Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 177 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Kaur S, Mursyid A, Ariffin AE
    MyJurnal
    A study was undertaken to determine the effect of polyethylene and polystyrene used in the manufacture of plastic items on colour perception. Colour vision was assessed using the Ishihara plates, panel 015 test and the Farnsworth Munsell 100-Hue test. Two factories were chosen at random. One factory (referred here as factory A) used virgin resin in pellet form (polyethylene) in the manufacturing of plastic containers to store consumer edible oil. The other factory (referred as factory B) used polystyrene to make plastic bags. A total of 39 healthy employees from factory A (mean age 26.4 :t 8.2 years) and 40 healthy employees from factory B (mean age 26.8 :t 9.6 years) were recruited in this study. A control group of 27 normal healthy subjects (mean age 27.4 :t 4.3 years) who were employees of UKM with no occupational involvement with petroleum derivatives were also recruited in this study and they performed the same colour vision tests. All subjects passed the Ishihara plates test showing that none of the subjects (employees of factory A and B, and control subjects) had a congenital red-green defect. All control subjects passed all of the colour vision tests whilst some employees of factories A and B failed the 015 and FM100 Hue tests. For employees from factory A results from the 015 test showed that 7 (17.9%) had a tritan (blue-yellow) type of defect and 1 (2.6%) had a complex type of defect. The FM 100 Hue results of factory A employees showed that 51.3% (n=20) had a complex type of defect. Total error scores (TES) calculated from the FM 100 Hue test revealed that employees from factory A had a statistically significant higher mean TES of 65.13:!: 48.31 compared to that of control subjects with a mean TES of 31.26:!: 14.93. For employees in factory B, 10 employees (25.0%) had a tritan (blue-yellow) type of defect and 2 (5.0%) had a complex type of defect. Results of the FM 100 Hue test showed that 4 employees (1.0%) had a tritan type of defect whereas 22 (55.0%) had a complex type of defect. Mean total error scores (TES) calculated from the FM 100 Hue test revealed that employees from factory B had a statistically significant higher mean TES of 71.54 :t 54.63 compared with that of control subjects with a mean TES of 31.26 :t. 14.93

    The above results show that employees of the plastic factories studies are associated with a higher risk of acquiring colour vision defects as compared to normal subjects who are not engaged in the plastic manufacturing industry. This may have an implication towards the future retinal health of employees in petrod1emical-based industries.
  2. Jefferelli Shamsul Bahrin, Mohamad Husain Sajahan, Mohd. Nazri Hamad
    MyJurnal
    Malaysia is blessed with oil and gas resources, which form raw materials for the petrochemical industry. The petrochemical industry creates added value to this resource and is an important contributor to the national economy. The petrochemical industry however also creates hazards of which fire or explosions and chemical release are of special concern. These hazards pose a risk not only to workers but also to the surrounding population and environment. To ensure industry is prepared to cope with emergencies, a comprehensive emergency response programme is necessary. This is inline with both the Malaysian Occupational Safety and Health (Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards) Regulations 1996 and the Responsible Care initiative of the chemical industry. This paper describes elements to be considered in an emergency response programme for industry such as the concept of emergency management, organisation, duties and responsibilities, emergency system, training and mutual aid plans and agreements. We shall provide related examples based on a multinational petrochemical company practice.
