Day 1 :
Keynote Forum
Richard J Hanowski
Virginia Tech Transportation InstituteUSA
Keynote: Methods overview of the commercial driver individual differences study
Time : 09:30-09:55
Biography:
Richard J Hanowski is a Senior Research Scientist and serves as the Director of the Center for Truck & Bus Safety (CTBS) at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. He has been involved in transportation research since 1991, and has led many light vehicle and heavy vehicle safety studies for government and industry. He has servedrnas the Principal or Co-Principal Investigator on over $50 million of contract research and has authored over 200 publications. His research focuses on safety and health issues associated with commercial vehicle operations. Findings from his research have generated practical, in-depth knowledge that has benefited government, commercial vehicle operations (including drivers and fleet management), equipment manufacturers, academia, and the public. His 2009 research on driver distraction in commercial vehicle operations helped foster an international dialogue that led to policies and regulations designed to reduce driver distraction and improve safety.
Abstract:
Introduction: The Commercial Driver Individual Differences Study (CDIDS) affords a unique opportunity to examine a widernarray of Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) driver and situational factors to determine the prevalence of these factors and theirrnrelationship to being involved in a crash.rnrnPurpose: To identify and prioritize CMV driver individual differences with respect to risk factors. Primarily, these risk factorsrnwill consist of personal factors, such as demographic characteristics, medical conditions, sleep history, personal attitudes, jobrnsatisfaction, and behavioral history. The CDIDS will identify risk factors by linking the characteristics of individual drivers withrntheir driving records during the duration of the study, especially the occurrence or absence of preventable, on-road crashes.rnrnMethods: Medical and driving records will be collected for 21,000 CMV drivers. Surveys, including questions about personalrnattitudes and lifestyle behaviors, driving history, recent life experiences, and driving behavior will also be collected on a subset ofrnthese drivers. Drivers with documented crashes (identified through carrier and federal safety data) will be considered “cases†forrnanalysis to evaluate crash risk factors. Extreme groups based on crash risk outputs (e.g., low-risk drivers with no case events versusrnhigh-risk drivers with case events) will be investigated to maximize the contrast between groups and thus associations with driverrnand situational factors. The comparison of cases to controls (3,000 of each) will permit the derivation of odds ratios and otherrnstatistics to quantify the increased probability of being involved in a crash associated with various driver and situational factors.rnFollowing case events, those drivers will be asked to complete a follow-up survey to aid in determining if any recent life events/rnstressors may have been a contributing factor to the case event. For each case driver, four control drivers will be asked to alsorncomplete the follow-up survey. Driver participants may be monitored for up to three years to track their driving records.rnrnAnticipated Results: We anticipate the findings of this study will provide insight into the following research questions:rnrn• (i) Do individual factors, or coupling of factors, such as demographic characteristics or medical conditions result in increasedrncrash risk?; andrnrn• (ii) What are the contributing factors leading to a preventable CMV crash? The CDIDS provides a unique opportunity tornexamine a wide array of driver and situational factors among a large sample of CMV drivers. Findings from the CDIDS willrnenable researchers to determine the prevalence of these factors as well as their relationship to being involved in a crash. rnrnLong term monitoring of crash events and follow-up with drivers will provide valuable insight into the health and safety profilesrnof CMV drivers and contributing factors that influence high vs. low-risk drivers. Opportunities exist to continue and expandrnthe CDIDS into a longitudinal study with more drivers, additional survey measures, and extended monitoring and follow-up.
Keynote Forum
Maria Meimei Brevidelli
Paulista UniversityBrazil
Keynote: Compliance with standard-precautions among nursing staff
Time : 09:55-10:20
Biography:
Maria Meimei Brevidelli completed his PhD from Sao Paulo University, Brazil. She is a Professor of Postgraduate and Undergraduate Nursing School, and member of Research Group on Public Health of Paulista University. She has published about 15 papers in reputed journals.
Abstract:
The adherence to standard-precautions (SP) is essential for the prevention and control of infections related to healthcare. The aim of this study is to measure the level of compliance with SP among nursing staff at a private hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. A cross sectional study was conducted in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a private hospital in São Paulo. The collection of professional and demographic data was done from August to October 2014, through a validated scale. Study participants were nurses, technicians and nursing assistants who provided direct care to patients, on all shifts. More frequently ages of the professionals ranged from 30 to 39 years. About 73% of respondents had high school. Regarding the training time, 52% of professionals had 11 to 20 years. On the professional practice time in the hospital, 51.7% had at least 5 years of experience in hospital and 97% of these professionals had only one job. The majority of professionals were aware of the SP in professionals training courses. The totally of the sample reported received training on standard precautions at the hospital, but only 83% said they use them always or often in assistance with all patients, regardless of their diagnosis. It is disturbing to know that some professionals answered not always take the standard precautions in care, or adopt an unsatisfactorily, being exposed to unnecessary occupational hazards. We concluded that most professionals know and adhere to SP measures. However, a small portion, but significant one adopts such measures insufficiently, considered important and necessary in all situations involving health care.
Keynote Forum
Kiyomi Taniyama
National Hospital Organization Kure Medical Center and Chugoku Cancer CenterJapan
Keynote: Aberrant DNA methylation of DLX4 and SIM1 genes is a useful predictive marker for disease progression of LSILin uterine cervix
Time : 10:35 - 10:55
Biography:
Upon completion of his doctorate in Pathology at the Hiroshima University School of Medicine in Japan in 1985, who commenced work in the field of clinical pathology at Shizuoka Prefectural General Hospital, Japan, in 1987. He joined the National Hospital Organization (NHO), Kure Medical Center and Chugoku Cancer Center in 2002. His major research field was originally gastrointestinal cancer, with a special interest in cancer metastasis. In the ever-changing world of cancer research, he expanded his horizons by learning molecular techniques and laser capture microdissection at the University of California, San Diego Cancer Center in 1998-99. Since then, his research interests have extended to breast and uterine cervical cancers due to the rapid increase of female patients affected with these cancers in Japan. He became president of the Kure Medical Center and Chugoku Cancer Center in July 2014.
