Silvana Salerno

Health and reproductive status of female workers in dry cleaning shops

SummaryThis study concerns 67 women working in 53 dry cleaning shops in the city of Rome. The survey includes data on work habits, health problems and reproductive histories. Exposure to the prevalent solvent used in dry cleaning (tetrachloroethylene) was evaluated by the trichloroacetic acid (TCA) concentration in the urine. Exposure was four times higher among dry cleaners than among women doing only ironing and among the controls. However, the TCA values were still low, thus suggesting ambient concentrations within the acceptable limits. The health of these women was satisfactory, and no overt reproductive pathology was detected. The methodological limitations and the small sample size, however, do not permit firm conclusions.

Occupational Risk due to Violence in a Psychiatric Ward

Occupational Risk due to Violence in a Psychiatric Ward: Silvana Salerno, et al. Division of Biomedicine, ENEA, Italy

Gender and ergonomics: a case study on the ‘non-formal’ work of women nurses

Womens work activities are often characterised by ‘non-formal actions’ (such as giving support). Gender differences in ergonomics may be due to this peculiarity. We applied the method of organisational congruencies (MOC) to ascertain the ‘non-formal’ work portion of nurses employed in three hospital units (haematology, emergency room and general medicine) during the three work shifts in a major University Hospital in Rome, Italy. We recorded a total of 802 technical actions performed by nine nurses in 72 h of work. Twenty-six percent of the actions in direct patients care were communicative actions (mainly giving psychological support) while providing physical care. These ‘double actions’ are often not considered to be a formal part of the job by hospital management. In our case study, the ‘non-formal’ work of nurses (psychological support) is mainly represented by double actions while taking physical care of the patients. The dual task paradigm in gender oriented research is discussed in terms of its implications in prevention in occupational health. Practitioner Summary: The main purpose of the study was to assess all the formal and non-formal activities of women in the nursing work setting. Offering psychological support to patients is often not considered to be a formal part of the job. Our case study found that nurses receive no explicit guidelines on this activity and no time is assigned to perform it. In measuring the burden of providing psychological support to patients, we found that this is often done while nurses are performing tasks of physical care for the patients (double actions). The article discusses the significance of non-formal psychological work load of women nurses through double actions from the ergonomic point view.

Application of the Method of Organizational Congruencies in Substituting Organic Solvents With Vegetable Agents for the Cleaning of an Offset Printing Machine

The aim of this research is the application of the Method of Organizational Congruencies before and after the substitution of organic solvents with vegetable agents for the cleaning of an offset printing machine in order to assess the organizational changes. A solvent-free process is the goal of the Subsprint Project (Technology Transfer Program of the European Community). This study shows how human and environmental health is improved by using vegetable agents, though this change may lead to some other organizational constraints such as an increase of the time needed, monotony, and repetitiveness of the technical actions involved. The authors underline that the knowledge of the impact of the new technology on health helps a better understanding of the resistance to the change and its further amelioration.

When Being a Woman Represents a Major Risk of Commuting Accidents

Since 2010, National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (INAIL) recognized commuting accidents as work injury. Commuting is the leading cause of death among Italian and immigrant women. Commuting disabilities have been studied from INAIL records within the last five years (2012–2016). Results show how women present more disabilities in commuting than men (53.2% vs 46.8% men, p < 0,001). Men show more disabilities due to commuting with vehicle (39.8% vs 36.8% women) while commuting without vehicle is more frequent among women (16.4% vs 7% men, p < 0,05) with more permanent disabilities and severe ones (20.4% vs 9% men, p < 0.001; severe 16.5% vs 7.2% men, p < 0,001). Skeleton-motor apparatus is the most affected among women (87.7% vs 80.7% men, p < 0.001) in all work injury disabilities. Lower limbs are the women body site mainly injured (40.4% women vs 38.6% men, p < 0.01) after upper limbs.

Analysis and evaluation of good practices in the design of internet sites dedicated to electromagnetic fields and health

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to apply a dedicated checklist for the evaluation of good practice information in the design of Italian internet sites on electromagnetic fields (emf) and health.Design/methodology/approach – The “Guidelines on the collection, evaluation and dissemination of good practice information on the Internet” by European Occupational Safety and Health Agency (EU‐OSHA) and the criteria of effective health communication, by the American National Institute of Health (NIH), have been reoriented to the issue “emf and health”. In total, 100 Italian internet sites, provided by the search engine GoogleItalia, have been analysed.Findings – The results show how Italian official sources of information on “emf and health”, mainly affiliated to public institutions, apply good practice criteria in the design of internet sites, in terms of Identity card of the provider, quality of information, usability, interactivity and content of the sites.Practical implications – In recent years, the in...