Documents IOSH 10 results

"This report presents the findings of a study of the experience of health and safety in container terminals operated by national and global companies in several countries. It explores indications from a previous, preliminary study concerning workers' experiences and the effectiveness of the management systems to support their health, safety and welfare at work. It builds on the earlier findings with a more in-depth analysis, using both quantitative and qualitative research methods. It discusses the new findings in the context of an analysis of the relationship between corporate strategies for the governance and management of occupational health and safety (OHS) and the national regulatory and socio-economic contexts in which terminals operate and such strategies are implemented. Altogether, we carried out case studies in 11 container terminals operated by six companies in four countries. The terminals were situated in two different parts of Europe and in two different areas of the Asia-Pacific region. They included terminals operated by four of the largest GNT companies and two national companies, one in Europe and one in Asia Pacific. Nine of the participating terminals were operated by GNTs, with the other two terminals run by national operators."

"Diesel engine exhaust fumes are a mixture of gases, vapours, liquid aerosols and particles created by burning diesel fuels. Diesel fumes may contain over 10 times the amount of soot particles than in petrol exhaust fumes, and the mixture includes several carcinogenic substances, meaning they have the potential to cause cancer. Breathing in high quantities of diesel exhaust fumes can cause irritation in the respiratory tract within a few minutes of exposure, but prolonged exposure over many years may be more harmful. The health effects will depend on the type and quality of diesel fuel being used (for example, whether it's low sulphur), the type and age of the engine, where and how it's used and maintained, and whether a combination of different diesel-powered engines are contributing to overall exposure."

"Research suggests that in Britain nearly 800 people die a year from lung cancer caused by breathing in silica dust at work. In the European Union, around 7,000 cases of lung cancer are caused by this carcinogen annually. Worldwide, it's estimated that millions of employees are exposed to silica dust.
Silica dust is created when the ‘crystalline silica' in materials such as stone, mortar or tiles is broken down and released. It happens when you drill, saw, cut, grind or sand the products – or work on them in any way that disturbs the natural silica content."

"This report contains a systematic review of the epidemiological and mechanistic evidence from 2005 to 2015 relevant for examining the association between shift work and cancer. The systematic review is supplemented by a review of relevant health and safety practices and policies as well as a compendium of current and ongoing relevant epidemiological work in the field. The systematic review employed standard methodology. The epidemiological evidence examining the relationship between shift work and breast cancer is now appreciable. Recent studies have better adjusted for potential confounding factors, but many still have imprecise and inconsistent definitions of shift work. Across all the epidemiological evidence examined the overall relative risk is around 1.2 or 1.3. During the write-up of this report a meta-analysis of prospective epidemiological studies was published which provides evidence that the overall relative risk for breast cancer in relation to shift may not be raised at all. The epidemiological evidence for other cancer sites remains relatively sparse and the evidence supporting a causal association remains somewhat limited. Suppression of night time melatonin production and or obesity remains the most plausible biological mechanism for the association with breast cancer. A number of practices have been implemented, for example shift design, pharmacological interventions etc. to reduce the potential carcinogenic risk of shift work, but have not yet been fully evaluated. The main recommendations emanating from this review relate to encouraging employers to provide healthy and nutritious food for shift workers as well as the opportunity to exercise and access programmes for smoking cessation and moderating of alcohol consumption. Encouraging employers to facilitate employee participation in national cancer screening programmes is also recommended. Further prospective epidemiological studies with well characterised data on shift working patterns, as well as good data on known and suspecting confounding factors remains warranted."

"Too many digital meetings, increasing workload and a lack of social connection with colleagues have all enhanced the risk of health and wellbeing problems for remote workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, new research reveals.
However, it is not all doom and gloom as employees have reported that the greater flexibility offered by homeworking has created more opportunities for recreational activities.
These were some of the outcomes from a study of five organisations during the pandemic, the findings of which are in a new report, Learning from the COVID-19 pandemic: approaches to support employee health and wellbeing, published today by IOSH.
The researchers aimed to understand the impact of the pandemic on employees, managers and organisations, look at how employers could support workers' health and wellbeing and identify barriers and facilitators to this.
They have also unveiled eight recommendations to protect employee health and wellbeing, to serve during this and any future pandemics, including senior management demonstrating their commitment to this area through regular communication, acting on feedback and sharing personal stories, and involving employees in job design and redesign.
Among the issues highlighted in interviews with employees were homeworking challenges, including physical issues caused by a lack of office equipment and mental health challenges due to a lack of boundaries, with “digital fatigue” a key concern.
Also common were increased operational demands with reports of increased workload – caused by COVID-related work and absent colleagues because of furlough or self-isolation – and an “always-on” work culture.
One employee commented that he felt his work resembled “running on a treadmill with someone throwing ping pong balls and [needing] to keep catching them”.
Reports of a lack of social connection with colleagues also featured regularly in interviews and, while organisations did have employee support mechanisms on offer, there was often a lack of awareness of these and how to access them.