Workplace environment of earth-moving machine operators in terms of anthropometric data development in the Slovak republic.

BACKGROUND: Population data are gathered using the sampling unit at the appropriate time and due to various reasons (e.g. nutrition survey of the population, style of living, etc.), they can be changed due to trends for longer periods of time. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the paper is to analyse selected anthropometric parameters relevant to the design of the earth-moving machine operator workplace environment and to compare the gathered data to the standard ISO 3411. METHODS: The set of five dimensions and factors of the Slovak adult male population was analysed over the course of the years 2002-2018. RESULTS: A significant increase in the parameter -body weight was observed. In total, mentioned dimension of male population increased by 0.4 kg (0.5%) during the time of analysis. Following the dot plot and linear regression equation the fact that the trend in growth is becoming a global phenomenon in Slovakia can be stated. CONCLUSIONS: In the future, it will be necessary to focus on updating the standards defining the workplace size in this industry sector as well as in others.

Biological treatment of coke plant effluents: from a microbiological perspective.

During coke production, large volume of effluent is generated, which has a very complex chemical composition and contains several toxic and carcinogenic substances, mainly aromatic compounds, cyanide, thiocyanate and ammonium. The composition of these high-strength effluents is very diverse and depends on the quality of coals used and the operating and technological parameters of coke ovens. In general, after initial physicochemical treatment, biological purification steps are applied in activated sludge bioreactors. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the anaerobic and aerobic transformation processes and describes key microorganisms, such as phenol- and thiocyanate-degrading, floc-forming, nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria, which contribute to the removal of pollutants from coke plant effluents. Providing the theoretical basis for technical issues (in this case the microbiology of coke plant effluent treatment) aids the optimization of existing technologies and the design of new management techniques.

Findings From the National Machine Guarding Program: Safety Climate, Hazard Assessment, and Safety Leadership in Small Metal Fabrication Businesses.

OBJECTIVES: This manuscript assesses safety climate data from the National Machine Guarding Program (NMGP)-a nationwide intervention to improve machine safety. METHODS: Baseline safety climate surveys were completed by 2161 employees and 341 owners or managers at 115 businesses. A separate onsite audit of safety management practices and machine guarding equipment was conducted at each business. RESULTS: Safety climate measures were not correlated with machine guarding or safety management practices. The presence of a safety committee was correlated with higher scores on the safety management audit when contrasted with those without one. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of a safety committee is easily assessed and provides a basis on which to make recommendations with regard to how it functions. Measures of safety climate fail to provide actionable information. Future research on small manufacturing firms should emphasize the presence of an employee-management safety committee.

Emission factors of unintentional HCB and PeCBz and their correlation with PCDD/PCDF.

Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and pentachlorobenzene (PeCBz) have been listed as unintentional POPs in the annex of the Stockholm Convention and thus, attracted attention by government and researchers. Since the intentional production and use has ceased in most countries, the unintentional releases to the environment have increased. This study gathered 206 and 78 emission factors (EFs) of unintentional HCB and PeCBz from scientific publications and governmental reports, respectively. Most of the EFs referred to the release vector "air" (EFAir) and to a less extent to "product" (EFProduct). EFs were proposed for different source categories/classes used in the Toolkit according to the technologies that released the HCB or PeCBz. Overall, lowest and highest EFAir for HCB were found in the metallurgical industry range from 1 µg/t in well controlled plants (coke, iron and steel) up to 40,000 µg/t (secondary zinc). EFs for PeCBz were in similar order of magnitude. Due to lack of data, EFs to water, land or residue cannot be proposed. Using linear regression and statistical analysis such as Pearson correlation, we found strongest correlation of EFAir between HCB and PeCBz (R2 = 0.79, P < 0.01) and weaker, but still significant, correlations for EFAir between PCDD/PCDFTEQ and HCB (R2 = 0.56; P < 0.01) or PeCBz (R2 = 0.31 P < 0.01) for various thermal processes.

Health, safety and environmental unit performance assessment model under uncertainty (case study: steel industry).

Performance assessment is a critical objective of management systems. As a result of the non-deterministic and qualitative nature of performance indicators, assessments are likely to be influenced by evaluators' personal judgments. Furthermore, in developing countries, performance assessments by the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) department are based solely on the number of accidents. A questionnaire is used to conduct the study in one of the largest steel production companies in Iran. With respect to health, safety, and environment, the results revealed that control of disease, fire hazards, and air pollution are of paramount importance, with coefficients of 0.057, 0.062, and 0.054, respectively. Furthermore, health and environment indicators were found to be the most common causes of poor performance. Finally, it was shown that HSE management systems can affect the majority of performance safety indicators in the short run, whereas health and environment indicators require longer periods of time. The objective of this study is to present an HSE-MS unit performance assessment model in steel industries. Moreover, we seek to answer the following question: what are the factors that affect HSE unit system in the steel industry? Also, for each factor, the extent of impact on the performance of the HSE management system in the organization is determined.

