Displaying publications 61 - 80 of 191 in total

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  1. Bin WS, Richardson S, Yeow PH
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2010;16(3):345-56.
    PMID: 20828490
    The study aimed to conduct an ergonomic intervention on a conventional line (CL) in a semiconductor factory in Malaysia, an industrially developing country (IDC), to improve workers' occupational health and safety (OHS). Low-cost and simple (LCS) ergonomics methods were used (suitable for IDCs), e.g., subjective assessment, direct observation, use of archival data and assessment of noise. It was found that workers were facing noise irritation, neck and back pains and headache in the various processes in the CL. LCS ergonomic interventions to rectify the problems included installing noise insulating covers, providing earplugs, installing elevated platforms, slanting visual display terminals and installing extra exhaust fans. The interventions cost less than 3 000 USD but they significantly improved workers' OHS, which directly correlated with an improvement in working conditions and job satisfaction. The findings are useful in solving OHS problems in electronics industries in IDCs as they share similar manufacturing processes, problems and limitations.
    Matched MeSH terms: Noise, Occupational/prevention & control
  2. Sen RN, Yeow PH
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2003;9(1):57-74.
    PMID: 12636892
    The study aimed at reducing the occupational health and safety problems faced by the manual component insertion operators. Subjective and objective assessments, and direct observations were made in the printed circuit assembly factory. Simple and low-cost ergonomic interventions were implemented, that is, repairing chairs, reducing high workloads, assigning operators to a maximum of 2 workstations, confining machines that emitted bad smell and much noise, and providing finger work aids. The results of the interventions were reductions in operators' work discomforts, that is, chair discomfort (by 90%), high work stress, and discomfort due to profound change in their workstations. Their health hazards were also eliminated, that is, inhalation of toxic fumes, exposure to too much noise, and pain due to pressing sharp components.
    Matched MeSH terms: Noise, Occupational
  3. Siti Nadia Mohd Bakhori, Mohamad Zaki Hassan, Feiruz Ab’lah, Aadil Nausherwan, Mohd Azlan Suhot, Mohd Yusof Daud, et al.
    MyJurnal
    The construction industry is one of the major sectors in Malaysia. Apart from providing
    facilities, services and goods it also offers employment opportunities to local and
    foreign workers. In fact, the construction workers are exposed to high risk of noises
    being generated from various sources including excavators, bulldozers, concrete mixer
    and piling machines. Previous studies indicated that the piling and concrete work were
    recorded as the main source that contributed to the highest level of noise among
    others. Therefore, the aim of this study is to obtain the level of noise exposure during
    piling process and to determine the awareness of workers against noise pollution at
    the construction site. Initially, the reading of noise level was obtained at construction
    site by using a digital sound level meter (SLM) and noise exposure to the workers was
    mapped. Readings were taken from four different distances; 5, 10, 15 and 20 meters
    from the piling machine. Furthermore, a set of questionnaire was also distributed to
    assess the knowledge of regarding noise pollution at the construction site. The result
    showed that the mean noise level at 5 meters distance was more than 90 dB, which
    exceeded the recommended level. Although the level of awareness of regarding the
    effect of noise pollution is satisfactory but majority of workers (90%) still did not wear
    ear muffs during working periods. Therefore, the safety module guidelines related to
    noise pollution controls should be implemented to provide a safe working environment
    and prevent initial occupational hearing loss.
    Matched MeSH terms: Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced; Noise
  4. Muhammad Zubir Yusof, Nik Ahmad Kamal Nik Mahmod, Nor Azlina A. Rahman, Ailin Razali, Niza Samsuddin, Nik Mohamed Nizan Nik Mohamed, et al.
    MyJurnal
    Occupational diseases are one of the major health problems related to workplace hazards.
