The HEAT-SHIELD project - Perspectives from an inter-sectoral approach to occupational heat stress.

OBJECTIVES: To provide perspectives from the HEAT-SHIELD project (www.heat-shield.eu): a multi-national, inter-sectoral, and cross-disciplinary initiative, incorporating twenty European research institutions, as well as occupational health and industrial partners, on solutions to combat negative health and productivity effects caused by working on a warmer world. METHODS: In this invited review, we focus on the theoretical and methodological advancements developed to combat occupational heat stress during the last five years of operation. RESULTS: We outline how we created climate forecast models to incorporate humidity, wind and solar radiation to the traditional temperature-based climate projections, providing the basis for timely, policy-relevant, industry-specific and individualized information. Further, we summarise the industry-specific guidelines we developed regarding technical and biophysical cooling solutions considering effectiveness, cost, sustainability, and the practical implementation potential in outdoor and indoor settings, in addition to field-testing of selected solutions with time-motion analyses and biophysical evaluations. All recommendations were adjusted following feedback from workshops with employers, employees, safety officers, and adjacent stakeholders such as local or national health policy makers. The cross-scientific approach was also used for providing policy-relevant information based on socioeconomic analyses and identification of vulnerable regions considered to be more relevant for political actions than average continental recommendations and interventions. DISCUSSION: From the HEAT-SHIELD experiences developed within European settings, we discuss how this inter-sectoral approach may be adopted or translated into actionable knowledge across continents where workers and societies are affected by escalating environmental temperatures.

Desempeño ocupacional de una y un superheroe / Occupational performance of one and one superhero

La aparición de las y los superhéroes ha sido a lo largo de la historia una propaganda social que mantiene viva la llama de la esperanza. La realidad se torna incierta cuando una o un superhéroe flaquea. Pero la realidad es que todas y todos los superhéroes a lo largo de su vida han sentido una falta de equilibrio ocupacional que ha roto su sensación de competencia. Esta situación no exenta de ciertas repercusiones mantiene ese punto de cercanía con la sociedad. El desempeño ocupacional de una o un superhéroe va a depender las cruzadas en las que se encuentre. En la sociedad actual más de una y uno se ha enfundado en el traje siendo esa o ese superhéroe para otros y otras

The appearance of superhero has been throughout history a social propaganda that keeps the flame of hope alive. Reality becomes uncertain when one or a superhero falters. But the reality is that each and every superhero throughout their lives has felt a lack of occupational balance that has broken their sense of competence. This situation is not without certain repercussions maintains that point of closeness with society. The occupational performance of one or a superhero will depend on the crusades in which they are. In today's society more than one and one has dressed in the suit being one or a superhero for others and others

Impacto ocupacional por cuarentena obligatoria: el caso de la región de Magallanes y Antártica Chilena / Occupational impact due to mandatory quarantine: the case of the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic region

OBJETIVOS: describir el comportamiento ocupacional en tiempos de pandemia, específicamente durante el aislamiento social obligatorio, e identificar su impacto en el equilibrio ocupacional de la población estudiada. MÉTODOS: investigación de tipo cualitativa, con un diseño descriptivo exploratorio, se realizó entrevistas semiestructuradas a personas de diversos rangos etarios subdivididos en infancia, jóvenes, personas adultas y personas mayores, todas habitantes de la ciudad de Punta Arenas que estuvieron en cuarentena total obligatoria en los meses de abril y mayo de 2020. RESULTADOS: se identificaron dos grandes categorías: primero: Adaptación ocupacional/satisfacción y bienestar, a partir de las cuales se generaron las siguientes subcategorías: Exploración ocupacional, balance ocupacional, elección ocupacional, eficacia, calidad de vida y aprendizajes; la segunda categoría se denomina desequilibrio ocupacional/insatisfacción o ausencia de bienestar, que incluye subcategorías tales como: tipo y cantidad de ocupaciones, desestructuración de patrones de ejecución, deprivación ocupacional, infraocupación, sobreocupación. CONCLUSIÓN: frente a la situación de confinamiento en pandemia, las personas pueden tener una respuesta adaptativa o desadaptativa dependiendo de sus recursos personales, contextuales, sociales y emocionales. La terapia ocupacional puede aportar estrategias para mejorar la calidad de vida de las personas en crisis sanitarias como la que se vive en la actualidad

