Personal protective equipment Research Papers (original) (raw)

Infection as a consequence of splash sharps and needlestick injuries (SSNIs) is a hazard faced by healthcare workers. Little is known about the impact this has on quality of life particularly in countries where the risk of infection is high. This study aims to describe the impact SSNIs have on the quality of life of healthcare workers in Kenya, where blood borne illness prevalence is high. A hospital-wide survey of a facility in Nairobi was conducted. Data was collected online from at risk healthcare workers using Burckhardt and Anderson's Quality of Life Scale (QOLS) and a 10-item symptoms questionnaire. Of the 416 participants, 192 (46.2%) had experienced SSNIs. Their mean QOLS scores were considerably lower than that predicted for a healthy population. The relationship between symptoms and QOLS scores showed a strong positive correlation (Pearson's r = 0.753). Tests of association between QOLS scores and SSNI type, anti-retroviral (ARV) drug use, educational level and sta...

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- Mechanical Engineering, Psychology, Quality of life, Kenya

Introduction: Excessive noise is an important health hazard at the present time. It can lead to auditory and extra-auditory effects which affect the welfare of individuals and groups exposed. We carried out this study to understand the prevalance of Noise Induced Hearing-Loss (NIHL) in workers of an automobile manufacturing unit in Karachi, Pakistan.
Method: The study consisted of the following:
1. Determination of noise levels during different stages of work.
2. A questionnaire regarding subjective hearing loss of the workers; as well as their knowledge, attitude and behavior regarding excessive noise.
3. Tympanometry and Audiometry.
4. Health and safety survey.
Two hundred and seventy two workers participated in the study and out of them 206 underwent audiometric evaluation.
Results: The basic demographic, professional data and smoking habits of 272 workers participating in the study is as follows: 34.92% of workers belong to 41-50 years of age, 58.8% belong to Mohajir ethnic group, 19.1% were smoker/ex-smokers, 62% earned less than Rs 10,000/month, 87.5% received education for 0-10 years and 40% had work experience of 0-10 years. The majority of the workers were exposed to noise level higher than the safe limit of 85 dBA.
According to the WHO criteria [1] 61% of the workers were suffering from hearing loss. Those who were suffering from hearing loss were further evaluated according to Cole's criteria for NIHL [2]. Of the total number of workers who underwent audiometry 25% fulfilled the Coles' criteria [2] for NIHL. The age, duration of exposure and severity of exposure were important determinants of NIHL. The workers had insufficient knowledge regarding prevention of NIHL. The personal protective equipments were used inadequately. There was no clinical follow up or monitoring of hearing among the workers.
Conclusion: There is an urgent need for the government to take practical steps for making a policy and implement it so that occupational hearing loss can be prevented.

- by Madridge Journals
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- Age, NIHL, Personal protective equipment, Audiometry

Quantification of amines in biological samples is important for evaluating occupational exposure to diisocyanates. In this study, we describe the quantification of 1,6-hexamethylene diamine (HDA) levels in hydrolyzed plasma of 46 spray painters applying 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI)-containing paint in vehicle repair shops collected during repeated visits to their workplace and their relationship with dermal and inhalation exposure to HDI monomer. HDA was detected in 76% of plasma samples, as heptafluorobutyryl derivatives, and the range of HDA concentrations was £0.02-0.92 mg l 21 . After log-transformation of the data, the correlation between plasma HDA levels and HDI inhalation exposure measured on the same workday was low (N 5 108, r 5 0.22, P 5 0.026) compared with the correlation between plasma HDA levels and inhalation exposure occurring 20to60daysbeforebloodcollection(N529,r50.57,P50.0014).ThecorrelationbetweenplasmaHDAlevelsandHDIdermalexposuremeasuredonthesameworkday,althoughstatisticallysignificant,waslow(N5108,r50.22,P50.040)whilethecorrelationbetweenHDAanddermalexposureoccurring20 to 60 days before blood collection (N 5 29, r 5 0.57, P 5 0.0014). The correlation between plasma HDA levels and HDI dermal exposure measured on the same workday, although statistically significant, was low (N 5 108, r 5 0.22, P 5 0.040) while the correlation between HDA and dermal exposure occurring 20to60daysbeforebloodcollection(N529,r50.57,P50.0014).ThecorrelationbetweenplasmaHDAlevelsandHDIdermalexposuremeasuredonthesameworkday,althoughstatisticallysignificant,waslow(N5108,r50.22,P50.040)whilethecorrelationbetweenHDAanddermalexposureoccurring20 to 60 days before blood collection was slightly improved (N 5 29, r 5 0.36, P 5 0.053). We evaluated various workplace factors and controls (i.e. location, personal protective equipment use and paint booth type) as modifiers of plasma HDA levels. Workers using a downdraft-ventilated booth had significantly lower plasma HDA levels relative to semi-downdraft and crossdraft booth types (P 5 0.0108); this trend was comparable to HDI inhalation and dermal exposure levels stratified by booth type. These findings indicate that HDA concentration in hydrolyzed plasma may be used as a biomarker of cumulative inhalation and dermal exposure to HDI and for investigating the effectiveness of exposure controls in the workplace.

