Posture is one of the most important factor that need to be considered in any postural analysis. Awkward, extreme,
and repetitive postures can increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). As observational methods are more
widely used than instrumentation-based methods to assess postural problems, this study reviews and assesses the
scientific literature of observational methods and focused on pen and paper based specifically. In order to identify the
published methods, a list of English or Malay articles dating as far back as 1990 was compiled from PubMed, Science
Direct and Google Scholar. The keywords were ergo*, posture*, method*, observational*, postural problems*, pen and
paper*, posture analysis*, indirect* and macro-ergo*. In addition, a secondary search was also performed using
bibliography of retrieved articles so that additional papers for conducting review and evaluations can be collected. A
total of 121 articles that assessed postural problems in working activities were found. However, after intensive
screening process only 6 articles were selected to be further analyzed. Posture of upper arms/shoulder, lower arms/
elbow, wrist, neck, back/trunk and leg were highlighted in this study. The limitations and the strengths of the
published pen and paper based observational method focusing on those postures were also discussed. The finding of
this review will benefit researchers in the process of understanding unsafe posture in workplace. It could also provide
to researcher on how to improve the current pen and paper based observational method for assessing postural
problems.
Acoustics issues such as noise in the workplace remains one of the most prevalence occupational hazard especially in
the manufacturing industry with heavy machineries. Increasing mechanization in all industries and most trades has
since proliferated the noise problem. In Malaysia, much has been studied and is known about the auditory effects of
noise. However less attention has been given to the non-auditory effects of noise such as annoyance, stress, and work
performance, and concern about such effects is a relatively recent phenomenon. In view of this, this study aims to
determine the level of noise from different type of machines and tools in a manufacturing plant and also the effects
of noise to the employees. A structured questionnaire was used to assess the effects of noise on the workers and
sound level meter was used to measure the noise level at selected work areas. The results of this study showed that
nearly all the identified work areas exceeded the action level of 85 dB(A) and four of these areas noise levels’ are
more than 90 dB(A) which is the permissible exposure limit according to the Factories and Machinery (Noise
Exposure) Regulations 1989. For the questionnaire, it was found that annoyance topped the noise effects list with
51.4%, followed by stress with 40.0%, hearing deterioration (14.3%) and job performance deterioration (2.9%). As a
conclusion, noise control or preventive measures are suggested in order to minimize the health risks from noise
exposure.
Workplace accident is a big challenges for a safety professional. Workplace accidents may lead from minor to serious
effects to both employees and employers alike. Accident is an unexpected and undesirable event, especially those
resulting in damage, harm or unforeseen incidents. This paper also discussed all available accident theories that are
commonly used in workplace as fundamental to mitigating accident. Throughout this paper, the author justified that a
new or updated accident theory is needed in Malaysia. The author stated that current accident theories are based on
different environments and are different in terms physical of the employee who involved in the accident. This author
also stated that technology changes is also another factor which can be supporting the new or updated accident
theory needed in Malaysia.
This An Ergonomic hazard often exists in any industry. However, majority of the employees are not aware of practicing good body posture until the MSDs symptoms become permanent and chronic. The main objective of this study is to determine the manual handling problems among workers at an electronic component manufacturing company. The scope of this study focused on the study entire body disorders among workers on electronic manufacturing company using the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA). A cross sectional study involving observation of the workplace, the work task and the working environment, photographs and videos taken during the observation. Later, a survey questionnaire was given to the respondents to obtain their socio-demography information, work activity and health problems. Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) was conducted on all respondents to determined REBA scores in different work positions. The study was conducted at an electronic component manufacturing company located in Klang Valley, Selangor. A total of 124 workers were surveyed and REBA assessment was performed on 20 workers at Company X production area. It includes 5 categories of position at Company X, such as:loading steel bar into casing; pushing the steel bar, turning movement while adjusting the steel bar, adjusting steel bar into the loading area, unloading steel bar from casing into the machine. The study found that turning section has the highest MSDs problems regarding manual handling because majority of the respondents in the turning department felt the pain while performing their work. This is due to their job demand, which they need to handle with tools weighing from 200 to 400 kg. The REBA scores showed that17 out of 20 respondents performing turning operations, moving and pushing the steel bar recorded the highest score of 11 or more which are categorize in the very high risk group. The position of pushing and turning steel bar while moving the steel bar has higher risk that contributed to the ergonomics risk factor, which in-turn can contribute to Muscular Skeletal Disorders (MSDs). More detailed investigation and remedial measures should be taken immediately, especially for the workers performing the manual handlings activities.
