Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 42 in total

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  1. Lam UN, Md Mydin Siddik NSF, Mohd Yussof SJ, Ibrahim S
    Int Wound J, 2020 Oct;17(5):1525-1527.
    PMID: 32397010 DOI: 10.1111/iwj.13398
    Matched MeSH terms: Occupational Diseases/etiology*
  2. Loke YK, Tee MH, Tan MH
    Med J Malaysia, 1998 Mar;53(1):100-3.
    PMID: 10968146
    The formation of Kenyir Lake as part of a hydroelectric project in the 1980s caused much forest area to be submerged. From 1991, underwater divers were employed to log these sunken trees at depths of up to 100 meters. At least 6 mishaps involving underwater logging personnel were recorded from March 1994 to August 1996. We retrospectively reviewed 5 cases who were managed in Hospital Kuala Terengganu. The patients presented with marked cardiorespiratory and neurological disturbances. One diver died in the Hospital while another died at the recompression chamber. Three divers were treated with recompression and improved. Average delay before the start of recompression was 14 hours. Underwater logging has definite dangers and steps must be taken to ensure that both the divers and the equipment are appropriate for the task. Availability of a nearby recompression facility would greatly enhance the management of diving accidents, not only for commercial divers but also for recreational divers who frequent the islands nearby.
    Matched MeSH terms: Occupational Diseases/etiology*
  3. Saroja KI, Kasmini K, Muhamad S, Zulkifli G
    Med J Malaysia, 1995 Dec;50(4):326-9.
    PMID: 8668051
    The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the level of stress experienced by rescue workers after the collapse of a 13 story condominium in Kuala Lumpur, and other probable risk factors. Within a month of the incident, 123 firefighters filled up the Impact of Life Event score (Horowitz) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). The results indicated that 7 (6%) firemen could be classified as possible 'cases' on the GHQ, and significantly 5 from this group also scored highly on the impact of events score. No other risk factors were identified in the firemen. On conclusion, the GHQ can be used to screen those with high impact scores to pick up possible cases early enough, so that intervention can be successful.
    Matched MeSH terms: Occupational Diseases/etiology*
  4. Nasir MH, Rampal KG
    Med J Malaysia, 2012 Feb;67(1):81-6.
    PMID: 22582554 MyJurnal
    Sensorineural hearing loss is a common and important source of disability among the workers and often caused by occupational noise exposure. Aims of the study were to determine the prevalence and contributing factors of hearing loss among airport workers. A cross-sectional study was carried out at an airport in Malaysia. This study used stratified sampling method that involved 358 workers who were working in 3 different units between November 2008 and March 2009. Data for this study were collected by using questionnaires eliciting sociodemographic, occupational exposure history (previous and present), life-style including smoking habits and health-related data. Otoscopic and pure-tone audiometric tests were conducted for hearing assessment. Noise exposure status was categorize by using a noise logging dosimeter to obtain 8-hour Time-Weighted Average (TWA). Data was analyzed by using SPSS version 12.0.1 and EpiInfo 6.04. The prevalence of hearing loss was 33.5%. Age >40 years old (aOR 4.3, 95%CI 2.2-8.3) is the main risk factors for hearing loss followed by duration of noise exposure >5 years (aOR 2.5, 95%CI 1.4-4.7), smoking (aOR 2.1, 95%CI 1.2-3.4), duration of service >5 years (aOR 2.1, 95%CI 1.1-3.9), exposure to explosion (aOR 6.1, 95%CI 1.3-29.8), exposure to vibration (aOR 2.2, 95%CI 1.1-4.3) and working in engineering unit (aOR 5.9, 95%CI 1.1-30.9). The prevalence rate ratio of hearing loss for nonsmokers aged 40 years old and younger, smokers aged 40 years old and younger, non-smokers older than 40 years old and smokers older than 40 years old was 1.0, 1.7, 2.8 and 4.6 respectively. This result contributes towards better understanding of risk factors for hearing loss, which is relatively common among Malaysian workers.