Queixas osteomusculares dos trabalhadores e condições biomecânicas no trabalho em metalúrgica de alumínio / Worker's musculoskeletal complaints and biomechanical work conditions in an aluminium smelter

Introdução: O alumínio é um metal proveniente da bauxita, sendo o Brasil um importante produtor mundial. Estudos descrevem distúrbios osteomusculares relacionados ao trabalho entre trabalhadores que transformam o alumínio em produto para consumo. Objetivo: Avaliar as condições ergonômicas e as queixas osteomusculares em trabalhadores metalúrgicos de alumínio. Métodos: Estudo transversal realizado em indústria transformadora de alumínio na cidade de Embu das Artes, São Paulo. Foram aplicados checklists para a avaliação simplificada do risco de lombalgia e para a avaliação simplificada do risco de distúrbios musculoesqueléticos de membros superiores relacionados ao trabalho no setor de coquilha da empresa. Os 38 trabalhadores do setor responderam ao Questionário Nórdico de Sintomas Osteomusculares (QNSO). Resultados: O posto de trabalho apresenta um risco moderado para agravamento/desencadeamento de lombalgia e distúrbios musculoesqueléticos de membros superiores relacionados ao trabalho. Nos últimos 12 meses, 15,8% dos trabalhadores se queixaram de dores lombares, e, nos últimos sete dias, 5,3% relataram queixas de dores em punhos/mãos/dedos. Conclusão: Condições biomecânicas do trabalho podem estar relacionadas ao desenvolvimento de queixas osteomusculares. A gestão dos riscos ocupacionais nesse ramo industrial se faz necessária para promover produtividade e qualidade de vida entre os trabalhadores.

Background: Aluminum is a metal from bauxite and Brazil is a major producer worldwide. Studies describe work-related musculoskeletal disorders among workers in aluminum industry. Objectives: Evaluating ergonomic conditions and musculoskeletal complaints among workers in aluminum metallurgy. Methods: Cross-sectional study carried out in manufacturing aluminum in Embu das Artes, São Paulo. Checklists were applied to simplified evaluation of the risk of low back pain and simplified evaluation of the risk of musculoskeletal disorders of the upper limbs related to work in a specific sector. The 38-sector workers answered to the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ). Results: The ergonomic conditions present moderate risk for low back pain and upper limb disorders. In the last 12 months, 15.8% of workers complained of back pain and in the last seven days, 5.3% of workers reported complaints of pain in wrists/hands/fingers. Conclusion: Biomechanical conditions of work can be related to musculoskeletal complaints. The management of occupational hazards in this branch of industry is needed to promote productivity and quality of life among workers.

[RESULTS OF DUST FACTOR IN COPPER PYROMETALLURGY].

The dust entering the air of the working zone of metallurgical shops was shown to be presented by a disintegration aerosols originating in crushing and transporting ore materials and condensation occurring in the course of smelting, converting and fire-refining copper. The overwhelming majority of the grains have a size of 2.1-5.0 mm, which determines a fixed condition of the presence of given dust in the working area, its long presence in the deeper parts of the respiratory system. At the preparatory stages in the composition of the dust there are presented significant amounts of crystalline silicon dioxide possessing of the fibrogenic impact on the body. In the dust the presence of the crystalline silicon dioxide, arsenic, nickel, cadmium determines its carcinogenic hazard. The elevated dustiness of the air is noted with the reflective and especially mine melting, due to the imperfection of the technological equipment and sanitary technical devices. Autogenous smelting processes have demonstrated their hygienic advantage over outdated methods of producing blister copper mining and smelting reflectivity.

[On industrial conditionality of diseases among copper melting enterprise workers].

Health state of workers in hazardous conditions of copper melting enterprise depends on wide spectrum of somatic occupationally conditioned diseases. Economic damage from workers' health disorders due only to cardiovascular diseases can be considerable. To reduce this damage, hygienic measures are necessary to improve work conditions, to preserve occupational fitness of the workers, other measures to diminish controllable factors of vascular risk and to prevent occupationally conditioned cardiovascular diseases.

[Hygienic assessment of working conditions in the production of ferro-alloys].

