37 research outputs found
Dungeness crab fishermen perceptions of injury causation and factors in staying safe
Background: Commercial fishing is a hazardous occupation in the United States (US). Injury surveillance data relies heavily on US Coast Guard reports, which capture injuries severe enough to require reporting. The reports do not incorporate the fishermen’s perspective on contributing factors to injuries and staying safe while fishing.
Materials and methods: We conducted a pre-season survey of Dungeness crab fishermen during 2015 to 2016. Community researchers administered surveys to fishermen. Respondents reported their opinions about factors contributing to injuries and staying safe, which were grouped into similar themes by consen- sus. Descriptive statistics were calculated to explore the number of injuries, crew position, age, and years of experience. Chi-square tests compared perceptions of injury causation, staying safe, and other factors.
Results: Four hundred twenty-six surveys were completed. Injury causation perceptions were sorted into 17 categories, and staying safe perceptions were sorted into 13 categories. The most frequently cited causes of injury were heavy workload (86, 21.9%), poor mental focus (78, 19.9%), and inexperience (56, 14.3%). The most frequently cited factors in staying safe while fishing were awareness (142, 36.1%), good and well-maintained fishing gear/vessel (41, 10.4%), and best marine practices (39, 9.9%). Opinions were not significantly associated with experiencing an injury in the past while fishing, but some opinions were significantly associated with crew position, age, and years of experience.
Conclusions: The perceptions of fishermen can be evaluated further and incorporated into training or intervention development. The fishermen-led approach of this project lends itself to developing injury pre- vention strategies that are effective, realistic and suitable. The resources available at FLIPPresources.org, such as informational sheets for new fishermen, sample crew agreements, and first aid kit resources, supply workers in this fishery with real solutions for issues they identified through their survey responses.
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Safety voice for ergonomics (SAVE) project: protocol for a workplace cluster-randomized controlled trial to reduce musculoskeletal disorders in masonry apprentices
Background:
Masons have the highest rate of overexertion injuries among all construction trades and rank second for occupational back injuries in the United States. Identified ergonomic solutions are the primary method of reducing exposure to risk factors associated with musculoskeletal disorders. However, many construction workers lack knowledge about these solutions, as well as basic ergonomic principles. Construction apprentices, as they embark on their careers, are greatly in need of ergonomics training to minimize the cumulative exposure that leads to musculoskeletal disorders. Apprentices receive safety training; however, ergonomics training is often limited or non-existent. In addition, apprenticeship programs often lack “soft skills” training on how to appropriately respond to work environments and practices that are unsafe. The SAVE program – SAfety Voice for Ergonomics – strives to integrate evidence-based health and safety training strategies into masonry apprenticeship skills training to teach ergonomics, problem solving, and speaking up to communicate solutions that reduce musculoskeletal injury risk. The central hypothesis is that the combination of ergonomics training and safety voice promotion will be more effective than no training or either ergonomics training alone or safety voice training alone.
Methods/design:
Following the development and pilot testing of the SAVE intervention, SAVE will be evaluated in a cluster-randomized controlled trial at 12 masonry training centers across the U.S. Clusters of apprentices within centers will be assigned at random to one of four intervention groups (n = 24 per group): (1) ergonomics training only, (2) safety voice training only, (3) combined ergonomics and safety voice training, or (4) control group with no additional training intervention. Outcomes assessed at baseline, at the conclusion of training, and then at six and 12 months post training will include: musculoskeletal symptoms, general health perceptions, knowledge of ergonomic and safety voice principles, and perception and attitudes about ergonomic and safety voice issues.
Discussion:
Masons continue to have a high rate of musculoskeletal disorders. The trade has an expected increase of 40 % in the number of workers by 2020. Therefore, a vetted intervention for apprentices entering the trade, such as SAVE, could reduce the burden of musculoskeletal disorders currently plaguing the trade.Keywords: Safety voice, Ergonomics, Masons, Construction industry, Injury prevention, Apprenticeship trainin
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Utility of a Work Process Classification System for characterizing non-fatal injuries in the Alaskan commercial fishing industry
Background. The US commercial fishing industry is hazardous, as measured by mortality data. However, research on non-fatal injuries is limited. Non-fatal injuries constitute the majority of occupational injuries and can result in workers' lowered productivity and wages, lost quality of life, and disability. In the United States, a Work Process Classification System (WPCS) has previously been applied in Alaskan freezer-trawl and freezer-longline fleets to identify causes of injuries and specific hazards, but not to other fishing fleets.
Objectives. This descriptive epidemiologic study aimed to explore the application and modification of the WPCS in multiple Alaskan fleets, characterize non-fatal occupational injuries in these fleets, and identify work processes that could be targeted for further investigation and future injury prevention efforts.
Design. Traumatic, non-fatal injuries on-board Alaskan commercial fishing vessels were identified through United States Coast Guard investigative reports. Characteristics of injuries, as well as worker characteristics, were analysed. Injuries were coded using the WPCS.
