1
|
Relationship between fatigue severity scale and occupational injury in Korean workers. Ann Occup Environ Med 2021; 33:e15. [PMID: 34754476 PMCID: PMC8203839 DOI: 10.35371/aoem.2021.33.e15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between fatigue and occupational injury. Methods This study was conducted at a university hospital in 2014 and 2015. In 2014, the fatigue severity scale (FSS) was used to evaluate workers' fatigue levels. Later, when the same workers were examined in 2015, a questionnaire survey was conducted to determine whether they had experienced absences or treatment for work-related accidents. The χ2 test was used to analyse the relationship between demographic characteristics, fatigue levels, and occupational injuries. After controlling for confounders, a logistic regression analysis was performed to calculate the odds ratios (ORs). Results In 2014, 19,218 workers were screened during health examination and their fatigue level were evaluated using FSS questionnaires. in 2015, workers' occupational injury was evaluated. In result, men in the moderate- and high-fatigue groups, after adjusting for age, smoking and drinking habits, chronic diseases, and occupational factors such as size of company industrial classification and type of work (shift or non-shift), adjusted ORs for hospital treatment due to occupational injury were 1.76 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.39–2.24) and 2.61 (95% CI:1.68–4.06), respectively. Among men in the medium- and high-fatigue groups, the adjusted ORs for absence due to occupational injury were 2.06 (95% CI: 1.52–2.80) and 3.65 (95% CI: 2.20–6.05), respectively. No significant association was observed between fatigue and occupational injury in women. Conclusions Male workers with high fatigue levels have a higher risk of experiencing work injuries. This study suggests that active intervention be considered to prevent injuries in workers with high scores on workplace fatigue evaluation scales.
Collapse
|
2
|
Wang Z, Lin L, Guo Y, Xiong H, Tang K. The Uncounted Casualties of a Hidden COVID-19 Epidemic in China: Cross-sectional Study on Deaths Related to Overwork. J Med Internet Res 2021; 23:e23311. [PMID: 33822735 PMCID: PMC8059783 DOI: 10.2196/23311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Revised: 03/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background During the COVID-19 response, nonclinical essential workers usually worked overtime and experienced significant work stress, which subsequently increased their risk of mortality due to cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and pre-existing conditions. Deaths on duty, including deaths due to overwork, during the COVID-19 response were usually reported on web-based platforms for public recognition and solidarity. Although no official statistics are available for these casualties, a list of on-duty deaths has been made publicly available on the web by crowdsourcing. Objective This study aims to understand the trends and characteristics of deaths related to overwork among the frontline nonclinical essential workers participating in nonpharmaceutical interventions during the first wave of COVID-19 in China. Methods Based on a web-based crowdsourced list of deaths on duty during the first wave of the COVID-19 response in China, we manually verified all overwork-related death records against the full-text web reports from credible sources. After excluding deaths caused by COVID-19 infection and accidents, a total of 340 deaths related to overwork among nonclinical essential workers were attributed to combatting the COVID-19 crisis. We coded the key characteristics of the deceased workers, including sex, age at death, location, causes of death, date of incidence, date of death, containment duties, working area, and occupation. The temporal and spatial correlations between deaths from overwork and COVID-19 cases in China were also examined using Pearson correlation coefficient. Results From January 20 to April 26, 2020, at least 340 nonclinical frontline workers in China were reported to have died as a result of overwork while combatting COVID-19. The weekly overwork mortality was positively correlated with weekly COVID-19 cases (r=0.79, P<.001). Two-thirds of deceased workers (230/340, 67.6%) were under 55 years old, and two major causes of deaths related to overwork were cardiovascular diseases (138/340, 40.6%) and cerebrovascular diseases (73/340, 21.5%). Outside of Hubei province, there were almost 2.5 times as many deaths caused by COVID-19–related overwork (308/340, 90.6%) than by COVID-19 itself (n=120). Conclusions The high number of deaths related to overwork among nonclinical essential workers at the frontline of the COVID-19 epidemic is alarming. Policies for occupational health protection against work hazards should therefore be prioritized and enforced.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhicheng Wang
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.,School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Leesa Lin
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Yan Guo
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Huayi Xiong
- School of Health Humanities, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Kun Tang
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Ishaq E, Bashir S, Abdul Karim Khan, Hassan MM, Zakariya R. Epistemic curiosity and perceived workload: a moderated mediation model of achievement striving and overwork climate. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/09585192.2019.1641734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erum Ishaq
- Department of Management and Social Sciences, Capital University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Sajid Bashir
- Department of Management and Social Sciences, Capital University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Abdul Karim Khan
- Department of Business Administration, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAE
| | - Muhammad Mubbashar Hassan
- Department of Management and Social Sciences, Capital University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Ramsha Zakariya
- Department of Management and Social Sciences, Capital University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Collinson DL, Collinson M. `Delayering Managers': Time-Space Surveillance and its Gendered Effects. ORGANIZATION 2016. [DOI: 10.1177/135050849743005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
This article seeks to extend the growing interest in time-space issues within social and organizational theory (Giddens, 1984, 1987; Harvey, 1990) by focusing on management and gender in the workplace. It examines the impact of what we have termed `time-space surveillance' on managers who have survived delayering and also addresses the gendered conditions and consequences of these processes. Drawing on research from the UK insurance industry, we explore the various managerial responses to increased time-space surveillance, how intensified monitoring generated considerable problems for both men and women managers in attempting to balance `home' and `work', and the significant gender-specific effects of these processes. Finally, we consider the extent to which these empirical dynamics might have a wider generalizability.
