The aim of the study was to explore the reasons why health workers reported their occupationally acquired needle stick injury. The secondary reasons for this study was to be able to identify the factors that contributed to the choice to report as well as the feelings health workers experienced during and after the injury.

This thesis deals with psychological prevention of work injuries. About two milion of people die worldwide as a result of work injuries and illnesses originating in work. If I think about this statistic data, I have to ask myself basic questions: what is the cause of such a high mortality in today´s over-technical time, what are the main causes of injuries and how can we anticipate them? These questions are also the main issues of this work. The first chapter deals with work injuries, particularly with the way we should proceed when it comes to such an injury - what the employer´s and employee´s duties are. Rhe next sub-chapter focuses on the responsibility for the harm of work injuries, work injuries compensation such as the earning loss substitution, smart money, specific costs connected with treatment and compensation for damage to property. The second chapter is aimed to the labour protection. Firstly, it deals with the labour protection on a general level, then with the BOZP training and related basic documents, OHSAS 18001 Certifikace systému managementu BOZP - contributions of the certification and "Safe enterprise". The last sub-chapter goes in the work inspection authorities - keeping duties given by legal formulas, activities of the work inspection authorities, the scope of their activities and the authorization of the work inspector. The third chapter is about the work injuries prevention. The first sub-chapter focuses on the employer´s duties, the next one is about mental burden and its display, also the safe demands on machines and appliances, examples of causes of work injuries and more particular principles of labour protection in the food industry. The fourth part has been created in a quantitative way. I have asked nine meat manufactories to complete a questionnaire I had made myself in a way to draw conclusions and fulfill the goals of the thesis and answer the questions set at the beginning. The company, which came out the smallest accident, I did an interview, which makes, I obtained information regarding their approach to the issue. The labour and health protection are neccessary conditions in all work branches. Every employer has a lot of duties to their employees and the goal is to provide the workplace safe and with a minimal risk of work injuries. The most important issue is to pay attention to prevention from the very beginning.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Daily more than 300 000 health care workers in South Africa are to a lesser or greater extent exposed to the risk of deadly viruses which can be transferred through neediestick injuries. It is estimated that currently 9,8 million people in South Africa are HIV positive. This high incidence of HIV has a great impact on the danger of infection from neediestick injuries. It is estimated that 44 000 neediestick injuries takes place annually in South Africa. Despite such a high risk there are currently few safety regulations or official efforts to prevent or determine the true impact and incidence of needlesticks in South Africa. This study project investigated the number of neediestick injuries that could potentially be prevented by the use of needles with safety features and estimated the ranges of benefits and costs of using such safety devices. With the financial constraints that are imposed on South African hospitals, infection control through the use of safety syringes makes economic sense. Prevention of infections is clearly far cheaper than cure. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Daagliks word meer as 300 000 gesondheids personeel in Suid Afrika in 'n mindere of meerdere mate blootgestel aan die risiko van lewens gevaarlike viruse wat deur middel van naaldprik ongelukke oorgedra kan word. Hierdie risiko word spesifiek in Suid Afrika verhoog deur die hoë insidensie van HIV. Dit word beraam dat daar tans 9,8 miljoen mense in Suid Afrika is wat HIV positief is. Daar word beraam dat daar tans 44 000 naaldprik ongelukke per jaar in Suid Afrika plaasvind. Ten spyte van die hierdie hoë risko is daar tans min veiligheids regulasies of amptelike pogings om die omvang en voorkoming van naaldprik insidente te bepaal nie. Hierdie studie het die getal naaldprikke wat voorkom kan word deur die gebruik van veiligheids inspuitnaalde ondersoek en het die voordele en kostes van sulke veiligheidsmaatreëls beraam. Gegewe die finasiële druk wat ons tans in Suid Afrikaanse hospitale ondervind, is bewys dat die gebruik van veiligheids inspuitnaalde ekonomiese sin maak. Voorkoming op hierdie manier is bewys as 'n ver goedkoper opsie as nasorg.

