To determine if the type of work performed should be considered in research on shift work and cardiovascular disease, we compared the heart rates, total number of steps walked, and blood pressures of 12 shift workers on the same rotating 3-shift schedule in a pulp and paper mill. Six workers were selected from the paper manufacturing section (group 1) and six workers from the chemical products section (group 2). Average heart rate (in beats per min) monitored during duty time was 84.3 in group 1 and 87.4 in group 2. Average heart rate during work was not significantly higher than that during rest in both groups 1 (work 85.8, rest 75.3) and 2 (work 87.9, rest 83.1). There was no significant difference in the total number of steps walked. A non-significant decrease in systolic blood pressure value was found in group 1 compared with that in group 2. Although future studies will be needed to explain the relation between different work styles and their effects on the health of shift workers, our results suggest no significant difference in heart rates among workers engaged in different kinds of work on the same shift work schedule.
The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of waterproof covering on finger skin temperature (FST) and hand pain during immersion test for diagnosing hand-arm vibration syndrome complying with the proposal of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO/ CD14835-1, 2001) for measurement procedure. Six healthy male subjects took part in the immersion tests and immersed their both hands into water at 12°C for 5 min, repeatedly with two types of waterproof covering (polyethylene and natural rubber gloves) or without hand covering (bare hands) during immersion. The FST data from middle fingers and subjective pain scores for hand pain were analyzed. Statistically significant differences in FST among three conditions were observed showing the highest FST with natural rubber gloves, followed by the FST with polyethylene gloves and the lowest with bare hands. Significant differences in pain score among three conditions were observed during immersion showing the lowest pain score with natural rubber gloves, followed by the pain score with polyethylene gloves and the highest with bare hands. Immersion test with polyethylene gloves instead of bare hands during immersion seems to be suitable for reducing subject suffering.
The improvement of occupational health conditions in Small-and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs ) is the most crucial issue in occupational health in Japan today. Improvement will depend on how occupational health services are provided to SMEs. Recently, Occupational Health Service Centers (OHSCs) providing occupational health services for SMEs have become more firmly established and expectations for further improvement in quality and quantity are high. In this way it is hoped that the challenges of providing "occupational health for all" can be met.
In Japan, members of the workforce undergo a general health examination (GHE) in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) law and related regulations. Because of a marked increase in the number of workers with health risk factors related to lifestyle, the focus of the GHE is gradually shifting to prevention of lifestyle-related diseases 1) . Under the 1996 amendments to the OSH law and regulations, an employer is required to obtain a physician's opinion regarding the GHE results, act to improve occupational health standards on the basis of GHE results, to provide an occupational health nurse and health care support related to GHE results, and to report GHE results to all workers individually. The sooner these measures are implemented after the examination, the more effectively worker health is promoted. Self-care is the most important healthpromoting behavior because of its simplicity, immediacy and effectiveness. The practical benefits of the GHE depend upon how well the results are acted upon. The occupational health system in Japan requires employers to make practical use of the GHE results.In a previous study, we found a relation in workers between negative attitudes toward the reports on GHE results and the need for medical treatment 2) . But it is unclear whether workers' attitudes toward the GHE results are associated with their ongoing health status. In the present study, we investigated whether attitudes toward the GHE report influenced the examination results one year later and also investigated workers' self-reported lifestyle changes in response to the report. For the purpose of this study, we chose to focus on body mass index (BMI) because several reports indicate that obesity is one of the most important occupational health problems in Japan [3][4][5] . In this study, blood pressure (BP) was also analyzed.
Subjects and MethodsThe study was conducted in a pulp and paper factory located in the western part of Japan, where more than 1,100 workers were engaged in paper-making and related occupations. All study subjects and the president of the factory provided informed consent for participation in the study.In the GHE held in the spring of 2002, questionnaires about individuals' responses to the reported GHE-2001 results were distributed to 1,108 workers (1,006 men, 102 women). Two questions were asked: 1) Have you tried to improve your lifestyle with reference to your last GHE results? 2) If you modified your lifestyle, what aspects did you change? Question 2 allowed for more than one answer. The workers provided written answers to the questionnaire at the GHE-2002 and submitted them to the occupational health nurse at the factory. Of the 1,108 workers surveyed, 1,104 submitted valid responses (response rate: 99.6%). The number of women was small, so they were excluded from the study. Men whose GHE-2001 results were not available were also excluded (n=47) because GHE-2001 data were needed for analysis. Therefore, 955 male workers served as subjects of this study. Workers completed anot...
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