OBJECTIVE: To describe the occupational behavior in a time of pandemic, especially during compulsory social isolation, and to identify its impact on the occupational balance of the population under study. METHODS: Qualitative research with a descriptive exploratory design. Semi-structured interviews were carried out among people of different age ranges sub-divided into childhood, youth, adults and the elderly, all inhabitants of the city of Punta Arenas, who were in mandatory total quarantine during the months of April and May 2020. RESULTS: Two main categories were identified being the first one: occupational adaptation / satisfaction and well-being, from which the following subcategories were generated: occupational exploration, occupational balance, occupational choice, efficacy, quality of life and learning. The second category was called occupational imbalance / dissatisfaction or absence of well-being, which included subcategories such as: type and number of occupations, disruption of performance patterns, occupational deprivation, underemployment, over-employment. CONCLUSION: Faced with the confinement situation in a pandemic, people can have an adaptive or maladaptive response depending on their personal, contextual, social and emotional resources. Occupational therapy can provide strategies to improve the quality of life of people in health crisis like the one we are living today

Emergency Medical Training for the Commercial Fishing Industry: An Expanded Role for Wilderness Medicine.

This article describes the conception, implementation, and evaluation of a wilderness medicine-based first aid class for the commercial fishing industry. Commercial fishing is a dangerous occupation in the United States. Currently, commercial fishermen often only have access to basic first aid classes. Because of its focus on austere environments, hazardous conditions, and distance from definitive medical care-hallmarks of commercial fisheries-wilderness medicine offers a more appropriate approach to decreasing morbidity and mortality in the industry. A 2-d, 16-h pilot wilderness medicine course for commercial fishermen, Fishermen First Aid and Safety Training (FFAST), conducted for Dungeness crab fishermen, was effective and well received, based on pre- and postcourse knowledge, skill, and attitude surveys. FFAST has been approved by the Coast Guard and is being made more widely available to commercial fishermen in the Pacific Northwest. The FFAST program offers an example of how wilderness medicine can improve safety and emergency medical response for a wide variety of austere environments not traditionally linked to the backcountry.

Need for a new workplace safety and health (WSH) strategy for the fourth Industrial Revolution.

We are on the cusp of the fourth Industrial Revolution which promises to revolutionize the way we live and work. Throughout history, as society and technology progress, so too have our workplace safety and health (WSH) strategies in regard to better knowledge and enhanced regulation. In this paper, we argue for a new WSH 4.0 strategy which requires us to adopt an adaptive and highly responsive approach to promote Total Worker Health in the face of rapid technological advancements and changes in employment relationships. To do so, we propose a multi-pronged strategy comprising (i) adaptive WSH solutions in regard to surveillance, risk assessment, and control measures leveraging on new technologies; (ii) effective multi-stakeholder dialogues for collaborative and sustainable solutions; (iii) an anticipatory WSH governance framework based upon shared values and cooperative responsibility; and (iv) professional development among WSH practitioners. This new WSH 4.0 strategy will enable WSH professionals to remain effective in this coming Industrial Revolution.

[Occupational health and safety in the port and the government of social processes and economic development]. / Salute e sicurezza sul lavoro in ambito portuale e governo dei processi sociali e di sviluppo economico.

SUMMARY: The paper aims to present the methodology applied by the Port System Authority of the Eastern Adriatic Sea from 2016 on to tackle aspects threatening the old and no-more replicable "rules" governing the Trieste Port Community social and economic equilibrium and which had generated an endemic reporting of occupational diseases. The methodology is based on the integration between port operation models and occupational health and safety requirements, in particular occupational ergonomics. By consolidating synergies with all Port stakeholders, the Authority carried out document and on-site surveys which detected the most relevant weaknesses of the system, considered already outdated. Thus, the Authority defined and adopted regulations to promote Port workers' welfare and protect marginalized workers' dignity; furthermore, the Authority applied technical measures to stop the process which would have caused new cases of the same occupational diseases. The Authority improvement action plan provides for a central role for occupational health physicians who will be asked to define shared minimum requirements to develop sanitary protocols for those port jobs exposed to similar risks in terms of quality and magnitude.

