BackgroundOver the decades, many assessment methods have been developed around the world and used for occupational health risk assessment (OHRA). This scoping review integrated the literature on methodological studies of OHRA in China and aimed to identifies the research hot-spots and methodological research perspectives on OHRA in China.MethodsA scoping review of literature was undertaken to explore the research progress on OHRA methods in China. Focusing on OHRA methods, the authors systematically searched Chinese and English databases and relevant guideline websites from the date of establishment to June 30, 2022. Databases included Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, the China National Knowledge Internet, WanFang Database. Some other websites were also searched to obtain gray literature. The extracted information included the author, year, region of first author, the target industry, risk assessment model, study type, the main results and conclusions.ResultsFinally, 145 of 9,081 studies were included in this review. There were 108 applied studies, 30 comparative studies and 7 optimization studies on OHRA in China. The OHRA methods studied included: (1) qualitative methods such as Romanian model, Australian model, International Council on Mining and Metals model, and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Essentials; (2) quantitative methods such as the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency inhalation risk assessment model, Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic, and Monte Carlo simulation; (3) semi-quantitative methods such as Singapore model, Fuzzy mathematical risk assessment model, Likelihood Exposure Consequence method and Occupational Hazard Risk Index assessment method; (4) comprehensive method (Chinese OHRA standard GBZ/T 298-2017). Each of the OHRA methods had its own strengths and limitations. In order to improve the applicability of OHRA methods, some of them have been optimized by researchers.ConclusionsThere is a wide range of OHRA methods studied in China, including applied, comparative, and optimization studies. Their applicability needs to be further tested through further application in different industries. Furthermore, quantitative comparative studies, optimization studies, and modeling studies are also needed.
Objective:This study aimed to examine the association between long working hours, occupational stress, depression, and well-being, and to explore the intermediary effect of occupational stress and well-being between working hours and depression among couriers in Zhejiang, China.Methods:The study used a cluster random sampling method to select 1,200 couriers from mainstream express companies in Zhejiang, China. The data were collected and analyzed using the Core Occupational Stress Scale (COSS) to measure occupational stress, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale to evaluate depression, and the World Health Organization five-item Well-Being Index (WHO-5) scale to assess well-being. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesized relationship among the variables.Results:The phenomenon of long working hours (75.1%) was quite common among couriers in Zhejiang, China. Working hours had a direct positive effect on depression (β = 0.008, p < 0.001) and on occupational stress (β = 0.009, p < 0.001), and working hours had a negative effect on well-being (β = −0.013, p < 0.001). Occupational stress had a direct positive effect on depression (β = 0.272, p < 0.001), but well-being had no significant direct effect on depression. Working hours had an indirect effect on depression through the mediating effect of occupational stress while the mediating effect of well-being was not found.Conclusion:Long working hours is associated with occupational stress, well-being, and depression. Our results confirmed that working hours, occupational stress, and well-being were strong predicators of depression. Working hours had a significant indirect effect on depression via occupational stress. The result of this study showed that decreasing working hours and reducing occupational stress would be effective for couriers to prevent depression. However, more studies are needed to verify the relationship between working hours and depression.
ObjectiveAs the second most common occupational disease in China, occupational poisoning is one of the major public health problems that seriously affect workers' health. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological and occupational characteristics of acute and chronic occupational poisoning cases in Zhejiang Province, so as to provide a scientific basis for proposing intervention measures and preventive strategies of occupational poisoning.MethodsThe data on occupational poisoning cases in Zhejiang Province from 2006 to 2020 was derived from the National Occupational Disease Network Direct Report System. A descriptive statistical analysis was employed on this data utilizing R software.ResultsFrom 2006 to 2020, 1,008 occupational poisoning cases were reported in Zhejiang Province, with a downward trend since 2007. Of these cases, 81.94% were chronic poisoning and 18.06% were acute poisoning. Ningbo reported the most occupational poisoning cases among the 11 cities in Zhejiang Province, accounting for 20.34% of the total cases. Besides, the occupational poisoning cases in Wenzhou, Jiaxing, and Shaoxing also accounted for 18.15%, 18.06%, and 17.76% of the total number of cases, respectively. Occupational poisoning in male were 693 cases and in female 315 cases. Most of the occupational poisoning cases studied involved people aged between 40 and 49 years (38.19%). The length of work in chronic occupational poisoning cases was significantly higher than that of acute occupational poisoning cases (P < 0.05). Benzene and lead and its compounds (excluding tetraethyl lead) were the major toxicants causing occupational poisoning. More than 60% of occupational poisoning cases were reported in private enterprises. Meanwhile, over 90% of the cases were distributed in medium enterprises and small enterprises. The type of industry with the most occupational poisoning cases was the manufacturing industry.ConclusionAlthough the cases of occupational poisoning in Zhejiang Province have declined, more comprehensive and effective prevention and control measures are still needed. More attention ought to be paid to the management of key points according to the epidemiological and occupational characteristics of occupational poisoning cases.