 2010-2020

INTRODUCTION@# Although Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) has been introduced as early as 1971, the protection of workers remained insufficient globally as 360 million occupational accidents occurred annually. In the Philippines, the incidence rate of occupational injury is 4.27 percent which indicates that there are around 4 cases of occupational injuries with workdays lost per 100 workers.@*OBJECTIVE@#The study aims to determine the trend of work-related injuries using hospital data entries from 2010-2020, and factors that contribute to work-related injuries and worker fatalities in the Philippines. @*METHODS@#The work-related data from the Department of Health’s Online National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (ONEISS) from 2010 to 2020 was processed and analyzed in the study using exploratory data analysis presented as table and graphs, and logistic regression and phi-coefficient analysis for statistical inference. The relationships between patient fatality, type of injury sustained, and external factors for occupational injuries and fatalities were analyzed. @*RESULTS@# A total of 72,897 (6.6%) work-related injuries and worker fatalities were analyzed in this study. The reports of occupational injuries and fatalities increased and peaked in 2019 and declined by 2020. Phi coefficient determined that all injuries sustained were significantly associated with work-related activities. Phi coefficient showed that all types of injuries were significantly associated with patient fatality. The external causes that were found to be significantly associated with patient fatality using phi coefficient were contact with sharp objects, exposure to forces of nature, fall, and transport and vehicular crash. Fall was significantly associated with patient fatality while also increasing its odds (OR=2.57, 95% CI: 1.76 – 3.75), and increased odds for multiple injuries (OR=2.30, 95% CI: 2.17 – 2.45), abrasion (OR=2.10, 95% CI: 1.97 – 2.24), and fracture (OR=9.66, 95% CI: 8.92 – 10.46). Transport/vehicular crash was significantly associated with increased patient fatality (OR=2.94, 95% CI: 2.22 – 3.88), multiple injuries (OR=6.77, 95% CI: 6.48 – 7.07), abrasion (OR=12.87, 95% CI: 12.34), and fracture (OR=4.12, 95% CI: 3.82 – 3.45).@*CONCLUSION@#The study determined the relationship between work-related injuries, patient fatalities, types of injuries, and external causes of injuries based on the ONEISS data from 2010 to 2020. It is recommended that the study results be used in evaluating work-related accidents and in conducting comprehensive health assessments.

Work, health, and safety conditions of delivery riders in the Philippines during COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction. The delivery sector has experienced a remarkable expansion in recent years, owing mainly to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, numerous elements, like practices, regulations, and health and safety conditions, impact their efficiency. Similarly, the issues and complaints of delivery services, notably its on-the-ground workers/riders, have grown.Objective. This research aims to describe delivery riders' work-related health and safety conditions in the Philippines.Method. An online survey was conducted for delivery riders to inquire about working conditions, and health and safety issues. Eighty survey respondents were included via snowball sampling. The survey focused on seven variables: precautions at work, health risks due to work, accident involvement, bad driving practices, road conditions, potential dangers for riders, and employer regulations and support. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.Results. Most riders are low-income married men who have finished at least high school and work more than eight hours a day, six days a week. Most of them also work for food delivery businesses during the day. The findings show a general adherence to traffic and safety laws, a propensity to push oneself to work despite poor conditions, and a lack of company support for riders' health, safety, and other requirements. The regular delivery rider's everyday difficulties include dirt roads, a lack of traffic signals, the presence of wandering animals and irresponsible pedestrians, and an insistence on showing up to work despite weather or health concerns. Furthermore, responders have high esteem for and thoroughly grasp local traffic laws.Conclusion. Although the riders are generally perceived to comply with safety standards, their employers' rules and support indicate that delivery firms are deficient in providing adequate safety and health measures for their workers. There is low importance on strategies to prevent transmission and contraction of COVID-19, such as vaccinations, testing, face masks, face shields, and sanitizers, among others.

Analysis of transport and vehicular road crash cases in Metro Manila from 2016 to 2020