- by Leena Nylander-French and +2
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- Environmental Monitoring, Linear models, Automobiles, Exposure Assessment

Background Personal protective equipment (PPE) is readily available and widely recommended, yet usage among agricultural workers is largely unknown. Methods A mail survey of 2,483 farmers in six Midwestern states with telephone followup addressed PPE usage related to sun exposure, noise abatement, chain saw usage, welding and metal work, handling of large animals in and out of confinement facilities, feed handling, manure storage facilities, and mixing and applying chemicals. Summary statistics of survey responses were compiled. Results With the exception of welding masks, PPE usage was low. Farmers were satisfied with availability of PPE through local hardware and farm cooperatives, but the decision to use PPE was personal and influenced little by outside parties. Conclusion PPE usage rates by farmers on Midwestern farms need to be increased. The desire of the individual farmer to reduce risk of personal injury or exposure should be targeted. The most effective venue will be local agricultural extension services.

- by Thomas Kern
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- Ergonomics, Occupational Health, Risk assessment, Noise

This paper discusses the occupational health and safety truths and myths surrounding polymeric and shotcreting materials. The testing that has been done to identify the level of risk associated with these coatings is described. A new, innovative ground support system uses rapidly deployable polymeric spray-on membranes, which coat the rock surface to replace the need for mesh and/or bolts. The early research work under the direction of the Mining Industry Research Organization of Canada (MIROC) examined the occupational health, safety and environmental issues of various polymeric membranes. This work was augmented with underground and laboratory testing of two polymeric products, MineguardTM and Rockguard IITM, under the direction of INCO's Mine Research Department. In addition, research was conducted at INCO Limited, Ontario Division mines, to investigate newly suspected health risks associated with fine dust and other products from dry shotcreting applications. The research has indicated that the application of both spray-on liner materials present potential health risks to an applicator. But, with the use of appropriate personal protective equipment, these materials can be used in a safe manner such that worker health is not endangered. Furthermore, the resulting applied thin coating does not pose a fire hazard risk to the underground workers.

Objective: To identify and describe the array of factors that influence a workers' decision to wear personal protective eyewear (PPE) and the barriers that exist in preventing their use. Design, setting and participants: A series of focus groups enrolled workers and supervisors primarily from manufacturing, construction, or service/retail industries that had potential exposure to eye injury hazards in their job tasks. Focus group sessions were facilitated to collect qualitative and quantitative data in two categories, "sought information" and "emergent themes", related to the factors influencing use of PPE. Results: We conducted a series of 7 groups with 51 participants, 36 (71%) males and 15 (29%) females ranging in age from 19 to 64 years old, from a variety of occupations including construction (24%), production (22%), installation, repair and maintenance (14%), and healthcare (10%). Most were highly experienced in their occupation (>10 years); males (86%) and females (53%), and had received some safety training in the past (82%). The majority of workers in this study were required to wear PPE on their worksite (78%), however only 55% had a dedicated safety officer. A conceptual model that summarizes the "sought information" and "emergent themes" is presented that depicts the decision making process for the factors influencing use of PPE and consists of three primary branches; perceptions of hazards and risks, "barriers" to PPE usage, and enforcement and reinforcement. Lack of comfort/fit, and fogging and scratching of the eyewear were suggested as the most important barriers to PPE usage. Younger age and lack of safety training were other important factors affecting use of PPE. Conclusions: Several potentially modifiable factors identified would lead to an increase in workers' PPE use and encourage supervisors to provide ongoing positive feedback on the continuous use of PPE by workers at risk for an eye injury.

- by David A Lombardi
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- Psychology, Health Behavior, Epidemiology, Occupational Health

Small-scale mining in developing countries is generally labour-intensive and carried out with low levels of mechanization. In the Mererani area in the northern part of Tanzania, there are about 15000 underground miners who are constantly subjected to a poor working environment. Gemstones are found at depths down to 500 m. The objectives of this pilot study were to monitor the exposure to dust during work processes, which are typical of small-scale mining in developing countries, and to make a rough estimation of whether there is a risk of chronic pulmonary diseases for the workers.

- by M. Bratveit
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- Environmental Monitoring, Mining, Tanzania, Work Environment

The Environment Agency was the Government agency that dealed with waste management, one of the health problems in workers was helminths infection, illness caused by an infection of Worms Soil Transmitted Helminth (STH). The most important of these worms were roundworms (worm Ascaris lumbricoides), hookworms (Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus) and whip worms (Trichuris trichiura). Helminths infection occured in people who often did not use Personal Protective Equipment (APD) while working in the trash and accompanied by personal hygiene which was not good. This research aimed to know the relation of habitual use of personal protective equipment and personal hygiene with occurrence of helminths infection on garbage workers in the city of Yogyakarta. This research was observational studies analytic with delightful cross sectional. The sampling of this research was (non random sampling) by approach purposive sampling. Samples in this research were 44 officers trash. Data collection by means of interviews applied structured questionnaire and microscopic examination of a litter for feces officers helminths infection to identify the incident of illness. The data analysis applied the fisher’s exact test. The result show, no significant relation existed between the habit of the use of a Personal Protective Equipment (APD) with an occurrence of helminths infection (p = 0,289). A significant relation existed between personal hygiene with an occurrence of helminth infection (p = 0.015). For the conclusion, There was no relation between personal protective equipment with the infection and there was significant relation between helminths infection and hygiene with personal hygiene and helminth infection at the garbage in Yogyakarta city.
Keywords: Personal protective equipment, Personal hygiene, Helminths infection