Image and perception of physicians as barriers to inter-disciplinary cooperation? - the example of German occupational health physicians in the rehabilitation process: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: In the German rehabilitation system, primary care physicians (PCPs), occupational health physicians (OPs), and rehabilitation physicians (RPs) fulfill different distinct functions and roles. While effective cooperation can improve outcomes of rehabilitation, the cooperation between these groups of stakeholders has been criticized as lacking or insufficient. This article proposes an approach to understand the low levels of cooperation by examining the role of group perception and group identity in intra-professional cooperation as a barrier to cooperation between physicians in different roles. Group perception was evaluated in terms of (1) negative views about another group of medical specialists and (2) differences between the perception of members and non-members of a medical specialty group. To examine this issue, we focused on the role of OPs in the German rehabilitation process. METHODS: We implemented a qualitative study design with eight focus group discussions with PCPs, OPs, RPs, and patients (two focus group discussions per stakeholder group; 4-10 participants) and qualitative content analysis. We used the Social Identity Approach by Tajfel and Turner as a theoretical underpinning. RESULTS: While all protagonists reported a positive perception of their own professional group, we found numerous negative perceptions about other groups, especially regarding OPs. Negative perceptions of OPs included 1) apparent conflict of interest between employer and employee, 2) lack of commitment to patient outcomes, 3) lack of useful specialized knowledge which could have a bearing on rehabilitation outcomes, and 4) distrust on the part of their patients. We also found divergent perceptions regarding roles, responsibilities, and capabilities among the specialist groups. Both negative and conflicting perceptions about roles were characterized as barriers to cooperation by study participants. CONCLUSION: This example of cooperation between RPs, OPs, and PCPs suggests that negative and diverging perceptions about an out-group could create barriers in intra-professional and inter-disciplinary cooperation between physicians. These perspectives might also be useful in explaining problems at intersections between different specialties. We suggest examining the inter-group dimension of perception-based barriers to cooperation in future interventions to overcome problems caused by intra-professional and inter-disciplinary conflicts in addition to other barriers (i.e. organizational hurdles).

[Physical exercise health promotion in the workplace: participative experimentation in a private company]. / Promotion de la santé par l'activité physique sur les lieux de travail : expérimentation participative dans une entreprise privée.

CONTEXT: The objective of this study was to identify collaborative processes involved in a physical activity health promotion project in companies, conducted through a participatory approach in a cross-sectoral partnership, and to estimate the preliminary effects in terms of employee health. METHODS: Action research was conducted in an industrial company comprising 240 employees over a 2-year period. This research was based on 4 criteria: description of the actors' network, the opportunities and constraints of the project, the implementation of physical activities, the participation of employees in the various activities, the impacts observed (after 3 months of activities) on physical parameters and quality of life. RESULTS: Six work groups selected two activities : muscle-development exercise and Taïchi. We evaluated muscle strengthening activity. The participation rate in the activity was 16%. A higher age, female gender and being a manager or employee rather than a worker were significantly associated with participation. A tendency towards increased physical and mental scores of SF12 was observed. We identified two major barriers: logistic and communicational. CONCLUSION: The participatory approach, based on a cross-sectoral partnership, is the determining element of the project's success in a context of local opportunities. Two factors were identified to perpetuate this dynamic and improve the system: rationalization of the structuring of the service and greater resources, particularly financial resources.

[Return to Work and Stay at Work - The Question of Successful Operational Integration Management]. / Return to Work und Stay at Work ­ Die Frage nach einem gelingenden betrieblichen Eingliederungsmanagement.

OBJECTIVE: The study focuses on the question of how the design of operational integration management (OIM) can be optimized, especially in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and how previous experience with operational integration management can be used to develop preventive measures to ensure employability. METHODS: The study follows a multi-perspective qualitative research design. It focused on the survey of 40 retrospective interviews with employees who have undergone different variants of the OIM. In addition, company and inter-company actors were examined through expert surveys. The evaluation of the interviews followed the heuristics of case reconstruction and the research strategy of Grounded Theory. RESULTS: Various influencing factors for the design of a operational integration management can be identified - the biographically anchored attitudes of employers and employees, the corporate culture as well as (company-specific) structural factors - which can become successful conditions and inhibitors of OIM processes in SMEs. Dilemmas that can hinder OIM processes are also evident. OIM processes can also have effects that go beyond the OIM objectives in a narrower sense. CONCLUSION: The reintegration and retention of the employability of employees can be successful above all if there is a trust-based corporate culture of mindfulness, appreciation and openness. This depends in particular on the attitudes of all those involved. But even in such a corporate culture, dilemmas and conflict potential have an influence on the success of the OIM process. Each company also needs internal and/or external actors with sufficient knowledge and skills to carry out an OIM.

La Sección de Medicina del Trabajo de la Unión Europea de Médicos Especialistas (UEMS) / No disponible

No disponible