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Objectives: A cost-efficient approach for assessing working postures could be to build statistical models for predicting results of direct measurements from cheaper data, and apply these models to samples in which only the latter data are available. The present study aimed to build and assess the performance of statistical models predicting inclinometer-assessed trunk and arm posture among paper mill workers. Separate models were built using administrative data, workers' ratings of their exposure, and observations of the work from video recordings as predictors. Methods: Trunk and upper arm postures were measured using inclinometry on 28 paper mill workers during three work shifts each. Simultaneously, the workers were video filmed, and their postures were assessed by observation of the videos afterwards. Workers' ratings of exposure, and administrative data on staff and production during the shifts were also collected. Linear mixed models were fitted for predicting inclinometer-assessed exposure variables (median trunk and upper arm angle, proportion of time with neutral trunk and upper arm posture, and frequency of periods in neutral trunk and upper arm inclination) from administrative data, workers' ratings, and observations, respectively. Performance was evaluated in terms of Akaike information criterion, proportion of variance explained (R²), and standard error (SE) of the model estimate. For models performing well, validity was assessed by bootstrap resampling. Results: Models based on administrative data performed poorly (R² ≤ 15%) and would not be useful for assessing posture in this population. Models using workers' ratings of exposure performed slightly better (8% < R² ≤ 27% for trunk posture; 14% < R² ≤ 36% for arm posture). The best model was obtained when using observational data for predicting frequency of periods with neutral arm inclination. It explained 56% of the variance in the postural exposure, and its SE was 5.6. Bootstrap validation of this model showed similar expected performance in other samples (5th-95th percentile: R² = 45-63%; SE = 5.1-6.2). Conclusions: Observational data had a better ability to predict inclinometer-assessed upper arm exposures than workers' ratings or administrative data. However, observational measurements are typically more expensive to obtain. The results encourage analyses of the cost-efficiency of modeling based on administrative data, workers' ratings, and observation, compared to the performance and cost of measuring exposure directly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at revisiting the empirical evidence on the recent trends of countries' integration in global value chains (GVCs) in Europe. It investigates two potential sources of unbalances that these processes might relate to (i) the sectoral specialization of the patterns of international fragmentation, whether high-technology manufacturing or knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS), and (ii) the occupational categories that have benefited or been penalized by these trends. A rich empirical mapping of these trends in the European countries is provided, based on World Input–Output Database and European Union Labour Force Survey (EU LFS) data. The results on the overall and sectoral-specific trends of integration in GVCs and the associated changes in the shares of managers and manual workers show dual-speed and qualitatively different integration patterns in Europe, with Eastern European (EE) countries rapidly integrating in high-tech manufacturing and the core of Western countries strengthening their mutual integration in the KIBS area. Despite the relatively "good quality" integration of EE countries, the evidence does not seem to reveal a mirroring upgrading of employment structures. While this empirical contribution does not attempt to identify causal relationships, the picture provided in the paper shows that, overall, integration in GVCs seems to reproduce and perhaps exacerbate the initial asymmetries in the sectoral and employment structure, with employment shares of manual workers reducing on the whole and knowledge-intensive occupations concentrating in Western Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to analyse the factors influencing migration, the labour migration process and the status of migrant laborers in the informal sector, particularly those working in brick kiln factories. It will shed light on the precarious nature of their work, often characterized by informal and verbal contracts. The paper examines occupational and environmental health hazards affecting the labourers and their impact on their well-being, the vulnerability of women in the precarious work environment and the associated health risks in brick kiln factories in India. Design/methodology/approach: The study relies primarily on primary data collection, supplemented by secondary literature and documents. Balangir district was chosen as the research region due to its historical deprivation, underdevelopment and the historical prevalence of environmental distress, leading to distress-driven migration. To gather primary data, 40 respondents were selected from five selected blocks in Balangir district, resulting in a total of 200 respondents. In addition, in-depth interviews were conducted with 35 individuals across the selected blocks, with approximately seven participants from each block. In addition, interviews of 10 kids were taken and around 10 key informants including the trade union leaders, intellectuals and civil society activists. Findings: Migrant labourers, including men, women and children, face significant health issues and are exposed to similar occupational health hazards. Internal migrant women workers are more vulnerable as they face critical health risks during pregnancy in host areas due to unfavourable working conditions and limited access to health-care services. Factors such as strenuous work, long working hours, poor nutrition and inadequate maternal care contribute to adverse outcomes such as spontaneous abortion, premature delivery and abnormal postnatal development. Research limitations/implications: The brick kiln industry presents a distressing reality for men who are highly vulnerable to occupational accidents, and women workers are exposed to sexual abuse, exploitation and violence. The prevalence of physical harassment, ranging from leering to rape, is alarmingly high among women. These incidents not only inflict physical harm but also cause severe psychological trauma and increase the risk of sexually transmitted diseases. Despite the existence of laws aimed at protecting women's rights and addressing sexual offences, the workers often remain unaware of their rights. This lack of awareness further compounds the vulnerability of women workers and perpetuates their exploitation in the workplace. Practical implications: To address health issues comprehensively, interventions should encompass the entire migrant population, including men and children. Strategies should focus on improving access to health-care services, promoting occupational health and safety measures, ensuring proper immunization and nutrition for children and addressing the broader social determinants of health. Empowering women with knowledge about reproductive health and rights, raising awareness about available health-care services and strengthening health-care providers' capacity to cater to migrant populations are crucial steps towards addressing health disparities. Social implications: Urgent interventions and policies are needed to address the health vulnerabilities of internal migrant workers and women workers. It is required to ensure health-care accessibility, improving working conditions, ensuring access to maternal care and essential supplements and providing health-care services for both pregnant women and their