The exercise training program designed in this study not only can effectively reduce neck, shoulders, and lower back pains, but also can improve the ROM or flexibility of the office workers.

Objective: The primary aim of this study is to examine the effects of a backrest: using a prototype of a lumbar support presented in author's earlier study on the discomfort rating of the body parts of motorcyclist. Methods: One hundred motorcyclists participated in this study, all in good physical condition and with no immediate complaint of musculoskeletal disorders. Each participant was asked to sit for 2 hours on a motorcycle in two different sessions (with and without the lumbar support) in a controlled room environment. At every 15 minutes interval the participants were required to rate their discomfort level on the Borg's CR-10 questionnaire. Results: The rate of discomfort level (in all body parts) decreased over time during the testing period with the prototype. In terms of the discomfort 'break point', participants identified low back and upper back as the most affected body parts prior to comfort changes during the testing period with the use of the prototype. Conclusions: The use of this prototype provides a protective mechanism for the motorcyclist's musculoskeletal system, particularly the spinal column. Therefore, this prototype is capable of providing ideal posture while simultaneously enhancing the comfortability of the motorcyclist during the riding process (by reducing discomfort).

No abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the proportion of motorcycle safety helmets (MSHs) used by postal delivery riders (PDRs) that comply with the Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia's (SIRIM) MSH standard guidelines and identify factors that contribute toward compliance of used MSHs with the standards. Methods: The presence of SIRIM certification label, the status of MSH, type of chinstrap, MSH crash history, and duration of MSH use were observed. The dependent variable was the results of the SIRIM testing procedures (SIRIM tests). MSHs that passed the SIRIM tests were considered "standard certified" MSHs. Results: The odds of the complimentary MSHs passing all of the SIRIM tests were 3.7 times the odds of the self-purchased MSHs passing the tests. The odds of MSHs with the SIRIM certification label passing all of the SIRIM tests were 24.2 times the odds of MSHs without the SIRIM certification label, and the odds of MSHs used <3 years passing the SIRIM tests were 3.75 times the odds of the MSHs used ≥3.8 years. Conclusion: PDRs provided with complimentary MSHs with the SIRIM certification label by the employer for their daily delivery routines and duration of MSH used for less than 3 years were found to be safe MSHs for male occupational riders in Malaysia.

Malaysian construction sector is one of the critical sectors represented by high accident and fatality rates over time. Accident rate in the construction sector is the third highest in Malaysia and the highest for fatality cases. Construction's workers came in contact with dangerous equipment and substances which can easily affect their physical and health condition. The increasing development of construction industries raise the probability of hazard exposure and accident occurrence. The goal of the study is to determine the association between non-reporting of accident in construction industries and the factors related with the occurrence of reporting trend. A cross sectional study design was conducted in twelve (12) construction sites of big construction company in Klang Valley and Johor Bahr, Johore by adopting stratified sampling method with the participation of 1598 respondents from selected sites. The data was collected through interview session using self-constructed questionnaire to determine the accident occurrence, reporting behavior, type of common accidents as well as the possible causal factors for under reporting cases. The study revealed the prevalence of non-reporting of accident in construction industries. (94.7%) of the construction workers did not report the accident while (5.3%) did report the accident. Chi square test revealed a significant statistical association between the Occupational Safety Health Management System (OSHMS) and non-reporting of accident. Induction training related to OSH from employer before employee start the work (X 2 =7.018, p= 0.030) and the awareness of the workers of the risk at the company (X 2 =8.278, p= 0.016) show significance association with the prevalence of non-reporting of accident. The result from this study, indicates that there was significant association between the Safety and Occupational Health Practices in the involvement of the workers in OSH activities (X 2 =7.108, p = 0.029) in non-reporting of accident. Based on the findings, further study should be conducted to determine more factors related to non-reporting among workers and a formulation on calculating non-reporting should be developed.