The utilization of infrared imaging for occupational disease study in industrial work

Infrared imaging has been used to visualize superficial temperatures in industrial employers standing and working in an indoor environment at 22°C. Temperature distributions and changes have been recorded digitally and analyzed. Mean skin temperatures determined by this method have been compared with superficial temperatures obtained with a probe thermocouple. During working hours, surface temperatures were higher over extensor muscles than over other structures and their spatial distributions differed dramatically from those observed before working hours. The authors also analyzed the cold water immersion of the hands during work. This paper showed that working generates different thermal effects on human skin that reflect physiological and pathological occupational conditions and can be monitored by infrared imaging.     

Experimental study of assistant aids and new nursing method in nursing care work

This study seeks to evaluate the effect of regular and new nursing methods in nursing care work. Nursing care work often causes low back pain in nursing care worker. The principle of not lifting when transferring patients has been proposed as one way to prevent low back pain. This principle incorporates the use of the patient's strength and assistant aids. A sliding seats and transfer boards have been proposed as assistant aids for the transferring patients. It is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of these assistant aids in preventing low back pain. Ten subjects performed two tasks in this experiment. Five were nursing experienced persons and five were the inexperienced. EMG results indicated that the new nursing method was less stressful than the methods. A questionnaire revealed that the new method was evaluated more highly than the regular method. Based on these results, we propose that a sliding seats and transfer boards be used in nursing care work.     

Spinal disc hydration status during simulated stooped posture

Stooped work has been shown to be associated with the development of low back disorders, particularly those that affect the spinal intervertebral discs. Although several studies have been conducted to evaluate the effects of physical factors on disc health, little research has focused on the effect of prolonged stooped work on disc hydration- a critical component of disc health. The purpose of this study is to explore the connection between stooped work and low back pain through controlled mechanical loading and quantitative analysis of disc hydration during in vitro simulated stooped and erect loading conditions of porcine discs. The results showed that stooped postures exhibit significantly decreased overall water content relative to erect postures. Since as disc hydration forms the foundation for overall disc health and proper function, these results have implications for the injury mechanisms associated with stooped work.     

Skills Laboratories and the New Social Work Degree: One Small Step Towards Best Practice? Service Users' and Carers' Perspectives

The new social work degree has a strong emphasis upon the development of communication skills and upon the requirement for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to assess students' safety and readiness to practise. The GSCC grants to HEIs to develop skills labs to help with this skills development have been widely welcomed, but not enough work has been done fully to evaluate the effectiveness of such skills labs. There has been some previous evidence to suggest that such projects may even be counter‐productive. This article explores the way in which Staffordshire University has called upon its service user/carer group and a team of practice assessors to work with the academic tutor to devise and carry out a programme of skills training in a skills lab environment for first year students on the new degree. An initial evaluation of this project shows encouraging results for this ‘work in progress’, even though it is still early days.     

Order-picking in deep cold--physiological responses of younger and older females. Part 2: body core temperature and skin surface temperature

So far, it was unclear to what extent working in deep cold-storage depots has an influence on female order-pickers body core temperature and skin surface temperature considering different age groups. Physiological effects of order-picking in a chill room (+3°C) and cold store (-24°C) were examined on 30 female subjects (Ss), classified in two age groups (20- to 35- year-olds and 40- to 65-year-olds). The body core temperature was taken every 15 min at the tympanum and the skin surface temperature was recorded continuously at seven different positions. Working in the chill room induced a decrease of the body core temperature up to 0.5K in comparison to the value at the outset for both age groups which could be compensated by all Ss during the breaks. Working in the cold store caused a decline up to 1.1K for the younger Ss and 1.3K for the older Ss. A complete warming-up during the breaks was often not possible. Regarding the skin surface temperature, working in the chill room can be considered as unproblematic, whereas significantly lower temperatures at nose, fingers and toes, associated with substantial negative subjective sensations, were recorded while working in the cold store.     

Comparison of five approaches to keeping power line maintainers' hands warm during work in the cold

Electric utility workers in Canada must frequently work in the cold and must wear thick rubber gloves which can result in rapid fatigue and reduced performance. The purpose of the study was therefore to document the challenge of working in the cold wearing the standard five-finger rubber gloves and covers and compare them to two equipment options, mitten style gloves or a prototype wool liner, and two heating options, glove or torso heating. The dependent measures were grip force, temperature, dexterity (modified Purdue pegboard test and a simulated occupational task), finger sensitivity (Von Frey hair test), perceived effort and thermal sensation. The study population consisted of 10 experienced male utility workers. They worked in a controlled temperature walk-in chamber (-20 degrees Celsius) and performed simulated utility work for 45 minutes with interspersed test batteries. The mitten style glove and woolen liner in a standard glove reduced the effects of working in the cold compared to the standard five-fingered variety with a thin cotton liner. We found that the mitten style glove showed lesser drops in skin temperature for the 3rd and 5th digits than the other conditions (p < 0.05).     

