Workers With Paid Sick Days Healthier, More Productive: Study

HealthDay – 1 min 41 secs ago WEDNESDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Employees with paid sick leave are healthier than other workers who do not have this benefit, new study findings suggest.

According to the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, workers with paid sick leave are 28 percent less likely to suffer nonfatal work-related injuries.

In addition, the researchers noted that those with jobs in high-risk industries, such as construction, manufacturing and health care, who often suffer from pain, sprains, fractures and chronic injuries, gain the most from this benefit.

"This study highlights how our work lives and our personal health are intertwined," the institute's director, Dr. John Howard, said in a CDC news release. "This concept of total worker health, which involves creating an environment of well-being both at home and at work, is an important aspect of the American economy, as we depend on able and productive workers."

In conducting the study, the researchers examined national survey data collected between 2005 and 2008 on 38,000 workers in the private sector. The investigators found that health care workers and technicians who did not have paid sick leave were 18 percent more likely to suffer a nonfatal work-related injury than their peers with similar jobs who did have access to paid sick leave.

The study also found that construction workers without paid sick leave were 21 percent more likely to sustain a nonfatal work-related injury than construction workers who did have this benefit.

If sick or stressed workers are not able to take time off from work, they may be at greater risk for injuries, the study authors warned. Previous studies have reported that sleep deprivation, fatigue and certain medications may contribute to nonfatal workplace injuries, they added.

"Many workers may feel pressured to work while they are sick, out of fear of losing their income," the study's lead researcher, Abay Asfaw, said in the news release. "If fewer people work while they are sick, this could lead to safer operations and fewer injuries in the workplace."

The study authors also pointed out that their findings support previous research that found that access to paid sick leave is associated with shorter recovery times and fewer complications from minor health problems. In addition, paid sick leave for workers could reduce the risk of spreading illnesses, particularly in day-care facilities and schools, the researchers noted.

In the United States, employers have the option to provide their workers with paid sick leave, but it's not required. The 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act mandates public- and private-sector companies to provide up to 12 weeks of leave to eligible workers, but it doesn't have to be paid leave, the authors explained in the release. In 2010, only 40 million private-sector employees in the United States had access to paid sick leave.

More research is needed to better understand how paid sick leave could benefit communities and prevent the spread of disease, the study authors concluded.

The study was released online in advance of print publication in the American Journal of Public Health.

More information

The U.S. Department of Labor has more about sick leave.

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Sex workers denied US visa hold their own AIDS conference

"A project coordinator (C) educates HIV-positive patients and affected family members in Bangalore on July 20. Hundreds of sex workers from around the world who said they were denied visas to attend an international AIDS conference in the United States began their own meeting in Kolkata on Saturday in protest" title

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China study finds mine workers at higher risk of cancer, heart disease

Reuters – 40 mins ago HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese workers who are exposed to silica dust in mines, and pottery and gemstone factories suffer not only from respiratory illnesses, but are at higher risk of contracting heart and infectious diseases and cancer, researchers in China have found.

Silica is a compound found in sand and rock. When rocks are drilled or broken, fine silica dust particles are produced that lodge deep in the lungs and can lead to scarring, severe respiratory problems and death.

Researchers monitoring the health of 74,040 mine and pottery workers over an average of 33 years found that they suffered a far higher risk of contracting a range of diseases compared with people who were not exposed.

"In addition to a higher risk of respiratory disease, we see a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease in exposed workers. This is a new discovery," said Professor Weihong Chen at the School of Public Health, Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, Hubei province.

"Before we were mostly concerned about respiratory diseases ... as to whether it raises the risk of cancer, we can give a definite answer: We see a heightened risk of lung cancer in workers exposed to silica."

Compared with people operating in cleaner environments, workers exposed to silica were nearly seven times more likely to contract infectious diseases, nearly five times more susceptible to respiratory tuberculosis and nearly twice as vulnerable to cardiovascular disease, Chen and colleagues said in a paper published this week in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Medicine.

Exposed workers who have spent at least a year in either metal mines or pottery factories were found to be nearly twice as susceptible to cancers of the nose and throat.

More than 23 million workers in China and more than 10 million in India are exposed to silica dust. This occupational health hazard is also present in the developed world, with 1.7 million people in the United States and 3 million in Europe similarly exposed.

According to the World Health Organisation, more than 24,000 workers in China die each year from silicosis - a disease caused by silica penetrating deep into the lungs, causing inflammation and scarring. Many victims die relatively young, in their mid-40s, according to social workers.

Medical research has also estimated that one in two former gold miners has silicosis in South Africa, where gold mines employed as many as 500,000 people in the 1980s.

Chen said she hoped the study would help lead to work place interventions.

"We recommend that worksites control levels of such pollutants; it's a public health problem. Through changes in the work environment, we can reduce the risk of disease and (early) death," she said. "Factories can use stronger ventilators, and more effective masks for workers will reduce silica exposure."

The full paper is available at: http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1001206

(Editing by Chris Lewis)

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Many Call Center Workers Plagued by Voice Woes

HealthDay – 30 mins ago WEDNESDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- Voice problems affect one in four call center workers, a new study finds.

Researchers surveyed nearly 600 workers at 14 call centers in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and found that 25 percent had problems such as voice loss, sore throats and breathlessness.

The study also found that call center workers receive regular, comprehensive job training, but few of those training programs deal with voice issues.

The findings were released April 16, which is World Voice Day.

"The voice is a primary work tool for one in three jobs in the U.K., not only in call centers, but also in broadcast journalism, teaching, government, IT, telesales, retailing, marketing, customer care, the hospitality sector and more," study leader Diane Hazlett, head of the School of Communication at the University of Ulster in the United Kingdom, said in a university news release. "Not helping workers look after their voices is an increasingly serious business risk."

Hazlett urged employers to take steps to address voice issues.

"Policies on voice care should exist in all call center environments, and should be reviewed regularly," Hazlett said. "Going forward, there needs to be an emphasis on the prevention of voice problems within the industry -- to maintain optimal vocal health. Employers in this sector need to show they better recognize just how important the voice is to having a healthy, well-supported workforce and a thriving business."

She noted that new call center workers -- especially women -- are most at risk as they adjust to the heavy vocal demands of the job.

Ways to reduce the risk of voice problems among call center workers include: information and training; regular breaks; and keeping the throat lubricated.

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders has more about taking care of your voice.

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Asbestos workers at risk from heart disease

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