Journal of Occupational Health

OBJECTIVES: Surgeons are exposed to high levels of physical stress while working in the operating room. In industry, so-called exoskeletons are used to support the back and shoulder area. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and effects of an upper body exoskeleton on postoperative physical complaints of surgeons. METHODS: Surgeons from a university hospital in the fields of orthopaedics, trauma- and visceral surgery performed two operations of the same type and planned length on two different days...

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to analyze the subchronic toxicity and tissue distribution of indium after the intratracheal administration of indium-tin oxide nanoparticles (ITO NPs) to the lungs of rats. METHODS: Male Wistar rats were administered a single intratracheal dose of 10 or 20 mg In/kg body weight (BW) of ITO NPs. The control rats received only an intratracheal dose of distilled water. A subset of rats was periodically euthanized throughout the study from 1 to 20 weeks after administration...

Globally, occupational workers suffer various health impacts due to extreme heat. In this short review, we examined the literature discussing health impacts of heat on occupational workers, and then discussed certain individual and institutional measures needed to address the problem. Though the available literature in the recent decade discusses health impacts of heat on workers as various heat-related illnesses, we found very few studies examining how occupational workers suffer from issues concerning cardiovascular health, neurological health, respiratory health, and mental health...

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the association between sex and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) based on employment status. METHODS: This was a population-based cross-sectional study. Data were collected from 1,996,153 adults aged ≥ 19 years who participated in the Korea Community Health Survey from 2011 to 2019. Low HRQoL was classified based on separate cutoff points (males: 0.92, females: 0.90) on the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions index...

OBJECTIVES: Manual rolling of heavy objects remains in the workplace. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the UK recommends load weights of <400 kg in the rolling task. However, the association of rolling weights <400 kg with work-related low back pain (LBP) has not been sufficiently investigated. This study examined the effect of rolling loads weighing <400 kg on LBP among Japanese workers. METHODS: A web-based survey gathered information from 15,158 workers in 2022...

OBJECTIVES: To determine the extent of career-long and 12-month exposure to sexual, physical and psychological/verbal violence committed by patients or their companions among physical therapists in Spain. Additionally, to identify the factors associated with such exposure. METHODS: This study employed an observational cross-sectional approach. Initially, a questionnaire was developed and validated using a convenience sample. Subsequently, it was distributed via e-mail to all physical therapists registered in Spain in the first quarter of 2022...

OBJECTIVES: Low back pain (LBP) among caregivers in Japanese nursing homes has long been considered an occupational health issue. This study aims to verify the reliability and validity of our developed Japanese version of the Movement and Assistance for Hospitalized Patients (J-MAPO) index, a risk assessment tool for LBP, in nursing homes. METHODS: Two inspectors assessed 15 nursing homes using J-MAPO, and deduced three LBP risk levels as follows: low, moderate, and high risk...

OBJECTIVES: Work from home (WFH) can increase sleep disturbances. However, only few studies have examined the connection between WFH and sleep disturbance while considering work-family conflict (WFC) and the changes brought about by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed to examine the association between WFH and sleep disturbance, considering WFC, and assessed how this association changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We used data from the fifth and sixth Korean Working Conditions Survey...

OBJECTIVE: Construction workers are significantly vulnerable to musculoskeletal disorders, yet the number of studies conducted in developing nations-where these workers significantly contribute to the economy-remains insufficient. This study aims at exploring the interaction between physical and psychosocial exposure to the onset of neck pain or symptoms amongst construction workers in a developing country. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional study design, a total of 235 respondents from various construction projects participated in this study...

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to validate the psychosocial characteristics and work-related challenges faced by workers exhibiting symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and to clarify the factors that exacerbate abdominal symptoms or hinder work productivity by focusing on IBS-related cognitive-behavioral factors and job-related stressors. METHODS: An online survey was conducted from October 5 to October 20, 2023, among workers in Japan aged 20-49 years with more than 30 hours of work per week, excluding managers and the self-employed...