- by Surahma Mulasari
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- Personal Hygiene, Personal protective equipment
- by Maja Ganczak
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- Surgery, Treatment, Hospital Infection, Medicine

Methods: This paper presents a review of the current scientific knowledge with respect to the efficacy of personal protective equipment in preventing the transmission of respiratory infections. The effectiveness of infection control polices and procedures used in clinical practice is examined. Results: Literature searches were conducted in several databases for articles published in the last 15 years that related to

- by Bruce Gamage
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- Health Care, Clinical Practice, Occupational health and safety, Infection Control

Objectives To report frontline healthcare workers’ (HCWs) experiences with personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. To understand HCWs’ fears and concerns surrounding PPE, their experiences following its guidance and how these affected their perceived ability to deliver care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A rapid qualitative appraisal study combining three sources of data: semi-structured in-depth telephone interviews with frontline HCWs (n=46), media reports (n=39 newspaper articles and 145,000 social media posts) and government PPE policies (n=25). Participants Interview participants were HCWs purposively sampled from critical care, emergency and respiratory departments as well as redeployed HCWs from primary, secondary and tertiary care centres across the UK. Results A major concern was running out of PPE, putting HCWs and patients at risk of infection. Following national-level guidance was often not feasible when there were shortages, le...

- by nora djellouli
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- Primary Health Care, Qualitative methodology, Health Care, Qualitative Research
- by Sandra Bibb
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- Nursing, Evidence Based Medicine, Evidence Based Practice, Content Analysis

This is an exploratory, descriptive study based on a convenience sample from a rural nursing service and in-country area farmers from The Gambia. The pur-pose of the study was to provide descriptive information about agricultural-related injury and illness from area farmers and to obtain data from rural nurses about the time they spent caring for and treating farmers. Employees of the nursing service could read and write English fluently and thus completed a written questionnaire; the area farmers were unable to read and write English so they were interviewed by farm extension workers in their own tribal language. The most alarming findings were the nursing respondents’ report of farm workers using pesticides in their homes, the poor condition of pesticide sprayers, and the lack of personal protective equipment. Despite their claim of following pesticide instructions, farm workers reported a sur-prisingly high number of respiratory and neurological signs and symptoms.

- by Rex Kuye and +1
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- Nursing, Developing Countries, Agriculture, Medicine

At the current stage of coal industry development in the Russian Federation, we
need to focus on human actions in the industrial environment. The authors consider
including the position of a human factor (ergonomics) specialist in the manning table
of mining companies. The article reviews approaches to workplace layout and the
option of equipping mine workers with smart personal protective equipment (Smart
PPE). Technical solutions were proposed to control the use of PPE by employees
using a safety helmet as an example. The article contains the results of employee
surveys in Russian coal companies conducted at two stages. The first stage
encompassed more than 350 employees to assess the level of PPE availability in the
workplace. The second stage identified the employees' attitude towards the use of PPE
with additional capabilities. Up to 30% of respondents were found to be willing to use
PPE with advanced functions as well as to be involved in their implementation

- by IAEME Publication
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- Assessment, Safety, OSH, Work Zone

The statistic of accidents at construction sites give us a picture that Malaysian construction industry is one of the critical sectors that need a huge and fast overhaul from the current site safety practices. Accident don't just happen, they are caused by unsafe acts, unsafe conditions or both. Most accidents result from a combination of contributing causes and one or more unsafe acts and unsafe condition. In order to improve the overall safety performance we need to investigate the root causes of construction accidents. That knowledge could be utilised in formulating more conducive working conditions and environments at construction sites. Therefore, a study has been conducted to identify the causes of accident at construction sites. This study was started out by reviewing literature from journals, books and web pages. Then reported accidents cases kept by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health Malaysia (DOSH) were examined to investigate causes of accidents. Surveys using questionnaire forms were carried out to obtain data from respondents who are mainly contractors and the rest are developers and consultants firms all around countries that are well versed with the construction safety. The finding of this study reveals that accidents are the result of many contributing factors, causes, and sub causes. Some of the critical factors are unsafe method, human element, unsafe equipment, job site conditions, management, and unique nature of the industry. The causes of accidents in Malaysia were found to be similar to that mentioned in literature review. However, some of the causes are low in frequency of occurrence. The main cause of construction accidents found are the workers' negligence, failure of workers to obey work procedures, work at high elevation, operating equipment without safety devices, poor site management, harsh work operation, low knowledge and skill level of workers, failure to use personal protective equipments and poor workers attitude about safety.

This paper seeks to compare three periods of N95 respirator supply before, during, and after China's state policy of requisitioning all N95 respirators between January and February of 2020. China manufactures a large majority of the United States supply of N95 respirators. Did this policy decision by China impact the imports of N95 respirators into the United States? By analyzing maritime import records from 2015 to 2021 using Differences in differences analysis we can compare trade activity between China (treatment group) and the World (control group) during the policy period. 2015 to 2021 was selected because it allowed for enough time before the pandemic; 2021 was the last period that data was available. The results indicated that the requisitioning of N95 respirators for use in China did not have an impact on the importation into the United States.

