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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Occupational Safety and Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 9408

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Dr. David Lucas

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Guest Editor

ORPHY Laboratory (EA 4324), Université de Brest-Bretagne Occidentale, F-29200 Brest, France
Interests: occupational health; maritime health; epidemiology; occupational toxicology; cardiovascular diseases; occupational respiratory diseases

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Epidemiology is one of the pillars in occupational health research. In this Special Issue, we encourage papers on methodology in occupational epidemiology, studies from low-income countries and emergent topics such as migrant workers and transport workers’ health (especially maritime workers). Studies with longitudinal follow-up, systematic reviews with meta-analysis, and protocols of systematic reviews are welcomed. We intend to make editorial decisions that will reflect the soundness of papers and impact on legal and prevention policies, risk, and health prevention. We will accept manuscripts from different disciplines including global health, epidemiology, toxicology, and health disparities, including but not limited to disparities in access to healthcare, exposure assessment, intervention studies, risk, and health impact assessment. This Special Issue calls for original contributions exploring the following topics: occupational epidemiology, occupational toxicology, maritime workers, methodology in occupational epidemiology, risk assessment, low-income countries, and emergent risks.

Dr. David Lucas
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

occupational epidemiology
occupational toxicology
maritime workers
methodology in occupational epidemiology
risk assessment
low-income countries
emergent risks

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1198 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Incidence and Duration of Sick Leave Due to Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in the Accommodation and Food Services Activities Sector in Slovenia: A Nationwide 5-Year Observational Study

by Dorjana Zerbo Šporin, Žiga Kozinc, Ticijana Prijon and Nejc Šarabon

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3133; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph20043133 - 10 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1199

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze Slovenian data on sick leave (SL) due to the most common work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among workers in sector I “accommodation and food services activities” from the NACE Rev2 classification. Methods: We investigated both SL incidence (i.e., number of cases) and disease severity (i.e., average SL duration) by body site, gender, age and divisions within the sector. In addition, trends in SL data (difference between 2015 and 2019) were analyzed. The effect of age group, gender and division was also assessed with relative risk (RR). RESULTS: Female gender was associated with higher risk of MSDs in young (RR = 1.91 (1.53–2.43)) and older (RR = 2.24 (1.90–2.65)) subgroups. Older age was associated with greater SL incidence and longer SL duration, regardless of gender and division within sector I. This was also reflected in relative risk calculations between older and younger groups (females: RR = 4.43; CI = 3.75–5.01; p < 0.001; males: RR = 3.71; CI = 2.89–4.77; p < 0.001). Low back disorders were the most frequent cause for SL, while lower limb disorders tended to cause the longest average SL. The SL durations were similar across divisions within the sector, while the incidence rate tended to be higher in the “accommodation” than the “food and beverage services” division. Conclusions: Special attention needs to be paid to reducing the risk of low back disorders, which are by far the most common cause of SL, and lower limb disorders, which cause the longest SL. We recommend the implementation of countermeasures that focus on early detection and rapid treatment/recovery of MSDs in older workers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology of Occupational Health)

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9 pages, 321 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Port Workers’ Use of Medical Services in a Maritime Container Terminal in Costa Rica

by Alejandro Martínez and Olaf C. Jensen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1124; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph20021124 - 08 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1737

Abstract

Supervised by three or four medical doctors and one nurse in rotating shifts, the medical clinic in Costa Rica’s Moín Container Terminal is open 24/7 for visits from port workers. In our study, we aimed to identify the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of a consecutive series of patients who attended the medical clinic for outpatient services during an 8-month period. Our descriptive study involved collecting patient records from the medical clinic during the first 8 months of 2021 (i.e., 1 January–31 August 2021), during which 3050 visits from 1301 port workers were registered. Terminal tractor drivers, crane operators, and stevedores were the most frequent job categories among the patients. Doping (i.e., ICD-10 Z03.6) was observed in 64% of the visits. The top ICD-10 codes among all other patients not observed to have engaged in doping (n = 469) were diseases of the musculoskeletal system (7.2%) and abnormal clinical and laboratory symptoms (6.2%). Problems with the musculoskeletal system were primarily back pain (36.0%), muscle contracture (30.1%), and secondary headache (25.2%). Two-thirds of the visits were due to screening for alcohol and drugs or doping; however, inconsistency in the coding system complicates the analysis of data, and a dropdown menu in the registration is therefore needed to prevent errors. Relative risk calculations are impossible due to a lack of data about the at-risk population but should be pursued under different circumstances in future studies. In the support chain of goods, the medical clinic in the port plays a key role in saving time in shipping, which means that the injured or sick employees in most cases can continue working. For the shipping industry, quick un- and offloading is very important to stay competitive in the market for transport. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology of Occupational Health)

10 pages, 854 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hearing Impairment in French Merchant Seafarers: Retrospective Study on Data from 8308 Audiometric Tests

by David Lucas, Thierry Sauvage, Anne Sophie Forestier, Richard Pougnet, Greta Gourier, Brice Loddé and Dominique Jégaden

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(14), 8796; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19148796 - 20 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1230

