CIRM, Rome, and the Norwegian Centre of Telemedicine
Funding
Objective of the project
The aim of this project is to promote the introduction of suitable telemedical equipment on board of ships without a physician to improve medical care of ill/injured seafarers
Project outcome(s) and deadline(s) for completion of the project
The preliminary concept includes
Ascertaining the number and suitability of telemedical equipment (e.g. ECG by semiautomatic defibrillators, X-rays and photos) by considering ship-specific hazards (frequently injuries and diseases) (by 2006)
Reinforcing international standardisation, harmonisation and co-operation (by 2006)
Testing medical devices and the quality of transmitting telemedical signals on board (by 2007)
Project completion: December 2007
Target group and/or beneficiaries
Seafarers, health staff in departments of health/labour institutions, ship owners, insurance agencies, trade unions of seafarers
Summary of the project
Seafaring jobs belong to the most dangerous occupations due to the large number of traumatic work-related accidents. In case of accidents and diseases at sea, professional medical help is mostly not available. Therefore, telemedicine is an extremely useful new technology providing shipboard medical assistance.
A pilot study involving the following steps has been started: Further development of medical equipment, suitability and applicability tests, especially in simulated emergencies and diseases, e.g. cardiac and skin diseases, injuries. A further step will be an appropriate, intensive education and training of ship officers.
Dissemination
Impact (global or regional)
Global
PROGRESS ON PROJECT
In 2006/2007, we continued our suitability tests by means of four different semi-automatic defibrillators with telemedical function for their use on merchant ships at sea. In this context, 40 ship officers performed a medical emergency training comprising the administration of an electric shock by defibrillators. Moreover, the telemedical transmission of a 1-canal ECG by these devices was simulated. Afterwards, the ship officers evaluated the devices. The revised German Regulation on Medical Care on Board of Seagoing Ships prescribes to have semi-automatic defibrillators with telemedical function available aboard merchant ships. A comprehensive information and presentation of our study on shipboard defibrillators is planned for November 2007.
List of outcomes already achieved by this project
List of additional outcomes expected from this project by 2012
2009-2012 Work Plan Number
GPA 5.27b
Formerly AA4:CE5c
GPA Objective
Objective 5: To protect and promote health at the workplace
Action: Workers’ health should be addressed in the sectoral policies for different branches of economic activity, in particular those with the highest health risk.
CC or NGO Name
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) (USA)
Project title
Road safety toolkits for organizations whose employees travel abroad within the PAHO region
Keywords
Occupational safety, road safety and security, employees working abroad, educational materials
Project leader
Email address
Stephanie Pratt (NIOSH)
sgp2@cdc.gov
Partners (of the CC Network)
Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA, Canada)
Other partners
Funding
NIOSH can provide start-up funding during 2007 and 2008
Objective of the project
The objective of the project is to develop a toolkit that provides information on road safety and security to employees working abroad in the Americas.
Project outcome(s) and deadline(s) for completion of the project
Develop a draft toolkit for stakeholder review (2007-2008)
Finalize products based on review (2008)
Adapt products for Internet access from NIOSH, PAHO, and stakeholder Web sites (2009)
All organizations with international operations in the Americas will benefit. Small and medium-sized firms with few resources to devote to worker safety do not provide employees who travel abroad with information on road safety and security, especially for those who travel to low- or middle-income nations. Even large organizations with comprehensive road safety programs for domestic employees may not adequately address this issue for employees who travel abroad.
Summary of the project
In collaboration with PAHO and other interested groups in the PAHO region, we propose to develop tool kits that could be used by businesses, governments, and NGOs to provide information on roadway safety and security for employees who travel abroad within the PAHO region. The toolkit will include information on traffic laws and penalties, personal safety while on the roadway, use of private and public transportation modes, and special safety and health concerns of business travelers. Products will be specific to each nation, and will be made available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and possibly French.
Dissemination
Products will be disseminated in printed form to trade associations, labor organizations, and individual mailing lists of organizations. They will also be made available via the Internet through NIOSH, PAHO, and other stakeholders’ Web sites.
Impact (global or regional)
Regional (PAHO region)
Progress on Project
Progress on project tasks is delayed due to investigator’s academic leave 2008-2010
List of outcomes already achieved by this project
Special session on occupational road safety at “Road Safety in the Americas” conference, Puerto Rico, December 2007
Session on occupational road safety in Latin America at International Conference on Road Safety at Work (Washington, DC, February 16-18, 2009)
Collaborated with PAHO to include question on availability of data on road traffic injury at work in data collection instrument for the Americas, Global Road Safety Status Report, 2008
List of additional outcomes expected from this project by 2012
Road Safety toolkit for travelers in the Americas
Project activities may be integrated with a Latin American regional meeting to be organized as a follow-on to the International Conference on Road Safety at Work
2009-2012 Work Plan Number
GPA5.28g
Formerly AA2:PM10
GPA Objective
GPA Objective 5: to incorporate workers’ health into other policies
Action 28: Aspects of workers’ health should be taken into account in primary, secondary and higher level education and vocational training.
CC or NGO Name
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Project title
Promoting Initiatives for Occupational Road Safety
Keywords
Global Road Safety, occupational health, road traffic injury
Project leader
Email address
Jane Hingston, JHingston@cdc.gov ; Stephanie Pratt spratt@cdc.gov
Partners (of the CC Network)
University of Illinois School of Public Health, Chicago, U.S.A., Chilean Institute of Public Health, Santiago, Chile
Other partners
USAID, National Safety Council, ORC Worldwide, World Bank
U.S. Department of Transportation – National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. Department of State, PAHO, WHO, Navistar, Abbott, Chevron, Laborers’ Health and Safety Fund of N. America, Intl Brother. Teamsters, AAA Foundation, Ford
Funding
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Objective of the project
The overall objective of this project is to collect, analyze and share best practices of prevention of road traffic injuries at work.
