MedWorm: Occupational Health

Bromide and N-acetyl-S-(n-propyl)-l-cysteine in urine from workers exposed to 1-bromopropane solvents from vapor degreasing or adhesive manufacturing

International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:26:17 +0100

Conclusions This study shows that urinary Br(−) and AcPrCys are useful biomarkers of workers’ 1-BP exposures using analyses sensitive enough to measure low exposure jobs. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticleDOI 10.1007/s00420-010-0524-4Authors Kevin William Hanley, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Cincinnati OH USAMartin R. Petersen, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Cincinnati OH USAKenneth L. Cheever, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Cincinnati OH USALian Luo, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Cincinnati OH USA Journal International Archives of Occupational and Environmental HealthOnline ISSN 1432-1246Print ISSN 0340-0131 (Source: International Archives of O...

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The bibliographic impact of epidemiological studies: what can be learnt from citations?

Occupational and Environmental Medicine — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:32:13 +0100

Conclusion This study suggests that results dealing with occupational health disseminate into various fields of clinical research. However, this is only one dimension of the impact of a study. (Source: Occupational and Environmental Medicine)

High frequency of fumigants and other toxic gases in imported freight containers--an underestimated occupational and community health risk

Occupational and Environmental Medicine — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:32:13 +0100

Residues of pesticide fumigants and toxic industrial chemicals in freight containers represent a health hazard to employees and consumers, especially since freight containers are sealed for transport and distributed widely throughout the importing countries before being opened for unloading. We investigated 2113 freight containers arriving at the second largest container terminal in Europe, Hamburg, Germany, over a 10-week period in 2006. The countries of origin, type of contents and the pesticide fumigation history declared on labels attached to the container were recorded. We determined that 1478 (70%) containers were contaminated with toxic chemicals above chronic reference exposure levels; 761 (36%) even exceeded the higher acute reference exposure level thresholds. Benzene and/or form...

Occupational exposure to asbestos in New South Wales, Australia (1970-1989): development of an asbestos task exposure matrix

Occupational and Environmental Medicine — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:32:12 +0100

Conclusion An ASTEM has been developed which provides exposure levels for different task/product combinations. When used in conjunction with a detailed occupational history, it will improve exposure estimates of a worker's cumulative asbestos exposure. (Source: Occupational and Environmental Medicine)

Use of biocides and insect repellents and risk of hypospadias

Occupational and Environmental Medicine — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:32:12 +0100

Conclusion The authors found an association between the use of insect repellent and total biocide score and risk of hypospadias. In particular, the use of insect repellent warrants further investigation, specifically in relation to type, content and frequency of use since this information was missing in the current study. (Source: Occupational and Environmental Medicine)

Prolonged time to pregnancy in residents exposed to ionising radiation in cobalt-60-contaminated buildings

Occupational and Environmental Medicine — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:32:12 +0100

Conclusions Our findings suggest that exposure to low-dose ionising radiation of cobalt-60-contaminated buildings may decrease fertility, especially in females. Fertility declined with increasing concurrent dose but not with cumulative dose. (Source: Occupational and Environmental Medicine)

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Programmed health surveillance and detection of emerging diseases in occupational health: contribution of the French national occupational disease surveillance and prevention network (RNV3P)

Occupational and Environmental Medicine — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:32:12 +0100

Conclusion The RNV3P collects data from two complementary samples: 30 university hospital centres (workers or former workers) and an occupational health service (current workers). This dual approach is useful for surveillance and for hypothesis generation on new emerging disease–exposure associations. (Source: Occupational and Environmental Medicine)

Effect of a participatory ergonomics intervention on psychosocial factors at work in a randomised controlled trial

Occupational and Environmental Medicine — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:32:12 +0100

Conclusions No favourable effects on psychosocial factors at work were found. The adverse changes were due to a joint effect of the intervention and the unconnected organisational reforms. The findings do not support the usefulness of this kind of intervention in changing unsatisfactory psychosocial working conditions. (Source: Occupational and Environmental Medicine)

Mortality and cancer incidence among physicians of traditional Chinese medicine: a 20-year national follow-up study

Occupational and Environmental Medicine — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:32:12 +0100

Conclusion Like other healthcare workers, we noted that physicians of TCM had significantly reduced risks of all-causes mortality and cancer incidence. Nonetheless, reasons truly responsible for significantly increased risks of liver and bladder neoplasm among physicians of TCM warrant further investigations. (Source: Occupational and Environmental Medicine)

Occupational coke oven emissions exposure and risk of abnormal liver function: modifications of body mass index and hepatitis virus infection

Occupational and Environmental Medicine — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:32:12 +0100

Conclusions Long-term exposure to COE increases the risk of liver dysfunction, which is more prominent among those with higher BMI and hepatitis virus infection. The risk assessment of liver damage associated with COE exposure should take BMI and hepatitis virus infection into consideration. (Source: Occupational and Environmental Medicine)

Mortality from myocardial infarction in relation to exposure to vibration and dust among a cohort of iron-ore miners in Sweden

Occupational and Environmental Medicine — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:32:12 +0100

Conclusions The results for the working age (≤60 years) group showed significantly increased MI mortality for univariate exposure to HAV, WBV and dust. We found an association between increased mortality from MI and occupational exposure to WBV, and the risk remained after adjustment for dust exposure. (Source: Occupational and Environmental Medicine)

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Roles of age, length of service and job in work-related injury: a prospective study of 446 120 person-years in railway workers

Occupational and Environmental Medicine — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:32:12 +0100

Conclusion Younger and older ages and shorter length of service are at risk for various types of injuries. Preventive measures should improve working conditions, especially for younger/older ages, provide knowledge through specific training during the first years in a job and help workers to be more aware of risks associated with their age, years of employment and job. (Source: Occupational and Environmental Medicine)

Occupational injury, employment conditions and the global market

Occupational and Environmental Medicine — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:32:12 +0100

(Source: Occupational and Environmental Medicine)

Time for global occupational health

Occupational and Environmental Medicine — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:32:12 +0100

(Source: Occupational and Environmental Medicine)

Surfactant protein-D and exposure to bioaerosols in wastewater and garbage workers

International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:40:18 +0100

Conclusions These results support the hypothesis that inhalation of bioaerosols, even at low concentrations, has a subclinical effect on the lung–blood barrier, the permeability of which increases without associated spirometric changes. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticleDOI 10.1007/s00420-010-0525-3Authors R. Daneshzadeh Tabrizi, University of Zurich, Med. Poliklinik USZ Occupational and Environmental Medicine Unit Rämistrasse 100 8091 Zurich SwitzerlandA. Bernard, Catholic University of Louvain Unit of Toxicology Brussels BelgiumA. M. Thommen, University of Zurich, Med. Poliklinik USZ Occupational and Environmental Medicine Unit Rämistrasse 100 8091 Zurich SwitzerlandF. De Winter, Catholic University of Louvain Unit of Toxicology Brussels Belg...

Increasing evidence of physical loads as risk factors for specific shoulder disorders.

Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Viikari-Juntura E PMID: 20221572 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health)

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Gender differences in sickness absence - the contribution of occupation and workplace.

Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Differences between occupations held by women and men explain a substantial part of the female excess in sickness absence. Mental and behavioral disorders and musculoskeletal diseases substantially contribute to this explanation. PMID: 20213051 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health)

Extending a model of precarious employment: A qualitative study of immigrant workers in Spain

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Foreword for special edition on migration and occupational health

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

No Abstract. (Source: American Journal of Industrial Medicine)

Effects of exposure of parents to toxic gases in Bhopal on the offspring

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Exposure to methyl isocyanate and other toxic gases in Bhopal, India, on December 3, 1984 resulted in thousands of acute deaths, pregnancy loss and long-term effects.From 1985 to 2007, we conducted successive surveys of vital status and health to determine whether the exposure of parents to toxic gases in the Bhopal incident affected the 5-year survival and anthropometric variables of their offspring.Initial 5-year mortality of offspring of exposed parents was very high. Male but not female offspring who were exposed to gases in utero or who were born to exposed parents were stunted in growth until puberty, which was followed by a period of accelerated growth. Results also suggest a post-puberty effect on head circumference of females exposed to gases in utero.Exposure of pregnant women to...

Implementation of new working methods in the floor-laying trade: Long-term effects on knee load and knee complaints

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This study compared floor laying using new working methods involving standing up, to the traditional methods involving working on one's knees.The study group, 216 subjects, completed a training class in the use of the new floor-laying methods, and received free tools and advice in their use. The control group, 454 subjects, did not get any training, but were free to use the new methods if they wished. In a 2-year-follow-up the effects were evaluated by questionnaires and by in-depth interviews of industry representatives. Regression analysis was used to control for age, body mass index (BMI), and self-reported stress. The quality of the work and time used to perform it comparing the new methods and the traditional methods was evaluated.Two years after the training, 38% of participants in t...

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Occupational fatalities, injuries, illnesses, and related economic loss in the wholesale and retail trade sector

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The wholesale and retail trade (WRT) sector employs over 21 million workers, or nearly 19% of the annual average employment in private industry. The perception is that workers in this sector are generally at low risk of occupational injury and death. These workers, however, are engaged in a wide range of demanding job activities and are exposed to a variety of hazards. Prior to this report, a comprehensive appraisal of the occupational fatal and nonfatal burdens affecting the retail and wholesale sectors was lacking. The focus of this review is to assess the overall occupational safety and health burden in WRT and to identify various subsectors that have high rates of burden from occupational causes. Ultimately, these findings should be useful for targeted intervention efforts.We reviewed ...