    However, the epidemiological data for this problem is scarce especially among Small and
    Medium Industry (SMI) workers. These workers are vulnerable to occupational health problem
    due to lack of knowledge and implementation of health and safety in the workplace. In Malaysia,
    most of the SMI workers have limited coverage for basic occupational health services which
    may worsen their health. Thus, this article aims to provide a review on the burden of
    occupational health problems among them. The electronic and library searches were used to
    extract the information from both published and unpublished articles that were not limited to any
    year of publication until 2017. One hundred and ninety-six published articles and 198
    unpublished articles were retrieved from the database. Only 19 published articles and 25
    unpublished articles met the eligibility criteria. Prevalence data of occupational
    diseases/poisoning, including overall and body specific (musculoskeletal disorders) was
    extracted in raw data from the eligible studies. Prevalent statistics on occupational
    musculoskeletal diseases (1.3% - 97.6%), noise-induced hearing loss (29.4% - 73.3%),
    occupational skin diseases (10.5% - 84.3%), respiratory (1.9% - 92.2%) and occupational
    poisoning (14.9% - 17.7%) among the working population is different within published papers
    compared to unpublished ones. In Malaysia, there are no specific statistic that give a true picture
    of the burden of occupational diseases in the SMI. However, this review concludes that
    musculoskeletal diseases are significant occupational problems among SMI workers.
    Matched MeSH terms: Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced
  5. Nor'aida Khairuddin, Norriza Mohd Isa, Wan Muhamad Saridan Wan Hassan
    MyJurnal
    The recognition of microcalcifications and masses from digital mammographic images are important to aid the detection of breast cancer. In this paper, we applied morphological techniques to extract the embedded structures from the images for subsequent analysis. A mammographic phantom was created with embedded structures such as micronodules, nodules and fibrils. For the preprocessing techniques, intensity transformation of gray scale was applied to the image. The structures of the image were enhanced and segmented using dilation for a morphological operation with morphological closing. Next, low pass Gaussian filter was applied to the image to smooth and reduce noises. It was found that our method improved the detection of microcalcifications and masses with high Peak Signal To Noise Ratio (PSNR).
    Matched MeSH terms: Noise; Signal-To-Noise Ratio
  6. Khairul Anuar Mohd Salleh, Ab. Razak Hamzah, Wan Muhammad Saridan Wan Hassan
    MyJurnal
    Developments of computer technology and image processing have shifted conventional industrial radiography application to industrial digital radiography (IDR) system. In this study, two types of IDR modules for non destructive testing (NDT), namely drum- and laser- type film digitizer with 50 μm pixel pitch have been evaluated for NDT applications. The modulation transfer function (MTF) and noise power spectrum (NPS) measurement were adapted to evaluate the image quality of IDR images. Results shown the averaged MTF for drum- and laser- type film digitizer at 20% modulation were 6.15 cycles/mm and 6.55 cycles/mm respectively. For NPS measurement and calculation, the result obtained shows that drum type film digitizer produced higher noise then laser type film digitizer. The study shows that the laser type film digitizer is the best system to be used for film digitization purposes because the MTF result shows that it modulates better than drum type and has the lowest and stable NPS.
    Matched MeSH terms: Noise
  7. Manivasagam, Dayanath
    MyJurnal
    The Department of Occupational Safety and Health Malaysia (DOSH) is the authority responsible to safeguard the occupational safety, health and welfare of workers in Malaysia. Occupational noise-related hearing disorders are the leading type of occupational diseases recorded by DOSH every year. Occupational Health Doctor (OHD) is a competency recognized by DOSH and their scope of duties in industries is currently confined to conduct medical surveillance for workers with hazardous chemical exposure and confined space medical fitness examination. The duties of OHD are good to be expanded by empowering more of their roles in industrial activities involving other legislations under DOSH. The noise exposure regulation under the Factories and Machinery Act (FMA) 1967 has been governing the worker’s exposure to hazardous industrial noise and preventing noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) since 1989. However, the provisions of the regulation need to be strengthened in some essential medical elements of the Hearing Conservation Programme (HCP) for a comprehensive prevention of NIHL at the workplace. Recently enacted Occupational Safety and Health (Noise Exposure) Regulations 2019 offer a wider coverage of workers in ten sectors of industries applicable under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994. The current regulatory requirements for management of workplace noise have many improvements compared to the existing law. Enhancement in the medical requirements of industrial audiometry is made prominent by involving OHDs to interpret audiograms and conduct medical examination for workers. The reporting of occupational noise-related hearing disorders to DOSH is outlined better in the new regulation. The occurrence of NIHL and other related hearing disorders are expected to reduce eventually after the introduction of Occupational Safety and Health (Noise Exposure) Regulations 2019. The OHDs will play a pivotal role in industrial audiometry and prevention of hearing disorders among the working population.