Abstract:
Background: Cervical cancer is the second-most common cancer in women worldwide. In Japan, it was the 11th leading cause of\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\ndeath from cancer for women in 2008 but there has been a unique increase of cervical cancer incidence among women in the 20-\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\n39-year age group in spite of the decrease of it among women over age 40. Aberrant DNA methylation (abMet) is shown to provide\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\ndisease biomarkers with great potential applicable to clinical specimens. The authors examined the relationship between the abMet\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nof DLX4 and SIM1 genes and progression of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL).\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nMethods: A total of 113 patients were selected from the CCLBC study, in which 11,039 samples were enrolled between October\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\n2007 and March 2010 to compare the cytological features of conventional Pap smears and liquid-based cytology specimens using\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nthe ThinPrep method. They were classified into four groups according to their cervical cytology, HPV infection and follow up.\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nCytology samples were examined for abMet of DLX4 and SIM1 genes and their protein expressions. CaSki cells were treated with\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\n5-Aza-2´-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC).\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nResults: 40 samples in Group 1 were negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy. 21 LSILs in Group 2 showed a continuance\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nof LSIL for longer than 365 days, and 12 LSILs in Group 3 showed an up-grading to high-grade (H) SIL+ within 365 days after the\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\ndiagnosis of LSIL. 40 in Group 4 were squamous cell carcinoma. All but Group 1 were infected with hrHPV. Significant difference\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nexisted in frequency of abMet between groups 2 and 3 (p=0.044), between groups 3 and 4 (p=0.020) for DLX4, and between\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\ngroups 1 and 3 (p=0.0003), as well as between groups 2 and 3 (p=0.005) for SIM1 gene. DLX4 protein expression was significantly\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nreduced in the DLX4abMet positive tissues, as compared to the negative tissues (p=0.008), and 5-aza-dC treatment extracted\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nDLX4 protein expression of CaSki cells in a dose-dependent manner (p<0.005). The LSIL cases with abMet of SIM1 gene or both\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\ngenes progressed faster to HSIL+ than others (p = 0.033 or p=0.048).\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nConclusion: AbMet of DLX4 and SIM1 genes should be a useful and novel progression marker of uterine cervical LSIL with HPV\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\ninfection.
- Women and Occupational HealthOccupational Disease and Human HealthOccupational Medicine and TherapyConstruction and Ergonomics
Session Introduction
T V Rajya Lakshmi
University of Modern Sciences, UAE
Title: Estimation of free proline in the leaf, stem, root and breathing roots of Avicennia marina (mangrove) and its medicinal uses
Time : 15:20-15:40
Biography:
T V Rajya Lakshmi completed her PhD Degree from Andhra University and Post-doctorate from Indian Institute of Sciences, India. She has worked in different institutes- Andhra University, Indian Institute of sciences, Directorate of Rice Research, India and Shalimar Biotech Industries, Dubai. She is working as Assistant Professor in University of Modern Sciences, Dubai. She has published 15 research papers in international and national journals and 20 research papers in international symposia and conferences.
Abstract:
Mangrove plants represented by Avicennia marina in UAE grow in range of substrate soils; organics, sandy, hard substrates and are exposed to high temperatures up to 50ºC. Plants under abiotic stress accumulate proline in their tissues; estimation of free proline is a useful assay to monitor the stress tolerance in such plants. The aim of the present work is to estimate free proline in stem, leaf, root and breathing root of Avicennia marina and also to detect proline synthetase gene (delta Pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase P5CS) responsible for proline synthesis. The estimated proline levels among the different frozen tissues in the mangrove ranged from 15 to18 μmol/g, with roots containing the maximum. Free proline levels were also estimated in three cultivars of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), which were stressed against similar environmental conditions and salinity up to 150 mM. The evaluation of proline levels in the leaves of salt stressed cultivars ranged 1.3 and 2.5 μmol/g which is much lesser than their respective controls and the mangrove tissues. Large scale extraction of proline from mangrove leaves for commercial purposes may be interesting. The medicinal importance of proline rich mangrove leaves as a folklore medicine is discussed.
Khil Prasad Bhusal
Everest Institute of Professional Learning (Pvt Ltd), Nepal
Title: Work place sexual harassment among female health workers in grass root level health institutions in Nepal
Time : 18:55-19:15
Biography:
Khil Prasad Bhusal has completed Masters Degree in Sciences (Bio-Statististics) from Trivuwan University Nepal. He has been working as “Program Director†in Nepal for three years for Everest Institute of Professional Learning (Pvt. Ltd.)He is working as Biostatistician in many of the public health research. For the research Project entitled “Work Place Sexual Harassment among Female Health Workers in Grass-Root level health institutions in Nepalâ€
Abstract:
Background: Sexual harassment is an issue of occupational safety where women and men work together. It is a violation of human rights and human dignity. There is a taboo to talk about sexual harassment and most of the women did not discuss such problem openly. Prevalence of sexual harassment at workplace is very high (as suggested in a study by International Labour Organization-2004). However, a study on sexual harassment amonghealth workers working in Government health institutions in Nepal is scarce it is believed that it is a huge problem among them. Therefore, this study was conducted among female health workers working in Kathmandu, which helps to find out their experience about sexual harassment and its impact on them. Methods: The study was based on cross-sectional and descriptive design. Among 225 female health workers working at and below the district level of district public health office, Kathmandu (Primary health care centers, Health Post, Sub Health Post) only 200 female health workers were available during the study time. Self-administered questionnaire was used as a tool for data collection. Only 190 respondents were involved in the study due to non-response rate of 5%.Data was entered in Epi-data version 3.1 and analysed descriptively by using SPSS Version 16.Results: Almost all (96%) of them had heard about Sexual Harassment and among them, 42% had faced it in their workplace. The most frequent type (35%) of sexual harassment was verbal (passing vulgar jokes, remarks or teasing obscenely) followed by physical harassment (30%). New forms of harassment identified was sending vulgar message through cell phone and giving missed call at late evening/night (23%). None of them had complained it as neither District Public Health Officer nor Health Facility Incharge. Nursing professionals (Staff nurse and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives) were found to be victimized at higher proportions (69%). Among female health workers, 89% employed by contract and temporary appointment were found to be a victim of sexual harassment. Most of the victims of verbal harassment ignored the attempt, but that of physical harassment resist the attempt. Forty two percent of victims perceive it as usual, 36% of them were mentally disturbed and 22% of them were affected physically after harassment. All most all of the perpetuators were male. About two third (64%) of them were harassed by senior level male co-workers followed by same level male workers (23%) and male Clients/visitors of their service (13%). Conclusions: Not exceptional to other profession, Female health workers are also at higher vulnerability to sexual harassment by their male co-workers. It affects adversely on their work efficiency, mental and physical health. It is not only the issue of occupational health and safety, but also challenging matter of professional ethics. To mitigate the problem, necessary legal provision should be amended in the existing health service act and regulation. There should be provision of refresher course to every health workers regarding their professional ethics.
Samson Jamesdaniel
Wayne State University, USA
Title: Prevalence of tinnitus and hearing handicap in firefighters
Time : 18:35-18:55
Biography:
Samson James Daniel is an Assistant Professor in the Institute of Environmental Health Sciences at Wayne State University. He completed his PhD in the University of Madras, Chennai, and postdoctoral studies in the State University of New York, Buffalo. He has published more than 18 papers in reputed journals and pursues his research on redox sensitive molecular mechanisms underlying acquired hearing loss.