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) in combination with gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS) analysis offers a simple and sensitive option for analyzing objects that have been contaminated with volatile and semi-volatile organic pesticides. In this project, items from the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) were placed in plastic bags and allowed to sit overnight. A SPME fiber was then inserted into the bag, exposed for approximately one hour, and analyzed by GC/MS. Naphthalene and para-dichlorobenzene were found on several objects. It may also be possible to detect other semivolatile pesticides. A privately owned piece of reproduction trade cloth was studied more extensively to evaluate equilibrium times and reproducibility. Raising the humidity within the bag substantially increased the release of pesticides from the cloth. This preliminary project demonstrated that this simple setup is practical. Its ease of use and minimal effect on the object make it attractive to museum staff and may make it more attractive to Native constituents who have concerns beyond preserving the physical material of the object. Quantitative analysis appears feasible but will require further study. 4 Vol. 20(1-2) COLLECTION FORUM 8 Vol. 20(1-2) COLLECTION FORUM Figure 4. Fibers were exposed several times a day over a two-week period. pDCB peak areas from the reproduction trade cloth are shown.

- by Catharine Hawks
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- Exposure Assessment, Personal protective equipment

Standard precautions can prevent transmission of micro-organisms. This study investigated hand hygiene, handling of needles and use of personal protective equipment in an Indonesian teaching hospital, and performed a multi-faceted intervention study to improve compliance. An intervention was performed in an internal medicine ward and a paediatric ward, consisting of development of a protocol for standard precautions, installation of washstands, educational activities and performance feedback. Before, during and after the intervention, observers monitored compliance with hand hygiene, safe handling of needles and use of gloves, gowns and masks. A gynaecology ward served as the control. Unobtrusive observations were performed to check for an influence of the observers on the overt observations. In total, 7160 activities were observed. Compliance with hand hygiene increased from 46% to 77% in the internal medicine ward and from 22% to 62% in the paediatric ward. Before the intervention, no safe recapping of needles was recorded in either ward. After the intervention, 20% of needles were recapped safely. Inappropriate gown use decreased in the internal medicine ward. There were no significant changes in use of gloves and masks. There may have been an effect of the overt observations in the paediatric ward, but there was no effect in the internal medicine ward. There were no significant changes in the control ward, except for a decrease in the use of gloves. In conclusion, compliance with hand hygiene procedures improved significantly due to an intervention project focused on education and improved facilities. Compliance with safe handling of needles improved slightly due to introduction of the one-handed method for safe recapping of used needles.

- by USMAN HADI
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- Indonesia, Hospital Infection, Internal Medicine, Infection Control

The hazardous particulates or vapours found in informal small scale auto body and furniture manufacturing industries come from the solvent, lacquer, paint and hardener systems used in the spray painting processes. The health implications of workers' exposure in this industry are well established. The purpose of the study was to assess the occupational chemical hazards perceptions , safety practices and their enforcement in the Kumasi Metropolitan automobile, furniture and coffin spray painting industry. One hundred and fifty (150) randomly sampled paint sprayers at eighty-three (83) spraying workshops in nine (9) suburbs in Kumasi Metropolitan Area were selected for the study. A combination of questionnaires and purposive interviews were used to collect data for analysis. There was high level of self-reported exposure to spraying fumes, because only 0.7 percent of respondents reported always using the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), during the spray painting process. Virtually all the workers were aware of the manifest health hazards; coughing, throat irritation, headache and breathing problem but did not know the extent to which these hazards could be dangerous to their health. Respondents rated Law enforcement concerning safety practices as low; EPA and DFI officials attributed this to lack of adequate logistics and personnel to carry out the task effectively. Lack of Chemical education and enforcement of safety practices in the metropolis are major contributing factors of the occupational chemical hazard exposure in the paint spraying industry. Mandatory training for initial certification to work and operate a paint spraying workshop and re-fresher training every two years by the government is therefore recommended.

- by Stephen Osei-Bonsu
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- Chemistry, Chemical Education, Perception, Assessment

With existing threats of man-made as well as natural disasters, pediatricians, emergency physicians, emergency medical systems personnel, and other health care professionals should have a working knowledge of disaster management and preparedness for all hazards. As large-scale man-made disasters have occurred, growing concerns exist that terrorist groups may attempt to use either chemical or biologic warfare. In addition, natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, floods, and widespread fires pose threats to the welfare of large segments of the population worldwide. The US Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends an all hazards approach to emergency planning. This requires creating a simultaneous plan for terrorist events as well as the more likely public health emergencies such as earthquakes, floods, unintentional hazardous incidents, and infectious disease outbreaks. We present an overview of disaster preparedness with a particular focus on potential toxicological exposures. Clin Ped Emerg Med 9:47-60 C

- by William Keenan
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- Disaster Preparedness, Personal protective equipment

Background : Nurses are one of healthcare worker who much involved in healthcare and tend occured noncompliance in using PPE in the hospital. This conditions provides the challenge and encourage of healthcare provider to respond and involved actively in controling hazard of infection and enhance quality of care. Purposes : To describe the concept of compliance of personal protective equipment (PPE) for nurses and factors influencing the nurse adherence to use PPE in the hospital. Methods : The search of relevant literature was conducted from database: PubMed, CINAHL, ProQuest Medical Library, Geogle Scholars and Science Direct. The keywords were used to retrieved includes compliance of nurses in the hospital, personal protective equipment, characteristic nurses toward compliance and safety of nursing staff in the hospital. The searching was limited in English and have published since 1999. Results : PPE are essence of important and used properly by nurses to self protect and benefit for the patient. The hospital have role important in order to enhance quality of care and availability the equipments as well as decrease the impact of crisis healthcare such as harm for patient, cost for healthcare, anticipation of workload thereby nurses and other healthcare worker can improve performance of patient safety and work environment Conclusion : Compliance of nurses in the hospital needs supported together, through participation to followed educational and training, display positive behavior and has a motivation of work. In addition, need to the organization commitment, the healthcare providers have guidelines and provide of equipment and adequate financial support.

