Surveillance of occupational skin disease using the Supplementary Data System

Agricultural Farm-Related Injuries in Bangladesh and Convenient Design of Working Hand Tools

Injuries during cultivation of land are the significant causes of recession for an agricultural country like Bangladesh. Thousands of tools are used in agricultural farm having much probability of getting injury at their workplaces. For the injury prevention, proper hand tool designs need to be recommended with ergonomic evaluations. This paper represents the main causes of agricultural injuries among the Bangladeshi farmers. Effective interventions had been discussed in this paper to reduce the rate of injury. This study was carried out in the Panchagarh district of Bangladesh. Data on 434 agricultural injuries were collected and recorded. About 67% injuries of all incidents were due to hand tools, and the remaining 33% were due to machinery or other sources. Though most of the injuries were not serious, about 22% injuries were greater than or equal to AIS 2 (Abbreviated Injury Scale). The practical implication of this study is to design ergonomically fit agricultural hand tools for Bangladeshi farmers in order to avoid their injuries.

Skin symptoms and work-related skin symptoms among grape farmers in Crete, Greece

BACKGROUND

Grape farmers are exposed to a variety of agents capable of inducing occupational skin disease. We conducted a study to measure the prevalence of skin symptoms and work-related skin symptoms among grape farmers in the Malevisi region of Crete and to provide data on associated risk factors.

METHODS

One hundred twenty grape farmers and 100 controls participated in the study. The protocol consisted of a questionnaire, skin prick tests for 16 common allergens, and measurement of specific IgE antibodies against 8 allergens.

RESULTS

Self-reported itchy rash (OR, 2.31; 95%CI, 1.10-4.84, P<0.05) within the last 12 months, and work-related itchy rash (OR, 4.08; 95%CI, 1.01-20.33, P<0.05) were significantly higher in grape farmers than in controls, after adjusting for age and sex. Sensitization to pollens (OR, 4.20; 95% CI, 1.41-12.82, P<0.01) and allergic rhinitis (OR, 3.06; 95% CI, 1.21-8.28, P<0.05) were found to be significantly associated with self-reported itchy rash in the grape farmers group.

CONCLUSIONS

Grape farmers reported skin symptoms more frequently than non-exposed controls, and IgE-mediated sensitization to pollens was found to be significantly associated with the reported symptoms. Further studies are needed to evaluate the impact of specific occupational agents on skin diseases among grape farmers.

Farm-related dermatoses in Iowa male farmers and wives of farmers: a cross-sectional analysis of the Iowa Farm Family Health and Hazard Surveillance Project

Agricultural workers are exposed to a variety of hazards that increase their risk for dermatitis. Nevertheless, the prevalence, patterns, and risk factors for dermatitis have not been well characterized among farmers in the United States. We assessed the prevalence and risk factors for dermatitis among 382 male farmers and 256 wives of farmers in Iowa using a cross-sectional study design. From 1992 to 1994, we collected data on potential risk factors and dermatitis. The results showed that 9.6% of male farmers and 14.4% of wives of farmers reported dermatitis during the previous 12-month period. In multivariable models, a history of allergy (odds ratio [OR], 8.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.0 to 33.3) was strongly associated with dermatitis among male farmers. Among wives of farmers, some college education (OR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.1 to 9.9) and exposure to petroleum products (OR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.3 to 7.0) were associated with dermatitis. These results can be used to form preventive efforts in controlling farmwork-related exposures.

Occupational skin diseases in Washington State, 1989 through 1993: using workers' compensation data to identify cutaneous hazards

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to characterize occupational dermatoses and cutaneous hazards.

METHODS

Workers' compensation claims filed for skin disease in the Washington State Fund were analyzed for 1989 through 1993; incidence rates for industries and employers were calculated, and cutaneous hazards associated with the highest rates were identified.

RESULTS

A total of 7445 claims were filed for skin disorders, principally contact dermatitis; 675 (9.1%) involved more than 3 missed work-days. The rate of accepted skin disorder claims was 1.0 per 1000 full-time employee-years. The highest incidence rates (4.6 to 30.7 accepted claims per 1000 full-time employee-years) were in certain manufacturing industries (plastics related, concrete products, aircraft parts, sporting goods, and boat building), wholesale farm product raw materials, automotive glass replacement, and beauty shops. Seven of the 10 employers with the highest incidence rates (19.6 to 85.5 accepted claims per 1000 full-time employee-years) used fiber-reinforced plastics (composites) and exposed workers to epoxy and other resin systems associated with contact dermatitis.

