Journal of occupational medicine. : official publication of the Industrial Medical Association
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A growing number of workers in the United States are employed in small businesses. This study describes the experiences of small work sites in implementing policies restricting smoking. In the fall of 1987, we surveyed by telephone 216 work sites employing 120 or fewer persons. ⋯ Seventy-three percent of work sites without a smoking policy said they would be very likely to implement a policy if it were required by law; 42% of work sites with a policy reported offering smoking cessation assistance to their employees. Overall satisfaction and compliance with the smoking policy was high among work sites with a policy. The findings of this study have key implications for other small businesses considering implementing a smoking policy.
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Work-related electrical injuries and fatalities in Virginia were reviewed for the period 1977 to 1985. Of 196 workers electrocuted (0.9/100,000/year), 65% (127) died between May and September. Death rates were highest for male workers in utility companies (10.0/100,000), mining (5.9/100,000), and construction industries (3.9/100,000), but these high risk groups accounted for only 50% of the deaths. ⋯ Only 1.5% (2/101) of the workers who died within 6 hours of injury and had blood alcohol concentration tested were legally intoxicated. All workers need safety education on active measures to prevent hazardous electrical exposures, not just those at high risk for electrical injury. Every work-related electrical injury represents a sentinel health event--an opportunity for preventive intervention in the workplace.