children, regardless of migration status. Originality/value: The study focused on precarious health and occupational hazards and accidents faced by migrant workers. It highlights women migrant labourer's and children's vulnerability in the Brick Klin sector, which is a value addition to the existing knowledge in social science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The shipbreaking sector in Bangladesh has spurred extensive academic and policy debates on relations between shipbreaking industries, environmental degradation and the health security of their workers. As shipbreaking is an economically significant industry in Bangladesh, it needs to implement both domestic and global mechanisms for environmental conservation and the protection of the labourers' health from environmental risks. The purpose of this paper is to primarily explore the environmental and health security issues in shipbreaking activities in Bangladesh. It also identifies the challenges in implementing the rules and regulations for protecting the health of the workers at shipbreaking yards in Bangladesh and preserving the marine environment. Design/methodology/approach: This is a qualitative paper based on secondary materials, including journal articles, books and national and international reports. It critically reviews the existing literature, rules, regulations and policing on shipbreaking with a particular focus on the environment and health security of the workers. Findings: This paper finds that the implementation of the rules and regulations in shipbreaking in Bangladesh is complicated because of weak implementation mechanisms, political and economic interests of the yard owners, lack of coordination among different agencies, lack of adequate training and awareness among the workers and workers' poor economic condition, which contribute to the degradation of marine and local environments and trigger health hazards among the workers. Therefore, degrading the environment and undermining occupational health and safety regulations have become regular; thus, accidental death and injury to the workers are common in this sector. Originality/value: This paper is an important study on the issues of workers' health and safety and environmental hazards in the shipyard. It reports how the health security of the workers in shipbreaking yards in Bangladesh is vulnerable, and environmental rules are challenged. Finally, this paper frames some policy implications to safeguard the workers' health rights and the marine environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the constructed rural community residents' health information literacy evaluation system, this paper proposes a rural community residents' health information literacy evaluation method based on intuitionistic fuzzy sets. Based on the intuitionistic fuzzy set, the multistage interactive group evaluation method whose data form is a point set has been expanded, and the intuitionistic fuzzy set that expresses objective things more delicately and truly is used to reflect the evaluator's preference, which can well simulate the human decision-making psychology and improve the applicability of the interactive group evaluation method. How to accurately measure the value information of relevant intuitionistic fuzzy numbers in uncertain environment has become a difficult problem. Therefore, it is very important to excavate important information in intuitionistic fuzzy numbers, deal with intuitionistic fuzzy numbers, and study the theory and method of multicriteria decision-making under fuzzy information. In this paper, we conducted a research on the health information literacy evaluation model of rural community residents based on intuitionistic fuzzy sets and multicriteria, and found that the formation rate of health behaviors of manual workers is relatively low, and the formation rate of healthy behaviors of female, elderly, and highly educated people is relatively high. A high level of education is conducive to improving the level of residents' health knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health scientists have claimed that urban transit workers suffer from higher rates of stress-related disease than workers in most other occupations. This paper examines how a network of scientists and labor organizers constructed the problem of transit worker stress as a global phenomenon. According to study participants, transit workers worldwide are subject to a similar set of stress-related risks, which can serve as a basis for worker solidarity. This paper analyzes how the concept of stress has been used to identify pathogenic environments and considers anthropological claims that the concept often abstracts and depoliticizes harmful arrangements. The findings show that scientists and labor organizers use the stress concept to construct a figure of a universally at-risk transit worker that serves the ends of transnational labor organizing. At the same time, by focusing on the case of San Francisco's transit workers, this analysis shows that a persistent association between stress and 'hard work'—in both lay and scientific discourses—may block recognition of stress-related harms for transit workers who are accused of being lazy and overpaid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual reality (VR) training offers the capability to industrial workers to acquire skills and address complex tasks by immersing them in a safe and controlled virtual environment. Immersive VR (IVR) training is adopted in many diverse settings, yet little systematic work currently exists on how researchers have applied it for industrial skills training and if it holds the potential to be applied remotely. In this review, 78 representative studies were analysed to answer three key questions: Is IVR an effective training method for industrial skills training? How is research in this field applied? And how can we make IVR training more effective and applicable for remote training? We can testify that IVR is a promising training method with high effectiveness scores. However, our analysis has uncovered several gaps in the application of IVR training, like the lack of learning theories in the design process and limited metrics beyond time and scores. Additionally, our review also exposed unexplored but intriguing avenues of research, like the utilisation of biosensors for users' data collection, haptics that increases realism and applications with remote training potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Occupational health factors such as shift work, sleep, fatigue, and work environment jeopardise the health and safety of gas station workers. This calls for new research to investigate how the working environment and characteristics impact the occupational health of workers at gas stations. However, minimal research has been conducted in this field, especially those involving psychological and behavioural factors, occupational stress, and so forth. OBJECTIVE: This review was performed to investigate the present condition of the occupational risk of gas station workers in this safety-critical position. METHODS: Five databases (Web of Science, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Google Scholar, and PsycINFO) were searched for relevant peer-reviewed studies. Results were selected according to these criteria: studies on fatigue, shift work, sleep, and physical and mental health of gas station employees; published on or before November 11, 2021; papers in English. RESULTS: Twenty studies were considered for the final analysis. The results showed that shift work at gas stations leads to psychological and physiological problems. The psychological consequences included anxiety, stress, and depression, while the physiological consequences included biochemical changes and lifestyle consequences. CONCLUSION: Shift work and the specific working environment of gas