Enactment of regulatory standards for respirable coal mine dust (RCMD) concentration and crystalline silica content, and advancements in mine ventilation and dust controls led to a steady decline of occupational lung disease among US coal miners between the early 1970s and the mid-1990s. Since that time, there has been an alarming resurgence of disease especially in central Appalachia—with little hard data to pinpoint the causative factors in the mine environment. This situation has emphasized the knowledge gap surrounding specific dust characteristics and their sources. Key observations from many disease cases have suggested that dust constituents sourced from the rock strata in the mine (i.e., the rock layers that surround the target coal seam) may be particularly important; and this fits with the general tendency to extract thinner coal seams, and thus more rock, in many central Appalachian mines. To explore the characteristics of rock-strata sourced dust and its possible influence on the overall RCMD, this thesis reports two primary research efforts: Chapter 1 encompasses a case study conducted in an underground coal mine in West Virginia. (This chapter was previously published in the proceedings of the 18th North American Mine Ventilation Symposium, and is being reproduced with permission of the licensor through.) Following precedent from other studies, respirable dust samples were collected from key locations including in the intake airway, downwind an operating roof bolter, and adjacent to the feeder breaker. Additionally, three locations downwind the production face were simultaneously sampled during four individual continuous miner cuts—which was a unique feature of the current study. Dust was analyzed using previously established methods, including scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) to determine particle size and mineralogy distributions. Where comparable, results were generally consistent with those from other central Appalachian mines. However, the unique production sampling scheme offered new insights regarding the shift in particle characteristics as dust moves downwind from the generation point. Changes in size and mineralogy suggested that rock-strata sourced particles, especially aluminosilicates, might interfere with the SEM-EDX classification of other particles, especially coal. To explore the issue of aluminosilicate interference with coal classification, and the possible reasons, Chapter 2 covers two main lines of study. First, existing RCMD samples and SEM-EDX metadata were re-examined. Results suggested that particle loading effects could be at least partly responsible for the appearance of inordinately high aluminosilicate abundance (and conversely low coal) in some samples (i.e., the mineral particles might deposit on the sample filter in close proximity to the coal). Additionally, the presence of coal-mineral microagglomerates (MAGs) was demonstrated. The second line of study in Chapter 2 was therefore to explore whether MAG formation could be due to the RCMD generation process or environmental conditions—rather than merely an artifact of the sampling procedure—and the dispersibility of MAGs, which may have important implications with respect to dust exposure and biological response. Laboratory-generated samples collected passively demonstrated that coal-mineral MAGs can indeed occur without influence from typical RCMD sampling equipment. MAGs were significantly dispersed by sonication in deionized water, though gentle swirling did not yield consistent results. Moreover, in a surfactant solution that mimics natural lung fluid, MAGs were also dispersed. Compared to deionized water, the surfactant may promote more dispersion of coal particles in particular. / Master of Science / Occupational illnesses such as black lung in underground coal mining are still a worrisome issue in the industry. This research was aimed at gaining insight into rock-strata sourced dust and its possible influence on the overall characteristics of respirable coal mine dust (RCMD). The rock strata surrounding the coal seam is often rich in silicates and silica. A case study of RCMD was conducted in a thin-seam mine in West Virginia. Samples were collected in various locations and analyzed using electron microscopy among other methods. Results indicated that mineral dust, especially aluminosilicates, can be very abundant near the production face and might interfere with the measurement of coal dust. To explore such interference, a follow-up study was performed by revisiting a subset of RCMD samples examined in prior work. This approach yielded evidence of coal-mineral microagglomerates. Additional efforts in the laboratory recreated agglomerate formation and demonstrated their dispersibility. Results suggested that the occurrence of microagglomerates is not entirely a direct consequence of the sampling methodology and highlighted their potential importance within the context of exposure assessment and possible biological response.

