The effect of increased manufacturing rate on risk of low back pain

The blood bank unit is one of the most important and fundamental units in every hospital especially in emergency situations. Lack of access to medical records related to individual’s blood transfusion can postpone blood transfusion when it is essentially needed which can in turn increase patients' risks. Meanwhile, the role of a blood bank information system is crucial in accessing this information, thereby improving the quality of available care. This research was conducted to determine the status of the blood bank information system of the hospitals affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences.This descriptive- practical study investigated the blood bank information systems of 11 hospitals affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in 2015. Data collection was performed through observation and interview, using a checklist and questionnaire. The validity of the instrument was determined through content validity and its reliability was confirmed through retesting. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics.All blood bank information systems under investigation were semi-mechanized. It was impossible to send the full reports electronically and to present dynamic reports. The blood bank staff were not aware of the existence and significance of the relevant standards and no specific blood bank software were used.Mechanized blood bank information systems bring about effective communication in various health care organizations. They lead to the application of relevant novel technologies while increasing patients’ safety and satisfaction

Changes in plantar pressure, force and contact area when carrying incremental loads among adults with and without low back pain

Plantar pressure, force and contact area information may provideinsights regarding stresses imparted to the foot when performing functional tasks. There is limited information regarding plantar pressure, force and contact area when carrying incremental loads (no load, 5 kg, 7.5 kg and 10 kg) using one hand between adults with and without low back pain (LBP). The aim of our study was to investigate the changes in the plantar pressure, force and contact area when carrying incremental loads (no load, 5 kg, 7.5 kg and 10 kg) using one hand between adults with and without low back pain (LBP). A total of 20 adults with non-specific LBP and 20 matched individuals without LBP were recruited according to the predefined recruitment criteria. Plantar pressure (PP), maximum force (MF) and contact area (CA were measured in standing position and during walking while carrying incremental loads (no load, 5 kg, 7.5 kg and 10 kg) using their right hand on a Matscan pressure assessment system. A two-way mixed analysis of variance (group× load) was conducted to analyse the data. No significant main effectof group was demonstrated on both the right and left foot during standing (PP: p = 0.74, p = 0.32; MF: p = 0.17, p = 0.67; CA: p = 0.25, p = 0.24) and walking (PP: p = 0.61, p = 0.48; MF: p = 0.19, p = 0.06; CA: p = 0.16, p = 0.26. Similarly, there was no interaction effect between the loads and groups on the PP (p = 0.89, p = 0.47), MF (p = 0.76, p = 0.83) and CA (p = 0.88, p = 0.20) on theright and left foot, respectively during standing. However, a significant interaction effect (p < 0.05), between the loads and groups was demonstrated on the PP, MF and CA on the left foot during walking. The results of our study suggest that stresses imparted to the foot alters during dynamic postures and this may be a compensatory mechanism. Plantar pressure, force and contact area were similar in adults both with and without LBP when standing and walking. Further biomechanical information that includes both kinematic and kinetic data in lumbopelvic and lower limbs in relation to the foot may be required to justify for prevention and management strategies among adults with LBP

Towards standards for the evaluation of active back-support exoskeletons to assist lifting task

Back-support exoskeletons have been recently proposed to reduce the risk of injuries for workers performing repetitive lifting tasks. Appropriate standards for their evaluation do not exist, but their definition would promote large-scale adoption in workplaces. This paper presents relevant standards and evaluation metrics as applied to similar devices and discusses their applicability to back-support exoskeletons, with the final goal to propose a reference methodology

Optimised Big Data analytics for health and safety hazards prediction in power infrastructure operations

© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Forecasting imminent accidents in power infrastructure projects require a robust and accurate prediction model to trigger a proactive strategy for risk mitigation. Unfortunately, getting ready-made machine learning algorithms to eliminate redundant features optimally is challenging, especially if the parameters of these algorithms are not tuned. In this study, a particle swarm optimization is proposed both for feature selection and parameters tuning of the gradient boosting machine technique on 1,349,239 data points of an incident dataset. The predictive ability of the proposed method compared to conventional tree-based methods revealed near-perfect predictions of the proposed model on test data (classification accuracy − 0.878 and coefficient of determination − 0.93) for the two outcome variables ACCIDENT and INJURYFREQ. The high predictive power obtained reveals that injuries do not occur in a chaotic fashion, but that underlying patterns and trends exist that can be uncovered and captured via machine learning when applied to sufficiently large datasets. Also, key relationships identified will assist safety managers to understand possible risk combinations that cause accidents; helping to trigger proactive risk mitigation plans

