Prevalence of hearing loss in the United States by industry.

Background: Twenty-two million workers are exposed to hazardous noise in the United States. The purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence of hearing loss among U.S.

Promoting and protecting worker health and safety in the Republic of Korea agricultural sector.

With the exception of agriculture, all other Republic of Korea industrial sectors have comprehensive systems in place for workplace surveillance (i.e., disease, injury, and exposure), research, and targeted interventions.

Lung cancer risk among construction workers in California, 1988-2007.

Background: Although lung cancer risks can vary by race/ethnicity and by construction occupation, these risks have not been examined extensively.

Methods: This study analyzed 110,937 lung cancer cases identified from the California Cancer Registry between 1988 and 2007. Mean age at diagnosis, proportion diagnosed at an advanced stage, and proportion with 3-year survival were calculated for lung cancer cases employed in the construction industry.

Influenza vaccination coverage among US nursing home nursing assistants: the role of working conditions.

Objectives: To estimate influenza vaccination coverage among nursing assistants (NAs) working in US nursing homes, and to identify demographic and occupational predictors of vaccination status among NAs.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Cross-sectional analysis of data on 2873 NAs from the 2004 National Nursing Assistant Survey. Multivariable-adjusted vaccination coverage (prevalence) ratios for demographic and occupational characteristics were calculated using Poisson regression.

Excess risk of head and chest colds among teachers and other school workers.

Background: Work-related injuries and illnesses in the educational services sector have not been well studied. This analysis examined whether teachers and other school workers are at higher risk of head/chest cold compared to all other workers in the United States.

Methods: Seven years (1998-2004) of National Health Interview Survey data on currently employed workers were combined to provide a basis for estimating the incidence proportion of head/chest cold.

Occupational noise exposure assessment using O*NET and its application to a study of hearing loss in the US general population.

Objectives: Although occupational noise is a well known risk factor for hearing loss, little epidemiological evidence has been reported on its association with hearing loss in the general population, in part, because of the difficulty in exposure assessment. This study introduced a quantitative occupational noise exposure assessment tool using the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) database and evaluated its applicability for epidemiological research using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2004.

Methods: The O*NET noise exposure data were assessed by questionnaires across numerous occupations, asking the frequency of exposure to sounds and noise levels that are distracting and uncomfortable (with five possible responses from 'never' to 'every day').

Physical ergonomic hazards in highway tunnel construction: overview from the Construction Occupational Health Program.

This report provides an overview of physical ergonomic exposures in highway construction work across trades and major operations. For each operation, the observational method "PATH" (Posture, Activity, Tools and Handling) was used to estimate the percentage of time that workers spent in specific tasks and with exposure to awkward postures and load handling. The observations were carried out on 73 different days, typically for about 4 h per day, covering 120 construction workers in 5 different trades: laborers, carpenters, ironworkers, plasterers, and tilers.

Racial and ethnic disparities in work-related injuries and socio-economic resources among nursing assistants employed in US nursing homes.

Background: We aimed to estimate the proportion of nursing assistants (NAs) in the US with work-related injuries and insufficient socio-economic resources by race/ethnicity.

Methods: Data from the 2004 National Nursing Assistant Survey (NNAS), a nationally representative sample survey of NAs employed in United States nursing homes, were analyzed accounting for the complex survey design.

Results: Among 2,880 participants, 44% reported "scratch, open wounds, or cuts" followed by "back injuries" (17%), "black eyes or other types of bruising" (16%), and "human bites" (12%).

Workplace assaults on nursing assistants in US nursing homes: a multilevel analysis.

Objectives: We examined risk factors for injuries to nursing assistants from assaults by nursing home residents at both the individual and the organizational level.

Methods: We analyzed data from the 2004 National Nursing Assistant Survey that were linked to facility information from the 2004 National Nursing Home Survey by use of multilevel modeling that accounted for the complex survey design effect.

Results: Thirty-four percent of nursing assistants surveyed reported experiencing physical injuries from residents' aggression in the previous year.

The prevalence of short sleep duration by industry and occupation in the National Health Interview Survey.

Study Objectives: To explore whether employment in industries likely to have non-standard work schedules (e.g., manufacturing and service) and occupations with long work-weeks (e.

Characteristics of US workers whose blood lead levels trigger the medical removal protection provision, and conformity with biological monitoring requirements, 2003-2005.

Background: Workers with blood lead levels (BLL) > or =60 microg/dl (50 microg/dl for construction workers) or with three or more consecutive BLLs over at least 6 months that average 50 microg/dl or greater are required to be removed from work involving lead exposure that exceeds the OSHA action level. This study estimates the proportion of workers with BLLs that trigger the medical removal provision by industry sector, and examines whether workers received appropriate follow-up blood lead testing.

Methods: Three years (2003-2005) of data from the Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance program were analyzed to identify those industries with a high percentage of workers with BLLs that trigger the medical removal provision.

The association of major depressive episodes with income inequality and the human development index.

The aim of this study was to estimate the association between country income distribution and human development with the 12-month occurrence of major depressive episodes across countries. A total of 251,158 people surveyed by the World Health Organization from 2002 to 2003 from 65 countries were included in the study. The survey contained items for identifying major depressive episodes (MDE) in the previous 12 months, attained education (used as an indicator of individual socioeconomic status) and other demographic information.

Hearing difficulty attributable to employment by industry and occupation: an analysis of the National Health Interview Survey--United States, 1997 to 2003.

Objective: To estimate the national burden of hearing difficulty among workers in US industries and occupations.

Methods: Data on 130,102 employed National Health Interview Survey respondents between the ages of 18 to 65 years who were interviewed between 1997 and 2003 were analyzed to estimate the population prevalence, adjusted prevalence ratios, and fractions of hearing difficulty attributable to employment.

Results: The estimated population prevalence of hearing difficulty was 11.

Depressive symptoms among firefighters and related factors after the response to Hurricane Katrina.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health conducted an evaluation regarding physical and psychological health symptoms among New Orleans firefighters 13 weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck the U.S. Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005.

Psychometric properties of the Korean version of the job content questionnaire: data from health care workers.

Objectives: To test the validity and reliability of selected scales, namely, decision latitude, psychological job demand, social support, job insecurity, and macro-level decision latitude from the Korean version of the job content questionnaire (K-JCQ), as part of a psychosocial epidemiological study among university hospital workers.

Methods: K-JCQ was developed by translation and back translation complying with the JCQ usage policy, and its psychometric properties were explored among 338 workers (290 females and 48 males) in a university hospital in Korea. Internal consistency was examined using Cronbach's alpha correlation coefficients.

Estimating the global burden of low back pain attributable to combined occupational exposures.

Background: There is little information about the global burden of non-traumatic low back pain (LBP) attributable to the effects of physical and psychosocial occupational stressors.

Methods: Based on a review of the epidemiological evidence, occupation-specific relative risks were used to compute attributable proportions by age, gender, and geographical sub-region for the economically active population aged 15 and older. The reference group was professional/administrative workers; other risk categories were Low, clerical and sales; Moderate, operators (production workers) and service; and High, farmers.