Utilising an inter-disciplinary approach, this qualitative inquiry seeks to create a space for an absent group and experience by addressing severe physical disability, social exclusion and leisure travel. Drawing on a blended methodology - critical discourse analysis, feminist standpoint and narrative inquiry - it explores, via in-depth interviews, discussions and non-participant observation, the lived experiences of twelve individuals with cervical spinal cord injury (C-SCI) in the USA in relation to travel constraints and what impact (non)participation might have on their overall well-being, quality of life and social inclusion. The challenges of working with such medically and socially-vulnerable research participants are detailed together with those of the study's inclusive and reflexive research approach and presentation, in narrative form, of their unheard stories. Using an approach involving social constructionism and a largely social model of disability, the individual, social and societal analysis of the data illustrates increased levels of obstacles for those who are ventilator-dependent, those who acquired the condition around birth or as young children, and for females in general. Details of the plethora of complex, inter-related environmental, intrinsic and interactive barriers and constraints to participation reveal that most are connected to, or are exacerbated by, socio-political practices and structures. The most significant and long-term psychosocial benefits of leisure travel are associated with those with the highest level of CSCI, chiefly with the desire, post-holiday, to abandon daily pleas for assisted suicide and to begin to live life again, often within mainstream society. Furthermore, the analysis reveals the power of the dominant medical discourse of disability on the participants' largely negative self-concept, knowledge and non-actions in relation to leisure travel. A number of potential practical solutions are suggested. Key policy-driven solutions centre on the provision of a brief, one-off, local holiday towards the end of hospital rehabilitation - to provide a goal and the practical skills necessary for reintegration - as well as on the availability, during hospital rehabilitation, of a different or alternative narrative resource of disability and travel.

With a view to improving the efficacy of MSDs interventions, this work examined the applicability of the stage of change approach to occupational health interventions. An initial study explored the current practices of ergonomics consultants in tackling MSDs, and revealed that consultants' recommendations generally focused on physical aspects of the work environment, and did not take explicit account of employees' knowledge or attitudes. A second study evaluated leaflets aimed at helping employers and/or employees tackle MSDs, and revealed that leaflets generally overlooked the maintenance of risk reducing measures. Due to the importance of maintaining risk reducing measures on an ongoing basis, this may be a fundamental limitation to their effectiveness. Tools were developed to assess both managerial and worker stage of change, and were found to possess high levels of reliability. To evaluate these tools in practice, 24 interventions aimed at reducing MSDs were monitored within a variety of organisations. In half of these cases, approaches were tailored according to managers' and workers' stage of change. Significant reductions were found in self-reported musculoskeletal pain in the upper arm, elbow, forearm, wrist, hand, lower back, and legs. No significant differences in self-reported musculoskeletal pain were identified following standard interventions. To gain qualitative information regarding the intervention process, post-intervention interviews were also conducted with managers. Interviewees identified issues relating to knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and behaviour change, in addition to structural factors, as the main barriers and facilitators in the process of implementing interventions to tackle MSDs. Both the quantitative and qualitative findings of this work are compatible with calls for the application of the stage of change approach to the workplace. The findings suggest that scope exists for improving the success of health and safety interventions by tailoring approaches according to stage change. By tackling the attitudes, beliefs, and behavioural intentions that underpin an individuals' current stage, tailored approaches can increase the uptake, implementation, and maintenance of risk-reducing measures.

In recent years there has been debate on associated relationships between the methods of waste collection and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). This has increased following legislative requirements that affect collection methods. Whilst many local authorities (LAs) collect and sort recyclables from boxes and baskets, others use wheeled bins. With local authorities aiming to reduce absence rates due to ill health, the high levels of MSDs in the waste industry have meant that the work activity has become the focus of attention. 2 The aim of this study was to establish relationships between domestic waste collection methods and MSD ill health. A participatory investigation was chosen to overcome the problems of previous studies, namely gaining access to accurate and relevant data. Identified variables were absence rates, self-reported pain via 'body mapping' and risk rating data using the HSE risk comparator tool. These were analysed in relation to types of waste collection services employed. Absence data was requested from 63 LAs with an inhouse service, responses were received from 15 authorities. Participatory body mapping exercises were carried out in five authorities. Aylesbury Vale District Council staff were resurveyed in 2013, six months after the move from boxes and baskets to a wheeled bin recycling service. The lowest levels of self reported pain was for 'loaders' handling 2401 wheeled bins without glass; the highest levels were for 1001 garden waste sacks and 501 recycling boxes. The study also identified that drivers' self-reported pain could be reduced if they shared their duties with a colleague. There were even lower absence rates associated with 11001 trade bins, when handled by two loaders. This industry data supports previous laboratory studies showing wheeled bins to be associated with less MSD outcomes than boxes, baskets and sacks. Triangulation of data established a statistically significant correlation of 0.82 (Pearson Correlation) between average pain count (APC) and the mean MSD absence rates, with a strong correlation of 0.77 (Speannan) between APC and risk rating. The correlation is moderate, 0.49, (Spearman) between MSD absence and risk rating, reflecting the propensity for greater intervening variables to effect absence rates. Low sample sizes may have also reduced the significance levels, although visual graphs showing association were compelling. These findings should help LAs better understand some critical factors regarding waste collection strategies and MSD absence and inform HSE enforcement strategies. There are 20 recommendations on further study, the wastes industry and the use of body mapping.

No description available.

