| 1. |
- Pacheco-Zenteno, Felipe, et al.
(författare)
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The Prevention of Occupational Heat Stress in Sugarcane Workers in Nicaragua-An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.
- 2021
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Ingår i: Frontiers in public health. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-2565. ; 9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Chronic kidney disease of non-traditional origin (CKDnt) is an ongoing epidemic that has taken the lives of tens of thousands of people in Mesoamerica, also affecting other tropical geographies. Occupational heat stress, which will increase worldwide as climate change persists, has been identified as a primary trigger of kidney injury and reduced renal function. At Nicaragua's largest sugarcane mill, the water, rest, and shade (WRS) intervention has proven to reduce the risk of heat stress and kidney injury effectively as assessed by the research and policy NGO La Isla Network (LIN) and their academic partners, who have worked with the sugar mill to improve the design of their intervention system. However, discrepancies between intervention design and implementation have been found. This study explores the perceptions of the WRS intervention in the company from the perspective of positions responsible for the workers' environment and heat stress prevention implementation. Methods: A qualitative design was used in the study. Twenty-one key informants of low and middle management, field assistants, and two members from LIN took part in the study. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. Interviews' transcriptions were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Results: Four main themes were developed in the analysis of the data: "A worthwhile struggle," "Culture of care", "Traditional production culture Vs. Culture of care," and "The importance of the formalization of care." Each theme contained sub-themes, all of which were further discussed in the light of organizational psychology. Conclusion and Implications: Discretionary differences resulting in low and middle management prioritizing production over health protection appeared to relate to a fair part of the implementation challenges and indicate that more efforts are needed to align operations' production and health goals. Education enhancement might be necessary, while further focus on health metrics for performance assessment might offer an opportunity to level perceived incentives and value of health and production.
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| 2. |
- Thomée, Sara, 1965, et al.
(författare)
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Cognition and mental wellbeing after electrical accidents: a survey and a clinical study among Swedish male electricians
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0340-0131 .- 1432-1246. ; 93:6, s. 683-96
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2020, The Author(s). Purpose: The purpose was to examine long-term consequences of exposure to electrical current passing through the body. We investigated (1) whether electricians after having experienced an electrical accident report more cognitive problems and lower mental wellbeing and (2) have objectively verifiable reduced cognitive function; and (3) which circumstances at the time of the accident affect long-term subjective cognitive function and mental wellbeing? Methods: A survey of male electricians who had experienced electrical accidents (n = 510) and a clinical study in a subsample (n = 23) who reported residual health problems was carried out. Both groups were examined regarding subjective cognitive function (Euroquest-9) and mental wellbeing (Symptom Checklist-90 subscales). The clinical study included neuropsychological tests of memory, attention, spatial function, and premorbid intellectual capacity. A matched control group was retrieved from reference data. Results: The survey participants reported more cognitive problems and lower mental wellbeing than referents. Of the examined circumstances, having experienced mortal fear at the time of the accident and health complaints, especially mental symptoms, for > 1week after the accident were the most significant risk factors for later subjective cognitive problems and lower mental wellbeing. The only statistically significant difference in neuropsychological tests was better performance in part of the memory tests by the clinical study group compared to the control group. Conclusions: The participants reported more cognitive problems and lower mental wellbeing than referents, but no long-term objective cognitive dysfunction was detected. Emotional response at the time of the accident and health complaints in the aftermath of the accident may constitute important indications for medical and psychological follow-ups.
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| 3. |
- Thomée, Sara, 1965, et al.
(författare)
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Life-changing or trivial: Electricians' views about electrical accidents
- 2018
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Ingår i: Work. - 1051-9815. ; 60:4, s. 573-585
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2018 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved. BACKGROUND: It is well known that electrical accidents can cause physical injury. Less well known is that long-term consequences may include emotional and cognitive problems. OBJECTIVE: To explore electricians' experiences and perceptions of work-related electrical accidents, with focus on psychological short- and long-term consequences, including how contacts with health care services and the workplace were perceived. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews with 23 Swedish male electricians, aged 25-68, who had experienced at least one electrical accident and reported residual sensory, musculoskeletal, cognitive or emotional symptoms. Data was analyzed by means of qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Immediate emotional reactions included surprise, confusion, fear, anxiety, and anger; also long-term consequences were seen. Experiencing a no-let-go situation was particularly stressful. The cause of the accident, and questions about guilt and blame were central in the aftermath. Lack of knowledge and routine among health care professionals concerning electrical injury was reported, as well as lack of medical and psychological follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: For some informants, the accident had been a life-changing event, while for others it was an event of little importance. Adequate handling at the workplace, and from health care personnel, including follow-up, could facilitate rehabilitation and return to work.
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| 4. |
- Ek, Åsa, et al.
(författare)
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Perceived workplace safety culture among Swedish electricians
- 2015
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Ingår i: [Host publication title missing].
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Accidents and injuries caused by electricity are work environment risks for electricians. About a 100 cases are reported annually to the Swedish Work Environment Authority. The safety culture at the electricians’ workplaces can affect the successfulness of safety management and the prevention of injuries. This paper presents preliminary questionnaire and interview findings on the perceived workplace safety culture of 523 male electricians who have experienced an electrical injury or accident. The results show a general need for increased safety awareness and motivation for safe work performance on different organisational levels. They also show a need for increased visibility of the management at the workplaces, increased commitment to safety, improved communication with the staff, and the need for increased reporting of incidents and experience feedback in order to achieve well-functioning learning for safety. The preliminary findings offer us a better understanding of the driving forces and barriers to efficient safety management and to safety culture improvements in this industry sector.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Juter, Kristina, et al.