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological characteristics of occupational noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) among manufacturing workers, and to provide evidence for diagnosing and preventing occupational hearing loss caused by complex noise, which is different from Gaussian noise in temporal structure.Methods: One thousand and fifty manufacturing workers exposed to occupational noise were recruited in a cross-sectional survey. Exposure characteristics and epidemiological distribution of hearing loss and noise exposure metrics (noise energy and kurtosis) were investigated, and the relationship between noise exposure and hearing loss was analyzed. The effects of kurtosis on hearing threshold shift across different frequencies and on NIHL development with exposure duration and noise intensity were also investigated.Results: Each type of work had specific noise exposure metrics. Noise intensity and kurtosis were independent parameters (r = −0.004, p = 0.885). The prevalence of NIHL and the hearing threshold level had a specific distribution in different types of work. Kurtosis deepened the hearing notch at high frequencies and accelerated the formation of early hearing loss. The effect of exposure duration and noise intensity on the prevalence of high-frequency NIHL (i.e., at 3, 4, 6, and 8 kHz) for manufacturing workers increased with kurtosis in workers with noise exposure duration of less than 10 years and with LAeq.8h between 80 and 90 dB(A). Male (OR = 1.557, 95%CI = 1.141–2.124), age (OR = 1.033, 95%CI = 1.014–1.052), exposure duration (OR = 1.072, 95%CI = 1.038–1.107), kurtosis (OR = 1.002, 95%CI = 1.001–1.003), and noise intensity (LAeq.8h; OR = 1.064, 95%CI = 1.044–1.084) were risk factors for high-frequency NIHL. The speech-frequency NIHL (i.e., at 0.5, 1, and 2 kHz) risk of workers exposed to manufacturing noise was related to age (OR = 1.071, 95%CI = 1.043–1.100). There were no statistically significant associations between speech-frequency NIHL and sex, noise exposure duration, kurtosis, and noise intensity (LAeq.8h).Conclusion: The high-frequency NIHL prevalence among manufacturing workers is associated with sex, age, exposure duration, noise intensity, and temporal structure of noise, while the speech-frequency NIHL prevalence is associated with age. Kurtosis strengthens the association of noise exposure duration and noise intensity with high-frequency hearing loss. The influence of noise temporal structure should be considered in the diagnosis and early prevention of occupational hearing loss caused by complex noise.
Objective To analyze factors influencing the underestimation of noise-induced permanent threshold shift (NIPTS) among manufacturing workers, providing baseline data for revising noise exposure standard. Design A cross-sectional study was designed with 2702 noise-exposed workers from 35 enterprises from 10 industries. Personal noise exposure level(LAeq,8h) and noise kurtosis level were determined by a noise dosimeter. Questionnaires and hearing loss tests were performed for each subject. The predicted NIPTS was calculated using the ISO 1999:2013 model for each participant, and the actual measured NIPTS was corrected for age and sex. The factors influencing the underestimation of NIPTS were investigated. Results The predicted NIPTS at each test frequency (0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 6kHz) and mean NIPTS at 2, 3, 4, and 6kHz (NIPTS2346) using the ISO 1999:2013 model were significantly lower than their corresponding measured NIPTS, respectively (P<0.001). The ISO model significantly underestimated the NIPTS2346 by 12.36 dB HL. The multiple linear regression analysis showed that noise exposure level, exposure duration, age, and kurtosis could affect the degree of underestimation of NIPTS2346. The generalized additive model (GAM) with (penalized) spline components showed nonlinear relationships between critical factors (age, exposure duration, noise level, and kurtosis) and the underestimated NIPTS2346.The underestimated NIPTS2346 decreased with an increase in exposure duration (especially over ten years). There was no apparent trend in the underestimated NIPTS2346 with age. The underestimated NIPTS2346 decreased with the increased noise level [especially >90 dB(A)]. The underestimated NIPTS2346 increased with an increase in noise kurtosis after adjusting for the noise exposure level and exposure duration and ultimately exhibiting a linear regression relationship. Conclusions The ISO 1999 predicting model significantly underestimated the noise-induced hearing loss among manufacturing workers. The degree of underestimation became more significant at the noise exposure condition of fewer than ten years, less than 90 dB(A) and higher kurtosis level. It is necessary to apply kurtosis to adjust the underestimation of hearing loss and consider the applying condition of noise energy metrics when using the ISO predicting model.
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