Documents methodology 926 results

"Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) are a major occupational health problem in Europe, affecting over 40 million workers. Current EU legislation includes some ergonomic provisions related to MSD prevention, but does not adequately address specifically Upper Limb Disorder-related MSD risks. In neither case - equipment use or design - have any specific common methodologies to estimate or evaluate risks for MSD been framed at European level. The TUTB has always argued that ergonomic aspects cannot be divorced from product design and use. Ergonomics is one thing that cannot be tacked on after a machine has been built - it must be designed in right from the start. This guide offers a collection of estimation methods selected from a range of sources that we believe may prove helpful in estimating MSD risk factors in machinery design. It does not claim to be a "quick-fix" problem solver for evaluating every risk factor. With this guide, we aim to feed knowledge from the actual use of machines back to designers' and manufacturers' drawing boards. We mean to factor the end users' perspectives into the design process by showing how workplace knowledge can be channelled into the conceptual of machinery design."

"In an attempt to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, several countries have implemented various social restrictions, such as closing schools and asking people to work from home. Nevertheless, after months of strict quarantine, a reopening of society is required. Many countries are planning exit strategies to progressively lift the lockdown without leading to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. Identifying exit strategies for a safe reopening of schools and places of work is critical in informing decision-makers on the management of the COVID-19 health crisis. This scoping review describes multiple population-wide strategies, including social distancing, testing, and contact tracing. It highlights how each strategy needs to be based on both the epidemiological situation and contextualize at local circumstances to anticipate the possibility of COVID-19 resurgence. However, the retrieved evidence lacks operational solutions and are mainly based on mathematical models and derived from grey literature. There is a need to report the impact of the implementation of country-tailored strategies and assess their effectiveness through high-quality experimental studies."

"Contexte et objectifs :
L'estimation du fardeau environnemental et professionnel de la maladie vise à comparer et hiérarchiser les facteurs de risque environnementaux et professionnels selon leur impact sur la santé en vue d'orienter les politiques publiques et les stratégies de prévention en santé-environnement et santé-travail. Cette approche nécessite d'identifier et de prioriser les couples maladie-facteur de risque d'intérêt sur lesquels conduire l'estimation de ce fardeau. Ce rapport présente la méthode de priorisation appliquée par Santé publique France et la liste des couples priorisés en vue de réaliser une première estimation du fardeau environnemental et professionnel de la maladie en France.
Méthode :
La première étape de ce travail a consisté à prioriser les maladies et traumatismes sur la base de leur contribution au fardeau total de la maladie. La seconde étape a consisté à prioriser les facteurs de risque environnementaux et professionnels selon leur impact sur le fardeau des maladies et traumatismes préalablement priorisés. Ces deux étapes ont reposé sur l'analyse comparative des estimations nationales du fardeau les plus récentes et les plus complètes disponibles à ce jour pour la France. Ces estimations ont été produites respectivement dans le cadre des projets internationaux Global Burden of Disease (GBD) de l'Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) et Global Health Estimates (GHE) de l'Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS). Les comparaisons se sont appuyées sur les différents indicateurs sanitaires du fardeau : les DALY (Disability-Adjusted Live Years), les YLL (Years of Life Lost) et les YLD (Years Lived with Disability) et sur les fractions de risque attribuable (FRA) mesurant l'impact respectif de l'exposition aux différents facteurs de risque environnementaux ou professionnels sur la survenue des maladies ou des traumatismes.
Résultats :
À l'issue de ces deux étapes, neuf couples maladie-facteur de risque environnemental ou professionnel ont été priorisés. Trois couples portent sur les cancers de la trachée, des bronches et du poumon, en lien avec l'exposition professionnelle à l'amiante, l'exposition à la pollution ambiante aux particules ou au radon résidentiel. Deux couples sont relatifs aux cardiopathies ischémiques, en lien avec à l'exposition à la pollution ambiante aux particules ou à de basses températures. Deux couples concernent les accidents vasculaires cérébraux, en lien avec l'exposition à de basses températures ou à la pollution ambiante aux particules. Les deux derniers couples s'intéressent aux lombalgies en lien avec l'exposition à des facteurs de risque ergonomiques et aux chutes accidentelles en lien avec les accidents professionnels. Discussion : La méthode de priorisation utilisée a permis d'établir une liste réduite de couples maladie-facteur de risque sur lesquels conduire une première estimation du fardeau environnemental et professionnel de la maladie en France. Les couples priorisés sont cohérents avec ceux documentés dans la littérature scientifique. Par ailleurs, ce travail a mis en évidence les principales limites associées à chacune de deux sources de données utilisées (GBD vs GHE). En vue d'améliorer la précision des estimations produites pour la France, il s'avère nécessaire d'adapter les méthodes d'estimations de l'IHME et de l'OMS au contexte français et d'utiliser les données sanitaires, environnementales et professionnelles les plus robustes et les plus pertinentes disponibles à l'échelle nationale. À défaut, de nouvelles données devront être produites afin de pouvoir estimer de façon globale les conséquences de l'environnement sur la santé. La production de telles données s'avère néanmoins longue et complexe et nécessite en première intention de réduire le périmètre d'investigation aux seuls couples priorisés.
Perspectives :
La prochaine étape de ce projet visera à évaluer la faisabilité d'estimer le fardeau associé à chacun de ces couples à partir des données sanitaires, environnementales et professionnelles disponibles à l'échelle nationale et à orienter les futurs travaux de Santé publique France en vue d'acquérir de nouvelles données d'entrée. Plus largement, ces premiers travaux serviront de socle pour orienter les futurs travaux de l'agence sur le fardeau environnemental et professionnel de la maladie en France."