Despite the rapid growth in nanotechnology, very little is known about the unintended health or environmental effects of manufactured nanomaterials. The development of nanotechnology risk assessments and regulations requires quantitative information on the potential for exposure to nanomaterials. In addition, to facilitate life-cycle assessments and inhalation toxicology studies, robust methods are needed to generate aerosolized engineered nanoparticles. We conducted a set of field studies to measure the fine particle mass concentrations (PM2.5) as well as nanoparticle number concentrations and size distributions in two nanomaterial manufacturing facilities. Measurements were performed near the reactor, in the breathing zone, and at a background site. Increases in PM2.5 and particle number concentrations were associated with physical handling of nanomaterials. The highest PM2.5 concentration observed was 2700 ug m-3 during sweeping of the reactor in the commercial plant. In most cases, an increase in the number of sub-100 nm particles accounted for the increase in total number concentrations. The results of this research can be used to develop guidelines for workplace regulations to minimize workers' exposure to nanoparticles. Furthermore, we used an atomizer to aerosolize C60 aggregates from a fullerene-water suspension. Measurement of particle size distributions and number concentrations showed that increasing the initial fullerene concentration resulted in increased number of aerosolized particles, while the average size of particles remained relatively constant. To return the aerosolized fullerenes into water, we passed the aerosol sample through an impinger. Reducing the flow rate through the impinger resulted in an increase in the collection efficiency of airborne nanoparticles. / Master of Science

Thesis advisor: Shanta Pandey / Thesis advisor: Vincent Fusaro / It is well established that employment conditions are a key determinant of health, including mental health. Research conducted in the wake of deindustrialization and the onset of neoliberal reforms—reforms that significantly weakened the collective bargaining power of workers—has consistently shown that job loss, perceived job insecurity, and temporary employment increase the risk of depression, anxiety, and psychological distress. The secular erosion of standard employment relationships compounded by specific exigencies introduced by the Great Recession (2007-2009) has resulted in a concerning rise in precarious employment: employment forms characterized by stagnant wages, irregular working hours, and lack of fringe benefits are now the norm rather than the exception. This dramatic change in the conditions of employment has been especially challenging for Millennials, many of whom were entering the workforce at the time of the Great Recession and experienced high levels of unemployment. As the converging challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, technological advances, and inequality threaten to further destabilize Millennials’ participation in the labor market, research is needed to better understand the interplay between precarious employment and mental health as well as risk and protective factors for mental wellbeing. To date, few studies examining the health implications of precarious employment have focused on young adults. Moreover, research on the relationship between job precarity and mental health has relied primarily on cross-sectional studies. This dissertation contributes to this literature, leveraging nationally representative panel data from the Panel Study on Income Dynamics to 1) identify subgroups of precarious employment (PE) trajectories among Millennials residing in the United States following the Great Recession (2009-2019); 2) examine associations between PE trajectory subgroups and mental distress; and 3) explore the moderating role of social welfare benefits on the relationship between PE and mental distress. A total of 1303 Millennial respondents were included in the study. Growth mixture models identified three subgroups of PE trajectories across the study period: nearly three-quarters of respondents belonged a subgroup experiencing stagnant employment quality, a second subgroup (16% of the sample) faced declining employment quality, while a third subgroup (12% of respondents) enjoyed steadily rising employment quality. Millennials in the negative EQ growth class compared to the low- and high-growth subgroups were more likely to have lower levels of educational attainment; to be divorced, separated, or widowed; to be low-skill, white- or low-skill, blue-collar workers; and to have mothers with less than a high school level of education. With respect to the relationship between precarious employment and psychological distress, mixed-effects logistic regression models revealed that fewer years of education and widowed/divorced/separated marital status (compared to married/cohabitating status) were associated with higher odds of severe psychological distress. Models examining moderate psychological distress outcomes, meanwhile, demonstrated that Millennials who were younger, female, experiencing declining EQ over time, and single/never married or divorced/separated/widowed had higher odds of endorsing symptoms of moderate mental distress. Contrary to expectations, none of the three social welfare policies—minimum wage, state EITC rate, and state unemployment insurance replacement rate—conferred a moderating effect on the relationship between EQ and psychological distress. These findings have important implications for social work research, policy, and practice. Beyond filling an important gap in our understanding of the ways in which the shifting landscape of work contributes to young adults’ mental health, the study’s attention to the moderating role of social welfare policies on the association between PE and mental wellbeing should serve as a stepping stone for future research aimed at elucidating policies that can best protect the mental health of workers in a political and economic climate marked by accelerating technological change and rising labor contentiousness. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2024. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Social Work. / Discipline: Social Work.