  3. Sofia Jaffer, Mohd Shakil Razi
    MyJurnal
    This retrospective study was conducted at the audiology clinic of UKM in the year 2000. It was intended to detect the effect of walkman on the hearing system of its users and to investigate whether distortion product otoacoustic emission test can provide an early and reliable sign of cochlear damage or not. Distortion product otoacoustic emission test helps to determine the function of outer hair cell. Outer hair cells get damaged with exposure to loud sound, drugs and aging. Thirty subjects (20 in the study group and 10 in the control group), between the ages of 19-25 years, who fulfilled all the criteria of selection, were investigated. There were two sets of criteria (general and specific). Anyone, in the control or study group, failing in any of these criteria was excluded from the study. According to the general criteria, it was essential for all the subjects to have clean ear canals, normal hearing at all the frequencies (250Hz- 8000Hz), normal middle ear function (Type A tympanogram), no middle ear problem, not used/using any ototoxic medicine, no family history of hearing loss, no history of ear surgery, not exposed to any form of loud noise like disco, concert, F1 racing or gun shooting. According to the special criteria it was essential for the subjects in the control group to have never used a walkman and those in the study group must have been using a walkman for at least 6 months. Comparison of distortion product emission levels between control and study groups revealed that emissions were significantly lower in the study group, across all the frequencies, suggesting outer hair cell damage in the walkman users. These differences reached level of statistical significance (p<0.05) at 2, 4, 6 and 8kHz. Using walkman at an intensity unsafe for hearing and a duration longer than recommended is suspected for the outer hair cell damage in our study group. Those using walkman for longer duration and higher intensity manifested much lower emission levels. Our study supports the literature that distortion product emission test is a much sensitive test than pure-tone audiometry, as it can detect cochlear damage long before it appears in an audiogram. It is recommended that people who are exposed to loud noise regularly should be monitored with distortion product emission test. It is suggested that the use of walkman.
    Study site: Audiology clinic, Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  4. Mimala Arasaratnam, Zailina Hashim, Shamsul Bahari Shamsudin
    MyJurnal
    A cross-sectional study was conducted on 83 female electronics factory workers. The respondents comprised 50 exposed workers who use lead alloy solder and 33 unexposed workers. The objective of this study was to assess the lead exposure of these workers. Breathing zone were sampled using air sampling pumps. Dust samples were collected by wipe method. Venous blood collected and blood pressure were measured. All lead analyses were carried out with Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The mean air lead for exposed workers (57 0. ± 0.93 μg/m³) was significantly higher than the unexposed workers (0.0067 ± 0.0045μg/m³) (p
  5. Goh See Ben, Zailina Hashim, Rosnan Hamzah
    MyJurnal
    A cross sectional study to determine the exposure of heat and its biological effects on the workers in a plastic factory located in the Shah Alam Industrial Estate, Selangor, Malaysia. Forty five respondents from the polymer section in the factory were selected as the respondents. Variables measured were the environmental temperature (WBGTin), air velocity, relative humidity, body temperature, average heart and recovery heart rate. QUESTEMP°34 Area Heat Stress Monitor was used to measure the environmental temperature in °C (WBGTin) and relative humidity (%). Velocicheck Model TSI 8830 was used to measure the air velocity in meter per second (m/s) while the OMRON Blood Pressure Monitor Model T3, was used to measure average heart rate and recovery heart rate. Body temperature (°C) was measured by the Instant Ear Thermometer-OMRON Gentle Temperature Model MC509. Interviews using questionnaires were used to determine respondents’ socioeconomic background, previous risk factors on heat exposure and other information related to heat stress. Results showed that the mean environmental temperature for the exposed group was 28.75°C, the mean air velocity was 0.15 m/s and the mean relative humidity was 58.1%. These production workers were exposed occasionally to heat when loading plastic powder into the molds as well as demolding the finished plastic products from the molds. The average time of monitoring was 2 hours for intermittent exposure and 8 hours duration for overall exposure. Maximum demand for work load was measured 1 minute after work activities were stopped at the demolding section. There was a significant difference between body temperature and average heart rate before work, after 2 hours of work and after 8 hours of work ( p < 0.001). The mean recovery heart rate after 1 min was 88.0 ± 12.0 beat per min. (bpm), indicating that there is no excessive physiological demand. Body temperature (36.8 ± 0.40°C) and average heart rate after 8 hours (78 ± 12 bpm) indicated a good body control of heat exposure. Five out of six workplaces monitored had temperatures of greater than 28°C (ACGIH TLV). The workers were exposed to moderate heat stress during the study period, however, body temperature and average heart rate measurement did not reach unacceptable level of physiologic strain.
