scholarly journals Sleep in wildland firefighters: what do we know and why does it matter?

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace E. Vincent ◽  
Brad Aisbett ◽  
Alexander Wolkow ◽  
Sarah M. Jay ◽  
Nicola D. Ridgers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Stressors ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Sleep Quantity ◽  
Working Environments ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Physical Task ◽  
Modifiable Factor ◽  
Wildland Firefighting

Wildland firefighters perform physical work while being subjected to multiple stressors and adverse, volatile working environments for extended periods. Recent research has highlighted sleep as a significant and potentially modifiable factor impacting operational performance. The aim of this review was to (1) examine the existing literature on firefighters’ sleep quantity and quality during wildland firefighting operations; (2) synthesise the operational and environmental factors that impact on sleep during wildland firefighting; and (3) assess how sleep impacts aspects of firefighters’ health and safety, including mental and physical health, physical task performance, physical activity and cognitive performance. Firefighters’ sleep is restricted during wildfire deployments, particularly when shifts have early start times, are of long duration and when sleeping in temporary accommodation. Shortened sleep impairs cognitive but not physical performance under simulated wildfire conditions. The longer-term impacts of sleep restriction on physiological and mental health require further research. Work shifts should be structured, wherever possible, to provide regular and sufficient recovery opportunities (rest during and sleep between shifts), especially in dangerous working environments where fatigue-related errors have severe consequences. Fire agencies should implement strategies to improve and manage firefighters’ sleep and reduce any adverse impacts on firefighters’ work.

scholarly journals Sleep in Emergency Services Workers: What Do We Know and Why Does It Matter?

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (s1) ◽  
pp. s166-s167
Author(s):  
Sally Ferguson ◽  
Brad Aisbett ◽  
Alexander Wolkow ◽  
Sarah Jay ◽  
Nicola Ridgers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Service ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
Multiple Stressors ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Service Workers ◽  
Sleep Quantity ◽  
Working Environments ◽  
Emergency Service Workers

Introduction:Emergency service workers perform physical work while being subjected to multiple stressors and adverse, volatile working environments for extended periods. Recent research has highlighted sleep as a significant and potentially modifiable factor impacting operational performance.Aim:This presentation would (a) examine the existing literature on emergency service workers’ sleep quantity and quality during operations, (b) synthesize the operational and environmental factors that impact sleep (e.g., shift start times, shift length, sleeping location, smoke, noise, heat), and (c) assess how sleep impacts aspects of emergency service workers’ health and safety, including mental and physical health and performance.Methods:This presentation would be based on a narrative review conducted by the authors which used a systematic search strategy of health-related databases. Articles that were not relevant, duplicate or from non-peer-reviewed sources were excluded.Results:Sleep is restricted during emergency service deployments, particularly when shifts have early start times, are long duration, and/or when sleeping in temporary accommodation (e.g., tents, vehicles). Shortened sleep impairs cognitive but not physical performance under simulated emergency services conditions.Discussion:Depending on the organization and jurisdiction, these findings warrant re-evaluation of existing policies, formalization of beneficial but currently ad-hoc practice, or provide support for current procedures. Work shifts should be structured, wherever possible, to provide regular and sufficient recovery opportunities (rest during and sleep between shifts), especially in dangerous working environments where fatigue-related errors have more severe consequences. For agencies to continue to defend local communities against natural hazards, strategies should be implemented to improve and manage emergency service workers sleep and reduce any adverse impacts on work.

TURNING FARMERS INTO SOCIAL FARMER ENTREPRENEURS FOR DISADVANTAGED PEOPLE

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Remus Runcan
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Healthy Environment ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural Development Programme ◽  
Rural And Urban