Collapse
|
5
|
Fukuchi N, Kakizaki M, Sugawara Y, Tanji F, Watanabe I, Fukao A, Tsuji I. Association of marital status with the incidence of suicide: a population-based Cohort Study in Japan (Miyagi cohort study). J Affect Disord 2013; 150:879-85. [PMID: 23830860 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2013.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2013] [Accepted: 05/03/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Marital status is one of the most frequently replicated predictors of suicide. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of marital status on the risk of suicide by gender, using a large population-based cohort in Japan. METHODS The Miyagi cohort study was a population-based, prospective cohort study of Japanese adults aged between 40 and 64 years. Between June and August 1990, 47,604 participants residing in 14 municipalities of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, completed a questionnaire on various health-related lifestyles, including marital status. During 18 years of follow-up, 146 of the participants committed suicide. We used the Cox proportional hazards regression model to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for suicide mortality according to marital status with adjustment for potential confounders. RESULTS A total of 106 and 40 deaths from suicide were recorded during 344,813 and 365,524 person-years of follow-up among 20,671 men and 21,076 women, respectively. We found that marital status was significantly associated with the risk of completing suicide only in men. Among men, after multivariate adjustment, HRs in reference to married were as follows: widowed or divorced, 2.84 (95% CI: 1.37-5.90); unmarried, 1.56 (95% CI: 0.67-3.64). A significantly increased risk of suicidal death was observed among widowed or divorced men, whereas no such trend was evident for women. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that men who are widowed or divorced, or unmarried, are at increased risk of suicide, whereas no such risk is evident for women.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Naru Fukuchi
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Forensic Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8575, Miyagi, Japan
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Ohnishi M, Nakao R, Kawasaki R, Nitta A, Hamada Y, Nakane H. Utilization of bar and izakaya-pub establishments among middle-aged and elderly Japanese men to mitigate stress. BMC Public Health 2012; 12:446. [PMID: 22708695 PMCID: PMC3436682 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2011] [Accepted: 06/18/2012] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Japanese suicide rate is one of the highest among industrialized nations, especially following the economic crisis of the 1990s, with more than 30000 suicides every year since 1998. Previous studies have pointed out to relationships between overwork and/or job stress, and death and other health risks, and suggested several possible avenues for releasing stress and emotional burden, including suicidal ideation, through talking with intimate friends, family, and specialists, such as counselors and physicians. The present study was performed to explore the potential role of owners and managers of bars and izakaya-pub establishments in mitigating stress of middle-aged and elderly Japanese men by having informal conversations with them. A self-administered questionnaire was posted to all bars and izakaya-pubs registered in Ohmura-city, Nagasaki prefecture, in December 2009. Among 260 bars and izakaya-pubs, a total of 103 owners and managers completed the questionnaire. More than half of the respondents experienced engaging in conversations with their customers regarding customers’ various personal and private issues. The most frequently talked about problem was that regarding work (56.3%). Regardless of sex and age of the respondents, those with longer working experience in bar and izakaya-pub establishments were more likely to have had customers confiding in them financial problems including debts/loans (adjusted odds ratio: 5.48, p = 0.033). Owners and managers of bars and izakaya-pubs may be in a position to act as “listeners”, to whom middle-aged and elderly men can talk about their personal problems casually and without having to worry about conflict of interests, and direct those in need to professional counseling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mayumi Ohnishi
- Unit of Rehabilitation Sciences, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Okubo S, Yokoyama K, Suzuki M, Tani I, Ikeda W, Kitamura F. Difficulties in Receiving a Medical Consultation among Japanese Workers with Mental Health Problems. J Occup Health 2012; 54:51-5. [DOI: 10.1539/joh.11-0065-fs] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Suguru Okubo