Abstract:
Urban employees, such as first responders, are highly susceptible to the synergistic effects of environmental toxicants and pollutants such as noise, as they are frequently exposed to various combinations of these environmental risk factors in their day-to-day activities. More specifically, firefighters are highly susceptible to hearing loss due to long-term exposure to noise from sirens, air horns, and equipment, and tools used in forcible entry, ventilation, and extrication. Studies indicate that 40% of the firefighters have hearing loss in the noise-sensitive frequencies of 4 and 6 kHz. Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is often accompanied by tinnitus, which is characterized by ringing or annoying noise in the ears, in the absence of any external sound. The presence of a phantom sound can adversely affect the performance of firefighters as it can mask some of the auditory cues required to take appropriate and timely action in life and death situations. Although several studies have investigated the NIHL in firefighters, very little is known about the prevalence of tinnitus in firefighters. Therefore, twenty four firefighters from the city of Detroit, with at least 5 years of continuous service, were enrolled in this study conducted by the center for urban responses to environmental stressors (CURES) at Wayne State University. Hearing handicap inventory for adults (HHIA) was used to determine the difficulty in hearing perceived by the firefighters and tinnitus functional index (TFI) was used to determine the incidence of tinnitus. Mild to moderate hearing handicap was reported by 25% of the participants. The TFI survey indicated that 44% of the participants had tinnitus and the TFI score was higher than 25 in 17% of the participants. Among the firefighters with mild to moderate hearing handicap 67% had tinnitus. These preliminary findings indicate that the prevalence of tinnitus is almost proportional to that of NIHL previously reported in firefighters and tinnitus could potentially compromise the auditory perception of firefighters.
Edilaine C Silva Gherardi Donato
University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
Title: Early life stress and occupational stress among nursing professionals
Time : 18:15-18:35
Biography:
Edilaine C Silva Gherardi Donato has completed her PhD from University of Sao Paulo and Post-Doctoral studies from University of Alberta, Canada. She is an Associate Professor at Department of Psychiatric Nursing and Human Sciences University Of Sao Paulo - Who Collaborating Centre for Nursing Research Development. She has published more than 40 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an Editorial Board Member of repute in Brazil. Her research projects are focused on work stress and mental health promotion.
Abstract:
Introduction: The experiences of childhood and adolescence may be determinants for health in adulthood. Studies have shown that the occurrence of early life stress is associated with higher prevalence of physical and mental health diseases. Objectives: The study aimed to analyze the prevalence and association between early life stress and occupational stress among technical and nursing assistants at a University hospital. Methods: The sample consisted of 310 nursing assistants and technicians working in a Brazilian University Hospital. For evaluation of occupational stress and early life stress were applied the Job Stress Scale (JSS) and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). The data were submitted to descriptive and analytical statistics. Results: Participants were mostly women (76.1%), with a mean age of 47.1 years (SD 10.94), married or living with a partner (58.1%), with children (74.5%), nursing assistants (85.5%), with only employment (79.4%), were attended by medical consultation last year (88.4%) and had off work in the last year (50.0%). 17.1% of the sample were highly exposed to occupational stress. The occurrence of early stress was 31.3%. The association between occupational stress and stress early indicated that nursing assistants and technicians with a history of early life stress has 2.2 times more likely to have occupational stress in relation to professionals who have not been exposed to early life stress (OR=2.20, 95%, p=0.010). Conclusions: The results showed that early life stress is a risk factor for occupational stress among nursing professionals.
Yueh Han Hsu
Ditmanson Medical Foundation Chia-Yi Christian Hospital, Taiwan
Title: The risk of cancers in doctors, a 13-year population-based cohort study in Taiwan
Time : 17:55-18:15
Biography:
Hsu is an experienced clinical doctor, also paying special participattion in public health and hospital management. Having practiced for over 15 years, with his private clinics, he changed his tract by completing his MPH degree at Harvard University, followed by PhD degree at China Medical University, Taiwan. He has published over 15 papers in reputed journals including several published at some high ranking journals in the past 5 years. He is currently engaged in cardiovascular risk of patients with chronic kidney disease, and doctors’ health.
Abstract:
The health of physicians may influence the quality of the national health care; only physicians with sound health may deliver high quality health services. We investigated the risk of cancer of the doctors in Taiwan by analyzing data from National Health Insurance Research Database 1. registry for medical personnel 2. registry for catastrophic illness patients 3. overall health care claims 2000 ~ 2012 and Taiwan Cancer Registry File. We included all doctors aged over 25 who have practice registration in 2000. The control group included all non-health care people with same age limit in 2000. The exclusion criteria were previous history of cancers, AIDS and organ transplant. We conducted propensity score matches of 1:1 with gender, age, residence urbanization and severity of comorbidity. The overall cancer risks in doctors were 10% lower than general population. Among doctors, male doctors had 37% lower risk for cancers. The risk of cancer rose with increasing age and increasing severity of comorbidity. The common cancers in doctors and general population were different. The 6 major cancers in doctors were breast cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, hepatoma, lung cancer and ovarian cancer. Compared to general population, doctors had higher risks of prostate cancer and thyroid cancer.
Ozlem Koseoglu Ornek
Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey
Title: Occupational stress, coping strategies and related factors
Time : 17:35-17:55
Biography:
Ozlem Koseoglu Ornek has completed Master’s degree in Public Health at Istanbul University. His thesis was about child workers’ psychological health problems. He is a PhD holder at Istanbul University. His PhD thesis is about women workers and occupational stress. He is a member of administration of Turkish Occupational Health Nursing Association. He has published 2 papers in reputed international journals.
Abstract:
Aim: The aim of this research study has been to examine occupational stress, coping strategies with stressors and relevant factors in textile workers. Method: It is a descriptive and cross sectional design. The research samples were consisting of 668 textile workers. Data was collected by using worker’s Assessment Form, the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ) and the Brief Scales for Coping Profiles (BSCP). The BJSQ and BSCP have been adapted to the Turkish. Results: More than 53% of the workers were women. The mean age of all subjects was 33, 2±9.9 years. The mean working hours per week was 62±5.9. The score of the BJSQ was 113, 9±20.3 (median: 112), and its subscales; physical symptoms’ score was 15.3±12.9 (median: 14), psychological symptoms was 24.8±7.3 (median: 24) and job stress was 54.2±9.24 (median: 53). The scores above the median indicates the job stress and its’ effects on health. The scores of the BSCP was 53.8±8.3 (median:54), and scores from its subscale which was higher than median was from “changing mood†12.6±2.37 (median: 8). The scores above the median indicates the unsuccessful coping methods. It was found significant an association between the workers’ gender and physical symptoms (p 0.05). It was found negative correlation between job stress’ level and the workers’ sleep quality and also general working performance. Conclusion: The job stress’s level of the workers was found high and the coping profiles were found insufficient. Ultimately, these findings can be used as guidelines for the prevention of health problems in textile workers.