- by Trish M Perl
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- Hand Hygiene, Infection Control, Respiratory Tract Infections, Virus diseases

Throughout the world, construction is one of the most hazardous industries due to the complex and unsafe nature of construction; the Gaza Strip in Palestine is no exception. Construction site safety records on the Gaza strip are considered poor and local contractors, sub-contractors and their workers face daily risks from hazards that need to be managed to prevent death, injury and illness. In view of this, the aim of this paper is to provide insight into the perception of Palestinian construction managers towards: 1) the local industryʼs characteristics which generally affect construction safety, and 2) the factors that directly or indirectly cause site accidents. In doing so, a relative importance index was developed and used to rank the different common characteristics and factors identified by local managers. The results highlighted the most important industry characteristics that give rise to safety challenges viz.: poor accident record keeping and reporting systems; extensive ...

- by Sherif Mohamed
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- Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Legislation, Building

COVID-19 is a viral disease caused by a specific variant of corona virus family which had started in Wuhan province of China in December 2019 and became a pandemic now. This virus is of zoonotic origin and continued its spread through human-human transmission. One of the serious suspected route of transmission is through the droplets and also air which makes the dental professional highly vulnerable, who most commonly deal with saliva related treatments and to be therefore, more responsible in avoiding or reducing cross infection/ nosocomial infection. This literature overview provides the information about the current armamentarium and gadgets requirements in a dental clinic so as to enable practicing dentists to follow the preventive protocol recommended for COVID-19 recommended by various dental organisations.

- by iris publishers
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- Dental Research, Dental Health, Dental Medicine, Personal protective equipment

In late 1960’s, physician Dr. J. Stumphius identified twenty-five cases of a rare aggressive tumor known as mesothelioma among shipyard “Royal Schelde” workers due to asbestos exposure (1,2). Further observations showed an increase of mesothelioma cases among these workers. In 1974, the number of cases totaled 42; in 1978, the number rose to 57. The commercial use of asbestos in

- by J. Hegmans
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- United States, Dendritic cell, Personal protective equipment

Disaster medicine education is an enormous challenge, but indispensable for disaster preparedness. We aimed to develop and implement a disaster medicine curriculum for medical student education that can serve as a peer-reviewed, structured educational guide and resource. Additionally, the process of designing, approving and implementing such a curriculum is presented. The six-step approach to curriculum development for medical education was used as a formal process instrument. Recognized experts from professional and governmental bodies involved in disaster health care provided input using disaster-related physician training programs, scientific evidence if available, proposals for education by international disaster medicine organizations and their expertise as the basis for content development. The final course consisted of 14 modules composed of 2-h units. The concepts of disaster medicine, including response, medical assistance, law, command, coordination, communication, and mas...

- by Sabine Himmelseher
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- Emergency Medicine, Health Care, Medical Education, Professional Ethics

Health, safety and environmental (HSE) risks of a technology is an inseparable part of it which threatens all exposed employees. It has been proved for many years that exposure to particles, in an occupational setting, could be linked with the onset of lung diseases, such as pneumoconiosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and mesotelioma and lung cancer. Nanoparticles, due to their unique characteristics including; small size, shape, high surface area, charge, chemical properties, solubility, and degree of agglomeration can cross cell boundaries or pass directly from the lungs into the blood stream and ultimately reach to all of the organs in the body. This is the reason why they may pose higher risk than the same mass and material of larger particles. Moreover, biodegradation of nanoparticles by some kinds of fungi (like wood decay fungi) may result in metabolites which may be toxic to microorganisms under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Bacteria and living cells can take up nanoparticles, providing the basis for potential bioaccumulation in the food chain. Considering Iran's prominent position in nanotechnologies and fast-growing in research and industrial activities, controlling nanoparticles related HSE risks should be highly considered. In general, there are three main approaches to risk and exposure control: engineering techniques, administrative means and personal protective equipments. These complementary approaches especially engineering techniques should be considered starting with the design stage of an industrial process. Administrative means of control constitute an additional approach when the other methods have not achieved the expected control levels. Administrative means of control must never substitute for engineering techniques, which always be performed according to standard practices. In some situations, due to insufficiently advanced technology and prohibitive costs, engineering measures can not be implemented. In these situations, performing administrative means of control through reduction of work periods, modification of work practices, personal hygiene measures, housekeeping and preventive maintenance constitute other ways of limiting the occupational exposure risks. Accordingly, to minimize the risks from known and unknown health, safety and environment hazards in research and occupational settings of the country, guideline for safe handling, use and disposal of nanoparticles has provided.