    Matched MeSH terms: Occupational Diseases/etiology*
  5. Lim VK
    Malays J Pathol, 2009 Jun;31(1):1-9.
    PMID: 19694307 MyJurnal
    Many infections are associated with occupations. Involvement in a particular occupation may place the person at higher direct risk of contracting certain infections. In some instances the life-style associated with the occupation results in a higher risk of exposure to the infection. The link between the infection and the workplace is often missed by the attending physician. This may be due to a lack of awareness on the part of the physician. Sometimes a direct link can be difficult to prove without the use of sophisticated molecular epidemiological tests. This has led to gross under-diagnosis and under-reporting of such cases. It is however important that occupational infections be diagnosed as adequate preventive measures need to be implemented. Furthermore the patient may be eligible for monetary compensation under the relevant occupational safety laws of the country.
    Matched MeSH terms: Occupational Diseases/etiology*
  6. Ng YG, Mohd Tamrin SB, Mohd Yusoff IS, Hashim Z, Deros BM, Abu Bakar S, et al.
    Ann Agric Environ Med, 2015;22(2):286-92.
    PMID: 26094525 DOI: 10.5604/12321966.1152101
    This cross-sectional study intends to investigate the associations of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among foreign labourers on a socio-economic background, occupational exposure, social lifestyle, and postures adopted during harvesting tasks. A total of 446 male respondents (263 FFB cutters; 183 FFB collectors) were studied using an interview-assisted questionnaire. OWAS was used to determine the severity of awkward posture based on videos of harvesting tasks recorded for each respondent. Analysis found that increasingly educated respondents had higher risk of developing MSDs. Shorter daily work duration and longer resting duration appear to increase the risk of neck and shoulder disorders among harvesters, which may be attributable to organizational work design. Awkward posture was a particularly significant risk factor of MSDs among FFB collectors. Among the results of the study, occupational exposure, postures and certain socio-demographic backgrounds explained some, but not all, the risk factor of MSDs among harvesters. An in-depth investigation, preferably a longitudinal study investigating the dynamic of work activities and other risk factors, such as psychosocial risk factors, are recommended.
    Matched MeSH terms: Occupational Diseases/etiology
  7. Al-Darraji HA, Tan C, Kamarulzaman A, Altice FL
    Occup Environ Med, 2015 Jun;72(6):442-7.
    PMID: 25794506 DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2014-102695
    OBJECTIVES: Although prison employees share the same tuberculosis (TB) risk environment with prisoners, the magnitude of TB problems among prison employees is unknown in most resource-limited prisons. This survey was conducted to investigate the prevalence and correlates of tuberculin skin test (TST) positivity among employees in Malaysia's largest prison.

    METHODS: Consented, full-time prison employees were interviewed using a structured questionnaire that included sociodemographic data, history of working in the correctional system and TB-related risk. TST was placed intradermally and read after 48-72 h. Induration size of ≥10 mm was considered positive. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore associations with TST positivity.

    RESULTS: Of the 445 recruited prison employees, 420 (94.4%) had complete data. Most were young (median=30.0 years) men (88.8%) who had only worked at this prison (76.4%) for a median total employment period of 60 months (IQR 34.5-132.0). The majority were correctional officers, while civilian employees represented only 7.6% of the sample. Only 26 (6.2%) reported having ever been screened for TB since employment. Prevalence of TST positivity was 81% and was independently associated with longer (≥12 months) prison employment (AOR 4.9; 95% CI 1.5 to 15.9) and current tobacco smoking (AOR=1.9, 95% CI 1.2 to 3.2).

    CONCLUSIONS: Latent TB prevalence was high in this sample, approximating that of prisoners in this setting, perhaps suggesting within prison TB transmission in this facility. Formal TB control programmes for personnel and prisoners alike are urgently needed within the Malaysian correctional system.

    Matched MeSH terms: Occupational Diseases/etiology
  8. Lim HH, Rampal KG, Joginder S, Abu Bakar CM, Chan KH, Vivek TN
    Med J Malaysia, 2002 Sep;57(3):340-7.