Evelyne Brisebois
Laval University, Canada
Title: Professional exposition to viral aerosols in wastewater treatment centers: molecular detection and metagenomics
Time : 17:15-17:35
Biography:
Evelyne Brisebois obtained her BSc in Microbiology in 2014 at Laval University, Quebec city. During this period, she accomplished a research project of 15 weeks in Pre Caroline Duchaine’s laboratory. She is now enrolled in a Master degree program in Microbiology within the same team, more precisely in Aerovirology. She started her project in May 2014 and projects to finish in May 2016. She received a two-year scholarship from the IRSST based on her academic grades on and the originality of her Master’s project.
Abstract:
Workers from wastewater treatment centers (WTC) present numerous diseases often related to viruses such as cold, flu and intestinal infections. Literature presents studies related to bacteria found in wastewater, bacteria coming from air samples in WTCs and also viruses in wastewater. However, only a few studies have addressed viral communities that are present in aerosols of WTCs. A recent study showed that 2.27x106 genome equivalents/m3 of air can be measured in some WTCs, but what about other specific viruses that can cause diseases in workers? To which potentially human pathogens workers are exposed every day in those environments? Our study aims to sample the air of WTCs with different samplers to describe the viral community in aerosols and, ultimately, to find out which pathogens are aerosolized from wastewater and can endanger workers’ health. Eleven viruses have been selected based on their presence or their potential presence in wastewater and will be quantified using real-time PCR with specific probes and primers. A metagenomic study will also be performed on highly concentrated samples in order to have a better idea of the viral communities found in the air of WTCs. Samples of air will be taken during summer and winter to determine the effect of water temperature on the kind of viruses aerosolized. Preliminary data will be presented.
Vanessa Dion Dupont
Laval University, Canada
Title: Assessment of workers\\\' exposure to bioaerosols in wastewater treatment plants: evaluation of the bacterial risk by the use of molecular biology tools
Time : 16:55-17:15
Biography:
Vanessa Dion Dupont completed her BSc in Microbiology in 2014 at Laval University, Quebec city. During this period, she participated in many research projects. She is co-author of several scientific papers about the assessment of microbiological quality of drinking water. Her project has also been quoted in local newspapers. In 2013, she did an internship with the Pre. Caroline Duchaine, specialized in the study of bio-aerosols and their health effects. Due to her interest in the study of bio-aerosols, she decided to stay in this team and continue her studies at the Master degree and maybe more.
Abstract:
Waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) are recognized as being important sources of microbial aerosols. Numerous saprophytic, opportunistic and pathogenic microorganisms occur in the raw wastewater of all types of treatment plants. Consequently, the composition of these bio-aerosols can be diversified, which may affect workers in several ways. In addition, many processing steps are now performed in closed buildings to not disturb the surrounding population. This can lead to a greater accumulation or persistence of bio-aerosols in such places. Even if studies revealed a significant association between exposure to bio-aerosols and the incidence of respiratory and enteric illness, our knowledge for these specific environment are still poorly documented. This project has been set up to complete the information and provides a better understanding of these workplaces and their impact on worker’s health. A number of WWTPs will be investigated to document the relationship between the treatment steps, the techniques used, the engineering data and the impact of seasons on the composition of aerosols. This study will describe the bacterial community to bring new information regarding the presence of respiratory and gastrointestinal pathogens in the air. The workers exposure level and the frequency of health problems among them will also be studied. Built on the most innovative approaches in the study of bio-aerosols, this project will allow a better understanding of the exposure risk and will provide possible solution to implement better prevention and control measures to make this workplace safer.
Hamza M bareche
Laval University, Canada
Title: Workers’ exposure to bioaerosols from three different types of composting facilities
Time : 16:35-16:55
Biography:
Hamza M bareche obtained his BSc in Microbiology in 2014 at Laval University, Quebec City. During his studies, he achieved a 15 week research project in Prof. Caroline Duchaine’s laboratory and he got passionate about bio-aérosols and human exposure. Currently, he is completing a master’s degree program in the Department of Microbiology within the same team. He started the project in May 2014 and he is doing a fast track to a PhD. Moreover, he is involved in two projects and he is presenting one of them at the Occupational health and Safety congress. He received a scholarship from the RSR to spend a training period of 4 Weeks in the Canadian Food Inspection agency, Ontario, Canada, to learn bioinformatics skills for the sake of his master project.
Abstract:
Composting whereby organic matter is stabilized due to aerobic microbial activity. The composting process involves vigorous movement of material waste, which releases a lot of bio-aerosols into the environment. There is a lack of knowledge concerning the dispersal of airborne microorganisms emitted by composting plants (CP) as well as the potential exposure of composting workers. The aim of this study was to investigate the workers exposure to bio-aerosols from three different types of composting facilities, during working activities. Bio-aerosols assessment was performed using culture methods and qPCR. The production of bio-aerosols increased in all CP, independently of the type of the raw compost used (domestic, vegetal, animal), during the brewing activities. Regardless of the type of raw material treated, there was a natural emission of microorganisms from composting piles and the concentration increases 1000 fold during activities involving handling of compost. Important concentrations of mesophilic molds and bacteria were noted in the working areas with a respective maximal concentration of 2.3x105 CFU/m3 and 1.62x105 CFU/m3. A. fumigatus was also detected in all working areas as well as thermophilic actinomycetes and their respective concentration was up to 2.3x105 UFC/m3 and 2.97x104 UFC/m3. Mycobacterium had a maximal concentration of 2.41x107 genome/m3. S.rectivirgula reached 3.26x106 genome/m3 and L. pneumophila 3.12x104 genome/m3. Legionella sp. was present in two of the three CP’s with concentration up to 1.85x105 genome/m3. Workers are exposed to important concentrations of allergenic and pathogenic agents, proposing a health risk. Considering the detailed evaluation of the workers exposure to bio-aerosols, this study may lead to recommendations for personal and environmental protective equipment
Banwari Meel
Walter Sisulu University, South Africa
Title: Prevalence of Tobacco smoking among former mineworkers of the former Republic of Transkei, South Africa
Time : 16:00-16:20
Biography:
Banwari Meel has published about 100 articles in peer-reviewed national and international reputed journals. In 2002 he received an award of excellence for poverty alleviation and community services by the “Impumelelo Award Trust, Cape Town.†He was a finalist for the Science, Engineering and Technology Award, Pretoria in 2003. He is the recipient of the Vice Chancellor’s Award (Silver) for excellence in research in 2003 and 2004. He have also received a “Humanitarian Recognition Award 2005†for his work in the community by Chest Foundation (USA), and also recipient of an award in excellence in Health Services by Health Professions Council (South Africa) in 2007.