Submitted by admin tede (tede@pucgoias.edu.br) on 2017-03-30T13:28:38Z No. of bitstreams: 1 IEL MARCIANO DE MORAES FILHO.pdf: 1538205 bytes, checksum: 95bc4306dae808819402eda89c9939cd (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-30T13:28:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 IEL MARCIANO DE MORAES FILHO.pdf: 1538205 bytes, checksum: 95bc4306dae808819402eda89c9939cd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-03 / This study aimed to evaluate the level of occupational stress of nurses who working on Family Health Strategy. This is a cross-sectional analytical study with a quantitative approach. An interview was conducted with 56 nurses from the Family Health Strategy of the northern and northwestern regions of the city of Goiânia/GO. Two questionnaires were used, being an occupational sociodemographic and the other evaluating stress at work. A descriptive analysis of the variables was performed using mean, frequency and standard deviation. The scores for each question were calculated as well as the overall stress score. The test used to evaluate the existence or not of a statistically significant difference (p≤0.05) between independent and multiple variables was analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results showed that the higher the age, the greater the level of irritation about this organizational situation (p = 0.046). Regarding the gender issue, the study showed that women comprised 94.6% of the sample, and the stressor is directly related to the supervisor, who is not responsible for significant responsibilities (p = 0.011) and those who affirm that they do not have a religion constitute a group Which tends to feel isolated in the organization (p = 0.003). It is concluded that the nurses were highly stressed with the management mode in which they are submitted, the lack of appreciation, discredit their work and empower third parties of their deeds. Such stressors can trigger moral distress, various signs and symptoms, associating stress with different pathologies, such as Burnout Syndrome and chemical dependence. / Este estudo teve o objetivo de avaliar o nível do estresse ocupacional dos enfermeiros da Estratégia Saúde da Família. Trata-se de um estudo transversal analítico com abordagem quantitativa. Foi realizado uma entrevista com 56 enfermeiros da Estratégia Saúde da Família das regiões norte e noroeste da cidade de Goiânia/GO. Foram utilizados dois questionários, sendo um sociodemográfico ocupacional e outro de avaliação do Estresse no Trabalho. Foi realizada uma análise descritiva das variáveis utilizando-se média, frequência e desvio padrão. Após foram calculados os escores de cada questão da escala, bem como o escore de estresse global. O teste utilizado para avaliar a existência ou não de diferença estatisticamente significativa (p≤0,05) entre amostras independentes e múltiplas variáveis foi a análise de variância (ANOVA). Os resultados identificaram que quanto mais elevada a idade, maior também é o nível de irritação acerca dessa situação organizacional (p=0,046). Na questão de gênero a pesquisa demonstrou que as mulheres compuseram 94,6% da amostra, sendo que o fator estressor está diretamente relacionado ao supervisor de não as incumbirem de responsabilidades importantes (p=0,011) e aqueles que afirmaram não ter religião constituem um grupo que tende a se sentir isolado na organização (p=0,003). Conclui-se que os enfermeiros encontravam-se altamente estressados com o modo de gestão em que estavam submetidos, pela falta de valorização, desacreditados de seu trabalho e empoderamento de terceiros de seus feitos. Tais fatores estressores podem desencadear sofrimento moral, sinais e sintomas diversos, associando o estresse a diferentes patologias, como a Síndrome de Burnout e a dependência química.

