Hepatitis B Immunization of a Population of Workers (Poster)

Background/objective: Infection with Hepatitis B virus can be prevented by vaccination with HB surface antigen, which induces HBS specific antibodies and T cells. But the immunization status of workers and its relationship with occupational factors are not well documented. The goal is to examine the factors of risk and the immunization status against HBV among a population of workers.

Methods: An assessment of the vaccination and the immunization status against HBV was conducted among a miscellaneous population of French workers, recruited from a medical occupational center, during a cross-sectional study. A representative sample of a population of 3000 workers enrolled was selected.

Results: The population studied included many housemaids (18%), police officers(15%), technicians(15%), administrative agents(15%), electricians(12%) and health-care workers(6%). The overall vaccination coverage (against HBV) was 39%, with an average of 4.2 doses of vaccine per worker. But the immune status was known for 18% of the studied population of which 2/3 (12% of the whole population) were immunized against HBV. Elevated risk factor to be infected by HBS concerns 6% of the studied workers (half of them were immunized). Medium risk concerns 30% of the whole population (1/3 was immunized) and low risk enrolled 64% (nobody was immunized)

Conclusion: It is known that the high risk of infection among healthcare workers is greater than the general working population, but most workers with medium occupational risk exposure were not immunized.Vaccination programs against HBV should be enforced for this last population.

Food Service Inspectors Promoting Restaurant Worker Protection- a Pilot Assessment and Intervention Study (20m Lecture)

While conducting routine food safety inspections, Bay Area environmental health inspectors identified at least one occupational hazard in approximately 69% of the 261 food facilities inspected as part of a pilot project focusing on preventing work-related injuries. Over 200,000 such injuries occur in U.S. food establishments every year. Recognizing the unique access that environmental health inspectors have to the kitchen and other areas of food facilities when conducting periodic health inspections, UC Berkeley’s Labor Occupational Health Program (LOHP) recruited two Bay Area counties to partner in the development of a pilot assessment and intervention project. LOHP worked with the inspectors of each county to develop distinct protocols for hazard identification and intervention. San Francisco opted for a limited, less time consuming version of the pilot which included a 5-item checklist of sentinel worker safety hazards for the assessment, and an intervention consisting of sharing a letter explaining the pilot effort and providing the facility operator with a brochure on restaurant worker safety. Contra Costa County developed a more time-intensive version including a 15-item checklist with an intervention that distributed the OSHA brochure, targeted safety tipsheets, on-the-spot education, and referral for trainings with LOHP.

San Francisco found that 60% of the restaurants lacked certain required labor signage and 13% of the facilities had ventilation issues. Contra Costa County staff found the most common sentinel hazard was the lack of required labor postings, slippery floors, inadequately stocked first aid kits, and absence of non-slip mats. Key challenges to the project included inspectors having to balance “core” food safety responsibilities with the voluntary pilot activities focused on worker safety. Local environmental health departments will likely need to adapt the effort for their own use – one protocol will not “fit all.” The pilot showed promise in collaborating with, as one inspector put it, “the perfect people to be communicating” about worker health and safety in food facilities. The presentation will expand on the findings of the sentinel hazard assessment, feedback from inspectors and operators on the interventions, the evaluation of the two protocols, and how they may be applicable in the participants’ jurisdictions.

Assessing and managing worker's exposures to bioaerosols during the treatment of organic waste (20m Lecture)

Background: Workers exposures to bioaerosols and the potential health implications arising from these exposures are poorly characterized in the organic waste sector. As compost emissions comprise of biological agents that may cause occupational asthma, employees’ exposure should be prevented or reduces ‘so far as is reasonably practicable’. Consequently the effective use and maintenance of control measures that reduce operator’s exposures are of key importance in reducing the potential risk of occupational illness in this sector. This paper presents research findings that characterize employee exposure levels to dust and endotoxin and discusses risk mitigation measures that reduce employee exposure levels in accordance with the legal framework.
 
Methods: Personal exposure levels to inhalable dust and endotoxin was assessed at four large-scale composting facilities to determine task-related exposure data that would inform the development of evidence-based risk control measures. Furthermore, vehicle operators’ exposure levels were investigated to determine the impact that cab cleaning and maintenance of the vehicle filtration system had on operator exposure levels.
Inhalable dust fractions were determined by gravimetric analysis in accordance with MDHS 14/3 (HSE, 2000) using IOM Inhalable samplers. Endotoxin levels were determined using Limulus Amebocyte Lysate assay (LAL) (Wouters, 2005, HSE, 2007).
 
Findings: Employees exposure to dust was generally low (GM 0.99 mg/m3, GSD 2.99 mg/m3, n=117), however endotoxin concentrations were elevated (GM 35.10 EU/m3, GSD 9.97 EU/m3, n=117). A third of all samples taken exceeded the 90 EU/m3 occupational exposure limit recently adopted in the Netherlands (DECOS, 2010). Any activities involving the movement of waste gave rise to high peak exposure levels.
Vehicle operator exposures to endotoxin were consistently high despite working in air conditioned cabs with vehicle filtration systems fitted. The cleaning and maintenance of vehicle cabs had a significant reduction on operators’ exposure (p<0.05, 2 sample t-test) but these improvements were not maintained.
 
Conclusions: Multifaceted controls are needed to reduce employee exposures to as low as reasonably practicable in accordance with the legal framework. Consideration should be given to vehicle cab cleaning and maintenance, zoning of high exposure areas and high risk activities, health surveillance and provision of appropriate RPE.

Environmental health exposure awareness among healthcare professions: A pilot study (Poster)

Health and therapy services can take place in a variety of settings, such as hospitals and clinics, nursing homes, schools, offices, homes, parks and other recreational facilities.  The professionals providing those services also vary, and can include:  medical personnel, nurses, social workers, dental hygienists, recreational therapists, and emergency response personnel.  Because these professionals may not be aware of potential environmental health exposure for themselves and their clients, this study seeks to assess the awareness of health care professionals. 

Methods:  an environmental health awareness instrument is being developed.  Upon the approval from the human subject committee, the survey will be administered to selected health care professions.  The survey instrument will contain items about areas of environmental health, including:  food safety, injury and safety prevention, noise pollution, occupational health, indoor and outdoor air quality, water quality, vector control, solid waste, toxic chemicals, and potential impacts from climate change.

Results will be used to collaborate with health professionals to provide educational materials about potential hazards and prevention measures for themselves and their clients.

Improving organizational performance through encouraging a healthier and more engaged workforce (50m Learning Lab Group Exercise & Discussion)

The aim of the session is to provide EH practitioners with an applied example of proactive employee health and well being management and to discuss how the approach can be translated into other organizations. 

 

Attendees will be provided with overview of a proactive health and well being strategy which has been applied in Cardiff Metropolitan University since 2008.  A period within which the number of days lost to sickness absence within the organization has reduced by 30%. 

Attendees will be given the opportunity to ask questions about the development and implementation of the strategy then and be asked to consider how they too may develop similar strategies in their own organizations in the future.

Suggested session schedule

 Introductory presentation

                Overview of the approach used at Cardiff Metropolitan University

Key concepts of the approach –

                Improving performance

                Encouraging a healthy workforce

                Encouraging a more engaged workforce

Group exercise and discussion (small groups)

                Translation of key concepts into own workplaces

                EH practitioner involvement

                Identification of resource requirements, barriers to implementation, stakeholders

 

Group summaries and session conclusion