Med Lav
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There are few studies in the Italian literature on musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) among health care workers (HCW) keeping and holding awkward postures during their job. ⋯ The index of prevalence of MSD associated to work-related awkward postures (71%) is very high, greater than that observed among HCW exposed to manual lifting of weights (21%) in the hospital. Thereafter, assessment of exposure and containment of such occupational risk must be considered useful.
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Italian Law 81/08 (so-called "Unified Text of Laws on Health and Safety at Work"), came into force on 15 May 2008 and incorporates provisions related to medical surveillance of drug and alcohol dependency at the workplace. ⋯ The recently introduced Italian legislation on occupational safety and health closely resembles Finnish law since it consists of a "double channel" for workplace drug testing. At recruitment, the employer is entitled to ask a job applicant for a certificate of "Job fitness", including drug tests, that can be issued only by a public health institution, where the job applicant works on a well-defined set of tasks which require accuracy, trustworthiness, independent judgement or a very good reaction capacity. The employer may also refer the employee to the public health institution to obtain a certificate in the course of an employment contract when there is a legitimate suspicion that the employee is working while under the effects of drugs or alcohol or that the employee is a drug addict. After recruitment, the physician responsible for medical surveillance of workers (the so-called "Competent Physician") is entitled to perform drug tests on employees. The need for a test is decided by the health care professional, not by the employer, and only a general report on the health of the employee ("fit", fit with restrictions" or "unfit") may be given to the employer. Workers positive for drug tests will be referred to a public health institution for re-testing and treatment.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
[Working and health conditions and preventive measures in a random sample of 5000 workers in the Veneto Region examined by telephone interview].
A survey was carried out in 2000 by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions in a random sample of workers from 15 countries of the European Union in order to obtain information on occupational exposure, health problems and preventive measures taken at the workplaces. ⋯ Data from the present survey provide useful insights on working and health conditions of workers in the Veneto Region, revealing problems that were subsequently investigated using other sources of information, as reported in the studies published elsewhere in this volume.
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Headache is reported as one of the most frequent causes of lost work time and reduced work efficiency. ⋯ Data regarding the prevalence of migraine were similar to the results reported in other studies. The vast majority of the individuals reported no absenteeism over the previous three months. The study confirmed that we should continue to manage the presumed job-related trigger factors in the best possible manner, counselling should be made available to health care workers during the periodic health examinations or upon request, and if needed, the patient should be sent to a neurology specialist for a free examination and appropriate pharmacological treatment.
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In 2005, 52% of workers in the Veneto Region reported one or more sick leave spells in the previous 12 months, compared with 16% reported in the European Survey on Working Condition in 2000 (ESWC), although health conditions were better in the Veneto Region than in the ESWC. ⋯ The choice of measurements influences the results; duration of absence could be used to detect areas of suspected work-related diseases, while cumulative incidence might be more helpful to detect areas of suspected absenteeism/presenteeism.