OBJECTIVES: In Japan, the most common injury requiring sick leave is a fall in the workplace; therefore, it is very important to prevent falls. Most measures to prevent falls involve aspects of the workplace environment and safety. However, few measures consider the perspective of individual health. We investigated the relationship between psychiatric disorders and falls in the workplace and whether treatment status for a psychiatric disorder is associated with workplace falls. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study among workers aged 20 years or older in Japan from February 28 to March 3, 2022...

OBJECTIVE: a hierarchical cluster analysis for the cardboard manufacturing industry was developed with the aim of identifying similarities between workstations in terms of musculoskeletal stress factors and their impact on workers' bodies. METHODS: The hierarchical clustering analysis was conducted using data from 44 workstations, which included six body part divisions and 51 stress factors as variables with 36 answer options. Firstly, the content of the dataset was defined...

OBJECTIVES: Several health issues are associated with irregular sleep patterns. However, it is unclear what causes workers to sleep irregularly. The work interval (WI) between the end of one day's working hours and the start of the next day's working hours contains sleep opportunities, and an irregular WI may result in irregular sleep. This study investigated this association among Japanese daytime workers. METHODS: This study recruited 141 daytime workers without shiftwork for a 14-day observational study...

OBJECTIVES: assess the stress level, the impact of stress factors and discrepancies among 4th and 5th year undergraduate clinical students at the University of Jordan. METHODS: a cross-sectional study conducted in the academic year 2022/2023. The study group included 4th and 5th years dental students in University of Jordan (n= 382) who were asked to voluntarily fill in an online Dental environment stress (DES) questionnaire. Analysis conducted using Mann Whitney U, independent t-test, Chi Square test, and Spearman's Rho rank correlations...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to present a systematic review of the health-related problems of factory workers in the textile and fashion industry. These workers are exposed to endure long sitting postures, poor workspace conditions and working long hours to complete the overload tasks. A situation that results in several health problems that affect the productivity, mental and well-being of the workers. METHODS: The relevant data (twenty-one article publications) was obtained from the Scopus database...

INTRODUCTION: Stay at home orders during the COVID-19 global pandemic created unprecedented challenges for workers whose work was transferred to the home setting. Little is presently known about the benefits and the challenges associated with global remote work on wellbeing and mental health, work-life balance, job satisfaction, productivity, home office adaptability, and gender equality. METHODS: A scoping review of PubMed/Medline was undertaken in October 2021 to better understand these broad dimensions associated with remote worker health, wellbeing, and the home office workspace...

BACKGROUND: Since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (FDNPP) accident in 2011, measures were taken to address occupational health risk, such as heat illness and infectious diseases, and ensuring fitness for duty with the Tokyo Electric Power Company and its contractors. However, with the decommissioning operations to span several decades and an aging workforce, there arose a need for proactive occupational health strategies that not only addressed these risks but also promoted employee health and created a comfortable work environment...

OBJECTIVES: Our study measured the relation of exposure to technology advancement toward work engagement adjusted with personal and workplace factors. METHODS: A nation-wide online survey longitudinal study was done in Japan. Sample was stratified to meet actual condition of Japanese workforce. Work engagement was measured with Japanese version Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9. Exposure to technology advancement was measured using a single question with Likert scale response...

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the relationship between physical activity (PA) and locomotive syndrome (LS) among young and middle-aged Japanese workers. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 335 participants from a company in Kumamoto, Japan. LS was evaluated using the 25-question Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale (GLFS-25); a GLFS-25 score ≥7 was defined as LS. Weekly PA was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire...

OBJECTIVE: Corporate health programs (CHPs) aim to improve employees' health through health promotion strategies at the workplace. Physical activity (PA) plays a crucial role in primary prevention, leading many companies to implement PA-based CHPs. However, there is limited examination in the scientific literature on whether physical-activity-based corporate health programs (PA-CHPs) lead to economic benefits. This systematic review aims to summarize the available literature on the economic aspects of PA-CHPs...