The objective was to assess risk of work-related injuries in an acute care setting while contrasting injuries of aides and nurses. It turned out that aides had higher overall injury rates than nurses for no-lost work time (RR = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.1-1.3) and lost work time (RR = 2.8, 95% CI: 2.1-3.8) injuries. The risk of an injury due to lifting was greater among aides compared to nurses for both non-lost work time and lost work time injuries. Injury rates among aides were particularly high in rehabilitation and orthopedics units.

Occupational injuries among aides and nurses in acute care
R.L. Rodríguez-Acosta et al. American Journal of Industrial Medicine.

Here you can find a video in several languages dealing with European measures to tackle stress at work

Just recently published report on stress at work in Europe, with data on a wide range of countries and subjects. European Risk Observatory Report Nr.9, publication from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work in Bilbao, Spain.

OSH in figures: Stress at work- facts and figures

“Stress at work is common throughout Europe. In surveys carried out every five years by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, respondents name it as the second most common threat posed by the working environment. Only musculoskeletal problems are seen as more likely to damage workers’ health. According to the fourth European Survey of Working Conditions, carried out in 2005 in all Member States, stress was experienced by an average 22% of working Europeans. In 2002, the annual economic cost of work-related stress in the EU15 was estimated at EUR 20,000 million.”

After 2 years of research an writing and the interesting process of submitting and revising my first scientific article, I am proud to announce that it is online now. You can read the full article, because it is open access. The subject is the reporting of occupational diseases by Dutch OPs and the effect of a relatively small intervention trying to improve that. 

Information and feedback to improve occupational physicians’ reporting of occupational diseases: a randomised controlled trial

Annet F. Lenderink · Dick Spreeuwers · Jac J. L. van der Klink · Frank J. H. van Dijk Int Arch Occup Environ Health DOI 10.1007/s00420-009-0468-8

Someone gave me a link to this little movie on YouTube about the effects of the new way of working (“het nieuwe werken” – HNW). Empty offices, empty high ways, empty parking lot. The movie produced by Getronics is launched because of their campaign on the new way of working: mobile, from home, smarter etc. Whether this will end this way, I don’t know, but it’s funny. It’s called in Dutch ‘Het einde van de kantoortijden is nabij’
which means ‘the end of office hours is there’. Enjoy!

Although this blog may seem mainly occupied with dangers and risks of work and working, I am convinced that work is essentially good for us in many ways. Working is better for our health than being without employment. One of the important studies into this subject came from Gordon Waddell and Kim Burton: IS WORK GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING? (2006). You can read the review online, but here is their main conclusion:

“There is a strong evidence base showing that work is generally good for physical and mental health and well-being. Worklessness is associated with poorer physical and mental health and well-being. Work can be therapeutic and can reverse the adverse health effects of unemployment. That is true for healthy people of working age, for many disabled people, for most people with common health problems and for social security beneficiaries.
The provisosare that account must be taken of the nature and quality of work and its social context; jobs should be safe and accommodating. Overall, the beneficial effects of work outweigh the risks of work, and are greater than the harmful effects of long-term unemployment or prolonged sickness absence. Work is generally good for health and well-being.”

Two recently published studies on the relationship between exposure to detergent enzymes and respiratory disease, confirming a relationship between the enzymes and occupational rhinitis or asthma. One from the UK and one from the Netherlands.

A few weeks back the very good blog The Pump Handle published a piece on nanoparticles, called: Case report: nanoparticles in workers’ lungs

“Three physicians and researchers from the Capital University of Medical Sciences (Beijing, China) have published a case report in the European Respiratory Journal describing severe lung disease in seven female workers employed at a shop where they applied polyacrylic coatings to polystyrene boards.  The lung disease is just one part of the story—two of the women died (ages 19 and 29)—the other part is that pathology samples from the workers’ lungs identified 30 nm (nanometer) in diameter particles.  Further investigation found that the coatings used by the workers contained nano partcles, too.”

It’s really worth reading because it gives you also some insights in the reactions on the article. The abstract of the original study is underneath:

Exposure to nanoparticles is related to pleural effusion, pulmonary fibrosis and granuloma
Y. Song, X. Li, X. Du
Eur Respir J 2009, doi:10.1183/09031936.00178308

Hope you like the new appearance of my blog. If so, let me know, if not also.

Study undertaken during the races in Hamburg UCI ProTour Cyclassics in 2006 among professional cyclists (182) and recreational participants cycling 55, 100 or 155 km looking at injury patterns. A total of 193 injuries in 70 participants were registred, mainly localized at extremities (94.4%, mainly shoulder girdle). Ten percent suffered serious injury, significantly more frequent in women than in men. 84.4% of the accidents occurred in groups. The mean speed at the time of the crash was 37.3 km/h (range: 0-57). The researchers conclude that accidents were more likely to occur in inexperienced drivers, in the shortest distance, with straight conditions and in well-known dangerous areas.

Acute injuries in road bicycle racing. Injury surveillance at the Hamburg UCI ProTour”Cyclassics” 2006
Ueblacker P, Rathmann W, Rueger JM, Püschel K.
Unfallchirurg. 2008 Jun;111(6):414-20. German