- Department of Healthcare Quality AssessmentGraduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo
- Department of Epidemiology and Environmental HealthJuntendo University Faculty of Medicine
| | - Kazuhito Yokoyama
- Department of Epidemiology and Environmental HealthJuntendo University Faculty of Medicine
| | - Mayo Suzuki
- Department of Epidemiology and Environmental HealthJuntendo University Faculty of Medicine
- Bunri University of Hospitality
| | - Iori Tani
- Department of Epidemiology and Environmental HealthJuntendo University Faculty of Medicine
- Department of HumanitiesTokaigakuen UniversityJapan
| | - Wakaha Ikeda
- Department of Epidemiology and Environmental HealthJuntendo University Faculty of Medicine
| | - Fumihiko Kitamura
- Department of Epidemiology and Environmental HealthJuntendo University Faculty of Medicine
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Koyama H, Fukuda S, Shoji T, Inaba M, Tsujimoto Y, Tabata T, Okuno S, Yamakawa T, Okada S, Okamura M, Kuratsune H, Fujii H, Hirayama Y, Watanabe Y, Nishizawa Y. Fatigue is a predictor for cardiovascular outcomes in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2010; 5:659-66. [PMID: 20185601 DOI: 10.2215/cjn.08151109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Despite potential significance of fatigue and its underlying components in the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases, epidemiologic data showing the link are virtually limited. This study was designed to examine whether fatigue symptoms or fatigue's underlying components are a predictor for cardiovascular diseases in high-risk subjects with ESRD. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS 788 volunteer patients under hemodialysis therapy (506 male, 282 female) completed the survey between October and November 2005, with the follow-up period up to 26 months to monitor occurrence of fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular events. The questionnaire consisted of 64 questions, and promax rotation analysis of the principal component method conceptualized eight fatigue-related factors: fatigue itself, anxiety and depression, loss of attention and memory, pain, overwork, autonomic imbalance, sleep problems, and infection. RESULTS 14.7% of the patients showed fatigue scores higher than twice the SD of the mean for healthy volunteers. These highly fatigued patients exhibited a significantly higher risk for cardiovascular events (hazard ratio: 2.17; P < 0.01), with the relationship independent of the well-known risk factors, including age, diabetes, cardiovascular disease history, and inflammation and malnutrition markers. Moreover, comparisons of the risk in key subgroups showed that the risk of high fatigue score for cardiovascular events was more prominent in well-nourished patients, including lower age, absence of past cardiovascular diseases, higher serum albumin, and high non-HDL cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS Fatigue can be an important predictor for cardiovascular events in patients with ESRD, with the relationship independent of the nutritional or inflammatory status.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hidenori Koyama
- Department of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Molecular Medicine, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-4-3 Asahi-machi, Abeno-ku, Osaka 545-8585, Japan.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Button LA. Effect of social support and coping strategies on the relationship between health care-related occupational stress and health. J Res Nurs 2008. [DOI: 10.1177/1744987107087390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of social support and individual coping strategies (problem-focused, emotion-focused) in the moderation of the relationship between health care-related occupational stress and health was examined in a survey of 212 midwives and nurses. Results indicate that neither of the coping strategies was influential, whereas social support levels were either detrimental or beneficial based on the reported level of job stress. High support in conjunction with high job stress was associated with poorer health. Conversely, when support was low, high stress was associated with better health. This implied that it was the level of overall social support in conjunction with the level of job stress that was associated with psychological and physical health levels. Subsequent to the findings of this research, a call to examine specific factors that may influence the personal formation of support networks (i.e., gender, causality), as well as causality, was emphasised.
