Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Commons^™

Structural Remodeling Of The Lumbar Multifidus, Thoracolumbar Fascia And Lateral Abdominal Wall Perimuscular Connective Tissues: A Search For Its Potential Determinants, Christian Larivière, Sharon M. Henry, Richard Preuss

Études primaires

Recently remodeling of lumbar soft tissues has received increased research attention. However, the major determinants that influence remodeling need to be elucidated in order to understand the impact of different rehabilitation modalities on tissue remodeling. The main aim of this study was to explore the between-subject variance of different measures of lumbar soft tissues quantified with rehabilitative ultrasound imaging (RUSI). RUSI measures (n = 8) were collected from 30 subjects without and 34 patients with LBP: (1) lumbar multifidus (LM) echogenicity (fatty infiltration/fibrosis) at three vertebral levels (L3/L4, L4/L5 and L5/S1) (n = 3); (2) posterior layer thickness …

Structural Remodeling Of The Lumbar Multifidus, Thoracolumbar Fascia And Lateral Abdominal Wall Perimuscular Connective Tissues: Medium-Term Test-Retest Reliability Of Ultrasound Measures, Christian Larivière, Dany H. Gagnon, Richard Preuss

Études primaires

Abstract

Introduction

Growing interest is being paid to the lumbar multifidus (LM) intramuscular fatty infiltrations and fibrosis that are secondary to low back pain as well to the remodeling of perimuscular connective tissues (fasciae) such as the thoracolumbar fascia and fascia sheets separating the abdominalwall muscles. Magnetic resonanceimaging and computed tomography have traditionally been used but rehabilitative ultrasound imaging (RUSI) is much more affordable and practical, which can accelerate research and clinical applications on this topic. The aim of this study was to test the medium-term (8 weeks) test-retest reliability of the corresponding RUSI measures.

Methods

Thirty-four participants …

Combined Influence Of Transfer Distance, Pace, Handled Mass And Box Height On Spine Loading And Posture, Xavier Robert-Lachaine, Philippe Corbeil, Antoine Muller, Jasmin Vallée-Marcotte, Hakim Mecheri, Denys Denis, André Plamondon

Études primaires

Work-related low back disorders are commonly associated with handling tasks. The objective of this study was to determine the combined influence of distance, pace, handled mass and height, on back loading and posture during free box transfer. Kinematics and kinetics of 17 handlers were recorded during a box transfer task between two pallets. Four-way repeated measures ANOVA were conducted on four lift-deposit height conditions (from lift and deposit of 0.16 or 1.16 m), three distances between pallets (1.5, 1.0 and 0.5 m), two handled masses (10 and 20 kg) and two paces (free and faster). The interaction between distance and …

Quantification Of Bacterial Shedding From The Respiratory Tract Of Health Care Workers Wearing Paprs And Other Types Of Air-Purifying Respirators On Sterile Conditions In A Simulated Operating Rooms (Ors), Segun Olanrewaju Ajewole

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The role of powered air- purifying respirators (PAPRs) in healthcare settings during infectious diseases outbreaks and highly contagious pathogens (e.g., SARS, HINI, Ebola, COVID etc.) has attracted much interest based on the level of respiratory protection they provide and their many positive user features. A common practice among healthcare workers to minimize airborne contaminant exposure has been to use surgical masks or N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs). Surgical masks have been shown to offer minimal respiratory protection and while N95 FFRs offer better respiratory protection, they are not comfortable to use for a prolonged period. With current PAPR designs, exhaled …

Aerosol Sampling Strategy: Effect Of Particle Transfer To Sampler Covers And Estimation Of Conversion Factors Between The United States And German Methods For Quartz Sampling, Godwin Akpevwe Erekaife

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT

AEROSOL SAMPLING STRATEGY: Effect of Particle Transfer to Sampler Covers and Estimation of Conversion Factors between the United States and German Methods for Quartz sampling

GODWIN A. EREKAIFE

In many countries, communities of experts, including industrial hygienists, have developed unique sampling strategies to determine workers’ exposure to aerosolized particles (e.g., metals, wood dust etc.). However, using different sampling and analytical methods for the same chemical often results in different exposure levels for a similar exposure group (SEG). The exposure discrepancies among different countries that are caused by using different measurement strategies are not always systematically defined. Therefore, this study …