CONCLUSIONS

Workers' compensation data identify known and emerging workplace cutaneous hazards and show promise for targeting prevention efforts.

Dermatitis in Ecuadorean farm workers

Using a cross-sectional survey of potato farm workers in northern Ecuador, we examined the relationship between pesticide exposure and skin disorders. From a farm population census, all pesticide applicators and 1/2 of exposed field workers were selected. Controls were age-matched from urban occupations. Individual exposure measures included overall years and current hours working with pesticides. Farm-level measures included numbers of applications over the last 6 months and an application practices score (range 0-4). Each participant underwent a clinical skin examination, with patch tests to maneb on a sample of dermatitis cases. Exposure-related increases in conjunctivitis (7% of applicators, 0% in other groups), dermatitis (68% of exposed and 55% of applicators versus 31% of controls, p < 0.001) and pigmentation disorders (25% of exposed and applicators vs 10% controls, p = 0.06) were found. Among dermatitis cases (n = 117), 5% were positive to maneb on patch testing. In logistic regression analysis, significant predictors (p < 0.1) of dermatitis included years using fungicides (OR = 1.12 per year) and poor application practices (OR = 1.42 per score unit). Agricultural fungicide application in high-exposure situations can contribute to dermatitis prevalence among farm populations.

Occupational injuries and illnesses among Washington State agricultural workers

In Washington state 29,451 workers' compensation claims were filed by farm workers between 1982 and 1986. Five percent of claimants were under 18 years of age, including 1.3% under the age of 16. Agricultural workers were found to be at higher risk than other workers in the state for fatal injury (relative risk [RR] = 2.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.7-3.7), sprains and strains (RR = 1.4, CI = 1.3-1.4), fractures (RR = 2.3, CI = 2.2-2.4), dislocations (RR = 1.9, CI = 1.7-2.2), concussions (RR = 1.9, CI = 1.6-2.3), amputations (RR = 2.5, CI = 2.0-3.1), dermatitis (RR = 4.3, CI = 4.0-4.7), systemic poisoning (RR = 3.4, CI = 3.1-3.7), respiratory disease (RR = 1.7, CI = 1.0-2.9), and tendonitis (RR = 1.2, CI = 1.1-1.4).

Surveillance of occupational skin diseases: a method utilizing workers' compensation claims

In order to determine the feasibility of using workers' compensation claims (WCC) for surveillance of occupational skin diseases, we reviewed all WCC received in the state of Ohio from 1980 through 1984. A total of 4,214 WCC for occupational skin diseases were filed by 2,610 Ohio companies, of which 1,656 (63%) companies were classified in Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) categories with average annual WCC rates above the overall state average for skin diseases. During the five year study period, 102 companies filed six or more WCC, of which 85 (83.3%) companies were classified in SICs with above-average WCC rates. WCC from 65 (63.7%) of these 102 companies implicated either the same occupation or causal agent in 50% or more of WCC received from each respective company. Using SIC classifications with WCC rates above the state average and six or more filed WCC as measures of risk, there was good correlation between company risk ranking by SIC categorization and number of WCC filed. This study suggests that active intervention strategies to prevent occupational skin diseases can be based on primary identification of companies filing WCC, followed by secondary identification of high-risk occupations or causal agent exposures within these companies.

Distribution of lost-work-time claims for skin disease in California agriculture: 1978-1983

In order to identify California agricultural workers at high risk for occupational skin disease, we evaluated the distribution of 2,722 claims for lost-work-time skin conditions reported between 1978 and 1983 by Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) and source of illness. In the overall work force, cases were most frequently attributed to plants (52.1%), chemical exposures (20.4%), and food products (12.5%), but considerable variation occurred in the distribution of cases among the subdivisions of agriculture. The forestry subdivisions (SICs 081, 082, 084, and 085) had the highest rate (given as cases/10,000 employed) of claims for skin disease attributed to plants (53.5), but no cases due to other exposures. For chemical exposures, the highest rate of claims occurred in the horticultural specialities (SIC 018) subdivision (5.1), but this group also had a significant claims rate for plant-related skin disease (15.9). The highest claims rate for cases attributed to food products occurred in the vegetables/melons subdivision (4.7), but this group had claims rates for exposure to plants (3.8) and chemicals (2.8) that were nearly as high. Efforts to evaluate and prevent skin disease in agricultural workers should recognize the complex range of exposures to which this work force is subject.