Professional Status of Persistent Spinal Pain Syndrome Patients after Spinal Surgery (PSPS-T2): What Really Matters? A Prospective Study Introducing the Concept of “Adapted Professional Activity” Inferred from Clinical, Psychological and Social Influence

Persistent Spinal Pain Syndrome Type 2 (PSPS-T2) represents a main cause of work disruption. Beyond its societal consequences, occupational inactivity is responsible for a major decrease in physical/mental health in individuals but remains poorly analyzed. We designed a study to prospectively examine Professional Status (PS) evolution and its association with key bio-psychological markers. Data from 151 consecutively included working-age PSPS-T2 patients were analyzed to determine the proportion of professional inactivity and the relationships between PS and Social Gradient of Health (SGH), Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), EuroQol 5-Dimensional 5-Level (EQ-5D-5L), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Fear-Avoidance Belief Questionnaire work subscale (FABQ-W). Despite optimized medical management, 73.5% of PSPS-T2 patients remained inactive after 1 year of follow-up/p = 0.18. Inactive patients presented a low SGH/p = 0.002, higher NPRS/p = 0.048, lower EQ-5D-5L/p < 0.001, higher ODI/p = 0.018, higher HADS-D/p = 0.019 and higher FABQ-W/p < 0.001. No significant mediation effect of FABQ-W on SGH consequences regarding PS was observed in our structural model/p = 0.057. The link between unemployment and bio-psycho-social pain dimensions appears bidirectional and justifies intense collaboration with social workers. Optimizing therapeutical sequencing towards personalized professional plans implies restoring “Adapted Physical Function” as an initial goal, and tailoring an “Adapted Professional Activity”, matching with patient expectations and capabilities, as a final objective.

Women, Gender equality and COVID-19

Purpose This paper aims to review the existing literature on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender and work roles to determine whether the pandemic has undermined the status, pay and advancement of women or has provided opportunities for reducing gender inequality. Design/methodology/approach The author reviewed the literature on the effects of COVID-19 and past pandemics on gender equality, focusing on job loss, the effects of being in essential occupations on health and well-being, the increased domestic responsibilities of women and men due to closure of schools and other social services and the effects of telecommuting on gender roles. Findings The pandemic has generally created challenges for women’s advancement. More women than men have lost their jobs; more women than men are in essential jobs that expose them to infection and psychological stress, and women have had more work disruption than men have had because of increases in childcare and other responsibilities. On the other hand, telecommuting has increased men’s amount of childcare, and this does have the potential to increase men’s childcare responsibilities in the long term, thereby reducing the gender gap in domestic responsibilities and increasing gender equality. Research limitations/implications The COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing and the research on the pandemic’s effects are new and ongoing. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first scholarly review of the literature on the potential effects of COVID-19 on the gender gap in pay and advancement.

DEALING WITH WEATHER-RELATED CLAIMS IN CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS: A NEW APPROACH

Project execution is often delayed by extreme and unforeseen weather conditions. This is because extreme weather usually causes work disruption, waste of resources, significant project delays and, eventually, financial losses for both the contractor and the project owner. Construction contracts generally include weather-related clauses addressing when, and to what extent, the responsibilities and consequences of adverse weather are to be shared or compensated. However, setting clear and objective limits for abnormal weather is problematic, starting with the lack of agreement about which weather conditions can be considered as "normal" or "average”. Research on the influence of weather on construction productivity is scarce and underdeveloped. Therefore, practitioners cannot count on sound methods to mediate in and evaluate weather-related contract disputes. In these situations, claims are likely to arise and escalate. A stochastic model for objectively evaluating the weather influence during the execution stage is proposed. This model allows actual weather to be compared to historical data in a way that provides an objective assessment of the extent to which the adverse weather was (or not) exceptional. A case study of a fictional project is used to show its implementation. This is the first tool of its kind to address this concern with a straightforward, holistic and quantitative approach.

