Analysis of appeals against the ruling of occupational physicians lodged with the Prevention and Occupational Epidemiology Operative Unit, ASP Palermo (Palermo Health Authority), from 2008-2010

Introduction: The responsibility of the Department for Prevention and Safety at the workplace of the Palermo Health Authority (ASP) is to monitor and coordinate the activity of occupational physicians operating in Palermo and its province. One of its obligations is to examine appeals “against the judgment of occupational physicians”, “...and, after carrying out further investigation, confirm, modify or reverse the ruling itself ” (art. 41, par. 6, legislative Decree 81/08). Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze the appeals lodged against a “judgment of fitness for work” submitted to the “Health Prevention and Occupational Epidemiology Operative Unit” of the Department of Prevention and Safety at the Workplace of the ASP Palermo, from 2008 to 2010. Methods: The total number of appeals lodged during the three-year period was 211, 174 of which were finalized. Results: The most frequent job category among the appellants was that of blue-collar workers, in various sectors, covering 44.5% of the subjects under study (93 cases). In 64.2% of the processed appeals (131 cases), the judgment of the physician was modified, while in the remaining 36.8% (73 cases) it was confirmed.The work fitness judgment with restrictions was the category against which most appeals were lodged, and the diseases in question mostly concerned the osteoarticular and cardiovascular systems. Conclusion: In a context of continuous change in the labour field and the related risks to the health and safety of workers, the occupational physician must approach the worker in a comprehensive manner,through an assessment of the possible health problems and the working environment in which he/she operates

COVID-19 Pandemic: New Prevention and Protection Measures

As of the end of February 2021, more than 420,000,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported worldwide, with 5,856,224 deaths. Transmission of the different genetically engineered variants of SARS-CoV-2, which have been isolated since the beginning of the pandemic, occurs from one infected person to another by the same means: the airborne route, indirect contact, and occasionally the fecal–oral route. Infection is asymptomatic or may present with flulike symptoms such as fever, cough, and mild to moderate and severe respiratory distress, requiring hospitalization and assisted ventilation support. To control the spread of COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have indicated that the appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as the adoption of effective hygiene systems, is one of the primary prevention measures for the entire population. Companies and institutions around the world are therefore trying to find the best ways to reorganize their operations, minimizing the risk of infection among their employees, in order to protect their health and prevent internal outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2, including through the development of new technologies that could also be an innovative and driving factor for the relaunch of companies in a more sustainable, ethically correct, and safe for the health of employees perspective. On the basis of the above premises, in view of the coexistence with SARS-CoV-2 that will most likely accompany us in the coming years, and in view of the vaccination campaign adopted worldwide, the purpose of our narrative review is to update the previous operational protocols with the latest scientific knowledge to be adopted in the workplace even when the emergency crisis is over

Linee Guida per il primo soccorso nei luoghi di lavoro (art. 15 D.Lgs. 626/94)

Lo studio degli acufeni in audiologia clinica con le metodiche soggettive note, riveste una particolare importanza per il valore sociale dell'affezione, che in determinati ambiti professionali. determina un cospicuo disturbo nel campo delle applicazioni intelletive. Utilizzando le più moderne tecniche di otoneurologia ed avvalendosi dell'ausilio dell'imaging, si ha la possibilità della corretta identificazione e caratterizzazione dell'etiologia specifica della maggior parte degli acufeni.Lo studio audiometrico tonale multifrequenziale consiste nel suo range frequenziale di indagine