Search Results (31)

This study explores the environmental justice issues associated with landfill compensation policies in Bantargebang, Indonesia. Although compensation programs have been implemented for many years, communities living near landfills continue to experience ongoing environmental damage and significant health concerns. Using a qualitative descriptive method, this research explores systemic barriers through in-depth interviews, observations, and water quality analysis. The findings indicate that labeling the program as “Social Assistance” within the Local Government Information System (SIPD) redefines ecological compensation as a fixed form of charity, rather than as a mechanism for genuine environmental restitution. Laboratory data show severe bacteriological contamination, with Total Coliform levels reaching 95%, forcing residents to bear substantial “hidden costs” for clean water, perpetuating a cycle of financial dependence. The growing normalization of health hazards is evident in over 5000 annual cases of acute respiratory infections, and the deadly landslide in March 2026, in which claimed seven lives and injured six others. These incidents underscore the failure of existing remediation approaches to safeguard human dignity and well-being. To address these shortcomings, this study proposes the adoption of an Integrated Compensation Model based on Green Social Work. This model emphasizes structural investment, spatial risk-based indices using quantitative data, and budget coding adjustments within the SIPD. This approach highlights the urgent need to move beyond temporary charitable assistance and instead pursue meaningful environmental justice, while positioning social workers as “Social-Ecological Brokers” who help restore dignity and well-being in communities often treated as “sacrifice zones.” Full article

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are leading causes of disability and productivity loss globally, yet registry-based evidence from low- and middle-income countries remains limited. The study analyzed compensated work-related MSDs claims reported to the Workers’ Compensation Fund (WCF) in Tanzania between 2016 and 2022 to identify patterns and associated risk factors. A registry-based cross-sectional design was conducted using de-identified WCF data on demographics, occupation, industry, diagnosis, and recorded workplace exposures. Modified Poisson regression was used to estimate associations between work-related MSDs and risk factors. Among the 243 workers with work-related MSDs whose claims were accepted and compensated, 84% had low back pain (LBP), predominantly males (90%) and middle-aged workers (mean age 41.6 years). Mining and quarrying accounted for 50% of the cases, with drivers and mobile plant operators being the most affected. Whole-body vibration (WBV) exposure and work in mining and quarrying were significant predictors of LBP (adjusted PR = 1.25; 95% CI: 1.061.49 and PR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.01–1.44, respectively). These findings highlight WBV and mining work as significant risk factors of work-related MSDs and underscore the need for targeted interventions alongside enhanced health surveillance systems for exposure documentation. Full article

Epidemiological approaches for examining human health responses to environmental exposures in observational studies frequently address confounding by employing advanced matching techniques and statistical methods grounded in conditional likelihood. This study incorporates a recently developed Bayesian hierarchical spatiotemporal model within a conditional logistic regression framework to capture the heterogeneous effects of environmental exposures in a case-crossover (CCO) design. Spatial and temporal dependencies are modeled through random effects incorporating multivariate conditional autoregressive priors. Flexible frailty structures are introduced to explore strategies for managing temporal variables. Parameter estimation and inference are conducted using a Monte Carlo Markov chain method within a Bayesian framework. Model fit and optimal model selection are evaluated using the deviance information criterion. Simulations assess and compare model performance across various scenarios. Finally, the approach is illustrated with workers’ compensation claims data from New York and Florida to examine spatiotemporal heterogeneity in hospitalization rates related to heat prostration. Full article

Although a significant body of evidence has attributed certain occupational exposures with leukemia, such as benzene, formaldehyde, 1,3-butadiene and ionizing radiation, more research is needed to identify work environments at increased risk for this disease. Our study aimed to identify occupational and industry groups associated with an elevated incidence of leukemia using a diverse cohort of workers’ compensation claimants from Ontario, Canada. A total of 2,363,818 workers in the Occupational Disease Surveillance System (ODSS) cohort, with claims between 1983–2019, were followed for malignant leukemia diagnoses up to 31 December 2019. We used a Cox proportional-hazards model to estimate the relative incidence of leukemia in specific occupation and industry groups. After adjusting for age and birth year, males in protective services (HR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.02–1.35), metal machining (HR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.07–1.41), transport (HR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.06–1.25), and mining occupations (HR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.02–1.60) had elevated risks of leukemia compared to other workers in the ODSS, with comparable findings by industry. Among female workers, slight risk elevations were observed among product fabricating, assembling, and repairing occupations, with other increased risks seen in furniture and fixture manufacturing, storage, and retail industries. These findings underscore the need for exposure-based studies to better understand occupational hazards in these settings. Full article