An In-Depth Exploration Of Hospital-Based Physical And Occupational Therapists’ Needs, Perceptions And Participation In A Safe Patient Handling And Mobility Program, Kimeran W. Evans

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction - Patient mobility performed in the hospital setting places healthcare workers at high risk for WMSDs. The healthcare industry has responded through the creation of SPHM programs that are successful in reducing work-related injuries broadly. However, less is known about the distinct experiences of rehabilitation professionals. Therefore, an in depth exploration of the perceptions, participation, and needs pertaining to lift equipment usage among rehabilitation professionals was performed.

Methods – A qualitative case study approach explored this bounded system. Six focus groups were conducted with 25 members of the rehabilitation team and three interviews were conducted with key administrative personnel. …

In Vitro And In Vivo Toxicological Evaluation Of Emissions From The Fused Filament Fabrication Three-Dimensional Printing, Mariana T. Farcas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fused filament fabrication (FFF), a three-dimensional (3-D) printing process, is an emerging technology that has recently gained wide popularity among both consumers and manufacturers. As filament is heated to above its glass transition temperature in a 3-D printer, a portion may undergo thermal decompostion, which releases ultrafine particles (UFP) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with potential adverse respiratory health effects are released into the air. This study's central hypotheses is that emissions generated during 3-D printing are toxic and exposure to these emissions induces pulmonary and systemic adverse health effects. Considering that currently, limited understanding is available on the health …

Worker Health Inequities In Central America, Carlos Eduardo Siqueira

Gastón Institute Publications

No abstract provided.

Toward A More Perma(Nent) Conceptualization Of Worker Well-Being? A Cross-Cultural Study Of The Workplace Perma Profiler, William P. Jimenez, Xiaoxiao Hu, Rebecca Garden, Xiaofei Xie

Psychology Faculty Publications

We examined the factor structure of the recently developed worker well-being measure the Workplace PERMA Profiler and relationships between PERMA dimensions (i.e., positive emotions, engagement, positive relationships, meaning, accomplishment) and job performance (viz., task performance, organizational citizenship behaviors benefiting individuals and the organization at large). The measure exhibited metric (i.e., weak) invariance across samples of participants from the U.S. (N = 284) and China (N = 420). Additionally, for participants who responded to both the Workplace PERMA Profiler and the performance measures, there was a general pattern of positive PERMA–performance relationships across both …

An Investigation Into Employee Exposure To Environmental Tobacco Smoke Within Designated Smoking Areas In The Hospitality Industry, With An Analysis Of Legislative Compliance Of Said Designated Smoking Areas, Hannah Byrne

Masters

Background: Occupational exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is still occurring in the hospitality industry and the instance of non-compliant smoking areas required investigation. A designated smoking area covered by a roof where more than 50% of the perimeter of that part is surrounded by one or more walls is deemed a non-compliant smoking area. This study aimed to gather evidence of non-compliances across Dublin, determine current employee exposure whilst also measuring PM2.5 concentrations within smoking areas as well as providing insight into possible immediate health effects of ETS exposure.

Methods: Seventy-five smoking areas (41 located in high, 27 in …

Conceptualization Of College Students' Covid-19 Related Mask-Wearing Behaviors Using The Multi-Theory Model Of Health Behavior Change, Robert E. Davis, Manoj Sharma, Kayla E. Simon, Amanda H. Wilkerson

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Recommendations and policies, regarding the use of face coverings, have been instituted to control transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Understanding of psychosocial factors related to the use of face coverings within the context of COVID-19 is needed. This study aimed to conceptualize mask-wearing behavior among students using the Multi-theory Model (MTM) of behavior change.

Methods: In October 2020, students (n = 595) enrolled in a large public southeastern US university were recruited to participate in a cross-sectional survey, using a valid and reliable instrument. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate techniques described mask-wearing behavior and differentiated theoretical drivers of mask-wearing …

How Effective Is The Filtration Of ‘Kn95’ Filtering Facepiece Respirators During The Covid-19 Pandemic?, Clothilde Brochot, Mohamed Nejib Saidi, Ali Bahloul

Études primaires

Objectives

The high demand of filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) worldwide during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a critical situation for decision-makers regarding their supply. After authorizing the use of FFRs certified by other regions of the world, decision-makers in many countries have published alerts, particularly concerning the ‘KN95’ type.