    PMID: 12440274 MyJurnal
    A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence and type of respiratory conditions including asbestos-related diseases among Malaysian asbestos cement workers. The study population consisted of 1164 workers who had undergone medical surveillance from 1995 to 1997, including full history, physical examination, chest radiography and spirometry. More than half the male workers were smokers or ex-smokers, with smokers having more respiratory symptoms and signs, and reduced FEV1 compared with non smokers. The five most common respiratory conditions diagnosed were bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, upper respiratory tract infections and allergic rhinitis. On follow-up, there were also two cases of asbestosis and one case of bronchial carcinoma. The asbestosis cases were probably related to heavy occupational exposure to asbestos fibres in the past, before governmental regulations were gazetted in 1986. Further follow-up is essential for continued monitoring of the health status of asbestos workers.
    Matched MeSH terms: Occupational Diseases/etiology*
  9. Mangara SG, Sukmono, Kusumadiharja J, Suroso T, Sutjipto H
    PMID: 11414442
    It is known that in Padang, Rantau, Rangsang, Merbau and Bengkalis islands, Riau Province, the deposit of oil was found in a huge quantity. The drilling concession belongs to Kondur Petroleum Company. To operate an exploitation, hundreds of workers not only Indonesian but also the workers from foreign countries come and go to that area. It was recorded that the workers from foreign countries come from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, The Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Korea. United States of America and from France, Britain, Australia and Germany. These workers have a close interaction with about 50,00 local population distributed with a high concentration in some places. The high risk of DHF was determined since the significant density of Aedes aregypti larvae, the main vector of DHF, were found in Lukit, Mengkikip and Melibur, three locations of survey. Of 104 (53.3%) of 195 houses in these three survey locations were found positive for the larvae. Even though there were no positive of larvae in 65 houses in Lukit, in Melibur and Mengkikip, the House Index (HI) was 61.7% and 95.7%. Outside the houses 521 containers were examined in three locations of survey and 329 (63.1%) were positive for Ae. aegypti larvae. The highest number of containers positive for Ae. aegypti larvae were 213 (94.7%) out of 225 and found in Mengkikip. In Melibur, 114 (68.3%) out of 167 of containers were positive and in Lukit only 2 (1.56%) out of 129 containers were positive of Ae. aegypti larvae. These larvae density constitute a high risk of DHF outbreak, and unfortunately is supported by the rainfall situation recorded in Kurau and BZ Climatology Stations. It was recorded that all along the year, at least one day in a month there was the rain which the rainfall volume was 30 ml.
    Matched MeSH terms: Occupational Diseases/etiology*
  10. Liam CK
    Med J Malaysia, 2001 Mar;56(1):107-11; quiz 112.
    PMID: 11503290
    Matched MeSH terms: Occupational Diseases/etiology*
  11. Isa AR, Noor M
    Med J Malaysia, 1991 Sep;46(3):235-8.
    PMID: 1839918
    Three cases of occupational exposure to radio-frequency and microwave radiation were seen at the out-patient clinic, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia. They presented with run-down symptoms of neck strain associated with throbbing headache, irritability, loss of appetite, fatigue, memory difficulties, and numbness of extremities. They also presented with alopecia areata which is felt to be causally linked to the radiation exposure.

    Study site: Outpatient clinic Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM)
    Matched MeSH terms: Occupational Diseases/etiology*
  12. Jelip J, Mathew GG, Yusin T, Dony JF, Singh N, Ashaari M, et al.
    Tuberculosis (Edinb), 2004;84(1-2):19-23.