Forestry work, which is considered one of the most demanding and dangerous professions in the world, is claiming more and more lives. In a country as small as Austria, more than 50 forestry workers are killed in accidents every year, and the number is increasing rapidly. This serves as a catalyst for us to implement more stringent measures for workplace safety in order to achieve the sustainability objective of SDG 3, which focuses on health and well-being. This study contributes to the analysis of occupational accidents and focuses on two large real-world datasets from both the Austrian Federal Forests (ÖBf) and the Austrian Workers’ Compensation Board (AUVA). Decision trees, random forests, and fully connected neural networks are used for the analysis. By exploring different interpretation methods, this study sheds light on the decision-making processes ranging from basic association to causal inference and emphasizes the importance of causal inference in providing actionable insights for accident prevention. This paper contributes to the topic of explainable AI, specifically in its application to occupational safety in forestry. As a result, it introduces novel aspects to decision support systems in this application domain. Full article

Hand-arm vibration is a significant occupational hazard commonly faced by industrial workers, particularly those in foundries engaged in fettling activities. The vibration exposure can result in various health problems, such as hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), carpal tunnel syndrome, and other musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate workers’ vibration environment and exposure levels to prevent such health issues. At first, the present study explored a different type of vibration exposure followed by vibration syndrome and vibration measurement methods. A case study was considered wherein the comparative analysis between pneumatic and swing grinders was performed between vibration magnitude, particularly in the fettling shop. The results revealed that the pneumatic hand grinder worker experienced a vibration magnitude of 3.6 m/s² at 208 exposure points. In comparison, the swing grinder had a magnitude of 6.5 m/s² at 668 exposure points for an 8 h workday. It can be noted that regulatory bodies such as ISO 5349 recommend an exposure vibration magnitude of 5 m/s² for an 8 h workday and in the present context, these exposure levels were found to be higher than the standard limits. Accordingly, proper recommendations to sustain these levels within the limits are suggested. Such recommendations will protect workers from health hazards and help employers avoid costly compensation claims and legal liabilities. This study emphasizes the importance of addressing hand-arm vibration in the workplace for a safe working environment. Full article

Firefighters face many hazards on the job and have a high rate of work-related injuries and illnesses (WRII). We analyzed Washington workers’ compensation claims from 2006–2020 to characterize WRII in firefighters compared to law enforcement officers and “all other” workers. There were 9187 compensable claims for firefighters, 7801 for law enforcement officers, and 586,939 for “all other” workers. Nearly 40% of claims for firefighters were work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The claim rate per 10,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) firefighters was 716.4, which is significantly higher than that of law enforcement officers (510.0) and “all other” workers (163.2). The rate per 10,000 FTE of WMSD claims was also higher in firefighters (277.0) than in law enforcement officers (76.2) and “all other” workers (57.6). Additional WRII among firefighters commonly included being struck or caught in objects, slipping or tripping, and exposure to caustic or noxious substances; and amongst law enforcement, transportation accidents and violence. Medical costs and time-loss days per claim were lower for firefighters and law enforcement than for “all other” workers. Common tasks associated with WMSDs in firefighters included lifting and transporting patients, using specific tools and equipment, and physical training. WMSDs stand out as an area for prevention and intervention activities. Full article

Extreme heat events directly impact worker health and cause additional cascading and transitional workplace impacts. However, current investigations on these impacts often rely on specific datasets (e.g., compensation claims, hospitalizations). Thus, to continue to work towards preventing and mitigating the occupational risks posed by extreme heat events, this study aimed to explore the occupational impacts of the 2021 Heat Dome in Canada using a qualitative content analysis method on a news-based dataset. A systematized review of news articles published before, during, and after the 2021 Heat Dome was conducted on academic (n = 8) and news (n = 5) databases, along with targeted grey literature. Two researchers qualitatively coded the articles in NVivo for occupational impacts or references mentioned within the articles. Overall, 52 different occupations were identified as being impacted by the 2021 Heat Dome. Impacts were diverse and ranged from work cancellations or delays to work modifications and reports of heat-related illnesses. The 2021 Heat Dome impacted the health and safety of many occupational groups and provided new insights into the expanding impacts that extreme heat events can have on the Canadian workforce. With climate projections showing a growing trend of more hot days and intense heat waves in Canada, addressing these concerns should be a critical priority. Full article

