[Occupational safety and health risks in seaport: an update of narrative review]. / I rischi per la salute e la sicurezza nel lavoro portuale: aggiornamento della revisione narrativa della letteratura.

SUMMARY: Seaports are complex systems in which workers can be exposed to a large variety of safety and health risks. Nevertheless, a little literature is available concerning this topic, if we exclude the specific area of shipbuilding industry. Objectives. The aim of this paper is to update the review of the scientific literature previously published as result of a project concerning the occupational risks in seaports. Methods. Literature on this theme, obtained consulting the main databases (PubMed, Scholar and CCOHS) from 2012 and up to April 2019, was reviewed. Results. 5 of 8 articles published after 2012 were related to risk of release or formation of volatile compounds in restricted and poorly ventilated areas or inhalation of particles from specific goods. Three papers specifically debated musculoskeletal disorders related to loading/unloading procedures, occupational diseases and injuries. Conclusions. The update of the literature highlighted intrinsically dangerous goods, toxic volatile compounds and emissions as critical aspects of seaport activities related to goods handling. Recently, the literature shows a growing interest in occupational health, especially work-related musculoskeletal diseases. Prevention measures and implementation of worker's training and information are identified by all authors as the more effective action to increase health and safety..

Assessment of cardiovascular risk in an Italian psychiatric outpatient sample: A chart review of patients treated with second-generation antipsychotics.

Despite the call by the scientific community for a systematic monitoring of physical health in people with psychiatric illnesses, national and international audits have reported poor quality of cardiovascular risk assessments and management in this vulnerable population. Available evidence indicates that in people affected by mental illness, life expectancy is reduced by 10-20 years, mainly due to cardiovascular accidents and metabolic syndrome (MetS)-related diseases. The primary aim of the present study was to evaluate the accuracy of cardiovascular risk monitoring in an outpatient sample of patients taking second-generation antipsychotics. The sample consisted of 200 patients consecutively recruited from two community mental health centres. A clinical chart review was performed on the following laboratory tests: total cholesterol, high- and low-density lipoprotein, serum triglycerides, fasting blood glucose, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase. Blood pressure and waist circumference were measured. A complete cardiovascular risk assessment was available only in 60 patients out of 200 (33.3%). The only variable associated with laboratory tests for MetS was receiving three or more psychotropic medications, which increased fourfold the probability of metabolic screening. In the subsample of patients with full screening, the prevalence of MetS was 33.3%. Our findings suggest that mental health professionals working in community mental health services should incorporate a more systematic assessment of physical health in their practice, and intervene proactively to reduce the significant cardiovascular burden carried by people with several mental illness.

[Occupational safety and health risks in dock work: a narrative literature review. ]. / I rischi per la salute e la sicurezza nel lavoro portuale: revisione narrativa della letteratura.

BACKGROUND: Seaports are complex systems where workers can be exposed to a large variety of safety and health risks. Nevertheless, the literature available on this topic is scarce, if we exclude the specific area of the shipbuilding industry. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: The aim of this paper is to provide a review of the scientific evidence concerning the occupational risks in seaports. Literature on this theme, obtained consulting the main databases (PubMed, Scholar and CCOHS) up to 2012, was reviewed. RESULTS: Loading/unloading procedures, transport and storage of goods in docks are identified as the major causes of injuries (such as falls, crushing and entrapments) and accidents (release of chemicals, fires or explosions). Moreover, attention is drawn to the risks related to goods handled: in particular, authors described risks of asphyxia or intoxication in restricted and poorly ventilated areas such as containers or ship holds. CONCLUSIONS: The following main prevention measures were identified by all authors as those most effective: implementation of workers' training and information and intensification of controls on ships, particularly concerning loading/unloading procedures and documents accompanying the goods.