[Ten years of protection of the maternity leave of women working in Pistoia]. / Bilancio d'attività di 10 anni di tutela della maternità di lavoratrici nella provincia di Pistoia.

We have analyzed 1175 interventions about pregnant women who came, from 1997 to 2006, to our public occupational health service, asked for the advance the abstention of work during pregnancy. Requests for advance the abstention of work during pregnancy came from service sector (welfare, school and cleaning--29%), shoe industry (14.4%), textile and clothing industry (11.4%), commerce (characterized by prolonged standing straight 13%), health service (8.7%), tourism (8%). The first seven years (1997-2003) the prevailing risks have been the muscular effort and the postures, while the last three years (2004-2006) have increased biological and chemical risks. The most important principles of labour protection for pregnant women is the agreement with every subject, and the information of the social parties, but above all the direct information of the women.

[Repetitive movement of the upper limbs: results of exposure evaluation and clinical investigation in cash register operators in supermarkets]. / Movimenti ripetitivi degli arti superiori: risultati della valutazione dell'esposizione e dell'indagine clinica nel lavoro di cassa di supermercati.

In order to evaluate the prevalence of joint and periarticular disorders of the upper limbs attributable to repetitive movements (WMSDs), 100 female supermarket cashiers were examined. Their average age was 29.5 years (SD = 6.3), and their average length of service was 3.9 years (SD = 1.9). Only 26% of the women were anamnestically negative for WMSDs, while 74% had one or more disorders due to repetitive trauma of the upper limbs, although a definite diagnosis could be made in only 33 cases. The majority of the disorders affected the right side and the localisation was primarily in the shoulder and wrist. The risk factor analysis on the one hand confirmed that high-frequency repetitive movements of the wrist and hand, associated with inadequate recovery times, do play a role in determining the onset of upper limb and carpal tunnel syndrome. On the other hand, the study also revealed a definite need to review the way the work is organised, so that each shift at the cash register includes suitable functional recovery periods.

[Repetitive movement of the upper limbs: results of exposure evaluation and clinical investigation during jar packaging of preserved vegetables]. / Movimenti ripetitivi degli arti superiori: risultati della valutazione dell'esposizione e dell'indagine clinica nel confezionamento di verdure in vasetto.

In order to assess the prevalence of work-related musculo-skeletal disorders of the upper limbs, a total population of 29 female workers in an industrial vegetable preserving plant were examined. The average age of the workers was 41.3 years (SD = 9.2), and their average length of service was 16.7 years (SD = 7.2). Only 20% of the workers were anamnestically negative, whilst 80% had one or more disorders attributable to repetitive trauma of the upper limbs. The disorders showed no prevalence for the right side, a finding in line with the risk analysis which indicated that both limbs were equally used. The results of the risk analysis and clinical assessment confirm that high-frequency actions, combined with improper posture and a shortage of suitable recovery times, play a causal role in determining the onset of the disorders studied.