The Influence of Working Conditions, Health Status and Characteristics of Workers on the Occurrence of Workplace Injuries

Abstract

Workplace injuries represent an important medical, social and economic burden. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of harmful workplace conditions and gender, age and other characteristics of workers, on the occurrence of workplace injuries. The studied (case) group included 1950 workers who had at least one workplace injury in the period of one year (January-December, 2011). The control group consisted of 1450 workers who had no workplace injuries in the same period of time, and who had similar jobs (factory workers). For both groups, hazards and risks were measured at their workplaces (microclimate factors, illumination, noise, dust, air pollution, chemical hazards). For all workers, the data about gender, age, total length of employment, work characteristics, education, marital status were collected, as well as their working, personal, family and social anamnesis, and detailed clinical examination and additional analyses (laboratory, electrocardiography, spirometry, audiometry and anthropometry) were performed. There was a higher prevalence of neuroses, arterial hypertension, eye diseases, hearing disturbances, and overweight and obesity in the exposed group compared to controls. The factors such as inadequate working conditions, younger age of workers, less working experience, lower level of education, and presence of specific health conditions and diseases, are significantly related to the occurrence of workplace injuries.

Which behaviour change techniques are associated with interventions that increase physical activity in pre-school children? A systematic review

“…Physical activity (PA) levels are an important indicator of obesity prevalence in early years and young childhood [4,11,12]. There is substantial -and growing -support in the research literature for the hypothesis that engagement in PA from birth to 5 years is associated with signi cantly improved health outcomes, not only in the short term but also over the life course for the individual.…”

Which behaviour change techniques are associated with interventions that increase physical activity in pre-school children? A systematic review

“…Physical activity (PA) levels are an important indicator of obesity prevalence in early years and young childhood [ 1 – 3 ]. There is substantial literature to support the hypothesis that engagement in PA from birth to 5 years is associated with significantly improved health outcomes, not only in the short term but also over the life course of an individual [ 4 , 5 ].…”

A Subject-Specific Approach to Detect Fatigue-Related Changes in Spine Motion Using Wearable Sensors

“…Muscle fatigue is known to reduce the force generation capacity of a muscle [1,2], alter movement coordination [3][4][5][6], and increase an individual's risk for musculoskeletal (MSK) injury [6][7][8]. Despite this knowledge, fatigue-related injuries are still common in workplace and sport settings [8][9][10][11], with lower back disorders (LBDs) being the most common and costly MSK injury [12][13][14]. This suggests that a reliable, objective method for tracking fatigue may be beneficial to reduce fatigue-related injuries in work and sport settings.…”