Project outcome(s) and deadline(s) for completion of the project
Electronic library of road safety information and “best practices”; a “best practices” white paper; a Global Occupational Road Safety Conference; a network of occupational road safety partners; and a NIOSH document on “international best practices”
Deadline: 2010, with continuation of database.
Target group and/or beneficiaries
Employers, workers, governments, associations
Summary of the project
Project will demonstrate the injury reduction and economic benefit of workplace initiatives to prevent road traffic injuries among workers globally, so that these approaches will be utilized more broadly. The project will promote inclusion of workplace initiatives that highlight problems and solutions for working people into existing World Bank/WHO international initiatives on global road safety. The project will develop an electronic library of road safety “best practices”; a “best practices” white paper; a Global Occupational Road Safety Conference; a network of occupational road safety partners; and a NIOSH document on “international best practices.”
Dissemination
Employers, workers, governments, labour and health ministers, international organizations
Impact (global or regional)
Global
Progress on Project as of
May 2007
The online library infrastructure is being created at
www.globalroadsafetyatwork.org. Collection of materials for online library has
begun and will continue throughout the life of the project. Project team
continues to make partners at international and domestic meetings.
List of outcomes already achieved by this project
International Conference on Road Safety at Work (Washington, DC, February 16-18, 2009, the first international conference dedicated to preventing occupational road traffic injuries, a leading cause of occupational fatalities worldwide
Organized by NIOSH, with co-sponsorship from World Health Organization, International Labour Organization, National Safety Council, World Bank, and U.S. Department of State
220 delegates from 44 countries representing business, academia, government, and labor
Sessions on research, policy, and practice, with special focus on emerging markets
Draft conference “white paper” available at: www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/twu/global
Conference included in UN Secretary General’s 2009 report on Improving Global Road Safety as a key road safety event
Wikipedia site on Global Road Safety for Workers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_road_safety_for_workers.
In collaboration with UN Road Safety Collaboration, Fleet Safety Project Group, planning is underway for regional occupational road safety meetings in West Africa and Southeast Asia/Australasia
Inclusion of fleet safety in 2008 UN General Assembly resolution on road safety, and in proposed resolution to be discussed in late 2009 or early 2010
Contributed US data on occupational road safety to Global Road Safety Status Report prepared by WHO with Bloomberg Foundation funding
List of additional outcomes expected from this project by 2012
Publication of revised “white paper” and conference proceedings as joint NIOSH/WHO document
Continued participation in UN Road Safety Collaboration and “Global Road Safety Roundtable” of US government agencies
Additional regional meetings in other parts of the world, possibly India and Latin America
Dissemination of conference outputs through international organizations, professional conferences, and other outlets
Sector C: Construction
2009-2012 Work Plan Number
GPA5.28b
Formerly AA4:TT3d
GPA Objective
GPA Objective 5: to incorporate workers’ health into other policies
Action 28: Aspects of workers’ health should be taken into account in primary, secondary and higher level education and vocational training.
CC or NGO Name
Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Lodz, Poland
Project title
Preventive programme designed to reduce musculoskeletal pain for construction workers and students of construction schools
Project is financed by the Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Lodz, Poland
Objective of the project
Preventive programme
Project outcome(s) and deadline(s) for completion of the project
To develop a programme that will be user-friendly (by 2008)
To develop training packages for the toolkit deliverable through e-learning and face-to-face (by 2009)
To integrate the toolkit in the provision of construction workers and students (beginning in 2009)
Target group and/or beneficiaries
Construction workers, students of construction schools
Summary of the project
The preventive programme for construction workers and students will help to reduce physical overload and prevalence of musculo-skeletal symptoms in these workers. A programme will consists of two main elements: theoretical training and a set of physical exercises.
The theoretical training comprises:
basic information on the anatomy of the musculo-skeletal system
ways to avoid static loads
use of professional and ad hoc means to simplify manual lifting and handling of weights
a set of simple physical exercises to be performed at home without the need to use special appliances. The set includes both relaxing and fitness exercises promotion of physical exercise during leisure time.
Dissemination
Worker and enterprise meetings and trainings, special lessons entitled Ergonomics in construction sector, papers in journals for occupational safety staff
Impact (global or regional)
Global
Progress on Project
The physical workload data using photo registration and stadiometer was collected. Now we are analyzing these data with NIOSH reviewed equation and REBA methods. The first CD version of Powerpoint presentation was prepared.
2009 ‘In-progress’ Activities
Carrying out research on physical load of construction workers (REBA analysis of workpostures, stadiometer – spine shrinkage measurements, back and hand muscles force measurements)
Consultations on training packages usability with occupational safety staff officers in construction sector
Collecting photo set with the most dangerous or harmfull workpostures and work situations (tools and machine usage) in construction sector it will be very usefull as a training tool.
List of outcomes already achieved by this project
2 lectures - workshops for construction sector managers and safety officers (physical workload in construction workers, REBA – good method for physical workload estimation) – about 200 trained persons
List of additional outcomes expected from this project by 2012
Next workshops for managers and safety officers on physical workload in construction, saving back and other elements of musculoskeletal system for about 250 persons
Final version of PowerPoint presentation for construction workers
Training sessions for construction workers for about 500 workers – practical testing of prepared presentation
Presentation of prepared programme and its effects in occupational safety press and by internet.