Background: The to date evidence for a dose-response relationship between physical workload and the development of lumbar disc diseases is limited. We therefore investigated the possible etiologic relevance of cumulative occupational lumbar load to lumbar disc diseases in a multi-center case-control study.

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The data suggest a considerably higher risk of low back pain for nurses than for the reference population of clerks. Results, however, differ markedly when specific pain symptoms are considered. With respect to lumbago-sciatica and sciatica - which have to be regarded as indicators for possible disc herniation - the study group's relative risk is the most elevated (2.88 for point prevalence of lumbago-sciatica/sciatica). Adjusting the results for several confounders and covariates leads to still higher estimations of nurses' relative risk.

According to the guidance of the German Federal Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs, hairdressers should get a possibility for targeted occupational-medical health examinations.

The results revealed that double gloving leads to a significant reduction in the quantity of blood transferred during needlestick injury.

The needle length (between 12 mm and 4.5 mm) did not have a meaningful influence on the amount of leakage; however, significant differences with different needle lengths could be observed.

Healthcare workers (HCW) are at risk for infections with blood-borne pathogens - especially hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) - resulting from occupational blood-exposure trough injuries with sharp instruments and needle sticks. Results of a study on the epidemiology of needle stick injuries (NSI) among HCW in two German hospitals indicate that 500,000 NSI occur annually in Germany. Most of these injuries occur during disposal of used syringes and "recapping". Administration of the post-exposure prophylaxis is recommended for HCW who are occupationally exposed to HBV (vaccine/immunoglobulin) and HIV (antiretroviral drugs) i.e. the immediately reporting of blood exposure is very important. Comprehensive programmes to prevent NSI - e.g. avoiding of recapping, use of disposal containers, surgical gloves and in particular safety devices - minimize a high cost of NSI due to the administration of PEP, developing of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver cancer.

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