Purpose: This study evaluates the performance of the Early Intervention Physiotherapist Framework (EIPF) for injured workers. This study provides a proper follow-up period (3 years) to examine the impacts of the EIPF program on injury outcomes such as return to work (RTW) and time to RTW. This study also identifies the factors influencing the outcomes. Methods: The study was conducted on data collected from compensation claims of people who were injured at work in Victoria, Australia. Injured workers who commenced their compensation claims after the first of January 2010 and had their initial physiotherapy consultation after the first of August 2014 are included. To conduct the comparison, we divided the injured workers into two groups: physiotherapy services provided by EIPF-trained physiotherapists (EP) and regular physiotherapists (RP) over the three-year intervention period. We used three different statistical analysis methods to evaluate the performance of the EIPF program. We used descriptive statistics to compare two groups based on physiotherapy services and injury outcomes. We also completed survival analysis using Kaplan–Meier curves in terms of time to RTW. We developed univariate and multivariate regression models to investigate whether the difference in outcomes was achieved after adjusting for significantly associated variables. Results: The results showed that physiotherapists in the EP group, on average, dealt with more claims (over twice as many) than those in the RP group. Time to RTW for the injured workers treated by the EP group was significantly lower than for those who were treated by the RP group, indicated by descriptive, survival, and regression analyses. Earlier intervention by physiotherapists led to earlier RTW. Conclusion: This evaluation showed that the EIPF program achieved successful injury outcomes three years after implementation. Motivating physiotherapists to intervene earlier in the recovery process of injured workers through initial consultation helps to improve injury outcomes. Full article

Proper monitoring of fatigue and muscular damage may be used to decrease the high levels of cardiovascular disease, overuse musculoskeletal injuries, and workers compensation claims within the profession of firefighting. The purpose of this study was to examine muscle damage, muscular fatigue, and inflammation responses following a typical firefighting shift. Twenty-four professional firefighters completed two Physical Ability Tests to standardize the tasks typically performed in a day of work, and to elicit similar physiological responses. Participants were then monitored for 48 h. Prior to, and 48 h following the Physical Ability Tests, participants were evaluated for changes in strength, power, range-of-motion, as well as blood markers including myoglobin and c-reactive protein. Following the Physical Ability Tests, significant differences in myoglobin (p < 0.05), grip strength (p < 0.05), vertical jump (p < 0.05), and sit-and-reach (p < 0.05) were observed. No difference in c-reactive protein was observed (p > 0.05). After 24 hours following a shift, firefighters exhibited decreased strength, power, and range-of-motion. This may lead to decreases in performance and an increased risk of injury. Full article

Occupational lung cancer cases remain largely under-reported and under-compensated worldwide. In order to improve the detection and compensation of work-related lung cancers, we implemented a systematic screening of occupational exposures, combining a validated self-administered questionnaire to assess occupational exposures and a specialized occupational cancer consultation. After a pilot study, the present prospective, open-label, scale-up study aimed to assess this systematic screening of occupational exposures in lung cancer patients in five sites in France by associating university hospitals with cancer centers. Patients with lung cancer were sent a self-administered questionnaire to collect their job history and potential exposure to lung carcinogens. The questionnaire was assessed by a physician to determine if a specialized occupational cancer consultation was required. During the consultation, a physician assessed if the lung cancer was occupation-related and, if it was, delivered a medical certificate to claim for compensation. Patients were offered help from a social worker for the administrative procedure. Over 15 months, 1251 patients received the questionnaire and 462 returned it (37%). Among them, 176 patients (38.1%) were convened to the occupational cancer consultation and 150 patients attended the consultation. An exposure to occupational lung carcinogen was identified in 133 patients and a claim for compensation was judged possible for 90 patients. A medical certificate was delivered to 88 patients and 38 patients received compensation. Our national study demonstrated that a systematic screening of occupational exposures is feasible and will bring a significant contribution to improve the detection of occupational exposures in lung cancer patients. Full article