Abstract:
Background: Smoking-related deaths are projected to rise to 10 million a year by 2020s, 70% of these in the poorer countries. Lung cancer, one of the few malignancies for which the main cause is definitely known and that can be prevented, is on the increase, especially in developing countries that have been targeted by tobacco companies. Tobacco smoking is the most important confounding factors contributing in the lung pathology. It is therefore essential to know the prevalence of smoking in the community of former mineworkers. Objective: To study the prevalence of smoking among former mineworkers in the former republic of Transkei, South Africa. Patients & Methods: During a two-year period (May 1997 to May 1999) 2,080 former mineworkers were examined at the Benefit Examination Clinic at Umtata General Hospital (UGH), a tertiary hospital attached to the University of Transkei in Eastern Cape Province. This study is a descriptive retrospective study. Six hundred and sixty six ex-mineworkers’ smoking history was recorded on the X-ray photographs along with years of mining. All the data were collected and analyzed by Epi- 6 Info computer program. The result was displayed in figures and tables. Results: The number of smokers in the former mineworkers was very high (79%). The current smokers were thirty percent (30%) and (21%) had never smoked. The quitters were maximum in all the categories of smokers, ex-smokers (26%), smokers (17%), and non-smokers (9%) among mineworkers who had worked in the mines between 10 to 19 years. The ex-smokers, smokers and non-smokers were in proportion of about 5:3:2. The population of smokers peaked high up from 15% to 42% during their 9 or less years of mining to 10 to 19 years of mining period and again fell almost in the same speed from 42% to 22% in their next 20 or more years of mining period. Never smokers have increased from 5% to 9% in the next mining period of 10 years, and ultimately settled down at 7% when they had worked 20 years or more than 20 years. Conclusion: The prevalence of smoking is very high (79%) among ex-mineworkers in the area of Transkei, which is twice higher than general population. Recommendation: Health education with emphasis on the bad effects of tobacco smoke is an important step to curb the widely use smoking habit among ex-mineworkers
Hala Al-Otaibi
King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia
Title: Health promoting lifestyle and breast cancer screening behavior among female teachers in Saudi Arabia
Time : 15:40-16:00
Biography:
Hala Hazam Al-Otaibi received her PhD at University Putra Malaysia Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. She is an Assistant Professor in community nutrition at the College of Agriculture and Food Science. She is also a member of the Saudi Society for Food and Nutrition, and American Society for Nutrition, and her research interests are: nutrition education, chronic disease prevention, and obesity
Abstract:
Teachers in Saudi Arabia represent one of the largest occupational groups among the employed women. According to the World Health Organization each year over 1.4 million women worldwide are diagnosed with breast cancer. In the present study we explored the relation between health promotion lifestyle and female’s cancer screening practice. A total of 374 female teachers mean aged 32.7+9.2 completed the study survey, which includes the Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) scale, demographic data and breast cancer screening behavior. Only 28.6% of the teachers know how they do the breast self examination (BSE) and do it monthly, 71.4% don’t know how they do BSE. Obesity and overweight were more prevalent among teachers who do not do BSE (27.6%-36.2%: respectively) than BSE group. The mean total HPLP were statistically different between groups (P=0.041) and for HPLP subscales, health responsibility, nutrition, and stress management (p<0.05), no significant differences were observed for physical activity, spiritual growth, and interpersonal relations. A significant correlation was established between the BSE and the overall Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile (r-0.16, p<.05) and the nutrition subscale (r=0.18, p<.05). This study demonstrated correlation between health promoting lifestyle and breast cancer screening behavior in occupational group, making an important contribution to understanding the factors influencing female’s health behavior.
Marie Vazquez Morgan
LSU Health Shreveport, USA
Title: Heart rate response during FCE testing: A comparison of injured individuals who provided safe maximum vs. sub maximum performance during carry and push/pull
Time : 10:55-11:15
Biography:
Dr. Vazquez Morgan earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Physical Therapy in 1993, a Masters in Health Sciences in 1997 from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, and her doctorate in Health Studies from Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas in 2006. She has 19 years of clinical rehabilitation experience and has been a faculty member and assistant professor at Louisiana State University Health in Shreveport, School of Allied Health Professions since 1997. She has presented research both nationally, internationally, and regionally at continuing educations seminars. Her expertise is in neurological interventions as well as nutrition, wellness, lifestyle modification, and community rehabilitation and occupational health. She was recently featured in National Newline Magazine for PT speaking on the role of cultural diversity in the physical therapy profession, and was honored in November 2006 by Maybelline NY as outstanding female educator of the year, and featured in People en Espanol December 2006 issue. Dr. Morgan was also a recipient of the American Physical Therapy Association Minority Faculty Development National Scholarship in 2003.
Abstract:
Introduction: Functional capacity evaluations (FCEs) are a comprehensive set of performance based tests, commonly used to evaluate and determine a worker’s capacity to perform the physical demands that may be required in his or her job. The purpose of this study is to assess if physiological response differences are found in workers’ compensation individuals whom performed either safe-maximally or sub-maximally during FCE testing in order to establish guidelines for this population in reference to carry and push pull. Methods: Participants consisted of 204 male and female individuals between the ages of 19-80 receiving workers’ compensation benefits following a work-related injury or illness. This study was retrospective in design. The following variables, based on the existing data, were evaluated: baseline pain level, gender, age, resting heart rate (RHR), body mass index, and percent heart rate increase for each functional test. Results: Averages among variables such as % HR increase for the Carry and Push Pull components, age, baseline pain, BMI, and RHR were compared between the safe maximal and sub maximal groups. 132 males and 64 females were used in the safe maximal group, with an average age of 46.7. Other average values were as follows: % HR increase Carry - 42.5%; % HR increase Push Pull - 40.3%; Baseline Pain - 4.3/10; BMI - 31.4; Resting HR - 75.8 bpm. 7 females and 3 males were used in the sub maximal group, with an average age of 46. Other average values were as follows: % HR increase Carry - 40.1%; % HR increase Push Pull - 37.8%; Baseline Pain - 5.5/10; Resting HR - 80.8 bpm. Conclusion: Differences in HR increase between the two groups were shown; however, these could not be determined statistically significant due to the group sample sizes.