    Matched MeSH terms: Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced; Noise, Occupational
  8. Asaritaminaziah binti Hisam, Siti Marwanis binti Anua
    MyJurnal
    Workers who are exposed to high noise level were at risk of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). This crosssectional study was conducted to investigate the noise exposure level and hearing symptoms among workers exposed to noise in a teaching hospital. Utilising convenience sampling method, 20 laundry workers and 17 mechanical cutters were recruited into this study. Noise exposure levels were measured using noise dosimeter for 8 hours and information on hearing symptoms were gathered using a modified questionnaire adopted from the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA). A significantly higher mean noise level (85±2 dB(A)) was reported among mechanical cutters as compared to laundry workers (80±3 dB(A)), p=0.001 although the former had shorter duration of noise exposure (20±3 hours per week vs. 28±12 hours per week). Fourteen (70%) laundry workers and six (35%) mechanical cutters had reported having hearing problem in noisy background. Higher proportion of laundry workers (n=8, 57%) had reported hearing symptoms compared to mechanical cutters (n=6, 43%) and longer work years was found to be significantly associated with hearing symptoms (p=0.049). There is a need of appropriate education and training on noise exposure, NIHL and hearing protection devices usage in the workplaces
    Matched MeSH terms: Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced; Noise, Occupational
  9. Gan Chun Chet
    MyJurnal
    The paper writes on the possible origin of off-limit cases found in a noise project conducted internally in a factory in Malaysia. Out of 691 sampled workers’ that attended audiometric test results (some repeated), it was found that the mode of hearing ability is between 20 to 30 dB depending on individual worker’s age ranging from 20 to 55 years. Out of the total results, approximately 100 workers are above a limit defined here in this paper as the off-limit condition. The chance of a worker originating from a good condition to an unhealthy condition is about 1 percent. The data are tabulated to show that a sway pattern could be an explanation of workers’ origin. Although the data is profound, there is no evidence of a trace due to a short test period. Possibilities are highlight here to outline the severity of a cross over to the unhealthy condition (here defined as the off-limit condition). Some advises are mentioned here with individual susceptibility on the matter though there is no data to substantiate. Further findings are required to show a trace. In conclusion, the severity is highlight. A chart, developed to know the limits of hearing ability, is illustrated ased the findings.
    Matched MeSH terms: Noise
  10. Anita, AR., Noor Hassim, I.
    MyJurnal
    Fogging activity has become one of the important methods in tackling dengue outbreaks nowadays. Despite this, it is an occupation that has known hazards namely noise and pesticides which can affect the body organs. Based on this knowledge, a cross sectional study was conducted to determine the association between hearing impairment and serum cholinesterase level among foggers from five randomly selected Health District Offices in Selangor. A total of 200 workers comprising of 100 workers exposed to fogging activity and another 100 workers not exposed were randomly selected for this study. Data was obtained through self administered questionnaire, audiometric testing and serum cholinesterase level measurement. The overall prevalence of hearing impairment was 16% with foggers having significant higher prevalence (24%) compared to the non foggers (8%) (χ2=9.52, p=0.002). Measurement of serum cholinesterase showed that exposed workers had lower level compared to the non exposed group. Similarly, those who have hearing impairment had also lower serum cholinesterase level although it was not statistically different. Among all studied factors, age and duration of exposure to fogging activities were statistically different with hearing impairment (p
    Matched MeSH terms: Noise
  11. Ibrahimzubil, A.R., Nor Hassim, I., Thaherah Nor
    MyJurnal
    Comparative cross sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of hearing impairment among workers in one of the airport in Malaysia and the factors associated with it. A total of 248 subjects comprising 175 from the exposed group and the remaining control group were sampled. The main tools used in this study were validated questionnaire on hearing assessment and pure tone audiometric test. Response rate was 94%. Both area and personal exposure monitoring have exceeded action level for 8 Hrs TWA in the exposed group but within normal limit in the control group. The prevalence of hearing impairment was 88% among the noise exposed group and 11% in the control group with prevalence odds ratio (POR) 3.569 (95%CI 1.210-10.53, p
    Matched MeSH terms: Noise
  12. Ahmad Rasdan Ismail, Baba Md Deros, Mohd Yusri Mohd Yusof, Mohd Hanifiah Mohd Haniff, Isa Halim
    MyJurnal
    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.
