This paper discuss thermal comfort studies of an under air conditioning in hot and humid climate which at one of the higher institution in East Coast of Malaysia. Indoor thermal environment is important as it affects the health and productivity of building occupants. The paper reports on an experimental investigation of indoor thermal comfort characteristics under the control of air conditioning. Firstly, the well known Fanger’s thermal comfort model was simplified for the current experimental investigation. This is followed by reporting the experimental results of indoor thermal comfort characteristics under the control of temperature, with eight different of temperatures which are 22oC to 29oC. Finally, indoor thermal comfort was merely affected by the increment ventilation and outdoor climate. PMV value was higher when near from the window because of the effects of the wall radiations and the metabolic heat.
MeSH terms: Air Conditioning; Climate; Hot Temperature; Malaysia; Radiation; Temperature; Ventilation
Exposure to traffic air pollutant have shown a significant health effect on respiratory systems and decreased in lung function among traffic policemen. The main objective of this study was to determine the relationships between personal exposure levels to PM2.5 and respiratory health among traffic policemen working at Traffic Police Station in Kuala Lumpur and general duty policemen attached to Police Headquarters, Bukit Aman. A cross sectional comparative study was conducted among 50 traffic policemen from Traffic Police Station Kuala Lumpur and 50 general duty policemen from Police Headquarters Bukit Aman as comparative group. A purposive sampling method was used to select the respondents based on inclusive criteria such as age between 25 to 60 years, no history of respiratory disease and working not less than 3 years as traffic policemen. Questionnaire based on ATS (1978) was used to collect information on socio-demographic and respiratory symptoms. Spirometer (Spirolab II Model) was used to perform lung function tests. Personal Air Sampling Pump (Aircheck 52) was used to measure personal exposure level to PM2.5. The mean exposure level of PM2.5 among the traffic policemen was 22.33 ± 8.54μg/m³ compared to only 5.60 ± 4.29μg/m³ for comparative group. There was a significant difference in all lung function parameters between the exposed group and comparative group.From the finding, it shows that there was significant relationship between working duration (years) and lung function parameters among both exposed and comparative group. The result from this research shows that traffic policemen were determined as having lower lung function parameters due to their nature of work and the environment. Also, there was a significant association between exposure to fine particle (PM2.5) and lung function among the exposed group. Finding from this study indicated that exposure to elevated concentration level to traffic related air pollutant was the risk factors in the development of respiratory diseases as shown by the higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms and the reduction in lung function among traffic policemen.
MeSH terms: Air Pollutants; Air Pollution; Amantadine; Cross-Sectional Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; Respiration Disorders; Respiratory Function Tests; Respiratory System; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Risk Factors; Prevalence; Police
The paper focused on the examination and testing of local exhaust ventilation (LEV) systems at one of Electrical Company to check the transport velocity whether it meet the recommended American Governmental Industrial Hygienist (ACGIH) Standard. The industrial hygiene approaches, AREC (Anticipating, Recognize, Evaluate and Control) were adopted in this study. This is to ensure that the LEV system installed has the optimum efficiency to extract out the contaminants from the workstation. Objective of this study is to make comparison with previous and current monitoring data. The efficiency and the other parameter measured will be the main source to analyze for the particular applications. The differential of data was discussed and several recommendations are proposed to make sure the LEV system performance is excellent.
MeSH terms: Vehicle Emissions; Electricity; United States; Occupational Health
This study intended to investigate the level on airborne microbe in indoor air for new constructed building. It was divided by three different phase of building commissioning in Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor. The first phase of the sampling was carried out after the building fully handed over from the main contractor to the building owner. Second phase of the sampling take place after the building is equipped with furniture. Phase three sampling is conducted after one month of building occupancy. Airborne microbes’ concentrations were determined by using a single stage impactor (Biosampler) as per requirement of National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) method, NIOSH Manual Analytical Method MAM 0800. The total concentration of airborne bacteria and fungi were average to 641 and 38 CFU/m³ in the first phase, 133 and 117 CFU/m³ in the second phase, and 389 and 52 CFU/m³ in the third phase. These findings indicate that although a new constructed building should be having a significant background level of airborne microbe (total bacteria and total fungi). The building owner should be aware to their indoor air status to protect the occupant from the safety and health problem (risk) especially for ventilated building.
