American journal of industrial medicine
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Injuries due to high-pressure injections are frequently underestimated occupational accidents, which may have disabling outcomes. ⋯ Prompt surgical intervention with debridement and decompression was done in two workers, who healed completely. The ten patients who were not treated immediately eventually experienced a high rate of disability and five of them also suffered amputation.
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Contact with electrical current is the fourth leading cause of deaths of construction workers. This study evaluates electrical deaths and injuries to construction workers. ⋯ Adoption of a lockout/tagout standard for construction, and training for non-electrical workers in basic electrical safety would reduce the risk of electrical deaths and injuries in construction. Further research is needed on ways to prevent electrical deaths and injuries while working "live".
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Hexavalent chromium is widely recognized to be a lung carcinogen. However, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has failed to reduce the permissible exposure limit (PEL), despite having acknowledged in 1994 that the current limit is too high. In 1993, Public Citizen and the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE) petitioned to lower the PEL from the current 100 microg/m(3) to 0.5 microg/m(3) as an 8-hr time-weighted average (TWA). ⋯ U.S. workers continue to be exposed to dangerously high hexavalent chromium levels, but low exposure levels were found in some industries. Further investigations should examine whether state plans provide weaker enforcement than federal OSHA.
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Since 1993, several outbreaks of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) have been reported in metalworkers. We report the largest outbreak of HP in metalworkers yet known. It occurred in a Connecticut factory that produces precision parts for the aerospace industry. The workers typically presented with systemic and respiratory problems ("sick fatigue," myalgias, cough, dyspnea, wheezing, and chest tightness). They had variable findings on clinical tests, which complicated diagnosis. An HP diagnostic index was developed to help reduce the uncertainties in case identification. ⋯ The HP diagnostic index relies less heavily on symptoms, subjective evaluations, and invasive tests than the Kenosha criteria, but both identified similar subsets of the 61 patients as having HP. The HP diagnostic index could provide a useful tool in future HP outbreaks, which are increasingly being recognized in metalworking facilities.