INTRODUCTION@#Metro Manila, the metropolitan center and seat of the national government, is composed of 16 cities and 1 municipality, and considered as the second-most populous region in the Philippines. Transport is a key sector that is needed for accessibility and economic progress. Yet, the question on safety of the roads of Manila remains as road crashes continue to be reported.@*OBJECTIVE@#The study aims to determine the trend of road crashes in Metro Manila, and the factors associated with both fatality and injury among three types of road users – the drivers, the passengers, and the pedestrians.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis of 523,059 road crash data between 2016 to 2020 was done. Using descriptive statistics, the road crash variables analyzed in the study were (1) crash classification according to damage to property, fatal, and non-fatal crash, (2) road user type according to driver, passenger, and pedestrian, (3) vehicle type, (4) junction type, and (5) risky road user behavior. Logistic and multinomial regression models were used to determine whether these variables were significant with road user fatality and injury.@*RESULTS@#The analysis of the MMARAS database (n=523,059) showed an increasing trend of road crashes occurred since 2016 and peaked in 2019, and declined in 2020. Majority (436,367, 83.426%) were damage to property, followed by non-fatal or injurious cases (84751, 16.203%) and fatal outcomes (1941, 0.371%). Drivers have the greatest number of fatalities and injuries compared to passengers and pedestrians. Cars (513482 52.322%) and motorcycles (136641, 13.923%) remain the major types of vehicles involved in road crashes. The factors that were significantly associated with increased odds ratio for driver death were involvement of pedicabs (OR=10.937, p=0.000), motorcycles (OR=55.061, p=0.000), bus (OR=5.835, p=0.000), truck (OR=7.073, p=0.000), hit object (OR=11.007, p=0.000), self-accident (OR=6.149, p=0.000), and collisions in bridges/flyovers (OR=2.713, p=0.010)). The factors that were significantly associated with increased odds ratio for passenger fatality were the involvement of motorcycle (OR=3.75, p=0.021), angle impact (OR=42.01, p=0.002), multiple collision (OR=18.42, p=0.040), self-accident (OR=32.66, p=0.010), and lost control (OR=82.98, p=0.001). The factors significantly associated with pedestrian fatality were hit and run (OR=56.04, p=0.000), hit pedestrian (OR=1085.17, p=0.000), and crashes in bridges/flyover (OR=4.20, p=0.025). Meanwhile, multinomial regression showed that classification of crash and vehicle type were significantly associated with fatal and non-fatal crashes.@*CONCLUSION@#The study showed the trend of fatality and injury among drivers, passengers, and pedestrians from 2016-2020, and factors of road crashes in Metro Manila including vehicle type, road behaviors, collision type and junction type.

Association of burnout with organizational factors and occupational health among female factory workers -- continuing study

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Introduction.</strong> With the growing number of females employed as factory workers, it is important to look into the phenomenon of burnout and related organizational climate affecting these workers.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Objectives.</strong> The objectives of the study were: 1) to determine the effect of organizational climate on burnout among female factory workers; and 2) to look into the association between burnout as well as illnesses, injuries, hazard exposures and organizational climate factors.<br /><br /><strong>Methods.</strong> The secondary data used for this study was from a cross-sectional study involving 344 female factory workers. This paper is a continuing analysis of the previous paper of the same author which focused on establishing indices for burnout. This paper proceeds with correlation analysis between burnout and associated organizational factors, illnesses, and injuries in the workplace.<br /><br /><strong>Results.</strong> There was a total of 344 female respondents with mean age of 26 (SD=5.02), and majority were single (69.21%). Burnout score was significantly positively correlated with all experienced workplace accidents. Female workers getting wounded due to sharp objects has a strong positive relationship with burnout score. Eye infection, dust inhalation, electrical accidents, and getting caught in machine parts have a moderate positive relationship with burnout score. Meanwhile, for illnesses, the following have a weak positive relationship with burnout - headache, cough and colds, genitourinary infections and bodyache. Organizational Climate Factors such as Autonomy on Quality, Physical Work Content, and Personal Worker Perception Index were significant factors to increasing the relative risk for more sickness experienced among the female workers. Strong positive relationship existed with burnout score and excessive noise in workplace. Dust, intoxicating odors, and high temperatures have a moderately strong positive relationship. Organizational factors significant in predicting burnout were Autonomy on Quality, Skilled Work Content, Physical Work Content, Hazardous Work Content, Health, Safety, and Compensation, and Upskilling and Training Index. Results also showed that a higher autonomy on speed, how much work was done, and how work was done decreases probability of burnout. Linear regression showed that Burnout was also associated with workplace accidents, self-reported illnesses, and hazard exposures as independent variables.<br /><br /><strong>Conclusion.</strong> This study has come up with correlational analysis between burnout and organizational factors, as well as with illnesses, injuries and hazard exposures in the occupational setting. This is a significant study as basis for policy and program formulation by industries concerned as well as the government.</p>

The effect of suspected alcohol intoxication on fatality and injuries of road users in Metro Manila -- 2005-2020

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Introduction.</strong> The ever-increasing global road traffic accidents is caused by several risk factors: human factors, vehicle factors, and road environmental factors. In the Philippines, 12,000 road users die annually due to road crashes and almost one-third are alcohol-related crashes.<br /><br /><strong>Objectives.</strong> This study aims to investigate the effects of suspected alcohol intoxication on the severity of injuries among drivers and passengers in a major urban region in the Philippines using the Metro Manila Accident Recording and Analysis System (MMARAS) of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority from 2005 to 2020.<br /><br /><strong>Methods.</strong> The Metro Manila Accident Recording and Analysis System (MMARAS) was used to determine the data on trends and association for alcohol-related road crashes, while descriptive and inferential statistics such as logistic and multinomial regression were used to determine trends and associations.<br /><br /><strong>Results.</strong> Suspected alcohol intoxication road crash cases in Metro Manila have decreased from 45 cases in 2005 to 31 cases in 2020. The year 2011 recorded the highest cases of alcohol-suspected road crashes. The years 2010, 2011, and 2012 recorded the highest number of driver's death while 2005, 2006, 2014, and 2019 recorded higher deaths for passengers. Cars and motorcycles are the most commonly involved vehicles in alcohol-suspected road crashes, while Quezon City (n=307) and Marikina City (n=267) are the common places of incidence for drunk-driving accidents. On the other hand, alcohol intoxication increases the risk of driver's death (OR=9.16; 95% CI [5.388-15.574]) and injury (OR=5.22; 95% CI [4.487-6.074]). While intoxicated, hitting an object (OR = 12.557; 95% CI [1.478-106.694]) and truck collisions (OR=7.176; 96% CI [1.261-40.817]) can increase the risk for driver's death. Meanwhile, side swipe (OR=2.330; 95% CI [1.029-5.277]) and angle impact (OR= 7.972; 95% CI [1.804-35.227]), increase the odds for driver injuries.<br /><br /><strong>Conclusion.</strong> Suspected alcohol intoxication road crashes can be prevented; however, a collaborative effort is needed. The government is responsible for road safety education as well as effectively enforcing road safety-related laws, while the road users shall use the roadways responsibly.</p>