MeSH terms: Awareness; Bacteria; Fungi; Interior Design and Furnishings; Occupational Health; Air Pollution, Indoor
In September 2011 at the 19th World Congress on Safety and Health at Work in Istanbul, I met a Turkish prominent scholar and we exchanged our ideas on the topic of work safety. Turkey, as you well know, is one of the Muslim majority countries and Muslims comprise 99% of the whole population. And I have heard that in Turkey, a fatalism based on its faith is so pervasive among people that Turkey has a lot of cases on injuries and deaths at the workplace. In such a fatalism, an accident would be accepted as a fate which their God has already decided, because of God being in control of everything.
This study has been conducted in a new constructed building of NIOSH Malaysia located at Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor. The goal of the case study is focusing on the level of Indoor Air Contaminants (IAC) including chemical contaminants within three consequent stages which are before furniture install, after furniture install and during one month occupancy. This study was divided the sampling area into two main facilities which are training and office setting. The contaminants has been measured consist of sixparameters such as Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC), Formaldehyde, Respirable Particulates (PM10) and Ozone. The result of Carbon Monoxide (CO), Total Volatile Organic Compound (TVOC), Respirable Particulates (PM10) and Ozone show an increasing trend across the three sampling stages. The Formaldehyde show an increasing trend in the first and second stages but were reduced significantly the last stage of sampling. These finding indicates that furniture and fittings installed might be a potential sources of indoor air contaminants. The management should be aware to their indoor air status to protect the occupant from the risk of unwanted exposure especially during the early stage of building occupancy.
MeSH terms: Carbon Dioxide; Carbon Monoxide; Formaldehyde; Goals; Interior Design and Furnishings; Malaysia; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (U.S.); Ozone; Respiration; Ventilators, Mechanical; United States; Air Pollution, Indoor; Cell Respiration; Volatile Organic Compounds
A poor Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is a crucial problem which produces by the improper maintenance of Mechanical Ventilation and Air Conditioning (MVAC) ducting. A budget constraint intimidates for the practise of monitoring of the MVAC ducting. Thus IAQ measurements were conducted at the room where the air supplied by centralized air conditioning. It has been performed at four different offices that supply by two different Air Handling Unit (AHU). Walkthrough survey was conducted and the area samplings were selected for data collection. This paper examines the result of comparison of air ducting and air quality at academic office building, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM). The parameters involved were Temperature (°C), Relative Humidity (RH), Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Carbon Monoxide (CO). Pictures were also captured to demonstrate the real conditions inside the ducting by using Mechanical Robot. Thus, duct cleaning was recommended to be an exceptional platform for the IAQ improvement.
MeSH terms: Air Conditioning; Carbon Dioxide; Carbon Monoxide; Humidity; Maintenance; Malaysia; Paper; Surveys and Questionnaires; Respiration, Artificial; Robotics; Temperature; Air Pollution, Indoor
Safety Intervention Need Analysis System (SINAS) is a web-based safety management program that aspires the identification for the need of construction safety intervention. It can be accessed through the website www.sinas.org. This first phase of SINAS project development only focus on safe design intervention. SINAS was created to provide assistance for safety practitioners in identifying the need of safe design intervention. This was put forward through the investigations of construction accidents that relate to design. The SINAS process of need analysis are carved up to six steps i.e. user information, accident details, accident evaluation, result of the need analysis, construction design intervention and safety intervention need analysis report. At the end of the process, Safety Intervention Need Analysis Report will be generated. This report is an essential document to proof the need of safe design intervention. Additionally, SINAS also offers recommendations for construction designers and professionals on suitable safe design intervention to prevent construction accidents and minimises construction risks.
