Health and Safety Executive Inspection of U.K. Semiconductor Manufacturers

Europe plays a major role in the international semiconductor industry, but has conducted few studies of the occupational health of its workers. An exception is in the United Kingdom, where, in two small studies, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) evaluated some health effects of semiconductor work. Neither of these studies, largely restricted to Scotland, produced definitive results, and both were misused by industry to assert that they demonstrated no adverse health effect on workers. The results of the studies prompted semiconductor industry inspections recently completed by the HSE that included chip manufacturers in Scotland and other U.K. areas. The results of these inspections are disappointing

Occupational health: a world of false promises

The response of the World Health Organization (WHO) to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2015 demonstrated that the global health system is unprepared to address what should be its primary mission, control of disease epidemics while protecting health workers. Critics blamed WHO politics and its rigid culture for the poor response to the epidemic. We find that United Nations agencies, WHO and the International Labor Organization (ILO), are faced with the global problem of inadequate worker protections and a growing crisis in occupational health. The WHO and ILO are given monumental tasks but only trivial budgets, and funding trends show UN agency dependence on private donations which are far larger than funds contributed by member states. The WHO and ILO have limited capacity to make the necessary changes occupational health and safety demand. The UN could strengthen the national and global civil society voice in WHO and ILO structures, and by keeping conflict of interest out of policy decisions, ensure greater freedom to operate without interference

Much Concern but Little Research on Semiconductor Occupational Health Issues

Emerging occupational and environmental issues in the semiconductor industry We humans have experienced historical lessons on the dangers of introducing new techniques and chemicals expecting benefits, while ignoring unexpected harmful side effects. Examples include untreatable diseases (mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis) caused by asbestos use, human nervous system defects due to pesticides used to increase crop yields, severe health issues due to DDT used to kill malaria-causing mosquitos, and the depletion of the ozone due to Freon use for refrigeration. The semiconductor industry, a microelectronics industry, emerged in the late twentieth century as a brilliant contributor to industrial development, the development of new techniques, increased scientific knowledge, and an advance in human life styles throughout the world. The dark side of this prosperous industry has become apparent in both environmental and occupational health issues since the 1980s in the US and the 1990s in the UK, and in Asian countries including Taiwan, Singapore, and Korea in the 2000s. Environmental health issues occurred in the 1980s in Silico

Cancer mortality in IBM Endicott plant workers, 1969–2001: an update on a NY production plant

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In response to concerns expressed by workers at a public meeting, we analyzed the mortality experience of workers who were employed at the IBM plant in Endicott, New York and died between 1969–2001. An epidemiologic feasibility assessment indicated potential worker exposure to several known and suspected carcinogens at this plant.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We used the mortality and work history files produced under a court order and used in a previous mortality analysis. Using publicly available data for the state of New York as a standard of comparison, we conducted proportional cancer mortality (PCMR) analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results showed significantly increased mortality due to melanoma (PCMR = 367; 95% CI: 119, 856) and lymphoma (PCMR = 220; 95% CI: 101, 419) in males and modestly increased mortality due to kidney cancer (PCMR = 165; 95% CI: 45, 421) and brain cancer (PCMR = 190; 95% CI: 52, 485) in males and breast cancer (PCMR = 126; 95% CI: 34, 321) in females.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results are similar to results from a previous IBM mortality study and support the need for a full cohort mortality analysis such as the one being planned by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.</p

IBM, Elsevier Science, and Academic Freedom

Elsevier Science refused to publish a study of IBM workers that IBM sought to keep from public view. Occupational and environmental health (OEH) suffers from the absence of a level playing field on which science can thrive. Industry pays for a substantial portion of OEH research. Studies done by private consulting firms or academic institutions may be published if the results suit the sponsoring companies, or they may be censored. OEH journals often reflect the dominance of industry influence on research in the papers they publish, sometimes withdrawing or modifying papers in line with industry and advertising agendas. Although such practices are widely recognized, no fundamental change is supported by government and industry or by professional organizations

Towards integration of environmental and health impact assessments for wild capture fishing and farmed fish with particular reference to public health and occupational health dimensions