Road traffic injuries among women brought to the largest tertiary hospital in the Philippines

Introduction@#Road traffic accidents are a growing public health burden, especially in the low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). With resource scarcity, road traffic injuries may lead to poor quality of life among survivors, or deaths at worst. Victims of crashes involving transportations are gendered; therefore, there may be differences in the trends and characteristics of injuries sustained by men and women related to road crash. @*Objectives@#This study aimed to determine the factors related to severity of road crashes among women road users in the Philippines from 2008 to 2017. @*Methods@#We conducted a retrospective review of clinical records of women patients involved in road crash at the Trauma Division, Department of Surgery of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) for the ten-year period, January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2017. Data were extracted from the electronic patient records in Integrated Surgical Information System (ISIS). @*Results@#From 2008 to 2017, 926 of the road crash victims brought to PGH were women. There was an increasing trend, with the years 2015 to 2017 accounting for half of the total cases (55.62%). The highest cases of women patient admissions were also recorded during the months of June and July (5.61%). The CALABARZON region (11.23%) and National Capital Region (8.21%) had the highest admissions. The patients were most commonly pedestrians (12.20%) and involved in collisions (13.50%) or vehicle involvement (13.17%). The most common vehicle involved was a motorcycle (9.72%) followed by car and vans (1.62%). Only a small proportion of women patients used helmets (3.33%) and seatbelts (0.12%). The median length of hospital stay of women patients was 5 days. The most commonly sustained injuries among patients were multiple (83.65%), external (43.72%), extremity (33.15%), head and neck (23.47%), and face (21.58%) injuries. Among these, injuries to the extremity had the highest average length of hospital stay (16.04 ± 31.28 days) while external and head and neck injuries had the shortest (10.81 ± 33.42 days). Multinomial regression showed that women patients who suffered from head and neck, and abdominal injuries had increased odds of dying by 4.94 times (CI: 2.158-11.302, p < 0.05), and 3.33 times (CI:1.235-9.02, p < 0.05), respectively, compared to those who did not suffer said injuries. @*Conclusion@#There is a significant number of women involved in road crashes in the Philippines, and therefore, there is a need for directed policies on female road users as vulnerable road users.

Environmental pollution towards the workplace in the Philippines

Introduction@#Air pollution is an emerging global concern, especially in the Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions; smoke-belching and emissions from vehicles on the road are associated with air pollution. In the Philippines, the Clean Air Act of 1999 was passed to address the growing concern for poor air quality to cover mobile sources such as vehicles. @*Objective@#This study aimed to come up with a descriptive analysis of emissions of vehicles as this has an impact on air pollution and road-environmental safety. @*Methodology@#This study analyzed a secondary database of vehicle emissions violation cases from the Land Transportation Organization (LTO) office in Region 11, the Philippines. The study was retrospective in nature and involved a review of traffic violation cases. The data were encoded and analyzed using the SPSS ver. 23 software program. @*Results@#Two hundred eighty-two vehicle emission standard violations were recorded by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) from 2018 to 2019. Most cases were from 2018 (72.7%), with January (30.9%) recorded the highest number of unsafe vehicle emission standard violation cases. Of the apprehended drivers, the majority (88.3%) were of the driving professional license category. All the drivers (100.0%) were caught due to the violation of smoke-belching (V16). In comparison, a small proportion was also seen as cases of driving without a valid driver’s license or conductor’s permit (1.8%) and failure to carry driver’s license/OR/CR (0.8%). All the violators were caught on daytime working and rush hours, between 6:00 am and 5:00 pm. More than half of the apprehended drivers’ vehicles (55.3%) were classified as for hire, while the remaining (41.8%) were classified as private vehicles. The majority (99.3%) of the vehicles did not pass the first emissions standards. Meanwhile, the most common vehicles caught for unsafe emissions were UV vehicles (n = 239). The vehicles caught for dangerous emissions were more than ten years old, with one-third (35.9%) of the vehicles were between 10 to 19 years old. The mean years of use or age of the vehicle were 15.724 ± 8.553 years. Opacity results for the first emission testing were 6.691 ± 2.404, while the Average Light Absorption (ALA) coefficient for the second emissions testing was 1.102 ± 0.577. @*Conclusion@#This study provided an overview of unsafe vehicle emissions within an urban city and suggested a need for more robust monitoring of vehicle emissions within safe limits. Vehicles that do not meet safety standards should not be allowed on the road, and disposal of old inefficient running vehicles may be beneficial in reducing dangerous air pollution.

