Objectives: Information technologies have been developing very rapidly, also in the case of occupational activities. Epide miological studies have shown that employees, who work with computers, are more likely to complain of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). The aim of this study was to evaluate associations between neck MSD and individual and work related factors. Materials and Methods: The investigation which consisted of two parts -a questionnaire study (using Nordic Mus culoskeletal questionnaire and Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire) and a direct observation (to evaluate ergonomic work environment using RULA method) was carried out in three randomly selected public sector companies of Kaunas. The study population consisted of 513 public service office workers. Results: The survey showed that neck MSDs were very common in the investigated population. The prevalence rate amounted to 65.7%. According to our survey neck MSDs were significantly associated with older age, bigger work experience, high quantitative and cognitive job demands, working for longer than 2 h without taking a break as well as with higher ergonomic risk score. The fully adjusted model working for longer than 2 h without taking a break had the strongest associations with neck complaints. Conclusion: It was confirmed, that neck MSDs were significantly associated with individual factors as well as conditions of work, therefore, preventive ac tions against neck complaints should be oriented at psychosocial and ergonomic work environment as well as at individual factors. Key words: Computer work, The neck MDSs, Psychosocial factors, ErgonomicsThe study is a part of an epidemiologic research "Ergonomics of computer work and its interface with the psychosocial work environment", carried out in the Depart ment of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at LUHS MA in 2010.

Januskevicius Vidm antas2 'D e p a rtm e n t o f En viron m en ta l and O cc u p a tio n a l M e dicin e , K a u n a s U n ive rs ity o f M e dicin e , Lithuania, d e p a r t m e n t o f H ealth S y s te m s R e se a rc h o f Institute o f Biom edical R e se arch , K a u n a s U n ive rs ity o f M e dicin e , Lithuania To evaluate the relationship o f functional visual fatigue parameters with the symptoms o f asthenopia, and to determine associ ation between subjective and the objective indicators o f eye fatigue. 404 office workers with and without VDT work were select ed for the inclusion in the study. To evaluate visual fatigue was used questionnaire for subjective complaints and measurement of main ophtalmological indicators. Psychophysiological studies determine changes in the sensomotoric reactions during the working day and the working week; in addition to that, studies of the constancy o f clear-unclear vision and the fluctuation of the clear and unclear vision periods were performed. Measurements o f psychophysiological changes were taken over one week, three times per day, for five days in a row. The questionnaire data showed that 88.4% of all employees complained o f various vision disorders. Our psychophysiological findings showed that during the second half o f the working day, when general fatigue and asthenopia develops, ophthalmologic indications change: visual sensomotor reaction becomes slower, the duration o f the periods of unclear vision increases, and the change o f the periods o f clear and unclear vision becomes faster. Changes in the ocular and psychophysiological functions before and at the end o f the workday, as determined in our study, provide a good objective index of VDT-induced «ocular» and central nervous system fatigue, can be used for intervention research.

The burnout syndrome is a significant occupational health problem in various employees’ populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate burnout level among retail network workers and its associations with psychosocial work environment. The cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted on workers of one Lithuanian retail network (n = 254), where all respondents were women. In order to assess their occupational stress and burnout, two instruments were used: HSE management standards work-related stress indicator tool and Copenhagen burnout inventory (CBI). The statistical analysis showed high prevalence of burnout—the frequency of personal, work-related and client-related burnout was 53.5%, 66.5% and 55.5% respectively. The Spearman’s correlation analysis revealed that job demands, control manager’s support, coworkers’ support and relationships significantly associated with all burnout subscales. The multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the independent associations between HSE indicators and burnout subscales. The multivariate logistic regression model revealed that job demands and manager’s support were significant factors for all burnout dimensions. In conclusion, in order to reduce occupational burnout among employees working in retail companies, it would be useful for occupational interventions to focus on workload reduction and optimization, and for the human resources management strategy to focus on maintaining this.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the trends in the incidence of occupational diseases in Lithuania during the period of 1999-2008. The analysis concerned both the individuals with diagnosed disease(s) and the number of diagnosed cases. Material and Methods: Incidence rates were calculated using data from the Republic of Lithuania National Register of Occupational Diseases and data on the employed population provided by the government Department of Statistics. The rates were age-standardized using the direct standardization method. The changes in the incidence rates throughout the study period were analyzed using segmented regression calculated with the JOINPOINT (v. 3.3.1) statistical software. We determined joinpoints in the dynamic lines of the incidence rates and calculated mean annual absolute change and mean annual relative (percentage) change for each period. Results and Conclusions: During the study period, the number of occupational diseases was, on average, 1.5 times as high as the number of individuals diagnosed with such diseases. Joinpoint positions in the dynamic lines of the incidence rates coincided for individuals with occupational diseases and for the cases of occupational diseases. The incidence was found to slightly increase during the period of 1999-2003, then to rise more rapidly during that of 2003-2006, and to decrease from 2006 to 2008.

Profesinės ligos – tai ligos, sukeltos veiksnių, esančių darbo aplinkoje, nustatyta tvarka pripažintos profesinėmis ligomis. Klinikinėje praktikoje dėl įvairių priežasčių nėra lengva įtarti ir nustatyti ligos simptomų ryšį su darbo aplinka. Vienos rečiausiai diagnozuojamų profesinių ligų yra kvėpavimo sistemos ir odos bei poodžio ligos. Šiame darbe analizuojamos 2015-2021 m. Lietuvos sveikatos mokslų universiteto ligoninėje Kauno klinikose (LSMUL KK) diagnozuotos profesinės alerginės ir dirginančių junginių sukeltos ligos ir pateikiamos jų diagnostikos rekomendacijos. LSMUL KK 2015-2021 m. 15 pacientų nustatytos profesinės alerginės ir dirginančių medžiagų sukeltos ligos, vienam iš jų – dvi ligos. Dažniausiai nustatomas alerginis kontaktinis dermatitas. Dažniausia patvirtinamų profesinių alerginių ir dirginančių medžiagų sukeltų ligų priežastis – kanifolija, formaldehidas. Profesinei alerginei ligai diagnozuoti svarbu įrodyti ryšį tarp simptomų ir darbo aplinkos – liga prasideda pradėjus dirbti, pagerėja ne darbo aplinkoje, darbo aplinkoje nustatomas alergenas, kuriam tyrimais įrodytas įsijautrinimas, arba dirginančio poveikio medžiaga. Tiksliausiai profesinė alerginė liga diagnozuojama atlikus provokacinį mėginį su įtariamu alergenu, esančiu darbe, tačiau šis tyrimas įprastai nėra atliekamas, o tai apsunkina profesinės ligos kilmės patvirtinimą.