Automatic Sample Production by Depositing Solutions on Filters for the Organization of Proficiency Tests

Annals of Occupational Hygiene — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:46:03 +0100

This article describes a device intended to produce replicas on filters by liquid deposition of anion or metal solutions. Schematically, the filters are housed in cassettes labelled automatically by means of a code. An automatic arm takes each cassette, reads the code, and deposits the amount of element required. Weighing before and after deposition allows the amount deposited to be accurately checked and determined. This automated system allows the production of replicas with high deposition regularity, replica dispersion for the most part being <1%. The samples produced can be used during proficiency tests where the assigned value is determined either by the participants or by the organizer. (Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene)

Fluid Dynamics of Cytotoxic Safety Cabinets

Annals of Occupational Hygiene — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:46:03 +0100

This study investigated the specific fluid dynamics characteristics of cytotoxic safety cabinets (CSC), particularly those used in cancer drug reconstitution operations. Measurements taken on site were used to derive characteristic data for these cabinets. An in-depth laboratory investigation of airflows inside another CSC was also conducted. Anemometric values recorded on these two installations enabled the experimental validation of computational fluid dynamics methods applied to CSC. The digital flow simulations conducted provide a better understanding of the detailed flow structure inside a CSC and made it possible to study the influence of different operating parameters on the air velocity distribution inside the cabinet front opening: recycled air temperature, product protection airf...

Dermal Exposure to Metalworking Fluids and Medium-Chain Chlorinated Paraffin (MCCP)

Annals of Occupational Hygiene — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:46:03 +0100

Metalworking fluids (MWF) may contain a variety of additives, including medium-chain chlorinated paraffin (MCCP). There is concern that exposure to MCCP may be associated with increased risks for kidney toxicity. MCCP has been undergoing an evaluation as part of a European regulatory risk assessment and consequently it is important that an estimate is made of the likely occupational exposure. This paper reviews the available published data on dermal exposure to MWF and derives typical and reasonable worst-case (RWC) estimates of MCCP exposure. Estimates were highest for oil-based fluids (520 and 35 000 mg typical daily exposure and RWC exposure, respectively) and lowest for water-based fluids (30 and 520 mg for typical and RWC, respectively). Comparison with published inhalation exposure d...

Quantification and Identification of Culturable Airborne Bacteria from Duck Houses

Annals of Occupational Hygiene — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:46:03 +0100

Employees at agricultural working places are often exposed to complex bioaerosols. Investigations of bioaerosols in duck houses revealed concentrations of cultivable bacteria between 0.4 and 3 x 105 colony forming units (CFU) m–3 on tryptone soy agar, 0.3 and 2 x 105 CFU m–3 on actinomycetes isolation agar, and 0.8 and 5 x 103 CFU m–3 on Middlebrook agar, respectively, when incubated at 25°C. At an incubation temperature of 37°C, 0.6–3 x 102 CFU m–3 were counted on MacConkey agar and 0.3–2 x 103 CFU m–3 on Middlebrook agar, and the concentrations of bacteria on glycerol–arginine agar and oatmeal agar incubated at 50°C varied between 0.1 and 2 x 103 and 1 and 7 x 103 CFU m–3, respectively. In addition, high concentrations of ...

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Comparative Evaluation of the Dustiness of Industrial Minerals According to European Standard EN 15051, 2006

Annals of Occupational Hygiene — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:46:02 +0100

A range of industrial minerals was tested using the rotating drum and the continuous drop methods, the two methods proposed by the published European standard EN 15051 [CEN. (2006) EN 15051 Workplace atmospheres—measurement of the dustiness of bulk materials—requirements and test methods. Brussels, Belgium: European Committee for Standardization], to evaluate and compare their dustiness. The assessment of bulk materials dustiness can help to develop less dusty products and to reduce dust exposure to the workers by improving the processing of minerals. The European standard EN 15051 (CEN, 2006) proposes a classification system that was developed with the intention to assist in the labelling of products in the future. This paper presents a comparison of both test methods in class...

Site Comparison of Selected Aerosol Samplers in the Wood Industry

Annals of Occupational Hygiene — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:46:02 +0100

Several samplers (IOM, CIP 10-I v1, ACCU-CAPTM, and Button) were evaluated at various wood industry companies using the CALTOOL system. The results obtained show that compared to the CALTOOL mouth, which can be considered to be representative of the exposure of a person placed at the same location under the same experimental conditions, the concentrations measured by the IOM, CIP 10-I v1, and ACCU-CAPTM samplers are not significantly different (respectively, 1.12, 0.94, and 0.80 compared to 1.00), the Button sampler (0.86) being close to the ACCU-CAPTM sampler. Comparisons of dust concentrations measured using both a closed-face cassette (CFC) and one of the above samplers were also made. In all, 235 sampling pairs (sampler + CFC) taken at six companies provided us with a comparison of con...

Laboratory Study of Selected Personal Inhalable Aerosol Samplers

Annals of Occupational Hygiene — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:46:02 +0100

Assessment of inhalable dust exposure requires reliable sampling methods in order to measure airborne inhalable particles’ concentrations. Many inhalable aerosol samplers can be used but their performances widely vary and remain unknown in some cases. The sampling performance of inhalable samplers is strongly dependent on particle size and ambient air velocity. Five inhalable aerosol samplers have been studied in two laboratory wind tunnels using polydisperse glass-beads’ test aerosol. Samplers tested were IOM sampler (UK), two versions of CIP 10-I sampler, v1 and v2 (F), 37-mm closed face cassette sampler (USA), 37-mm cassette fitted up with an ACCU-CAPTM insert (USA), and Button sampler (USA). Particle size-dependent sampling efficiencies were measured in a horizontal wind tu...

The New Zealand Workforce Survey II: Occupational Risk Factors for Asthma

Annals of Occupational Hygiene — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:46:02 +0100

Conclusion: This population-based study has confirmed findings of previous international studies showing elevated risks in a number of high-risk occupations. The strongest risks were consistently observed for printers, bakers, and sawmill labourers. Several occupations were also identified that have not been previously associated with asthma, suggesting that the risk of occupational asthma may be more widely spread across the workforce than previously assumed. (Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene)

The New Zealand Workforce Survey I: Self-Reported Occupational Exposures

Annals of Occupational Hygiene — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:46:02 +0100

Conclusions: This study indicates that occupational exposure to risk factors for work-related disease and injury remains common in the New Zealand working population. While these occupational exposures are disproportionately experienced by workers in certain industries, they also occur in occupational groups not traditionally associated with hazardous exposures or occupational disease. (Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene)

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Hydration Status of Expatriate Manual Workers During Summer in the Middle East

Annals of Occupational Hygiene — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:46:02 +0100

Conclusions: Interventions are required to ensure that workers in extreme heat stress conditions maintain adequate levels of hydration. Failure to do so reduces the protection afforded by heat stress indices based on environmental monitoring. (Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene)

Hydration, Hydration, Hydration

Annals of Occupational Hygiene — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:46:02 +0100

Throughout the world, large numbers of manual workers perform physically demanding labour in conditions of high environmental heat stress. Although the importance of adequate hydration in combating heat stress is universally recognized, studies in a range of worker groups have demonstrated a disturbingly poor hydration level in a high proportion of at-risk workers. Management of work in hot environments traditionally focuses on environmental monitoring, while strategies to promote and ensure good hydration behaviour are often haphazard at best. An example is given of simple guidelines for adequate and appropriate fluid intake and practical recommendations to foster compliance. (Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene)

Managing Dermal Risk: Moving On From Gloves

Annals of Occupational Hygiene — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:46:02 +0100

(Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene)

Investigating reduced bag weight as an effective risk mediator for mason tenders.

Applied Ergonomics — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of using half-weight bags (21.4 kg) on reducing the biomechanical loading, physiological response, and perceived exertions. Ten male subjects performed asymmetric lifting tasks simulating unloading bags from a pallet. Muscle activity, trunk kinematics, heart rate, blood pressure and subjective rating data were collected. Spine loads were predicted from a well-validated EMG-assisted model. Bag weight, lift type, bag height at origin, and asymmetry at destination significantly impacted the spine loads. While there was a 50% reduction in bag weight, the peak loads for the half-weight bags were only 25% less than the more available full-weight bags (a reduction of about 320 N of shear and 1000 N of compression). Lifts allowing move...

Changes in EEG activity before and after exhaustive exercise in sedentary women in neutral and hot environments.

Applied Ergonomics — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This study examined the effect of hyperthermia on brain electrical activity measured with encephalography during prolonged exhaustive exercise in a group of sedentary women (VO(2)max = 35 +/- 4 mL kg min(-1)). Two strenuous cycling exercises were performed either in neutral (N-Ex) or in heat (H-Ex) conditions. Tympanic temperature (Tty), heart rate (HR), body mass loss (BML), plasma volume decrease, and brain electrical activity [EEG: alpha (8-13 Hz) and beta(13-30 Hz)-band and alpha/beta index of fatigue: the ratio between EEG activity in the alpha band and beta-band] were recorded throughout the cycling sessions. The Tty increase 1.0 degrees C in the N-Ex and 1.8 degrees C in H-Ex. HR increased in both sessions but with significantly higher values during the H-Ex session when compared wi...

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National estimates of blood lead, cadmium, and mercury levels in the Korean general adult population

International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:50:43 +0100

Conclusions This biomonitoring study of blood heavy metals in the Korean general population as part of KNHANES III provides important reference data stratified by demographic and lifestyle factors that will be useful for the ongoing surveillance of environmental exposure of the Korean general population to heavy metals. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticleDOI 10.1007/s00420-010-0522-6Authors Nam-Soo Kim, Soonchunhyang University Institute of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, College of Medicine 646 Eupnae-ri, Shinchang-myun, Asan Choongnam 336-745 KoreaByung-Kook Lee, Soonchunhyang University Institute of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, College of Medicine 646 Eupnae-ri, Shinchang-myun, Asan Choongnam 336-745 Korea Journal Int...

Maternal concentrations of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and duration of breastfeeding.

Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that PFOA and PFOS may reduce the ability to lactate, but could equally reflect reverse causation since no association was seen in primiparous women. PMID: 20200757 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health)

Immigrants as crime victims: Experiences of personal nonfatal victimization

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Immigrants to the United States are disproportionately victims of homicide mortality in and outside the workplace. Examining their experiences with nonfatal victimization may be helpful in understanding immigrant vulnerability to violence.We compared the annual prevalence of nonfatal personal victimization experienced by immigrant and US-born adults by sociodemographics, employment, occupation, industry, smoking, alcohol and drug use using data from Wave 1 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions.The prevalence of victimization among immigrants was comparable to that among US-born adults [3.84% (95% CI: 3.18-4.63) vs. 4.10% (95% CI: 3.77-4.44)]. Lower percentages of victimization experienced by immigrants were seen among the unmarried, those age 30-44 years, and amon...