Analysis of length of hospital stay of road crash patients in the Philippine General Hospital’s Integrated Surgical Information Systemfrom 2008–2017

Introduction@#Mobility in the Philippines has increasingly become a major issue especially with the growing economy of the country. Collisions on the road cannot be entirely avoided; thus, we focus our efforts to reducing road crashes that result in death and serious injuries. To do this, we analyzed road crash patients brought to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). @*Objective@#The study aimed to quantify how crash factors affect length of hospital stay (LOS) of patients brought to PGH, as well as to look for associations between the LOS and demographic and clinical variables. @*Methods@#This is a retrospective study using database of patients admitted in PGH from 2008 to 2017. The study focused on LOS, which was used as the dependent variable for Poisson regression and Kruskal-Wallis H tests. The determinants considered in the study are socio-demographic variables such as age, sex, civil status, victim type, vehicle type, patient classification, and region of incidence, as well as clinical variables such as consult type, outcome of the patient, body parts injured, Glasgow coma score (GCS), among others. @*Results@#We analyzed data of 4979 road crash patients from the PGH database. We found that civil status, age, patient classification, vehicle type, and province were associated with LOS. For the clinical variables, consult type, primary service, outcome of patient, body injuries, GCS and systolic blood pressure were found significant. Poisson regression suggests longer hospital stay for patients with injuries sustained in the head and neck (RR = 1.102, p < 0.001), face (RR = 1.218, p < 0.001), and extremity (RR = 1.673, p < 0.001). @*Conclusion@#Results show that injury sustained in certain parts of the body such as head and neck, face, and extremity significantly affect LOS. Results also show that subgroups within demographic variables affect LOS. There is a need to address the ever-increasing number of road crash patients and implications to length of hospitalization.

Analysis of transport and vehicular crash cases using the Online National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (ONEISS) from 2010 to 2019

Introduction@#Around 1.35 million people die due to road traffic accidents yearly. In the Philippines, there is an increasing trend of mortality and morbidity caused by road crashes. @*Objective@#The objective of the study is to show the epidemiology of transport and vehicular crash (TVC) cases in the Philippines using the Department of Health (DOH) Online National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (ONEISS) from 2010 to 2019. @*Methods@#We used data from ONEISS, a web-based system to electronically capture injury-related data from health facilities, store data in a centralized and secure location, process and consolidate data, and transform this data into meaningful information. For Transport and Vehicular Crash cases, risk factors such as drug use, alcohol use, mobile phone use, seatbelt, and helmet use are included. There are also data on vehicle type, place of crash, and activity. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed to explore and analyze the ONEISS dataset, particularly the epidemiology of transport and vehicular crashes (TVC). @*Results@#There were a total of 296,760/894,989 (31%) patients admitted due to transport and vehicular crash (TVC) based on the 10-year data from ONEISS (2010–2019). There was an increasing trend in the number of transport/ vehicular crashes (TVC) during this period, with an average increase of 25.58% cases per year. Most victims were drivers (45.6%), males (72.5%), and from the younger age group (0-30 years old). Fatal crashes were observed to occur from 6:00 pm to 5:00 am while most accidents occurred during leisure activities (32.5%). The highest reported contributing factor was drunk driving (n = 25,537). There was observed low compliance on the use of vehicular safety equipment. The most common types of injuries for the TVC victims were abrasions, contusions, burns, and concussions while the vehicle most involved in TVC was the motorcycle. Motorcycle use was found to be associated with worse emergency room (ER) outcomes (p <.0001) and the highest injury types such as multiple injuries, abrasion, avulsion and burn. Alcohol use was also significantly associated with multiple injuries, abrasion, avulsion, burn, open fracture, open wound, and amputation (p < 0.05). @*Conclusion@#The trend of road traffic vehicular crashes affecting mainly the younger population has economic repercussions. Motorcycles are also most involved in crashes, hence, the need for motorcycle safety laws in the country. There is also a need to strengthen current laws and legislation governing road safety and to focus on structuring a systematic post-crash response for both the local government and hospitals throughout the Philippines.

