The 3 C’s of Consideration for COVID-19 Workplace Fever Detection Device Selection: Context, Calibration & Cost

COVID-19 screening protocols have become normal practice for employees entering workplaces around the world. However, workplace screening programs that include temperature detection via infrared thermometers or thermal detection cameras often violate many technical specifications for the correct use of these devices. Therefore, this article aims to provide practical guidance for non-thermal imaging specialists responsible for selecting thermal detection devices for workplace screening protocols. Focusing on three critical points of consideration, including the context of use, calibration of equipment, and cost of purchase and maintenance, readers are presented with a framework to guide their decision-making. This framework not only prioritizes the health and wellbeing of employees by ensuring the context of use is appropriate but balances the cost of calibration, purchasing and additional supporting supplies. Further, the presented framework extends beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and can be easily adapted to implement any new workplace technology

Comparison Between the Biomechanical Responses of the Hand and Foot When Exposed to Vertical Vibration

Workers can be exposed daily to foot-transmitted vibration (FTV) from standing on mobile equipment or vibrating platforms and surfaces. This results in a consistent risk of developing neurological, vascular, and musculoskeletal problems. To date, there are no international stand-ards describing procedures with which to evaluate the health risks deriving from long-term ex-posure to FTV. To study the applicability of hand–arm vibration (HAV) standards to the foot, the biomechanical responses of the hand and foot in terms of the frequency response function upon varying contact conditions were compared. Results evidenced similarities between the responses of the wrist and ankle, with differences in resonance for the fingers and toes. The study confirms that HAV standards are more suitable than whole-body vibration standards for evaluating higher frequency exposure to FTV

Four degree-of-freedom lumped parameter model of the foot-ankle system exposed to vertical vibration from 10 to 60 Hz with varying centre of pressure conditions

Modelling the foot-ankle system (FAS) while exposed to foot-transmitted vibration (FTV) is essential for designing inhibition methods to prevent the effects of vibration-induced white-foot. K-means analysis was conducted on a data set containing vibration transmissibility from the floor to 24 anatomical locations on the right foot of 21 participants. The K-means analysis found three locations to be sufficient for summarising the FTV response. A three segment, four degrees-of-freedom lumped parameter model of the FAS was designed to model the transmissibility response at three locations when exposed to vertical vibration from 10 to 60 Hz. Reasonable results were found at the ankle, midfoot, and toes in the natural standing position (mean-squared error (ε) = 0.471, 0.089, 0.047) and forward centre of pressure (COP) (ε = 0.539, 0.058, 0.057). However, when the COP is backward, the model does not sufficiently capture the transmissibility response at the ankle (ε = 1.09, 0.219, 0.039).This work was supported by a Natural Science and Engineering Council of Canada Discovery Grant [RGPIN/ 4252-2015]

Acupuncture for pain and osteoarthritis of the knee: a pilot study for an open parallel-arm randomised controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is some evidence that acupuncture for pain and osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is more than a placebo, and short term clinical benefits have been observed when acupuncture is compared to usual care. However there is insufficient evidence on whether clinical benefits of acupuncture are sustained over the longer term. In this study our key objectives are to inform the design parameters for a fully powered pragmatic randomised controlled trial. These objectives include establishing potential recruitment rates, appropriate validated outcome measures, attendance levels for acupuncture treatment, loss to follow up and the sample size for a full scale trial.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Potential participants aged over 50 with pain and osteoarthritis of the knee were identified from a GP database. Eligible patients were randomised to either 'acupuncture plus usual care' and 'usual care' alone, with allocation appropriately concealed. Acupuncture consisted of up to 10 sessions usually weekly. Outcome measures included Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) index with the sample size for a full scale trial determined from the variance.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>From the GP database of 15,927 patients, 335 potential trial participants were identified and invited to participate. After screening responses, 78 (23%) were identified as eligible and 30 patients who responded most promptly were randomised to 'acupuncture plus usual care' (15 patients) and 'usual care' alone (15 patients). Attendance for acupuncture appointments was high at 90% of the maximum. Although the trial was not powered to detect significant changes in outcome, the WOMAC pain index showed a statistically significant reduction at 3 months in the acupuncture group compared to usual care. This was not sustained at 12 months. The sample size for a fully powered two-arm trial was estimated to be 350.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This pilot study provided the evidence that a fully powered study to explore the longer term impact of acupuncture would be worthwhile, and relevant design features for such a trial were determined.</p> <p>Trial registration number</p> <p>ISRCTN25134802.</p