Improving cardiac surgical care: A work systems approach.

Applied Ergonomics — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Wiegmann DA, Eggman AA, Elbardissi AW, Parker SH, Sundt Iii TM Over the past 50 years, significant improvements in cardiac surgical care have been achieved. Nevertheless, surgical errors that significantly impact patient safety continue to occur. In order to further improve surgical outcomes, patient safety programs must focus on rectifying work system factors in the operating room (OR) that negatively impact the delivery of reliable surgical care. The goal of this paper is to provide an integrative review of specific work system factors in the OR that may directly impact surgical care processes, as well as the subsequent recommendations that have been put forth to improve surgical outcomes and patient safety. The important role that surgeons can play in facilitating work syst...

Working to eat: Vulnerability, food insecurity, and obesity among migrant and seasonal farmworker families

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Food insecurity and obesity have potential health consequences for migrant and seasonal farm workers (MSFW).Thirty-six Latino MSFW working in eastern North Carolina whose children attended Migrant Head Start completed interviews, focus groups and home visits. Content analysis, nutrient analysis, and non-parametric statistical analysis produced results.MSFW (63.8%) families were food insecure; of those, 34.7% experienced hunger. 32% of pre-school children were food insecure. Food secure families spent more money on food. Obesity was prevalent in adults and children but the relationship to food insecurity remains unclear. Strategies to reduce risk of foods insecurity were employed by MSFW, but employer and community assistance is needed to reduce their risk.Food insecurity is rooted in the c...

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Migration and occupational health: Shining a light on the problem

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

No Abstract. (Source: American Journal of Industrial Medicine)

A global perspective of migration and occupational health

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Global migration has dramatically increased over the past decade and is at an all-time high, approaching 200 million persons per year. Demographics and economic interdependence suggest that immigration will continue for the near future at record high levels.A review of the few studies that have investigated occupational injury and illness rates among immigrant populations.Existing data indicate that higher rates of fatal and non-fatal injuries are common compared to native populations. This increase is in part due to immigrants working in higher risk occupations (e.g., agriculture, construction), but occupational morbidity and mortality is higher among immigrants than native-born workers within occupational categories.Research is needed to identify the causes of increased risk among immigr...

A case report of acute dermatitis that developed during an experiment examining the bromination of 3-hexylthiophene

Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This report will present a case of acute allergic dermatitis that is likely induced by 3-hexylthiophene, one of aromatic compounds often contained in fragrance substances. The case, who was a 27-year male researcher engaged in organic chemical synthesis for six years, was exposed to 3-hexylthiophene and its product (2-bromo-3-hexylthiophene) through an experiment in May 2004 and itching, swelling and eczema immediately developed from face to back. This case of sensitization to 3-hexylthiophene suggests that it be a possible allergen for fragrance allergy. (Source: Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology)

The health of California's immigrant hired farmworkers

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Hispanic immigrant workers dominate California's hired farm workforce. Little is known about their health status; even less is known about those lacking employment authorization.The California Agricultural Workers Health Survey (CAWHS) was a statewide cross-sectional household survey conducted in 1999. Six hundred fifty-four workers completed in-person interviews, comprehensive physical examinations, and personal risk behavior interviews.The CAWHS PE Sample is comprised mostly of young Mexican men who lack health insurance and present elevated prevalence of indicators of chronic disease: overweight, obesity, high blood pressure, and high serum cholesterol. The self-reported, cumulative, farm work career incidence of paid claims for occupational injury under workers compensation was 27% for...

Registered Nurses' Perceptions of Health and Safety Related to Their Intention to Leave.

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This study examined perceptions of general and emotional health among a statewide sample of nurses, and their assessment of employers' workplace health and safety initiatives. These variables and demographic data were then used to model predictors of intention to leave their work positions. A survey was mailed to all registered nurses in one state. Fifty-three percent responded (n = 3,955). Findings suggested marked differences in perception of emotional health by age, with younger nurses reporting less positive perceptions of their emotional health. Perceptions of employers' safety and health initiatives varied by age, setting, and work role. Predictors of intention to leave included lower perceived emotional health among younger nurses and employer safety initiatives for both age groups....

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Challenges of a Worksite Health Promotion Project.

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Strasser PB, Gates DM, Brehm BJ It is estimated that American employers spend more than $900 billion annually on health care and that obesity-attributable health care expenditures total $75 billion. The authors discuss a yearlong health promotion research project aimed at obesity and involving eight small manufacturing companies. Three hundred forty-one employees randomly selected at the intervention and control worksites were followed at baseline and at 3, 6, and 12 months for anthropometric measures, lifestyle behaviors, absences, and work performance. The authors conclude that although the worksite offers unique opportunities to develop health promotion programs, these efforts are not without challenges due to the tensions regarding the need to protect and promote health fo...

Neurological mortality among Gulf War veterans

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

No Abstract (Source: American Journal of Industrial Medicine)

Safety walkarounds predict injury risk and reduce injury rates in the construction industry

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

"Safe Workplace" - a simplified and educational version of the Finnish building construction methodology involving safety walkarounds where a number of safety indicators are inspected and evaluated - is in widespread use in the Danish construction sector to evaluate physical safety standards proactively at construction work sites.Data from the construction of the Copenhagen Metro were analyzed to determine the method's ability to predict injury risk related to joint responsibilities and individual worker responsibilities.A statistically significant association between the risk level as measured by the Safe Workplace methodology and injury risk was found. The relative risk of injury increased with the number of safety indicators violated and was elevated for safety indicators reflecting bot...

Alcohol consumption and work-related injuries among farmers in Heilongjiang Province, People's Republic of China

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Alcohol consumption has been found to be associated with work-related injuries among workers around the world, but this association has not well been studied among agricultural workers in China.This population-based survey aimed to study the association between alcohol use and work-related agricultural injury. Farmers in a northeastern province of China were questioned about work-related injury in the past year (May 2007-April 2008), alcohol use, farming practices, and sociodemographic factors. The Chi-square test and logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the role of alcohol drinking in agricultural injuries.Among 2,050 farmers who completed the survey, the 12-month prevalence of work-related injury was 12.2%. The leading external cause of injury was exposure to mechanical ...

Impact of an occupational health promotion program on subsequent illness and mortality experience

International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:29:04 +0100

Conclusions Although self-selection cannot be ruled out as a contributing factor to the reduction in mortality risk among attendees, our findings indicate that offering health promotion activities in the context of an existing occupational health program may benefit overall employee health. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticleDOI 10.1007/s00420-010-0521-7Authors M. Gerald Ott, BASF Corporation Corporate Medical Department Florham Park NJ USAM. Yong, BASF Societas Europaea Occupational Medical and Health Protection Department Ludwigshafen GermanyA. Zober, BASF Societas Europaea Occupational Medical and Health Protection Department Ludwigshafen GermanyM. Nasterlack, BASF Societas Europaea Occupational Medical and Health Protection Department Ludwigsha...

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Disability retirement among workers involved in large construction projects

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of disability pension among workers engaged in the construction of the Øresund Link or the Copenhagen Metro, representing high levels of safety management.The study subjects (n = 1,808) were followed for disability retirement. Age standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated and compared with SIRs of disability pension established in a previous study of workers engaged in the construction of the Great Belt Link (N = 5,882), representing a low level of safety management.Compared with all economically active men, the age SIR of disability retirement was 2.22 (95% CI = 1.61, 2.98) among the study subjects and 2.29 (95% CI = 1.9, 2.67) among workers at the Great Belt Link.No significant progress was found in the incidence of disabili...

Farm work exposure of older male farmers in Saskatchewan

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The average age of farmers in North America is increasing each year. Research has determined that age and health status are both related to increased risk of injury. The purpose of this research was to determine the association of health and medication factors with exposure to farm work in older male farmers.As part of a cohort study to study determinants of injury on Saskatchewan farms, 5,502 farm people associated with 2,386 Saskatchewan farms were surveyed by mail questionnaire during the winter of 2007. The primary dependent variable was average hours per week of farm work. Independent variables included illnesses, age, and medication use.The mean number of hours worked per week by farmers aged 55 years and older was 48. There was a significant relationship between age and hours worked...

Informal social status among coworkers and risk of work-related injury among nurse aides in long-term care

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

A social network measure was used to explore whether one's rank in an informal social hierarchy of nurse aides employed in a single long-term care facility was associated with risk of work-related injury.Six months of administrative staff schedule data and self-reported injury records were examined. Using survey data, social status rank in the informal hierarchy for each aide was operationalized as the number of coworkers who would approach the aide for advice about work-related matters. Conditional logistic regression was used to model the effect of social status on injury risk; cases were matched to controls consisting of coworkers present on the floor, shift, and date of the injury event. This allowed for a comparison of social status rank within social groups among workers with the sam...

Relationship of work injury severity to family member hospitalization

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Working while under stress due to a family health event may result in injuries of greater severity. Work leave might mitigate such consequences.Workers' compensation data for 33,817 injured workers and inpatient medical data for 76,077 members of their families were extracted from the 2002-2005 Thomson Reuters Medstat MarketScan Health and Productivity Management (HPM) and Commercial Claims and Encounter (CCE) datasets. Using a probit model, the impact of family hospitalization on the probability that a subsequent injury would be severe (above average indemnity costs) was estimated, adjusting for age, sex, hourly versus salaried status, industry sector, state, and family size.Family hospitalization within 15 days before injury increased the likelihood that the injury would be severe (from ...