Thesis (MScPhysio)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Aim: The aim of the study was to improve understanding of the hip joint kinematics in cricket fast bowlers and to ascertain whether a relationship exists between hip joint biomechanical parameters, including kinematics, ROM characteristics and lumbar symptoms. Study design: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. Participants: Sixteen adult male fast bowlers between the ages of 18 and 40 years old, playing first-club league, were featured in the study. Main outcome measures: To obtain data with regards to the training history, as well as the nature of lumbar-spine symptoms experienced by the cricket fast bowlers, a newly designed questionnaire was compiled. For analysis of the front foot hip joint ROM and kinematics, the biomechanical equipment used included: a two-dimensional Canon MV950 Digital Video Camcorder, a Kodak EasyShare C310 camera and XSENS Motion Tracking equipment (Xsens Technologies B. V., Enschede, Netherlands). Results: Eight of the sixteen bowlers in our study experienced LBP in the season with seven of these bowlers presenting with recent symptoms most of which are experienced after bowling a spell and described as “tightness” or a “stabbing pain” in the lower back. Intensity of LBP ranged between 1/10 to 8/10. Front foot hip joint kinematics of fast bowlers showed highly individualised patterns of movement between different subjects. Medium amplitude movements in the flexion/extension as well as the rotation plane of movement showed a significant difference in bowlers with- and without LBP. No significant differences between groups with LBP and without LBP were found in the three passive hip ROM measurements. Conclusions: It has proved to be very difficult to improve the understanding of the front foot hip biomechanics in cricket fast bowlers due to the high inter-subject variability. Variability in movement patterns remains under-researched by sports biomechanics. Although decreased hip mobility could alter mechanical forces transmitted to the lumbar spine and therefore predispose or be a causative factor in LBP development, this study found no significant relation between these parameters. The sample size was very small in this study which will influence the validity of results. Our study confirmed the high incidence of LBP and preventative efforts for bowlers should therefore be strongly supported. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Doelwit: Die doelwit van die studie was om die heupgewrig kinematika van krieket snelboulers beter te verstaan en om vas te stel of daar ‘n verwantskap bestaan tussen heupgewrig biomeganiese parameters, insluitende kinematika, omvang van beweging karakter en lumbale simptome. Studie ontwerp: ‘n Deursneë beskrywende studie is onderneem. Deelnemers: Sestien volwasse manlike snelboulers tussen die ouderdomme van 18 en 40 jaar oud wat eerste liga speel maak deel uit van die studie. Hoof uitkoms maatreëls: ‘n Nuut ontwerpte vraelys is opgestel om data aangaande oefen geskiedenis sowel as aard van lumbale simptome wat deur krieket snelboulers ervaar word in te samel. Die biomeganiese apparaat wat gebruik is vir die analiese van die voorvoet heup omvang van beweging, sowel as die kinematika, sluit in: ‘n twee dimensionele Canon MV950 Digitale Video Camcorder, ‘n Kodak EasyShare C310 kamera en XSENS beweging volgende apparaat (Xsens Technologies B. V., Enschede, Netherlands). Resultate: Agt van die sestien boulers in ons studie het lae rug pyn in die seisoen ervaar. Sewe van die boulers het gepresenteer met onlangse simptome waarvan die meeste na ‘n bouler se boulbeurt ervaar is en beskryf was as ‘n “styfheid” of “steekpyn” in die lae rug. Die intensiteit van die lae rug pyn het gewissel tussen 1/10 en 8/10. Voorvoet heup kinematika van snelboulers het hoogs individualistiese patrone van beweging getoon tussen verskillende deelnemers. Medium amplitude bewegings in die fleksie/ekstensie sowel as die rotasie plein van beweging het ‘n beduidende verskil tussen boulers met- en sonder lae rug pyn getoon. Geen beduidende verskille tussen die groep met- en sonder rugpyn is gevind met die drie passiewe heup omvang van beweging meetings nie. Gevolgtrekkings: Dit blyk baie moelik te wees om die voorvoet heup biomeganika in krieket snelboulers beter te verstaan a.g.v. die hoë inter-deelnemer veranderlikheid. Veranderlikheid in bewegings patrone is nog nie genoeg nagevors deur sport biomeganici nie. Alhoewel ingekorte heup mobiliteit meganiese kragte wat deur die lumbale werwelkolom gaan kan wysig, en sodoende die ontwikkeling van lae rug pyn kan predisponeer of ‘n oorsakende faktor kan wees, het hierdie studie nie ‘n beduidende verwantskap tussen die parameters gevind nie. Die steekproef groote was baie klein en dit sal die geldigheid van die resultate beïnvloed. Ons studie het die hoë insidensie van lae rug pyn bevestig en pogings tot voorkomende maatreëls moet daarom ten sterkste ondersteun word.

