Respiratory symptoms and lung function in relation to wood dust and monoterpene exposure in the wood pellet industry

Löfstedt, Håkan; Hagström, Katja; Bryngelsson, Ing‐Liss; Holmström, Mats; Rask‐Andersen, Anna

doi:10.1080/03009734.2017.1285836

Cited by 39 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Work in the wood industry is associated with exposure to wood dust [4–11], and in the particleboard industry the workers might also be exposed to formaldehyde from glue resin [12–14]. Exposure to wood dust may cause acute irritation of the skin, eyes and airways [15, 16] and may also be associated with chronic respiratory symptoms [16–18]. Formaldehyde may also cause respiratory problems [14, 19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, attitude and practice related to chemical hazards and personal protective equipment among particleboard workers in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

2019

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Background Work in the wood industry is often associated with exposure to wood dust and formaldehyde. The aims of this study were to describe the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) concerning chemical health hazards among particleboard workers and to compare the KAP among temporary and permanent workers. Methods A cross-sectional study design was used to collect data by structured questionnaires in two particleboard factories in Ethiopia. A total of 159 workers and 13 management personnel participated in this study. Both closed-ended and open-ended questions were included in the interviews. Chi-square tests, T tests and correlation analyses were used for categorical and continuous data. Total knowledge score (range 0–8) was calculated as the sum score of 8 items weighing one point each. Multiple linear regression was applied to estimate the impact of employment status on total knowledge score adjusted for level of education. Content analysis was applied to analyse collected data from open-ended questions. Results The mean age of the respondents was 28 ( SD = 6) years and on average they had 3.7 [3] years of service. The permanent workers were older than the temporary workers (29 vs 26 years, p = 0.001), and a considerably high fraction of the permanent workers had vocational education (90%) compared to the temporary workers (11%). Permanent workers had higher proportion of response on knowledge of 10 of 12 topics regarding chemical hazards and attitudes on 6 of 11 of these topics than temporary workers. Permanent workers had higher knowledge scores (3.7) compared to temporary workers (1.3) ( p < 0.001), also after adjusting for education ( p = 0.011). Permanent workers were provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) while temporary workers were not. The qualitative data helps to understand the workers and administrative personnel attitude and thinking regarding chemical hazards and PPE. Conclusions The findings revealed that permanent workers have higher proportion of positive response on knowledge and attitude towards chemical health hazards than temporary workers. However, practice in use of PPE depended on access to PPE. Few temporary workers were provided with PPE. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-019-6807-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, attitude and practice related to chemical hazards and personal protective equipment among particleboard workers in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

2019

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“…Despite the increasing production of furniture in Ethiopia [16] little is known about safety measures and occupational health in these workplaces [20]. In previous studies from the wood industry including particleboard production, the workers have been exposed to other types of trees [6,21]. More knowledge on the respiratory health of the particleboard workers exposed to dust from the Eucalyptus tree is needed to evaluate the need of occupational preventive measures in Ethiopia and other developing countries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Prevalence of Respiratory Symptoms among Particleboard Workers in Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Asgedom

Bråtveit

Moen

2019

IJERPH

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Work in the wood industry might be associated with respiratory health problems. The production of particleboard used for furniture making and construction is increasing in many countries, and cause dust, endotoxin and formaldehyde exposure of the workers. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and to measure lung function among Ethiopian particleboard workers using Eucalyptus trees as the raw material. In total 147 workers, 74 from particleboard production and 73 controls, participated in the study. Mean wood dust in the particleboard factories was measured to be above recommended limit values. Particleboard workers had a mean age of 28 years and the controls were 25 years. They had been working for 4 and 2 years, respectively. Lung function test was done using spirometry following American Thoracic Society (ATS) recommendations. Respiratory symptoms were collected using a standard questionnaire of ATS. Particleboard workers had higher prevalence of wheezing, cough, cough with sputum production, phlegm, and shortness of breath compared to controls. Lung function status was similar in the two groups. The symptoms might be related to the work in the factories. Longitudinal studies are recommended to explore the chronic impact of work in particleboard factories on respiratory health.

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“…Among the most common residues of woodworking is wood dust. Wood dust has been widely recognized in woodworking safety research as a potent carcinogen and allergen (e.g., [26,27]). The guide [2] requires the development of engineering controls for physically changing woodworking equipment to prevent employee exposure to wood dust particles.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Application of a Hybrid Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach in Managing Equipment Hazards in Woodworking

Selerio¹,

Arcadio²,

Medio³

et al. 2020

IJSSE

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Woodworking is among the most dangerous activities with manifold risks to occupational safety and health of operators. Most of these risks are associated with the design of woodworking equipment. In this regard, the identification of woodworking equipment hazards (WEHs) is essential for improving safety. However, collective the identification and assessment of WEHs is not yet attempted in the woodworking literature, especially in the context of a developing country whose woodworking sector is more exposed to these risks. To address this gap, this paper employs a double triangular fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) in conjunction with the fuzzy Best-Worst method (F-BWM). The FDM was employed to select relevant WEHs, which are collectively sourced from previous literature, while the F-BWM is used to rank the relevant WEHs. The findings of this paper show that the risks posed by lack of "kickback safeguards" are the most important, while the risks posed by inadequate "maintenance functions" are the least important. The proposed algorithmic framework of this paper can help managers, occupational safety and health professionals, and woodworking firms in developing countries like the Philippines to build the capability they need to address WEHs and, to some extent, improve safety practices in the woodworking industry.

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Respiratory symptoms and lung function in relation to wood dust and monoterpene exposure in the wood pellet industry

Cited by 39 publications

References 48 publications

Knowledge, attitude and practice related to chemical hazards and personal protective equipment among particleboard workers in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Knowledge, attitude and practice related to chemical hazards and personal protective equipment among particleboard workers in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

High Prevalence of Respiratory Symptoms among Particleboard Workers in Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

An Application of a Hybrid Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach in Managing Equipment Hazards in Woodworking

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