Methods

This paper investigated the filtration performance of different FFRs using an experimental setup already employed during several studies on FFRs filtration performance. Its high-resolution measuring devices permit to determine filtration performance according to the normative criteria: the pressure drop and the filtration efficiency. Eight different FFRs …

Numerical Investigation Of The Earplug Contribution To The Low-Frequency Objective Occlusion Effect Induced By Bone-Conducted Stimulation, Kevin Carillo, Olivier Doutres, Franck Sgard

Études primaires

The use of earplugs is commonly associated with an increased perception of the bone-conducted part of one's own physiological noise. This phenomenon is referred to as occlusion effect and is most prominent at low frequencies. Several factors influence the occlusion effect, such as the ear anatomy; the bone-conducted stimulation; and the type of occlusion device and its fit, insertion depth, and material properties. The latter factor is of great interest to potentially reduce the occlusion effect of passive earplugs. This paper investigates the mechanism(s) of contribution of earplugs to the objective occlusion effect. A two-dimensional axi-symmetric finite element model of …

New Taxonomy For Assessing Manual Material Handlers’ Footstep Patterns, Jasmin Vallée-Marcotte, Antoine Muller, Xavier Robert-Lachaine, Véronique Fecteau, Denys Denis, André Plamondon, Philippe Corbeil

Études primaires

Current taxonomies for assessing foot strategies in manual material handling lack exhaustive classification of foot movements and foot positioning. They also fail to consider different instants of the task as checkpoints to relate foot strategies. The goal of the study was first to develop a new taxonomy to assess foot positions and motions considering those limitations. The second goal was to assess reliability and reproducibility using raw agreement percentages, Cohen's kappa, prevalence-adjusted, bias-adjusted kappa and Gwet's AC1. A filmed task consisted of transferring boxes from one pallet to another. Intra- and inter-rater reliability were assessed reviewing 23% and 10%, respectively, …

Simulation Of The Objective Occlusion Effect Induced By Bone-Conducted Stimulation Using A Three-Dimensional Finite-Element Model Of A Human Head, Huiyang Xu, Franck Sgard, Kévin Carillo, Éric Wagnac, Jacques De Guise

Études primaires

The occlusion effect (OE) refers to the phenomenon that more bone-conducted physiological sounds are transmitted into the earcanal when it is blocked and may cause discomfort on users of hearing protection devices. Models have been proposed to study the OE as they can help understand the physical mechanisms and can be used to evaluate the individual contribution on the OE of the factors that may affect it (i.e., occlusion device, ear anatomy, and stimulation). The existing finite element models developed to study the OE are limited by their truncated ear geometries. In order to progress in the understanding of the …

Assessing The Comfort Of Earplugs: Development And Validation Of The French Version Of The Coprod Questionnaire, Jonathan Terroir, Nellie Perrin, Pascal Wild, Olivier Doutres, Franck Sgard, Chantal Gauvin, Alessia Negrini

Études primaires

Earplugs are a common form of protection for workers exposed to hazardous noise levels. Their comfort directly impacts the effective protection by influencing their consistent and correct use. Nevertheless, comfort definition may vary according to the studies. Thus, a previous review of the literature has shown that to improve our understanding of perceived comfort and to reduce measurement variability, it is advisable to consider comfort through a multidimensional construct (physical, acoustical, functional and psychological). On this basis, the COPROD (COnfort des PROtections auDitives/COmfort of hearing PROtection Devices) questionnaire was developed. It is intended for people working in noisy environments. Nine …

Combined Puncture And Cutting Of Soft-Coated Fabrics By A Pointed Blade: Energy, Force, And Stress Failure Criteria, Ennouri Triki, Chantal Gauvin

