Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Commons^™

Truck Driver Dies When Tractor-Trailer Leaves The Road And Plunges Into A Creek-Bed, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

In the early morning hours of a fall day, exact time unknown and the length of time driving unknown, a 28-year-old male truck driver was driving north on an interstate transporting 30,000 lbs. of blue plastic injection molding pellets. The truck driver exited the highway behind a guardrail and traveled 1,320 feet, striking a wire fence and several trees before plummeting into a creek bed, shearing the cab open. At 10:27 a.m., a citizen called in to the fire department to report a mysterious blue substance observed in the creek a couple of miles down from the accident. The fire …

Rapid Differentiation Between Livestock-Associated And Livestock-Independent Staphylococcus Aureus Cc398 Clades, Marc Stegger, Cindy M. Liu, Jesper Larsen, Katerina Soldanova, Maliha Aziz, Tania Contente-Cuomo, Andreas Petersen, Stien Vandendriessche, Judy N. Jiménez, Caterina Mammina, Alex Van Belkum, Saara Salmenlinna, Frederic Laurent, Robert L. Skov, Anders R. Larsen, Paal S. Andersen, Lance B. Price

Environmental and Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Staphylococcus aureus clonal complex 398 (CC398) isolates cluster into two distinct phylogenetic clades based on single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) revealing a basal human clade and a more derived livestock clade. The scn and tet(M) genes are strongly associated with the human and the livestock clade, respectively, due to loss and acquisition of mobile genetic elements. We present canonical single-nucleotide polymorphism (canSNP) assays that differentiate the two major host-associated S. aureus CC398 clades and a duplex PCR assay for detection of scn and tet(M). The canSNP assays correctly placed 88 S. aureusCC398 isolates from a reference collection into …

Arborists Die After Falling, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Falls

To Prevent Arborists Injuries:

• Never allow an aerial lift to be used as a crane or material lifting device.
• All trees and limbs should be inspected for structural weakness such as rot, before work starts.
• Arborists should wear appropriate personal protective equipment while performing tree trimming activities.

Special Factors for Aerial Lifts:

• Do not exceed the boom and basket load limits specified by the manufacturer.
• When working from an aerial lift, use a body harness that is properly attached.

Construction Workers' Crystalline Silica Exposure: Statistical Analysis Of A Literature-Based Database, Jean-François Sauvé, Charles Beaudry, Denis Bégin, Chantal Dion, Michel Gérin, Jérôme Lavoué

Rapports de recherche scientifique

L’exposition prolongée par inhalation à des poussières de taille respirable contenant de la silice cristalline est reconnue pour causer des maladies respiratoires, dont le cancer du poumon et la silicose. De nombreuses études ont relevé la surexposition des travailleurs de la construction à la silice cristalline, puisque ce composé est présent dans de nombreux matériaux utilisés sur les chantiers. L’évaluation de l’exposition à la silice cristalline dans cette industrie constitue un défi en raison de la multitude de conditions de travail et de la nature temporaire des chantiers.

Dans le but d’améliorer les connaissances sur les conditions de travail pouvant …

How Could, Should, And Would Physicians Use Facebook With Patients, Joy Peluchette, Katherine Karl, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

After reviewing the benefits and risks of social media, we examine online discussion boards to determine the thoughts of physicians and patients regarding the use of Facebook to communicate with one another about health-related issues. Of the 290 comments analyzed, we found 42 percent were opposed to physicians using Facebook. Additionally, most (51.7 were opposed to physicians being Facebook “friends” with patients. Most opponents expressed concerns about privacy and the need to maintain professional boundaries in the physician-patient relationship. We provide suggestions for how healthcare administrators can effectively manage their social media presence and provide assistance to physicians.

