Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Commons^™

Dr. Who?: The Science And Culture Of Medical Wear Design, Patricia Duignan

Theses and Dissertations

The multi-million-dollar medical uniform industry has not utilized advancements in garment and textile technology that could positively impact the protection of healthcare professionals and patients. In most cases the uniforms meet basic requirements – they clothe the professional in a recognizable way. Little innovation in design, function and performance, has been applied to these garments. This is particularly evident in the case of the stereotypical white lab coat worn by many physicians, despite evidence indicating that these lab coats may carry contamination and play a role in the spread of deadly bacteria. Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) are among the most …

Physical Fitness Characteristics Of An Active Firefighter Population Serving An Urban Area, Michael R. Antolini

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Firefighters require a high level of physical fitness in order to meet the demands of their profession. While physical fitness testing is required to join the department, firefighters are not subject to further formal exercise testing throughout the duration of their careers. Active, career firefighters were tested on a variety of physical fitness measures related to body composition, strength, power, and endurance over three testing sessions. 49 firefighters (40.5 ± 8.3 yr, 89.5 ± 13.0 kg, 27.8 ± 3.6 kg/m2) were found to have a resting heart rate of 57.7 ± 8.2 bpm, blood pressure of 121.5 ± 11.9/71.5 ± …

Injury Prevention With Physical Therapy, Karen Kott, Margaret F. Lemaster

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

(First paragraph) Ergonomics is the study of human performance (positioning and movement) and workplace design, such as equipment, ambience, and placement. The purpose of ergonomics is to maximize productivity by increasing safety, improving work quality, reducing operator fatigue and discomfort, and decreasing the risk of work -related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).^1-3

Management Commitment In Occupational Safety And Health As It Relates To Federal Agency Programs, John Sterling Crumbley

Online Theses and Dissertations

By asking the question "in what areas of 29 CFR 1960 are Federal Agency Program leaders deficient with regard to committing to their OSH programs;" this research project explored the commitment issue(s) Federal Agency Leaders encounter while administering their OSH programs. Since the inception of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and their revelation that management commitment is critical to OSH program success, senior leadership has struggled exercising this concept. Many safety professionals, such as those cited in the Literature Review of this study have also examined this issue. However, while many articles and peer-reviewed journals indicate there is …

A Comparative Study Between Army Civilian Workforce And Private Industry Workforce Workers' Compensation Claims Management, Melanie Claire Hart

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study compares the Department of the Army, Civilian Worker's Compensation Program to the Private Industry Workforce Worker's Compensation Program. Quantitative research is implemented throughout the study and will compare the cost of workers compensation (WC) claims between the Army and Private Industry. Ultimately, the study will analyze the following items; (a) the Army's current WC program and case management procedures, (b) the description of a gold standard private industry WC program and case management procedures, and (c) a comparison of the costs and outcomes of both programs.

Specific research and methodology included an investigation of the Army and Private …

Compliance Of Scba Training In The Lexington Fire Department, Jordan Peter Saas

Online Theses and Dissertations

From 2010 through 2013, an average of 90 firefighters died in the line of duty each year (USFA, 2014). Firefighters who are off-duty continue to die as well, however, it is extremely difficult to determine whether their deaths are a result of on-duty-related exposures or not. Medical and field research has consistently found associations between smoke inhalation and acute and chronic illnesses that highlight the dangers of on-duty exposure to smoke. This study investigates the early removal of the SCBA by firefighters in one fire department while operating at fire incidents. The findings indicate that firefighters are mostly aware of …

An Examination Of The Day Of Week And Sampling On Injury Occurrence, Michael D. Turner

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study hoped to answer two questions: first, when trying to determine on what days of the week saw an increase in reported injuries within the central region of XYZ Distribution, could a small, random sample be pulled from the region, and proved to be statistically similar to the region as a whole, allowing it to be studied with accuracy; and two, was there a significant difference in the number of injuries when comparing days of the week that could allow the company to focus their resources in an attempt to lower incident rates? In order to answer those questions, …