- by Malek Naderi
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- Engineering, Control Engineering, Lung Cancer, Physical sciences

In spite of great advances in medicine, serious communicable diseases are a significant threat. Hospitals must be prepared to deal with patients who are infected with pathogens introduced by a bioterrorist act (e.g., smallpox), by a global emerging infectious disease (e.g., avian influenza, viral hemorrhagic fevers), or by a laboratory accident. One approach to hazardous infectious diseases in the hospital setting is a biocontainment patient care unit (BPCU). This article represents the consensus recommendations from a conference of civilian and military professionals involved in the various aspects of BPCUs. The role of these units in overall U.S. preparedness efforts is discussed. Technical issues, including medical care issues (e.g., diagnostic services, unit access); infection control issues (e.g., disinfection, personal protective equipment); facility design, structure, and construction features; and psychosocial and ethical issues, are summarized and addressed in detail in an appendix. The consensus recommendations are presented to standardize the planning, design, construction, and operation of BPCUs as one element of the U.S. preparedness effort.

- by Jerome Hauser and +1
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- Communicable Diseases, Biological Sciences, Biosecurity, Infection Control
- by David Desilets and +1
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- Radiation safety, Endoscopy, Disease Control, Clinical Sciences

En la industria automotriz, así como en todo centro de trabajo donde se realicen operaciones que presenten riesgos para el personal involucrado, es común que se tengan que asignar equipos de protección personal (EPP), también conocidos en Europa como dispositivos de protección individual (DPI) para evitar accidentes y enfermedades laborales, así como la Ley lo dispone. Esto implica el desarrollo y la implementación de un sistema de gestión que cumpla primariamente con la Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-017-STPS sobre selección, uso y manejo de estos aditamentos y opcionalmente con el sistema administrativo y de seguridad de ISO que finalmente reúne los principales estándares sobre los cuales las principales compañías establecen sus protocolos operativos y administrativos. Los EPP son entonces equipos, piezas o dispositivos que evitan que una persona tenga contacto directo con los peligros de ambientes riesgosos, los cuales pueden generar dichas lesiones y patologías. En la categoría de EPP incluimos aditamentos que abarcan distintas tipologías y funciones, desde sistemas para evitar caídas, impactos de objetos o partículas expulsadas desde maquinarias, lesiones musculoesqueléticas, riesgos eléctricos, químicos, hidráulicos, etc. solo para hacer algunos ejemplos.

- by Franco Grasso
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- Safety Engineering, Automobile, Occupational health and safety, DPI

Millions of workers in China rely on respirators and other personal protective equipment to reduce the risk of injury and occupational diseases. However, it has been >25 years since the first survey of facial dimensions for Chinese adults was published, and it has never been completely updated. Thus, an anthropometric survey of Chinese civilian workers was conducted in 2006. A total of 3000 subjects (2026 males and 974 females) between the ages of 18 and 66 years old was measured using traditional techniques. Nineteen facial dimensions, height, weight, neck circumference, waist circumference and hip circumference were measured. A stratified sampling plan of three age strata and two gender strata was implemented. Linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the possible effects of gender, age, occupation and body size on facial dimensions. The regression coefficients for gender indicated that for all anthropometric dimensions, males had significantly larger measurements than females. As body mass index increased, dimensions measured increased significantly. Construction workers and miners had significantly smaller measurements than individuals employed in healthcare or manufacturing for a majority of dimensions. Five representative indexes of facial dimension (face length, face width, nose protrusion, bigonial breadth and nasal root breadth) were selected based on correlation and cluster analysis of all dimensions. Through comparison with the facial dimensions of American subjects, this study indicated that Chinese civilian workers have shorter face length, smaller nose protrusion, larger face width and longer lip length.

- by Sean Gallagher
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- Anthropometry, Face, Adolescent, Cephalometry
- by Ugo Galvanetto
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- Finite element method, Finite Element, Crashworthiness, Head injury

Personal protective equipment (PPE) refers to clothing and equipment designed to protect individuals from chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive hazards. The materials used to provide this protection may exacerbate thermal strain by limiting heat and water vapor transfer. Any new PPE must therefore be evaluated to ensure that it poses no greater thermal strain than the current standard for the same level of hazard protection. This review describes how such evaluations are typically conducted. Comprehensive evaluation of PPE begins with a biophysical assessment of materials using a guarded hot plate to determine the thermal characteristics (thermal resistance and water vapor permeability). These characteristics are then evaluated on a thermal manikin wearing the PPE, since thermal properties may change once the materials have been constructed into a garment. These data may be used in biomedical models to predict thermal strain under a variety of environmental and work conditions. When the biophysical data indicate that the evaporative resistance (ratio of permeability to insulation) is significantly better than the current standard, the PPE is evaluated through human testing in controlled laboratory conditions appropriate for the conditions under which the PPE would be used if fielded. Data from each phase of PPE evaluation are used in predictive models to determine user guidelines, such as maximal work time, work/rest cycles, and fluid intake requirements. By considering thermal stress early in the development process, health hazards related to temperature extremes can be mitigated while maintaining or improving the effectiveness of the PPE for protection from external hazards.

- by Michael Sawka
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- Thermoregulation, Working Time, Working Conditions, Thermal Stress

- by Shannon Marquez
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- Nursing, Developing Countries, Agriculture, Medicine

The COVID-19 pandemic imposed restrictive measures on dentistry in different regions of the world, ranging from stoppage of care to only permission for urgent and emergency dental services. Thus, new biosafety guidelines for resuming activities, whether in single dental offices, large clinics or dental education activities, are urgently required. In this sense, herein, guidelines that incorporate common points of the main protocols found in the literature for the resumption of dental activities at their different levels, whether in the scope of care or education, are presented. Furthermore, we present the incorporation of measures that allow an increase in the level of biosafety, such as the control of the dental team, the inclusion in the history of conjunctivitis as a possible alert for COVID-19, and the use of the pulse oximeter to assess the risk of silent hypoxemia, which may indicate a complication of COVID-19. In addition, new perspectives for directing research and innovation for biosafety in dentistry are discussed.