Effect of ergonomic and workstyle risk factors on work related musculoskeletal disorders among IT professionals in India

'Workstyle' can be described as a mechanism by which ergonomic and psychosocial risk factors interact to affect the development, exacerbation and/or maintenance of upper limb pain and functional limitations. Workstyle is associated with the increase in the work demand. In today's life use of computer in the workplace is very common and it causes to increase the work demand among the workers who are working with computer. As work demand increase, according to the characteristic of workstyle, risk of the development of musculoskeletal disorders also increased. This study aimed at to findout the association between ergonomics risk factors, workstyle and WRMSD. Two hundred IT professionals participated in this study. Result revealed that most prevalenet body regions were lower back (20%), Upper back (16%) and shoulder (14%). Study result says that there is a positive association between workstyle score with musculoskeletal pain (r=0.85). Also it revealed that posture and regional pain is associated (r=0.62), per day use of computer and musculoskeletal pain (r=0.46), micro breaks and pain (r=0.87) and productivity and the pain (r=0.95). This study further validates these observations and extends support for the assessment of working postures and workstyle behaviors during the design of WMSD treatment.     

Teaching Clinical Social Work Skills Entirely Online: A Case Example

While numerous disciplines have eagerly embraced innovative educational technology, many social work educators have not been among early adopters. Social work's focus on the human connection and hands‐on practice skills can seem antithetical to technology‐mediated education. Nevertheless, social work programs are implementing distance learning and Internet‐mediated courses, and some schools are offering entire social work courses online. Leading the way in this regard is the Florida State University College of Social Work, which has developed and implemented the first CSWE‐accredited, entirely online Master of Social Work program. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development, design, and implementation of one skills‐based clinical course in this program, with the goal of sharing information in a way that will further the discussion of the risks and benefits of online education as well as provide guidance for educators who may be interested in developing a skills‐based online course in the future.     

Ergonomics principles to design clothing work for electrical workers in Colombia

The recent development of the Colombian legislation, have been identified the need to develop protective clothing to work according to specifications from the work done and in compliance with international standards. These involve the development and design of new strategies and measures for work clothing design. In this study we analyzes the activities of the workers in the electrical sector, the method analyzes the risks activity data in various activities, that activities include power generation plants, local facilities, industrial facilities and maintenance of urban and rural networks. The analyses method is focused on ergonomic approach, risk analysis is done, we evaluate the role of security expert and we use a design algorithm developed for this purpose. The result of this study is the identification of constraints and variables that contribute to the development of a model of analysis that leads to the development the work protective clothes.     

The effects of a continuous passive motion device on myoelectric activity of the erector spinae during prolonged sitting at a computer workstation

Continuous passive motion (CPM) has been proposed as a method to help individuals with low back pain cope with prolonged sitting. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects that a commercially available CPM device had on lumbar and thoracic erector spinae (ES) muscle activation (using surface electromyography, "EMG"), and on subjective discomfort during prolonged seated computer work with and without the use of the CPM device. There were no significant differences in average ES muscle activation levels, amplitude probability distribution functions, and EMG gaps number and length when sitting with the CPM device was compared to sitting normally. Subjective ratings of discomfort were also not significantly different between the two sitting conditions. The results indicated that there were no clear mechanisms by which the CPM device may reduce ES muscle pain and fatigue for the tasks and pain-free individuals studied.     

Low back pain and lifting: a review of epidemiology and aetiology

The incidence of low back pain has continued to increase in modern society, despite the considerable amount of scientific research that has aimed to isolate its exact aetiology. Although low back pain is still largely idiopathic, research has identified over one hundred risk factors for the condition. Of these risk factors, manual material handling tasks are perhaps the most widely explored within the biomechanical literature, as these tasks have been associated with high mechanical stresses on the lower back. Numerous technique-related variables have been addressed by researchers, whilst the influence of intra-abdominal pressure has also been considered. In addition to this, the implications of variations in the size and structural composition of the load have also been assessed. However, low back pain continues to pose a significant threat to the financial stability and happiness of millions of people worldwide. In addition, a number of functional work capacity assessment tests use lifting as a method for assessment of return to work condition. Many of these tests are not standardised and do not consider the implications of low back loading. Therefore new research attempts in this area are justified and should aim to identify the extent of the association that exists between the known risk factors and the incidence of low back pain.     