station employees adversely affect their sleep, stress levels, physical and mental health, and turnover intention. This systematic review allowed us to consider the occupational risk factors that can lead to sickness or accidents and contribute to reducing these risk factors. Realistic countermeasures ought to be established and interventions must be explored to mitigate risks to life, property, and the environment in operating gas stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the worldwide ergonomics community increases its sophistication in solving global problems, specific systemic challenges still plague Indians in urban mega-cities such as Mumbai. This paper aims to highlight the gaps using the knowns-unknowns framework, which exists in the Indian ergonomics community's capability to address such systemic challenges. Within this framework, the epistemological category of 'unknown-knowns' is explicated further using a case study of urban accidental deaths and injuries in Mumbai, India. These systemic casualties are essential to note because they are not only hidden from public awareness but can be avoided by proper ergonomics interventions. The article concludes with four main directions for the Indian ergonomics community in solving systemic problems in terms of, (a) capacity-building, (b) advocacy; (c) developing all realms of ergonomics with particular emphasis on complex systems; (d) developing India-centric pathways for ergonomics as a discipline. Practitioner's summary: This paper aims to highlight gaps in the academic Indian ergonomics community's capacity to solve public systemic problems. An India-centric way forward for awareness, engagement, and academic capacity building is suggested to develop a comprehensive national ergonomics mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper examines the prevalence of long COVID across different demographic groups in the US and the extent to which workers with impairments associated with long COVID have engaged in pandemic-related remote work. Methods: We use the US Household Pulse Survey to evaluate the proportion of all adults who self-reported to (1) have had long COVID, and (2) have activity limitations due to long COVID. We also use data from the US Current Population Survey to estimate linear probability regressions for the likelihood of pandemic-related remote work among workers with and without disabilities. Results: Findings indicate that women, Hispanic people, sexual and gender minorities, individuals without 4-year college degrees, and people with preexisting disabilities are more likely to have long COVID and to have activity limitations from long COVID. Remote work is a reasonable arrangement for people with such activity limitations and may be an unintentional accommodation for some people who have undisclosed disabilities. However, this study shows that people with disabilities were less likely than people without disabilities to perform pandemic-related remote work. Conclusion: The data suggest this disparity persists because people with disabilities are clustered in jobs that are not amenable to remote work. Employers need to consider other accommodations, especially shorter workdays and flexible scheduling, to hire and retain employees who are struggling with the impacts of long COVID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the potential impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the readymade garment (RMG) workers of Bangladesh. It articulates the RMG workers' existing vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic based on currently available evidence and personal conversations/communications with RMG workers. COVID-19 has already impacted RMG workers' health (both physical and mental health status) and wellbeing, and resulted in loss of employment. We argue that the COVID-19 pandemic will have long-lasting effects on the garment workers, especially related to their health issues, financial hardship and inability to pay for essentials such as food, and future employment opportunities. The stakeholders (such as the international retailers/brands, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Government of Bangladesh) responsible for the global supply chain RMG factories should reconsider the health and overall wellbeing needs of the RMG workers during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing number of employers implement worksite health promotion programs (WHPPs). In particular, blue-collar workers may benefit from these WHPPs. However, they are less likely than other workers to participate and little is known about which factors affect their participation. The aim of this scoping literature review is to produce an overview of studies on factors associated with blue-collar workers' participation in WHPPs. Five databases were searched: BSU, PsycINFO, Medline, Web of Science and CINAHL. The review included peer-reviewed empirical studies on determinants associated with blue-collar workers' participation in WHPPs. Factors were extracted and categorized. Similar determinants were clustered and the direction of the associations was further examined. Nineteen papers describing 11 qualitative and 4 quantitative studies met the eligibility criteria. Seventy-seven determinants were analyzed (in quantitative studies) or reported (in qualitative studies). In most studies, only participant characteristics were investigated. Participation may be enhanced by addressing needs, tailoring from a broad range of activities, offering group activities, requiring little effort and commitment at the start, using incentives, leading by example and combining WHPPs with occupational safety interventions. WHPPs seem to be able to reach blue-collar workers, but it remains particularly challenging to reach shift workers and those who do not yet experience health complaints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is twofold: to explore the factors influencing the emergence and growth of informal e-waste activities and to examine workers' motivation for involvement in informal e-waste activities. Semi-structured interviews and observations among actors in the recently established Dagomba-Line e-waste site in Kumasi, Ghana were employed to gather relevant data. Emergence and growth of e-waste activities are largely influenced by spatial, political, socio-cultural and economic factors. The reuse and open disposal of e-waste are the common practices due to the cost of transportation to a final disposal site. Similar to findings at the well-established Agbogbloshie e-waste site, also in Ghana, scavengers are found at the bottom of the e-waste financial ladder. The major motivating factor for engaging in e-waste handling is poverty. Additionally, some respondents mentioned the lucrative nature of the activity, landlessness, and peer influence as a motivation. The results showed that younger workers (below 35 years) were more likely to be engaged in the activity for reasons of peer influence and poverty and major source of livelihood. The paper recommends that policy and planning should reflect ways of delivering and creating stable socio-economic conditions that promote an inclusive and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper contributes to unravelling the perceptions of urban commercial drivers regarding their vulnerability to catching the SARS-CoV-2 virus while at work. It further examines how the perception of vulnerability influences personal use of face masks by drivers, as well as on their insistence on appropriate masking behaviour by other persons on-board public transport. Overcrowding and unsanitary conditions in informal public transport in Africa could facilitate the spread of the corona virus. However, the use of face masks, among other enhanced mitigation measures significantly contain and minimize the spread of the virus. Primary data, obtained through