Dental practice requires unique working conditions such as prolonged working hours, strained body postures and laborious, high finesse dental techniques. However, it can be more efficiently performed by the application of ergonomics, rather than physically forcing the worker's body to fit the job. Posture is highly influenced by factors such as inadequate working level, incorrect patient positioning, and poor visual comfort. In order to eliminate musculoskeletal disorders it is necessary to control these and other factors, and design the human work environment to be more ergonomic. The aim of this study was to assess ergonomics within Indian dental practice and elucidate factors that prevented application of ergonomics. An observational study was conducted among 58 Indian dentists, both from a private dental hospital and clinics. A questionnaire that consisted of 37 open-ended and closed-ended questions was used as a research tool for the study. Information on background characteristics, work environment, equipment, work administration, and ergonomic awareness was collected using the questionnaire. Sampling consisted of observing 37 male and 21 female dentists. A total of 58 individuals, 62 % ( 36), worked for a private dental hospital, and 38% (22) for dental clinics. A majority, 84.5% (49), of the dentists reported that they did not receive ergonomic training from their work administration. Most dentists, 96% (56), reported that there was no system of recordkeeping for workplace accidents. Lack of proper ergonomic training and no system of recordkeeping for workplace accidents were found to be the primary factors for not applying ergonomics by Indian dentists. Ergonomic training programs are needed in India to help educate dentists on workplace safety and health, and thus aid in reducing musculoskeletal pain. Finally, a system is needed in Indian dental practice to promote workplace safety and health by identifying workplace hazards that result in injuries.

U.S. Army Regulations require soldiers to be fit, as excessive weight negatively impacts their readiness, health, and morale. A quantitative study examined if personal, behavioral, and/or environmental factors predict a soldier's self-efficacy and body mass index. Data were obtained from 117 soldiers on 6 scales: the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, the Army Physical Fitness Test, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Stress Management Questionnaire, the Lifestyle Assessment Inventory, and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine if personal (intellectual capabilities and physical fitness), behavioral (lifestyle and stress management), and/or environmental (supervisor leadership) factors predict self-efficacy and body mass index in a convenience sample of battalion personnel. The analysis showed that lifestyle and stress management behavioral factors predict self-efficacy, whereas physical fitness predicts body mass index. In addition, there were significant correlations between self-efficacy, personal factors, and behavioral factors; between personal factors, behavioral factors, and body mass index; and between behavioral and environmental factors. Positive social change implications include the U.S. Army using these findings to promote healthy lifestyles, reduce stress, and increase physical fitness among soldiers to achieve higher self-efficacy and a lower body mass index. These findings also suggest that the military services would see better physical readiness by considering personal, behavioral, and environmental factors to meet standards.

Because of their relative inexperience in performing procedures and handling sharps devices, medical students and resident physicians are considered to be at high risk for sharps injuries. A higher rate of sharps injuries for medical trainees implies a higher risk for occupationally-acquired infection with bloodborne pathogens and may have financial and legal implications for training institutions. This study examines the prevalence of sharps injuries among US medical students and resident physicians. A systematic review of the literature yielded 10 studies that gave data on sharps injuries for US medical students or residents, and those data were combined with data from our institution to produce pooled prevalences. Results from our institution showed that residents had a significantly higher risk of sharps injuries than medical students. While sharps injuries increased with students' years of training, residents' rates decreased with increasing level of training. Resident rates were highest in the department of Surgery and lowest for Pediatrics. Comparing pooled prevalences of US trainees revealed that residents were 6 times more likely than medical students to have a sharps injury. This information can be used by training programs to inform changes in residency training curricula and infection control policies, as well as to forecast Worker's Compensation and long-term disability insurance coverage requirements. Medical training institutions must continue to provide opportunities for students and residents to perfect their procedural skills, but at the same time, trainees must be protected from the risk of sharps injuries and exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

