RESUMEN
At least 70 US construction workers die each year in trench cave-ins, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards for work in trenches have been criticized as hard to understand and inadequate. This study examined 306 fatal cases, obtained mainly from OSHA investigations, from 1974 to 1986. Most of the deaths occurred in shallow trenches while digging sewer lines, and were caused by failing to shore or brace the walls of the trench. The risk of cave-in death was higher in young workers and those in small firms; only 12% of the deaths were in unionized companies. OSHA issued citations in 94% of the cases, with fines ranging up to $58,400; the average fine was $1,991 per death. Death due to cave-in is a significant risk for construction workers, and can be prevented by proper protective measures.
Asunto(s)
Accidentes de Trabajo , Industrias , Heridas y Lesiones/mortalidad , Accidentes de Trabajo/prevención & control , Adulto , Materiales de Construcción , Humanos , Sindicatos , Masculino , Puerto Rico , Riesgo , Seguridad , Estados Unidos , United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration , Heridas y Lesiones/etiologíaRESUMEN
A study was undertaken to objectively evaluate the morbidity of schistosomiasis mansoni in St. Lucia. School children (138) selected on the basis of long-standing infection at 3 intensities of infection (based on quantiative egg excretion) were evaluated blind to determine symptoms, signs and laboratory manifestations of disease. Symptoms in infected patients did not differ from the uninfected control group. Liver enlargement and serum protein abnormalities were found to be directly related to the intensity of infection. Splenomegaly was found in the more heavily infected patients. A review of the effect of treatment in cases of hepatosplenic disease shows that 62 percent of enlarged livers and 50 percent of enlarged spleens returened to normal. Younger patients were found to be more likely to respond to treatment (AU)