Collapse
|
10
|
Amagasa T, Nakayama T, Takahashi Y. Karojisatsu
in Japan: Characteristics of 22 Cases of Work‐Related Suicide. J Occup Health 2005; 47:157-64. [PMID: 15824481 DOI: 10.1539/joh.47.157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
With the rapidly increasing number of work-related suicides in Japan (Karojisatsu, in Japanese), both applications for worker's compensation insurance and civil suits are proliferating. The phenomenon of work-related suicide is examined along with the process and related factors. With informed consent from bereaved families, two certified psychiatrists independently reviewed and summarized 22 insurance and legal reports filed by psychiatrists on employee suicides that were related to heavy workloads. A clinical epidemiologist participated in discussions with psychiatrists to reach a consensus concerning the cause of the suicides. Only one case involved a female. Seventeen had experienced personnel changes, such as a promotion or transfer. Low social support was recognized in 18, high psychological demand in 18, low decision latitude in 17, and long working hours in 19 cases (more than 11 hours per day for 3 months or more, and without a day off in 9). The subjects had depressive episodes by the ICD-10 criteria and showed suicidal signs. Ten of them saw a general practitioner because of unspecified somatic complaints, but no effective measures were taken. None of them had a history of psychiatric consultation or had received mental health education dealing with job stress management. Although causality cannot be made from this case series report, we hypothesize that long working hours, heavy workloads, and low social support may cause depression, which can lead to suicide. Appropriate countermeasures are urgently needed and the present findings suggest some of them are possible.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Amagasa
- Mental Clinic Misato, 1-5-6 Misato, City of Misato, Saitama 341-0024, Japan.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Borrell C, Cortès I, Artazcoz L, Molinero E, Moncada S. Social inequalities in mortality in a retrospective cohort of civil servants in Barcelona. Int J Epidemiol 2003; 32:386-9. [PMID: 12777424 DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyg076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The objective of this study is to describe the inequalities in mortality by occupational category and sex in a retrospective cohort of civil servants working in the city council of Barcelona (Spain). METHODS The cohort was followed for the period 1984-1993. There were 11 647 men and 9001 women. Age-adjusted hazard ratios (HR) of death for occupational categories and manual versus non-manual groups and 95% CI were derived from Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS For total deaths in males, compared with high-level professionals, auxiliary workers (HR = 1.30, 95% CI: 0.96-1.77), skilled manual workers (HR = 1.29, 95% CI: 0.95-1.77), unskilled manual workers (HR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.07-1.98) and police and fire manual workers (HR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.08-1.87) had higher risk of death. Among women, for all causes of mortality, only police manual workers had higher mortality (HR = 5.63, 95% CI: 1.89-16.7) whereas auxiliary workers had the lowest HR (HR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.25-1.05). The HR comparing manual and non-manual categories for all causes of death was 1.29 for males (95% CI: 1.09-1.52) and 1.07 for females (95% CI: 0.77-1.49). Among males, whereas manual workers had lower cardiovascular mortality (HR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.63-1.15), cancer mortality was higher in the manual category. No association between manual category and mortality was found among women. CONCLUSIONS This study provides an analysis of social inequalities in mortality in a cohort from a Southern European urban area.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carme Borrell
- Institut Municipal de Salut Pública de Barcelona, Spain.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
12
|
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To review the literature on burnout and consider its relevance to old age psychiatry and the role of the consultant. DATA SOURCES Medline and PsychLit computerized databases. DATA SYNTHESIS Burnout is a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and decreased sense of personal accomplishment which is recognized in people working in the human service professions and can have adverse effects on the workforce. There is little evidence of unique stressors related to care of elderly mentally ill people. Burnout is likely to be modified by workplace interventions. Relevant areas for intervention are political and social, organizational and management, training and personal issues. Support to consultants and their continuing professional development need to be radically reviewed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S M Benbow
- Carisbrooke Resource Centre, Gorton, Manchester, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Abstract
The evidence that depressive symptomatology precedes the onset of the acute coronary syndromes and influences the course of disease after their manifestation is accumulating. However, we still are far short of proof that depression has a causal role in the etiology and pathogenesis of coronary heart disease (CHD). Some unsolved questions concern the causes and the nature of the depression preceding a first or recurrent cardiac event, the biological mechanisms relating depression and CHD, the time window of the exposure-disease association, and the power of therapy programs for depression to reduce the risk of a first or recurrent cardiac event.
Collapse
|
14
|
Abstract
The growing size of world cities and ever more competitive working conditions are thought to cause subjective stress, anxiety and depression, with a resulting decrease in the quality of life, sleep disturbances, drug and alcohol abuse and poor productivity. Acute stress may suppress immune function, leading to an increased incidence of infections, and chronic stress may predispose to a number of ailments, including digestive disturbances, hypertension, ischaemic heart disease and neoplasia; jointly, these factors cause a substantial shortening of life expectancy. The control of stress thus makes an important contribution to health. Stress levels can be reduced by anxiolytic drugs, or by a variety of psychological techniques; however, an appropriate programme of physical activity may be the preferred option, since exercise has many positive effects on health that are unrelated to stress. If exercise is to be effective in inducing relaxation, it must be noncompetitive, moderate in intensity, and pursued in pleasant surroundings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R J Shephard
- School of Physical and Health Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
|