Abstract

Background: A high level of occupational noise exposure has been noted in the fishing sector. Yet, less is known regarding other navigation groups, such as merchant seafarers, since a French study in the 1980s. This study assesses hearing impairment (HI) in a French merchant seafarers’ population. Methods: We collected data of all audiograms performed in 2018 and 2019 for French merchant seafarers. For each seafarer, hearing ability was measured in both ears using pure-tone audiometry at the following frequencies: 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 kHz. Hearing threshold levels (HTLs), or the intensity of sound below which no sound is detected, were measured in decibels Sound Pressure Level (dB SPL) at each frequency and recorded in 5 dB increments. For HI, we used the validated definition of the American Speech–Language–Hearing Association (ASHA). Results: We were able to include statistical analysis results of 8308 audiograms. In a multiple logistic regression adjusted for age, experience, and class of navigation, we found that experience of more than 14 years Odds Ratio OR 1.28 (CI 95% 1.07–1.53), age 31–40 OR 2.2 (CI 95% 1.4–3.4), and >40 years OR 14, 3 (IC 95% 9.7–21) and marine engineers OR 1.26 (IC 95% 1.01–1.57) were still risk factors for HI. Conclusion: In 2018, Marine engineers were still the workers’ group with a higher risk of HI in merchant seafarers but, notch at 4 Hz, specific of noise-induced hearing loss, has improved. They have an HI close to the definition of socioacousis and mean deficit differences with deck and services’ merchant seafarers improved. Our results could be interpreted as a limitation of occupational noise exposure impact in a merchant seafarers’ population, needing an improvement in prevention measures and also encouraged to continue to improve onboard working conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology of Occupational Health)

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12 pages, 370 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Occupational Branch and Labor Market Marginalization among Young Employees with Adult Onset of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder—A Population-Based Matched Cohort Study

by Katalin Gémes, Emma Björkenstam, Syed Rahman, Klas Gustafsson, Heidi Taipale, Antti Tanskanen, Lisa Ekselius, Ellenor Mittendorfer-Rutz and Magnus Helgesson

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(12), 7254; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19127254 - 14 Jun 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1693

Abstract

We compared labor market marginalization (LMM), conceptualized as days of unemployment, sickness absence and disability pension, across occupational branches (manufacturing, construction, trade, finance, health and social care, and education), among young employees with or without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and examined whether sociodemographic and health-related factors explain these associations. All Swedish residents aged 19–29 years and employed between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2011 were eligible. Individuals with a first ADHD diagnosis (n = 6030) were matched with ten controls and followed for five years. Zero-inflated negative binomial regression was used to model days of LMM with adjustments for sociodemographic and health-related factors. In total, 20% of those with ADHD and 59% of those without had no days of LMM during the follow-up. The median of those with LMM days with and without ADHD was 312 and 98 days. Having an ADHD diagnosis was associated with a higher incidence of LMM days (incident rate ratios (IRRs) 2.7–3.1) with no differences across occupational branches. Adjustments for sociodemographic and health-related factors explained most of the differences (IRRs: 1.4–1.7). In conclusion, young, employed adults with ADHD had a higher incidence of LMM days than those without, but there were no substantial differences between branches, even after adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related factors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology of Occupational Health)

10 pages, 335 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Bullying and Sexual and Racial Harassment in Healthcare Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study in Italy

by Giuseppe La Torre, Alberto Firenze, Corrado Colaprico, Eleonora Ricci, Luciano Pio Di Gioia, Dorotea Serò, Giuseppe Perri, Manuela Soncin, Dario Cremonesi, Nadia De Camillis, Sara Guidolin, Giulia Evangelista, Mattia Marte, Nicola Giovanni Fedele, Simone De Sio, Alice Mannocci, Sabina Sernia and Silvio Brusaferro

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(11), 6938; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19116938 - 06 Jun 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2785

Abstract

Background: This cross-sectional study aims to evaluate the prevalence and socio-demographic factors associated with workplace bullying, sexual harassment and racial harassment among Italian health workers. Methods: We recruited 3129 participants using an online Italian translation of the ‘Workplace Violence in the Health Sector Country Case Studies Research Instruments Survey’ (WVHS) questionnaire. Data were analyzed with univariate (chi-square) and multivariate (multiple logistic regression) analysis. Results: Univariate analysis shows that females are significantly more affected by bullying (16.4% vs. 12.3%) and sexual harassment (2.4% vs. 1.3%). On the other hand, males are significantly more affected by racial harassment (3.1% vs. 2.0%). Multivariate analysis shows higher odds of being affected by bullying (OR = 1.30; 95% CI (1.03, 1.64)) and sexual harassment (OR = 2.08; 95% CI (1.04, 4.00)) for females, and higher odds of undergoing racial harassment (OR = 1.55; 95% CI (0.95, 2.53)) for males. Conclusion: This analysis of work situations looks to identify those risk factors, existing or potential, that increase the probability of episodes of violence. A group of work or other subjects identified by direction will have to evaluate the vulnerability of workplaces and establish more effective preventive actions to be adopted. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology of Occupational Health)

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