  6. Veera Pandiyan Kaliani Sundram, V.G.R. Chandran Govindaraju, Nagatheesan V. Marimuthu
    MyJurnal
    A road safety audit is a formal examination of an existing or future road or traffic project, or any project that interacts with road users, in which independent, qualified examiners look at the projects crash potential and safety performance. The objectives of road safety audit are to identify potential safety risks for road users and to ensure that measures to eliminate or reduce the risks are fully considered. Road safety audit works in two ways to ensure that safety is improved, namely by removing preventable crash producing elements at the design stage and by mitigating the effects of any remaining risks by the inclusion of suitable crash-reducing elements. The present paper focuses on providing a preliminary or basic understanding of the Road safety Audit. Later the discussion is preceded further to the important elements and the various stages in the Road Safety Audit. Finally, the conclusion focuses briefly on the implementation of the Road Safety Audit, which can only be successful if the members of the Audit Team possess sufficient specialized professional knowledge and other virtues.
  7. Lim JF
    MyJurnal
    Workers in the health care industry and related occupations are at risk of occupational exposure to blood borne pathogens, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and other potentially infectious agents. The primary route of occupational exposure to blood borne pathogens is accidental percutaneous (through the skin) injury. Health care workers handle sharp devices and equipment such as hypodermic and suture needles, intravenous blood collection devices, phlebotomy devices, and scalpels. Health care workers with the most involvement in direct patient care e.g., nursing staff, sustain the highest proportion of reported NSIs (needle stick injuries).
  8. Shukran Abdul Rahman
    MyJurnal
    Psychology has been well-accepted for application in virtually all aspects of human activities, including making a living. Thus, the objective of this paper is to introduce the application of psychology at workplaces. Specifically this paper addresses the importance of the profession of Industrial and Organizational Psychologist in the increasingly advanced and industrious society of Malaysia. It highlights the areas that the professional cares for, as well as its roles and positions in the view of the nation’s needs. Besides that, this paper also stresses the essential issues that Industrial and Organizational Psychologist practicing in Malaysia should consider. In short, this paper advocates the need of having professionals to look into the well-being of individuals contributing towards making Malaysia a developed nation.
  9. Agus Salim MB, Noor Hassim I, Jefferelli SB
    MyJurnal
    Stress is on one of the important hazards faced by nursing staff. Although various intervention methods to reduce stress have been developed, its effectiveness among Malaysian nurses has yet to be established. This study involved 185 health nursing staff working at health districts Kemaman and Dungun in Terengganu. Health nursing staff from Kemaman (n=94) was selected as intervention group whereas those from Dungun (n=91) were chosen as controls. Members of the intervention group were given stress awareness education. They were taught how to reduce stress by relaxation methods. Teaching was conducted through lectures, practical training and providing a stress guidebook. A stress reliever card and letter reminding respondents to practice stress reduction methods were sent every two weeks. The total intervention period was 6 weeks. The control did not receive any education on stress reduction or encouragement to practice any stress reduction techniques throughout this period. The effectiveness of the intervention programme was measured by comparing changes in stress symptoms scores. Stress symptoms were measured using a modified Personal Stress Inventory questionnaire. The study found significant reduction of stress symptoms (42.66 ± 20.36 to 35.51 ± 22.60) in the intervention group after intervention compared to before intervention. However there was no significant difference in change of mean score of stress symptoms between both groups. Further studies need to be conducted to establish an intervention programme, which is suitable and effective in reducing stress among health nursing staff.
  10. Agus Salim M.B., Malina, O., Hisanaga, N., Hirata M , Zainul Abidin
    MyJurnal
    Exposure to organic solvent during work activities has been known to be associated with significant clinical conditions such as peripheral neuropathy and neurobehavioral changes. Three reported cases of peripheral neuropathy most likely due to exposure to chronic organic solvent were reported recently in Bentong Malaysia. These cases showed a compatible clinical history, occupational history, examination and neurological study that link with peripheral neuropathy due to organic solvent poisoning. Proper education and training with review of engineering control measures are among preventive and corrective measures recommended. More comprehensive study in order to establish significant causal-effect relationship as documented evidence is recommended.