Foot-transmitted vibration: exposure characteristics and the biodynamic response of the foot

Research shows miners can be exposed to foot-transmitted vibration (FTV) when operating various pieces of underground mining equipment, and case reports suggest workers are experiencing symptoms similar to those of hand-arm vibration syndrome in their feet. A field study was conducted to measure and document FTV exposure associated with operating underground mining equipment, and probable health risks were determined based on both ISO 2631-1 (1997) for WBV and ISO 5349-1 (2004) for HAV. Seventeen participating operator’s also reported musculoskeletal discomfort. Seventeen male participants ranging between 24-61 years of age, with an average height and mass of 175.0cm and 88.2kg volunteered for the study. Seventeen pieces of equipment were tested; 1 locomotive, 1 crusher, 9 bolter drills (4 scissor platforms, 2 Maclean, 2 Boart/basket, and 1 RDH), and 6 jumbo drills. Including all seventeen pieces of underground mining equipment, the vibration acceleration ranged from 0.13-1.35m/s2 with dominant frequencies between 1.25-250Hz according to ISO 2631-1. According to ISO 5349-1 vibration acceleration ranged from 0.14-3.61m/s2 with dominant frequencies between 6.3-250Hz. Furthermore, the magnitude of FTV measured on the jumbo drills with grated platforms (#5 and #6) was less than FTV measured from the jumbo drills with, solid metal surfaces. Additionally, twelve of the seventeen equipment operators indicated a complaint of discomfort in their lower body (specifically at the level of the knee or lower). The health risk analysis based on ISO 2631-1 indicated that one operator (bolter drill #9) was exposed to vibration above the criterion value, while the health risk analysis based on ISO 5349-1 indicated iv that two operators (jumbo drill #1 and bolter drill #1) were exposed to vibration above the criterion value. Operators reported very severe or severe discomfort; however, the same operators were not the operators of the equipment with FTV exposure levels above the ISO standards, leaving evidence to suggest that the standards are not properly assessing injury risk to vibration exposure via the feet. Future research is needed to develop a standard specific for FTV and to determine the link between early musculoskeletal injury reporting and the onset of vibration white foot. To do so, a better understanding of the biodynamic response of the foot to FTV is needed. A laboratory study was conducted to 1) measure and document transmissibility of FTV from (a) floor-to-ankle (lateral malleolus), and (b) floor-to-metatarsal, during exposure to six levels of vibration (25Hz, 30Hz, 35Hz, 40Hz, 45Hz, and 50Hz) while standing, and 2) to determine whether independent variables (vibration exposure frequency, mass, arch type) influence transmissibility (dependent variable) through the foot. A two-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted. There was a significant interaction between transmissibility location and exposure frequency (λ = 0.246, F (5,25) = 15.365, p = 0.0001). There were significant differences in mean transmissibility between the ankle and metatarsal at 40Hz [t(29) = 4.116, p = 0.00029], 45Hz [t(29) = 6.599, p = 0.00000031], and 50Hz [t(29) = 8.828, p = 0.000000001]. The greatest transmissibility at the metatarsal occurred at 50Hz and at the ankle (lateral malleolus) transmissibility was highest from 25-30Hz, indicating the formation of a local resonance at each location. v Future research should focus on identifying resonance frequencies at different locations on the feet. This information is needed to develop an exposure guideline to help protect workers from exposure to FTV, and to develop personal protective equipment capable of attenuating harmful FTV exposure frequencies.Master of Human Kinetics (MHK

Examining the Impact of Rotated Neck and Trunk Postures on Vertical Seat-to-Head Vibration Transmissibility and Self-Reported Discomfort

Adopting non-neutral sitting postures while exposed to whole-body vibration (WBV) can put heavy equipment operators at an increased risk for lower back pain and may cause damage to the spinal tissue. A laboratory experiment involving 11 participants (5 females, 6 males) completing four 45-min test sessions incorporating different seated conditions (vibration versus no vibration, and rotation versus no rotation) was used to assess seat-to-head transmissibility (STHT) and self-reported discomfort while in four rotated neck and trunk postures. The vibration exposure profile was a constant vertical sinusoidal signal with a frequency of 3 Hz and 0.7 m/s2 acceleration. Vibration measured at the head was greater than at the seat under all conditions, with a statistically significant effect of time (F1,10 = 101.73, p &lt; 0.001, Eta2 = 0.910) and posture (F3,8 = 5.64, p = 0.023, Eta2 = 0.679). Mean self-reported discomfort ratings revealed increased participant discomfort in rotated neck and trunk positions in both vibration and non-vibration conditions. Increasing time also had a significant (F(1,10) = 15.53, p = 0.003) impact on higher rates of participant discomfort. Overall, it was found that increasing the degree of rotated neck and trunk position from neutral amplified the STHT and self-reported discomfort

