Occupational medicine
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Occupational medicine · Oct 2016
Post-traumatic stress among rescue workers after terror attacks in Norway.
On 22 July 2011, Norway was struck by two terror attacks. Seventy-seven people were killed, and many injured. Rescue workers from five occupational groups and unaffiliated volunteers faced death and despair to assist victims. ⋯ In the aftermath of a terror attack, professional rescue workers appear to be largely protected from post-traumatic stress reactions, while unaffiliated volunteers seem to be at higher risk.
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Track incidents including near misses and those causing injury or death are a psychological hazard for train operators. No study has directly investigated how train operators are affected depending on track incident outcome and few studies have investigated the impact of near misses. ⋯ SA in train operators following a track incident increases in line with the severity of the incident in terms of outcome. Fatal track incidents caused the highest level of SA followed by significant injury incidents. Near misses also caused substantial levels of SA.
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The risk of falls and injuries in horseracing varies with sex and experience of the jockey. ⋯ The economic costs of jockey injuries sustained in race-day falls are considerable. Identification of differences in incidence and costs of insurance claims between jockey characteristics will assist decision makers in the development and assessment of targeted safety strategies.
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Accompanied consultations are often reported as difficult by occupational physicians but have not been studied in the occupational health setting. ⋯ Accompanied consultations are likely to be more challenging in terms of the reason for referral, the presenting medical problems, the complexity of the case and the duration of the consultation. However, the companion is more likely to be of benefit than cause difficulty. Occupational health practitioners may benefit from better understanding of accompanied consultations and guidance on their management.
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Occupational medicine · Apr 2016
Cause-specific mortality in Finnish ferrochromium and stainless steel production workers.
Although stainless steel has been produced for more than a hundred years, exposure-related mortality data for production workers are limited. ⋯ Working in the Finnish ferrochromium and stainless steel industry appears not to be associated with increased mortality.