Ni Yunxia
SiChuan University, China
Title: The effect of health literacy Interventions among baccalaureate students
Time : 15:00-15:20
Biography:
Yunxia Ni is a second-year master’s degree candidate of Sichuan University. The main research direction is community care. She gained the Bachelor’s degree of nursing of Sichuan University in 2013. She has participated in Clinical Practice at Department of Neurology, Respiratory Medicine, Cardiology, Gastrointestinal Surgery, Emergency Department Community. She has published several articles which topics cover community diabetes management, the practice of nursing students in community and health literacy. She has gone to Curtin University to visit to learn in 2014. Suzhen Liu is a Professor, Master Instructor of nursing, MNS, RN, and her main research direction are community care, aged care, nursing education, disaster care. She graduated from the affiliated Nursing School of former West China Medical University in 1984. Then she gained the Bachelor’s degree of West China Medical University in 1990. In 1998, she graduated from Chiang Mai University of Thailand, and received a master’s degree in Nursing. She has gone to Illinois University, University of Rochester, the University of Manitoba, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and other schools to visit to learn. She worked at Neurology of West China Hospital. Now she works as a teacher at Sichuan University, Undertaking the teaching task of “community nursingâ€, “health care “, “elderly nursing Ҡnursing research “ “ health assessment “courses. She has participated in various research projects, the cumulative research funding over 1 million yuan. She is the nursing academic leaders of Health Department in Sichuan Provincial.
Abstract:
Objective: To understand the health problem that students focus on. To explore the intervention methods to improve the health literacy of college students. To evaluate the effect of the intervention. Methods: This pilot study design was single-group pre–post non-experimental. The intervention was a combination of lectures and self-study format. Intensive classes held eight times in total which was a two-hour lecture once a week. The intervention content including the concept of health literacy, health promotion programs, self-care, etc. The self-study content was arranged according to the students’ needs and teaching content. Conveying learning requirements, reference materials through public mailbox. Students can also consult the teacher through public mail, telephone, etc., to solve the health problems encountered. Intervention evaluation consisted of basic health literacy survey and the homework of open questions. The survey content includes the health knowledge and ideas, healthy lifestyle and healthy behaviors and skills. The preliminary experiments showed the internal consistency of the questionnaire was 0.91. 17 open-questions were designed which involving health status, lifestyle, etc. Students select one of the questions to answer. Result: 912 students have been involved in the project, and 832 students have completed the project full and effectively in return. Before and after the intervention, the number of students with health literacy has a significant difference (X2=470.2, P=0.000), and various aspect of health literacy has been enhanced (P<0.05), the least improvement was chronic disease prevention (X2=13.3). The first three health issues that students most concerned about were: their health and how to enhance health level; their lifestyle nearly a week; the effect of environment on their health, and the percent were 20.6%, 14.3%, 14.1%, respectively. Conclusion: The intervention can improve the health literacy level of college students effectively. However, many aspects of health literacy such as chronic disease prevention is difficult to improve and the behavior is difficult to change, so it is necessary to carry out special studies.
Jungwee Park
Statistics Canada, Canada
Title: Effects of occupational characteristics on physical and psychological health among Aboriginal workers
Time : 14:40-15:00
Biography:
Jungwee Park, PhD (Brown University) is a senior research analyst at Health Analysis Division, Statistics Canada. One of his research themes has been occupational health.
Abstract:
This study investigates physical and psychological health effects of various occupational characteristics of the Aboriginal population Previous research has confirmed the role of various dimensions of socio-economic status as a important social determinant of health. Especially, it is reported that employment status as well as quality/type of jobs are significantly associated with health status. People who have more control over their work circumstances, a higher level of job skills, and better job quality tend to live healthier life compared with those in less desirable employment settings. Overall, Aboriginal people have been denied access to the resources and conditions necessary to maximize their socio-economic status. As a result, fewer Aboriginal people are in the workforce. According to the 2006 Census, unemployment rates are higher for First Nations, Inuit and Métis with rates of 18%, 20% and 10% respectively compared to an unemployment rate of 7% for the general Canadian population. Moreover, Aboriginal workers tend to be employed in menial or clerical/support/labour positions where they have little control over their work conditions. Although there have been a number of statistical reports on overall health and economic condition of Aboriginal people, the relationship between Aboriginal people’s occupational characteristics and specific health status has been less documented. This study attempts to fill that data gap. It would examine concurrent associations between various job-related conditions (such as type of occupation, education-skills mismatch, job tenure, firm size, industry, part-time/full-time, job sector, temporary/permanent) and physical (self-reported health, chronic conditions) and psychological (self-reported mental health, distress) health status. Using the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Survey and 2011 National Household Survey, this study intends to answer following questions: • Among the employed population, how would occupational characteristics be associated with physical health outcomes • Among the employed population, how would occupational characteristics be associated with psychological health outcomes • What are some protective effects (health behaviours, community support, etc. Preliminary findings indicate that Compared to their non-Aboriginal counterparts, Aboriginal workers with higher education levels (bachelor degree or higher) were less likely to be overqualified than their non-Aboriginal counterparts; but Aboriginal workers with lower than university education were more likely to be overqualified than the non-Aboriginal workers with the same education level. Overall, job-skill mismatch (overqualification), job quality, blue-collar occupations are related to negative mental and physical health status.