MeSH terms: Accidents; Systems Analysis; Safety Management; Internet
Various types of Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems (OSH-MS) exist in the market. Basically, these systems have similar basic principles and even elements. However, the importance of these elements in terms of successful management of OSH differs according to the end-user. OSH Practitioners with different roles and responsibilities have different views on which element or elements contribute significantly to the overall success of OSH management. There are no standardization in terms quantifying the elements that qualifies an OSH-MS. A study was carried out to quantify the implementation of an OSH-MS through the determination of weighing factors for the different elements in an OSH-MS. Respondents for this study comprised of top safety and health management, safety and health officers (SHO) / radiation protection officers (RPO), DOSH officers, auditors and consultants who are very familiar with OSH-MS. Sample of this study was based on purposive sampling due to strict criteria and prerequisites to be met. Questionnaires were distributed to the identified organizations and personnel. Results from this study established that, auditor has the highest level of understanding of OSH-MS compared with top safety and health management, SHO / RPO, DOSH officers and OSH consultants. Among all the elements in the OSH-MS studied for their levels of importance in terms of the overall success of implementing an OSH-MS, OSH policy is the most critical element, followed by hazard identification, risk assessment and control, employee participation, responsibility and accountability and competence and training. The weighing factor for these top 5 elements are OSH policy (0.36); hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control (0.25); employee participation (0.15); responsibility and accountability (0.14); and competence and training (0.10). Application of the weighing factors of these elements allows the quantification of audit status (Audit Score) based on the equation: audit score = 0.36 [OSH Policy] + 0.25 [Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk Control] + 0.15 [Employee Participation] + 0.14 [Responsibility and Accountability] + 0.10 [Competence and Training]. Minimum tolerable target for each element of an OSH-MS was also determined. The minimum tolerable frequency of OSH policy is reviewed by top management is yearly; the minimum tolerable frequency of risk management is reviewed is yearly; the minimum tolerable percentage of employees who should be made known on relevant legal and other requirements is ≥90%; the minimum tolerable percentage of OSH objectives and programme(s) achieved / implemented is between 80 – 89%; the minimum tolerable percentage of money budgeted for OSH in a year compared to organization revenue is between 1 – 5%; the minimum tolerable number of hours for each employee needed to be trained on OSH per year is between 30 – 39 hours; the minimum tolerable percentage of employees who should be communicated on matters related to OSH is ≥90%; the minimum tolerable percentage of employees participation and involvement in hazard identification, risk assessment and determining controls is ≥90%; the minimum tolerable percentage of employees who should be involved in establishing OSH documents is
MeSH terms: Consultants; Surveys and Questionnaires; Radiation Protection; Risk Management; Safety; Social Responsibility; Occupational Health; Risk Assessment
Introductions: Call center has been defined as a working environment in which uses telephone and computer for the purpose of marketing and manage communication with prospect clients or existing clients (Rocha, Glina, Morinho and Nakasato, 2005; Sprigg, Smith and Jackson, 2003).
Methodology: The study was conducted via observation of working condition and face to face interview with call center operators. Measurement of anthropometrics was also conducted.
Results: Ergonomics issues found at call center were inappropriate work condition and workstation which lead to awkward sitting posture (sitting with forward leaning posture, raised shoulder, feet not supported on floor). Besides that organizational policy which required high job demand and subsequently lead to prolonged sitting and static posture (very minimal posture changes). Combination all these factors lead to musculoskeletal symptoms and the operators reported of having neck, shoulder, upper back and lower back pain compared to other body parts.
Conclusion: The management should embark on organization wide ergonomics management program and should review the current policy and create safe and healthy working environment by providing suitable workstation for the operators in order to prevent musculoskeletal.
