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Shoaib DM, Ahmed T, Tabassum KF, Hasan M, Sharior F, Rahman M, Farah M, Rahman MA, Ahmed A, Tidwell JB, Alam MU. Evaluation of occupational health and safety intervention for the waste and sanitation workers in Bangladesh during COVID-19. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2024; 255:114288. [PMID: 37995491 PMCID: PMC10733713 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Waste and sanitation workers in South-Asian countries are vulnerable to injuries and diseases, including COVID-19. In Bangladesh, an intervention was implemented during COVID-19 to lower these workers' occupational health risks through training and PPE distribution. We assessed how the intervention affected their occupational health behaviors using a randomized cluster trial in 10 Bangladeshi cities, including seven intervention and three control areas. We conducted 499 surveys (Control-152, Intervention-347) and 47 structured observations (Control:15, Intervention:32) at baseline and 499 surveys (Control:150, Intervention:349) and 50 structured observations (Control:15, Intervention:35) at endline. To evaluate the impact of intervention at the endline, we used the difference in difference (DID) method. Compared to control, workers from intervention areas were more likely to have increased knowledge of using/maintaining PPEs (adjusted DID: 21%, CI: 8, 33), major COVID-19 transmission causes (adjusted DID: 27%, CI: 14, 40), and preventive measures (adjusted DID: 12%, CI: -0.6, 25), and improved attitude about using PPEs (adjusted DID: 36%, CI: 22, 49), washing PPEs (adjusted DID: 20%, CI: 8, 32). The intervention was more likely to improve workers' self-reported practice of taking adequate precautions after getting back from work (adjusted DID: 37%, CI: 27, 47) and changing/cleaning masks every day (adjusted DID: 47%, CI: 0.03, 94), and observed practices of maintaining coughing etiquette (DID: 20%, CI: 0.2, 40) at workplace and handwashing before wearing PPEs (DID: 27%, CI: 2, 52), after finishing work (DID: 31%, CI: -7, 69) & during work intervals (DID: 30%, CI: -33, 93). There was not much improvement in observed practices of mask use (DID: 1%, CI: -40, 42), handwashing before meals (DID: 2%, CI: -61, 65), and after toilet (DID: 7%, CI: -41, 55). This intervention has improved the knowledge, attitude and practice of the workers about critical occupational risk mitigation, which may be replicated in similar settings. Future interventions need to address occupational health-related injuries and health complications, introduce regular health checkups/insurance for the workers, create a balance between the quality and comfort of the PPEs and ensure a mechanism to ensure a regular supply of PPEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dewan Muhammad Shoaib
- Environmental Health and WASH, Health System and Population Studies Division, International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh.
| | - Tanvir Ahmed
- ITN-BUET Centre for Water Supply and Waste Management, BUET, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh; Department of Civil Engineering, BUET, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Kazy Farhat Tabassum
- Environmental Health and WASH, Health System and Population Studies Division, International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Mehedi Hasan
- Environmental Health and WASH, Health System and Population Studies Division, International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Fazle Sharior
- Environmental Health and WASH, Health System and Population Studies Division, International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Mahbubur Rahman
- Environmental Health and WASH, Health System and Population Studies Division, International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Makfie Farah
- ITN-BUET Centre for Water Supply and Waste Management, BUET, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Md Azizur Rahman
- ITN-BUET Centre for Water Supply and Waste Management, BUET, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Alauddin Ahmed
- ITN-BUET Centre for Water Supply and Waste Management, BUET, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh
| | - James B Tidwell
- Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA; World Vision, Inc., Washington, DC, 20002, USA
| | - Mahbub-Ul Alam
- Environmental Health and WASH, Health System and Population Studies Division, International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh; School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
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Buchbinder M, Jenkins T, Staley J, Berlinger N, Buchbinder L, Goldberg L. Multidimensional stressors and protective factors shaping physicians' work environments and work-related well-being in two large US cities during COVID-19. Am J Ind Med 2023; 66:854-865. [PMID: 37488786 PMCID: PMC10793871 DOI: 10.1002/ajim.23520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Clinician burnout and poor work-related well-being reached a critical inflection point during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article applies a novel conceptual model informed by the Total Worker Health® approach to identify and describe multilevel stressors and protective factors that affected frontline physicians' work environments and work-related well-being. METHODS We conducted a qualitative study of hospital-based physicians from multiple hospital types in Los Angeles and Miami who cared for COVID-19 patients. Semistructured interviews lasting 60-90 min were conducted over Zoom. Interview transcripts were thematically coded using Dedoose qualitative software. RESULTS The final sample of 66 physicians worked in 20 hospitals. Stressors in the social, political, and economic environment included dealing with the politicization of COVID-19, including vaccine hesitancy; state and federal governmental COVID-19 policies and messaging; and shifting CDC guidance. Employment and labor pattern stressors included the national nursing shortage, different policies for paid time off, furloughs, reduced pay, and layoffs. Organizational-level stressors included institutional policies, staffing constraints and high patient volume (i.e., increased number of cases and longer lengths of stay), and perceived poor leadership. At the individual worker level, stressors included concerns about viral transmission to family, strained personal relationships, and work-life fit, particularly for those with young children. Respondents identified promising protective factors at multiple levels, including responsive state leadership, job security, concrete opportunities to provide input into institutional policy, strong leadership and communication, and feeling cared for by one's institution. CONCLUSION Findings support a multi-level strategy that acknowledges internal organizational and external factors shaping clinicians' work-related well-being, consistent with the Total Worker Health® approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara Buchbinder
- Department of Social Medicine and Center for Bioethics, School of Medicine, UNC-Chapel Hill
| | | | - John Staley
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering and NC Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research Center, Gillings School of Public Health, UNC-Chapel Hill
| | | | - Liza Buchbinder
- Center for Social Medicine and Humanities and Semel Institute, UCLA
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Lai GL, Wen IJ, Chien WL. The Affective Domain, Safety Attitude, and COVID-19 Prevention of Employees in the Petrochemical Industry. Behav Sci (Basel) 2023; 13:bs13050380. [PMID: 37232617 DOI: 10.3390/bs13050380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The petrochemical industry is relatively strict regarding safety rules in the workplace. The workplace involves high-risk categories that are intolerant of human error. Especially in the current situation with COVID-19, concerns regarding prevention and safety in the workplace have increased. In light of this pandemic, the company must know whether all employees recognize the implementation of COVID-19 prevention. In addition, employee awareness of safety grounded in the affective domain of human thought is lacking. This study investigates the safety attitudes and COVID-19 prevention in the workplace based on the affective domain of employees. A survey questionnaire based on the Likert scale was utilized to collect data from 618 employees in the petrochemical industry. Descriptive analysis and analysis of variance were used to examine the data. The results reveal that employees in the petrochemical industry have a positive degree of responses to COVID-19 prevention, safety attitudes, and the affective domain, regardless of employment characteristics such as gender, age, position, and work experience. This study concludes that a positive affective domain of employees is followed by a positive safety attitude; thus, effective COVID-19 prevention was established in the workplace based on the perspectives and attitudes of the employees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gwo-Long Lai
- Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Douliu 640301, Taiwan
| | - I-Jyh Wen
- Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Douliu 640301, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Liang Chien
- Graduate School of Engineering Science and Technology, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Douliu 640301, Taiwan
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