Results. We successfully utilized the WPCS to code non-fatal injury cases (n = 136). The most frequent main work processes associated with non-fatal injuries included: on-board trawlers, handling frozen fish and processing the catch; on-board vessels using pot/trap gear, handling the gear and shooting/setting the gear; on-board longliners, traffic on board and hauling the gear; and on-board processor vessels, processing the catch, other work with the catch, and handling frozen fish.
Conclusions. The study confirmed that a WPCS can be applied to multiple Alaskan fleets to identify hazardous tasks. Hazards were unique for each vessel gear type. Future injury prevention efforts should target work processes associated with the most frequent and most severe injuries. Future studies should establish time estimates for work processes in order to determine risk estimates. Efforts to improve non-fatal injury reporting, especially on smaller commercial fishing vessels, should be undertaken.To access the supplementary material for this article, please see Supplementary files under ‘Article Tools’ at: http://www.circumpolarhealthjournal.net/index.php/ijch/article/view/30070 This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the author(s) and published by Co-Action Publishing for Circumpolar Health Research Network. The published article can be found at: http://www.circumpolarhealthjournal.net/index.php/ijchKeywords: Alaska, commercial fishing, occupational safety, work process, non-fatal injurie
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Work-Related Traumatic Injuries Onboard Freezer-Trawlers and Freezer-Longliners Operating in Alaskan Waters during 2001-2012
BACKGROUND: Workers onboard freezer-trawl (FT) and freezer-longline (FL) vessels in Alaska may be at high risk for fatal and non-fatal injuries. METHODS: Traumatic occupational injuries onboard vessels in the FT and FL fleets were identified through two government data sources. RESULTS: The annual risk of fatal injuries was 125 per 100,000 FTEs in the FT fleet, and 63 per 100,000 FTEs in the FL fleet. The annual risk of non-fatal injuries was 43 per 1,000 FTEs in the FT fleet and 35 per 1,000 FTEs in the FL fleet. The majority of injuries in the FT fleet occurred in the factories and freezer holds, whereas the most common injuries in the FL fleet occurred on deck while working the fishing gear. CONCLUSIONS: The findings confirmed that workers in those fleets were at high risk for work-related injuries. Injury prevention should focus on removing hazards in the work processes injuring the most workers.Keywords: Alaska, Fishing industry, Occupational safety, Injuries, Work processKeywords: Alaska, Fishing industry, Occupational safety, Injuries, Work proces
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Injury Risk Perception of Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishermen
The Fishermen Led Injury Prevention Program is the first and only research focused on non-fatal injury prevention among commercial fishermen.
• No fishermen reported that they had zero chance of injury, regardless of injuries sustained in career and/or in the past year.
• Fishermen who have sustained an injury in their career and/or in the past year, have a higher perception of injury risk.
• There is no connection between a fisherman’s history with injury and the amount they worry about sustaining an injury.• Commercial fishing is one of the most dangerous professions in the United States.
• Between 2002-2014 Dungeness crab fishermen had 209 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers.
• 405 surveys were collected by community researchers before the 2015-2016 Dungeness crab season.
• We examine here the association of injury and risk perception
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Occupational exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields and brain tumour risks in the INTEROCC study
BACKGROUND: Occupational exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF) is a
suspected risk factor for brain tumours, however the literature is inconsistent. Few studies have
assessed whether ELF in different time windows of exposure may be associated with specific
histologic types of brain tumours. This study examines the association between ELF and brain
tumours in the large-scale INTEROCC study.
METHODS: Cases of adult primary glioma and meningioma were recruited in seven countries
(Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, New Zealand, United Kingdom) between 2000 and
2004. Estimates of mean workday ELF exposure based on a job exposure matrix assigned.
Estimates of cumulative exposure, average exposure, maximum exposure, and exposure duration
were calculated for the lifetime, and 1-4, 5-9, and 10+ years prior to the diagnosis/reference date.
RESULTS: There were 3,761 included brain tumour cases (1,939 glioma, 1,822 meningioma) and
5,404 population controls. There was no association between lifetime cumulative ELF exposure
and glioma or meningioma risk. However, there were positive associations between cumulative
ELF 1-4 years prior to the diagnosis/reference date and glioma (odds ratio (OR) ≥ 90th percentile
vs < 25th percentile = 1.67, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.36-2.07, p < 0.0001 linear trend), and,
somewhat weaker associations with meningioma (OR ≥ 90th percentile vs < 25th percentile =
1.23, 95% CI 0.97-1.57, p = 0.02 linear trend).
CONCLUSIONS: Results showed positive associations between ELF in the recent past and glioma.