Études primaires

Soft elastomer-coated fabrics are widely used in engineering and protective applications. Puncture cutting by sharp-tipped objects is one of the most common failure modes of protective gloves made of coated fabrics. In order to investigate the puncture-cutting process of soft elastomer-coated fabrics, we studied the mechanisms and mechanics of pointed-blade insertion into specimens cut out from four protective gloves. Experimental and analytical analyses showed that total energy and critical puncture-cutting force calculated analytically are both able to predict the puncture-cutting resistance of soft elastomer-coated fabrics measured experimentally. Total energy is obtained from the relationship between the puncture-cutting work and the …

Development And Characterization Of An Adaptable Aerosolized Methylene Diphenyl Diisocyanate Generation System, Simon Aubin, Loïc Wingert, Sébastien Gagné, Livain Breau, Jacques Lesage

Études primaires

Reactive semivolatile contaminants, such as isocyanates, can be particularly difficult to assess in occupational environments. While standard methods exist for isocyanates, there are still significant differences between the results they provide for various occupational environments or processes. This study presents the validation of a laboratory system for the generation of controlled atmospheres of isocyanates. A system consisting of different modules generated airborne methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) by nebulizing a solution into mixing and exposure chambers with control of flow rate, temperature, and relative humidity. Sampling was performed through an eight-port flow splitter that allowed only very slight within-test variability. MDI …

Effect Of Hearing And Head Protection On The Localization Of Tonal And Broadband Reverse Alarms, Chantal Laroche, Christian Giguère, Véronique Vaillancourt, Claudia Marleau, Marie-France Cadieux, Karina Laprise-Girard, Emily Gula, Véronique Carroll, Manuelle Bibeau, Hugues Nélisse

Études primaires

Objective

This study explored the effects of hearing protection devices (HPDs) and head protection on the ability of normal-hearing individuals to localize reverse alarms in background noise.

Background

Among factors potentially contributing to accidents involving heavy vehicles, reverse alarms can be difficult to localize in space, leading to errors in identifying the source of danger. Previous studies have shown that traditional tonal alarms are more difficult to localize than broadband alarms. In addition, HPDs and safety helmets may further impair localization.

Method

Standing in the middle of an array of eight loudspeakers, participants with and without HPDs (passive and level-dependent) …

Safety In The Quebec Construction Industry: An Overview Of And Possible Improvements In Hazardous Energy Control Using Lockout On Construction Sites By Electricians, Pipefitters, Refrigeration Mechanics And Construction Millwrights, Damien Burlet-Vienney, Yuvin Chinniah, Ayoub Nokra, Abdallah Ben Mosbah

Études primaires

Lack of proper energy control on construction sites leads to numerous worker fatalities every year. Energy control refers to the concept of lockout and other methods used in particular in North America. The aim of this exploratory research project was to achieve a better understanding of energy control practices in the Quebec construction industry for four trades: electricians, pipefitters, refrigeration mechanics and construction millwrights. For each trade, 10 or so semistructured interviews were conducted by means of an open-ended questionnaire, developed with reference to the current provincial regulatory requirements. The 95 experiences described by the 38 participants were compiled by …

Professional Fishing Industry Fatality, Incident And Injury Data Project, Greg Penney, Bill Byrne, Marcus Cattani

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Analysis of occupational injuries and fatalities within the wild-catch Australian Commercial Fishing Industry (ACFI) is complicated by fishing crew (masters, deckhands etc) classification as workers being dependent upon the applicable occupational health and safety, and worker’s compensation legislation of the relevant State or Territory. While fishing vessels are considered a workplace consistently across all State’s and Territories Work Health and Safety (WHS) / Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) jurisdiction’s legislation, the people who work on them may not be deemed to be workers or employees as per state and territory workers compensation legislation. The exclusion of fishing crew as workers …

Mental Health Disorders Among Rohigya Refugees In Malaysia, Kushilpal Kaur Satwant Singh

Student Works (2020-2029)

Mental health disorders among refugees has been recognized as a major public health issue. However, to date, there is limited evidence on the prevalence of Mental health disorders among Rohingya refugees residing in transit countries such as Malaysia. This study aimed to examine the prevalence and associated factors of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Rohingya refugees in Malaysia. Adult Rohingya refugees residing in Selangor (n= 220) were randomly selected to participate in this cross-sectional study that was conducted from June to November 2019. Perceived social support, religious orientation, and food security …