Latino immigrants encounter an entanglement of rights and policies after occupational injury or illness. In collaboration with an immigrant worker center, ethnographic research and a survey are used to analyze injured workers’ experiences. The center uses survey results to identify common threads and systematic problems, and to explore potential direct action. Through interviews with workers and medical and legal professionals, I investigate the barriers Latino immigrants face following occupational injury or illness, how their lived experiences relate to the greater medicolegal frameworks that demarcate most formal processes of compensation and treatment, and the experiences of professionals who mediate these structures. Research results confirm that immigrant workers lack information about their labor rights and the workers’ compensation system, which prevents them from filing claims, and contributes to the underreporting of workplace injuries. However, this research project also documents how workers who do file claims and report injuries are systematically barred access to redress due to a confluence of factors including unresponsive and fraudulent employers, biases in the medical system, discourses of deservingness, insufficient protections from retaliation, and the effects of a market-based medical system. I argue that future work-related injury prevention efforts should go beyond rights education, and include reforms to the compensation system.

Although the Ministry of Health, Indonesia, has achieved some successful occupational health interventions, published literature on such interventions in Indonesia remains scarce. This study utilized mixed methods of qualitative and quantitative research for the years 2010 and 2011. The qualitative study covered respondents in West, Central, and East Java Provinces to gather stakeholders' perspectives on the impact, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance, and barriers of occupational health services for informal sectors in Indonesia. The quantitative portion measured the impact of occupational health training for community health officers using Reach, Efficacy, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance (RE-AIM) dimensions. West Java, as a province with a center for occupational health referral services (Balai Kesehatan Kerja Masyarakat/BKKM), was compared to Central Java as a province without BKKM. The qualitative study showed that interventions improved knowledge of and engagement in occupational health among workers and health officers. Among other improvements, occupational health training resulted in some owners of food processing home industries switching from non-food to food-based coloring. The advocacy program improved local governments' political commitment to funding the occupational health program. The BKKM played important roles in delivering occupational health in West Java Province. The quantitative study showed the efficacy variable to have the lowest p-value (p:<.0001). Meanwhile, the reach variable showed on the second lowest p-value among RE-AIM components (p: <.0190). Moreover, education (p-value: 0.0001), job type (p-value: 0.0015), and job duration (p-value: 0.0289) were considered individual variables that could have contributed to the differences in RE-AIM scores between Central and West Java. The qualitative study confirmed that occupational health interventions in Indonesia resulted in some positive impacts related to safe and healthy work-related behaviors. The quantitative study found that West Java, a province with BKKM, had a better RE-AIM score as compared to Central Java, a province without BKKM. Some individual variables such as education, job type, and job duration could have contributed to the differences in RE-AIM scores between Central and West Java. The future direction of the occupational health-training program should consider the participants' diversity in their education, job type, and job duration.

Globally, investigations into food-borne illnesses show that the majority of cases involve poor hand hygiene of the food handler. The challenge of providing safe food therefore requires new strategies for evaluating cross-contamination of pathogenic micro-organisms on the food handler's hands, which might be detrimental or hazardous to the health of the patient Although food-borne diseases may be multifactorial in aetiology, no standards or evaluation systems, such as an occupational health surveillance programme, are available to monitor and ensure that food is free of pathogens. The formulation and implementation of standards may contribute to ensuring that food handlers comply with hand hygiene practices during food handling. Such practices guarantee that food reaching the patient is safe. The objectives in this research project originated from the occupational health practice and gave direction of the empirical research project. The literature was reviewed to discover what is currently known concerning the food handlers' hand hygiene during food handling and food-borne illnesses and the theoretical framework gave direction and guidance to the survey design of the empirical research, which was quantitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual in nature. The food handlers from the food preparation sections of the four major healthcare services in Potchefstroom, in the North West Province, South Africa, were the target population and the sampling method was all-inclusive (n=110). Eighty (75.47%) food handlers participated in the research project. The design entailed three steps. The first was conducted with a questionnaire, to identify the food handlers' compliance with hand hygiene during food handling. The second step involved determining the prevalence of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus on the food handlers' hands. The results were used for the formulation of standards for the hand hygiene of food handlers. Finally, recommendations for practice, education and research were made. The implementation of these recommendations could contribute knowledge to the body of nursing and promote good hand hygiene practices in the healthcare service. / Thesis (M.Cur.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.