surveys at five major public transport terminals in Accra, was analysed and interpreted using the Health Belief Model as an explanatory framework. Results indicate that most drivers have a high vulnerability perception to Covid-19. It further emerged that older drivers, in particular, consistently wore face masks and insisted on other persons in their commercial vehicles to follow suit. Socio-demographic factors, and the need to ensure one's personal safety and those of loved ones were critical determinants of face mask use among surveyed drivers. The study thus recommends that public awareness campaigns should strategically focus attention on the younger generation of drivers (i.e. 18–39 years) who perceived themselves to be immune to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Also, the collaborative efforts of state and non-state actors, like the transport operator unions, must be further strengthened if the gains made so far against Covid-19 is to be sustained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates conditional demand models to examine the impact of immigration and different measures of offshoring on the labour demand and demand elasticities of native workers in four different types of occupational groups: managers/professionals, clerical workers, craft (skilled) workers and manual workers. The analysis is conducted for the period 2008–2017 for four economies Austria, Belgium, France and Spain. Our results point to important and occupation-specific direct and indirect effects: both offshoring – particularly services offshoring – and immigration have negative direct employment effects on all occupations, but native clerks and manual workers are affected the most, and native managers/professionals the least. Our results also identify an important elasticity-channel of immigration and offshoring and show that some groups of native workers can also gain from globalisation through an improvement in their wage-bargaining position. Overall, our results indicate a deterioration in the bargaining power of native manual workers arising from both immigration and offshoring and an improvement in the bargaining position of native craft workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The weak preventive culture among workers in the construction sector leads to the underestimation of risks posed by the presence or handling of chemical agents on-site and, consequently, harms workers' health. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this paper are to classify exposure to chemical agents present or used on-site, determine workers' perception of said agents and establish the influence that socio-demographic variables have on chemical agent exposure and the perception of such exposure. METHODS: A total of 490 workers in the Spanish construction sector participated in this study. The data were gathered through a self-administered questionnaire that explored socio-demographic characteristics, the degree of exposure to chemical agents, attitudes toward exposure and the prevention of consequences. The underlying dimensions of perception were researched using an adapted version of the questionnaire used by the Paul Slovic group to apply the psychometric paradigm. RESULTS: The levels of exposure to and handling of chemical agents found in the sample were high and moderate, respectively. The participants were found to have advanced knowledge about the effects of exposure, with the majority of the workers considering the probability of suffering a serious disease to be low. Statistically significant associations were found between the socio-demographic variables identified in the sample and the various exposure characteristics. A factor analysis performed on the underlying dimensions of perception provided a final version of the instrument comprising two factors. CONCLUSION: Measures are needed to improve the preventive culture among workers in the construction sector and reinforce on-site preventive measures aimed at preventing or minimising the consequences of exposure to chemical agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses quasi-experimental variation in payroll tax rates in Finland to investigate how firms use their input factors. We find that higher payroll tax rates lead to large employment responses and have no effects on employee-level earnings. As payroll taxes increase, firms substitute away from low-skilled, routine, and manual workers. Higher firm-level payroll tax rates also slightly decrease the total output of firms. Our results imply that firm-level production and input factor choices are clearly affected by payroll taxes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of smart factories, digital twin may be a key for improving ergonomics analyses related to manual assembly activities. The use of digital technologies can help in bypassing some biases related to observational methods and speeding up the ergonomics analyses. This paper proposes a framework based on the development of a digital environment for carrying out ergonomics simulations of complex working systems in which a number of workers and other variables have to be considered for ergonomics evaluation. Based on such framework, a case study considering heterogeneous workers in a manual car assembly system has been analysed, and the impact of the implementation of different job rotation strategies has been studied. The tool is demonstrated to be effective in evaluating the physical ergonomic risk of a large number of configurations, and the results highlighted that proper job rotation strategies may affect the final scores of the considered indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Companies across the globe have intensified the digital interconnectedness of their manufacturing processes. Much attention was devoted to how industrial employment will be affected in this new production paradigm. In this paper, we use survey data collected from German industrial workers in 2014 and 2020 to contribute to the literature on digitalisation and industrial employment. This is the first scientific study on Industry 4.0 that empirically deals with the development of key parameters of industrial employment over time. Our findings support the argument that whilst increased digital interconnectedness creates more opportunities for highly skilled workers, the extent to which manual workers will be substituted is often overestimated. Second, our data suggests that the operations of larger companies tend to be more highly digitally interconnected than those of smaller firms. We also provide evidence that German industrial workers are less likely to expect substantial job losses through digitalisation than in 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issues surrounding migration are receiving unprecedented attention at the global, regional, as well as national levels. However, a review of the literature shows that there is more focus on international migration compared to internal migration. Further, there is more emphasis on issues related to the migration destination rather than those at the source of migration. Using the cultural preparation process model as a framework, this paper aims to understand the career and livelihood planning needs of those who are left behind. The left-behind families of pine resin tappers in the Changar region of the Indian Himalayas are presented as a case study to draw the attention of career guidance and counselling professionals to this unattended population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on commercial considerations on a government that pursued dangerous, misguided policies and lied to the public about their necessity and effectiveness. It mentions newspaper "Washington Post" management against blue-collar unionized workers and initial public offering (IPO) newspaper would be in jeopardy. It also mentions films about journalism, several themes and conventions structure the internal dynamics.