Discoursing terminology standards and interoperability in relation to the Philippine eHealth Strategy

Background@#eHealth is the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for health. It helps in improving the flow of information, through electronic means, in support of the delivery of health services, and the management of health systems. eHealth is used as the strategic context and tool in achieving population health, improved health system status, and socio-economic development goals. @*Objectives@#This study is aimed at looking at the Philippine National eHealth Strategy, particularly the components of Terminology Standards and Interoperability concerning the eHealth strategy in the Philippines, and to assess the barriers and gaps in the integration of these two components. @*Methods@#This study used secondary literature, internet search, Philippine laws, administrative orders, memorandum circulars, and grey literature to discourse terminology standards and interoperability in the Philippine eHealth system, and issues and gaps related to these components that may impede the delivery of Universal Health Coverage in the country. @*Results@#The current Philippine National eHealth strategy includes the following sector governance, legislation, policy and compliance, eHealth solution (i.e., services and applications), strategy and investment, infrastructure (government), human resources, and standards and interoperability. Philippine Health Information Exchange (PHIE) is a software platform in the country that aims to connect many isolated electronic health systems. The proposed interoperability layer across health systems and services in the Philippines includes Patient’s Primary Healthcare Consultation at the Rural Health Unit, health research, legal information, patient healthcare at tertiary hospital, and health insurance claims. The study results showed that issues and gaps related to the interoperability of eHealth in the Philippines include technical issues such as lack of common semantics, lack of an institutional mechanism to regulate EMR, lack of incentives among eHealth providers and stakeholders to adopt standards for interoperability.@*Conclusion@#The effort of the Philippines to achieve interoperability and standards in eHealth goals can be characterized as a work in progress. The government, private sector, physician, patient, and other stakeholders are deemed to continuously develop a shared vision and interoperate under a standardized guide as eHealth is a complex endeavor that covers many aspects.

Constructing a trauma scoring system from databases of road crash patients in Philippine Hospitals (2009–2019)

Introduction@#Trauma scoring standardizes the severity of injuries of patients brought to trauma centers and is predictive of the outcome or prognosis among trauma victims. Hence, creating a trauma score allows for proper prioritization as well as proper management of patients in the emergency departments. @*Objectives@#The objective of the study is to come up with a trauma scoring system that correlates to the probability of survival of a patient using the patient databases in major hospitals in the Philippines representing the three major island groups, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The study will also compare this proposed trauma scoring system with the gold standard (Revised Trauma Score) developed by Champion in 1989. @*Methods@#The proposed Philippine Trauma Scoring System (PTSS) was based on data from the eight largest tertiary hospitals catering to trauma patients. A total of 40,286 patient charts were reviewed. The proposed trauma scoring system integrates concepts used in the Revised Trauma Score (RTS), with addition of age (from Kampala Trauma Scoring), as well as the Injury Score (based on the number of body parts injured). This proposed scoring system was weighted, using logistic regression to come up with coefficients for the components of the PTSS for a more accurate prediction of patient survival. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) was used to plot Sensitivity vs. 1-Specificity. In this analysis, ROC was used to evaluate and compare how good the models are in predicting patient recovery.@*Results@#The components of GCS, RR, SBP, age, and body parts injured were significant predictors of patient outcomes for patients with trauma, specifically the road crash patients in this Philippine study. This study showed that both the PTSS and RTS have a significantly greater area under the curve than the diagonal reference line, which means that both the scoring system have a significant predictive value. The best predictive value, however, comes from the proposed scoring system that is developed from this study in the Philippines. Compared to the gold standard, PTSS Model 1 is a better predictor of outcomes than the gold standard RTS (ROC-AUC = 0.659 vs. 0.633) using only 22,214 valid subject population that contained all the variables needed for the PTSS analysis. @*Conclusion@#In a developing country like the Philippines, there are limited resources especially in the healthcare setting. Therefore, it is important to lessen errors in triaging which may result in resource waste and a higher risk of adverse outcomes for the patients. Thus, the PTSS developed in this study can be used by Philippine hospitals as it is uniquely based on Filipino patients using a large database representative of the eight largest tertiary hospitals in the Philippines. The proposed PTSS is shown in this study as the best classifier for patient outcome compared to the gold standard – RTS of Champion.

Correlation of climate change indicators with health and environmental data in the Philippines

Introduction@#The Lancet Countdown used Global Burden of Disease (GBD) data to track mortality from diseases influenced by climate change. The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable nations to climate change. @*Objective@#This study aimed to provide summative data on climate change and health-environmental factors based on several large databases. It looked into the correlation of climate change to selected health variables and correlated environmental factors to health chosen variables in the Philippines. @*Methods@#The database was assembled through a compilation of different secondary data. Climate change variables were acquired from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD 2017) Study on Health-related Sustainable Development Goals Indicators from 1990 to 2030. The data for the Philippines were obtained. These indicators include air pollution mortality, disaster mortality, household air pollution, malaria incidence, mean PM2.5, non-communicable disease mortality, neglected tropical diseases mortality, unimproved sanitation, and unsafe water. The resulting database was analyzed using exploratory data analysis techniques with descriptive statistics and line graphs to analyze trends over the years. Then Pearson correlation analysis was done to explore the linear relationship between health indicators, climate indicators, and environmental indicators. @*Results@#The study results showed that the trend in the Philippines for air pollution mortality, household air pollution, malaria incidence, and neglected tropical diseases mortality is in a downward direction. However, non-communicable disease mortality was constantly increasing from 41.99 in 1990 to 55.00 in 2016. Meanwhile, the mean temperature is significantly negatively correlated to household air pollution, malaria incidence, and neglected tropical diseases and significantly correlated with non-communicable diseases. Also, NOAA adjusted sea level is significantly positively correlated with air pollution mortality, malaria incidence, disaster mortality, and non-communicable diseases. It is negatively correlated with malaria incidence and neglected tropical diseases prevalence. Global mean CO2 is significantly negatively correlated with household air pollution, malaria incidence, and neglected tropical diseases prevalence. On the other hand, it was significantly and positively correlated with air pollution mortality and non-communicable diseases mortality. Household air pollution health risk was significantly positively correlated to mean PM2.5 levels in the Philippines. Unimproved sanitation was positively correlated with household air pollution, malaria incidence, and neglected tropical disease prevalence. @*Conclusion@#As recordings of heat index increased, there was a correlation with NCD, Malaria, Disaster, and NTD infection mortality. With the evidence of the correlation of increasing temperature and pollution to health, the urgency to focus on addressing these problems was present in this study. Further research may help in policymaking to target drivers of pollution which affect extreme climate changes.