APPLICATION OF HIRA AND SPAR-H METHOD TO CONTROL WORK ACCIDENT

APPLICATION OF HIRA AND SPAR-H METHOD TO CONTROLWORK ACCIDENTCINDY BEAUTY SIJABAT* DAN SUNDAY NOYAIndustrial Engineering Study Program, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas Ma ChungVilla Puncak Tidar N-01, Malang, East Java 65151E-mail: [email protected] kecelakaan di industri merupakan salah satu penyebab gangguan atau penghentian kegiatanindustri. Kecelakaan kerja adalah sesuatu yang harus dihindari karena akan mengakibatkan kerugian bagiperusahaan. PT “X” adalah industri tembakau yang memiliki tingkat kecelakaan kerja cukup tinggi, olehkarena itu diperlukan tindakan untuk menghindari atau meminimalkan terjadinya kecelakaan. HazardIdentification and Risk Analysis (HIRA) adalah metode yang bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi semuajenis bahaya yang terkandung dalam kegiatan kerja. Sedangkan metode Standardized Plant AnalysisRisk Human Reliability Assessment (SPAR-H) adalah sebuah metode yang bertujuan untuk mengetahuikemungkinan terjadinya kesalahan manusia ketika melakukan aktivitas kerja. Dari penelitian yang telahdilakukan, disimpulkan bahwa terjadinya kecelakaan di tempat kerja PT “X” disebabkan oleh adanyakondisi lingkungan dan tindakan pekerja yang tidak aman serta ketidaksesuaian dengan undang-undangK3. PT “X” perlu melakukan beberapa tindakan korektif sehingga kecelakaan dapat diminimalkan. Dalamstudi tersebut, PT “X” perlu membuat perbaikan melalui tindakan administrasi dan penggunaan peralatanperlindungan.Kata kunci: kecelakaan kerja, HIRA, SPAR-HABSTRACTThe accident occurred in industry is one of the causes of work disruption or cessation. Work accidentshould be avoided because of causing risk for company. PT “X” is a tobacco company which has a high levelof work accident. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a particular effort in order to prevent and reduce theaccident. Hazard Identification and Risk Analysis (HIRA) is the method aims to identify any risk typesincluded in the work operation. Where as Standardized Plant Analysis Risk Human Reliability Assessment(SPAR-H) is the method aims to find out the possibility of human error occurrence in the work operations.Based on the research conducted, it can be concluded that the accident occurred in PT. “X” is caused byenvironmental condition and insecure workers’ action, and inappropriateness with HSE procedures. PT“X” should enroll some corrective actions so the accident can be reduced. In this study, PT “X” should createimprovement through administrative action and the use of safety equipment.Key words: work accident, HIRA, SPAR-H

Flood-Related Work Disruption and Poor Health Outcomes Among University Students

IntroductionGlobally, floods are the most common and among the most devastating of natural disasters. Natural disasters such as floods impact local businesses, increasing local unemployment by up to 8.2%. Previous research has linked individual losses from disasters with symptoms such as posttraumatic stress disorder. However, little is known about the impact of work disruption and job loss on post-disaster psychological symptoms. University students, who are often living far away from family support structures and have limited resources, may be particularly vulnerable. This study examines student psychological health following a large flood at a university.HypothesisStudents who experienced flood-related job loss or disruption had a higher proportion of psychological symptoms than those who did not experience job loss or disruption, controlling for individual loss such as injury, home loss or evacuation.MethodsOn June 8, 2008, a major flood affected seven US Midwestern states. A total of two dozen people were killed and 148 injured, although no deaths or serious injuries were reported in the population used for this study. At the study university, operations were closed for one week, and 20 buildings were severely damaged. A cross-sectional survey of all students enrolled during the semester of the flood was conducted. Students were sent an online survey six weeks after the flood. In addition to questions about damage to their homes, the survey asked students if their work was disrupted because of the floods. Symptoms of PTSD were measured through the modified Child PTSD Symptom Scale.ResultsOf the 1,231 responding students with complete surveys, 667 (54.2%) reported that their work was disrupted due to the floods. Controlling for gender, ethnicity, grade, and damage to the student's home, students reporting work disruption were more than four times more likely to report PTSD symptoms (95% CI, 2.5-8.2). Work disruption was independently associated with decreases in general mental and physical health following the floods, as well as with increases in alcohol use.ConclusionDisaster research has focused on damage to individuals and homes, but there has been little focus on work losses. Individuals who lose their jobs may be a vulnerable population post-disaster.Peek-AsaC, RamirezM, YoungT, CaoY. Flood-related work disruption and poor health outcomes among university students. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012;27(6):1-6.