Occupational stress is one of the major health hazards among blue and white-collar workers. However there is no data on occupational stress among white-collar workers in Iran. Aim of this study was to investigate occupational stress among white collar employees in Esfahan Steel Company organization (ESCO), Iran. A cross-sectional survey was conducted through face to face interview using validated standardized questionnaire on occupational stress among 200 white-collar workers from ESCO who agreed to participate in the study, the response rate of participation was 100%. The logistic regression test was used to determine significant associated factors of occupational stress among the study sample.. It is found that among the six items measuring source of stress, the highest source of stress related to economic problem, 117 (59.7%). The statistical analysis showed sources of stress such as task type (p=0.0001), economic problem (p=0.0001), work environment (p=0.0001) and children problem (p=0.05) were significantly associated with having stress among the workers. We found that around half of the white collar workers were under stress at ESCO. Main sources of the occupational stress of white colour workers related to their work environment, economic problem; task type, and related their children.
Employee satnfaction surveys can provide the information needed to improved levek of productivity, job and loyalty. Management can identify the factors of job issues and provide solutions to improve the working environment. A cross sectional descriptive study on employee satisfaction among a health care district office’s staff was conducted in Perak in March - April 2006. A total of 19 staff were randomly picked and interviewed in the data collection process. Almost all understand the objectives of the administration unit (94%) and were satisfied with the management leadership’s style (78%- l 00%) . Majority agreed that their relationship with immediate superior and within the group was harmonious and professional (89%) and they preferred an open problem solving method in handling conflict (72 %). The most common type of incentive rewarded by the administration to express gratitude to their staff was certificate (56%); bonus and medal (33%); and informal gesture (28%). Majority (83%) were also satisfied by the method used to disseminate the information in their units. Majority agreed that the working environment in the administration unit were conducive (72%), their ideas were equally considered during decision making sessions (89%) and training opportunities were similarly given to them by the management (72%). This study revealed that employee satisfaction was determined by several factors such as management leadership's style, opportunity to contribute skills and idea; reward and incentive; and conducive king environment.
This survey elucidated the perceptions and implementation 0f orthodontic Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) by all ortlmduntistc and dental officers in the Ministry of Health Mahysia (MOH). Two different set: uf xelf-administered questionnaires were targeted at first·year dental officers (FYDO), dental officcrx (DO) and administrative Senior Dental Officers (SDO) in one group and unhocluntists in another group. Only 30% responded from a total of 1,327 MOH dental officers, with no participation from three States. Majority (89%) of officers have heard of CPG: although some were unsure of their purpose and usage. About 69% have read orthodontic CPG; of whom 87% have read other MOH dental CPG:. About 78.6% found CPGs 'gaud to excellenf but 16,0% did not answer this question. Same comments received included: language was confusing, inadequate details and pictures, need improvement, irrelevant, need CPG: for other orthodontic problems, need more knowledge first and requests for mare copies. Only 27.7% used them often, 53% occasionally and 15% hardly follow CPG:. About 82% felt that they were encouraged to use CPGx in their workplace and the majority (86%) knew where they were kept especially SDC: and DO; About 90% in the orthndonzist group have received hard copies of orthodontic CPGs but the majority (76%) has not seen them on the website. Although all felt that CPG; were useful to officers and encouraged their use, only 62.5% have introduced CPGs to their officers. There was generally more awareness and usage of CPGS among SDOs compared with DOs and FY DO; The dissemination and availability of orthodontic CPG: is reasonably good. However, the implementation by mthodontists and administrative officers can be improved for better awareness, understanding and usage by dental officers, especially FYDOs.
Occupational stress exists in all professions, but the nursing profession appears to experience more stress at work compared to other health care workers. Stressful conditions at the workplace may cause the high turnover and burnout among nurses. This study objective was to determine the level of stress and its associated factors among in-patient ward nurses. A cross sectional study using the stratified random sampling method was carried out among 114 staff nurses from 5 different departments in a public hospital in Kuala Lumpur. Respondents were requested to complete a single set of validated and self-administered questionnaire, the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS) . Data was analysed using SPSS 17. In general, the prevalence of stress at the department of Medicine was found to be higher compared to other departments studied. There was also a statistical significant relationship between the prevalence of stress and types of department (p 0.05). In conclusion, stress had no significant association with sociodemographic factors (age, marital status and financial status) and working environment except for type of department nurses work in. There might be some other possible confounders that have a bigger potential in becoming stressors compared to those independent variables in this study.