Situational Awareness: Reframing Within Fire Service Culture, Martha Dow, Len Garis, Larry Thomas

Publications and Research

There is increasing attention being paid to better understanding and consequently decreasing the incidence of on-the-job injuries and deaths within the fire service across North America. Heightening situational awareness is being explored as the most critical factor in maintaining the safety of participants in high risk, low frequency events. Situational awareness is generally defined as “understanding the current environment and being able to accurately anticipate future problems to enable effective action”. Situational awareness is cited as a critical factor in most research exploring safety in fire suppression activities and in many cases the “No. 1 factor identified by firefighters filing …

White Paper On Pcbs In The Built Environment, Andre Barton Ashley Jr., Cheryl Marcham, Et Al.

Publications

Dr. Marcham was part of the 9-member team that wrote this paper. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of man-made chemicals associated with a potential risk to human health and the environment. They were used in many building materials, particularly caulking, grout, expansion joint material and paint, from approximately 1950 to 1978. Both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) have published extensive material evaluating human health impacts from exposure to PCBs. The apparent public health risks, including developmental effects in children, reproductive effects and long-term risks for cancer development, have …

Mesures De Santé Et De Sécurité Du Travail Dans Les Petites Entreprises Montréalaises Embauchant Une Main-D’Œuvre Immigrante : Les Stratégies Favorables À La Prise En Charge, Sylvie Gravel, Gabrielle Legendre, Jacques Rhéaume, Gilles Séguin, Charles Gagné

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Cette étude portant sur les stratégies favorables à la prise en charge des mesures de santé et de sécurité du travail (SST) dans les petites entreprises montréalaises embauchant une main-d’œuvre immigrante est née des préoccupations des professionnels en santé au travail (SAT) du Centre de santé et de services sociaux (CSSS) de la Montagne, principal partenaire de ce projet. Dans les sociétés qui misent sur l’embauche des travailleurs immigrants pour combler leurs besoins de main-d’œuvre, la gestion des pratiques SST en contexte de diversité ethnoculturelle devient un sujet incontournable. De ces préoccupations ont émergé les questions suivantes : quels sont …

Epidemiology Of Esophageal Cancer, Yuwei Zhang

Environmental and Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Esophageal cancer (EsC) is one of the least studied and deadliest cancers worldwide because of its extremely aggressive nature and poor survival rate. It ranks sixth among all cancers in mortality. In retrospective studies of EsC, smoking, hot tea drinking, red meat consumption, poor oral health, low intake of fresh fruit and vegetables, and low socioeconomic status have been associated with a higher risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Barrett’s esophagus is clearly recognized as a risk factor for EsC, and dysplasia remains the only factor useful for identifying patients at increased risk, for the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma in …

Overcoming Shortage Of Pharmacists To Provide Pharmaceutical Services In Public Health Centers In Indonesia, Yuyun Yuniar, Max Joseph Herman

Kesmas

Indonesia masih menghadapi keterbatasan jumlah apoteker di puskesmas, sehingga pihak pemerintah daerah dan puskesmas harus berupaya mengatasi permasalahan tersebut. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menggambarkan ketersediaan dan distribusi tenaga pelayanan kefarmasian di puskesmas serta permasalahan dan alternatif pemecahannya. Data diambil dari hasil Riset Fasilitas Kesehatan (Rifaskes) tahun 2011I. Data kuantitatif tentang tenaga pelayanan kefarmasian di puskesmas dianalisis secara deskriptif berdasarkan regional. Data kualitatif sebagai pendukung diperoleh melalui wawancara mendalam dengan bagian kepegawaian dinas kesehatan dan apoteker empat puskesmas di Kota Bogor dan Bekasi, 3 kemudian dianalisis dengan metode analisis tema. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa Sulawesi memiliki persentase puskesmas dengan tenaga apoteker …

Développement D'Un Modèle De Gestion Graduée Du Risque Pour Le Choix De La Protection Respiratoire Contre Les Bioaérosols, Jacques Lavoie, Eve Neesham-Grenon, Maximilien Debia, Yves Cloutier, Geneviève Marchand