Estudo ergonômico de uma empresa de abate de aves: o caso do setor de armazenagem e expedição

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Produção, Florianópolis, 2015.O trabalho em frigoríficos exige, diariamente, uma série de atividades que são muito prejudiciais à saúde dos trabalhadores, na qual a realidade constatada nestas empresas apresentam índices muito altos de adoecimento e afastamentos dos trabalhadores da linha de produção. Desta forma, diversos fatores podem estar associados, tais como: trabalho repetitivo, pressões por produção, problemas psicossociais e exposição contínua ao frio, que acarretam no desenvolvimento das doenças ocupacionais. Logo, essas especificidades se tornam premissas interessantes a uma investigação. Assim, esse estudo objetivou realizar um estudo ergonômico em uma empresa de abate de aves, na qual uma avaliação das condições de trabalho no setor de armazenagem e expedição foi realizada, analisando o reflexo dos fatores ergonômicos na saúde dos trabalhadores, em especial relacionado ao carregamento manual de cargas. Os procedimentos metodológicos adotados foram entrevistas com os gerentes de produção, para identificação do setor no qual seria realizada a pesquisa, após foram escolhidas as ferramentas para a coleta dos dados, de acordo com os objetivos do trabalho, entre as quais destacam-se: entrevistas, observações, aplicação do método LEST e Equação de Levantamento NIOSH (ELN), filmagem e coleta das variáveis ambientais, que serviram de subsídio para aplicação do método macroergonômico SAT. Como resultado, com a aplicação do LEST, constatou-se um alto índice de problemas ergonômicos, principalmente, relacionados à carga de trabalho física e fatores ambientais. Ainda, os problemas associados ao carregamento de cargas foram confirmados por meio da aplicação da ELN. Com a abordagem macroergonômica do método SAT, os problemas encontrados no ambiente em estudo, foram identificados, e diversas propostas de melhorias foram desenvolvidas. Portanto, as atividades realizadas no setor em estudo, são realmente preocupantes e precisam de uma investigação aprofundada. Concomitante, foram elaboradas melhorias com vistas à saúde e bem estar do trabalhador, para que o mesmo não venha a sofrer com o legado imposto pelas condições inapropriadas de seu trabalho.Abstract : The work in meatpacking industry involves several harmful activities to the workers health. The reality experienced in this industry has revealed high illness rates and many workers sick leaves. Many factors may be associated with the related problems such as repetitive work, productivity pressure, psychosocial problems and continuous coldness exposure, which results in occupational diseases development. In this sense, these factors have become important research subjects. The current research aimed to perform an ergonomic study in a poultry slaughtering industry, in order to analyze the work conditions in storage and shipping sectors as well as to analyze ergonomic factors relating workers health, especially in manual loading activities. The methodological procedures adopted involved a set of interviews performed with production managers to identify the most appropriated sector for the research application and afterward to choose the suitable tools for data collection, according to the research aims. To collect data, a combination of techniques based on semi-structured interviews, observations, application of the LEST method and NIOSH Lifting Equation (NLE), work filming and environmental variables collection were carried out. These become subsidy for implementing the macro-ergonomic approach SAT. From the LEST method application, the results showed that there was a high level of ergonomic problems, mainly related to physical work load and environmental factors. In addition, the problems associated with loading loads were confirmed by applying the NLE method. Based on SAT macro-ergonomic approach, the main existing problems in the sector under study has been identified, and a lot of improvements proposals were developed. Therefore, the activities in the sector under study are really worrying and need an in-depth investigation. Simultaneously, improvements have been developed concerning workers health and welfare, in order to avoid their suffering as a result of inappropriate work conditions that they are submitted