Mia Ivancic
University College of Applied Sciences in Safety, Croatia
Title: Korsakoff\'s amnestic Syndrome in women under the terms of a competition management
Time : 14:20-14:40
Biography:
Mia Ivancic, as 26 years old bacc. ing. sec is a passionate, focused, and detail-oriented professional with excellent problem solving skills and the ability to communicate effectively with others. Possesses excellent research and writing skills, as evident by publications and student awards throughout the past 5 years in scientific safety and security studies. Main base of her research work is always trying to present the essential link between the Natural Sciences and Safety in all areas and as regards the innovations through titles: UDK/UDC 005.5:614.8 - Managing And Security Inspired By Bio mimicry Models From Nature, UDK/UDC 005.5:614.8 - Physiological and behavioral inductors of security system at the stage of immediate response to a crisis situation. In addition, she is certified in a number of Applied Science and Safety areas, as well as Environmental Safety protocols. She is currently planning on doing her master’s degree at Rochester Institute of Technology Croatia Master of Science in Service Leadership and Innovation
Abstract:
Western society is based on competition and survival of the fittest, and the competitiveness is so normalized that it is not strange that we feel it as natural in human relations. From the theory of Evolution one social point of view has been created and implemented, and cooperation, egalitarianism and the spirit of help are suppressed as well. In terms of management of a competition it is clear from the application of Darwinian sociology, but it does not work in a family environment. Some individuals establish balance by alcohol consumption. Alcoholic beverages act on neurotransmitters, alter synaptic transmission and ion conductivity, and artificially activate “pleasure centers†in the brain. In the biochemical language; alcohol slows down the flow of calcium into neurons by acting on the CA ++ channels, increases effect of inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA acting on a group of GABA receptors, increases the number of mergers excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. As such, GABA in the central nervous system operates in response to the organism increasing concentration of alcohol. The habit of alcohol consumption, tolerance to alcohol and need for increasing amounts of alcohol cause development of addiction. Neuropath logical changes associated with chronic alcoholism arise mainly as a result of a lack of thiamine, but only in the case of low dietary intakes. In women who consume alcohol such a situation is especially pronounced with a parallel reduction diet, as in women there is especially strong insistence on healthy or desirable appearance that implies deficit pounds like new one determinant of the competition. Entering thiamine is directly related to the carbohydrates entering. It is believed that the need of thiamine for healthy adult men is 0.9 - 1.5 mg of thiamine, and for healthy adult women 0.8 - 1.1 mg. Thiamine is required in intermediate metabolism of carbohydrates. Again in the biochemical language; the citric acid cycle combined dehydrogenation and decarboxylation of pyruvate and acetyl-CoA involves three different enzymes, and five of different coenzymes, of which one thiamin pyrophosphate is active form of thiamine. Organisms that are deficient in thiamine cannot normally oxidize pyruvate. This is particularly important in the brain, which almost all of its energy derived from aerobic oxidation of glucose, which is the oxidation of pyruvate vital. Alternatively, the energy obtained by anaerobic glycolysis. Etiology of alcohol brain damage cause ischemic cascade with decreasing of operating adenosine three phosphates, production of glutamate and depolarization of neuronal membrane with the result of neural death. Korsakoff’s amnestic syndrome is a group of syndromes for anterograde amnesia as episodic explicit memory impairment caused by impairment of hypothalamus and mediodorsal hypothalamic nuclei. There is also a distinct of retrograde amnesia, which is in the advanced stages extending back to events in childhood. With these reasons in some parts of the World the adding of thiamine to alcoholic beverages is seriously considered, in terms of reduction of real consequence, not the cause, as usually.
Angela Cristina Puzzi Fernandes
Paulista University, Brazil
Title: Repetitive Strain Injury / Musculoskeletal Disorders Related to Work: development of musculoskeletal disorders of the upper limbs
Time : 14:00-14:20
Biography:
Angela Cristina Puzzi Fernandez has completed her PhD from University of São Paulo, Brazil. She is Professor of Post Graduate and Undergraduate Nursing School and Member of the Brazilian Society of Occupational Health Nursing. She has published more than 20 papers in reputed journals. She has worked at Ambulatory of Occupational Health in Technological Research Center.
Abstract:
Approximately 30% of the population over 25 years is affected by some kind of musculoskeletal disorder related to working. At 2010 year of the indicators showed that considering all diseases or accidents related to occupational activity of the higher incidence in Brazil were to shoulder injuries (back pain, synovitis, tenosynovitis). An aggravating factor for the health of workers is exposure to serious ergonomic hazards, especially with upper limb (shoulder, arm, forearm, wrist and hand). The objective of this study was to report the complaints of musculoskeletal pain in the upper limbs in workers of a metallurgical the metropolitan region of Campinas - SP. This is a retrospective study with a quantitative approach where a survey was carried out from October 2013 to March 2014. Through the statistical returns be found data of 86 employees who sought treatment at the outpatient clinic of the company, of these, 38% had between 2 and 5 years of service and 33% between 5-8 years, upper limb regions showed the highest incidence of abuse were: cervical spine with 34% and 27% shoulder. We conclude that there is a high incidence of employees (49%) who underwent service complaining of musculoskeletal pain in the upper limbs. It is necessary to more investment in ergonomic workstations.
Raquel Machado Cavalca Coutinho
Paulista University, Brazil
Title: Ergonomic analysis of professionals reception in a private health facility
Time : 13:40-14:00
Biography:
Raquel Machado Cavalca Coutinho has completed his PhD from Federal University of Sao Paulo. She is the Director of Post Graduate and Undergraduate Nursing School and Member of the Research Group on Public Health of Paulista University. She has published more than 35 papers in reputed journals and serving as an Editorial Board Member of Journal Health of Science Institute and member of the Editorial Board of the Brazilian Society of Nurses of Operating Room
Abstract:
Workers’ health is an issue of interest to both the employee and employer, not a unilateral benefit, is a bilaterally profitable investment, but it is still a construction in the area in the public health arena. The objective of this study was to identify the existence of occupational diseases and has musculoskeletal or joint problem, prior to the start of the current work. Check if there is a relationship between weight, height, number of pregnancy, childbirth and abortion with exercise stress problems. This is a research is exploratory quantitative type. It was held in a private health facility in Campinas, SP. We interviewed 13 receptionists and analyzed the jobs by RULA method. We obtained the result that the most frequent age group was 29-39 years, corresponding to 38%, as the work in the institution 61% work from 1 to 4 years. As for physical activity only 23% practice and 61% are overweight. Despite the biomechanics of the professionals are not correct, none of the workers have musculoskeletal problems or previous articulate the beginning of the current job conclude that education in health, as conscious and alert employees about the risks they face if they do not follow the rules and routines the institution.
Biography:
Shelly Hurry has a Master’s of Science in Kinesiology, is a Canadian Registered Safety Professional and a Certified Health & Safety Consultant. Shelly has been a Health & Safety Consultant with Public Services Health & Safety Association for over 6 years. She has over 16 years’ experience implementing health and safety management systems. Her experience and best practices have been gained through working and consulting primarily in the Health Care Sector
Abstract:
Workplace Bullying is not a new phenomenon. It is an existing issue that continues to receive heightened attention from researchers, employers, unions and health & safety professionals. To develop a culture of respect, civility, trust, and honesty it is critical for an organization to identify the 10 most common bullying behaviors, the conditions and stages that lead to them and the impacts such behaviors can have on the workplace and those targeted. This session will provide you with the appropriate responses to bullying behavior and how to use the RACE (recognize, assess, control, evaluate) technique for handling potential cases of these behaviors.
James Agostinucci
University of Rhode Island, USA
Title: Ergonomic comparison between a ‘pistol like’ handle style and standard style paint brush
Time : 12:15-12:35
Biography:
James Agostinucci is an occupational therapist (1975) and has a ScD from Boston University (1988) in the area of Applied Anatomy and Neuroscience. He is an Associate Professor in the Physical Therapy Department, at the University of Rhode Island. He has several published papers in reputed journals and is actively involved in hand rehabilitation.