Rapports de recherche scientifique

La sélection d’un appareil de protection respiratoire contre les bioaérosols peut s’avérer une tâche complexe compte tenu de l’absence de valeurs limites d’exposition et de données toxicologiques, ainsi que des limites des techniques d’échantillonnage actuelles et de la grande diversité des bioaérosols. Dans ces circonstances, une méthode qualitative d’évaluation et de gestion du risque fournit une alternative aux méthodes quantitatives utilisées en hygiène du travail. Ce rapport propose un modèle de gestion graduée du risque pour le choix de la protection respiratoire contre les bioaérosols infectieux et non infectieux applicable à l’ensemble des milieux de travail et s’adressant aux hygiénistes …

Allostatic Load Amplifies The Effect Of Blood Lead Levels On Elevated Blood Pressure Among Middle-Aged U.S. Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study, Ami R. Zota, Edmond R. Shenassa, Rachel Morello-Frosch

Environmental and Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Background

Scientists and regulators have sought to understand whether and how physiologic dysregulation due to chronic stress exposure may enhance vulnerability to the adverse health effects of toxicant exposures. We conducted a cross-sectional study to determine whether allostatic load (AL), a composite measure of physiologic response to chronic exposure to stress, amplifies the effect of lead exposure on blood pressure among middle-aged adults.

Methods

We analyzed associations between blood lead levels and blood pressure in a nationally representative sample of 8,194 U.S. adults (aged 40-65 years) participating in the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey, 1999--2008. Outcomes were elevated systolic …

Interaction Between Human Resources Management And Ohs: Preparing Future Managers, Sylvie Gravel, Monique Lortie, Henriette Bilodeau, Jessica Dubé

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Plusieurs disciplines, dont l’ergonomie, la médecine, la toxicologie, l’andragogie et bien d’autres, ont contribué à l’avancement des connaissances en santé et sécurité au travail (SST). Malgré les avancées scientifiques, un défi demeure, celui de développer les habiletés des gestionnaires et de sensibiliser ces derniers à leur rôle dans la prise en charge des mesures correctrices et préventives en matière de santé et de sécurité. Une équipe de professeurs de l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) a proposé de relever ce défi en constituant une banque d’études de cas destinée à l’enseignement aux futurs gestionnaires. Les cas ont été élaborés à …

Livestock-Associated Methicillin And Multidrug Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Is Present Among Industrial, Not Antibiotic-Free Livestock Operation Workers In North Carolina, Jessica L. Rinsky, Maya Nadimpalli, Steve Wing, Devon Hall, Dothula Baron, Lance B. Price, Jesper Larsen, Marc Stegger, Jill Stewart, Christopher D. Heaney

Environmental and Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Objectives

Administration of antibiotics to food animals may select for drug-resistant pathogens of clinical significance, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In the United States, studies have examined prevalence of MRSA carriage among individuals exposed to livestock, but prevalence of multidrug-resistant S. aureus (MDRSA) carriage and the association with livestock raised with versus without antibiotic selective pressure remains unclear. We aimed to examine prevalence, antibiotic susceptibility, and molecular characteristics of S. aureus among industrial livestock operation (ILO) and antibiotic-free livestock operation (AFLO) workers and household members in North Carolina.

Methods

Participants in this cross-sectional study were interviewed and provided a …

Factory Laborer Dies When A Car Driven By Coworker Crashes Into Him In Parking Lot, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

On a summer day, a 29-year-old male manufacturing laborer was outside under a small metal stairway in the loading dock area of the manufacturing plant during his lunch break. Another employee entered her car in the employee parking lot to leave on her lunch break. Her car unexpectedly malfunctioned when in reverse, sped backward, and crashed into the stairway under which the worker was taking a break. The collision pushed the metal stairway along the wall of the factory, crushing the worker between the building and the passenger side of the car. Emergency medical services arrived and transported the worker …

The Effect Of The Sphere Standards On The Incidence Of Communicable And Infectious Diseases In A Complex Humanitarian Emergency, Masashi Rotte

