A pilot study of core body temperatures in healthcare workers wearing personal protective equipment in a high-level isolation unit.

Personal protective equipment used by healthcare workers to mitigate disease transmission risks while caring for patients with high-consequence infectious diseases can impair normal body cooling mechanisms and exacerbate physiological strain. Symptoms of heat strain (e.g.

Construction glass and glazing job description: a qualitative case study.

Construction workers regularly experience heavy workloads and various physical stressors that can result in work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs). According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction glass and glazing (CGG) workers had a higher rate of injuries and illnesses than the national average for all occupations. In 2010, CGG contractors presented the highest rate of back injuries reported by the Center for Construction Research and Training.

Review of Literature for Air Medical Evacuation High-Level Containment Transport.

Introduction: Aeromedical evacuation (AE) is a challenging process, further complicated when a patient has a highly hazardous communicable disease (HHCD). We conducted a review of the literature to evaluate the processes and procedures utilized for safe AE high-level containment transport (AE-HLCT) of patients with HHCDs.

Methods: A literature search was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE (from 1966 through January 2019).

Need for Aeromedical Evacuation High-Level Containment Transport Guidelines.

Circumstances exist that call for the aeromedical evacuation high-level containment transport (AE-HLCT) of patients with highly hazardous communicable diseases. A small number of organizations maintain AE-HLCT capabilities, and little is publicly available regarding the practices. The time is ripe for the development of standards and consensus guidelines involving AE-HLCT.

Assessing the effects of slippery steel beam coatings to ironworkers' gait stability.

Since ironworkers walk and perform their tasks on steel beams, identifying the effects of slippery steel beam surfaces on ironworkers' gait stability-which can be related to safety risk-is critical. However, there is no accepted or validated standard for measuring the slipperiness of coated steel beams, which makes evaluating and controlling for slipperiness a challenge. In this context, this study investigated the effect of the slipperiness of steel beam coatings on ironworkers' gait stability.

Is depression a risk factor for meatpacking injuries?

Background: While meatpacking is a physically demanding industry, the effect of depression on risks for injury has not been studied.

Objective: To assess depressive disorders (major depression and dysthymia) using a validated screening tool administered to injured and uninjured meatpacking workers in two Midwestern plants.

Methods: Matched case-control analyses were conducted among 134 workers to evaluate the association between depressive disorder and the occurrence of laceration injury.

A case-crossover study of laceration injuries in pork processing.

Objectives: The authors estimated the associations between transient risk factors and laceration injuries in workers at two meatpacking plants in the Midwest.

Methods: The case-crossover design was used to collect within-subject transient work task and personal-level exposure information. RRs of laceration injuries were estimated by comparing exposures during the 'hazard' period (just before the laceration injury) with exposures in the 'control' period (the previous workweek).

Near-miss reporting system as an occupational injury preventive intervention in manufacturing.

Background: a database of near-misses (NM), minor injuries, and OSHA recordable injuries was established at a mid-size electrical manufacturing plant as part of injury prevention efforts. The utility of a NM reporting system was evaluated by estimating its impact on the annual incidence of minor and OSHA recordable injuries.

Methods: logistic regression was performed to examine the effects of predictor variables (year, age, duration of employment) on the type of event (NM, minor, OSHA recordable).

A case-crossover study of occupational laceration injuries in pork processing: methods and preliminary findings.

Objectives: Meatpacking remains a hazardous and largely unexamined industry. Despite prevention efforts, laceration injuries, among others, remain high. We estimated the magnitude of associations between transient exposures such as equipment malfunction, performing an unusual work task, rushing, and occurrence of laceration injuries.

Validation of self-reported occupational exposures in meatpacking workers.

Objective: The ability of workers to accurately recall exposures that occur on the day of their injury is considered a potential limitation of case-crossover studies. This study assessed validity of occupational exposures reported by uninjured workers at a Midwestern meatpacking plant.

Methods: One hundred thirty-six workers were observed for 60 min while working and then interviewed within 8 days (median 3 days) about exposures during the observation period.

Laceration injuries among workers at meat packing plants.

Background: Employees in meat packing experience one of the highest occupational laceration injury rates in the US.

Method: A retrospective study was conducted using OSHA 200 injury and illness logs and First Reports of Injury from two large US meat packing plants from 1998 to 2000. The total workers observed during the study period ranged between 2,449 and 2,682 per year.