New politics and satire: the Euro financial crisis and the one-finger salute

ABSTRACT

This article argues that the conventional conceptualization in political science of politics is problematic, that it is overly narrow and constrained. This is because it excludes a range of actions like satire and humour which have come to play an increasing role in inspiring and provoking powerful political emotions and in informing the political agenda. Drawing on the work of critical scholars, it is argued that emotion, ethics and art can be deeply political. Moreover, new forms of media have encouraged new–old forms of political action often at the hands of young people who hitherto have been marginalized from the public sphere. Digital technology enables the production of user-generated content, opening new spaces for information, the exchange of ideas and mobilization. This article highlights the work of the young German satirist Jan Böhmermann to demonstrate how expressive art is playing a major role in shaping public opinion, in contesting power elites and informing political debate. In short, I use Böhmermann’s 2015 satire depicting Greco-German relations in the midst of a financial crisis and fears of loan defaults to argue for a broader understanding of politics that is inclusive of activities conventionally deemed non-rational.     

Staying With The Client

Abstract

Since the early seventies there have been widespread assumptions in social work that: (a) effective therapy is necessarily brief-lasting, at most, eight to ten sessions, and (b) that we should only deal with the problems that the client wants help with.

The author challenges the universality of these assumptions, and their basis in research and considerations about supposed cost-effectiveness. He illustrates through a single case study of a depressed adolescent girl and her unhappy mother that although contact could have been terminated after ten sessions, when the identified patient was better, in fact it would probably have achieved very little, since intervention up to that point had had the effect of making the mother only too painfully aware of her life predicament and reducing her almost to despair.

At the mother's request, social work contact continued for a further eleven sessions, spread over five months. She appeared to use this to achieve a considerable degree of acceptance of her painful and deprived childhood, and adopt a very much more positive attitude to her future. Her depression lifted, and her anxiety diminished. Follow-up eighteen months later strongly suggested that the gains made had been maintained for both mother and daughter.     

Mutuality in Relationships with Health Care Providers

Abstract

I have had a mobility impairment for many years and have experienced repeated trauma at the hands of medical personnel. They have withheld anesthesia and postoperative pain medication, insisting that I had no pain. Physicians have also refused to believe that I have been physically active, and have minimized the degree of impairment that I described. They hold the same biases about people with disabilities as do most people: that we are lazy and weak, and that we do not try hard enough. Despite my ongoing attempts at self advocacy, my orthopedist has made unilateral decisions about my treatment goals and the management of my diseased joints. These have caused me to wear out other joints, until I am significantly impaired and can work only a few hours a week. He then began to treat me differently, since his preconceptions prevented him from seeing me as an individual with unique abilities facing attitudinal and physical barriers. Our relationship was the only tool available to me to attempt to break down his prejudices to stop the harm he was causing me. I will describe a series of oppressive medical provider relationships. I will then demonstrate my attempts to assert myself as an essential mutual partner in decisions about my goals, and show the limitations of this approach in the presence of a great power differential.     

Philosophy of social work – a new and advantageous field of training and research

Within the field of social work, there is a long tradition for co-operating with the neighbouring disciplines psychology, psychiatry and sociology. This cooperation has been fruitful and made it possible to reach synthesis in form of holistic theories and multimodal approaches. This article examines the need to establish a closer contact with philosophy also. The author argues that philosophical assumptions make up a kind of cognitive frame that determines professional reasoning in the field of social work. When philosophical aspects are overlooked, the consequence may be shallowness and vagueness in professional reasoning. According to the author, future social workers will reach a more solid understanding of social work theories, the problems the clients are facing and possible relief measures if they as students undergo a thorough philosophical training. Furthermore, social work may be strengthened as an academic discipline if some undetected philosophical presuppositions are traced, clarified and evaluated.     

The effects of exercise reminder software program on office workers' perceived pain level, work performance and quality of life

In direct proportion to current technological developments, both the computer usage in the workplaces is increased and requirement of leaving the desk for an office worker in order to photocopy a document, send or receive an e-mail is decreased. Therefore, office workers stay in the same postures accompanied by long periods of keyboard usage. In recent years, with intent to reduce the incidence of work related musculoskeletal disorders several exercise reminder software programs have been developed. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the exercise reminder software program on office workers' perceived pain level, work performance and quality of life. 39 healthy office workers accepted to attend the study. Participants were randomly split in to two groups, control group (n = 19) and intervention group (n = 20). Visual Analogue Scale to evaluate the perceived pain was administered all of the participants in the beginning and at the end of the study. The intervention group used the program for 10 weeks. Findings showed that the control group VAS scores remained the same, but the intervention group VAS scores decreased in a statistically significant way (p < 0.01). Results support that such exercise reminder software programs may help to reduce perceived pain among office workers. Further long term studies with more subjects are needed to describe the effects of these programs and the mechanism under these effects.     

An Andragogical Application to the Training of Social Workers

This paper presents a critical consumer model for teaching social work research. Critical consumption is defined as the ability to understand, evaluate, utilize, and apply the results of social work research. The authors describe the use of this approach in their classroom and summarize a battery of “critical questions” they have used successfully to teach the skills of critical consumption. Although this model was developed in an undergraduate context, it has considerable relevance for teaching social work research at other educational levels as well.