This work is devoted to the study of conditions of the work of employees of the modern ferro-alloy production, which was performed in the framework of the evaluation of working places at the Open Joint-Stock Company «Ferrokhrom¼, which is part of Joint-Stock Transnational Company "Kazchrom". The studies were performed with account of the full range of the list of working places, both in the main and auxiliary shops. The work activity of the workers from leading professional groups was established to be conjugate of the impact of the complex of unfavorable factors of occupational environment and labor process. There are given comprehensive measures to improve working conditions and health maintenance in workers from leading professional groups.

National Machine Guarding Program: Part 2. Safety management in small metal fabrication enterprises.

BACKGROUND: Small manufacturing businesses often lack important safety programs. Many reasons have been set forth on why this has remained a persistent problem. METHODS: The National Machine Guarding Program (NMGP) was a nationwide intervention conducted in partnership with two workers' compensation insurers. Insurance safety consultants collected baseline data in 221 business using a 33-question safety management audit. Audits were completed during an interview with the business owner or manager. RESULTS: Most measures of safety management improved with an increasing number of employees. This trend was particularly strong for lockout/tagout. However, size was only significant for businesses without a safety committee. Establishments with a safety committee scored higher (55% vs. 36%) on the safety management audit compared with those lacking a committee (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Critical safety management programs were frequently absent. A safety committee appears to be a more important factor than business size in accounting for differences in outcome measures.

Elevated Blood Lead Levels Among Fire Assay Workers and Their Children in Alaska, 2010-2011.

In October 2010, an employee at Facility A in Alaska that performs fire assay analysis, an industrial technique that uses lead-containing flux to obtain metals from pulverized rocks, was reported to the Alaska Section of Epidemiology (SOE) with an elevated blood lead level (BLL) ≥10 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL). The SOE initiated an investigation; investigators interviewed employees, offered blood lead screening to employees and their families, and observed a visit to the industrial facility by the Alaska Occupational Safety and Health Section (AKOSH). Among the 15 employees with known work responsibilities, 12 had an elevated BLL at least once from October 2010 through February 2011. Of these 12 employees, 10 reported working in the fire assay room. Four children of employees had BLLs ≥5 µg/dL. Employees working in Facility A's fire assay room were likely exposed to lead at work and could have brought lead home. AKOSH inspectors reported that they could not share their consultative report with SOE investigators because of the confidentiality requirements of a federal regulation, which hampered Alaska SOE investigators from fully characterizing the lead exposure standards.

National Machine Guarding Program: Part 1. Machine safeguarding practices in small metal fabrication businesses.

BACKGROUND: Metal fabrication workers experience high rates of traumatic occupational injuries. Machine operators in particular face high risks, often stemming from the absence or improper use of machine safeguarding or the failure to implement lockout procedures. METHODS: The National Machine Guarding Program (NMGP) was a translational research initiative implemented in conjunction with two workers' compensation insures. Insurance safety consultants trained in machine guarding used standardized checklists to conduct a baseline inspection of machine-related hazards in 221 business. RESULTS: Safeguards at the point of operation were missing or inadequate on 33% of machines. Safeguards for other mechanical hazards were missing on 28% of machines. Older machines were both widely used and less likely than newer machines to be properly guarded. Lockout/tagout procedures were posted at only 9% of machine workstations. CONCLUSIONS: The NMGP demonstrates a need for improvement in many aspects of machine safety and lockout in small metal fabrication businesses.

Metrology test object for dimensional verification in additive manufacturing of metals for biomedical applications.

Additive manufacturing continues to increase in popularity and is being used in applications such as biomaterial ingrowth that requires sub-millimeter dimensional accuracy. The purpose of this study was to design a metrology test object for determining the capabilities of additive manufacturing systems to produce common objects, with a focus on those relevant to medical applications. The test object was designed with a variety of features of varying dimensions, including holes, cylinders, rectangles, gaps, and lattices. The object was built using selective laser melting, and the produced dimensions were compared to the target dimensions. Location of the test objects on the build plate did not affect dimensions. Features with dimensions less than 0.300 mm did not build or were overbuilt to a minimum of 0.300 mm. The mean difference between target and measured dimensions was less than 0.100 mm in all cases. The test object is applicable to multiple systems and materials, tests the effect of location on the build, uses a minimum of material, and can be measured with a variety of efficient metrology tools (including measuring microscopes and micro-CT). Investigators can use this test object to determine the limits of systems and adjust build parameters to achieve maximum accuracy.

[On work conditions and occupational morbidity in Permsky area].

Permsky area is one of the most developed regions in Russia and among national industrial leaders. Registered level of occupational diseases in Permsky area does not correspond to work conditions state in industry. Over last 10 years, more than third of workers started having hazardous work conditions, number of the workers reduced more than by 200,000. Small-scale and medium business employers do not pay proper attention to health care for workers, and the situation concerning occupational hygiene in these enterprises deteriorates. Workers' health care is topical problem for Permsky area, necessitates systemic and complex actions within federal and regional goal-oriented program.

