Workplace Health & Safety

In this retrospective case-control study, researchers examined risk factors for four types of work-related injury (WRI) in hospital employees. Data were collected from employee health charts and computer databases (N = 2050) and analyzed using logistic regression. Study results showed that strain injuries were related to increased age, increased body mass index (BMI), and maintenance, custodial, and direct-caregiver employment types. Repetitive motion injuries were related to increased BMI and clerical and custodial employment types. Exposure/reaction injuries were related to increased age, increased BMI, and maintenance, custodial, and direct-caregiver employment types. Contact/assault injuries were related to increased age, increased BMI, and maintenance, custodial, and direct-caregiver employment types. All injury types were most often related to female gender and full-time employment status. Reformulating policies to improve screening, prevention, and education for those at risk for certain injury types may limit WRI occurrences and costs.

The next International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) Congress will be a celebration of its 100th anniversary, held in Milan, Italy from June 11 to 16, 2006. With significant improvements in the understanding of occupational health at the international level, it is hoped that all occupational health professionals throughout the world can celebrate 100 years of progress and accomplishments at this Congress. With this goal, the AAOHN Journal has been running a special series of articles focusing on “Exploring the World Through International Occupational Health Programs” organized by OiSaeng Hong, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor and Director, Occupational Health Nursing Program, Division of Health Promotion and Risk Reduction, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. This is the fourth article in the series.

The purpose of this study was to examine the service quality of nursing units in Bangkok textile factories. Descriptive survey research was combined with a qualitative design using participative observation. The sample consisted of factory managers, nurses, and employees. Data were collected between November 2001 and February 2002 using questionnaires, observation, in-depth interviews, and focus groups. Nurses' education levels and quality of design and arrangement of nursing units explained 15.7% of the variance in service quality. Furthermore, qualitative data supported clients' satisfaction with service quality, except for the tangibility of the service. These findings suggest that the quality of nursing service units could be improved by management's attention to unit design, arrangement of nursing units, and nurses' education levels. Hiring registered nurses and restructuring nursing units are recommended.

Perception of injury risk is associated with an individual's propensity to act. This study examined the relationship between women's demographic, occupational, and risk characteristics, and health and occupational stressors as predictors of their perceptions of injury risk to self and other women from occupational musculoskeletal exposures. This cross-sectional study included a random sample of women who were employed in the 12 months prior to survey administration (N = 123, 27% response rate). A telephone survey consisting of 154 items was administered in English or Spanish. For the perception of injury risk to self, the final multiple regression equation explained approximately 66% of the variance with significant unique contributions identified for bodily pain, occupational exposure to repeated strenuous physical activity or repetitive hand motion, perceived seriousness and controllability of the risk, and perception of risk to other women. Similarly, for perception of injury risk to other women, the final multiple regression equation explained approximately 57% of the variance with significant unique contributions identified for household size, occupational exposure to repetitive hand motion, familiarity of the risk, and perception of injury risk to self. Exposure experiences and risk characteristics were found to increase women's perceptions of risk from occupational musculoskeletal exposures.

This study assessed the cost-effectiveness of a worksite clinic. In-house clinic operational costs were compared to off-site (i.e., community) health care costs during a 1-year time frame. Community cost norms were extracted from statewide databases and adjusted to local costs. Lost productivity costs were based on survey feedback from current clinic users, which included their estimated time away from work if they had to seek health care off-site, average hourly wages, and the number of actual treatments rendered by the on-site staff. Combined off-site costs of $224,461 (health care) and $113,883 (lost productivity) were nearly twice as high as actual on-site operational costs ($171,332). Overall, it appears the organization's worksite clinic provides employee health care services 2 to 3 times more cost-effectively than do off-site health care services.