BASF has a long and comprehensive experience in exposure assessment of hazardous chemicals, and of health
surveillance, including human biomonitoring (HBM). This article provides a summary on exposure analysis by HBM
and health surveillance for mercury at the BASF Verbund site in Ludwigshafen, Germany: the company’s occupational
health resources, related legal requirements, code of practice and directives, sources of potential mercury exposure,
and how health surveillance is conducted. It shares BASF’s experience in analyzing and controlling exposure to
mercury. The paper discusses the similarities and differences of the BASF Ludwigshafen approach with respect to
health surveillance practice for mercury in Malaysia.
Good reporting of medical drill is important to optimise learning and benefit from the activity. This article shares our opinion on what constitutes a good medical emergency drill report. A good medical emergency medical drill report should include medical drill background, observation, remarks on observation and details of observers and reporter.
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.
Computer work is common at shared service centres and employees are exposed to risk of musculoskeletal symptoms.
Although employees at this service centre had already been advised to complete an ergonomics self assessment using a checklist and
consult an occupational health doctor if symptomatic, almost half participants responded they were either unaware or unsure of the
company’s ergonomics self assessment checklist and all did not mention consulting an occupational health doctor if symptomatic.Most
participants had at least one musculoskeletal symptom. The main location of musculoskeletal symptom reported was shoulder, neck
and lower back. This was consistent with main location of musculoskeletal symptoms reported due to work which were shoulder, neck
and lower back. Most of the musculoskeletal symptoms affected wellbeing at work and almost half were at least moderately severe.
The incorrect posture often observed were: upper arm not close to body, shoulder not relaxed and hand not in-line with forearm..
The musculoskeletal symptoms reported were consistent with observation of incorrect posture. There is an urgent need to enhance the
effectiveness of the ergonomics program at this service centre.