[The regions' contribution to assessment of work-related stress: an operative guide]. / Il contributo delle Regioni sulla valutazione del rischio stress lavoro-correlato: la guida operativa.

In order to formulate indications for work-related stress assessment established by Italian health and safety regulation (D.Lgs. 81/2008), the interregional technical committee has instituted a working group to define an operative guide. The guide indicates the elements that must be considered in the evaluation, criteria and methods for the assessment, the minimum requirements for the evaluation instruments, and the specific contents of the risk assessment document.The medical surveillance and the role of health and safety local authorities are also considered. The risk assessment must examine work organization indicators and the direct or indirect effects of work-related stress, like morbility, frequent accidents, changing job requests, legal actions, etc. Detecting subjective factors is a second step of the assessment, which must be carried out if the work organization indicators show considerable work-related stress problems, and only in the companies which employ more then ten workers.

[Progress of studies promoted by the MODS collaborative group]. / Fase di avanzamento degli studi promossi dal gruppo collaborativo MODS.

In industrialised countries, carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is considered an epidemic work-related disease. We have set up the MODS (Malattie Occupazionali Da Sovraccarico biomeccanico, biomechanical overload-related occupational diseases) collaborative group, formed by epidemiologists, ergonomists and occupational physicians to investigate CTS in Italy, applying the methods that epidemiologists commonly use to understand epidemics. Several studies are already ongoing. Two different descriptive studies based on current hospitalisation data are in the reporting phase. A pilot case-control multicentre study (260 cases and 520 controls in 13 centres) is in the final phase of data collection. A longitudinal study on a cohort of 3000 subjects exposed to different risk factors has reached the third year of follow-up. Moreover, a surveillance system has been set up to cover selected districts of the Emilia Romagna region. These studies will generate new information about the prevalence and incidence of CTS in Italy, along with identification of regional, high-risk job titles and work sectors, and the relative influence of non-occupational factors.

A new risk of occupational disease: allergic asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis in persons working with beneficial arthropods. Preliminary data.

For some years, biological pest control has been re-evaluated as an alternative to the indiscriminate use of pesticides. The number of "bio-factories" in Europe has been constantly increasing and today more than 100 technicians work in mass rearing of arthropods. Seven cases of asthma and allergic rhinitis are reported in 13 workers engaged in the production of beneficial arthropods. The subjects suffered from attacks of asthma and rhinitis when they came into contact with eggs and scales or waste of Chrysoperla carnea, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, Ostrinia nubilalis and Ephestia kuehniella. These attacks occurred after an average exposure period of 18 months. A RAST test, prepared by Lofarma, was carried out on subjects' serum against the above-mentioned allergens and was positive in all symptomatic subjects (7 of 13) and negative in the others. This demonstrates IgE direct sensitization mediated by complete antigens.