Disability and employment among U.S. working-age immigrants

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

There is little research which examines disability status and the employment decisions of the US immigrant working-age population.The 2007 American Community Survey data were analyzed to compare disabilities and employment characteristics between immigrant and US-born adults 18-64 years of age. Separate logistic regression models of employment were constructed among persons with disabilities and among persons without disabilities. Each multivariate model included nativity/citizenship, sex, race/ethnicity, age, and education.In 2007, 40.8% (95% CI: 39.9-41.7) of immigrants with disabilities were employed, while only 34.9% (95% CI: 34.6-35.2) of US-born persons with disabilities were employed. For each type of disability, including difficulty working, immigrants with disabilities were more l...

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Lung cancer risk associated with occupational exposure to nickel, chromium VI, and cadmium in two population-based case-control studies in Montreal

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Nickel, chromium VI, and cadmium have been identified as lung carcinogens in highly exposed cohorts. The purpose of this study was to examine the etiological link between lung cancer and these metals in occupations, that usually entail lower levels of exposure than those seen in historical cohorts.Two population-based case-control studies were conducted in Montreal, from 1979 to 1986 and from 1996 to 2001, comprising 1,598 cases and 1,965 controls. A detailed job history was obtained to evaluate lifetime occupational exposure to many agents, including nickel, chromium VI, and cadmium compounds.Lung cancer odds ratios were increased only among former or non-smokers: 2.5 (95% CI: 1.3-4.7) for nickel exposure, 2.4 (95% CI: 1.2-4.8) for chromium VI, and 4.7 (95% CI: 1.5-14.3) for cadmium. The ...

Prevalence of asthma by industry and occupation in the U.S. working population

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Workers are potentially exposed to asthmagens daily. Our study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of asthma among working adults in the U.S. by industry and occupation.Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2001-2004), multiple logistic regression was used to investigate associations between industry and occupation and current asthma as defined by positive responses to "Has a doctor or other health professional ever told you that you have asthma?" and "Do you still have asthma?"Workers in mining (17.0%), health-related industries (12.5%), teaching (13.1%), or in health-related occupations (12.6%) had the highest prevalence of asthma. As compared to construction industry workers, workers in mining (aOR = 5.2, 95% CI: 1.1-24.2) or health-related (aOR = 2....

Work-related injuries among Hispanic construction workers - Evidence from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This study examines work-related injury conditions among Hispanic construction workers and assesses disparities between Hispanic and white, non-Hispanic workers.Pooled data were analyzed from a large national population survey, the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), between 1996 and 2002. More than 7,000 construction workers were identified from the MEPS data including 1,833 Hispanic workers and 4,533 white, non-Hispanic workers. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using SAS-callable SUDAAN.Hispanic workers differ from white, non-Hispanic workers in demographic and socioeconomic status. After controlling for major risk factors, Hispanic construction workers were more likely than their white, non-Hispanic counterparts to suffer non-fatal work-related injury conditions ...

Erratum to "mortality among U.S. underground coal miners: A 23-year follow-up"

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

No Abstarct (Source: American Journal of Industrial Medicine)

Work-related amputations in Washington state, 1997-2005

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Work-related amputations are infrequent but devastating injuries. Attempts to more accurately estimate the burden of amputations and industries at risk have led the Washington State occupational surveillance program to explore new methods for case identification in Washington State workers' compensation data.Two methods were utilized for case identification of work-related amputations. The first method used the ANSI Z16 nature code for amputation. An alternative method utilized medical, hospital, and claim administration coding of medical bills and bill payment systems. After identifying suspected amputation claims, a sample of the medical records associated with different case identification methods were reviewed to verify that an amputation likely occurred.From 1997 to 2005, 2,528 amputa...

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Fatigue at sea in Swedish shipping - a field study

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Today many merchant ships sail with only two nautical officers, working a shift schedule of 6 hr on and 6 hr off. There are concerns that such a shift schedule is related to fatigue. However, little data exist from onboard studies of seafarers.Data were collected on board 13 ships. Fifteen participants worked on a 6-on, 6-off watch system and another 15 on a 4-on, 8-off watch system. Electrooculography, actigraphy, diaries, and reaction time tests were used to measure the effects of shift system on fatigue and sleep.Sleepiness was higher during the night shift in the 6-on, 6-off system. Moreover, sleepiness increased more during the watch in the 6-on, 6-off system compared to the 4-on, 8-off system. There was a trend toward shorter sleep episodes in the 6-on, 6-off system and sleep was mor...

Beryllium sensitivity among workers at a Norwegian aluminum smelter

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Sensitivity to beryllium was investigated among workers at an aluminum smelter in Norway as a consequence of the findings in an occupational exposure survey.Three hundred and sixty-two employees and 31 reference persons were tested for sensitization to beryllium with the beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT) based on specifications by the US Department of Energy in 2001. The results are reported as abnormal, borderline, or normal.One person (0.28%) from the aluminum smelter was found to have abnormal results in two separate blood samples and is sensitized to beryllium. Three other persons had one abnormal test that was not confirmed by a second test. One person in the reference group had one abnormal and one normal test result. No borderline samples were detected. None of the emp...

Calendar

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

(Source: Injury Prevention)

Counting secondary injuries on national estimates: the road to multiple injury profiles

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

(Source: Injury Prevention)

Reply to 'Exposure to firearms, not marriage, the true risk factor for firearm suicide among women'

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

(Source: Injury Prevention)

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Exposure to firearms, not marriage, the true risk factor for firearm suicide among women

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

(Source: Injury Prevention)

Emergency medicine and injury research: challenges and opportunities

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

(Source: Injury Prevention)

News and notes

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

(Source: Injury Prevention)

The design and use of cluster randomised controlled trials in evaluating injury prevention interventions: part 1. Rationale, design and informed consent

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

(Source: Injury Prevention)

Criminal records and college admissions

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

(Source: Injury Prevention)

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Lacunae

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

(Source: Injury Prevention)

Fatal injury in tree felling and related activities, Victoria, Australia 1992-2007

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

This study aims to examine fatalities resulting from tree felling and related activities in Victoria, Australia, involving work and do-it-yourself (DIY) activities, 1992–2007. Case identification was undertaken using coronial databases. A manual review of coroners' findings of closed cases was performed. Data collected and examined comprised demographics, occupation, incident location, activity, equipment used, injury mechanism and cause of death. Sixty-two cases were identified during the 16-year period; over 50% comprised DIY deaths (n=33). All but one victim was male. The median age for paid workers was less than for DIY (43 years vs 59 years). One-third of work activities were performed by persons outside professional tree-felling industries. While commercial forestry a...

Documenting the need for translational research: an example from workplace violence prevention

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

The leading cause of occupational death in small retail establishments—workplace violence—provides an example of how data can be used to document the need for type 2 translational research. First, strategies effective in reducing workplace violence in small retail businesses were identified. Next, the effectiveness of the researched strategies was compared with the types of strategies voluntarily implemented by small businesses. The strongest evidence-based strategies were the least likely to be implemented by businesses, and the relationship between effectiveness and implementation was nearly inverse. For example, cash control policies were found to be effective in 92% of studies, but fewer than 10% of businesses had implemented adequate cash control policies. Surveillance cam...

Patterns of work-related traumatic hand injury among hospitalised workers in the People's Republic of China

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

Conclusions The present study suggests that working in manufacturing industries and working with powered machines are the primary sources of severe hand injuries in hospitalised workers in economically active areas of the PRC. (Source: Injury Prevention)

Lacunae

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

(Source: Injury Prevention)

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Factors associated with worker slipping in limited-service restaurants

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

Conclusion Published findings of an association between friction and slipping and falling in actual work environments are rare. The findings suggest that effective intervention strategies to reduce the risk of slips and falls in restaurant workers could include increasing COF and improving housekeeping practices. (Source: Injury Prevention)

An investigation of the pre-injury risk factors associated with children who experience traumatic brain injury

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

Conclusions Overall characteristics of both the family and child predicted a TBI event. An increased understanding of risks associated with TBI in childhood will provide an avenue to prevent these injuries by targeting at-risk families and aiding the development of appropriate intervention strategies. (Source: Injury Prevention)

Recent increases in fatal and non-fatal injury among people aged 65 years and over in the USA

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

Conclusions The reported rate of fatal falls for people aged 65 years and over increased by 42% during 2000–6 but non-fatal falls did not increase. Research is needed to explain the inconsistent changes between fatal and non-fatal falls, and to identify risk factors contributing to the significant increases in both fatal and non-fatal injuries from machinery, motorcycle crashes and unintentional poisoning. (Source: Injury Prevention)

Initial community response to a childhood drowning prevention programme in a rural setting in Bangladesh

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

Conclusion Use of low-cost local resources, community participation, and increasing demand of the interventions indicated that the package was acceptable, feasible, and sustainable to the community. To determine the effectiveness of the package demands implementation on a larger sample. (Source: Injury Prevention)

Alcohol involvement among young female drivers in US fatal crashes: unfavourable trends

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

Conclusion Alcohol-involved fatal crash rates in young female drivers aged 19–24 years have increased. However, male drivers continue to surpass women in the number of alcohol-involved fatal crashes. Restraint use decreases markedly with increasing BAC. (Source: Injury Prevention)

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Effectiveness of speed enforcement through fixed speed cameras: a time series study

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

Conclusions Speed cameras do not reduce the numbers of crashes or people injured on the arterial roads of Barcelona. However, they are effective in the short and in the long-term on the beltway. Speed enforcement through fixed speed cameras is thus effective in medium–high-speed roads, although effectiveness could not be generalised to roads with lower speed limits and traffic lights. (Source: Injury Prevention)

Using geographical information systems to assess the equitable distribution of traffic-calming measures: translational research

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

Conclusions High resolution map data can be manipulated within a GIS to enable the distribution of traffic-calming measures to be assessed over large areas. There are very few traffic-calmed roads in any area and there is scope for more. Deprived areas have substantially more traffic calming. Making such data available to the public should be tested as an advocacy tool to increase the provision of traffic-calming features. (Source: Injury Prevention)

Thanking Reviewers 2009

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

(Source: Injury Prevention)

Occupational death investigation and prevention model for coroners and medical examiners

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

(Source: Injury Prevention)

Using virtual reality to train children in safe street-crossing skills

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

This study is registered at the US government website, www.clinicaltrials.gov, under the title ‘Using virtual reality to train children in pedestrian safety’, registration number NCT00850759. (Source: Injury Prevention)

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Road traffic injury prevention

Injury Prevention — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:22 +0100

(Source: Injury Prevention)

Sociodemographic, clinical, and work characteristics associated with return-to-work outcomes following surgery for work-related knee injury.

Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Using population-based data, our study found a link between sociodemographic and work characteristics and the type of RTW outcome following knee surgery for a work-related injury. Women and lower income earners tended not to have full RTW, after controlling for covariates. Workers in physically demanding occupations also tended not to have full RTW, suggesting that factors beyond clinical and surgical characteristics influence disability outcomes. RTW programs need to take into consideration these broader determinants of worker health. PMID: 20177650 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health)

AE special issue on "driver modelling in automotive systems".

Applied Ergonomics — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:44:58 +0100

Authors: Cacciabue PC, Carsten O, Tango F PMID: 19362702 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Applied Ergonomics)

Driver-Vehicle-Environment monitoring for on-board driver support systems: lessons learned from design and implementation.

Applied Ergonomics — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:44:53 +0100

Authors: Amditis A, Pagle K, Joshi S, Bekiaris E This paper is presenting the efforts to implement in real time and for on-board applications a set of Driver-Vehicle-Environment (DVE) monitoring modules based on the theoretical work done in DVE modelling within the EC 6th FW co funded AIDE Integrated Project. First the need for such an implementation will be discussed. Then the basic DVE modelling principles will be introduced and analysed. Based on that and on the overview of the theoretical work performed around the DVE modelling, the real time DVE monitoring modules developed in this project will be presented and analysed. To do this the DVE parameters needed to allow the required functionalities will be discussed and analysed. Special attention will be given to the use cases and sc...

The long-term effect of Intelligent Speed Adaptation on driver behaviour.

Applied Ergonomics — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:44:47 +0100

Authors: Lai F, Hjälmdahl M, Chorlton K, Wiklund M This paper investigates the impact of prolonged experience with an Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) system on driver behaviour. ISA refers to a driver support system which brings speed limit information into the vehicle. Drivers' interaction with the ISA system was explored by means of data collected from long-term field trials carried out in the UK and Sweden. Results indicated that participants' overriding behaviour increased in line with system exposure. However, there was no strong evidence supporting a generalised turning point of behavioural changes (e.g. 3000km, 4000km, or 5000km accumulated experience) at which the upward trend plateaued. Driver characteristics were found to be influential on the pattern of overriding th...

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A simple model of driver behaviour to sustain design and safety assessment of automated systems in automotive environments.

Applied Ergonomics — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:44:42 +0100

Authors: Cacciabue PC, Carsten O This paper proposes a structure for an "active" model of driver that enables to predict behaviour and performances in dynamic changing traffic conditions, with potential application both offline and online. A simple prototype of the system has been realised in software, and has been compared against observed data in a rudimentary validation. The comparison reveals that the software's outputs accord reasonably with the observed values, not only in terms of central tendency but also in terms of capability to predict the between-driver variability. The next step is to create a system capable of identifying driver characteristics and state from observed data. However, further research is needed in order to expand the model in several dimensions, primarily t...

Occupational rhinosinusitis due to etoposide, an antineoplastic agent.

Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSION: This case of a hypersensitivity reaction to etoposide was judged to be of occupational origin. It was not clear whether it was immunoglobulin E (IgE) or non-IgE mediated. PMID: 20174772 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health)

The Effect of Short-time Active Listening Training.

Sangyo Eiseigaku Zasshi : Journal of Occupational Health — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Tatsumi A, Sumiyoshi K, Kawaguchi H, Sano Y We conducted mental health training incorporating active listening for managers at a site of a general chemical company with 1,400 employees. Our purpose was to clarify the effect of active listening training of 2.5 h. All subjects were managers. The mental health training was given to 229 managers, 21 times from May 2007 until March 2008. Surveys were conducted from May 2007 to September 2008. The training sessions were conducted in a company meeting room, starting at 2:00 p.m. The importance and significance of listening as a mental health measure and methods of active listening were explained in the training. Afterward, role-playing and follow-up discussions were done twice each. In summaries, participants wrote down what they not...

Exposure to mercury among Norwegian dentists and dental healthcare personnel.

Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Guzzi G, Pigatto PD, Ronchi A, Minoia C PMID: 20169292 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health)

Children's participation in home, school and community life after acquired brain injury

Australian Occupational Therapy Journal — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: This research describes difficulties encountered by Australian children with ABI in participating in community-based activities with their same aged peers. This study adds to the current literature describing patterns of participation of United States children who have sustained brain injuries, and provides useful information for Australian therapists to consider when addressing children's return to school and engagement with their peers following brain injury. (Source: Australian Occupational Therapy Journal)

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Prevalence and correlates of handgun access among adolescents seeking care in an urban emergency department.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:20:32 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: High rates of handgun access were evident among adolescents presenting in an inner city ED, including those seeking care for non-injury related reasons. Adolescents with access to handguns were more likely to report risk behaviors and past injury, providing clinicians with an opportunity for injury prevention initiatives. PMID: 20159053 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Accident; Analysis and Prevention.)

The use of narrative text for injury surveillance research: A systematic review.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:20:30 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Manual review and coding approaches, text search methods, and statistical tools have been utilised to extract data from narrative text and translate it into useable, detailed injury event information. These techniques can and have been applied to administrative datasets to identify specific injury types and add value to previously coded injury datasets. Only a few studies thoroughly described the methods which were used for text mining and less than half of the studies which were reviewed used/described quality assurance methods for ensuring the robustness of the approach. New techniques utilising semi-automated computerised approaches and Bayesian/clustering statistical methods offer the potential to further develop and standardise the analysis of narrative text for injury su...

Age-related safety in professional heavy vehicle drivers: A literature review.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:20:27 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Drivers of heavy vehicles are over-involved until age 27 years however a characteristic 'U' shaped curve indicates a higher risk of accident involvement for both younger and older drivers. More detailed analyses of "at-fault" involvement and inability to avert an accident and other factors that contribute to accidents across the ages of heavy vehicle drivers may give further clarification to the degree of safety of both younger and older commercial heavy vehicle drivers. PMID: 20159055 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Accident; Analysis and Prevention.)

The properties of Safety Performance Indicators in target setting, projections and safety design of the road transport system.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:20:22 +0100

Authors: Tingvall C, Stigson H, Eriksson L, Johansson R, Krafft M, Lie A Road traffic Safety Performance Indicators (SPIs) are becoming increasingly used as an instrument for the planning and monitoring of safety progress. SPIs form an intermediate step between actions and final outcome in terms of casualties in road crashes. It is understood that SPIs are closely related to outcome; and that it is also possible to use them in calculations and predictions of both actions and final outcome. In the present study, it was found that some of the properties assigned to SPIs could be questioned. An assumption of linearity between SPIs and final outcome was partly rejected. It was also found that 100% fulfillment of a set of SPIs could lead to very low mortality, demonstrating the importance o...

Reducing traffic speed within roadwork sites using obtrusive perceptual countermeasures.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:20:19 +0100

Authors: Allpress JA, Leland LS Excessive speed is currently one of the primary contributory factors in traffic accidents within roadwork sites around the world. The present study evaluated two novel interventions designed to control traffic speed within an open road, roadwork site in New Zealand where drivers were required to decrease their speed from 100 to 50km/h. Two different interventions were placed at the entrance to the work site and required drivers to pass between a 3.5m wide passage of either evenly or decreasingly spaced cones. A multi-element baseline design was utilised. Both interventions were highly effective at reducing vehicle speed, with the greatest initial decrease in speed to 9.47km/h below baseline for the uneven arrangement. Additionally, both arrangements more...

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Statistical modelling for falls count data.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:20:16 +0100

This study confirms that falls count distributions are over-dispersed, but not dispersed due to excess zero counts or heterogeneous population. Accordingly, the P model generally provided the poorest fit to all datasets. The fit improved significantly with NB and both zero-inflated models. The fit was also improved with the NB model, compared to finite mixtures of both P and NB regression models. Although there was little difference in fit between NB and ZINB models, in the interests of parsimony it is recommended that future studies involving modelling of falls count data routinely use the NB models in preference to the P or ZINB or finite mixture distribution. The fact that these conclusions apply across four separate datasets from four different samples of older people participating in ...

Explaining variation in safety performance of roundabouts.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:20:13 +0100

Authors: Daniels S, Brijs T, Nuyts E, Wets G The conversion of an intersection into a roundabout has been proven to reduce generally the number of crashes with injuries or fatalities. However, evaluation studies frequently showed considerable individual differences in safety performance of roundabouts or particular groups of roundabouts. The main purpose in the present study was to explain the variance in safety performance of roundabouts through the use of state-of-the-art cross-sectional risk models based on crash data, traffic data and geometric data of a sample of 90 roundabouts in Flanders-Belgium. Poisson and gamma modelling techniques were used, the latter one since underdispersion in the crash data was observed. The results show that the variation in crash rates is relatively s...

Factors influencing premature graduation from the use of child restraints in Japan.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:20:10 +0100

This study examined the association of child passenger restraint use by younger and older children taking into account situational factors and driver/child passenger characteristics. The Japanese national traffic accident data pertaining to children injured in rear-end collisions where the drivers were not-at-fault was analyzed, while applying the quasi-induced exposure method. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the adjusted effects of predictors for proper restraint use by 0-5, 6-9, and 10-12-year-old children. Unbelted drivers, child's seating position, the number of total occupants, and the child's age were significantly associated with restraint use by both younger and older children. Riding in the rear seats was strongly associated with older SB-age ch...

Functional outcome after road-crash injury: Description of the ESPARR victims cohort and 6-month follow-up results.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:20:07 +0100

CONCLUSION: The ESPARR cohort provides a unique opportunity in France to describe the trajectory of a road crash victim, in terms both of care and rehabilitation and of resumption of work and personal activity. PMID: 20159061 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Accident; Analysis and Prevention.)

