Presumed Exposure to Chemical Pollutants and Experienced Health Impacts among Warehouse Workers at Logistics Companies: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

During intercontinental shipping, freight containers and other closed transport devices are applied. These closed spaces can be polluted with various harmful chemicals that may accumulate in poorly ventilated environments. The major pollutants are residues of pesticides used for fumigation as well as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released from the goods. While handling cargos at logistics companies, workers can be exposed to these pollutants, frequently without adequate occupational health and safety precautions. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among potentially exposed warehouse workers and office workers as controls at Hungarian logistics companies (1) to investigate the health effects of chemical pollutants occurring in closed spaces of transportation and storage and (2) to collect information about the knowledge of and attitude toward workplace chemical exposures as well as the occupational health and safety precautions applied. Pre-existing medical conditions did not show any significant difference between the working groups. Numbness or heaviness in the arms and legs (AOR = 3.99; 95% CI = 1.72–9.26) and dry cough (AOR = 2.32; 95% CI = 1.09–4.93) were significantly associated with working in closed environments of transportation and storage, while forgetfulness (AOR = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.18–0.87), sleep disturbances (AOR = 0.36; 95% CI = 0.17–0.78), and tiredness after waking up (AOR = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.20–0.79) were significantly associated with employment in office. Warehouse workers who completed specific workplace health and safety training had more detailed knowledge related to this workplace chemical issue (AOR = 8.18; 95% CI = 3.47–19.27), and they were significantly more likely to use certain preventive measures. Warehouse workers involved in handling cargos at logistics companies may be exposed to different chemical pollutants, and the related health risks remain unknown if the presence of these chemicals is not recognized. Applied occupational health and safety measures at logistics companies are not adequate enough to manage this chemical safety issue, which warrants awareness raising and the introduction of effective preventive strategies to protect workers’ health at logistics companies.

Neuropsychological symptoms in workers handling cargo from shipping containers and export logs

“…However, a recent study of neuropsychological symptoms in 165 logistic transport workers who were involved in transportation and storage of goods, but not necessarily entered containers, did not confirm this. It found that, compared to an external reference group, workers were significantly less likely to report ‘forgetfulness’; they were also less likely to report ‘difficulty in concentrating’, although this did not reach statistical significance (Lovas et al 2021 ). However, the exposed and reference group in this study differed strongly in gender distribution (92.6% males in the exposed group compared to 20.6% in the unexposed group), and although this was adjusted for, some residual confounding cannot be excluded.…”

Opportunities for the Development of Safety and Health Protection Systems in the Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs) Sector

“…Several studies addressed to the second research issue were found, as indicated in pie diagram 2 (Figure 6). The number of literature that discusses the development of systems for security protection related to the first research question was 31%, which resulted in the expansion of security protocols for equipment in the telecommunications industry [23], security improvement regression in social scope [7], and the development of OHS enforcement [18,24,25]. Furthermore, it was found that 31% of the literature review discussed the findings on the addition of safety aspects, 19% on the opinion growth on the implications of implementing OHS and Macro Ergonomic Analysis Design (MEAD), 12% on the reduction of product defects, 5% on the implications for software design, and 2% on performance improvements.…”

Association between presenteeism and mental health among logistic center workers

“…The industry controls the overall process of delivering products to consumers at distribution centers and warehouses. 2 Labor in logistics center is always pressed for time to collect and pack products ordered. In addition, it is a high-intensity manual labor environment in which various musculoskeletal hazards exist.…”