"Designing policy for climate change requires analyses which integrate the interrelationship between the economy and the environment. We argue that, despite their dominance in the economics literature and influence in public discussion and policymaking, the methodology employed by Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) rests on flawed foundations, which become particularly relevant in relation to the realities of the immense risks and challenges of climate change, and the radical changes in our economies that a sound and effective response require. We identify a set of critical methodological problems with the IAMs which limit their usefulness and discuss the analytic foundations of an alternative approach that is more capable of providing insights into how best to manage the transition to net-zero emissions."

"Objectives
This study aimed to construct and evaluate a gender-specific job exposure matrix (JEM) for 27 physical work exposures, based on self-report.
Methods
We constructed a JEM using questionnaire data on current physical exposures from 29 381 male and 35 900 female asymptomatic workers aged 18–69 years in the French CONSTANCES cohort study. We excluded workers with musculoskeletal pain to reduce potential reporting bias. We grouped 27 self-reported physical exposures using the French national job codes and stratified by gender. We compared individual and group-based exposures using the performance indicators Cohen's kappa (κ), sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating curve (AUC).
Results
JEM validation showed fair-to-moderate agreement (κ 0.21–0.60) for most physical exposures for both genders except for ‘reach behind' (poor), ‘bend neck' (poor), ‘finger pinch‘ (poor), standing' (good), ‘use computer screen' (good), and ‘use keyboard or scanner' (good). We found the highest AUC for ‘standing' (men 0.85/ women 0.87), ‘kneel/squat' (men 0.80/women 0.81), ‘use computer screen' (men/women 0.81), and ‘use keyboard or scanner' (men 0.82/ women 0.84). The AUC was <0.60 for only three exposures: ‘bend neck' (men 0.58/women 0.57), ‘finger pinch' (men 0.56/ women 0.55), and ‘reach behind' (men 0.54/ women 0.51).
Conclusion
The constructed JEM validation measures were comparable for men and women for all exposures. Further research will examine the predictive ability of this gender-specific JEM for musculoskeletal disorders and the relevance of gender-stratification in this process, knowing accuracy of each exposure."

"Psychosocial risks constitute one of the major contemporary challenges for occupational health and safety. As early identification is the first step towards psychosocial risk management, the psychometric tool presented in the paper has been constructed in order to measure psychosocial risks as well as their impacts. The Psychosocial Risks and Impacts in the Workplace Assessment Tool (PRIWA) has been developed in Greek during the early years of the economic crisis. The paper presents the tool and the studies that were conducted to evaluate its psychometric characteristics. Six large samples of employees from many different Greek companies were administered the PRIWA and other tools. The results of the exploratory factor analysis demonstrated a seven-factor structure of the PRIWA, which was later confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. Analyses were also performed to test internal consistency, item-to-scale homogeneity, and concurrent validity of the PRIWA. The results indicated that PRIWA is a reliable and valid psychometric tool, which gives its users the opportunity to conduct research, develop prevention plans, and/or design customized interventions."