Road traffic crashes on the Yaoundé-Douala road section, Cameroon.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:20:05 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: The burden of road traffic injuries on heavy traffic roads in Cameroon calls for urgent interventions. Traffic calming measures and control of vehicle condition appear to be the most cost-effective interventions. PMID: 20159062 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Accident; Analysis and Prevention.)

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An integrated approach to evaluate policies for controlling traffic law violations.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:20:02 +0100

Authors: Mehmood A Modeling dynamics of the driver behavior is a complex problem. In this paper a system approach is introduced to model and to analyze the driver behavior related to traffic law violations in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This paper demonstrates how the theoretical relationships between different factors can be expressed formally, and how the resulting model can assist in evaluating potential benefits of various policies to control the traffic law violations Using system approach, an integrated dynamic simulation model is developed, and model is tested to simulate the driver behavior for violating traffic laws during 2002-2007 in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The dynamic simulation model attempts to address the questions: (1) "what" interventions should be implemented to reduc...

Evaluation of the HFACS-ADF safety classification system: Inter-coder consensus and intra-coder consistency.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:20:00 +0100

This article evaluates an adaptation of the human factors analysis and classification system (HFACS) adopted by the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to classify factors that contribute to incidents. Three field studies were undertaken to assess the reliability of HFACS-ADF in the context of a particular ADF air traffic control (ATC) unit. Study one was designed to assess inter-coder consensus between many coders for two incident reports. Study two was designed to assess inter-coder consensus between one participant and the previous original analysts for a large set of incident reports. Study three was designed to test intra-coder consistency for four participants over many months. For all studies, agreement was low at the level of both fine-level HFACS-ADF descriptors and high-level HFACS-ty...

Different perspectives: A comparison of newspaper articles to medical examiner data in the reporting of violent deaths.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:57 +0100

This study compared violent death information reported in state-wide newspaper articles to the medical examiner reports collected for a state public health surveillance system-the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). While suicides accounted for 83% of deaths in the NVDRS database, more than three-quarters (79%) of violent deaths reported in newspaper articles were homicides. The majority of the suicide incidents were reported in 1-2 newspaper articles whereas the majority of homicide incidents were reported in 11-34 articles. For suicide incidents, the NVDRS reported more circumstances related to mental health problems while newspaper articles reported recent crisis more often. Results show that there is a mismatch in both frequency and type of information reported between a p...

Applying Stafford and Warr's reconceptualization of deterrence theory to drug driving: Can it predict those likely to offend?

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:54 +0100

Authors: Watling CN, Palk GR, Freeman JE, Davey JD In December 2007, random roadside drug testing commenced in Queensland, Australia. Subsequently, the aim of this study was to explore the preliminary impact of Queensland's drug driving legislation and enforcement techniques by applying Stafford and Warr's [Stafford, M.C., Warr, M., 1993. A reconceptualization of general and specific deterrence. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 30, 123-135] reconceptualization of deterrence theory. Completing a comprehensive drug driving questionnaire were 899 members of the public, university students, and individuals referred to a drug diversion program. Of note was that approximately a fifth of participants reported drug driving in the past six months. Additionally, the analysis indicat...

Response efficacy: The key to minimizing rejection and maximizing acceptance of emotion-based anti-speeding messages.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:52 +0100

This study sought to improve understanding of the persuasive process of emotion-based appeals not only in relation to negative, fear-based appeals but also for appeals based upon positive emotions. In particular, the study investigated whether response efficacy, as a cognitive construct, mediated outcome measures of message effectiveness in terms of both acceptance and rejection of negative and positive emotion-based messages. Licensed drivers (N=406) participated via the completion of an on-line survey. Within the survey, participants received either a negative (fear-based) appeal or one of the two possible positive appeals (pride or humor-based). Overall, the study's findings confirmed the importance of emotional and cognitive components of persuasive health messages and identified respo...

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Ski accidents and legal responsibility: The Spanish case.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:49 +0100

This study classifies and analyzes Spanish court rulings on responsibility for ski accidents(1) occurring within ski resort boundaries, and refers to court cases to propose guidelines aimed at assisting skiers and ski resort managers. Six main trends emerged from the study: (a) Spanish courts resolved lawsuits arising from four clearly identifiable categories of ski accidents. (b) Although lawsuits involving ski accidents were heard in both civil and criminal procedures, civil actions were more extensively brought than criminal ones. (c) The majority of the sentences ending legal proceedings resulted in acquittals, although the cost to defendants in the minority of cases where convictions were made exceeded one million euros in total. (d) No single lawsuit, either civil or criminal, was se...

The role of substance use and psychosocial characteristics in explaining unintentional injuries.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:47 +0100

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between the use of various substances and selected psychosocial characteristics with unintentional injury. Cross-sectional data was collected from groups of subjects in treatment for a primary problem with cocaine (n=300), cannabis (n=128), alcohol (n=110), other drugs (n=35), tobacco (n=249), or gambling (n=199). Subjects completed a self-administered questionnaire that included questions on various psychosocial scales (i.e., risk-taking/impulsivity, chronic stress, coping, and social supports), frequency of drug and alcohol use, and unintentional injuries in the year prior to treatment. For the univariate analyses, both frequency of cocaine and cannabis use, risk-taking/impulsivity, stress, and coping were significantly related ...

Modeling the behavior of novice young drivers during the first year after licensure.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:44 +0100

This study analyzes the behavior of novice young drivers within a Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program. Data on driving behavior of 62 novice drivers and their parents, who voluntarily participated in this experiment, were collected using in-vehicle data recorders that calculate compound risk indices as measures of the risk taking behavior of drivers. Data were used to estimate a negative binomial model to identify major determinants that affect the driving behavior of young drivers during the first year after licensure. Estimation results suggest that the risk taking behavior of young drivers is influenced by gender, sensation seeking tendency, driving behavior of their parents, amount of supervised driving and level of parental monitoring. PMID: 20159070 [PubMed - as supplied by ...

Accidents in the context of study among university students-A multicentre cross-sectional study in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:42 +0100

Authors: Faller G, Mikolajczyk RT, Akmatov MK, Meier S, Krämer A Knowledge about prevalence and patterns of accidents among university students is scarce. The aims of the present health survey were to assess the general prevalence of accidents among university students, to describe the specific kinds of accidents, and to analyse associated factors. A multicentre cross-sectional health survey was conducted at 12 universities and 4 universities of applied sciences in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany. The response rate was 88%. The self-administered questionnaire covered multiple areas of health, behaviours and a specific module for accidents. In total, 252 (8.8%) out of 2855 students (aged 17-26 years) had experienced an accident in the context of their studies. Contusions, com...

The problems in determining international road mortality.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:39 +0100

We examined road traffic crash (RTC) fatality rate data for the year 2002 with the object of determining which data source offered the most reliable estimates for international comparison work. Data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) (supplied by national health authorities) and the International Road Federation (IRF) (supplied by national transport authorities) was compared. There were large discrepancies between the rates reported. Discrepancies may be partially explained by the under-reporting of fatalities and by different definitions of road fatality. Two methodologies to adjust for these factors in the IRF database were examined. Neither brought consensus with the WHO RTC fatality rate for all nations. While the WHO provide RTC fatality rates for a wider socio-economic and geog...

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Lasting effects of short-term training on preschoolers' street-crossing behavior.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:36 +0100

Authors: Albert RR, Dolgin KG Can short-term training improve preschoolers' knowledge of road-crossing concepts as well as behavior in a real traffic situation? Forty children, aged four to five years, were assigned to one of four conditions (game, story, song, and control). Each condition participated in four 15-min classroom-based lessons over four weeks. Two assessments measuring knowledge of street-crossing concepts and one assessment measuring behavior on a real street were used to evaluate performance at baseline and one week and six months post-training. Children in all three experimental conditions showed a significant improvement over the control on the two conceptual assessments. Only children in the game condition significantly improved their behavior on the street-crossing ...

Driver characteristics associated with child safety seat usage in Malaysia: A cross-sectional study.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:32 +0100

This study aims to determine the CSS usage rates in Malaysia and to assess driver characteristics that are associated with CSS usage. METHODS: Nine variables - urban versus rural study location, age, gender, marital status, educational status, monthly family income, number of children present in the vehicle, distance traveled to the study location, and attitude - were examined through a cross-sectional study of interviewing drivers of 230 vehicles transporting at least one child <10 years of age at the time of the study. The vehicles were also observed for whether or not there was a CSS present. The interviews were conducted at six sampling locations - three urban and three rural - in the state of Melaka. RESULTS: 27.4% of the drivers were found to be using at least one CSS at the time ...

Older female drivers: An emerging transport safety and mobility issue in Australia.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:30 +0100

Authors: Oxley J, Charlton J, Scully J, Koppel S This paper describes an investigation of safety, mobility and travel patterns in a sample of older women drivers and former drivers aged 60 years and over. Participants provided information on general health and functional abilities, travel and driving patterns, driving experiences and confidence, difficulty with and avoidance of driving situations, self-assessment of driving ability, crash and infringement history, the process and experiences leading up to stopping driving, and satisfaction with current mobility. The sample was a fairly active group, travelling frequently and substantial distances, and generally satisfied with their level of mobility. Current drivers were strongly interested in keeping driving for as long as possible, e...

Correspondence between self-reported and objective measures of driving exposure and patterns in older drivers.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:27 +0100

Authors: Blanchard RA, Myers AM, Porter MM The driving behavior of older adults has been traditionally examined using questionnaires and diaries. The accuracy of self-reports has been questioned, and in-vehicle recording devices touted as more objective measures of real-world driving. The purposes of this study were to replicate and extend prior research comparing self-report and actual measures of driving exposure and patterns. Two electronic devices were installed in the vehicles of 61 drivers (67-92 years, 59% women) who were instructed to drive as usual over 1-week. Participants completed trip logs, daily diaries, a questionnaire on usual driving habits, ratings of situational driving frequency and avoidance and a follow-up interview. Only 53% of the sample attempted to estimate ho...