Work process and hazard analysis in small-scale gold mining in Northern Philippines

Introduction@#Small-scale mining (SSM) is mining by individuals, groups, families, or cooperatives with minimal or no mechanization, often in the market's informal (illegal) sector. According to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in the Philippines, the gross production value of small-scale mining as of the 1st to 3rd quarter of 2020 was 0.5 billion pesos (1.05 billion USD). @*Objectives@#This study investigated the work process in small-scale mining in the northern part of the Philippines. It documented the occupational hazards that small-scale gold miners are exposed to in each of the work processes. @*Methods@#The target population is a community in the northern Philippines where the majority of the males are engaged in small-scale gold mining. This qualitative study used work observation and hazards analysis tools to investigate small-scale miners' work processes and hazard exposures. @*Results@#The most widely employed mining technique in the target community is dog-hole mining consisting of several sub-processes: tunneling, ball milling, and gravity concentration, cyanide leaching, and smelting. The occupational hazards identified were noise exposure from the dynamite blast, temperature extremes, and exposure to dust from dynamite blasting. The small-scale miners were subjected to prolonged crouching and bending, handling tools, and carrying heavy sacks filled with mineral ores. The miners resorted to improvised protective equipment such as wearing sleeveless shirts and drinking water for temperature extremes, distancing themselves from the mining blasts during dynamite blasting, and intermittently used carts with manual handling to transport ores packed in sacks. In the ball milling and gravity concentration process, machine-related accidents such as cuts from the crusher were observed. In cyanide leaching, which uses massive amounts of cyanide, the most prevalent hazards were heat, dust, and chemicals such as cyanide fumes. The risks included smoke from burning ore and coal and exposure to borax and nitric acid fumes in the smelting process. @*Conclusion@#This study documented the work process in small-scale gold mining and the hazard exposures in this type of informal industry. It is suggested that the local and national governments implement intervention programs for occupational health and safety measures, and social security nets are provided for the small-scale miners in Itogon, Benguet.

State and trends of occupational health and safety in the Philippines

Introduction@#In the Philippines, industries began to recognize the importance of workers’ health after occupational safety and health were introduced in the early 1900s. Ever since, several legal bases have existed to protect the people’s welfare. However, data regarding this matter is limited in the country. @*Objective@#This paper aimed to develop a comprehensive review of occupational safety and health data, including hazard exposures and occupational diseases for various Filipino occupational groups. @*Methods@#A comprehensive analysis of the latest records and statistics from various government agencies, non-government organizations, academe, and research institutions was done. Data analysis was completed through a critical appraisal of the Philippines' current occupational health and safety regarding occupational diseases, injuries, accidents, and existing occupational health and safety policies. Data were also extracted from reviews of literature and other related research studies. Data analysis was done through a critical appraisal of the Philippines' current occupational health and safety in terms of occupational diseases, injuries, accidents, and existing occupational health and safety policies. @*Results@#Most of those working in the informal sectors do not have enough social protection in the Philippine context. Others in the same situation involve construction workers, farmers, miners, and waste or garbage pickers. Child labor was also seen to be prevalent, risking these children's health and safety. Another issue is on gender, and wherein women were found to have lesser protection than their counterparts. Among the industries present in the country, administrative and support service activities, manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, financial and insurance activities, education except for public education, and agriculture, forestry, and fishing were seen to have a high prevalence of occupational diseases. The study has shown occupational safety and health among various occupational groups and categories, the profile of occupational diseases in Philippine industries, and the OSH programs implemented in industries. @*Conclusion@#Analysis of available data confirmed the presence of threats of unsafe and unhealthy conditions in various jobs and workplaces. To keep up with other nations, the country should strive more with its local developments.