COVID-19 is considered an occupational disease (OD), when infection occurs at the workplace for health workers (HW). Because of the increased infection risk of these workers, they were deemed to be a priority group when the vaccination campaign started in Germany in December 2020. By December 2021, more than 90% of HW had been vaccinated twice. We studied the number and the time trend concerning the severity of OD claims related to COVID-19. Workers’ compensation claims for OD are recorded in a standardized database of the Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention in the Health and Welfare Services (BGW). We analyzed all notifiable COVID-19 related claims filed between 1 March 2020 and 30 September 2022. The proportion of severe cases was estimated by inpatient stays, injury benefit payments, rehabilitation measures, and deaths. The data analysis was descriptive. Due to COVID-19, 317,403 notifiable cases were reported to the BGW. Of these, 200,505 (63.2%) had thus far been recognized as OD. The number of notifiable cases was highest in 2022 and lowest in 2020. In total, 3289 insured individuals were admitted to rehabilitation management. This represented 1.6% of all recognized ODs due to COVID-19 at the BGW. The proportion of cases admitted to rehabilitation management decreased from 4.5% of all recognized ODs in 2020 to 3.2% in 2021 and to 0.1% of all recognized cases in 2022. For inpatient stays, injury benefit payment, and death, a similar trend was observed. Therefore, it might be concluded that the successful vaccination campaign mitigated the negative health effects of COVID-19 on HW. Even with vaccination, severe cases can occur. Therefore, infection prevention at the workplace remains paramount. Full article

While a large body of research assessed the contribution of mental health stigma on disclosure, treatment seeking, and recovery, limited research exists seeking to identify the relative contribution of stigma beliefs on workers’ compensation claims for psychological injury. Survey data of ambulance, fire and rescue, police, and state emergency service personnel (N = 1855, aged 45–54 years, 66.4% male) was re-examined to assesses the unique and combined associations of self-, personal, and workplace stigma with workers’ compensation claims experiences and recovery. Participants responded to self-report stigma items (predictor variables), perceived stress, fairness, and support perceptions of going through the claims process and its impact on recovery (outcome variables). Multiple regression analyses revealed that the combined stigma dimensions predicted about one fifth of the variance of claims and recovery perceptions. Organisational commitment beliefs and the self-stigma dimension of experiences with others were the two most important, albeit weak, unique predictors across outcomes. Given the small but consistent influences of organisational commitment beliefs and the self-stigma dimension of experiences with others, it seems warranted to apply workplace interventions that are looking to establish positive workplace contact and a supportive organisational culture to alleviate negative effects attributable to mental health stigma. Full article

Background: There is limited research on the heterogeneity of worker suicides. We compared differences in workers’ suicides by clustering suicide deaths. Methods: From 2010 to 2017, 353 suicide deaths were claimed in the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance; variables were coded using a standardized methodology. A two-step cluster analysis classified the clusters based on demographic and employment conditions. Details of the suicide, clinical variables, personal stresses, and work-related stresses were compared using the chi-square test and one-way analysis of variance. Results: We identified five clusters and they differed particularly in work-related stress. “Responsibility-burdened type” experienced excessive responsibility as managers; “role-changed type” experienced a sudden and unpredictable role change as clerks or sales workers; “risk-exposed type” experienced physical risk factors at work (working alone, outdoors, and in shifts) as machine operating and assembling workers, or craft and related trades workers; “job-insecurity type” experienced unstable employment (irregular, nonpermanent) as elementary or service workers; “workplace-violence type” was mainly unmarried women who lived alone, and experienced interpersonal conflict and violence as professionals and related workers. There were no differences between clusters in clinical variables (except problem drinking) and personal stresses. Conclusion: Interventions to alleviate work-related stress in worker clusters are needed to prevent suicide in workers. Full article

This study aimed to investigate differences in work disability duration among immigrants (categorized as economic, family member or refugee/other classification upon arrival to Canada) compared to Canadian-born workers with a work-related injury in British Columbia. Immigrants and Canadian-born workers were identified from linked immigration records with workers’ compensation claims for work-related back strain, connective tissue, concussion and fracture injuries requiring at least one paid day of work disability benefits between 2009 to 2015. Quantile regression investigated the relationship between immigration classification and predicted work disability days (defined from injury date to end of compensation claim, up to 365 days) and modeled at the 25th, 50th and 75th percentile of the distribution of the disability days. With a few exceptions, immigrants experienced greater predicted disability days compared to Canadian-born workers within the same injury cohort. The largest differences were observed for family and refugee/other immigrant classification workers, and, in particular, for women within these classifications, compared to Canadian-born workers. For example, at the 50th percentile of the distribution of disability days, we observed a difference of 34.1 days longer for refugee/other women in the concussion cohort and a difference of 27.5 days longer for family classification women in the fracture cohort. Economic immigrants had comparable disability days with Canadian-born workers, especially at the 25th and 50th percentiles of the distribution. Immigrant workers’ longer disability durations may be a result of more severe injuries or challenges navigating the workers’ compensation system with delays in seeking disability benefits and rehabilitation services. Differences by immigrant classification speak to vulnerabilities or inequities upon arrival in Canada that persist after entry to the workforce and warrant further investigation for early mitigation strategies. Full article