Ocular injuries or trauma to the eye can be caused by variety of objects resulting in a spectrum of lesions in the eye. We did a Pubmed/Google/Science Direct search to review the spectrum of ocular injuries in Malaysia. In our review, we included 28 papers providing information on ocular injuries which were published from Malaysia during the period 1991-2016 in different medical journals. Prevalence was more among males with an average age of 35 years. Among adults they were more common in the workplace but in children it occurred at home. Few wore protective glasses at work. The mode of injury was due to sharp objects hitting the eye, motor vehicle and domestic accidents, firecrackers, chemicals and rarer causes like superglue and durian fruit. Prognostic factors for outcome were the initial visual acuity, length of the wound, associated factors like hyphaema, intraocular foreign body and vitreous prolapse. Missing the diagnosis of perforation of the eyeball is possible without eliciting a proper history. Protective devices must be worn to prevent injuries. Display of health education charts showing the effect of injuries in the eye and their preventive measures in health centres, private hospitals, schools, factories and sports centres will increase the awareness of public about the ocular injuries. It is important to diagnose the tissues involved in ocular trauma by the general practitioners and primary care physicians and refer the patients to the Ophthalmologist urgently for treatment to salvage vision. Compensation mechanisms should then be put forth in terms of rehabilitation and for monetary loss.
Agriculture sector accounts significant numbers of injuries and fatalities in the workplace particularly related to pesticide management. Among three main pathways of pesticide exposure, dermal contact is the most common route, which exposure usually occurs during pesticide mixing/loading, application, harvesting and other farming activities. This review aims to present and discuss several vital components of pesticide dermal exposure among agriculture workers, as well as pesticide application in agriculture sector in Malaysia involving different commodity agriculture sub-sectors. Pesticide exposure was discussed from perspective of three pesticide management activities (i.e. preparation, application and cleaning) that contribute to the risk of exposure through three routes (i.e. emission, deposition, transfer). Moreover, this paper also discussed pesticide dermal exposure risk assessment methods which can be defined into exposure assessment and effect assessment. The exposure rate was affected by various factors such as application equipment, application rate and duration, type of pesticide formulation, pesticide management stage, usage of personal protective equipment, training and aptitude of the applicator as well as environmental factors (i.e. temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction). The factors mention earlier have been used to explain the exposure distribution over different parts of the body and support the fact that pesticide type was not a major factor in total exposure.
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of sick building syndrome (SBS) and other factors contributing to probable mental health problems among university laboratory staffs. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 264 laboratory staffs in UPM. Data was collected using validated self-administrated questionnaires consists of Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and SBS. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. In total, about 28% of the participants reported having probable mental health problems. The prevalence of SBS was 31.4%. After controlling for confounders, the significant factors for probable mental health problems were job insecurity (AOR 2.33, 95% CI 0.212- 0.867), job demand (AOR 1.12, 95% CI 0.445-0.921), fatigue (AOR 0.94, 95% CI 0.162-1.425), drowsiness (AOR 0.75, 95% CI 1.023-4.647) and household income (AOR 0.339, 95% CI0.166-0.995).Results visibly showed that psychosocial factors and symptoms of SBS at their working environment contribute to probable mental health problems among laboratory staffs. The strongest predictors in this study were job insecurity. Hence, further assessment and preventive measures should be carried out to reduce the risk factors of probable mental health problems and to improve working environment among university laboratory staffs.
This two-phase study examined the prevalence of depressive disorders among married working women in a sub-urban area in Malaysia. The Malay version of the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) was used for initial screening. Using multistage cluster sampling, there were 700 subjects from 25 workplaces that were approached, of which 307 filled out GHQ-12 in the initial phase. The prevalence of psychological distress (GHQ 2/3 cut off) is 22.8% (n=70, 95% CI 18.1-27.5). In the second phase, all 49 consenting patients who were screened positive for severe psychological distress (GHQ 3/4 cut off point) were telephone-interviewed by a trained psychiatrist with the Malay version of Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I) to diagnose depressive disorders. The prevalence of depressive disorders was 5.5% (n=17, 95% CI 3.5-7.5). The prevalence of depressive disorders is comparable to those found in the working population worldwide.
