Many professions in the fields of engineering, aviation and medicine employ this form of scheduling. However, on-call work has received significantly less research attention than other work patterns such as shift work and overtime hours. This paper reviews the current body of peer-reviewed, published research conducted on the health effects of on-call work The health effects studies done in the area of on-call work are limited to mental health, job stress, sleep disturbances and personal safety. The reviewed research suggests that on-call work scheduling can pose a risk to health, although there are critical gaps in the literature.

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BackgroundOutdoor workers are at risk of high ultraviolet radiation exposure, and may have difficulty using sun protection. The objectives were to determine the prevalence of sun protection behaviors in a sample of outdoor construction workers, and to assess which factors predict better sun protection practices.MethodsParticipants were recruited via construction unions. Workers answered a questionnaire on demographics, skin cancer risk, sun protection behaviors, and job. Sun protection behavior scores (from questions on sunscreen use, sleeved shirt, hat, shade seeking, sunglasses) were calculated by converting Likert-scale answers to scores from 0 to 4, and taking the mean (separately for work and leisure). Determinants of sun protection behavior scores were examined for work and leisure using generalized linear models.ResultsSeventy-seven workers had complete questionnaire data (participation 98%). Sun protection behaviors used most often were hats (79% often/always) and sleeved shirts (82% often/always); least prevalent were shade-seeking (8% often/always) and sunscreen (29% often/always). For both work and leisure scores, the strongest predictor was skin type, with fairer-skinned individuals having higher sun protection behavior scores. Workers had higher scores at work than on weekends. Workplaces that required hats and sleeved shirts for safety purposes had higher protection behavior scores.ConclusionThis high-participation rate cohort helps characterize sun protection behaviors among outdoor workers. Workers practiced better sun protection at work than on weekends, suggesting that workplace policies supportive of sun protection could be useful for skin cancer prevention in the construction industry.

Despite the fact that these studies varied in methodology and spanned a period of more than 15 years, a number of common themes emerged regarding inaccuracies, incompleteness, incomprehensibility and overall low use of MSDSs. The results of the literature review suggest that there are serious problems with the use of MSDSs as hazard communication tools. The article concludes with recommendations for governments, regulatory bodies, and occupational health and safety personnel to seriously reassess the ways in which MSDSs are written, monitored, regulated, and used.

I n 2010, over 80,000 of the 250,000 newly diagnosed cancers in Canada were skin cancer (5,300 of which were melanoma, and a further 75,500 of which were basal and squamous cell carcinomas, collectively known as non-melanoma skin cancer [NMSC]). 1 Despite the fact that these cancers are largely preventable (by limiting ultraviolet radiation [UVR] exposure), the incidence of skin cancer is increasing in Canada. 2 All skin cancer types are related to increased exposure to UVR, though the pattern of exposure differs between the cancer types. Canadian estimates are not available, but in Australia 65-90% of skin cancer is attributed to UVR, and in the US the attributable percentage is over 90%, 2 including occupational sun exposure. 3 Melanoma is strongly linked with high doses of intermittent sunlight (causing sunburn), especially early in life. 4 Squamous cell carcinoma is more strongly linked to higher cumulative exposure, such as is seen in occupationally-exposed groups. More recently, basal cell carcinoma has also been linked more conclusively to occupational solar UVR exposure. 5 Outdoor workers (e.g., construction workers, farmers, postal workers) are a group at particular risk of high UVR exposure. 6 Elevated rates of NMSC are seen in outdoor workers, as compared to indoor workers, and the risk is highest among those with the highest exposure. 7 The Canadian Second National Sun Survey (NSS2) found that 26% of Canadians reported working outdoors in the summer (67% of those for 2+ hours per day), 8 and many of these workers use inadequate sun protection. In a workshop held postsurvey, participants identified outdoor workers as key targets for