Archives of environmental & occupational health
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Arch Environ Occup Health · Jan 2012
Work-related musculoskeletal complaints among workers of Iranian aluminum industries.
In developing countries, musculoskeletal complaints are considered as main cause of occupational complications and disability. Economic burden of these complications more than workers has impact on organization and society in general. In Iranian aluminum industries, workers are directly involved in production process and physical activities such as manual material handling and awkward postures are very common. ⋯ Musculoskeletal complaints in past week and year had significant association with job duration and age in these workers. Musculoskeletal complaints in Iranian aluminum industries happened in high rate. Ergonomic intervention strategies in the workplaces must be the focus for elimination of environmental hazards such as apposition on the time of work and manual handling of heavy loads.
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Arch Environ Occup Health · Jan 2011
Occupational health and safety challenges in China--focusing on township-village enterprises.
China has experienced dramatic industrialization, urbanization, and economic growth over the last 3 decades. The rapid transformation and dramatic prosperity of industries in rural areas have, in turn, created tremendous challenges for occupational health and safety (OHS). ⋯ Among the major recognized OHS problems, pneumoconiosis, chemical poisoning, and workplace accidents, especially in small-scale coal mines, are highlighted. It is suggested that the national polices and regulations that specifically target TVEs are indispensable and a more powerful administrative structure should be established to ensure that the pertinent polices, regulations, and OHS standards can be enforced widely and effectively in practice.
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The aims of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of upper body quadrant pain among Israeli professional urban bus drivers and to evaluate the association between individual, ergonomic, and psychosocial risk factors and occurrence of neck pain. Three hundred and eighty-four male urban bus drivers were consecutively enrolled in the study. Data pertaining to work-related ergonomic and psychosocial stress factors were collected. ⋯ Prevalence of neck pain was associated with uncomfortable seats (odds ratio; OR [95% confidence interval; CI]: 2.2 [1.2-4.3], back support (2.3 [1.2-4.2]), and steering wheel (2.2 [1.1-4.5]). Drivers with neck pain reported significantly higher prevalence of pain in the upper back (OR [95% CI]: 5.9 [2.7-12.9]), shoulders (8.1 [4.3-15.3]), and wrists (7.0 [2.0-21.8]) compared to drivers without neck pain. Work-related organizational stress factors were not associated with neck pain prevalence.
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Arch Environ Occup Health · Jan 2009
Historical ArticleThe historical development of academic journals in occupational medicine, 1901-2009.
Academic journals in a specialist field provide an interesting historical record of its development and progression over time. This article describes the evolution of some major international journals of occupational medicine, including some historical background on their editorial board. As North America, the United Kingdom, and Northern Europe are known to have the highest contribution to scientific production, it was considered appropriate to investigate the main occupational medicine periodicals in these regions. Given the remarkable improvements in Japanese occupational health following the Second World War, it was also considered worthwhile to investigate the two English-language journals of occupational medicine from this country.