ABSTRACT
Sleepiness, a commonly symptom affecting up to one-fifth of the population chronically, is clearly an important cause of accidents in industry and transport inducing deterioration in performance and attention. The reason for Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) is either sleep pathology, voluntary (non-pathological) sleep reduction, or activity during the circadian low. Most of the professional accidents reported refer to the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Our data confirmed higher prevalence of OSAS in truck drivers than general population and we elaborated a feasible screening tool for OSAS based on data by clinical and anthropometric variables, some items of Sleep Disorders Score and complete polysomnography. About commuting accidents (CA) in shift and non shift workers we found a strict significant relationship between shift-work condition and the presence of EDS (p < 0.0001) suggesting that CA are significantly influenced by ED in the hypothesis of disruption of the balance between circadian and homeostatic factors in shift work. In conclusion to improve safety in the workplace a standardized procedure to evaluate risks a work should be developed based on epidemiological and experimentalffindings focused on EDS.
Subject(s)
Accidents, Occupational , Sleep Stages , Sleep Wake Disorders , Humans , Risk Factors , Sleep Wake Disorders/epidemiology , Sleep Wake Disorders/physiopathologyABSTRACT
Commuting accidents (CA) play an important role in many systems of workers' compensation insurance and with good reason, as they generally bring about more serious consequences in terms of permanent disablement and death than ordinary occupational accidents; this usually leads to high social costs. Nevertheless, research investigations aimed at studying the possible causes underlying the phenomenon are not available in medical literature. Objective of the present study is to evaluate whether excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) might influence the occurrence of CA. 463 CA occurred to 411 police officers in northern Italy during the period 1999 - 2002 were collected; 51.9% of the subjects were working on shifts, 48.1% were non-shift workers. The study was carried out by submitting a self-administered questionnaire to gather information on age and physical characteristics, working conditions, sleep-related problems and accidents occurrence; EDS was measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). A large number of workers (36%) complained of EDS; a strict significant relationship between shift - work condition and the presence of EDS was found, thus suggesting that CA are significantly influenced by EDS. The shift work schedule adopted by Italian Police might be accountable for the disruption of the balance between circadian and homeostatic factors.
Subject(s)
Accidents, Traffic/statistics & numerical data , Sleep Deprivation , Transportation , Adult , Female , Humans , Italy , Male , PoliceABSTRACT
Cumulative trauma disorders are found more and more frequently in working environments. Our examination concerns a factory of feeding electric cables, whose workers were subjected to a sanitary checking in 2001, 2002, 2003. The valuation of the risk due to a biomechanical overload of the upper limbs, carried out according to the OCRA method, pointed out, with reference to the specific task of pressing, a middle-high grade of exposure, while the clinical-instrumental results showed symptoms and objective signs of suffering on the median nerve of the wrist with regard to a significant percentage of workers. The following interventions on the production cycle and on the exposure times obtained a reduction of the risk with a subsequent decrease of the noticed troubles.
Subject(s)
Arm , Industry , Neuromuscular Diseases/etiology , Occupational Diseases/etiology , Occupational Exposure/adverse effects , Biomechanical Phenomena , Humans , Manufactured Materials , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
The authors test epileptic subjects as far as their professional ability is concerned. An enquiry into patients admitted to the Epilepsy Centre of San martino Hospital in Genova has been performed through a questionnaire about professional performance and quality of life. As far as work related problems are concerned 44.6 per cent of the subjects show the presence of difficulties, while the quality of life is primarily repressed in men relatively to work and in women relatively to social relationship.
Subject(s)
Epilepsy , Quality of Life , Work Capacity Evaluation , Female , Humans , MaleSubject(s)
Auditory Fatigue , Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced/prevention & control , Noise, Occupational/adverse effects , Occupational Diseases/prevention & control , Adult , Audiometry , Follow-Up Studies , Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced/diagnosis , Humans , Male , Occupational Diseases/diagnosis , Occupations , Time FactorsABSTRACT
This study is based on 107 male individuals aged between 20 and 73 years, all of them exempt from any disease. They were submitted to instrument examination for measuring the CO pulmonary diffusing capacity with the single breath method. The data so obtained were then statistically elaborated considering the index value of CO transfer, the Helium partition (RHe) and the CO partition and diffusion (R&DCO). The CO transfer index has shown a particularly extensive range; if we take as normality level-20%, a consistent ratio of individuals (20,56%) falls in a range of deficitary pulmonary diffusion though in absence of aèny clinical evidence of pathology. The subsequent statistical elaboration of the data after logarithmic transformation, by the means of the linear regression model, has allowed to reduce the variance of the R&D CO index improving his classificative capability.
Subject(s)
Pulmonary Diffusing Capacity , Adult , Aged , Carbon Dioxide , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Models, BiologicalABSTRACT
The Authors report a case of pleuro-pulmonary asbestosis with concurrent dermatological findings. Work hazard is very peculiar: the subject has worked in distilleries for 45 years, till 1962, to clear and filter alcohol using asbestos.