One in three American older adults fall every year, making falls the leading cause of nonfatal injury treated in the emergency department (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2013). Fall-related injuries cost the United States healthcare system nearly $30 billion a year and result in 27,000 deaths per year (Burns, Stevens, & Lee, 2016). The risk of falls increases with age, occurring more often in women than man. Age-related muscle weakness and functional decline contribute to fall risk. Age-related changes in neuroendocrine hormone production and shifts in circadian rhythms promote sleep disorders, affecting nearly two-thirds of older adults. Poor sleep quality over time leads to drowsiness and impaired attention span and judgment. The purpose of this secondary analysis of a previously collected data set was to describe the relationships among frailty, subjective sleep quality, and falls in community-dwelling older adults. This secondary analysis also sought to determine the extent to which frailty and subjective sleep quality predict risk of future falls among community-dwelling older adults. Correlational analyses were performed to determine the nature and significance of the relationship between sleep quality and falls, frailty and falls, and sleep quality and frailty. A multiple regression analysis was performed to determine if sleep quality and frailty combined could predict falls. Frailty was found to account for a small variance in fall risk. However, sleep quality was not significantly related to falls nor was sleep quality predictive of falls. Risk for falls should be assessed at every clinical encounter and efforts to promote restful sleep should be addressed at least annually to reduce the risks of falls, functional decline, and sleep disorders among older adults in the community. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Graduation date: 2004

M.Phil (Sport Management) / Physical Education and sport has a natural place in education whether the approach is formal or informal. Providing learners with the opportunity to play sport at school and to participate in Physical Education ensure that they receive education that addresses the body, mind and spirit. Participation in sport and physical activities in the education environment involves, next to enjoyment, a range of risks. Unfortunately, incidents of injuries and accidents that could have been prevented do occur. These may lead to allegations ofnegligence on the part of a coach, official or even a spectator. It is an educator's duty to ensure that in all matters pertaining to children, including participation in sport and physical activities, the principle of acting in the best interests of the child must take precedence. Proper safety practices and procedures should be implemented by the educator and the school in order to prevent injuries. Risk management is one of the methods by which sport educators can provide the safest possible environment for their participants. This is necessary not only to comply with legal requirements but also to demonstrate sound educational principles that support learnercentered education. This study sought to identify the key problems surrounding the safety of learners engaged in physical activities in the context of sport, Physical Education and recreation in South African independent schools. It analyzed the .qualifications and experience of sport and Physical Education teachers as well as educators' knowledge of risk management practices. An assessment was made about the extent to which risk management procedures were implemented in various schools in order to prevent injuries from occurring.. The study was conducted from a positivistic paradigm and the design comprised a survey. The primary data was gathered by the use of a questionnaire. Secondary data was obtained using literature studies describing risk management, the law in sport and education as well as the management ofsport in schools. The study has established that in general, safety practices and procedures at independent schools in Gauteng are implemented in a prudent and responsible manner. In some schools and with some aspects improvements can still be made but the overall status appears professional and promising. It has been established that independent schools demonstrate good practice with regard to the aspects of insurance, safety measures, supervision of staff members and learners, instruction, equipment, facilities, policies and procedures...

submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015. / Background Rugby union is one of South Africa’s most popular sports; it requires high levels of skill and fitness and is played at a high intensity and speed which allows for a greater risk of injury. The high risk of injury is said to be due to the nature of the physicality of rugby. It is because of this high risk of injury that several adaptations of rugby have since developed which rely more on speed and agility than physicality. These adaptations include tens or ten-a-side rugby, sevens or seven-a-side rugby and finally touch rugby, which is played with six players a-side. Each adaptation has its own set of rules and is played differently to the traditional rugby union or fifteen-a-side rugby. Hence, in these adaptations the physicality is said to decrease with a resultant increase in demand for speed and agility. The reduction of physicality and increase in the need for speed and agility would imply that the nature of injuries sustained will be different to those sustained in traditional rugby union. Objectives To develop a profile of injuries that describe the type, anatomical location and mechanism of injuries sustained in tens, sevens and touch rugby; to compare the injuries sustained between the three groups; and, to analyse management strategies utilised by chiropractic students at the 2014 Durban ‘Rugby Rush Tournament’. Additionally this study aimed to provide recommendations to the injury reporting form utilised. Method This study was a retrospective, quantitative, descriptive study based on the Chiropractic Student Sports Association’s report form in order to produce a retrospective cohort analysis of injury and treatment profiles. Participants who made use of the chiropractic treatment facility were required to complete the informed consent section of the injury reporting form. The chiropractic intern was required to complete the remainder of the form pertaining to the participant, complaint and treatment information. This study was limited to event participants to allow for subgroup analysis. The forms were then captured and analysed. Results The data collected consisted of a total of 345 individual patient forms which indicated 626 visits for a total of 733 complaints. The average participant age was 24 ± 5.58. The study found muscle strains (41.5%), SI Syndrome (17.6%) and Joint sprains (15.0%) to be the most frequent diagnoses. A history or previous injury or trauma was reported in 18.7% and 7.40% respectively. Acute injuries accounted for 64.3% and 35.7% were recorded as chronic in nature. The most frequent mechanism of injury was that of overuse (81.9%) and trauma accounted for 17.2% of injuries. The lumbar region (26.1%), thigh (20.7%) and shin/calf (15.6%) were the most commonly reported regions of complaint. Manipulation (58.8%), massage (32.0%) and stretch PNF (27.9%) were the most frequently used treatment protocols. Strapping was utilised in 21.1% of injuries of which 5.20% was applied to the muscle and 13.6% was applied to the joint. No comparison was made using the sevens subgroup as there were insufficient records, thus only tens and touch players were compared. A borderline non-significant difference (p = 0.057) was noted between the type of player and the history of previous trauma. Tens players were more likely to have a history of trauma compared to touch players. A significant difference (p = 0.001) was found between the type of athlete and mechanism of injury. Overuse was more common in touch players whereas trauma was more common in tens players. Due to statistical inconsistencies no significance tests were applicable to compare the type of player and region of complaint. Recommendations were proposed in order to avoid this in future research. Conclusion This study provides a base of knowledge regarding the injuries that were presented to the chiropractic treatment facility at the 2014 Durban ‘Rugby Rush Tournament’ and the management strategies utilised by the chiropractic interns at the event. This research provides insight into injury profiling of tens, sevens and touch rugby players. There were several recommendations proposed for future researchers in order to expand on this field of knowledge.

Submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Technology: Chiropractic,Durban University of Technology, 2014. / Background The Functional Movement Screen (FMSTM) is a pre-participation screen consisting of seven tests that rate a player’s functional movement. The screen may be used as an indicator for injury susceptibility in sports people. This may be implemented for preventative measures and improving or sustaining performance in sport. Objectives This research aimed to identify normative values on the FMSTM for female premier league hockey players and assess the association between FMSTM scores and incidence of seasonal injuries. Secondary to this, the research also undertook to assess dependence of the FMSTM on other risk factors identified in the study such as age, number of years playing hockey, height, weight, BMI and position. These risk measures were also tested for association to injury susceptibility. Method The research evaluated the FMSTM score in female premier league hockey players in KwaZulu-Natal prior to the commencement of the competitive season and then tracked the incidence, frequency and distribution of injuries that were sustained during the season. All nine teams in the KwaZulu-Natal female premier hockey league were approached and the players voluntarily participated provided that they fitted the inclusion criteria. In total 74 players between the ages of 18 and 35 were assessed. SPSS