A study on total rewards management in Philippine Healthcare Companies: An occupational issue

Introduction@#Companies and hospitals in the healthcare industry, like other businesses, are not exempted from the rising labor costs and growing dissatisfaction among employees. The assessment and optimization of total rewards management (TRM) are important since TRM consists of monetary and non-monetary rewards given to employees in exchange for their time, talents, and efforts. @*Objective@#This study assessed the TRM in Philippine healthcare companies. This study also looked into the organizational structure of various health-service companies and their TRM, and the difference between companies with TRM and without TRM in terms of pay, benefits, work-life balance, career development, and performance recognition. @*Method@#A total of 74 human resource personnel were randomly sampled from healthcare companies in the Philippines. A survey questionnaire was administered with items on TRM philosophy divided into five parts – pay, benefits, work-life balance, career development, and performance recognition. High mean scores per TRM component correspond to higher levels of agreement to positive statements to the corresponding TRM component. Chi-square test was used to determine the association between various demographic variables and the existence of a TRM philosophy in a company. T-test was used to determine whether the differences in the mean scores per TRM component were statistically significant or not. @*Results@#Less than half (44%) of the included companies have TRM and companies in Metro Manila were more likely to have an existing TRM philosophy. Companies in the healthcare sector usually disseminate information on TRM during town hall meetings, and not during onboarding. Employees in the healthcare companies had strict work schedules as most employers did not allow flexi-time arrangements. This may have contributed to burnout and stress that are common in most companies. Lastly, employees working in companies with a TRM philosophy do not experience significantly better pay, benefits, work-life balance, career development, and performance recognition than those working in companies without TRM. @*Conclusion@#These findings suggest that even companies with an established TRM philosophy need significant improvement in their TRM processes for TRM to translate to better pay, benefits, work-life balance, career development, and performance recognition.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices on pesticide among farmers in the Philippines

Introduction@#Pesticides are widely used in the agricultural sector to increase production by cutting down costs and improving the quality of produce. However, these chemicals come with serious health effects when an individual is exposed to large quantities at once, or low quantities over time. @*Objectives@#The objective of the study is to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practices of farmers, as well as investigate the correlation among knowledge, attitude, and practice variables. @*Methods@#This research study used a cross-sectional design. Samples were drawn based on a multistage sampling of 387 agricultural workers. The target site was in Southern Philippines and the sample was selected using multi-stage sampling from the identified municipalities. Survey questionnaires were given to the respondents to measure knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) on pesticide exposure among farmers. The data were encoded using SPSS 13.0. The statistics used were both descriptive and inferential. Correlation analysis was used to study the relationship among knowledge, attitudes, and practices. @*Results@#The results showed that farmers used pesticides in their farms on an average of 2.31 days per week (SD 2.13). The respondents reported that they were exposed to pesticides for about 3.46 months per cropping season (SD: 2.76), as well as from 3.34 (SD 5.92) cropping seasons per year. The mean score of the respondents on the knowledge aspect of the questionnaire was 5.91 out of 10 items (SD 3.28). The average score on practices on pesticide use among respondents was 3.37 (SD 1.75) with 8 items to evaluate practices. Lastly, the mean score on attitude on pesticide use among respondents was 5.34 (SD 3.31) over 12 items. Analysis showed a moderate correlation between knowledge and attitude with Pearson’s r = 0.651 (P <0.0001), also a moderate correlation between knowledge and practices at r = 0.521 (P <0.0001), and a moderate correlation between practices and attitudes at r = 0.443 (P <0.0001). Factor analysis revealed three components for items within practices and attitudes and two for items within knowledge. @*Conclusion@#Pesticide use in the Philippines continues to present various challenges in terms of its safety to humans and the environment. Farmers do not have adequate knowledge of pesticides and their proper management from use to disposal. They need to improve knowledge, encourage a healthy and safe attitude and correct practices on the hazards from pesticides, as well as its proper usage and handling. It is recommended that capacity building and training for farmers are initiated to address inadequacies in their knowledge, attitudes and practices.

Occupational safety, best practices, and legislative review on small-scale mining in the Philippines