This thesis presents a research study on Fall detection with a comprehensive survey on available related literature and an evaluation experiment. Fall detection is a major challenge in the public health care domain, especially for the elderly, and reliable surveillance is a necessity to mitigate the effects of falls. The technology and products related to fall detection have always been in high demand within the security and the health-care industries. An effective fall detection system is required to provide urgent support and to significantly reduce the medical care costs associated with falls. In this thesis, we initially give a comprehensive survey of different systems for fall detection and their underlying algorithms. fall detection approaches are divided into three main categories: wearable device based, ambience device based and vision based. These approaches are summarised and compared with each other and a conclusion is derived with some discussions on possible future work. Then we present an evaluation of fall detection using optical flow. Optical flow is one of the widely used approaches in computer vision to estimate motion. The literature of optical flow is briefly reviewed and some of the methods are implemented with discussion on experimental results. The best output yielding algorithm with respect to accuracy is used to setup an evaluation of fall detection. The evaluation compares our experimental results with the results obtained using other techniques. At the end we draw a conclusion in general on our research study and in particular on our contributions: Fall detection survey and Fall detection Evaluation. We also point out the futuristic direction of our research study with suggestions on possible areas with further development.

The mechanical properties of the lungs and of the small airways of 36 coalminers were investigated. Neither the miners nor the 10 control subjects had ever smoked, and all were free from symptoms of chronic bronchitis. Most of the miners had radiographic evidence of coal workers simple pneumoconiosis. Standard spirometry was performed and the transfer factor for the lung, the closing volume and the maximum expiratory flow response to breathing a helium/oxygen gas mixture were measured. The relationships between lung volume and maximum expiratory flow, static elastic recoil pressure and total airways conductance were determined. Maximum expiratory flow/static elastic recoil, total airways conductance/static elastic recoil and total airways conductance/maximum expiratory flow relationships, were constructed in order to provide information about the conductance of small airways, the collapsibility of the flow limiting segment and the radial distensibility of the tracheo-bronchial tree. The assessment of small airway function was designed to differentiate between intrinsic narrowing and loss of lung elastic recoil, since either or both of these factors may be associated with the characteristic pathophysiological lesion of coal workers simple pneumoconiosis. Extrinsic loss of elastic recoil was found to be the predominant factor giving rise to lower ventilatory capacity and maximum expiratory flow in the miners when compared with controls, and with age and height standardised normal values. An increased radiographic. category of pneumoconiosis was most strongly related to a higher volume of isoflow, and the associated pattern of change in pulmonary function suggested that this was due mainly to loss of elastic recoil. This was most marked in the miners with p-type opacities who also tended to have a slightly lower pulmonary gas transfer capability than miners with q-opacities. Longer dust exposures tended to be associated with stiffer lung tissue and narrowing of the small airways. These observations suggest that in the absence of smoking and chronic bronchitis an early reaction to coal mine dust is loss of elastic recoil leading to focal or centri-lobular emphysema. With continued exposure, fibrosis may develop or the worst affected miners leave the mining industry.

A method has been described to measure the changes occurring in tactile discrimination following hand and total body immersion in various kinds of water at 5°C. 14°C. and 32°C. Results show significant deterioration in tactile discrimination of the palmar and dorsal regions of the hand following immersion in water at 5°C when compared with a dry control condition. Similar deteriorations were noted following hand immersions in water at 14°C and 32°C. Results achieved from subjects totally immersed in water at temperatures of 14°C and 32°C showed a significant deterioration in tactile discrimination of the palmar region of the hand as compared to a dry control condition. It can be concluded that hand immersion in any kind of water at 5°C significantly affects tactile discrimination and that hand immersion and total body immersion in water at temperatures of 14°C and 32°C results in a significant deterioration in tactile sensitivity. For the 32°C condition a 'wet' effect rather than a 'cold' effect is seen to be the major contributory factor in causing such a decrement, bearing in mind that the body temperature for the hand immersion is maintained in a controlled air environment of 18°C - 20°C and for the total immersion is kept at normal temperature by a wet-suit in water at 32°C. The present study differs from previous work insofar as it deals with changes occurring in tactile sensitivity following immersion, rather than during immersion, and is therefore directly related to the condition of divers carrying out manual operations immediately following a dive.

No description available.

Aim: The aim of this feasibility study is to design and evaluate the effectiveness of providing a self-management workplace intervention to employees with long-term health conditions, working in a Civil Service Department. Method: The WISH intervention (Well-being Intervention for Self-managing Health) was delivered in four-weekly sessions to two intervention groups, and compared to a waiting-list control group. 33 individuals took part in the study, with 21 participants (17 = female; 4 = male) taking part in the intervention, and 12 participants (11 = female; 1 = male) in the waiting-list control group. The Individual outcomes were competence, Self-efficacy, and well-being. The Organisational outcomes were: Absenteeism, Presenteeism, and Work-engagement. Measures included the Perceived Competency Scale (PCS); the Stanford Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Diseases (CDSE); the Stanford Presenteeism Scale (SPS-6); the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES); a modified version of the Gallup-Healthways Well-being Index; and a study-specific demographic questionnaire. Baseline data was taken at pre-intervention, followed by subsequent data being recorded at post-intervention, 3-months and 6-months. Results: The intervention demonstrated significant increase for Competence, Self-efficacy and Well-being over the 6-month period. A significant decrease in Absenteeism was also found over the 6-month period of the study. There were no differences found for primary health diagnosis, gender, or age. Conclusion: The feasibility study found the WISH workplace intervention, for employees with long-term health conditions, to be an effective programme for reducing organisational absenteeism in those with health concerns, but equally a beneficial and positive experience for the individual employees in empowering them to manage their health and well-being within the workplace setting.

No description available.