The Simple Truths Of Safety At Sea For Alaskan Tender Vessels: Feasible Regulatory Changes To Prevent Vessel Casualties In The 17th Coast Guard District Tender Fleet, Olivia Jacobs

CMC Senior Theses

Tender vessels in the United States will soon need to comply with new safety regulations as mandated by the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010. This thesis focuses specifically on assisting in the formation of an Alternative Safety Compliance Program (ASCP) for the unique tender vessel fleet and seeks to understand why tender vessels experience fatalities and vessel casualties. By analyzing data of tendermen fatalities and tender vessel casualties between 2000 and 2012, the report sheds light on the realities of these incidents. Among other findings, the data show that the most common cause of vessel casualty was striking rocks …

Paternal Occupational Pesticide Exposure And Neural Tube Defects In The National Birth Defects Prevention Study, Stacy Marie Pettigrew

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

ABSTRACT

Exposure Assessment And Risk Management Of Engineered Nanoparticles : Investigation In Semiconductor Wafer Processing, Michele Shepard

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are currently used in hundreds of commercial products and industrial processes, with more applications being investigated. Nanomaterials have unique properties that differ from bulk materials. While these properties may enable technological advancements, the potential risks of ENMs to people and the environment are not yet fully understood. Certain low solubility nanoparticles are more toxic than their bulk material, such that existing occupational exposure limits may not be sufficiently protective for workers. Risk assessments are currently challenging due to gaps in data on the numerous emerging materials and applications as well as method uncertainties and limitations.

Predictors Of Attrition Among Participants In A Worksite Wellness Program, Yvonne A. Johnston

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Objectives: The purpose of this secondary data analysis was to examine "stage of change" as a predictor of attrition among participants in a worksite wellness program. A Conceptual Model of Attrition was developed to examine health screening, health risk appraisal (HRA), and demographic predictors of attrition as well.

21st-Century U.S. Safety Professional Educational Standards: Establishing Minimum Baccalaureate Graduate Learning Outcomes For Emerging Occupational Health And Safety Professionals, Wayne Edward Hartz

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

How can the public be assured of competency in those professing to protect its occupational health and safety (OSH)? Currently, in the U.S. there are 193 higher education OSH programs, 186 with baccalaureate degrees with over 55 different degree titles. This research seeks to define minimum OSH baccalaureate graduate core competencies across all programs by asking: What would employers look for in a portfolio to demonstrate competence in a new OSH graduate? Professional members of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) participated as subject matter experts in an anonymous online survey to provide framing data. The ASSE Educational Standards …

An Investigation Into Dust, Gases And Vapours Expulsed During The Oxidation Of Pyritic Black Shale, And Their Potential For Impacting On Employee Health, Tristan Lynn

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Pyritic black shale (PBS) is occasionally extracted as a waste product of iron ore mining in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Mineralogical studies such as Brocks, Summons, Buick, and Logan (2003) of the PBS located at Mount Tom Price Operations have established that PBS can contain elevated concentrations of pyrite, carbon, bitumens, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The natural oxidative weathering of PBS can cause exothermic reactions leading to the shale reaching temperatures that cause the expulsion of toxic gases such as hydrogen sulphide, sulphur dioxide, methane and carbon monoxide.

Current management of the potential hazards of …

Roofer Dies After Gust Of Wind Knocks Him And A Co-Worker Off Roof, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Falls

Around 11:00 a.m. on a windy fall day, a 73-year-old roofer and a roofing coworker arrived at the commercial construction site to roof a newly constructed building. The two roofers climbed an extension ladder to access the roof to determine where they were going to place their anchors to tie off. While reviewing the backside of the commercial structure, a gust of wind around 33 m.p.h. made the two roofers lose their balance and fall from the roof. The 73-year-old roofer landed first and the second roofer landed on top of him. Both men fell 15 feet and 6 inches …

Emission Of Nanoparticles During Friction Stir Welding (Fsw) Of Aluminium Alloys, João F. Gomes

João F Gomes

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Metal Transfer Modes And Shielding Gas Composition On The Emission Of Ultrafine Particles In Mag Steel Welding, João F. Gomes

João F Gomes

No abstract provided.