    PMID: 14670342
    Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the main public health problems in Sabah; 30% of the total number of TB cases reported in Malaysia every year occur in Sabah. The average incidence of TB among health care workers over the past 5 years is 280.4 per 100,000 population (1, Annual Report of Sabah State TB Control Programme, 1998). At present, there are no specific measures for the prevention of TB transmission in health care facilities. A case-control study was conducted among health care workers in Sabah in 2000-2001. Cases were health care workers with TB diagnosed between January 1990 and June 2000. Controls were health care workers without TB and working in the same facility as cases during the disease episode. The study attempted to identify risk factors for TB among the study population. Data were collected through structured interviews and review of patients' records. The notification rate of TB among health care workers was significantly higher than that to the general population (Z=4.893, p<0.01). The average notification rate of TB among health care workers over the last 5 years was two times higher than in the general population (280.4/100,000 compared to 153.9/100,000). Regression results showed that ethnicity, designation, family contact and TB related knowledge did not significantly contribute to the risk of contracting TB in this study. However, after controlling for the above factors, age, gender, history of TB contact outside the workplace (other than family contact), duration of service and failure to use respiratory protection when performing high-risk procedures, were the main risk factors of TB among health care workers. This study succeeded in identifying some of the risk factors of TB among health care workers. We managed to include the large ratio of controls to case (3:1) and those cases spanned over a period of 10 years. However, the findings from the study have to be applied with caution due to the limitations of this study, which include recall bias, dropouts, and small sample size. Based on the study findings, we recommend that health care workers in the first 10 years of service should take extra precautions, such as using respiratory protection when performing procedures that are considered to be of high risk with respect to TB infection. They should also undergo TB screening at least once every 2 years and, if symptomatic, offered prophylactic treatment. The Respiratory Protection Programme should be fully implemented to help reduce the risk of TB among health care workers in Sabah.
    Matched MeSH terms: Occupational Diseases/etiology*
  13. Barss PG
    Med J Aust, 1985 12 9;143(12-13):617-8, 621-2.
    PMID: 3831754
    Needle-fish are slender silvery fish with long pointed beaks. They are commonly seen swimming beneath the surface near fringing reefs in the Indo-Pacific area. Such areas are also frequented by Melanesian villagers. The speed of needle-fish, together with their tendency to leap out of the water when bright lights are used for fishing and at other times, occasionally result in deep, penetrating injuries to swimmers, waders, and, in particular, to fishermen who are working at night from small canoes. Injuries from needle-fish are a relatively common occupational hazard of subsistence village life in Oceania, and probably also for some fishermen in other coastal environments, such as those in Japan and Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Occupational Diseases/etiology
  14. Sulaiman HF, Ismail R, Mohd Yusoff H, Anuar N, Mohd Jamil MR, Daud F
    J Agromedicine, 2020 04;25(2):166-172.
    PMID: 31533524 DOI: 10.1080/1059924X.2019.1666763
    Objective: The Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) is one of the phases in Design and Development Research (DDR). It is a systematic method for tool development and validation. This article aims to validate an occupational zoonotic disease questionnaire using this technique. DDR is applied going through phase 1 (needs analysis), phase 2 (development and design), and phase 3 (usability).Method: In phase 1, information about safe work practices and occupational zoonotic exposure was obtained from discussions to verify predetermined domains as stated in The National Park Service survey on zoonotic disease exposure and risk. In phase 2, agreement from 14 experts about the domains was obtained using the FDM. In phase 3, a cognitive debriefing was performed to determine its usability for future studies. A total of five superior domains were verified, and their items were adapted. All domains and their items were submitted to experts to obtain consensus agreement.Results: A total of 31 (96.9%) passed the Triangle of Fuzzy Numbers and Defuzzification process with acceptable consensus agreement (78.8-91.9%) and threshold d value (0.07-0.14). Only four veterinarians were needed for cognitive debriefing to achieve the point of saturation.Conclusion: FDM in DDR is suitable to be applied by various professions for tool validation, as it is doable and cost and time effective. The Occupational Zoonotic Disease Questionnaire is now ready to be used for future studies in Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Occupational Diseases/etiology
  15. Daud AB, Mohd Fuzi NMH, Wan Mohammad WMZ, Amran F, Ismail N, Arshad MM, et al.
    Int J Occup Environ Med, 2018 04;9(2):88-96.