Conversation and dialogue are used as a central process within youth work. Whilst much has been written about the micro-skills of conversation, less attention has been paid to the philosophical realm. This paper examines how dialogue in youth work can be deepened when juxtaposed with the philosophies, principles and theories of conversation. Using qualitative and phenomenological methodologies, this study involved 32 youth workers from across Northern Ireland, in focus groups (N = 8) and interviews (N = 24). The findings illustrate how youth workers perceived dialogue in their practice, pointing to the connections with relationship-building, the development of critical consciousness and the equalizing of power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Workers and their families bear much of the economic burden of COVID‐19. Even though they have declined somewhat, unemployment rates are considerably higher than before the start of the pandemic. Many workers also face uncertainty about their future employment prospects and increasing financial strain. At the same time, the workplace is a common source of transmission of COVID‐19 and many jobs previously seen as relatively safe are now viewed as potentially hazardous. Thus, many workers face dual threats of economic stress and COVID‐19 exposure. This paper develops a model of workers' responses to these dual threats, including risk perception and resource depletion as mediating factors that influence the relationship of economic stress and occupational risk factors with COVID‐19 compliance‐related attitudes, safe behavior at work, and physical and mental health outcomes. The paper also describes contextual moderators of these relationships at the individual, unit, and regional level. Directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the management of distal radial fractures (DRF) and the unanswered questions surrounding their treatment. It highlights the increasing use of anterior locking plating (ALP) for DRFs and emphasizes the importance of understanding fracture anatomy and the limitations of ALP. The article also explores the use of ALP in corrective osteotomies without bone graft and the need for further research in this area. Additionally, it examines the advantages and nuances of operative versus non-operative treatment for DRFs, including the duration of sick leave and long-term outcomes. The study concludes that while short-term outcomes may be improved with ALP, the number of sick days was higher in the operatively treated group. Furthermore, long-term outcomes for DRFs were generally good, regardless of radiological outcomes, but the likelihood of a malunion becoming symptomatic remains unclear. The article suggests that future studies should consider the overall alignment of the wrist to determine the relationship between alignment and outcome in all populations. [Extracted from the article]

Through the investigation of kolberi (cross‐border labor), this paper sheds light on the state's policy of de‐development (or internal colonialization) of the Kurdish region (known as Rojhelat) in Iran. While the most dangerous form of labor, kolberi has become a dominant employment opportunity for Rojhelat Kurds in the last decade. There are no Iranian state laws criminalizing kolberi, and yet those laborers die on a regular basis—being shot or thrown off mountain cliffs by the state forces, stepping into minefields, and so forth. Nevertheless, there is not a single scholarly paper on this subject. Using the mixed methods research approach, our study analyzes the existing data along with in‐depth interviews with 20 people who are currently engaged in kolberi to contextualize this understudied phenomenon. Our finding demonstrates that kolberi is a direct outcome of a uni‐ethno‐religious policies of development and part and parcel of the state's Perso‐Shi'ification strategy in Kurdistan. Therefore, kolberi is more of a political phenomenon than an economic one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the COVID-19 situation keeps going on started from 2019. Many solutions are to against the spreading of coronavirus disease. The nurses have died, and other medical workers are in critical condition from operating in the hospital. It is a deadly virus that kills many humans; Thailand's solutions have urged the public to be confident about the Government's handling of the 2019-novel Coronavirus. At the same time, everyone has to embrace the new normal lifestyle and social distancing while patiently waiting for scientists and doctors to discover vaccines and treatments to defeat COVID-19. This work proposes an innovation of wireless body temperature that instead of the used manual by medical workers in the hospital of "the contactless body temperature monitoring (CBTM) of the in-patient department (IPD)." The proposed CBTM implementation applied artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. The specified infrared body temperature on the MLX90614 DCI used for the medical field was selected to embed the IoT-CBTM for IPD using the IoT platform. The MLX90614 is an accurate sensor that matches to use for medical promotion. The detected information data from IPD will be sent to the host computer and stored in the cloud internet service at a microwave band frequency of 2.5/5.0 GHz. This paper presents the accuracy test of the IoT-CBTM prototype calibrated with the manual body temperature verifying device under Thai Industrial Institute to close with the accuracy standard requirement. The experiments were repeated many times until raise up over 70% to get more reliability accuracy. The findings indicated that the proposed prototype achieved a reliability calibration of 74.7%. The actual use of IoT-CBTM is convenient to the nurse, doctor, and medical workers to collect body temperature data into the host computer, and they can monitor this information at all times in the working room, which is far away from the COVID-19 patients. Therefore, this novel innovation was achieved because it took to try out at a local health-promoting hospital in Songkhla Province, Thailand, which the IoT-CBTM system was satisfied by the medical staff because it can safe their time, and genuinely reaching the new norm on medical distancing real-time monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses information on a sample of 430 blue collar workers from different manufacturing industries of Ahmedabad, India to examine the influence of worker's compensation on their wage and mortality rates. This relation has a direct impact on the value of statistical life (VSL) estimates which is used to evaluate various health and safety policies. The compensation benefit plays a significant role in worker's compensation package however it has not received much attention in previous Indian studies. Inclusion of the compensation variable not only raises the co-efficient of risk variables but also increases the value of statistical life and value of statistical injury (VSI) estimates. The result of this study indicates that trade-off between worker's wage and compensation benefit exists for the workers in the sample. The estimated VSL that captures the effect of compensation benefit ranges between INR 30.27 million ($0.46 million) and INR 72.11 million ($1.10 million) while the estimated VSI ranges between INR 1.94 million ($0.029 million) and INR 2.82 million ($0.043 million). Besides, this paper goes further to study the rate of substitution between worker's compensation benefit and their wage and finds that the benefit levels are sub-optimal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meat production and consumption are major contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions and other aspects of environmental degradation. It is the aim of this paper to explore red meat