The Epidemic Of Extended-Spectrum-Β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia Coli St131 Is Driven By A Single Highly Pathogenic Subclone, H30-Rx, Lance B. Price, James R. Johnson, Maliha Aziz, Connie Clabots, Brian Johnston, Veronika Tchesnokova, Lora Nordstrom, Maria Billig, Sujay Chattopadhyay, Marc Stegger, Paal S. Andersen, Talima Pearson, Kim Riddell, Peggy Rogers, Delia Scholes, Barbara Kahl, Paul Keim, Evgeni V. Sokurenko

Environmental and Occupational Health Faculty Publications

The Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (ST131) clone is notorious for extraintestinal infections, fluoroquinolone resistance, and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production, attributable to a CTX-M-15-encoding mobile element. Here, we applied pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole-genome sequencing to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the ST131 clone. PFGE-based cluster analyses suggested that both fluoroquinolone resistance and ESBL production had been acquired by multiple ST131 sublineages through independent genetic events. In contrast, the more robust whole-genome-sequence-based phylogenomic analysis revealed that fluoroquinolone resistance was confined almost entirely to a single, rapidly expanding ST131 subclone, designated H30-R. Strikingly, 91% of the CTX-M-15-producing isolates also …

Work Stress Reactivity And Health Outcomes: A Study Of Nurses, Laurie Marie Jacobs

Dissertations and Theses

Negative events encountered in daily life influence individual well-being. Individuals vary in their reactivity to these events, the extent to which they are behaviorally, physiologically, and psychologically influenced by them (Almeida, 2005; Neupert, Almeida, & Charles, 2007). Reactivity to events in the form of changes in health behavior could represent either an attempt at coping (Cooper, Frone, Russell, & Mudar, 1995) or a stressor-related failure of self-control (Muraven & Baumeister, 2000). Such changes in behavior could have later effects on health.

Although a great deal of attention has been paid to both the immediate and long-term effects of stressors on …

Molecular Epidemiology Of Escherichia Coli Sequence Type 131 And Its H30 And H30-Rx Subclones Among Extended-Spectrum-Β-Lactamase-Positive And -Negative E. Coli Clinical Isolates From The Chicago Region, 2007 To 2010, Ritu Banerjee, Ari Robicsek, Michael A. Kusikowski, Stephen Porter, Brian D. Johnston, Evgeni Sokurenko, Veronika Tchesnokova, Lance B. Price, James R. Johnson

Environmental and Occupational Health Faculty Publications

We assessed Escherichia coli ST131 and its H30 and H30-Rx subclones for virulence genes, antimicrobial resistance, and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) type. Although both subclones were associated with ESBL production, H30-Rx isolates had higher resistance scores and were associated specifically with CTX-M-15. Three virulence genes (iha, sat, and iutA) were more prevalent among H30 than non-H30 ST131 isolates. Thus, the H30 and H30-Rx subclones are more antimicrobial resistant and have virulence profiles that are distinct from those of non-H30 ST131 isolates.

Trends In Work-Related Injury Rates And The Associated Incurred Costs In Long-Term Care Centers, Darcie Lange Olson

Theses and Dissertations

Background. Nursing assistants, working in long-term care facilities, have consistently been among the top occupational groups experiencing work-related musculoskeletal injuries. These injuries have been attributed the physical demands of lifting and moving the individuals in their care. Great strides in research have identified successful risk reduction strategies such as the implementation safe patient handling and mobility programs. The benefits of these programs have been advocated over the last two decades, but the rate of injuries among nursing assistants continues to be more than double the national average for all other industries. The purpose of this study was to investigate the …