[Individual and group occupational risk evaluation in metallizers in the process of covering titanium half-finished products with aluminum].

A purpose of this research is individual and group occupational risk evaluation at metallizers workplaces of titanium alloys production in the process of covering the titanium half-finished products with aluminum. The occupational risk has been estimated according to the hygienic criteria of Guide "P 2.2.2006-05", "P 2.2.1766-03", the individual occupational risk has been estimated according to the method, elaborated in Research Institute for Occupational Medicine of Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and Klin Institute of Work Conditions and Safety. The authors have established that the labor conditions correspond to the classes 2-3.1 in respect of air temperature, class 3.1--illumination, classes 3.3-3.4--noise. Assessing in general, with account of combined influence of the occupational hazards, the conditions have been attributed to 3-4 degrees of 3 class of harmful working conditions, that conform to the high and very high occupational risk levels. The individual occupational risk of the metallizers is characterized by the gradations from the average to very high one, the integral individual occupational risk for the group of metallizers as a whole has been estimated as the high one. Essential distinctions in the individual occupational risks should be considered while working out improving and rehabilitation actions.

Editorial input for the right price: tobacco industry support for a sheet metal indoor air quality manual.

Following legal action in the 1990s, internal tobacco industry documents became public, allowing unprecedented insight into the industry's relationships with outside organizations. During the 1980s and 1990s, the National Energy Management Institute (NEMI), established by the Sheet Metal Workers International Association and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association, (SMACNA) received tobacco industry funding to establish an indoor air quality services program. But the arrangement also required NEMI to serve as an advocate for industry efforts to defeat indoor smoking bans by arguing that ventilation was a more appropriate solution to environmental tobacco smoke. Drawing on tobacco industry documents, this paper describes a striking example of the ethical compromises that accompanied NEMI's collaboration with the tobacco industry, highlighting the solicitation of tobacco industry financial support for a SMACNA indoor air quality manual in exchange for sanitizing references to the health impact of environmental tobacco smoke prior to publication.

[Occupational risk for development of respiratory diseases in foundry shop workers at machinery industries].

The paper provides the results of assessment of prior and posterior occupational risks and those of questionnaire analysis in foundry shop workers from machinery enterprises. According to the data of attestation of job places, the working conditions of major foundry occupations were ascertained to correspond to class 3, grades 1 to 3. The prior risk for occupational respiratory diseases (RD) was defined as moderate whereas the posterior risk was high. According to the results of a questionnaire survey, more than half of the workers sought medical advice for bronchopulmonary pathology. Determination of whether there is, in terms of the etiological share, a cause-and-effect relationship between RDs and working conditions has shown that the occupation was highly responsible, which suggests that harmful industrial factors make a considerable contribution to the development of RDs in the workers of the enterprises under study.

[Respiratory diseases in metallurgy production workers].

The authors identified features of respiratory diseases in workers of various metallurgy workshops. Cause-effect relationships are defined between occupational risk factors and respiratory diseases, with determining the affection level.

An evaluation of biocompatibility of indigenously produced pure titanium: an experimental study in rabbits.

The indigenously produced pure titanium dental implants are economical and useful for common human use in India. The aim of this study is to test the biocompatibility of the indigenously produced pure titanium dental implant material obtained from the Defense Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Hyderabad, India, and the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Science, Delhi, India. An experimental study in rabbits was done to study the amount of ordered bone formation around the screw and cylinder type of indigenously produced pure titanium metal implant specimens. The experimental animals were killed at 4, 6, 8, 12, and 16 weeks from the date of implantation. The histopathological examination of the animals killed at 16 weeks demonstrates the presence of osteoblastic cell proliferation and early ordered bone formation toward the implant site, indicating signs of osseointegration of both screw- and cylinder-type indigenously produced pure titanium specimens.

[Health & safety in a steel plant: technical and managerial action]. / Interventi tecnici ed organizzativi per la salute e la sicurezza in on impianto siderurgico.

The report presents the experience in a steel company to improve the management of issues relating to health and safety of workers. The first part of the work focuses on the description of the interventions made by the company in recent years, which can be divided into technical interventions on production facilities, training and information, organizational activities and specific projects in collaboration with the health service. The second part presents the certification project according to OHSAS 18001, with particular focus on the efforts for a lean management of the documentation required by the management systems and for the automation of internal processes. The last part finally describes in detail the manner in which it was decided to address some issues that significantly affect the factory doctor: the recording and analysis of accidents and medications, management of hazardous substances and personal protective equipment.