Appropriate analysis of CIREN data: Using NASS-CDS to reduce bias in estimation of injury risk factors in passenger vehicle crashes.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:25 +0100

Authors: Elliott MR, Resler A, Flannagan CA, Rupp JD The Crash Injury Research Engineering Network (CIREN) database contains detailed medical and crash information on a large number of severely injured occupants in motor vehicle crashes. CIREN's major limitation for stand-alone analyses to explore injury risk factors is that control subjects without a given injury type must have another severe injury to be included in the database. This leads to bias toward the null in the estimation of risk associations. One method to cope with this limitation is to obtain information about occupants without a given injury type from the National Automotive Sampling System's Crashworthiness Data System (NASS-CDS), which is a probability sample of towaway crashes, containing similar crash information, b...

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Bayesian analysis for zero-inflated regression models with the power prior: Applications to road safety countermeasures.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:22 +0100

Authors: Jang H, Lee S, Kim SW We consider zero-inflated Poisson and zero-inflated negative binomial regression models to analyze discrete count data containing a considerable amount of zero observations. Analysis of current data could be empirically feasible if we utilize similar data based on previous studies. Ibrahim and Chen (2000) proposed the power prior to incorporate certain information from the historical data available from previous studies. The power prior is constructed by raising the likelihood function of the historical data to the power a(0), where 0</=a(0)</=1. The power prior is a useful informative prior in Bayesian inference. We estimate regression coefficients associated with several safety countermeasures. We use Markov chain and Monte Carlo techniques to exe...

A genetic programming approach to explore the crash severity on multi-lane roads.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:20 +0100

Authors: Das A, Abdel-Aty M The study aims at understanding the relationship of geometric and environmental factors with injury related crashes as well as with severe crashes through the development of classification models. The Linear Genetic Programming (LGP) method is used to achieve these objectives. LGP is based on the traditional genetic algorithm, except that it evolves computer programs. The methodology is different from traditional non-parametric methods like classification and regression trees which develop only one model, with fixed criteria, for any given dataset. The LGP on the other hand not only evolves numerous models through the concept of biological evolution, and using the evolutionary operators of crossover and mutation, but also allows the investigator to choose th...

Driving styles among young novice drivers-The contribution of parental driving styles and personal characteristics.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:17 +0100

Authors: Miller G, Taubman-Ben-Ari O As part of the effort to ascertain why young drivers are more at risk for car crashes, attention has recently turned to the effects of family, including the intergenerational transmission of driving styles from parents to offspring. The current study sought to further understanding of the nature and aspects of the family influence with the help of Bowen's family systems theory. In Phase 1 of the prospective study, 130 young driving students completed questionnaires tapping personal and personality measures, and their parents completed driving-related instruments. In Phase 2, a year after the young drivers had obtained their driver's license, they were administered the same questionnaires their parents had previously completed. The results show signi...

A comparative analysis of hotspot identification methods.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:14 +0100

Authors: Montella A The identification of crash hotspots is the first step of the highway safety management process. Errors in hotspot identification may result in the inefficient use of resources for safety improvements and may reduce the global effectiveness of the safety management process. Despite the importance of using effective hotspot identification (HSID) methods, only a few researchers have compared the performance of various methods. In this research, seven commonly applied HSID methods were compared against four robust and informative quantitative evaluation criteria. The following HSID methods were compared: crash frequency (CF), equivalent property damage only (EPDO) crash frequency, crash rate (CR), proportion method (P), empirical Bayes estimate of total-crash frequency...

Quasi-induced exposure: The choice of exposure metrics.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:12 +0100

Authors: Méndez AG, Izquierdo FA The quasi-induced exposure method is widely used to estimate exposure and risks of different groups of drivers and vehicles. Essentially, this method assumes that non-at-fault or passive parties in two-vehicle collisions represent a random sample of the populations on the road. Most previous works have used the whole sample of collisions to estimate exposure. There has been some concern about possible biases in quasi-induced estimates. In this paper, we argue that (1) biases are mainly due to differences in accident avoidance abilities, speeds and injury risks, and (2) because the influence of these three factors on the probability of being non-at-fault is not the same for every crash type, differences may arise among non-at-fault populations, in w...

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Pedestrians, vehicles, and cell phones.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:09 +0100

Authors: Neider MB, McCarley JS, Crowell JA, Kaczmarski H, Kramer AF With cellular phones and portable music players becoming a staple in everyday life, questions have arisen regarding the attentional deficits that might occur when such devices are used while performing other tasks. Here, we used a street-crossing task in an immersive virtual environment to test how this sort of divided attention affects pedestrian behavior when crossing a busy street. Thirty-six participants navigated through a series of unsigned intersections by walking on a manual treadmill in a virtual environment. While crossing, participants were undistracted, engaged in a hands free cell phone conversation, or listening to music on an iPod. Pedestrians were less likely to successfully cross the road when convers...

Safety Performance Indicator for alcohol in road accidents-International comparison, validity and data quality.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:07 +0100

This article describes an alcohol SPI defined as the percentage of fatalities resulting from accidents involving at least one driver impaired by alcohol. The calculation of the alcohol SPI for 26 European countries shows that the SPI varies from 4.4% in Bulgaria to 72.2% in Italy. These results raise the question if the results reflect the real situation or if there is a methodological explanation. To answer this question three different studies were carried out: comparison with other alcohol SPIs, in-depth studies of data quality in seven selected countries, and a study of correlations between the SPI and influencing factors. These studies indicate clearly that there is a need to improve quality of the data used for the alcohol SPI. Most importantly, the total number of drivers involved i...

Work-related versus non-work-related road accidents, developments in the last decade in France.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:04 +0100

Authors: Charbotel B, Martin JL, Chiron M The aim of this research was to analyze the changes that have affected work-related road accidents between 1997 and 2006, using police data. The study focused on drivers aged between 14 and 64 years. The characteristics considered were the age, gender, type of vehicle and occupation of the individuals involved and the location, time and severity of the accident. Two periods were compared, 1997-2000 and 2003-2006. Three types of journey were considered: while at work, commuting (going to and from work), and non-work-related. The percentage of all accidents which were work-related varied little over the decade (10% while at work and 18% while commuting). The accidents that occurred while at work still had the lowest fatality rates (1.4% among wom...

Risk and preventive factors for fatalities in All-terrain Vehicle Accidents in New Zealand.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:01 +0100

Authors: Shulruf B, Balemi A All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) have been used in agriculture for a few decades now. Yet despite their invaluable contribution to the productivity of the agricultural industry they are associated with a large number of accidents, many of which result in a severe or fatal outcome. The main objective of this study was to identify the risk factors for ATV-related fatal injuries in order to support the design of effective interventions. Using data held by the Department of Labour, the current study analysed 355 cases of serious harm accidents associated with ATVs including 45 fatalities. The findings suggest that injuries are more likely to occur when accidents involve any of the following: children under the age of 10; four-wheel drive ATVs; driving downhill; driv...

Under-reporting of maritime accidents.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:18:58 +0100

Authors: Psarros G, Skjong R, Eide MS The majority of current maritime regulations has been developed following a reactive approach, often as ad-hoc response to serious accidents, and are characterised as being prescriptive leaving limited space for adapting equivalent solutions rather those described in the regulations. On the premise of providing a more proactive approach for the proposal or the evaluation of regulations, the Formal Safety Assessment (FSA) has been introduced. In the context of FSA, the analysis of accident data is considered to be very important for providing potential input on developing more balanced, proactive and cost-effective regulations. However, it has been argued that the validity of historical data may be undermined by uncertainties. This paper is aimed at...

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Impact of traffic oscillations on freeway crash occurrences.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:18:55 +0100

This study employs a matched case-control design using high-resolution traffic and crash data from a freeway segment. Traffic conditions prior to each crash were taken as cases, while traffic conditions during the same periods on days without crashes were taken as controls. These were also matched by presence of congestion, geometry and weather. A total of 82 cases and about 80,000 candidate controls were extracted from more than three years of data from 2004 to 2007. Conditional logistic regression models were developed based on the case-control samples. To verify consistency in the results, 20 different sets of controls were randomly extracted from the candidate pool for varying control-case ratios. The results reveal that the standard deviation of speed (thus, oscillations) is a signifi...

Recidivist drink drivers' self-reported reasons for driving whilst unlicensed-A qualitative analysis.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:18:53 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Whilst a range of enforcement countermeasures are needed to deter drunk and unlicensed driving, this study suggests that where possible we aim to keep offenders within the system that consists of formal laws and informal social controls, rather than apply penalties in ways that undermine adherence to the law by increasing unlicensed driving. Allowing for interlock installation early in the driving suspension period, and allowing fines to offset cost of interlock installation and monitoring, may maximise community benefit and reduce unlicensed driving. PMID: 20159089 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Accident; Analysis and Prevention.)

Risk and protection factors in fatal accidents.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:18:50 +0100

Authors: Dupont E, Martensen H, Papadimitriou E, Yannis G This paper aims at addressing the interest and appropriateness of performing accident severity analyses that are limited to fatal accident data. Two methodological issues are specifically discussed, namely the accident-size factors (the number of vehicles in the accident and their level of occupancy) and the comparability of the baseline risk. It is argued that - although these two issues are generally at play in accident severity analyses - their effects on, e.g., the estimation of survival probability, are exacerbated if the analysis is limited to fatal accident data. As a solution, it is recommended to control for these effects by (1) including accident-size indicators in the model, (2) focusing on different sub-groups of roa...

Using a reliability process to reduce uncertainty in predicting crashes at unsignalized intersections.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:18:48 +0100

The objective of this paper is to examine the effect of updating the parameters of the covariates in the fitted NB model using a Bayesian updating reliability method to more accurately predict crash frequencies at 3-legged and 4-legged unsignalized intersections. For this purpose, data from 433 unsignalized intersections in Orange County, Florida were collected and used in the analysis. Four Bayesian-structure models were examined: (1) a non-informative prior with a log-gamma likelihood function, (2) a non-informative prior with an NB likelihood function, (3) an informative prior with an NB likelihood function, and (4) an informative prior with a log-gamma likelihood function. Standard measures of model effectiveness, such as the Akaike information criterion (AIC), mean absolute deviance (...

