Highlights After the introduction of the EU regulatory interventions, nickel sensitization decreased significantly in the group of females aged ≤25 years. Women born between 1966 and 1975 presented the higheest prevalence of sensitization to nickel, then prevalence of sensitization gradually decreased with a minimum in more recent years. Nickel sensitization is higher in Italian patients compared to people living in other EU coutries. Additional interventions are needed to address nickel sensitization.

Purpose Work ability indicates an individual’s capacity to match job demands according to his/her physical and mental conditions and work circumstances. Occupational physicians should take into consideration the global health status of a worker in order to correctly assess if he/she is fit for the job. The aim of this study was to verify the association between fitness for work evaluation and Work Ability Index scores, as well as individual factors (age, gender, and anthropometric characteristics) and work-related variables (job type, years of working duration). Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted within the occupational health surveillance of health and public employers in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region (2018–2022). The participants voluntarily agreed to answer the standard Work Ability Index questionnaire. Data were investigated by univariable as well as multivariable regression analysis. Results The Work Ability Index of the workers included in the study (N = 6893) resulted negatively associated with age, female sex, and body mass index. It was averagely lower in nurses and assistive personnel, and the highest in medical doctors and public employers. The fitness for work assessments was also statistically related to WAI scores. The results obtained from the univariable and the multivariable analysis were consistent. Conclusions The Work Ability Index is an efficient tool to measure an individual’s capability to sustain job demands, and can be taken into account to produce a correct fitness for work evaluation and consequently preserve workers’ health status.

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Purpose To estimate the incidence of shoulder disorders in a cohort of Health Care Workers (HCWs). Methods 4406 workers employed from 2009 to 2020, were included in the study. Occupational risk factors and jobs were assessed according to working history. Incident cases were defined in case of shoulder pain associated with functional limitations during the medical examination. The Cox regression model was used to calculate the Hazard Ratio (HR) for different work activities, adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, and previous musculoskeletal injuries, using clerks as the reference category. Results The incidence rates of shoulder musculoskeletal disorder for men and women were 13.1 for 1000 person-years (CI 95% 10.6–16.3) and 20.1 for 1000 person-years (CI 95% 17.8–22.6) respectively. The adjusted HR was significantly increased with age (1.06, CI 95% 1.05–1.07), outpatient health activities (2.82, CI 95% 1.89–4.219), and wards health activity (2.37, CI 95% 1.68–3.33). Conclusion HCWs with high biomechanical risk such as nurses and healthcare assistants had a higher incidence of shoulder disorders. Actions are needed for better prevention in health care assistance.