Master of Public Health Capstone Presentations

The purpose of this study was to determine what effect achieving the Sphere Standards relating to water and sanitation had on the incidence of communicable diseases in a returnee camp in South Sudan during a complex humanitarian emergency. The water and sanitation infrastructure of the returnee camp was tracked over time until it met the Sphere Standards. The total camp population was also tracked over the same period of time and compared to daily counts of diseases diagnosed in a medical clinic at the camp. A daily incidence of disease was then calculated for each communicable disease that was tracked. …

Day Care Monitor Dies After Crash Of 15-Passenger Van, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

In the late afternoon of a spring day, a day care van operator and a monitor loaded 16 children into a 15-passenger van. Carrying a total of 18 passengers in the 15-passenger van, the operator and the monitor proceeded to transport the children to their homes. After dropping off two children at their residences, the van was traveling 46-50 mph in the left hand lane headed east in a 35 mph zone on a non-divided four-lane state road. As the van approached a side street on the right, the right rear tire blew out and the van veered sharply to …

Les Effets Additifs Potentiels Associés À Des Expositions Aiguës Par Inhalation De Mélanges De Substances Chimiques : Outil D’Aide À La Gestion Des Situations D’Urgence, Jonathan Côté, François Lemay, Adolf Vyskocil, Marc Baril, Daniel Drolet, Naima El Majidi, France Gagnon, Claude Viau

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Lors de déversements accidentels de substances chimiques dans l’environnement, que ce soit dans le cas d’incidents routiers ou ferroviaires (transport de matières dangereuses), ou encore d’accidents industriels, des travailleurs, des secouristes, des pompiers et même la population générale peuvent être exposés simultanément, sur de courtes périodes, à d’importantes concentrations de plusieurs substances chimiques. Dans de telles situations, une exposition simultanée à plusieurs substances peut induire des risques plus importants pour un travailleur que s’il est exposé successivement à chacun de ces polluants considérés individuellement. Il est donc important, comme le stipulent l’ American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) et …

Impacts Biomécaniques Et Ergonomiques De La Manutention Chez Les Travailleurs Obèses, Philippe Corbeil, André Plamondon, Normand Teasdale, Grant Handrigan, Jasmin Ten Have, Nancy Manzerolle

Rapports de recherche scientifique

L’obésité est un problème émergent qui a des répercussions en santé et en sécurité du travail (SST). La prévalence de blessures musculo-squelettiques chez les individus obèses et les coûts indirects (non médicaux) sont plus élevés que ceux des travailleurs ayant un poids santé. Sachant qu’une hausse soutenue du taux d’obésité chez les travailleurs est observée au Canada, il est important de s’intéresser à la problématique de l’obésité liée au travail. Les risques de blessures au dos survenues au travail sont très élevés et la profession la plus touchée est celle de manutentionnaire. On connait peu l’effet de l’obésité sur les …

Development Of A Method Of Measuring Nanoparticles Penetration Through Protective Glove Materials Under Conditions Simulating Workplace Use, Patricia Dolez, Ludwig Vinches, Gérald Perron, Toan Vu-Khanh, Philippe Plamondon, Gilles L'Espérance, Kevin Wilkinson, Yves Cloutier, Chantal Dion, Ginette Truchon

Rapports de recherche scientifique

En raison de la croissance exponentielle des applications industrielles des nanotechnologies et de l'augmentation associée des risques d'exposition professionnelle aux nanomatériaux, le principe de précaution a été recommandé. Afin de le mettre en œuvre et même s'ils ne doivent être considérés qu'en dernier recours dans la stratégie de maîtrise des risques, des équipements de protection individuelle contre les nanoparticules doivent être disponibles. Dans le but de combler le manque actuel en termes d'outils et de connaissances dans ce domaine, une méthode de mesure de la pénétration des nanoparticules à travers les matériaux de gants de protection dans des conditions simulant …