The paper offers a review and commentary, with particular reference to the production of fish from wild capture fisheries and aquaculture, on neglected aspects of health impact assessments which are viewed by a range of international and national health bodies and development agencies as valuable and necessary project tools. Assessments sometimes include environmental health impact assessments but rarely include specific occupational health and safety impact assessments especially integrated into a wider public health assessment. This is in contrast to the extensive application of environmental impact assessments to fishing and the comparatively large body of research now generated on the public health effects of eating fish. The value of expanding and applying the broader assessments would be considerable because in 2004 the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reports there were 41,408,000 people in the total ‘fishing’ sector including 11,289,000 in aquaculture. The paper explores some of the complex interactions that occur with regard to fishing activities and proposes the wider adoption of health impact assessment tools in these neglected sectors through an integrated public health impact assessment tool

A new Task for Pharmacists: Working at a Computer

Cilj je ovog rada bio utvrditi koliko rad s računalom utječe na promjene vidnih funkcija ljekarnika te na pojavu smetnji na vratnom dijelu kralježnice. U presječnom istraživanju ispitane su vidne funkcije i subjektivne smetnje pri radu 50 ljekarnika (srednja dob 41,8±11 godina), te 56 službenika (srednja dob 36,2±8,6 godina), koji 40 sati tjedno rade na računalu. Pri tome, ljekarnici pretežno stoje, a službenici sjede. Od subjektivnih smetnji pri radu, suzenje očiju i bolovi u vratnoj kralježnici bili su značajno češći u skupini ljekarnika (P0,05). Rezultati potkrepljuju odredbu Pravilnika o sigurnosti i zaštiti zdravlja pri radu s računalom (1) prema kojoj poslodavac mora planirati aktivnosti radnika na osobnom računalu tako da se rad periodički izmjenjuje s drugim aktivnostima. To se upravo događa pri obavljanju posla ljekarnika. Njegov rad s računalom se neprekidno izmjenjuje s obraćanjem klijentu, odnosno s izdavanjem lijeka. Za rješavanje poteškoća s kralježnicom treba tijekom svakog sata rada osigurati odmore u trajanju od najmanje 5 minuta te organizirati vježbe rasterećenja radi smanjenja statodinamičnoga napora.The aim of this study was to establish the effect of working at personal computers (PC) on vision and neck-pain in pharmacists. In this cross-sectional study, vision and subjective disturbances at work were examined in 50 pharmacists [mean age (41.8±11) years] and 56 offi ce workers [mean age (36.2±8.6) years] using PCs at work for 40 hours per week. Pharmacists work mostly in the standing position and office workers in the sitting position. Excessive lacrimation and neck-pain during work were more pronounced in pharmacists than in office workers (P0.05). Our results support the recommendations set by the Ordinance on Safety and Health Protection when Working with Personal Computers (1), that employer should make sure that work with screen interchanges regularly with other activities in order to diminish vision load at work. This also refers to the work of pharmacists because their activities involve continuous interchanges between serving customers, looking at PC screen, and issuing medicines. In addition, the pharmacists should take at least 5-minute breaks every hour and take relaxation exercises to diminish the strain for the spine

The European influence on workers' compensation reform in the United States

Workers' compensation law in the United States is derived from European models of social insurance introduced in Germany and in England. These two concepts of workers' compensation are found today in the federal and state workers' compensation programs in the United States. All reform proposals in the United States are influenced by the European experience with workers' compensation. In 2006, a reform proposal termed the Public Health Model was made that would abolish the workers' compensation system, and in its place adopt a national disability insurance system for all injuries and illnesses. In the public health model, health and safety professionals would work primarily in public health agencies. The public health model eliminates the physician from any role other than that of privately consulting with the patient and offering advice solely to the patient. The Public Health Model is strongly influenced by the European success with physician consultation with industry and labor

The relationship between video display terminals (VDTs) usage and dermatologic manifestations : a cross sectional study

BACKGROUND: Recently, it has been observed that Video Display Terminals (VDTs) usage for long periods can cause some dermatological manifestations on the face. An analytical cross-sectional study was designed in order to determine this relationship. METHODS: In this study, 600 office workers were chosen randomly from an organization in Tehran (Iran). The subjects were then divided into two groups based on their exposure to VDTs. 306 workers were considered exposure negative (non VDT user) who worked less than 7 hours a week with VDTs. The remainders 294 were exposure-positive, who worked 7 hours or more with VDTs. The frequency of dermatologic manifestations was compared in these two groups. RESULTS: In the exposure-positive and exposure-negative groups, the frequency of these dermatologic manifestations were 27 and 5 respectively. After statistical analysis, a P.value of < 0.05 was obtained indicating a statistically significant difference between these two groups for dermatological manifestations. CONCLUSION: According to our study, there is a relationship between dermatologic manifestations on the face and exposure to VDTs