"Glyphosate, and the ever growing reliance on its use in agriculture, has been a point of contention for many years. There have been debates regarding the risk and safety of using glyphosate-based herbicides as well as the effects of occupational, accidental, or systematic. Although there have been a number of studies conducted, the biomonitoring of glyphosate poses a series of challenges. Researchers attempting to determine the occupational exposure face questions regarding the most appropriate analytical techniques and sampling procedures. The present review aims to summarize and synthetize the analytical methodologies available and suitable for the purpose of glyphosate biomonitoring studies as well as discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each analytical technique, from the most modern to more well-established and older ones. The most relevant publications that have described analytical methods and published within the last 12 years were studied. Methods were compared, and the advantages and disadvantages of each methods were discussed. A total of 35 manuscripts describing analytical methods for glyphosate determination were summarized and discussed, with the most relevant one being compared. For methods that were not intended for biological samples, we discussed if they could be used for biomonitoring and approaches to adapt these methods for this purpose."

"Virtual reality (VR) can induce side effects known as virtual reality-induced symptoms and effects (VRISE). To address this concern, we identify a literature-based listing of these factors thought to influence VRISE with a focus on office work use. Using those, we recommend guidelines for VRISE amelioration intended for virtual environment creators and users. We identify five VRISE risks, focusing on short-term symptoms with their short-term effects. Three overall factor categories are considered: individual, hardware, and software. Over 90 factors may influence VRISE frequency and severity. We identify guidelines for each factor to help reduce VR side effects. To better reflect our confidence in those guidelines, we graded each with a level of evidence rating. Common factors occasionally influence different forms of VRISE. This can lead to confusion in the literature. General guidelines for using VR at work involve worker adaptation, such as limiting immersion times to between 20 and 30 min. These regimens involve taking regular breaks. Extra care is required for workers with special needs, neurodiversity, and gerontechnological concerns. In addition to following our guidelines, stakeholders should be aware that current head-mounted displays and virtual environments can continue to induce VRISE. While no single existing method fully alleviates VRISE, workers' health and safety must be monitored and safeguarded when VR is used at work."

"During the COVID-19 pandemic, remote working was pervasively implemented, causing an increase in technology-related job demands. Concurrently, there was an increase in psychological problems in the occupational population. This study on remote workers tested a moderated mediation model positing burnout, conceptualized according to the Burnout Assessment Tool, as the mediator between techno-stressors and psychological health outcomes and e-work self-efficacy as a protective personal resource. A sample of 225 remote workers filled out anonymous questionnaires measuring techno-stressors, e-work self-efficacy, burnout, and psychological health symptoms (i.e., depressive mood and anxiety symptoms). The data were analyzed using structural equation mediation and moderated mediation models, adopting a parceling technique. The results showed that burnout totally mediated the relationship between techno-stressors and depressive mood, while partially mediating the association between techno-stressors and anxiety symptoms. Moreover, e-work self-efficacy buffered the positive effects of techno-stressors on depressive mood and anxiety symptoms through burnout. The present research attested to the relevance of techno-stressors for the psychological health of remote workers and supported burnout as a mediator of this process, although anxiety symptoms were also directly related to techno-stressors. Moreover, the protective role of domain-specific self-efficacy was confirmed in the realm of remote working. Limitations and practical implications are discussed."

"Cette étude vise à évaluer le lien entre sinistralité et performance économique des entreprises. Un modèle économétrique a été construit, dans lequel la performance des entreprises est expliquée par les quantités de travail et de capital mobilisés, ainsi que leur niveau de sinistralité. Ce modèle est évalué statistiquement en exploitant des données portant sur près de 2 millions d'entreprises françaises suivies de 2003 à 2017. On montre que l'augmentation de la sinistralité d'une année diminue immédiatement et de façon significative la performance de l'entreprise, et que cet effet se poursuit les années suivantes. Une augmentation de 10 % de la fréquence des AT diminue la productivité de 0,12 % et le profit de 0,11 %. Le modèle économétrique, appliqués sur des données sectorielles à l'échelle européenne ainsi que française, confirme ces résultats."