Allison N. Canton

Mental, Physical, and Behavioral Outcomes Associated With Perceived Work Stress in Police Officers

This study estimates the effects of perceived work stress in police officers and determines the impact of coping on both perceived work stress and health. Officers from a large, urban police department (N = 1,072) completed detailed questionnaires. Exposure to critical incidents, workplace discrimination, lack of cooperation among coworkers, and job dissatisfaction correlated significantly with perceived work stress. Work stress was significantly associated with adverse outcomes, including depression and intimate partner abuse. Officers who relied on negative or avoidant coping mechanisms reported both higher levels of perceived work stress and adverse health outcomes. Results have implications for improving stress-reducing efforts among police officers. Interventions that address modifiable stressors and promote effective coping and resiliency will probably be most beneficial in minimizing police stress and associated outcomes.

Noise levels associated with New York City's mass transit systems

OBJECTIVES We measured noise levels associated with various forms of mass transit and compared them to exposure guidelines designed to protect against noise-induced hearing loss. METHODS We used noise dosimetry to measure time-integrated noise levels in a representative sample of New York City mass transit systems (subways, buses, ferries, tramway, and commuter railways) aboard transit vehicles and at vehicle boarding platforms or terminals during June and July 2007. RESULTS Of the transit types evaluated, subway cars and platforms had the highest associated equivalent continuous average (L(eq)) and maximum noise levels. All transit types had L(eq) levels appreciably above 70 A-weighted decibels, the threshold at which noise-induced hearing loss is considered possible. CONCLUSIONS Mass transit noise exposure has the potential to exceed limits recommended by the World Health Organization and the US Environmental Protection Agency and thus cause noise-induced hearing loss among riders of all forms of mass transit given sufficient exposure durations. Environmental noise-control efforts in mass transit and, in cases in which controls are infeasible, the use of personal hearing protection would benefit the riderships hearing health.

Participatory action research methodology in disaster research: Results from the world trade center evacuation study

OBJECTIVE Participatory action research (PAR) methodology is an effective tool in identifying and implementing risk-reduction interventions. It has been used extensively in occupational health research, but not, to our knowledge, in disaster research. A PAR framework was incorporated into the World Trade Center evacuation study, which was designed to identify the individual, organizational, and structural (environmental) factors that affected evacuation from the World Trade Center Towers 1 and 2 on September 11, 2001. PAR teams-comprising World Trade Center evacuees, study investigators, and expert consultants-worked collaboratively to develop a set of recommendations designed to facilitate evacuation from high-rise office buildings and reduce risk of injury among evacuees. METHODS Two PAR teams worked first separately and then collectively to identify data-driven strategies for improvement of high-rise building evacuation. RESULTS The teams identified interventions targeting individual, organizational, and structural (environmental) barriers to safe and rapid evacuation. CONCLUSIONS PAR teams were effective in identifying numerous feasible and cost-effective strategies for improvement of high-rise emergency preparedness and evacuation. This approach may have utility in other workplace disaster prevention planning and response programs.

Web-Based Weapons of Mass Destruction Training for Transit Police

In response to increased terrorist attacks on mass transit systems worldwide, emergency planning and security efforts have intensified. One of the most important planning elements is the provision of training for first-response personnel. Yet few terrorism-related training programs specific to the mass transit sector are available. To address this unmet need, a web-based weapons of mass destruction (WMD) simulation training program, specifically designed for transit police, was recently developed, implemented, and evaluated. Results indicate that this program was effective in improving transit police officers’ ability to recognize and respond to WMD simulations.