Standing centre of pressure alters the vibration transmissibility response of the foot

Vibration-white foot as an occupational disease has underscored the need to better understand the vibration response of the foot. While vibration transmissibility data exist for a natural standing position, it is anticipated that weight distribution will affect the response. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of changes in centre of pressure (COP) on the foot’s biomechanical response. Twenty-one participants were exposed to vertical vibration of 30 mm/s, with a sine sweep from 10–200 Hz. Z-axis (vertical) vibration was measured at 24 locations on the right foot, with the COP shifted forward or toward the heel. A mixed model analysis at each location revealed significant differences (p &lt; .001) in the transmissibility response when the COP was altered to the forefoot and rearfoot. In general, the peak frequency of the average vibration response increased for a region of the foot when the COP was shifted toward that region

Examining the Impact of Rotated Neck and Trunk Postures on Vertical Seat-to-Head Vibration Transmissibility and Self-Reported Discomfort

Adopting non-neutral sitting postures while exposed to whole-body vibration (WBV) can put heavy equipment operators at an increased risk for lower back pain and may cause damage to the spinal tissue. A laboratory experiment involving 11 participants (5 females, 6 males) completing four 45-min test sessions incorporating different seated conditions (vibration versus no vibration, and rotation versus no rotation) was used to assess seat-to-head transmissibility (STHT) and self-reported discomfort while in four rotated neck and trunk postures. The vibration exposure profile was a constant vertical sinusoidal signal with a frequency of 3 Hz and 0.7 m/s2 acceleration. Vibration measured at the head was greater than at the seat under all conditions, with a statistically significant effect of time (F1,10 = 101.73, p 2 = 0.910) and posture (F3,8 = 5.64, p = 0.023, Eta2 = 0.679). Mean self-reported discomfort ratings revealed increased participant discomfort in rotated neck and trunk positions in both vibration and non-vibration conditions. Increasing time also had a significant (F(1,10) = 15.53, p = 0.003) impact on higher rates of participant discomfort. Overall, it was found that increasing the degree of rotated neck and trunk position from neutral amplified the STHT and self-reported discomfort

Biomechanical response of the human foot when standing in a natural position while exposed to vertical vibration from 10-200 Hz

Exposure to foot-transmitted vibration (FTV) can lead to pain and numbness in the toes and feet, increased cold sensitivity, blanching in the toes, and joint pain. Prolonged exposure can result in a clinical diagnosis of vibration-induced white foot (VIWFt). Data on the biomechanical response of the feet to FTV is limited; therefore, this study seeks to identify resonant frequencies for different anatomical locations on the human foot, while standing in a natural position. A laser Doppler vibrometer was used to measure vertical (z-axis) vibration on 21 participants at 24 anatomical locations on the right foot during exposure to a sine sweep from 10-200Hz with a peak vertical velocity of 30 mm/s. The most notable differences in the average peak frequency occur between the toes (range: 99-147Hz), midfoot (range: 51-84Hz), and ankle (range: 16-39Hz)

Safety Culture: A Retrospective Analysis of Occupational Health and Safety Mining Reports

Background: In the mining industry, various methods of accident analysis have utilized official accident investigations to try and establish broader causation mechanisms. An emerging area of interest is identifying the extent to which cultural influences, such as safety culture, are acting as drivers in the reoccurrence of accidents. Thus, the overall objective of this study was to analyze occupational health and safety (OHS) reports in mining to investigate if/how safety culture has historically been framed in the mining industry, as it relates to accident causation. Methods: Using a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software, 34 definitions of safety culture were analyzed to highlight key terms. Based on word count and contextual relevance, 26 key terms were captured. Ten OHS reports were then analyzed via an inductive thematic analysis, using the key terms. This analysis provided a concept map representing the 50-year data set and facilitated the use of text framing to highlight safety culture in the selected OHS mining reports. Results: Overall, 954 references and six themes, safety culture, attitude, competence, belief, patterns, and norms, were identified in the data set. Of the 26 key terms originally identified, 24 of them were captured within the text. The results made evident two distinct frames in which to interpret the data: the role of the individual and the role of the organization, in safety culture. Conclusion: Unless efforts are made to understand and alter cultural drivers and share these findings within and across industries, the same accidents are likely to continue to occur