IMPACT: Occupational ELF exposure may play a role in the later stages (promotion and
progression) of brain tumourigenesis.Keywords: glioma, meningioma, occupation, case control study, extremely low frequency magnetic field
Safety voice for ergonomics (SAVE) project: protocol for a workplace cluster-randomized controlled trial to reduce musculoskeletal disorders in masonry apprentices
Abstract Background Masons have the highest rate of overexertion injuries among all construction trades and rank second for occupational back injuries in the United States. Identified ergonomic solutions are the primary method of reducing exposure to risk factors associated with musculoskeletal disorders. However, many construction workers lack knowledge about these solutions, as well as basic ergonomic principles. Construction apprentices, as they embark on their careers, are greatly in need of ergonomics training to minimize the cumulative exposure that leads to musculoskeletal disorders. Apprentices receive safety training; however, ergonomics training is often limited or non-existent. In addition, apprenticeship programs often lack “soft skills” training on how to appropriately respond to work environments and practices that are unsafe. The SAVE program – SAfety Voice for Ergonomics – strives to integrate evidence-based health and safety training strategies into masonry apprenticeship skills training to teach ergonomics, problem solving, and speaking up to communicate solutions that reduce musculoskeletal injury risk. The central hypothesis is that the combination of ergonomics training and safety voice promotion will be more effective than no training or either ergonomics training alone or safety voice training alone. Methods/design Following the development and pilot testing of the SAVE intervention, SAVE will be evaluated in a cluster-randomized controlled trial at 12 masonry training centers across the U.S. Clusters of apprentices within centers will be assigned at random to one of four intervention groups (n = 24 per group): (1) ergonomics training only, (2) safety voice training only, (3) combined ergonomics and safety voice training, or (4) control group with no additional training intervention. Outcomes assessed at baseline, at the conclusion of training, and then at six and 12 months post training will include: musculoskeletal symptoms, general health perceptions, knowledge of ergonomic and safety voice principles, and perception and attitudes about ergonomic and safety voice issues. Discussion Masons continue to have a high rate of musculoskeletal disorders. The trade has an expected increase of 40 % in the number of workers by 2020. Therefore, a vetted intervention for apprentices entering the trade, such as SAVE, could reduce the burden of musculoskeletal disorders currently plaguing the trade. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02676635 , 2 February 201
Efficacy of text messaging apprentices to reinforce ergonomics and safety voice training.
INTRODUCTION: Injuries and work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are common among masons. SAfety Voice for Ergonomics (SAVE) integrates training in ergonomic and safety problem-solving skills into masonry apprenticeship training. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of text messaging to reinforce SAVE program content.
METHOD: SAVE effectiveness was evaluated at masonry apprenticeship training centers across the United States by comparing three experimental groups: (1) Ergonomics training, (2) Ergonomics and Safety Voice training, and a (3) Control. Apprentices received SAVE training with their standard instruction. To reinforce classroom training, refresher training was implemented by sending weekly text messages for six months. Half of the text messages required a response, which tested knowledge or assessed behavior, while the remaining reiterated knowledge. Apprentices (n = 119) received SAVE text messages. Response rates and percentage of correct responses were compared with chi-square tests and independent group t-tests. Multivariable logistic regression analysis predicted apprentice response with selected demographic and work experience variables. Finally, feedback on of the use of text messaging was obtained.
RESULT: Of 119 participants, 61% (n = 72) responded to at least one text message. Logistic regression revealed that being a high school graduate and a brick and block mason significantly affected the odds of responding. Sixty-nine percent of apprentices agreed that text messages reinforced SAVE content.
CONCLUSION: Even though there was no training center requirement to respond, the high response rate suggests that text messaging can effectively be used to reinforce ergonomics and safety voice training for both knowledge and behavior. Practical Application: The prevalent use of text messaging creates opportunities to reinforce health and safety training and engage workers, especially for populations that may be at various locations over time such as construction sites. Instructors and practitioners should consider the utility of text messaging for supporting their training and safety programs
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KinclLaurelPHHSOccupationalExposureExtremely_DataSupplement.pdf
BACKGROUND: Occupational exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF) is a
suspected risk factor for brain tumours, however the literature is inconsistent. Few studies have
assessed whether ELF in different time windows of exposure may be associated with specific
histologic types of brain tumours. This study examines the association between ELF and brain
tumours in the large-scale INTEROCC study.
METHODS: Cases of adult primary glioma and meningioma were recruited in seven countries
(Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, New Zealand, United Kingdom) between 2000 and
2004. Estimates of mean workday ELF exposure based on a job exposure matrix assigned.
Estimates of cumulative exposure, average exposure, maximum exposure, and exposure duration
were calculated for the lifetime, and 1-4, 5-9, and 10+ years prior to the diagnosis/reference date.
RESULTS: There were 3,761 included brain tumour cases (1,939 glioma, 1,822 meningioma) and
5,404 population controls. There was no association between lifetime cumulative ELF exposure
and glioma or meningioma risk. However, there were positive associations between cumulative
ELF 1-4 years prior to the diagnosis/reference date and glioma (odds ratio (OR) ≥ 90th percentile
vs < 25th percentile = 1.67, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.36-2.07, p < 0.0001 linear trend), and,
somewhat weaker associations with meningioma (OR ≥ 90th percentile vs < 25th percentile =
1.23, 95% CI 0.97-1.57, p = 0.02 linear trend).
CONCLUSIONS: Results showed positive associations between ELF in the recent past and glioma.
IMPACT: Occupational ELF exposure may play a role in the later stages (promotion and
progression) of brain tumourigenesis.Keywords: extremely low frequency magnetic fields, case control study, meningioma, glioma, occupationKeywords: extremely low frequency magnetic fields, case control study, meningioma, glioma, occupatio