According to Romania’s National Rural Development Programme, the socio-economic situation of the rural environment has a large number of weaknesses – among which low access to financial resources for small entrepreneurs and new business initiatives in rural areas and poorly developed entrepreneurial culture, characterized by a lack of basic managerial knowledge – but also a large number of opportunities – among which access of the rural population to lifelong learning and entrepreneurial skills development programmes and entrepreneurs’ access to financial instruments. The population in rural areas depends mainly on agricultural activities which give them subsistence living conditions. The gap between rural and urban areas is due to low income levels and employment rates, hence the need to obtain additional income for the population employed in subsistence and semi-subsistence farming, especially in the context of the depopulation trend. At the same time, the need to stimulate entrepreneurship in rural areas is high and is at a resonance with the need to increase the potential of rural communities from the perspective of landscape, culture, traditional activities and local resources. A solution could be to turn vegetal and / or animal farms into social farms – farms on which people with disabilities (but also adolescents and young people with anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicide, and alexithymia issues) might find a “foster” family, bed and meals in a natural, healthy environment, and share the farm’s activities with the farmer and the farmer’s family: “committing to a regular day / days and times for a mutually agreed period involves complying with any required health and safety practices (including use of protective clothing and equipment), engaging socially with the farm family members and other people working on and around the farm, and taking on tasks which would include working on the land, taking care of animals, or helping out with maintenance and other physical work”

scholarly journals Ageing Organisations and the Extension of Working Lives: A Case Study Approach

2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 773-792 ◽  
Author(s):  
WIETEKE CONEN ◽  
KÈNE HENKENS ◽  
JOOP SCHIPPERS
Keyword(s):  
Older Workers ◽  
National Level ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Working Lives ◽  
Economic Climate ◽  
Health Related

AbstractThis paper examines how the economic climate and policy changes at national level have been affecting organisational practices, aimed at the extension of working lives of older workers, over the last decade. We analyse case studies conducted among Dutch organisations. Our findings show that personnel policies are typically short-term oriented and vary in their existence and content congruous to the economic climate. Policy changes in retirement arrangements, and the debate about raising the official retirement age, have made both employees and employers realise that the extension of working lives has become an unavoidable fact, although both parties still seem intrinsically opposed to it. Changes to safety regulations and the increase in costs for employers if employees drop out of work due to ill health have led to an increasing focus on health-related measures in professions with intense physical work over the last decade. We conclude that, while national level policy changes in areas like health and safety do percolate down and begin to affect organisational practice, it is at the organisational level that they still need to be worked through.

Occupational Health and Safety Management and Employees’ Performance in Ardova Plc

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olasunkanmi Olusogo Olagunju ◽  
Ejekwu Pascal Andy
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Health And Safety ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Statistical Tool

Abstract The vital purpose of this research work is to examine the impacts of occupational health and safety management on employee's performance. It aims to investigate the nexus between the practice of OHS, safe working environment and performance of employees. The research work adopt a descriptive approach to scrutinize the contributions of provision of adequate health and safety equipment to performance of employees at Ardova Plc. Aside collecting primary data from the staffs of Ardova Plc in Lagos State cutting across diverse socio-economic class, simple random sampling was utilised in the study using 90 questionnaires to collect the primary data. However, descriptive data was therefore analyzed using Statistical Tool to show the Cross-tabulation, correlation and Chi-Square Test. The research study concludes that practice of occupational health and safety management can boost employee performance, and further suggest some policy recommendations.

scholarly journals A Survey of Work-Related Pain Prevalence Among Construction Workers in Hong Kong: A Case-Control Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 1404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne W.Y. Chung ◽  
Henry C.F. So ◽  
Vincent C.M. Yan ◽  
Phoebe S.T. Kwok ◽  
Bonny Y.M. Wong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Case Control Study ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Construction Workers ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Average Percentage ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Working Environments ◽  
Pain Prevalence ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Control Study

Construction workers undertake demanding physical work and face high risk of injuries in poor working environments. This case-control study investigated the extent of their musculoskeletal pain incidence at work. A total of 2021 construction workers in different trades were interviewed on-site in a survey from December 2017 to December 2018. The survey results revealed that the pain prevalence of the subjects in the last 24 h was 10.6 %. The worst and top most common pain spots caused by work were central lower back, left/right shoulders, and knees. Regarding pain management, their most common method was to ignore the pain (21.4%). The average percentage of pain relief after receiving treatment in the 24 h was 37.12%. Besides, significant differences were found between the pain and non-pain groups regarding their employment duration in current job or their average sleep duration in the 24 h. The study showed that those with multiple and bilateral pain sites had pain interference on their living activities.

scholarly journals Oral Glutamine Supplement Reduces Subjective Fatigue Ratings during Repeated Bouts of Firefighting Simulations