- by Journal einstein (São Paulo)
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- Dentistry, Guidelines, Dental Care, Pandemics

Nurses play a vital role in protecting patients’, visitors’, and fellow staff members’ health during routine practice and biological disasters, such as bioterrorism, pandemics, or outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases. One vital nursing practice is the proper use of infection prevention procedures. Infection prevention practices can limit disease transmission and occupational exposures. Failure to use these practices correctly and consistently can result in occupational exposures or disease transmission. Lapses in personal protective equipment usage have been associated with occupational exposures and illness as well as propagated disease spread in the healthcare environment, especially when providing care to patients with emerging infectious diseases. Infection prevention education is critical to ensure adequate knowledge and safe practice. Existing infection prevention competencies should be used as the basis for training, which include the need for nurses to be aware of altered standards of care in situations that involve limited resources.

In 2008, a company using multiple buttermilk flavorings in the production of dry bakery mixes replaced one liquid flavoring containing 15-20% diacetyl with a proprietary substitute meant to lower occupational risk for diacetyl-related bronchiolitis obliterans. Subsequently, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) evaluated buttermilk flavoring-related exposures at this company's facility, with a focus on measuring ketones by several methods. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were evaluated in the headspaces of six bulk flavorings samples, including the substitute buttermilk flavoring. Ketones were evaluated in workplace air via area and personal samples collected during batch preparation of the substitute buttermilk flavoring and production of a bakery mix containing the same flavoring. Air samples were evaluated using five different methods: NIOSH 2549, Modified OSHA PV2118, OSHA 1013, NIOSH Draft Procedure SMP2, and evacuated canisters. Of five buttermilk flavorings from five different flavorings manufacturers, diacetyl was present in four, including the substitute flavoring; acetoin in two; 2,3-pentanedione in four; 2,3-hexanedione in one; and 2,3heptanedione in three. Among material safety data sheets (MSDS) for four flavorings, only one listed a hazardous ingredient, which was acetoin. The predominant flavoring ingredient identified in the headspace of the substitute flavoring was 2,3-pentanedione; all other chemicals noted above were also present. Diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione were measured in workplace air via evacuated canisters. In one area and one personal air sample, 2,3-pentanedione was measured by OSHA Method 1013 at concentrations of 78 and 91 ppb, respectively. Without their or the employer's knowledge, workers who used buttermilk flavorings were exposed to substitute ketones from many flavorings manufacturers. Because 2,3-pentanedione, 2,3-hexanedione, and 2,3-heptanedione all share the same functional α-diketone group as diacetyl, these compounds also may share diacetyl's mechanism of toxicity. Until more is known about 2,3-pentanedione and other α-diketone compounds, they should not be assumed to be safe. Companies using artificial buttermilk flavorings should use a precautionary approach that assumes these flavorings pose a health risk and limit exposures through engineering and administrative controls and use of personal protective equipment.

Background Biomedical waste management is an important precondition to safeguard the healthcare workers and community members, as well as the environment, from being contaminated with infectious substances. However, biomedical waste management practices during the pandemic era of COVID-19 were unknown. Objective This study was aimed to assess biomedical waste management practices and associated factors among health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic era at metropolitan city private hospitals, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Methods An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted at metropolitan city private hospitals in Amhara Region. Simple random sampling was used to select 431 study participants. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire and observational checklists. The data were cleaned, coded, and entered into the Epi-data version 4.6, and then exported to SPSS version 20. for analysis. Variables with a p-value less than 0.05 were considered as significant factors in multivariable logistic regression analysis and AOR with a 95% confidence level was used to measure the strength of association. Results The proportion of health care workers who had good practices in biomedical waste management was 49.4%. Participants who had MSc education level, [

- by Amsalu Birara
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- Health Care, Environmental Health, Medicine, PLoS one

It is of utmost importance to protect our healthcare professionals, who are the most important resources for any country today. The commitment behind this article and proposal is to ensure that we do not lose even one more doctor or nurse to COVID-19. In the opinion of the authors, the current design of most of the ICUs, where the air is recirculated through the air-conditioning, is not suited for treating the highly infectious patients of COVID-19, and may be one of the causes of the thousands of infections among the healthcare workers, which has also led to the death of more than two thousands of them around the world. One is not sure whether this is the reason behind the unusual death rate of patients put on ventilators too. This article proposes a cost-effective redesign of the existing ICUs and suggestions for choosing the buildings intended to be converted to makeshift hospitals to take care of the patients infected by the corona virus. Also, where the personal protective equi...

