Estimation of urinary delta aminolevulinic acid levels in gasoline and petrol pump workers as an index of lead exposure

Lead poisoning is a phenomenon which with growing globalization is being a subject of worry.ALA i.e Amino levulinic acid is a precursor of hemoglobin, which is synthesized in mitochondria by two main components succinyl Co-A and glycine in presence of ALA-S i.e. amino levulinic acid-synthase. Urinary ALA (ALA-U) has been a recommended biomarker for lead exposure. Inhibition of Amino levulinic acid-dehydratase (ALA-D) results into activation of ALA-S which further synthesizes ALA, excess of ALA is accumulated in the blood, plasma, urine. Present manuscript is focused on the estimation of levels of ALA in the urine of gasoline and pertol pump workers, by acidifying the urine to extract out ALA and reading it colorimetrically as they are exposed to fumes released by gasoline, petrol, and petroleum products which contains lead. Awareness and safety measures such as protective masks and gears should be provided by the respective organisations to the workers.

A Study on the Compliance, Risk Perception and Attitude of University of Khartoum Medical Students to Safety Measures against COVID-19 during the Period of Lockdown, a Cross-Sectional Study

Background COVID-19 is a novel respiratory infectious disease. Preventive measures against COVID-19 include facemask use, physical distancing and good sanitation and hygiene practices. Risk perception of COVID-19 is important in prevention. Lockdown was imposed in Sudan in early 2020. The study aim to: study the compliance, risk perception and attitude of University of Khartoum Medical Students to safety measures during the period of COVID-19 lockdown. Methodology: A University-based cross sectional study was conducted at the University of Khartoum, Faculty of Medicine in 435 students selected via proportionate stratified random sampling through a self-administered semi- structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Pearson and Mann Whitney U test were used to measure associations. Result Out of 435 participants, a mean adherence of 57.7%, mean risk perception of 73.6% was elicited. And 80.3% had a positive attitude towards lockdown. Adherence had significant association with gender and risk perception. Risk perception had no significant relation with gender. Conclusion In conclusion, adherence to preventive measures among medical students of the University of Khartoum was poor. Risk Perception was high. Attitude towards lockdown was positive.

BIM Approach in Construction Safety—A Case Study on Preventing Falls from Height

The construction industry has one of the highest occupational accident incidence rates among all economic sectors. Currently, building information modelling (BIM) appears to be a valuable tool for analysing occupational safety issues throughout the construction life cycle of projects, helping to avoid hazards and risks and, consequently, increasing safety. This work investigates BIM methodology and the application of related technologies for building safety planning and demonstrates the potential of this technology for the integrated implementation of safety measures during the design phase and construction site management. The first step consisted of a literature review on applying BIM-related technologies for safety in the design and planning phases. Following this, to show the potentialities of construction simulation, a case study based on BIM 4D to prevent falls from height was developed. With BIM 4D, it is possible to follow the construction process over time, giving the construction safety technicians, designers, supervisors and managers the capability to analyse, in each phase, the potential risks and identify which safety measures should be implemented. BIM can effectively integrate safety measures from the design phase to the construction and use phase and enable integrated safety planning within construction planning, leading to reliable safety management throughout the construction process.

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY MEASURES TO REDUCE THE RISKS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN MEDICAL WORKERS

The article discusses measures for occupational safety in the event of infectious diseases in medical workers

Consumer Expectations on Supermarkets in Organized Retailing

The study emphasise on the consumer expectations on supermarkets in organised retailing and factors which acts as driving force for consumers to opt for the same, with reference to Chennai city. The sample size is 120 respondents who were retail customers of Supermarkets under Non- Probability Judgment Sampling method. The growth of Supermarkets of India in recent years has been witnessed due to increased consumer expectations. As most of the retail segments try to find their way to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic, it must be noticed that the consumers are already evolving at great speed in their expectations in all fields. At the pandemic situations, people try to venture out most importantly for essential items with the available outlets, taking care of all safety measures. The immediate next option available for consumers is online shopping. The blowout of virus has not only changed the way how consumers shop, but also their buyer behaviour pattern and what they actually expect from retailers. By 2025, India is expected to become the world’s third largest economy as it is experiencing the world’s fastest growing economies. According to various reports, it is known that these new spending and shopping patterns is expected to continue even after the crisis comes down. With more developments as well as challenges in the field of organized retailing, consumer preferences are changing from region to region.

