Browsing: Journal articles - occupational medicine research

Insufficient sleep can have immediate and long-term impacts on injury rates, and quickly identifying and treating sleep difficulties in workers can reduce incidents both within workplaces and during commutes, researchers have found.

A strong workplace psychosocial safety climate can reduce the psychological demands on migrant and refugee workers, who are at high risk of abuse and harassment in workplaces, leading Australian safety researchers say.

Burnout is commonly associated with cognitive or mental employment demands, but it also affects those with high physical workloads, and can be exacerbated by certain kinds of off-the-job physical activities, researchers have found.

Scheduled nap breaks for night shift workers can improve alertness and safety when they're most likely to be fatigued, but the strategy has mixed results for melatonin regulation.

A major study of nearly 30,000 workers has found the often severe psychological distress from the risk of contracting COVID-19, either on the job or while commuting, is associated with "worry, rather than facts" and can be reduced by workplace measures.

Workplace concussions, including seemingly mild head injuries, can involve drawn out recovery times for workers, according to US researchers, who recommend mental health screening to identify risk factors for complications.

An experimental screening tool aimed at identifying workers suffering from burnout, based on the World Health Organisation's revised definition of the syndrome, has identified a range of risk factors aside from excessive work hours.

Coinciding with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the pilot of a major psychosocial safety climate program, delivered by Comcare and leading WHS experts, has shown how a pro-psychological health agenda can work quickly to protect staff.

A study on the rapid, widespread adoption of workplace mask requirements for the COVID-19 pandemic has identified the need for "urgent action" to protect workers affected by hearing loss from "devastating" communication problems.

Minimising "boundaryless working hours" allows employees to recover and remain healthy, according to a study of nearly 9,000 workers that provides pertinent advice for COVID-19-driven flexible and remote work arrangements.