Abstract:
Epidemiologic studies have consistently demonstrated a strong positive association between repetition and “occupational overuse syndromes (OOS). The repetitive nature of painting then can predispose many people to these disorders. Objective: The purpose of this study therefore was to conduct ergonomic risk factors assessments of pistol-like handle painting applicator and commonly used equal quality standard handle paint brush. Method: A randomized cross over repeated measures design was implemented where 30 volunteers were randomly given a paint brush handle type while muscle activity (EMG) recorded from eight upper limb muscles groups were analyzed. Subjects were their own controls returning within one week to perform the same painting activity with the other paint brush handle type. ANOVA with repeated measures was used to analyze the integrated EMG data and the median frequencies among muscles groups between the two painting trials. Results: Analysis revealed that there were no differences in EMG activity or Median frequency between the two types of muscle handle paint brushes in of the muscles studied (p>0.05). Conclusion: A pistol like handle has no added ergonomic advantage over a commonly used standard handle paint brush in people without injury. Thus it was concluded that the pistol style brush does not prevent OOSs from occurring. It must be emphasized, however, that this study’s results cannot be extrapolated to people who already have an OOS and need a device to prevent further injury and pain. Further study is needed.
Brett Webb
PSHSA, Canada
Title: Culture eats strategy for breakfast, and health & safety is the wakeup call
Time : 11:55-12:15
Biography:
Brett Webb has been in the health and safety field for 14 years, over three continents and is currently a consultant with Public Services Health and Safety Association in Northern Ontario. He is a Chartered Member with the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, a Canadian Registered Safety Professional, and lectured at the University of Western Ontario in Occupational Health and Safety Management. He is currently a consultant with Public Services Health and Safety Association in Northern Ontario. He obtained his Bachelor of Business, in Australia, and a Postgraduate diploma in Occupational Safety and Health, in England. While in the United Kingdom, he obtained a Chartered Member status with the Institute Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). Heis a Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP), and lectured at the University of Western Ontario in OH&S Management. His health and safety work experience includes: healthcare, education, government, claims management, manufacturing, security and social housing.
Abstract:
This session will showcase an innovative development that takes a closer look at the safety climate as a way to provide organizations with valuable insight into their safety culture to improve their health and safety performance and business outcomes. It will focus on an innovative and validated tool used to provide the underlying reasons behind why existing health and safety strategies are unsuccessful and how knowing the values, attitudes and beliefs towards safety can increase implementation success. Participants will be taken on a journey exploring the benefits of creating a positive safety culture, as well as practical recommendations for improvements in their workplace
Era Mae Ferron
PSHSA, Canada
Title: Preventing and managing workplace violence in healthcare: Ontario’s violence prevention partnership
Time : 11:35-11:55
Biography:
Era Mae Ferron is a registered nurse. She has worked as a nurse in adult cardiology, community care, and as an education coordinator in mental health. She completed her PhD in nursing at the University of Toronto. Her research interests are strategic health human resources retention – specifically, understanding the factors that encourage nurses to stay in their current job. Her thesis is entitled: “Part-time nurse faculty intent to remain employed in the academic organizationâ€. For the last 2 years, Era Mae has worked in the field of occupational health and safety – first with the Institute for Work & Health and now with the Public Services Health & Safety Association. Her work has focused on workplace violence prevention in healthcare. Currently, she is the Project Lead of PSHSA’s Ontario-wide initiative to prevent and manage workplace violence in the acute care, long-term care and community care sectors.
Abstract:
Introduction: Worldwide, workplace violence (WPV) is an occupational health and safety hazard for healthcare workers with both short-term (e.g., acute trauma/injury) and long-term (e.g., psychosocial) effects. In Canada, out of 34 occupations, nursing had the second highest number of work days lost due to WPV in 2011. The Public Services Health & Safety Association is leading an Ontario partnership with employers and labour to develop a healthcare workplace violence prevention toolkit. The Project: The 3-phase project is heavily driven by stakeholder engagement. The primary goal is to deliver a model and toolkit that provides workplaces a consistent, consensus-based and validated approach that is scalable. While the focus is on healthcare, the intent is to have a toolkit that can be implemented in non-healthcare sectors as well. Phase 1 includes: a literature review; jurisdictional scan and; focus groups with frontline staff, managers/supervisors and senior management. Phase 2 includes: determination of a priority list of WPV program components; implementation of a communications plan, and; a pilot test of the all toolkit priority areas. Phase 3 will involve knowledge mobilization; implementation of the communications plan to secondary stakeholders; development and implementation of an education session, and; implementation of the toolkit. Results: Phase 1 of the project has been completed. Currently, the project is in Phase 2. Using the findings from phase 1, the steering committee reached consensus on five priority areas: organizational risk assessment, individual client risk assessment, flagging, security and personal safety response system. The five toolkits are ready for pilot testing in acute care, long-term care and community care facilities across Ontario. Pilot testing will begin in the summer of 2015, led by Institute for Work & Health researchers. Discussion: Once the toolkits have been pilot tested and revised based on focus group and survey findings, it is anticipated that the final versions will be ready to use across healthcare facilities. The toolkits will provide workplaces with validated resources and solutions that sustainably reduce the incidents of violence across Ontario’s healthcare sector. WPV is a serious health and safety concern for workers and patients alike. Organizations require evidence-based solutions for minimizing the negative impacts of violence. This project will help fill the current gap between knowledge and evidence available across various healthcare sectors by providing optimal solutions to prevent and manage WPV. Lessons Learned: Participants will learn what the key priorities for preventing and managing WPV are and the tools developed to date to address this occupational hazard.
Xiuwen Sue Dong
The Center for Construction Research and Training, USA
Title: Methodology issues in occupational back pain research
Time : 11:15-11:35
Biography:
Xiuwen Sue Dong is Data Center Director for the Center for Construction Research and Training located in Silver Spring, Maryland. She has conducted occupational safety and health research, focusing on the construction industry. She is the author of numerous publications, including articles related to back pain in the workplace. Currently, she serves as PI for three projects funded by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. She has a Doctoral degree in Public Health and a master’s degree in Economics.
Abstract:
Back pain is a common ergonomic problem for many people, especially among workers with physically demanding jobs such as in the construction industry. It is a prevailing health disorder that can lead to chronic pain, frequent doctor visits, medical costs, productivity loss at work, and even result in early/disability retirement and poor quality of life. Despite the significance, epidemiological research in occupational back pain can be difficult to conduct since the connection between work-related exposures and the onset of back injury or pain is complex. First, where are the data? Researchers have to identify data sources and deal with data issues, such as data confidentiality and accessibility; data validity and reliability; and representativeness and sample sizes; in particular for minority groups and smaller occupations and industry subsectors. Measuring job exposures and outcomes can also be challenging. Researchers need to determine work-relatedness, distinguish occupational exposure from non-occupational exposure, assess acute or cumulative exposures, define health outcomes, provide case definitions, and match events and denominators, etc. This presentation will discuss these issues using examples from multiple large data sources in the United States, including the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, National Health Interview Survey, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, Health and Retirement Study, and the Occupational Information Network (O*NET). Advantages and limitations for each of the data sources and research methods will also be discussed.