The objective of this study was to examine self-reported occupational health risks and health complaints of barbers and hairdressers. A total of 1284 individuals from 300 workplaces in Izmir participated in this study. The workers completed the questionnaires during their training in occupational health. Self-reported symptoms were allergy: 35% and musculoskeletal symptoms: 32%. The frequency o...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to describe outdoor workers' sun-protective practices, workplace sun-safety culture and sun-protective equipment provision; investigate the association of demographic, personal and occupational factors with sun-protective practices; and identify potential strategies for improving workers' sun protection. METHODS The present study used a clustered survey de...

The sun protection factor (SPF) of sunscreens is determined by a testing protocol that specifies a sunscreen application rate of 2 mg/cm(2) on the skin. Most people, for cosmetic and economic reasons, only apply enough sunscreen to achieve an SPF of about a third or even a quarter of the level stated on the product. To increase public awareness of the problem, manufacturers could be required to...

Fabric-based protective clothing is widely used for occupational safety of firefighters/industrial workers. The aim of this paper is to study thermal protective performance provided by fabric systems and to propose an effective model for predicting the thermal protective performance under various thermal exposures. Different fabric systems that are commonly used to manufacture thermal protectiv...

This study assessed the effects of nerve agent antidote (atropine/2-PAM chloride versus saline placebo) and heat-humidity (95 degrees F/60% RH versus 70 degrees F/30% RH) on repeated performance of militarily relevant psychological tasks while wearing the battle dress uniform (BDU) and while wearing chemical protective clothing (MOPP-IV). All BDU heat sessions (6 hours) were completed, but with...

The aim of this study is the methodology of optimal choice of firefighters to solve difficult rescue tasks. 27 firefighters were analyzed: aged from 22-50 years of age, and with 2-27 years of work experience. Body balance disturbance tolerance skills (BBDTS) measured by the 'Rotational Test' (RT) and time of transition (back and forth) on a 4 meter beam located 3 meters above the ground, was th...

The suitability of the IREQ (insulation required) index for predicting the thermal responses of 6 participants wearing chemical protective clothing was tested during exercise at -20 and -25 degrees C. IREQ was used to calculate duration limited exposure (DLE). Measured DLE correlated (r =0.899, p <0.001) with the predicted DLE. In exposures exceeding 40 min, however, the predicted DLE tended to...

The purpose of this study is to investigate workers' responses to work in hot-humid conditions while wearing protective clothing commonly used by the asbestos removal industry, and to evaluate the effects of resting between work bouts in a cool environment on the physiological strain. Seven male students wearing impermeable protective clothing and air masks were exposed to the following conditi...

Little is known on how vitamin D status is affected by adherence to UVB-limiting sun exposure guidelines. Our aim was to investigate the relationship between adherence to the Danish sun exposure guidelines and vitamin D status. In total, 3194 Danes (2625 adults, 569 children) were recruited among the general population, and more than 92% had blood samples taken both autumn and spring. Using lin...