Introduction: Workplace violence (WPV) among healthcare workers (HCW) remains a significant public health issue in Malaysia. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of WPV among HCW in Emergency Departments of public hospitals in Melaka. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 231 HCW who were selected in Emergency Departments (ED) from three public hospitals in Melaka through proportionate stratified random sampling method. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaire which consists of three parts (personal and workplace data, workplace violence, and psychosocial workplace environment factors). The period of workplace violence studied was any occurrence of it within six months prior to this study. The data were anal-ysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 24. Results: The prevalence of WPV was found to be 38%, of which 88.9% were psychological violence, and were mostly perpetrated by combinations of type of perpetrators (51.9%). Multiple logistic regression shows that those aged 40 years and below have 5.4 times more likely to experience workplace violence compared to other age group, respondents with low job support has 2.9 times more likely to experience workplace violence compared to its counterpart, and respondents who work in secondary hospital have 2.7 times more likely to experience workplace violence compared to those who work in tertiary hospital. Conclusion: Preventive measures to prevent this issue should be in placed to tackle WPV especially among the at risk groups.
Introduction: Workers in health sector are exposed 5 times more workplace violence as compared to workers in other sectors. Their consequences can range from mild to severe, affecting the victim, quality of services and orga-nization. The objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of educational intervention on workplace violence among healthcare workers in health clinics. Methods: This study is a single blinded cluster randomized trial to see the ef-fectiveness of education intervention on coping with workplace violence involving 10 cluster clinics with total 82 respondents in each control and intervention group. Data was collected using pretested questionnaire at baseline, 1-month and 6-months post intervention. The analysis used were descriptive, compared mean at baseline, repeated measures of variance and Mixed Model. Results: Response rate 94% at 1-month due to loss to follow up. Majority of the respondents were female (82.3%), and Malays (83.5%). The prevalence of workplace violence was 27.4% and mostly involved psychological violence (95.6%). There were no significant different between control and interven-tion group characteristic at baseline. Repeated measures MANOVA test was conducted to test intervention effect on dependent variables. The results until 1-month time showed significant difference between intervention and control group on combination of the dependent variables over time in coping (F(1,162)=9.51, p=0.002, and η2=0.06), knowledge (F(1,162)=10.47, p=0.001, and η2=0.061) and confidence (F(1,162)=15.65, p
Introduction: This study reported the concentration of bacterial and fungal bioaerosol at an animal house and hospi- tal laboratories with the aim to compare the concentration levels at library and administrative offices. The bioaerosol levels between mid-shift (afternoon) were also compared to the concentration measured during pre-shift (morning). Methods: The NIOSH 0800 method utilising microbiological air sampler collecting airborne bacterial and fungal samples via impaction technique on Nutrient agar (NA) and Sabouraud Dextrouse agar (SDA) as culture medium, respectively. Sampling was done twice daily; before (pre-shift) and during working (mid-shift) hour. Results: The highest bacteria and fungi concentration was recorded at the animal house with median concentration of 2477 CFU/ m3 (IQR=121-2477) and 791 CFU/m3 (IQR = 379-2081), respectively. Higher-risked workplaces such as animal house and hospital laboratories have significantly higher bioaerosol concentrations compared to control workplaces such as library and administrative offices (p
Introduction: Noise was evident to reduce job satisfaction among workers which will negative impacts to workers including increase job turnover, decrease motivation and increased number of accidents. This study aims to explore job satisfaction and its risk factors among workers working in a noisy workplace. Method: The study design was cross-sectional study which involved 167 workers in a cable manufacturing factory selected by simple random sam- pling. MSQ was used to assess employee’s satisfaction with their job on seven facets and sound level meter was used to measure workplace noise level. Results: All respondents were exposed to noise above permissible exposure limit. Most workers (49%) were moderately satisfied with their work. Factors that were rated as lowest level of satisfaction were work itself (the ability to work alone) (40%) and the way company system policies are implemented (40%). Factors with the highest level of satisfaction were their freedom to implement their judgement (responsibility) (51%) and the supervision quality of their superiors (51%). The most dominant facet predicting total satisfaction level was recognition followed by advancement and company policy and administration. All variables in socio-demographical and job characteristics were not significantly associated with their level of job satisfaction except noise. Noise was significant in predicting one facet of job satisfaction which was physical work condition. Conclusion: Overall, the average level of job satisfaction among respondents were moderate and they were exposed to occupational noise which was the only significant study variable correlated with their job satisfaction.