    PMID: 29667646 DOI: 10.15171/ijoem.2018.1164
    BACKGROUND: Leptospirosis is an emerging zoonosis and its occurrence has been reported to be rising globally. The environment plays an important role in the survival of Leptospira and determines the risk of infection. Those who were exposed to and had contact with contaminated environment through their occupational, recreational and other activities can be infected with the organism.

    OBJECTIVE: To determine the seroprevalence of leptospirosis among cattle farmers, prevalence of pathogenic Leptospira, and the workplace environmental risk factors for leptospirosis among cattle farmers in northeastern Malaysia.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving 120 cattle farmers was conducted. The participants answered an interviewer-guided questionnaire that consisted of sociodemographic and workplace environment characteristics questionnaire, before having their blood sample taken for microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Seropositivity was determined using a cut-off titer of ≥1:100. 248 environmental samples were also collected from the cattle farms for polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

    RESULTS: The overall seroprevalence of leptospiral antibodies was 72.5% (95% CI 63.5% to 80.1%) and the prevalence of pathogenic Leptospira in the cattle farms environment was 12.1% (95% CI 8.4% to 17.0%). The independent factors associated with seropositivity of leptospirosis among cattle farmers were positive pathogenic Leptospira in the environment (Adj OR 5.90, 95% CI 1.34 to 26.01) and presence of garbage dumping in the farm (Adj OR 2.40, 95% CI 1.02 to 5.65).

    CONCLUSION: Preventing leptospirosis incidence among cattle farmers necessitates changes in work environment. Identifying modifiable factors may also contribute to the reduction of infection.

    Matched MeSH terms: Occupational Diseases/etiology*
  16. Ling CY, Loo FC, Hamedon TR
    Med Probl Perform Art, 2016 12;31(4):201-204.
    PMID: 27942698
    Performance injuries among musicians have been widely discussed for decades. However, despite the growing number of classical pianists, this is still a new issue in Malaysia. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the level of knowledge of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) among tertiary music students in Malaysia. A survey was conducted among classical piano students at tertiary institutions of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. Out of 192 respondents, 76% knew that piano playing can cause PRMDs. Slightly over three-quarters of respondents (77.1%) learned about PRMDs from music educators. The survey revealed that the belief in "no pain, no gain" was still ingrained in their minds, as 50.5% respondents believed that pain experienced while playing the piano was normal and 51.6% of them considered that pain must be experienced to improve their piano skill. The respondents were also scored on questions on terminologies of pianist injury and specific PRMD examples: 7.8% of respondents scored high in the questions on the general terminology, while 99.5% of them scored low in the questions on the specific examples of PRMDs. This finding indicated a lack of knowledge of specific musicians' injuries among classical piano students. The attitudes to pain and the level of understanding of the significance of potential injuries indicate that increasing PRMD awareness and introducing courses on PRMD prevention at tertiary institutions are warranted.
    Matched MeSH terms: Occupational Diseases/etiology
  17. Abd Rahman MN, Abdul Rani MR, Rohani JM
    J Hum Ergol (Tokyo), 2011 Dec;40(1-2):19-36.
    PMID: 25665205 DOI: 10.11183/jhe.40.19
    This paper describes the development of the Workplace Ergonomic Risk Assessment (WERA) for investigating the physical risk factor associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The initial development of WERA tool involved the following procedures: (1) first stage, development of WERA prototype from literature review, (2) second stage, evaluation of the psychometric properties including (a) validity trials and (b) reliability and usability trials. In the validity trials, the relationship of the individual WERA body part scores to the development of pain or discomfort is statistically significant for the wrist, shoulder and back regions. It shows that the WERA assessment provided a good indication of work-related musculoskeletal disorders which might be reported as pain, ache or discomfort in the relevant body regions. In the reliability trials, the results of inter-observer reliability shows that moderate agreement among the observers while from the feedback questionnaire survey about the usability of WERA tool, all participants including expert and management teams agreed that the prototype of WERA tool was easy and quick to use, applicable to workplace assessment for the wide range of job/task and valuable at work. It was confirmed that there was no need of training required to do WERA assessment. Therefore, the WERA assessment has been designed for easy and quick use, and for those who are trained to use it do not need previous skills in observation techniques although this would be an advantage. As WERA is a pen and paper technique that can be used without any special equipment, WERA assessment can be done in any space of workplaces without disruption to the task that have been observed.