version 20 was used in the data analysis to test for statistical significance of the results. Results and conclusions The research sample revealed a mean FMSTM score of 14.39 with a standard deviation of 2.4. The difference in average FMSTM score between the 18 players who sustained non-contact injuries during the course of the season and the 56 players who did not was shown to not be statistically significant at a 95% confidence level. Therefore, this research shows that no association can be made between a low score on the Functional Movement ScreenTM and injury susceptibility. The FMSTM score was shown to be an independent metric when compared to the other injury risk measures identified in the study and the other risk measures were also found to not reliably indicate injury susceptibility. Having said this, the association of weight, FMSTM and BMI with injury susceptibility warrants further investigation as these measures indicated a degree of association. / M

Thesis (MScPhysio)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Aims: To assess the effect of a chair and computer screen height adjustment on the neck and upper back musculoskeletal symptoms in an office worker. Methods: An N=1 study was conducted using the ABC design. Ethics approval was obtained for the study and the participant provided informed written consent. The participant was assessed over three four week phases as she performed her habitual computer work. The outcome measures assessed during the three phases were the pain intensity and perceived sitting comfort. The three phases were named the baseline, intervention and wash-out phases. During the baseline phase, the outcome measures were obtained at the participant‟s habitual work station. The intervention phase involved a vertical adjustment of the chair and computer screen height. The wash-out phase allowed the participant to adjust the chair and computer screen height to their choice. A follow-up interview was conducted with the participant three months after completion of the study. The mean values and the ranges of the pain intensity and perceived comfort were obtained and compared. The data collected was captured on a Microsoft Excel 2010 spread sheet, where after the data was tabulated and presented graphically. Results: The mean pain intensity of the participant increased slightly during the intervention phase in comparison to the baseline phase, but remained stable during the wash-out phase. The mean perceived sitting comfort deteriorated initially during the intervention phase, but improved later during the intervention phase and showed greater improvement during the wash out phase. The perceived sitting comfort showed more improvement than the pain intensity during the washout phase. Both the pain intensity and perceived sitting comfort showed improvement at the three months follow up assessment, post completion of the study. Conclusion: The vertical height adjustment of the chair and the VDT did not improve the participant‟s pain intensity and perceived sitting comfort when compared to the participant‟s habitual workstation parameters. The findings do not favour the horizontal viewing angle. The findings of this study however support the use of „slightly below horizontal‟ viewing angle as being conducive to reduce the pain intensity and improve the sitting comfort of an office worker. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Doelstelling: Om die effek te bepaal van die hoogte aanpassing van die stoel en rekenaarskerm op die nek en bo-rug muskuloskeletale simptome van 'n kantoorwerker. Metodes: „n N=1 studie was uitgevoer deur gebruik te maak van die ABC ontwerp. Etiese goedkeuring was verkry vir die studie en die deelnemer het ingeligte skriftelike toestemming verleen. Die deelnemer was ge-evalueer oor drie vier week-lange fases terwyl sy haar gewone rekenaarwerk verrig het. Die uitkomsmetings ge-evalueer tydens die drie fases was pyn intensiteit en waargenome sitgemak. Die drie fases was genoem die basislyn, intervensie en uitwas fases. Gedurende die basislyn fase was die uitkomsmetings by die deelnemer se gewone werkstasie ingevorder. Die intervensie fase het 'n vertikale aanpassing van die stoel en rekenaarskerm behels. Die uitwas fase het die deelnemer toegelaat om haar stoel en rekenaarskerm se hoogte aan te pas volgens haar keuse. 'n Opvolg onderhoud was gevoer met die deelnemer drie maande na die voltooiing van die studie. Die resultate was vasgelê op 'n Microsoft Excel 2010 data bladsy, waarna die data getabuleer en grafies uitgebeeld is. Resultate: Die gemiddelde pyn intensiteit van die deelnermer het effens toegeneem tydens die intervensie fase in vergelyking met die basislyn fase, maar het stabiel gebly tydens die uitwas fase. Die gemiddelde waargenome sitgemak het aanvanklik verswak tydens die intervensie fase, maar het later verbeter tydens die intervensie fase en het aangehou verbeter tydens die uitwas fase. Die waargenome sitgemak het groter verbetering getoon as die pyn intensiteit tydens die uitwas fase. Beide pyn intensiteit en waargenome sitgemak het verbetering getoon by die drie maande opvolg evaluasie, na voltooiing van die studie. Gevolgtrekking. Die vertikale hoogte aanpassing van die stoel en rekenaarskerm het nie die deelnemer se pyn intensiteit en waargenome sitgemak in vergelyking met die deelnemer se gewone werkstasie parameters verbeter nie. Hierdie bevindinge is nie ten voordeel van die horisontale kykhoek nie. Nietemin, ondersteun die bevindinge van hierdie studie die gebruik van die "effens onder die horisontale" kykhoek as bevorderend om die pyn intensiteit te verminder en die sitgemak van 'n kantoorwerker te verbeter.