  11. Mohammad Iqbal, Hartomo Soewardi, Azmi Hassan, Che Hassan Che Haron
    MyJurnal
    This paper presents the use of factorial experiments and response surface methodology to determine the best workstation design configuration of an existing electronic industry. The aim is to find the value of physical dimensions that gives the best performance for the workstation. Four performance measures are selected; the cycle time, the metabolic energy expenditure, worker’s posture during the task and lifting limitations. The methodology used in this study consists of two parts. The first part is based on factorial experiments and handles discrete search over combinations of factor-levels for improving the initial solution. In the second part, the solution that was obtained earlier is further refined by changing the continuous factors by using response surface methodology. The result of this optimization study shows that the optimum value of physical dimensions gives a significant improvement for the performance measures of the workstation.
  12. Fadzilah Hj. Kamaludin
    MyJurnal
    There are disturbing trends of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, globally and locally thus giving it a real cause of concern. These include diseases by agents hitherto unknown in human such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Ebola; those that were purely zoonoses but had now affected man such as bovine spongioform encephalitis (BSE) in United Kingdom and avian influenza in Vietnam and Thailand; those that were thought to be eliminated but reappeared such as plague in India and those that begun to show reverse trends such as tuberculosis (TB) and malaria. Malaysia is no exception. Viral fever EV71, Chinkugunya, Conjunctivitis C24 variant or Nipah encephalitis were local examples of unknown or exotic infectious diseases occurring in recent years. In this age of globalization with expanding air travel and industrial trade, Malaysia is vulnerable to a wide array of new and resurgent infectious diseases. Apart from the direct health consequences on morbidity, mortality and its staggering cost, these infections also have far reaching implications upon sustainable development, psychosocial, economic, political and global security.
  13. Mazrura Sahani, Noor Hassim Ismail
    MyJurnal
    The objectives of this study is to evaluate subjective symptoms and neurobehavioral performances among workers exposed to lead and its relation with blood lead levels. The methodology of this study was restricted to 141 Malaysian battery manufacturing factories male workers with mean (SD) age of 35.2 (9.6) years, years of employment 9.1 (7.1), current blood lead concentration 40.5 (16.8) μg/dl were given WHO neurobehavioral core test battery. Results showed that highly exposed group blood lead level (high ≥ 40 μg/dl) performed less well in 4 of 13 responses reported higher subjective symptoms of weakness of lower limbs and anorexia. Significant correlation was found between blood lead and Digit Symbol, Digit Forward, Digit Backward, Aiming Pursuit Test and Trail B. Regression analysis showed reduction in cognitive, memory and concentration functions at ≤ 30 μg/dl blood lead levels with maximum lead effect at Digit symbol’s score at 40 μg/dl. In conclusion, this study is consistent with the larger body of neurobehavioral tests in lead exposure and has proven the ability of these tests in detecting low level of lead toxicity.
  14. Fauziah Nordin, Quek Kia Fatt, Agus Salim M Banon
    MyJurnal
    This study aimed to validate the Malay Version of Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire for Malaysian use and application for assessing psychosocial work environment factors. Validity and Reliability were studied in 50 staff nurses of Hospital Selayang. The validity of the questionnaire was evaluated by calculating the percentage of sensitivity and specificity at the different score level. Both percentage of sensitivity against specificity were plotted to produce a ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristics) curve, and score 52 has the highest both sensitivity and specificity was used as an overall index that expresses the probability that measure the psychosocial problems. For reliability purposes, a descriptive of Test-Retest Mean Scores and Paired Sample T-Test and the coefficient-correlation test were calculated. The Test-Retest Mean Scores and Paired Sample T-Test for all 26 scales were calculated and showed statistically not significant. The reliability of the questionnaire and its 26 scales was assessed by using Pearson (r) (overall questionnaire r within a range of 0.00 to 1.00). The COPSOQ appears to be a reliable and responsive measure of workers for Malaysian use and can be applied for assessing psychosocial work environment factors.
  15. Mohamad bin Jamil
    MyJurnal
    Emergency in a major hazard installation may cause extensive damage to property and serious disruption both inside and outside the installation. The overall objectives of an emergency plan are: to localise the emergency and, if possible, eliminate it; and to minimise the effects of the accident on people and property. The off-site emergency plan is an integral part of any major hazard control system. In many countries the duty to prepare the off-site plan lies with the local authorities, including Malaysia. Thus, the preparations of written off-site emergency response planning is required to minimize the impact of major accident to the people , property and environment.