- by Kanishq Sharma
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- Safety Engineering, Design, Occupational Health & Safety, Stress
- by Alan Boobis
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- Agriculture, Environmental Monitoring, United Kingdom, Pesticide

The widespread use of chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer has led to anxiety about the possible hazards to staff involved in the preparation and administration of cytotoxic agents. Careless handling of antineoplastic drugs may lead to exposure in detectable amounts by means of chemical or biological methods in the body fluids or cell samples but the information about the mutagenic effects of these agents on nurses is limited and inconsistent. DNA damage in peripheral lymphocytes of 30 professional nurses employed in the oncology departments for at least 6 months were examined by the alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis, 'COMET' technique.The results were compared to that of 30 controls with comparable age, sex and smoking habits, not practising in the chemotherapy services. Work characteristics of the exposed nurses and the use of personal protective equipment were also investigated. The DNA damage observed in the lymphocytes Ž . of the nurses was significantly higher than the controls p -0.001 . The observed DNA damage was found to be Ž . significantly lower p -0.001 in nurses applying the necessary individual safety protections during their work. Cigarette smoking was not related to increases in DNA damage, also a significant association was not found between the duration of occupational exposure to antineoplastic drugs and the DNA damage. q

- by Ülkü Ündeğer
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- DNA damage, Environmental Biotechnology, Mutation, Smoking

Hazardous materials (hazmat) events pose a health threat not only for those individuals in the immediate vicinity of the release (ie, members of the general public, on-site first responders, employees), but also for ED personnel (ie, physicians and nurses) treating the chemically contaminated victims arriving at the hospital. Secondary contamination injuries to ED personnel result when exposed victims enter the ED without being properly decontaminated. Data from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance System were used to conduct a retrospective analysis on hazmat events occurring in 16 states from 1995 through 2001 that involved secondary injury to ED personnel. Six events were identified in which 15 ED personnel were secondarily injured while treating contaminated victims. The predominant injuries sustained were respiratory and eye irritation. Proper victim decontamination procedures, good field-tohospital communication, and appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) use can help prevent ED personnel injuries and contamination of the ED. (Am J Emerg Med 2003;21:199-204.

- by Zahava Berkowitz
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- Insecticides, Emergency Medical Services, Child, Hydrofluoric acid

It is of utmost importance to protect our health-care professionals, who are the most important resources for any country today. The commitment behind this article and proposal is to ensure that we do not lose even one more doctor or nurse to COVID-19. In the opinion of the authors, the current design of most of the ICUs, where the air is recirculated through the airconditioning , is not suited for treating the highly infectious patients of COVID-19, and may be one of the causes of the thousands of infections among the healthcare workers, which has also led to the death of more than a thousand of them around the world. One is not sure whether this is the reason behind the unusual death rate of patients put on ventilators too. This article proposes a cost-effective redesign of the existing ICUs and suggestions for choosing the buildings intended to be converted to makeshift hospitals to take care of the patients infected by the corona virus. Also, where the personal protective equipm...

- by Kanishq Sharma
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- Safety Engineering, Design, Occupational Health & Safety, Stress

To assess the effects of exposure to complex mixtures of pesticides in farm workers from two communities from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, we evaluated the activities of butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and δaminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALA-D) enzymes, hematological, lipid parameters, and genotoxicity using two tests to detect DNA damage, the Comet assay in peripheral blood leukocytes and the micronucleus (MN) test in oral mucosa cells. The use of personal protective equipment (PPE), age and smoke habits were considered in the analysis. There was a significant decrease in the BChE and ALA-D activities in farm workers (n = 37) relative to the control group (n = 20) (P ≤ 0.05 and P ≤ 0.001, respectively). The Comet assay in peripheral blood leukocytes showed that the Damage index and Damage frequency observed in the exposed group were significantly higher in relation to the controls (P ≤ 0.001, and P ≤ 0.05, respectively). No differences were detected regarding the hematological parameters, lipids profile, and MN frequencies. In addition, no significant differences were observed between younger (≤38 years) and older subjects (N 38 years), or between smokers and non-smokers within the groups, either by Comet assay or MN test. However, the use of PPE seems to be important in the prevention of contamination, as suggested by BChE levels and Comet assay results.

- by Jane M Boeira
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- Evaluation, Brazil, Agriculture, DNA damage

L’emergenza sanitaria è un alibi valido per non pensare a quella ambientale? In realtà, la necessità di contrastare il contagio non può indurre a nascondere sotto il tappeto dell’amnesia una circostanza: da marzo 2020 a giugno 2022 sono stati consumati presumibilmente 3.483 miliardi di mascherine; risulta facendo un calcolo in base ai dati pubblicati da Environmental Science, rivista scientifica dell’American Chemical Society. La ricerca nel 2020 aveva valutato che nel mondo se ne consumassero 129 miliardi ogni mese: 1.548 miliardi in un anno, circa 4 miliardi al giorno, 3 milioni al minuto; in più, 65 miliardi, mensili, di guanti monouso e tantissimi altri dispositivi di protezione individuale (DPI) come flaconi, visiere, kit diagnostici. In parole povere, per limitarci alle mascherine, considerando che una sessantina occupa 1 metro quadrato, finora, in 27 mesi, ne abbiamo prodotte a livello mondiale quante bastano per 60.000 chilometri quadrati; sarebbero più che sufficienti per “tappezzare” l’intero territorio dell’Italia nord-occidentale (Liguria, Val d’Aosta, Piemonte e Lombardia, in tutto 58.000 km2) o quasi il 90% dell’Irlanda (70.000 km2). In Italia, in proporzione, le cose vanno nello stesso modo: oltre 46 miliardi di mascherine sono state consumate dall’inizio dell’emergenza fino a metà giugno 2022, quando è finito l’obbligo di utilizzo in alcuni luoghi chiusi.

- by Marco Brando
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- Chemical, Environmental Sustainability, Water Pollution, Masks