in the configuration of main meals eaten out in England across types and styles of cuisine, and to consider the implications for transition towards less resource intensive ways of eating in the future. We show that the odds ratio of eating a dish without red meat is significantly lower in North American/European and Near/Middle Eastern cuisines compared with East Asian (with no difference between South and East Asian), that women are more likely than men to eat fish and poultry (with no gender differences in vegetarian dishes), that Prestonians are the least likely to select a vegetarian dish, compared with people in London and Bristol, and that the odds of a vegetarian dish compared with red meat is higher amongst managerial workers compared with the routine manual workers (with no other statistically significant class differences). We suggest the term "translated cuisine" to refer cuisines that travel and become incorporated into the palate of the new food culture, and discuss how this could play a role in transitions towards less meat‐centred patterns of food consumption in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Employing multi-type laborers (MLs) is common in multinational and cross-culture projects (MPCs). Different attributes of MLs can lead to uncertain and dynamic laborer behaviors (i.e. behavioral diversities), which may cause project deviations. Previous studies do not consider the uncertainties or dynamics of behaviors adequately or they only provide general suggestions. The purpose of this paper is to combine system dynamics (SD) and agent-based modeling (ABM) to build an integrated model. The proposed ABM-SD can gain better understanding of MLs' behavioral diversities, reveal the associated impacts and improve project management. Design/methodology/approach: Based on extensively review in construction labor management and computer simulation, architecture is built to depict the relationships between the affecting factors of MLs' behaviors, MLs' behavioral diversities and project performance. Second, conceptual structures of the ABM-SD model are developed. Third, methods to implement the model in practice are introduced, focusing on data collection and model structure adjustment. Finally, the model is tested in a case study. Findings: Different ML groups have distinctive behaviors which constantly change through interactions between MLs, engineers and external environment. Inadequate consideration of the diversities can result in inaccurate estimation of productivity, work quality and absenteeism, causing severe project deviations such as schedule delay, cost overrun and high absenteeism. On the other hand, using the ABM-SD model, the root causes of project deviations are analyzed from the perspective of MLs' behavioral diversities and the optimization of labor management can significantly improve project performance. Research limitations/implications: This paper supplements previous studies because the ABM-SD model takes fully use of the strength of simulation of solving uncertain and dynamic problems and combines both qualitative and quantitative findings in existing studies of labor management. Besides, the ABM-SD model is also a practical management tool to better monitor laborer behaviors and forecast the impacts. The limitation is mainly about the small scale of the case study. However, the ABM-SD model already demonstrates the mechanism about how MLs' different behaviors affect a project, which fulfill the aim of the study. Practical implications: The ABM-SD model can simulate MLs' behavioral diversities and produce reliable estimations of project performance. It also allows to optimize management plans. Furthermore, The ABM-SD model is adjustable based on specific project conditions, which make it applicable for different tasks, different laborer compositions and even different projects. Thus, the ABM-SD model can be a practical tool for engineers in MCPs. Originality/value: SD and ABM are applied to study behaviors with well-known benefits in both separated and integrated manner. However, few studies use the approach to investigate MLs' behaviors in MCPs. Hence, the proposed ABM-SD model is an original attempt to improve the laborer management level in MCPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of modern society, the rhythm of people's life and work is also forced to speed up. Stress from various fields makes people's health worse and worse. There are all kinds of pressures, and everyone in the torrent of the times has to face them. All kinds of pressures include life pressure, study pressure, and work pressure. Work pressure mainly comes from the pressure source, the individual's cognition of the pressure source, and the state of tension. Once too much work pressure is generated, it will bring unnecessary trouble to employees' lives and work and will also affect the company's interests. How to effectively alleviate work pressure is a problem that we urgently need to solve now. Specific problems are analyzed in detail. First, analyze the causes of work pressure. First, the pressure source is identified, and the pressure source generally exists objectively. It generally includes heavy work tasks, long working hours, and frequent job transfers. It is not easy to go through the employees themselves. Second is change, so this requires changing the individual's perception of the source of stress and the state of tension. In the continuous practice and research process of predecessors, some effective methods have been found, and music therapy is one of many methods, and music therapy has a wider range of effects and longer-lasting effects. This article mainly introduces how to effectively use music therapy in the work environment. It also includes a specific analysis of specific problems. The employees are mainly divided into mental workers and manual workers, and they are provided with different music therapy programs. The role of music therapy in workplace health management is such that it can effectively alleviate the work pressure of employees, enhance the feelings between employees, and improve the work efficiency of employees. Finally, the paper is summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the cases of Bangladeshi, Filipina, Nigerian, Palestinian and Pakistani migrant workers and how the frame of their work and employment in precarious, low-status/ low-wage jobs affects their perceptions and practices regarding health and access to healthcare services. Design/methodology/approach - Using qualitative research methodology, the analysis via in-depth interviews focuses on male Bangladeshi, Nigerian, Pakistani and Palestinian unskilled manual and textile laborers as well as street vendors, and female Filipina live-in domestic workers. Findings - Migrants are entrapped in a context of isolative and exploitative working conditions, i.e., in unskilled labor, textile work, street-vending, personal services, care and domestic work, which lead them to adopt a self-perception in which healthcare and social protection are not a priority. Social implications - Throughout the paper it has become clear that these precarious low-status/low-wage jobs have an important underside effect on migrants' lives, intensifying labor and health instability and exposing migrants to employment-generating activities that do not guarantee health safety. In Greek society, the impact of migration on public health is characterized by many as a "time bomb ready to explode," especially in urban centers. Meanwhile, the economy and particularly the informal sector of the labor market is benefiting from migrant workers.More research is needed as thismode of exploitative labor and precarious employment needs to be adequately addressed to mitigate barriers in the access of labor and healthcare rights. Originality/value - Via its contribution to the sociology of migration with particular