    Matched MeSH terms: Noise
  13. 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
    Matched MeSH terms: Noise
  14. Ahmad Syazrin Muhamad
    MyJurnal
    Sound is one of the source of energy generated by vibration and is carried through the air in a form of pressure waves (Frederick, 1975). This pressure waves consist of pulsation or vibration of molecules of an elastic medium such as gas, liquid and even solid (Gerber, 1974). Due to its nature, sound can be irritating when it is excessive. The excessive amount of sound is called noise. Exposure to noise is common to the workers working at the industry. This can lead to hearing loss. Hearing loss is one of the most common health problems in the industrialized world. Working activities have been related to noise exposure due to increase use of machine that generates sounds. Many workers throughout the world experience hazardous noise exposure which is ≥ 85 decibels (dB) (Seter, 1998). Based on the previous study in the European region, most of the employers had difficulties to compensate workers diagnosed with hearing loss or hearing impairment cause by the working nature. (Rachiotis et al., 2006). According to European Survey on Working Conditions, about 7% of the workers considered that their work affects their health in the form of hearing disorders. Occupational risk factors for hearing loss include occupational noise, whole body vibration, work-related diseases and exposure to chemical. In this report, we specified in the noise exposure level of the workers.
    Matched MeSH terms: Noise, Occupational
  15. Siti Norhafiza Abd Razak, Nurul Hazwani Mohd Yusoff, Farah Hana Mukhtar, Norsehah Abdul Karim, Noor Hasyimah Abu Rahim
    MyJurnal
    Working for a minimum of 8 hours, 6 days a week might have exposed the workers of public transportation to
    high noise risks. However, occupational exposures in their workplace have not been adequately characterized and
    identified. Assessment of occupational noise exposure among workers at five public transportation stations was made
    using Sound Level Meter and through questionnaire survey. The data obtained was combined to estimate the work
    shift exposure level and health impacts to the workers by using statistical analysis. The respondents participated in the
    survey to identify the symptoms of noise-induced hearing loss and other health-related problems. Results of the study
    indicated that occupational noise exposure among workers for Mean Continuous Equivalent Level, Leq= 76.17 dB(A)
    presents small risks of developing a hearing disability. Some of the workers show symptoms of noise-induced hearing
    loss and are annoyed by the sources of noise present at the public transportation.
    Matched MeSH terms: Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced; Noise, Occupational
  16. Harun HH, Karim MKA, Abbas Z, Sabarudin A, Muniandy SC, Ibahim MJ
    J Xray Sci Technol, 2020;28(5):893-903.
    PMID: 32741801 DOI: 10.3233/XST-200699
    PURPOSE: To evaluate the influence of iterative reconstruction (IR) levels on Computed Tomography (CT) image quality and to establish Figure of Merit (FOM) value for CT Pulmonary Angiography (CTPA) examinations.

    METHODS: Images of 31 adult patients who underwent CTPA examinations in our institution from March to April 2019 were retrospectively collected. Other data, such as scanning parameters, radiation dose and body habitus information from the subjects were also recorded. Six different levels of IR were applied to the volume data of the subjects. Five circles of the region of interest (ROI) were drawn in five different arteries namely, pulmonary trunk, right pulmonary artery, left pulmonary artery, ascending aorta and descending aorta. The mean Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was obtained, and the FOM was calculated in a fraction of the SNR2 divided by volume-weighted CT dose index (CTDIvol) and SNR2 divided by the size-specific dose estimates (SSDE).

    RESULTS: Overall, we observed that the mean value of CTDIvol and SSDE were 13.79±7.72 mGy and 17.25±8.92 mGy, respectively. Notably, SNR values significantly increase with increase of the IR level (p 

    Matched MeSH terms: Signal-To-Noise Ratio
  17. Abdullah KA, McEntee MF, Reed WM, Kench PL
    J Appl Clin Med Phys, 2020 Sep;21(9):209-214.
    PMID: 32657493 DOI: 10.1002/acm2.12977
    PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of increasing iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithm strength at different tube voltages in coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) protocols using a three-dimensional (3D)-printed and Catphan® 500 phantoms.

    METHODS: A 3D-printed cardiac insert and Catphan 500 phantoms were scanned using CCTA protocols at 120 and 100 kVp tube voltages. All CT acquisitions were reconstructed using filtered back projection (FBP) and Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction (ASIR) algorithm at 40% and 60% strengths. Image quality characteristics such as image noise, signal-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-noise ratio (CNR), high spatial resolution, and low contrast resolution were analyzed.