Safety ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Moore ◽  
Terence A. Moriarty ◽  
Gavin Connolly ◽  
Christine Mermier ◽  
Fabiano Amorim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Injury Risk ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Biological Stress ◽  
Subjective Fatigue ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Work Shifts ◽  
Wildland Firefighting ◽  
Cell Expression

Wildland firefighting requires repetitive (e.g., consecutive work shifts) physical work in dangerous conditions (e.g., heat and pollution). Workers commonly enter these environments in a nonacclimated state, leading to fatigue and heightened injury risk. Strategies to improve tolerance to these stressors are lacking. Purpose: To determine if glutamine ingestion prior to and after consecutive days of firefighting simulations in the heat attenuates subjective ratings of fatigue, and evaluate if results were supported by glutamine-induced upregulation of biological stress responses. Methods: Participants (5 male, 3 female) ingested glutamine (0.15 g/kg/day) or a placebo before and after two consecutive days (separated by 24 h) of firefighter simulations in a heated chamber (35 °C, 35% humidity). Perceived fatigue and biological stress were measured pre-, post-, and 4 h postexercise in each trial. Results: Subjective fatigue was reduced pre-exercise on Day 2 in the glutamine group (p < 0.05). Peripheral mononuclear cell expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and serum antioxidants were elevated at 4 h postexercise on Day 1 in the glutamine trial (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Ingestion of glutamine before and after repeated firefighter simulations in the heat resulted in reduced subjective fatigue on Day 2, which may be a result of the upregulation of biological stress systems (antioxidants, HSPs). This response may support recovery and improve work performance.

Industrial Human Factors Research in a British Health and Safety Institute

1981 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 541-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Ridd ◽  
P. R. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Health And Safety ◽  
Research Unit ◽  
Materials Handling ◽  
Preventative Measures ◽  
Working Environments ◽  
Manual Handling ◽  
Industrial Groups ◽  
Human Factors Research ◽  
British Health

The role of the Materials Handling Research Unit (MHRU) within the Health and Safety Institute is to investigate industrial manual handling problems and their associated accidents. In particular the Unit's work is directed towards the prevention of back disorders which constitute the largest single attributed cause of absence for manual handling accidents (Davis and Sheppard, 1980: Stubbs and Nicholson, 1979). This research is directed firstly at ameliorating existing handling problems in industry and secondly, establishing safe guidelines for the design of future working environments. To this end the Unit has developed an analytical method which when applied to a particular industry can identify those areas where the risk of accidents and injury is greatest, and hence where preventative measures may have most effect. Of the industrial groups studied to date by the MHRU several are included here to illustrate the complete methodology.

Achieving Biosafety Level 3 through the Use of Biosafety Level 2 Facilities and Biosafety Level 3 Practices: A Prevalence Survey of Medical Research and Academic Institutions

1997 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 43-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Emery ◽  
Pek Lee ◽  
James Garman
Keyword(s):  
Research Work ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Mail Survey ◽  
Prevalence Survey ◽  
Strict Adherence ◽  
Level 3 ◽  
Level 2 ◽  
Safety Guidelines ◽  
Biosafety Level ◽  
Biosafety Level 2

Heightened interest in pathogens with the potential for aerosol transmission and for which prevention and medical treatment is not readily available has resulted in a need for more work environments that meet Biosafety Level 3 (BSL 3) criteria. Recognizing that the facility-based criteria for BSL 3 cannot be achieved by some existing laboratories, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) biological safety guidelines provide an option for attaining BSL 3 status through the use of Biosafety Level 2 (BSL 2) facilities and strict adherence to BSL 3 practices (BSL 2/3). Inherent to this provision is a greater emphasis on safe work practices. Since the extent to which this approach is actually used in practice is not known, a nationwide mail survey of medical academic and research institutions was conducted to provide an objective indication of the proportion of BSL 3 operations actually being carried out in the BSL 2/3 mode. The results obtained indicate that 2% of activities designated as BSL 3 in the study population actually achieve this level of protection using the BSL 2/3 approach. The findings quantitatively estimate for the first time the proportion of BSL 3 activities being carried out in this fashion, and can serve as a reference point for future studies to evaluate usage trends. The results also demonstrate the utility of flexible, performance-based health and safety guidelines, as a significant amount of clinical and research work is being accommodated with the BSL 2/3 provision.

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