emphasis on labor healthcare, the paper provides evidence that due to their concentration in precarious, low-status/low-wage jobs migrant workers have very limited access to healthcare services. The removal of inequalities and discrimination against migrant workers in accessing healthcare services and medical care is a challenge for South European Union countries and particularly for Greece. However, in spite of this, there is no uniform policy in the management of migrants with respect to their access to health services. The paper will aid debates between policy makers and academics working on migration and inequalities due to the division of labor and health disparities, will contribute to the understanding of the perils attached to precarious, low-status/low-wage jobs and in addressing health inequalities effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coal miners have been reported to have higher rates of risky/harmful alcohol misuse; however, it is not known if metalliferous mining employees whose working conditions differ in workplace practices, also have increased rates of risky/harmful alcohol misuse. This study aimed to examine alcohol consumption in a sample of Australian metalliferous mining workers and to examine the demographic and workplace factors associated with risky/harmful alcohol use. Methods: All employees from a convenience sample of four Australian mine sites were invited to complete a paper-based cross-sectional survey between June 2015 and May 2017. The survey contained questions relating to social networks, health behaviors, psychological distress, demographic characteristics, and risky/harmful drinking. Current alcohol use was measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), a validated measure of risky and/or harmful drinking. Factors associated with risky/harmful drinking were investigated using univariate and multivariable logistic regression. Findings: A total of 1,799 participants completed the survey (average site response rate 95%). Overall, 94.8% of males and 92.1% of females reported using alcohol in the preceding 12 months. The odds of risky/harmful alcohol use were significantly higher in those who were male, younger, and reported higher psychological distress. Conclusions/Application to Practice: This study identified that metalliferous mining employees engage in at-risk levels of alcohol consumption significantly higher than the national average despite workplace policies and practices that restrict alcohol use. Personal and workplace risk factors that may help target specific employee groups and inform the development of tailored, integrated multicomponent intervention strategies for the industry were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulatory studies assume that citizens can act as regulators to complement or correct failing state and market forms of regulation. Yet, there is a growing literature that shows that in reality citizens may fail to be effective regulators. This paper systematically analyses how power inequalities obstruct citizens in their regulatory roles. It compares four case studies with highly different social and political contexts but with similar outcomes of citizens failing to regulate risk. The case studies are analyzed by operationalizing sociological and political science ideas about manifestations of enabling and controlling forms of power in order to understand the way power inequalities obstruct citizens in their regulatory roles across diverse contexts. The article shows how citizens, from farmers and manual workers in both authoritarian developing and democratic developed contexts to even highly trained medical professionals from the US, have limited agency and are disempowered to act as regulators. Our analysis reveals that five patterns of disempowerment play a crucial role in obstructing successful society‐based regulation: (i) dependency, (ii) capacity, (iii) social hierarchy, (iv) discursive framing, and (v) perverse effects of legal rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial upgrading in China is rapidly increasing the competence requirements for employees on the shop floor. The institutional environment in China, however, does not seem very supportive: the quality of vocational education is often low and Chinese labor law provides strong incentives for companies to use temporary labor. This paper examines the competence development practices for blue-collar workers in automobile companies in China. Against expectations, automobile companies in China do not pursue ‘low road’ strategies but have designed intensive internal training programs and long-term career paths for blue-collar workers. Different theoretical explanations for the competence development approaches are discussed: human capital theory, high-commitment work systems theory, production systems theories, industrial relations and institutionalist theories. The paper is based on qualitative case studies of German, Japanese and domestic automobile manufacturers in China. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: The transition from work to retirement is a complex process and unique experience with a relationship existing between work and retirement with implications for health in later life. This review explored the relationship between pre‐retirement job and participation in the work‐to‐retirement transition process in Australia by exploring: (i) factors influencing retirement in relation to pre‐retirement job; (ii) how jobs are classified; (iii) the effect of pre‐retirement job (based on categories) on this occupational transition; and (iv) the potential role for occupational therapy in this occupational transition. Method: An integrative literature review was completed. PRISMA guidelines were used. Study designs were analysed for methodological quality using the National Health and Medical Research Council levels of evidence. Thematic analysis determined retirement factors which were used to compare differences between jobs. Results: This review included 15 papers. There were two Level III‐2, one Level III‐3 and 13 Level IV studies. Factors influencing retirement related to the stages of work, preparation, transition and retired. White collar and blue collar was the most common job classification system. Although white collar and blue collar worker definitions utilised were inconsistent, differences between the two groups were still determined in all stages. Conclusion: Differences in the work‐to‐retirement transition process, based on pre‐retirement job, are evident. Understanding differences by job groupings may assist occupational therapists to understand individualised needs during this occupational transition and subsequent tailoring of interventions (both individual and group based) to enable engagement in meaningful occupation in the work‐to‐retirement occupational transition to effect active healthy ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many blue-collar jobs, most of which are performed by men, are likely to be displaced by automation. These workers will, therefore, need to be retrained and reskilled, many of them choosing for engineering education as mature students. This paper uses Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis to draw a complex portrait of the experience of blue-collar men studying engineering as mature students in Denmark. We found that the participants faced considerable challenges in their engineering studies: they brought baggage from a challenging youth, from family traumas and educational failures; they felt alienation and cynicism about the world and saw their own possibilities for progress thereby limited; and they experienced difficulties with the contents and the process of the engineering curriculum. However, they persisted with faith in engineering education as a gateway to a better life and a sense of social responsibility as future