    Matched MeSH terms: Occupational Diseases/etiology*
  18. Su AT, Maeda S, Fukumoto J, Darus A, Hoe VC, Miyai N, et al.
    Occup Environ Med, 2013 Jul;70(7):498-504.
    PMID: 23645621 DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2012-101321
    The dose-response relationship for hand-transmitted vibration has been investigated extensively in temperate environments. Since the clinical features of hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) differ between the temperate and tropical environment, we conducted this study to investigate the dose-response relationship of HAVS in a tropical environment.
    Matched MeSH terms: Occupational Diseases/etiology
  19. Halim I, Omar AR
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2012;18(1):85-96.
    PMID: 22429532
    Many occupations in industry such as metal stamping workers, electronics parts assembly operators, automotive industry welders, and lathe operators require working in a standing posture for a long time. Prolonged standing can contribute to discomfort and muscle fatigue particularly in the back and legs. This study developed the prolonged standing strain index (PSSI) to quantify the risk levels caused by standing jobs, and proposed recommendations to minimize the risk levels. Risk factors associated with standing jobs, such as working posture, muscles activity, standing duration, holding time, whole-body vibration, and indoor air quality, were the basis for developing the PSSI. All risk factors were assigned multipliers, and the PSSI was the product of those multipliers. Recommendations for improvement are based on the PSSI; however, extensive studies are required to validate their effectiveness. multipliers, and the PSSI was the product of those multipliers. Recommendations for improvement are based on the PSSI; however, extensive studies are required to validate their effectiveness.
    Matched MeSH terms: Occupational Diseases/etiology*
  20. Rozali A, Rampal KG, Shamsul Bahri MT, Mohd Sidik S, Shamsul Azhar S, Khairuddin H, et al.
    Med J Malaysia, 2009 Sep;64(3):197-204.
    PMID: 20527267 MyJurnal
    A cross sectional study was conducted among military armoured vehicle drivers in the two largest mechanized battalions with the objective to determine the prevalence of low back pain (LBP), and its association with whole body vibration (WBV) and other associated factors. A self-administered questionnaire and Human Vibration Meter were used in this study. A total of 159 respondents participated in this study and 102 (64.2%) of them were subjected to WBV measurement. One-hundred-and-seventeen respondents complained of LBP for the past 12 months giving a prevalence of 73.6%. The prevalence of LBP among tracked armoured vehicle drivers was higher (81.7%) as compared to wheeled armoured vehicle drivers (67.0%). The mean acceleration at Z-axis in tracked armoured vehicles (1.09 +/- 0.26 ms(-2)) and wheeled armoured vehicles (0.33 +/- 0.07 ms) were the dominant vibration directions. The mean estimated vibration dose value (eVDV) for eight-hour daily exposure at Z-axis (19.86 +/- 4.72 ms(-1.75)) in tracked armoured vehicles showed the highest estimation. Based on the European Vibration Directive (2002), the mean eVDV at Z-axis in tracked armoured vehicles exceeded exposure action value (EAV) (> 9.1 ms(-1.75), but did not exceed exposure limit value (ELV) (<21.0 ms(-1.75)). Logistic regression analysis revealed that only driving in forward bending sitting posture (OR = 3.63, 95% CI 1.06-12.42) and WBV exposure at X-axis (OR = 1.94, 95% CI 1.02-3.69) were significant risk factors to LBP. Preventive measures should be implemented to minimize risk of WBV and to improve ergonomic postures among drivers.
    Matched MeSH terms: Occupational Diseases/etiology*
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