ABSTRACT
Workplace problems that are likely to increase the risk to our health are referred to as occupational hazards. These problems can be classified as either biological or non-biological. A wide range of these risks, including physical, chemical, and psychological ones, provide challenges for healthcare practitioners. Such risks therefore negatively affect employees, their families, friends, and the country. The purpose of the study is to assess the level of adherence to preventive practices towards occupational hazards in the hospitals of Thi-Qar Governorate and its relationship to the demographic and occupational information of the healthcare workers. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in hospitals Thi-Qar Governorate, During the period from September 5th, 2022 ending on February 10th, 2023, 355 of healthcare workers individuals participated in the study, and the data was collected using self-reported questionnaires and information about practices was collected through a systematic questionnaire developed by the researcher. Regarding the preventive practice of the staff, the results observed that all responses regarding the present results reveal the highest percentage 41.7% of HCWs have a poor practices score, while the lowest percentage 20.8% of them have a moderate practices score. The mean ± SD of the overall practices score was (53.81±17.807) which rested within a moderate level (48-46 score). The results of this study indicate that there is a significant association between the overall practices score and socio-demographic variables (P-value #x003C;0.05). This explained that the participants who age ≤25 years, Education level (Ph.D.), and have no chronic diseases, had higher good practices than other categories. Also, the results of this study indicate that there is a significant association between the overall practices score and occupation characteristics (P-value #x003C;0.05), This explained that the years of work (≥15 years), and, hours of work (≤5 h), had higher good practices than other categories. Most of the employees of the hospitals selected for the sample in Thi-Qar Governorate have 'Moderate' commitments to safety measures with regard to occupational hazards in their surrounding workplaces, The study showed that years of experience, time of work and educational level have a significant impact on practices towards occupational hazards in hospitals.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To understand the exposure of occupational hazards, occupational and mental health status of high-speed railway locomotive drivers. METHODS: A total of 150 male high-speed railway locomotive drivers from Nanchang Railway administration were selected as experimental group, and 80 male ordinary train drivers were selected as control group by using a judgment sampling method. The occupational disease hazard testing and occupational health examinations were conducted in drivers of these two groups. The mental health status survey was conducted using the Symptom Checklist 90(SCL-90). RESULTS: The noise, power frequency electric field, formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, xylene and carbon dioxide in all the work place of these two groups were in line with the national occupational health standards. The exposure noise intensity of the experimental group was lower than that of the control group [(70.5±3.7) vs(77.4±4.1) dB(A), P<0.05]. The detection rates of hypertension and chronic gastritis were higher in the experimental group(18.7% vs 34.7%, 26.2% vs 42.0%, P<0.05). The detection rate of high frequency hearing loss decreased in the experimental group compared with the control group(22.5% vs 10.7%, P<0.05). The total score of SCL-90 in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group [(169.5±6.1) vs(148.0±6.0) score, P<0.01]. The positive rate of psychological symptoms was higher in the experimental group than that of the control group(41.3% vs 23.8%, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The concentration/intensity of occupational disease hazards in the workplace of high-speed railway locomotives drivers is within normal limit. The occupational health status of high-speed railway locomotive drivers is generally good, but attention should be paid to their occupational mental health hazards.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Around 1.1 million people suffer from occupational health diseases in the UK. Work-related conditions reported by doctors include mental health disorders, musculoskeletal problems and skin disorders. AIMS: To investigate the prevalence of occupational illness in UK doctors from different specialties. METHODS: A literature search conducted on PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE® and Health Management Information Consortium (HMIC) identified relevant research about doctors between the years 1990 and 2013. RESULTS: Seventy-two papers were identified. The majority of studies were cross-sectional with no random ized controlled trials or meta-analyses found. Mental health issues including burnout were widely reported and were attributed to greater job constraints, managerial issues, difficulty with clinical cases and lack of job satisfaction. Substance abuse in doctors was reported to be a risk of maladaptive coping mechanisms and was associated with early retirement. Surgeons were reported as being at greatest risk of needle-stick injuries and musculoskeletal pain. Orthopaedic surgeons were reported to be at risk of noise-induced hearing loss as a result of the use of air-powered and electric drills. There was limited research found concerning contact dermatitis and work-related malignancies amongst doctors in the UK. CONCLUSIONS: Our literature review found research on UK doctors for a variety of work-related illnesses with the prevalence varying depending on both specialty and seniority. This could have adverse effects both on the individual and the provision of patient care. Further studies are required to investigate the epidemiology of noise-induced hearing loss, nosocomial infections, skin-related disorders and work-related malignancies.