engineers. The study concludes that more pro-active university support systems would alleviate the difficulties faced by such students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Labour migration is an important livelihood strategy for individuals in low- and middle-income countries, and involve potential benefits and challenges. This paper reviews the coping strategies used by migrants to manage migration-related stressors. A systematic review and narrative analysis was conducted. Study quality was appraised using Critical Appraisal Skills Programme and STROBE. The review identified 30 studies representing migrants from over 33 countries. Problem-solving, support-seeking, and accommodation were the most common strategies used to cope with job stress; irregular legal status; stigma; family and health issues. Some strategies created risks for themselves, such as delaying healthcare access, excessive alcohol consumption, or for others by reporting on irregular migrants to authorities. Most of the stressors were related to the job. Policies and interventions should aim to enhance migrants' ability to cope with migration-related stressors particularly as labour migration is unlikely to reduce in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Despite increasing recognition of the importance of mental health at the workplace, there is very little evidence and limited research information on the issue of the poor mental health of the workers, especially miners. The purpose of this paper is to assess the relationship between stress faced by quarry workers in consonance with their socio-demographic characteristics and their working conditions.Design/methodology/approach This study was a cross-sectional study of quarry workers with comparison groups in the Karauli district of Rajasthan, a state located in north-western India. The study was conducted during the period May-September 2014, as part of a doctoral program. The study sample comprised a total of 218 quarry workers along with a comparison group of 203 non-miners. The level of occupational stress was assessed by using a General Health Questionnaire consisting of 12 questions.Findings This study found that the comparison group was at a low risk of psychological stress as compared to the mine workers. The independent risk factors for occupational stress among workers were illiteracy, gender (female), married, divorced/separated, and suffering from some occupational health problem.Social implications This study concluded that mine workers are at a high level of stress, which underscores the need for urgent interventions from the government to address the issue. This is especially important as mine workers make significant contributions to the national income.Originality/value This paper fulfills an identified need to study the mental health status of quarry workers, thereby helping fill a persistent gap in Indian research on this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Construction workers have high rates of work‐related musculoskeletal disorders, which lead to frequent opioid use and opioid use disorder (OUD). This paper quantified the incidence of opioid use and OUD among construction workers with and without musculoskeletal disorders. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study using union health claims from January 2015 to June 2018 from 19,909 construction workers. Claims for diagnoses of chronic musculoskeletal disorders, acute musculoskeletal injuries, musculoskeletal surgery, and other conditions were linked to new opioid prescriptions. We examined the effects of high doses (≥50 morphine mg equivalents per day), large supply (more than 7 days per fill), long‐term opioid use (60 or more days supplied within a calendar quarter), and musculoskeletal disorders, on the odds of a future OUD. Results: There were high rates (42.8% per year) of chronic musculoskeletal disorders among workers, of whom 24.1% received new opioid prescriptions and 6.3% received long‐term opioid prescriptions per year. Workers receiving opioids for chronic musculoskeletal disorders had the highest odds of future OUD: 4.71 (95% confidence interval 3.09–7.37); workers prescribed long‐term opioids in any calendar quarter had a nearly 10‐fold odds of developing an OUD. Conclusions: Among construction workers, opioids initiated for musculoskeletal pain were strongly associated with incident long‐term opioid use and OUD. Musculoskeletal pain from physically demanding work is likely one driver of the opioid epidemic in occupations like construction. Prevention of work injuries and alternative pain management are needed for workers at risk for musculoskeletal injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sleep disorders have an enormous impact on occupational health and are counterproductive from an economic perspective. However, the processes of causing sleep disorders from psychosocial aspects have not yet been known. The purpose of this study was to describe how sleep disorders develop among workers with respect to different psychosocial conditions. Methods: A conventional qualitative content analysis was conducted with a semi-structured interview among twenty-seven workers (14 males and 13 females) who were diagnosed with sleep disorders or had a self-reported history of sleep difficulties. Study participants were recruited from a specialized clinic and communities using snowball sampling. This paper adhered to the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) checklist. Results: The results showed that there were four steps involved in the sleep disorders development process. Firstly, participants with sleep disorders developed 'early warning signs' with 11 categories of triggers; secondly, 'aggravating factors' on top of these early warning signs; thirdly, workers tried to 'cope with' their sleep disorders in the ways they thought would be effective. Finally, when coping failed to improve the quality of sleep, it led to the onset of sleep disorders. Conclusion: The development of sleep disorders and triggers of psychosocial factors were revealed. An occupational health nurse can bring these findings in practice for preventing worker's sleep disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trinexapac-ethyl (TE) was more widely used in golf course worldwide. As a plant growth regulator, it inhibited grass development and delayed grass cutting date. Direct contact with TE by workers that handle and apply these agents can lead to harmful effects depending on the exposure dosage and duration. Many studies have focused on the growth regulation of TE in plants, while its health risks to human beings were rarely reported. Here, we investigated the risk assessment of workers directly dermal exposed to TE by using some absorbent paper patches. The exposure intensity (EI) and potential dermal exposure (PDE) of worker body sections were obtained, and different exposure patterns were compared. The EI of each body section among mixing/loading, hand-held power sprayer, and manual sprayer workers was ranging from 7.22 to 73.0 pg cm−2. The maximum EI of TE was found on hands of manual sprayers, while the minimum EI of TE was recorded on upper arms of mixing and loading workers. The maximum contribution sections was 29% for the chest and back from mixing/loading workers, 40% for the chest and back from hand-held power sprayers, and 32% for the thigh from manual sprayers. The unit weight potential dermal exposure (UWPDE) of hand-held power sprayers was 60% lower than that of manual sprayers, indicating that hand-held power sprayers were safer than those of manual sprayers. These findings revealed that trinexapac-ethyl posed relatively higher exposure risks to manual sprayer workers than other operator workers in golf course, mainly responsible for body sections of the chest and back and thigh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]