(författare)
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Sommarskolan i Klagenfurt
- 2003
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Ingår i: Nämnaren. - 0348-2723. ; 30:4, s. 57-59
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 8. |
- Magnusson, Gunilla, 1968, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of screening procedures for congenital cataracts.
- 2003
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Ingår i: Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992). - : Wiley. - 0803-5253 .- 1651-2227. ; 92:12, s. 1468-73
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of two different Swedish screening procedures for early detection of congenital cataracts in comparison with no screening. METHODS: Children born between January 1992 and December 1998 in Swedish regions with an established eye-screening routine procedure, diagnosed with congenital cataract, and operated on before 1 y of age, were included in a retrospective study. Age at referral and age at time of the operation were compared between regions using different screening procedures: screening in the maternity wards (Region 1), at the well-baby clinics (Region 2) and one region without any screening (Region 3). RESULTS: Seventy-two children were included in the study. Concerning early diagnosis and surgery, Region 1 differed significantly from Regions 2 and 3, which were more similar and were combined for further analysis. The difference in detected cases was greatest at 21 d of age (55% vs 18%; p < 0.001), but persisted even at 100 d of age (78% vs 64%; p < 0.02). Region 1 screening resulted in more and earlier cases detected than the other two regions (22 vs 15 per 100,000 births). In 72% of all cases, surgery was performed in response to referrals from either the maternity wards (36%), or the well-baby clinics (36%). However, half of the cases from the well-baby clinics were detected too late, i.e. at > 100 d. CONCLUSION: Eye screening in the maternity ward is preferable to well-baby clinic screening and to no screening at all, since it leads to early detection. Screening should also be performed routinely at well-baby clinics within the period when successful treatment is possible.
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| 9. |
- Segerstedt, Eugenia
(författare)
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Small town, big move : Constructions of place in transiting mining communities
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The dissertation accounts for construction of place in mining communities as they undergo a major urban transformation. In the 2010s, urban centres in the northern Sweden mining communities of Gällivare and Kiruna entered a new execution phase of a large-scale transformation precipitated by ground subsidence caused by mining activities, a transformation that continues. The ambition to make the transition socially sustainable and contribute to more attractive communities resulted in research projects focused on these aspects.The aim of this dissertation is to describe and analyse how place is constructed in established mining communities in transition through the following research questions: How is place constructed in dialogues on social sustainability and attractiveness? How do people of different age groups, professions and gender construct place in established mining communities in transition? What are the possibilities and limitations of different research methods in relation to including residents’ perspectives in the transformation process? The overall theoretical standpoint of this dissertation is that place is socially constructed: place is made by people discussing and describing it, by discourses that are produced, reproduced and challenged in social groups beyond individual standpoints. Residents’ thoughts and ideas about place are an important part of what the communities are, were and will become, along with their reflexive relationship with their place of residence and thoughts on their own and other peoples’ future in the respective communities (See Lefebvre, 1991, Halegua, 2020). By reflexive relationship with place I am referring to actions where residents consider risk, think about their future, define what makes their life more meaningful and reflect upon changes in their environment; local community is one of the levels of these thoughts, attitudes and feelings.Five studies were conducted to investigate construction of place in the transiting mining communities of Kiruna and Gällivare using mixed methods: participatory action research in Living Labs, statistical logistics regression analysis, GIS 3D visualisation. This included an analytical review of research on established mining communities, a 3D visualisation of social issues in Gällivare, an analysis of Living Labs with residents of Gällivare and Kiruna as well as a group of commuters to Gällivare, a comparative study of three co-creative processes in Kiruna and a statistical analysis of construction of place in Kiruna over time.The results show that residents, while participating in dialogues on social sustainability and attractiveness, construct the transient communities through contradictory storylines. Bearing themes in construction of place were aggregated through the storylines that residents constructed and reproduced, expressed different attitudes towards and referenced. The established storylines with a long history, such as model community, a town constructed as a new establishment planned to be modern and inclusive; nature and the town, the theme of beautiful natural surroundings valued by residents and visitors, including the mountains, forest, rivers and lakes; big city elsewhere, a big city used in the construction of Kiruna and Gällivare to show what those places are not, as a counterpoint; the secure small town, the storyline of knowing “everyone”, spontaneously meeting, helping each other, were all used to re-establish the sense of stability and reframe the new environment by connecting it to the construction of the communities’ past. The storyline, the conditionally inclusive town, was used to question the character of and conditions for inclusion in the local interconnected context. The storylines of hope of a more inclusive and sustainable future and broken promises of a faster transformation, resulting in bigger changes, were used to process the change to imagined futures of place.There were certain patterns in how people of different age groups, professions and gender construct place in transiting communities. The main difference in the way men and women constructed Gällivare, according to 3D visualisation analysis, was that women were less content than men with the built environment, following similar geographical patterns. Construction of Kiruna as a place to live (or leave) over time has shown that while blue-collar workers were less prone than white-collar workers to consider leaving in 2011, there were no significant differences between social classes in 2016 in that regard. Generational patterns were similar - the younger the respondent, the more prone he or she is to consider leaving - but the gap between the youngest respondents and all other respondents has grown. The effect of social bonds that inhibit the will to move went from insignificant to visible for men and from significant to stronger for women. The hope of a transformed Kiruna, so ubiquitous in 2011, was much less pronounced in 2016.Different research methods had different potential in terms of the potential to understand construction of place and were thus included in the planning process: the statistical method gave representative patterns of factors behind whether residents consider leaving and how the patterns changed over time, but this method was limited in its ability to generate an understanding of the contextual meaning of those patterns, Living Labs provided the opportunity to see how place is constructed in dialogues but was limited in its ability to generate an understanding of preferences and individual standpoints, 3D visualisation provided spatial patterns beyond statistics and means for discussion and communication of those patterns with a broad variety of actors but had limited potential for their interpretation.
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