    RESULTS: There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between 120 and 100 kVp measures for image noise for FBP vs ASIR 60% (16.6 ± 3.8 vs 16.7 ± 4.8), SNR of ASIR 40% vs ASIR 60% (27.3 ± 5.4 vs 26.4 ± 4.8), and CNR of FBP vs ASIR 40% (31.3 ± 3.9 vs 30.1 ± 4.3), respectively. Based on the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) analysis, there was a minimal change of image quality for each tube voltage but increases when higher strengths of ASIR were used. The best measure of low contrast detectability was observed at ASIR 60% at 120 kVp.

    CONCLUSIONS: Changing the IR strength has yielded different image quality noise characteristics. In this study, the use of 100 kVp and ASIR 60% yielded comparable image quality noise characteristics to the standard CCTA protocols using 120 kVp of ASIR 40%. A combination of 3D-printed and Catphan® 500 phantoms could be used to perform CT dose optimization protocols.

    Matched MeSH terms: Signal-To-Noise Ratio
  18. Mori M, Sagara K, Arai K, Nakatani N, Ohira S, Toda K, et al.
    J Chromatogr A, 2016 Jan 29;1431:131-7.
    PMID: 26755416 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2015.12.064
    Selective separation and sensitive detection of dissolved silicon and boron (DSi and DB) in aqueous solution was achieved by combining an electrodialytic ion isolation device (EID) as a salt remover, an ion-exclusion chromatography (IEC) column, and a corona charged aerosol detector (CCAD) in sequence. DSi and DB were separated by IEC on the H(+)-form of a cation exchange resin column using pure water eluent. DSi and DB were detected after IEC separation by the CCAD with much greater sensitivity than by conductimetric detection. The five-channel EID, which consisted of anion and cation acceptors, cathode and anode isolators, and a sample channel, removed salt from the sample prior to the IEC-CCAD. DSi and DB were scarcely attracted to the anion accepter in the EID and passed almost quantitatively through the sample channel. Thus, the coupled EID-IEC-CCAD device can isolate DSi and DB from artificial seawater and hot spring water by efficiently removing high concentrations of Cl(-) and SO4(2-) (e.g., 98% and 80% at 0.10molL(-1) each, respectively). The detection limits at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 were 0.52μmolL(-1) for DSi and 7.1μmolL(-1) for DB. The relative standard deviations (RSD, n=5) of peak areas were 0.12% for DSi and 4.3% for DB.
    Matched MeSH terms: Signal-To-Noise Ratio
  19. Liew SC, Liew SW, Zain JM
    J Digit Imaging, 2013 Apr;26(2):316-25.
    PMID: 22555905 DOI: 10.1007/s10278-012-9484-4
    Tamper localization and recovery watermarking scheme can be used to detect manipulation and recover tampered images. In this paper, a tamper localization and lossless recovery scheme that used region of interest (ROI) segmentation and multilevel authentication was proposed. The watermarked images had a high average peak signal-to-noise ratio of 48.7 dB and the results showed that tampering was successfully localized and tampered area was exactly recovered. The usage of ROI segmentation and multilevel authentication had significantly reduced the time taken by approximately 50 % for the tamper localization and recovery processing.
    Matched MeSH terms: Signal-To-Noise Ratio
  20. Khor HL, Liew SC, Zain JM
    J Digit Imaging, 2017 Jun;30(3):328-349.
    PMID: 28050716 DOI: 10.1007/s10278-016-9930-9
    Tampering on medical image will lead to wrong diagnosis and treatment, which is life-threatening; therefore, digital watermarking on medical image was introduced to protect medical image from tampering. Medical images are divided into region of interest (ROI) and region of non-interest (RONI). ROI is an area that has a significant impact on diagnosis, whereas RONI has less or no significance in diagnosis. This paper has proposed ROI-based tamper detection and recovery watermarking scheme (ROI-DR) that embeds ROI bit information into RONI least significant bits, which will be extracted later for authentication and recovery process. The experiment result has shown that the ROI-DR has achieved a good result in imperceptibility with peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) values approximately 48 dB, it is robust against various kinds of tampering, and the tampered ROI was able to recover to its original form. Lastly, a comparative table with the previous research (TALLOR and TALLOR-RS watermarking schemes) has been derived, where these three watermarking schemes were tested under the same testing conditions and environment. The experiment result has shown that ROI-DR has achieved speed-up factors of 22.55 and 26.65 in relative to TALLOR and TALLOR-RS watermarking schemes, respectively.
    Matched MeSH terms: Signal-To-Noise Ratio
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