MeSH terms: Computers; Human Engineering; Posture; Shoulder; Telephone; Organizational Policy; Low Back Pain; Workplace; Human Body; Marketing
Work shift has been shown to correlate with accident rates. Understanding of such correlation is pertinent especially among emergency response personnel since the decisions that they make determines not only the outcome of their responses but also the risks of accidents to themselves. A questionnaire data derived study used together with a semi quantitative risk analysis method was adopted to estimate the levels of accident risks between firefighters working on two work shifts. Two hundred and forty eight Malaysia’s Fire and Rescue Department firemen from 24 fire stations working on shifts were selected as respondents. The accident rate among firefighters in year 2006 was 52.8 %. Results showed that the Accident Risk Index (ARI) among firefighters working the 24 hours shift was higher (ARI = 3.14) compared with those in the 12 hours shift (ARI = 2.98). However, there were no significant difference in overall severity of the accidents between the two shifts (p>0.05). The difference in risk levels was attributed to the difference in the likelihood of accident occurrence.
The main purpose of this study was to establish the comfort zone for bus drivers in a seated position. In addition, this study is to investigate the seated pressure distribution among Malaysian bus drivers. The study consists of 10 bus drivers randomly selected to be a part of this study. The FSA pressure mat was utilized in order to investigate the force distribution of buttock to the seat pan of the drivers’ seat. This device is placed on the driver seat and backrest. Later, the subject would sit on for several minute. The finding reveals that most of the bus drivers feel discomfort by having low back pain and musculoskeletal disorder. The seat pressure distribution of Malaysian busses indicated that the seat not able to absorb high pressure generated from buttock that later may cause the discomfort and restricted the performance of drivers.
MeSH terms: Buttocks; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Posture; Pressure; Low Back Pain; Motor Vehicles; Mechanical Processes
Kerosakan lif penumpang yang sering berlaku di rumah pangsa kos rendah merupakan salah satu isu utama di JKKP Wilayah Persekutuan. Statistik menunjukkan bilangan rumah pangsa paling tinggi terletak di Wilayah Persekutuan. Ini bermakna bilangan lif di rumah pangsa kos rendah adalah tertinggi di Wilayah Persekutuan berbanding negeri – negeri lain. Satu kajian ‘Field Labarotary’ telah dijalankan diperingkat JKKP Wilayah Persekutuan bagi mencari punca permasalahan ini dan seterusnya mencadangkan penambahbaikan berdasarkan kepada permasalahan yang telah dikenalpasti. Kajian ini merangkumi beberapa tindakan seperti mengadakan dialog dengan wakil penghuni rumah pangsa kos rendah di sekitar Wilayah Persekutuan bagi mengenalpasti masalah-masalah yang dihadapi oleh penghuni runmah pangsa kos rendah, penyediaan senarai semak pemeriksaan lif bagi mengenalpasti masalah – masalah teknikal, mengadakan perjumpaan dengan wakil syarikat – syarikat lif bagi mendapatkan data – data yang diperlukan daripada firma – firma kompetan lif dan pengurusan lif di rumah pangsa kos rendah dan menjalankan operasi khas pemeriksaan lif di 409 unit lif yang beroperasi di rumah pangsa kos rendah bagi mengenalpasti kelemahan – kelemahan pada lif yang sedang beroperasi. Kajian telah mengenalpasti beberapa faktor penyumbang kepada isu keselamatan lif di rumah pangsa kos rendah di antaranya bilangan orang kompetan yang diiktiraf oleh Jabatan Keselamatan dan Kesihatan Pekerjaan di dapati tidak mencukupi untuk menjalankan pemeriksaan yang diperlukan ke atas kesemua lif secara komprehensif, kegagalan syarikat lif menunaikan tanggungjawab menjalankan pemeriksaan yang diwajibkan ke atas lif yang berkait rapat dengan isu bilangan orang kompetan yang ada pada setiap firma kompetan, kegagalan pemilik atau badan pengurusan bersama memastikan lif di periksa pada jangkamasa yang ditetapkan serta memastikan lif sentiasa mempunyai sijil kelayakan yang sah, kegagalan JKKP sendiri mengambil tindakan yang diperuntukan oleh Akta dan Peraturan ke atas perlanggaran peruntukan oleh firma kompetan atau pemilik bangunan, ketiadaan kerjasama di antara agensi – agensi kerajaan yang terlibat di dalam rekabentuk dan penyenggaraan lif di rumah pangsa kos rendah dan paling utama ialah isu vandalime yang berkaitan dengan sikap penduduk dan pengguna lif di rumah pangsa kos rendah yang tidak bertanggungjawab merosakan lif.
Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) is used in industries to capture contaminants such as gases, dusts, mists, vapours or fumes out of workstations to protect occupants’ exposure to contaminants. LEV is allocated and installed by employers, however it doesn’t work accordingly. LEV design is often overlooked and underappreciated. Effectiveness of LEV system can be achieved if more attention is focused to proper design of LEV system. To solve this issue, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can be performed. CFD is a software tool to predict and simulate fluid dynamic phenomena. CFD is used to forecast or reconstruct the behaviour of an engineering product under assumed or measure boundary conditions. However, CFD is just a prediction tool, which can lead to inaccuracy of predicting airflow due to problems with pre-processing, solver and post-processing with parameter from actual experimental results. Therefore, validation is needed to help minimizing percentage error of CFD methods. In this research, measurements of airflow parameter of LEV system at National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Bangi, Selangor were conducted. Control Speed panel found at NIOSH Bangi, which is used to increase or decrease speed of fan, was performed using Control Speed of 20%, 40% 60% and 80%. Upon validation, average absolute error obtained from four different control speeds ranges from 3.372% to 4.862%. Validity of CFD modelling is acceptable, which is less than 5% and good agreement is achieved between actual experimental results and CFD simulation results. Therefore, it can be concluded that CFD software tool can be performed to simulate air velocity in LEV system. CFD methods can save labour costs and time consumption when it is used during earliest stage of LEV design, before actual construction is implemented. The outcome of this paper can be used as a baseline for factories equipped with LEV system to protect occupants’ exposure to contaminants.
MeSH terms: Academies and Institutes; Attention; Dust; Engineering; Gases; Industry; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (U.S.); Software; United States; Ventilation; Occupational Health; Hydrodynamics
Rapid development of technology has made simulator as a promising training tool. Advantages offered such as interactive and realistic training environments, mistake tolerance and training in hazardous scenario without causing harm to trainee, cost effectiveness, opportunity of training review and training time flexibility makes simulator widely used in aviation training, driver training, medical training and rehabilitation. Despite of these advantages, a major drawback of simulator is simulator sickness. Simulator sickness is a condition caused by inconsistency perceived by our vestibular system. Effected individual reported that they are experiencing nausea, fatigue, postural instability, headaches and difficulty in focusing which linger for hours or days in some cases. This paper will discuss the simulator usage and simulator sickness condition in Malaysia as experienced by researchers and a few organizations that use simulator as their training tool.
Introduction: This study explores the health status of injured workers in return to work (RTW) programs based on their ability and capacity. Injured workers were diagnosed with work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The findings will help not only the service provider plan a specific strategy but also allow stakeholders to review their role in the RTW program.
Methods: 102 participants were chosen from a national RTW program, and categorized into three groups based on different phases of the RTW program: off-work (n=30, 29.4%), work re-entry (n=44, 43.1%) and maintenance (n=28, 27.5%). Self-report questionnaires identified demographic data, health surveillance via SF-36 and perceived physical and psychological workload by 10-point numerical scales. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Kruskal-Wallis Test was employed to examine the differences in three phases of the RTW program. Paired t-test analyzed the differences of related samples of physical and psychological workload before and after injuries.
Results: The domains of health status are below the average compared to the norm-based population. Mental health component summary is better than physical health. At the domain level, there are significant differences among injured workers, specifically in the three RTW program phases. The SF-36 domains are: role-physical, vitality, bodily-pain, general health, and mental health (p ! 0.049). In contrast, non-significant differences were found in physical and social functioning, and role of emotion status. Moreover, their self-perceived physical and psychological work-load significantly worsened after injuries (p ! 0.020).
Conclusions: The case manager-coordinated RTW program provided further opportunities to improve injured workers’ health status when looking at their differences for different phases of RTW. Other health professionals like occupational therapists, ergonomists and psychologists should become involved in the RTW program. Specific guidelines and regulations have to be implemented to ensure full participation with all parties in the workplace.