Introduction@#Small-scale mining (SSM) has been in the Philippines since the early 1900s and significant contributor to the local economy. SSM has contributed 14% of the country's total Gross Domestic Product and has a revenue share of about 19 billion pesos (380 million USD). @*Objectives@#This study aims to document mining occupational safety and health in SSM in the Philippines and identify best practices among miners and communities to reduce toxic chemical use in mining. It also aims to evolve laws and legislative measures on mining in the country as the basis for more aggressive policies and programs for SSM in the Philippines. @*Methods@#The data were based on gray literature, peer-reviewed journals, databases, government statistics, and secondary literature. Data were analyzed through critical appraisal on the impacts of mining in terms of occupational safety, mining issues, hazards, and disasters, environmental and health impact, as well as documentation of best practices in mining to reduce the use of toxic chemicals, and the current laws and legislations on mining in the Philippines. @*Results@#SSM or artisanal mining is categorized as part of the informal sector of the market economy. In the Philippines, the leading types of accidents in the mines are being hit by falling objects, suffocation from chemical fumes, and crushing injuries, exposure to intense heat, poor ventilation, vibration, dust, fumes, repetitive stress injury, intense noise, manual handling (e.g., lifting) of heavy machinery, and biological and chemical hazard. Occupational illnesses include skin diseases, emphysema, chronic obstructive lung disease, and hearing loss. Due to these risks, the Philippines has adopted mercury-free mining, cyanide reduction, and green and climate-smart mining. The use of borax in recovering gold from ore instead of mercury originated in the Philippines, which is now widely known as the mercury-free gravity-borax method adopted in Africa and Asia. The Philippines also has a plethora of laws covering mining as a whole. Developmental directives include enacting specific SSM laws and regulations, including a separate set of safety rules, and decentralizing the issue and control of SSM permits and licenses through local government units. Some noted legislative measures, Presidential Decrees, and Administrative Orders have been crafted to cover the safety net, equity, safety, and health for small-scale miners, among the most vulnerable working populations. @*Discussion@#Hazards and risks have been documented in SSM in the Philippines. However, the policies, legislation, and protective measures on SSM warrant more comprehensive coverage, implementation, and provision of social safety nets. @*Conclusion@#The study concludes that mining in the Philippines continues to be a problem as it produces adverse effects on workers' health, the community, and the environment. It is crucial to ensure the health and safety of mining workers, and all players and stakeholders must fulfill their respective roles. Governments and communities need to perform their regulatory and monitoring functions dutifully to build up their capacities to benefit mining communities that contribute much to the local economy.

Work, health, and safety conditions of delivery riders in the Philippines during COVID-19 pandemic

INTRODUCTION@#The delivery sector has experienced a remarkable expansion in recent years, owing mainly to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, numerous elements, like practices, regulations, and health and safety conditions, impact their efficiency. Similarly, the issues and complaints of delivery services, notably its on-the-ground workers/riders, have grown.@*OBJECTIVE@#This research aims to describe delivery riders' work-related health and safety conditions in the Philippines.@*METHOD@#An online survey was conducted for delivery riders to inquire about working conditions, and health and safety issues. Eighty survey respondents were included via snowball sampling. The survey focused on seven variables: precautions at work, health risks due to work, accident involvement, bad driving practices, road conditions, potential dangers for riders, and employer regulations and support. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. @*RESULTS@# Most riders are low-income married men who have finished at least high school and work more than eight hours a day, six days a week. Most of them also work for food delivery businesses during the day. The findings show a general adherence to traffic and safety laws, a propensity to push oneself to work despite poor conditions, and a lack of company support for riders' health, safety, and other requirements. The regular delivery rider's everyday difficulties include dirt roads, a lack of traffic signals, the presence of wandering animals and irresponsible pedestrians, and an insistence on showing up to work despite weather or health concerns. Furthermore, responders have high esteem for and thoroughly grasp local traffic laws.@*CONCLUSION@# Although the riders are generally perceived to comply with safety standards, their employers’ rules and support indicate that delivery firms are deficient in providing adequate safety and health measures for their workers. There is low importance on strategies to prevent transmission and contraction of COVID-19, such as vaccinations, testing, face masks, face shields, and sanitizers, among others.

Epidemiologic profile of vehicular accident patients in the largest hospital in the Philippines covering ten years

Introduction@#Globally, the number of people who die from road crashes continues to rise, reaching a high of 1.35 million in 2016. Due to this continued increase in fatalities and injuries within the road transport system, especially in low- and middle-income countries, 2011 to 2020 was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 2010 as the Decade of Action for Road Safety. @*Objectives@#This study looked into the epidemiology of road crashes and injuries in Metro Manila over ten years, from 2008-2017, from data gathered at the Department of Surgery of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). @*Method@#A retrospective review of patients’ clinical records was conducted to describe the epidemiology of road crash cases in the Trauma Division, Department of Surgery of the PGH. Clinical records of the road crash patients admitted to the division over the ten years, January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2017, were extracted from the Integrated Surgical Information System (ISIS). @*Results@#A total of 422 patients were admitted to the PGH Department of Surgery and recorded in the ISIS database, from 2008 to 2017, who suffered from road crashes in Metro Manila. Most of these patients (80.8%) were male. The mean age of patients was 32.4 years. The highest number of admissions (27.5%) and road crash deaths (6.9%) were in 2016; the highest number was from the city of Manila (26.7%), and most happened at nighttime (61.8%) between 6:00 PM and 5:59 AM. Throughout the years, motorcycle (52.8%) was the vehicle type involved. Among patients with helmet use information, 65.4% were not wearing helmets, 91.2% had a history of alcohol intake. The majority incurred multiple injuries (82.7%), with the external region (53.8%) as the most common. Patients who sustained injuries to their head and neck region were five times more likely to die and six times more likely to have an unchanged patient outcome than those who did not have these injuries. Patients who had a GCS of 8 and below or those who had severe brain injuries were eight times more likely to die and six times more likely to have an unchanged patient outcome. @*Conclusion@#This study looked into the epidemiology of road crash cases admitted to the Surgery Department of the PGH. Road crash injuries and deaths remain a growing concern among the citizens of Metro Manila. It is hoped that the results of this study will provide policymakers with an objective and data-driven perspective on road crashes.