  16. Khairuddin Sulaiman, Norhayati Mahyuddin
    MyJurnal
    The construction industry is an important industry in the Malaysian’s economy. Much has been said about the quality of the product as well as the image of the industry due to the small percentage of local workers on site. The industry’s welfare and safety record is not at all encouraging. To stop the rot, the government has taken important and significant steps by the establishment of the Malaysian Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). These efforts have shown some significant positive improvement in the perception and action of those involved in the industry but we are still far from the standard shown in other developed countries in terms of site safety. This paper is to discuss the roles and responsibilities of the key players in the industry be it the clients, consultants or contractors. The focus is on the ‘upstream’ activities i.e. the pre-construction stage, rather than the ‘downstream’ i.e. the construction phase of a project.
  17. Guharajan N
    MyJurnal
    Health promotion, a discipline fast growing, deals with the prevention of illness and injury at the workplace. This article review defines health promotion and suggests the means for planning an effective, organized and well-structured program. A properly executed program will benefit both employer and employee in managing workplace absenteeism, reducing staff turnover, improving morale and productivity and keeping health care costs at an acceptable level.
  18. Jefferelli S.B., Rampal K.G., Aziz A.J., Agus Salim M.B.
    MyJurnal
    How people perceive risk influences their behaviour towards these risks. We do not know how workers perceive risk of dying from activities or technology. This study was conducted among 198 workers of a security company in Malaysia. The workers were asked to score on a Likert scale of 1 to 5 the perceived risk of death of Malaysians from activities and technology. The highest perceived risks of death were, in order of ranking, motorcycles, motor vehicles, handguns, alcoholic beverages and smoking. The difference in perception and reality is discussed.
  19. Abdul Rashid, K., Narayan, K.A., Azizah, A.M.
    MyJurnal
    Fishing industry in Malaysia is dominated by small scale fishing, scattered along the coast of the country. The risk associated with fishing industry is well known but few studies have been done among those in the small scale fishing community. Fishermen not only have to cope with the uncertainty of nature but also the physical demands of the occupation. The objective of the study was to determine the injuries and its associated factors related to the small scale fishing industry. The study was conducted in a fishing village in northern Malaysia, which was hit by tsunami. Most of the boats and fishing gear were donated by many relief agencies. A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted using a standardized questionnaire. 50 (83.3%) of the 60 fishermen had consented for the study. All the fishermen were Malays males. 46% (n=23) of the fishermen reported to having sustained injuries. Most of the injuries occurred offshore (p
  20. Azwan A., Rusli N., Nik Khairol Reza M.Y., Ahmad Syaarani Y., Edimansyah A., Mazalisah M., et al.
    MyJurnal
    Heat stress is considered to be the sum of heat generated in the body (metabolic heat) plus the heat gained from the environment (environmental heat) minus the heat lost from the body to the environment. The consequences of heat stress can caused heat disorder such as heat stroke, heat syncope, heat exhaustion, heat cramps and other heat related diseases. The objective of this study was to compare the pattern of heat stress in each section. A crosssectional study was carried out in two sections (Paintshop A and Bodyshop B) in a selected automotive assembly plant in Selangor to monitor the environmental heat stress. The environmental heat monitoring was done on 89 March 2005. Heat stress monitor (Model: QUESTemp o 34 Thermal Environment Monitor, Quest Technologies, USA) was used to record the pattern of heat exposure in the workplace over a period of eight hours. Heat parameters such as dry temperature, wet temperature, globe temperature and relative humidity were measured. Wet Bulb Globe Temperature index (WBGT) and workload evaluation were used to compare both sections. Heat parameters such as timeweighted average wet bulb globe temperature for indoor setting (TWAWBGT indoor ), dry temperature (DB), natural wet bulb temperature (WB), globe temperature (GB) in Paintshop A were higher than those in Bodyshop B. The relative humidity in Paintshop A was hotdry compared to Bodyshop B which is hotwarm. Paintshop A was considered a hot area compared to Bodyshop B which is normal. Workers in both sections were not faced with heat stress problems because they were worked under acceptable condition according to American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists standard. Both sections in the automotive assembly plant exhibited acceptable working condition for workers in a tropical environment.
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links