Occupational Health and Safety in Agricultural Production

Agricultural production is one of the leading sectors in the world and in our country in terms of employment rates. Agricultural production activities, the importance of which is increasing day by day due to the increasing world population, is an important strategic element for every country. The economy of many countries, including our country, still depends on the products they obtain because of agricultural production. Appropriate agricultural policies should be implemented to increase the productivity in agricultural production, to protect the employed workforce and to ensure its continuity. In addition to establishing appropriate agricultural policies, employed workers should also be protected by laws, regulations and directives. It is a fact that most of the people employed in agricultural production in our country must work under dangerous and harsh conditions without being under legal protection, without union formation and union rights, as in other sectors. Protecting the health of agricultural production workers working under very difficult conditions due to variable climatic conditions, ensuring safe production and ensuring that the necessary Occupational Health and Safety measures are taken should be among the priority items when forming our state’s policies. In this study, the situation in the world and in our country was examined under the title of occupational health and safety in agricultural production. The hazards and risk factors to be encountered in agricultural production have been determined and the Occupational Health and Safety measures to be taken against them have been tried to be explained.

COVID-19 vaccination status is associated with physical activity in German-speaking countries: the COR-PHYS-Q cohort study

BackgroundTo examine the association between COVID-19 vaccination status and physical activity (PA), sporting behavior, as well as barriers to PA in adults in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria.MethodsA total of 1516 adults provided complete responses to our online questionnaire sent out in August 2021. Information about self-reported PA categories, sporting behavior, barriers to PA, and COVID-19 vaccination status were gathered. Main analyses were done using multiple linear regression adjusted for relevant parameters.ResultsWe found a significant association of vaccination status with total PA (p = .011), vigorous PA (p = .015), and moderate PA (p = .001) but not transport-related PA or sedentary time. Unvaccinated adults tended to have more total and vigorous PA than those vaccinated once (ratios of geometric means: 1.34 and 1.60, respectively) or twice (1.22 and 1.09, respectively). Yet, not sufficient evidence was available to confirm this. There was no between-group difference in the contribution of leisure time, work-related, or transport-related PA to total PA. Vaccination status was not associated with sporting behavior except for jogging as the primary intensive type of sports. Finally, there were no significant differences in any of the COVID-19 specific barriers to PA between groups.ConclusionOur data showed that vaccination status is associated with PA even in summer, where the number of COVID-19 cases was low and the severity of safety measures was mild. These findings may enhance future research and improve/extend COVID-19-specific PA guidelines.

Development of an integrated cooling system for motorcycle helmet by physical study of temperature variations and heat transfer

In Colombia, the most widely used means of transport today are motorcycles, which have become increasingly numerous, bearing in mind that they are subject to laws and regulations imposed by the country’s mobility, transit and transport agencies, the use of helmets is mandatory for drivers and passengers, safety measures are monitored, the hull must be certified and meet the required technical standards; whereas its role is to protect people in the event of accidents, regulations require that the helmet be completely closed to protect the entire head and chin; the design of the helmet allows air entry and there is no concentration of temperature inside, all this is done by implementing air inlet and outlet ducts, which circulate air when the motorcycle is in motion, unfortunately this does not happen due to the accumulation of temperature in the back of the helmet that makes the user feel tired and uncomfortable. This research proposes the development of a prototype portable cooling system for motorcycle helmets by the physical principle of heat transfer, by using Peltier cells, to have low production cost, optimal operation, and low energy consumption thanks to natural air flow.

Use of Face Masks in India During COVID-19 : An Exploration of the Behavioral Tendencies of Mask Users

Covid-19 has necessitated mask use to safeguard oneself from coronavirus. The mask usage and safety practices followed by the public in India are reported in this paper. Sixty per cent of the subjects purchased masks on their own while 19 per cent stitched their masks; masks were used regularly (76%) for less than 4 hours (64.22%). During the lockdown, at workplaces, masks were removed for less than 30 minutes per day. Subjects reported that safety feeling was experienced when masks were donned (87%); felt that masks were unnecessary in Covid-19 unaffected areas/cities (67 %); whilst 47 per cent admitted to pulling down masks during use. An interesting fact emerging from the study was that the younger populace adhered less conscientiously to regular mask use as opposed to the elderly; paradoxically the elderly (49 and above) were the ones to pull down masks more frequently during use than the younger ones. Amongst them, 25 per cent repeated it 1-2 times a day. It was heartening to observe that most people (89%) exercised caution during mask use. A positive significant relationship existed between age and employer modes on regular mask usage; a highly positive significant relation was seen between the employment sector and regular mask use and a negative correlation among profession and mask use. Two-way ANOVA between demographic data on type and regular mask use yielded a significant difference. A highly significant relationship between gender, employer mode, and profession on different types of safety measures; and a significant relationship between the level of education and safety measures were found.