RESUMEN
This study evaluated the effectiveness of a participatory training program for mitigating the risk of slips, trips, and falls (STFs) in agriculture. We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial of corn farmers over six months in Thailand. The participatory training intervention comprised lectures, group discussions, and presentation sessions centered around a specifically developed action checklist for occupational fall prevention. Sixty-two individuals were included in the intervention group, with 169 included in the control group. The results revealed a reduction in the incidence of STFs in the intervention group from 42% to 23%; however, this difference was not statistically significant. The study highlights the potential of participatory training for enhancing occupational safety for farmers. However, the absence of statistical significance necessitates cautious interpretation of the results. Future research should examine larger sample sizes, involve employers in the training process, and implement repetitive training interventions.
Asunto(s)
Accidentes por Caídas , Agricultores , Zea mays , Humanos , Tailandia , Accidentes por Caídas/prevención & control , Agricultores/educación , Agricultores/psicología , Masculino , Femenino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Adulto , Accidentes de Trabajo/prevención & control , Evaluación de Programas y Proyectos de Salud , Salud Laboral/educaciónRESUMEN
Disruptive technological change plays a major role in the development of not only the global economy and traditional business operations but also in occupational health and work safety. Many countries, including Thailand, use digital technology to improve the quality of life of their citizens. This paper aims to describe digitization in Thailand and the digitalization of occupational health and safety in Thailand. We also provide a case study in which the Internet of Things (IoT) was applied to forklift management to improve occupational health and safety and productivity outcomes.
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Salud Laboral , Tailandia , Calidad de VidaRESUMEN
Slips, trips, and falls (STFs) represent a main source of injury among farm workers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between farm operations and STFs among corn farm workers. We conducted a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire among corn farm workers in Nan and Saraburi provinces, Thailand from July 5 to 23, 2022. Poisson regression analysis was used. Among 338 participants, 122 (36.1%) had experienced an STF in the previous 6 months. Conducting very frequent, frequent, or occasional pest management was associated with a higher incidence rate ratio (IRR) of STFs than never or rarely pest management (adjusted IRR 1.93, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.23 to 3.04, p=0.004). People with marginal or unsatisfactory work break lengths had a higher incidence rate of STFs than those with satisfactory work breaks (adjusted IRR 1.40, 95% CI=1.03 to 1.89, p=0.030). We found that corn farm workers in our study often experienced STFs, which was associated with a high frequency of pest management practices and inadequate work breaks. Reducing the physical burden of pest management may be effective as an STF prevention strategy.
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Accidentes de Trabajo , Zea mays , Humanos , Accidentes de Trabajo/prevención & control , Agricultores , Granjas , Tailandia/epidemiología , Estudios TransversalesRESUMEN
As the workforce ages, the incidence of occupational falls is increasing. However, risk factors for occupational falls in farm workers have not been evaluated in detail. The current study sought to identify the risk factors for occupational falls among middle-aged and elderly farm workers in Thailand. We conducted a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire among 419 farm workers aged ≥40 years in Nan province, Thailand. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine the factors associated with occupational falls. Occupational falls were experienced by 25.5% of participants. Men had 2.22 times higher odds of occupational falls than women (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.19-4.13). Participants aged ≥60 years were less likely to experience occupational falls compared with those aged 40-49 years (odds ratio [OR]: 0.44; 95% CI: 0.20-0.96). Fruit growers were 2.72 times more likely to experience occupational falls than rice growers (95% CI: 1.33-5.55). Individuals with body mass index ≥30 kg/m2 and over were 3.05 times more likely to experience occupational falls than those with body mass index <25 kg/m2 (95% CI: 1.11-8.40). The sex- and age-related trends in fall risk may indicate that elderly individuals and women in agriculture tend to be assigned lighter duties through work accommodation. To prevent falls during agricultural work, it is necessary to pay attention to farm-specific tasks and work environments, such as working at a height in fruit cultivation, as well as instability of walking caused by obesity.
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Agricultura , Agricultores , Anciano , Estudios Transversales , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Factores de Riesgo , Tailandia/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: Declining physical capacity caused by aging increases the risk of occupational falls on the same level and to lower levels. In emerging countries in Asia, the development of a program for older farmers to assess their risk of occupational falls is valuable. The current study aimed to evaluate the relationship between physical capacity and experience of occupational falls among middle-aged and older Thai farmers. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 419 Thai farmers aged 40 years and over during March and April, 2021. For the assessment of physical capacity, we used the Self-Check Risk Assessment of Falls and Other Accidents in the Workplace tool developed in Japan, consisting of five physical test components. Multiple logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curves were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The results revealed that 25.5% of participants had experienced occupational falls in the past 12 months. For each of the five physical test components, there was no significant association between physical capacity and experience of occupational falls. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was less than 0.60 for each of the five physical test components. A similar trend was observed when the analysis was limited to participants aged 50 years and over. CONCLUSIONS: The current study did not reveal any associations between physical capacity in each test and experience of occupational falls among middle-aged and older Thai farmers. Because the mechanisms underlying occupational falls are complex, multiple intervention approaches may be important for preventing accidents.
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Accidentes por Caídas , Agricultores , Rendimiento Físico Funcional , Autoevaluación (Psicología) , Prevención de Accidentes , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Estudios Transversales , Femenino , Humanos , Modelos Logísticos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , TailandiaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the combination of extension of the encoding time and repetition of a test trial would improve the visual recognition memory performance in older adults. METHODS: We evaluated visual memory performance in young and older adults on a Yes-No recognition memory test under four different conditions. The conditions consisted of combinations of encoding times of two and four seconds (E2 and E4) and first and second retrieval practice test trials (T1 and T2): E2T1, E2T2, E4T1 and E4T2. Performance was evaluated by measuring hit rates, false alarm rates, discrimination ability and response bias. RESULTS: Older adults showed better improvement of hit rate and discrimination ability under the E4T2 conditions whereas young adults showed better memory performance under the E2T2 conditions. CONCLUSIONS: A longer encoding time and repetition of the test was effective in improving the visual memory performance in terms of the hit rates and discrimination ability of older adults. The results suggest that this strategy should be useful in providing a suitable work environment for older workers.
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Reconocimiento en Psicología , Memoria Implícita/fisiología , Percepción Visual/fisiología , Anciano , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Factores de Tiempo , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
In the workplace, localized muscle fatigue can be a limiting factor for prolonged static work. It is important to study the etiology of fatigue in the muscle to prevent discomfort and potential muscle injury. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of sustained trunk flexion and loading on the erector spinae muscles (ESM) fatigue using electromyography (EMG) and muscle oxygenation (Mox) changes. Twelve healthy male volunteers, aged between 19 and 28 years (mean age 23 +/- 2.6), participated in this study. The subjects held a load (5, 10 and 15 kg) and no load in their hands whilst sustaining trunk flexion at 60 degrees and also in an upright standing posture for 30 seconds. Five minutes rest was given between the conditions, and each condition was randomly repeated three times. Surface EMG and near-infrared spectroscopy were recorded. Root mean square and median frequency (MF) of EMG, and Mox were calculated. The results showed a greater decrease in Mox with an increase in loads over time (P = 0.015). Using unloaded trunk flexion as a control to ascertain load effect resulted in a significant difference in Mox in the unloaded condition and in the 15 kg condition (P = 0.027). EMG results showed a significant decrease in the MF over time in trunk flexion while holding a load (P < 0.001). These results show objectively that trunk flexion while holding loads causes ESM fatigue.