MeSH terms: Analysis of Variance; Emotions; Health Status; Mental Health; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Pain; Surveys and Questionnaires; Workload; Workplace; Self Report; Return to Work
This study analyzes the determinants of workplace injuries across 44 four-digit manufacturing industries in Malaysia from 1993 to 2008 through the business cycle and structural approaches. The results of fixed-effects estimations revealed that workplace injuries in Malaysian manufacturing sector were negatively influenced by firm size and positively influenced by business cycle. Consistent with the findings of previous studies in other countries, the empirical evidence of this study supports the pro-cyclical behavior of injury rates in manufacturing industries towards business cycle. The analysis demonstrates that both structural and cyclical variation effects are important determinants of workplace injuries in Malaysia.
MeSH terms: Accidents, Occupational; Commerce; Malaysia; Workplace; Manufacturing Industry
Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs) are common occupational injuries among workers in the construction industry. Epidemiological studies indicated that WMSDs include neck pain, lower back pain, knee pain, leg fatigue as well as ankle and feet discomfort. The objectives of this study are to identify the WMSDs experienced by the workers during construction works and discuss the causes of those WMSDs. Subjective approach associated with modified Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) was applied to identify the symptoms of WMSDs. A case study was conducted in several construction sites situated at the southern region of Peninsular Malaysia. During the study, 37 construction workers with different age and scope of works were interviewed to determine the WMSDs that they have experienced. Based on distributed questionnaire, almost all workers experienced pain in the region of lower back, upper back and biceps. These pains were contributed by manipulation of heavy load and high force exertion. Based on discussed causations, control measures via engineering controls method and administrative controls method were proposed to alleviate the risk of WMSDs among construction workers.
MeSH terms: Ankle; Ankle Joint; Physical Exertion; Leg; Malaysia; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tarsal Bones; Causality; Epidemiologic Studies; Low Back Pain; Neck Pain; Occupational Injuries; Construction Industry
Environmental factors such as temperature, lighting and noise have very significant impact to workers’ health, safety, comfort, performance and productivity. In an ergonomically design industrial work environment, these factors need to be control at their optimum levels. The main objective of this study is to find the effect of temperature, illuminance and sound pressure level on workers’ productivity in automotive industry. To perform this study a workstation in an automotive component manufacturing was selected as the location of the study. Results of data analysis showed there were relationships between temperature, illuminance and noise on workers’ productivity. Later, the authors’ developed multiple linear equation models to represent the relationships between temperature, illuminance and noise on the workers’ productivity. These multiple linear equation models could be used to predict the production rate for the workstation by referring to the value of temperature, illuminance and noise level.
Regulation on occupational safety and health in Malaysia had evolved from the prescriptive Factory and Machinery Act (1967) to a self-regulated Occupational Safety and Health Act (1994). However, from the authors’ observation the high standards of occupational safety and health culture that surpass the legal requirement were not widely practiced by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The two main objectives of this study are: first, to identify and determine the level of conformity; and second, to investigate the reasons of nonconformity to Occupational Safety and Health Act (1994) regulation in SMEs involved the chemical industry sub-sectors. The survey questionnaire was distributed to 150 SMEs in chemical industry sub-sectors. Forty one of the survey questionnaires were completed and returned, giving a response rate of 27.3% for the survey. The survey results revealed that an overwhelming majority (92.7%) of the respondents from SMEs are likely not conforming to the basic requirement of Occupational Safety and Health Act (1994). In addition to this, the survey also found that only 3.1% of the management personnel can be considered competent in terms of knowledge, skill and ability in carrying out occupational safety and health regulation within their respective organization. While, 96.9% of the respondents that participated in the survey can be considered not competent. The authors hope the result of this survey could assist the relevant authorities in formulating a better policy and strategy for implementing occupational safety and health in SMEs involved in chemical industry sub-sectors.
MeSH terms: Chemical Industry; Helping Behavior; Malaysia; Organizations; Personnel Management; Surveys and Questionnaires; Occupational Health