Risks of visiting snow destinations: An analysis of skiers' views.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:18:45 +0100

This study attempts to bridge this gap through insights into skiers' perceptions of risk, of great relevance to snow industry stakeholders, by identifying factors that influence skiers. The research was conducted in the Spanish Pyrenees, using information gathered from adult members of two ski clubs that regularly visit this snow destination. Skiing risks, accommodation risks and public safety risks were found to have the most important bearing on visitors' risk perceptions. However, actual figures demonstrate that respondents had some difficulties in assessing the typicality of the risk items and tended to misjudge the true level of the risks. PMID: 20159092 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Accident; Analysis and Prevention.)

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Injury thresholds after motor vehicle crash-Important factors for patient triage and vehicle design.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:18:43 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that age and gender must be considered in addition to crash velocity when making triage decisions. Furthermore, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards may need to be modified to address the increased risk of injury among older adults at lower velocities given the increasing number of elderly drivers in the US. PMID: 20159093 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Accident; Analysis and Prevention.)

Development of planning level transportation safety tools using Geographically Weighted Poisson Regression.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:18:40 +0100

Authors: Hadayeghi A, Shalaby AS, Persaud BN A common technique used for the calibration of collision prediction models is the Generalized Linear Modeling (GLM) procedure with the assumption of Negative Binomial or Poisson error distribution. In this technique, fixed coefficients that represent the average relationship between the dependent variable and each explanatory variable are estimated. However, the stationary relationship assumed may hide some important spatial factors of the number of collisions at a particular traffic analysis zone. Consequently, the accuracy of such models for explaining the relationship between the dependent variable and the explanatory variables may be suspected since collision frequency is likely influenced by many spatially defined factors such as land u...

Using the U.S. National Household Travel Survey to estimate the impact of passenger characteristics on young drivers' relative risk of fatal crash involvement.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:18:37 +0100

Authors: Ouimet MC, Simons-Morton BG, Zador PL, Lerner ND, Freedman M, Duncan GD, Wang J Motor vehicle crashes are the main cause of morbidity and mortality in teenagers and young adults in the United States. Driving exposure and passenger presence, which can both vary by driver and passenger characteristics, are known to influence crash risk. Some studies have accounted for driving exposure in calculating young driver fatal crash risk in the presence of passengers, but none have estimated crash risk by driver sex and passenger age and sex. One possible reason for this gap is that data collection on driving exposure often precludes appropriate analyses. The purpose of this study was to examine, per 10 million vehicle trips (VT) and vehicle-miles traveled (VMT), the relative risk of fat...

Aviation occupant survival factors: An empirical study of the SQ006 accident.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:18:35 +0100

We present an empirical study of Singapore Airline (SIA) flight SQ006 to illustrate the critical factors that influence airplane occupant survivability. The Fuzzy Delphi Method was used to identify and rank the survival factors that may reduce injury and fatality in potentially survivable accidents. This is the first attempt by a group from both the public and private sectors in Taiwan to focus on cabin-safety issues related to survival factors. We designed a comprehensive survey based on our discussions with aviation safety experts. We next designed an array of important cabin-safety dimensions and then investigated and selected the critical survival factors for each dimension. Our findings reveal important cabin safety and survivability information that should provide a valuable referenc...

Effects of speed limit variation on judged mean speed of a trip.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:18:32 +0100

Authors: Svenson O, Salo I Three experiments were set up to study how drivers estimate mean travel speeds on trips with different speed limits. To specify, participants judged mean speeds of trips with speed limits on different distances of the trip. Study 1 showed that the mean speed on a road with a temporary 30km/h speed limit was overestimated if the speeds were greater than 80km/h on the rest of the trip. Study 2 replicated and extended the results to problems with more speed combinations. In Study 3 the distances of the speed limits were varied and the results showed that a temporary 30km/h speed restriction gave overestimations of the mean speeds of a trip for all combinations of original and temporary speed limits over all distances. Finally, some psychological issues and appli...

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The impact of traffic violations on the estimated cost of traffic accidents with victims.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:18:30 +0100

Authors: Ayuso M, Guillén M, Alcañiz M We analyse accidents with victims and calculate the influence of traffic violations on the probability of having a serious or fatal accident, compared to a slight accident. Traffic violations related to speed limitations, administrative infringements or faults related to the driver are considered. Data were obtained from all available reports on accidents with victims that occurred in Spain from 2003 to 2005. A multinomial logistic regression model is specified to find the probability that an accident with victims is slight, serious or fatal, given the presence/absence of thirty different types of traffic violations. The average cost per victim and the average number of victims per accident are then used to find the estimated cost of an ...

Predicting motorcyclists' intentions to speed: Effects of selected cognitions from the theory of planned behaviour, self-identity and social identity.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:18:27 +0100

This study sought to identify cognitive predictors of motorcyclists' intentions to speed using a model that comprised selected constructs from the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), supplemented with constructs from identity theory and social identity theory. Participants (N=110) were sampled from motorcycle clubs in Scotland and they completed web-based questionnaire measures of all cognitive variables, operationalized with respect to speeding on both 30mph urban roads and 70mph dual carriageways and motorways. In support of the TPB element of the model, affective attitude and perceived controllability accounted for significant variance in intention to speed on each road type. The identity constructs accounted for additional variance in intentions to speed on 70mph roads. The significant ...

Gender stereotype conformity and age as determinants of preschoolers' injury-risk behaviors.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:18:24 +0100

Authors: Granié MA Unintentional injuries continue to be a serious public-health problem for children and are higher for boys than for girls, from infancy through adulthood. Literature on differential socialization concerning risky behaviors and gender stereotypes suggests that sex differences in unintentional injuries could be explained by children's differential feedback to social pressure, leading to behaviors which conform to masculine and feminine stereotypes. We made the prediction that boys' and girls' conformity with masculine stereotypes influences injury-risk behaviors among preschoolers. Masculinity score, femininity score, and injury-risk behaviors of 170 3-6-year old children (89 boys and 81 girls) were measured indirectly on two scales filled out by their parents. Re...

Comparative optimism among drivers: An intergenerational portrait.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:18:22 +0100

We describe a large cross-sectional study examining comparative optimism (CO) regarding the risk of car crash in three age cohorts (17-26, 27-64, 65 and older). The participants completed a questionnaire in which they were asked to indicate their personal risk of being in an at-fault crash over nine driving related events in comparison to young drivers, mid-aged drivers, and older drivers. The results indicated that all three age groups exhibited CO, but that the level varied according to the age group on which they had to base their comparative judgment. Interestingly, greater CO was constantly observed when the three age groups compared themselves to older drivers. Also, young males exhibited greater CO than female of the same age group. PMID: 20159101 [PubMed - as supplied by publis...

Bias properties of Bayesian statistics in finite mixture of negative binomial regression models in crash data analysis.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:18:19 +0100

This study investigated the bias associated with the Bayesian summary statistics (posterior mean and median) of dispersion parameters in the two-component finite mixture of negative binomial regression models. A simulation study was conducted using various sample sizes under different sample-mean values. Two prior specifications (non-informative and weakly-informative) on the dispersion parameter were also compared. The results showed that the posterior mean using the non-informative prior exhibited a high bias for the dispersion parameter and should be avoided when the dataset contains less than 2,000 observations (even for high sample-mean values). The posterior median showed much better bias properties, particularly at small sample sizes and small sample means. However, as the sample si...

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After-action reviews: A venue for the promotion of safety climate.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:18:17 +0100

This study investigated the role of after-action reviews on perceptions of safety climate at the group and organizational levels. Moderated and mediated regression analyses of data from 67 firefighting crews suggest that after-action review frequency positively influenced both levels of safety climate. Safety-oriented group norms fully mediated the relationship between after-action review frequency and group-level safety climate. Fire-station busyness moderated the relationship between after-action review frequency and organizational-level safety climate, such that the relationship was non-existent for highly busy stations. These findings suggest that after-action reviews constitute a specific venue through which managers can promote safety climate in high-risk environments. PMID: 2015...

Bicycle injury events among older adults in Northern Sweden: A 10-year population based study.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:18:14 +0100

This study analyzes the injury mechanisms, injuries, and consequences among bicyclists 65 years or older and compare with younger bicyclists (</=64) and older adults as passenger car drivers, to give a basis for an injury preventive discussion for this age group. Umeå University Hospital's primary catchments area had 142,000 inhabitants in 2006. Nearly all injured road users in the well-defined geographic area are treated at this hospital and a 10-year data set (N=456) of injured bicyclists aged 65+ from the hospital's continuous injury registration (1997-2006) was analyzed. The results show that the annual injury incidence was 2.4 and 2.2 per 1000 men and women, respectively, aged 65 or older. For men the incidence rate was constant in the three age groups 65-74, 75-84 and 85+, wh...

Killer crashes: Fatal road traffic accidents in the UK.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:18:11 +0100

Authors: Clarke DD, Ward P, Bartle C, Truman W Road traffic accidents are responsible for over 3000 deaths per year in the UK, according to Department for Transport (2004a) figures. Although progress is being made in a number of areas, vehicle occupant fatalities have not been falling in line with casualty reduction targets for the year 2010. A sample of 1185 fatal vehicle occupant cases was considered, from ten UK police forces, from the years 1994-2005 inclusive. The main findings were: (1) over 65% of the accidents examined involved driving at excessive speed, a driver in excess of the legal alcohol limit, or the failure to wear a seat belt by a fatality, or some combination of these. (2) Young drivers have the great majority of their accidents by losing control on bends or curves, ...

Driver seat belt use indicates decreased risk for child passengers in a motor vehicle crash.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:18:09 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Driver seat belt use is associated with decreased risk of ED evaluation for child passengers in the event of a MVC. PMID: 20159106 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Accident; Analysis and Prevention.)