Introduction: Water based Metalworking fluids (MWF) are commonly used in machining industries and are excellent media for microorganism growth. The study aimed at determining the relationship between the airway inflammation as indicated by fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) with the microbial contaminants of MWF in aerosol and bulk sample as well as the workers’ reported respiratory health symptoms. Methods: This cross sectional study was carried out on 138 machining workers. Their FeNO were measured using NIOX-MINO instrumentation. The microbial as- sessments of bacteria and fungus were carried out on the MWF bulk samples and the aerosol using a sampler DUO SAS SUPER 360TM. Results: Findings showed significant difference in the FeNO levels in workers from various job sections (p=0.01). Significant relationships found between high FeNO levels with their closeness to the machines (p=0.03), high number of machines in the workplaces (p=0.02), high environmental bacteria colonies (p=0.04), lon- ger employment years (p
Introduction: Obesity is a growing public health concern. Poor diet and lifestyle choices are the main contributors to its development. Lifestyle modifications should be aggressively promoted in the community. Recent studies found that worksite obesity prevention and control programs are effective in increasing physical activity and weight reduction among employees. In Malaysia, there is insufficient data on prevalence studies of workplaces. This study investigated the proportion of overweight and obesity among workers in a private university and hope to serve as a baseline for future healthy workplace programs. Methods: This cross-sectional study investigated overweight and obesity and examined its association with occupational stress, sleeping quality, dietary behaviour and physical inactivity among employees in an academic institution. Weight and height were measured, and BMI was calculated and coded as underweight, normal, overweight and obese according to the cut-off points for the Asian population. Results: Out of ninety-five employees, 55 participated in the survey. Among the 55 employees, 4 (7.3%) were underweight, 10 (18.2%) were normal, 25 (45.5%) were overweight, and 16 (29.1%) were obese. The obese and overweight proportion was similar to the national prevalence. Poor sleep quality and high Job stress scores were reported by 40% of the employees, while physical inactivity of more than 6 hours a day was reported by 50%, and the majority (90%) do not consume enough fibre. Among the risk factors investigated, none was associated with obesity. Conclusion: The proportion of overweight and obesity in this community was like the general population. While not significant in this study, the association between obesity and the four risk factors should be further investigated using a larger sample size. Based on the results, community-based health promotion intervention is suggested to reduce obesity among the employees.
Introduction: Primary health care providers face a wide range of stressors and are at high risk of developing occu-pational burnout, which may cause ineffectiveness and reduce the productivity of the health care system. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the primary health care provider working in health facilities under Tuaran Area Health Office. A total of 199 of 604 providers randomly selected as respondents for this study. Self-ad-ministered questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory are used for data collection. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the prevalence and Chi-square test was used to determine the association of risk factors. Results: Prevalence of occupational burnout is 10.1% with high level of overall burnout (n = 20), 60.8% are having low to moderate level of overall burnout (n = 121) and 29.1% has no burnout (n = 58). A significant relationship was observed between burnout, high workload, out-of-scope workload and distance between home and workplace (p≤0.01). However, no significant relationship was observed between burnout and age, gender, marital status, finan-cial status, education level, experience and income. Conclusion: This study shows that distribution of workload as well as the job scope may affect burnout. Further study can be conducted to identify home-workplace distance re-lation to burnout. With the identification of these factors, a counter measures and intervention can be implemented.
Introduction: Responder’s action during mass environmental chemical incident involves collaboration of multiple agency. They clean the exposure site, control public safety and safe lives. The health of the responder is also as valuable as the public and always been neglected. Hence, this study is to highlights the method used and challenges during the incidents. Methods: A modified Occupational Health Surveillance Programme designed by Baker and Matte (Thirteen Steps in designing and implementing an Occupational Health Surveillance Programme) was imple-mented. These method full fill the criteria of impossible further reduce exposure to known hazards and uncertain health effect of the offending chemicals. Two core workplace namely the source of chemical contamination locale and victims’ evacuation centre were identified. The exposed responder is identified and categorised according to their expected exposure. Offending chemicals identified were known hazardous to health. An electronic survey form was developed and the surveillance were conducted during the event and post-exposures of one, third and sixth months. Laboratory tests were performed as a grab sample randomly and strategically to represent responder exposure. Results: During the event, 1338 responders were surveyed and twenty percent had symptoms of cough, headache, sore throat, nausea and skin irritation. After one-month post-exposure, three percent of responder noted to have continue symptoms. Laboratory tests were performed randomly due to the sheer numbers of responders in action. Only sixty-one samples were collected and sixteen percent had positive metabolites for urine cyanide. Re-sponders with abnormal laboratory result (FBC/LFT/RP/Urine) were interviewed and a repeat sample were performed. Conclusion: The health surveillance of the responder in mass environmental chemical incident is a great challenge when the exposure level is unsure and involve more than one chemicals. Likewise, reliability and validity adopting statistical test for health surveillance instruments is unattainable due to urgency. However, a proper method of occu-pational surveillance need to be devised and implemented to ensure the protection of worker’s health is guaranteed.