Effects of occupational stress on the physical and psychological health of women in a microelectronics plant

Bender, and J. A. HolL Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 63, 67-71. This paper discusses characteristics of occupational traumatic deaths, caused by helicopters, during 1980-1985. Death certificate data are used to describe demographic characteristics and causes of death. Information from National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigations is used to describe pilot experience and environmental circumstances surrounding the incident. During 1980-1985, 374 worker deaths involving helicopters were identified in the National Traumatic Occupational Fatality (NTOF) database. The majority of deaths resulted from trauma to body organs (including the brain). According to NTSB investigations, 59% of crashes in this study were attributed to pilot error, compared to 16.5% from mechanical failure of the helicopter. Thirty percent of deaths were related to military use of helicopters. While death due to occupational exposure to helicopters is not common, some workers (e.g., helicopter pilots) appear to be at especially high risk. This group should be studied further to develop better strategies for their protection. Accidents of Elderly Drivers and Intersection Traffic Control Devices. N. Stamatiadis, W. C. Taylor, and F. X. McKelvey. Journal of Advanced Transportation, 24(2), 99-112. The research reported in this paper examined the relationship between accidents of elderly drivers and intersection traffic control devices. The analysis was performed using the induced exposure method, where the exposure to an accident is defined as the probability of being the driver not cited for the accident occurrence. The results indicate that the accident involvement of elderly drivers is higher than that of the other drivers under certain circumstances. To reduce these rates, modifications in the licensing procedures and training programs are suggested. Industrial Safety E f f e c t s o f O c c u p a t i o n a l Stress on the P h y s i c a l and P s y c h o l o g i c a l Health of

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Women in a Microelectronics Plant. E. J. Bromet, M. A. Dew, D. K. Parkinson, S. Cohen, and J. E. Schwartz. Social Science Medicine, 34(12), 1377-1383. Physical and psychological effects of occupational stress were examined in a sample of 552 female blue collar employees of a microelectronics facility. After controlling for demographic and biological risk factors, nonwork life events, and solvent exposure, jobrelated conflict was associated with depressive symptomatology, severe headaches, lightheadedness, weakness/fatigue, rashes, and presence of multiple symptoms. Job demands were only associated with multiple symptoms. Solvent exposure did not interact with either of the job stress measures synergistically to increase symptom reports. Although the main effects of social support, when present, were in the direction of reducing symptomatology, the interactive effects of social support and stress on health were inconsistent and dependent on the source of support. Employment after Spinal Cord Injury. J. S. Krause. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 73(2), 163-169. The purpose of this study was to compare preinjury and post-injury employment rates in a diverse sample of persons with spinal cord injuries. Several employment variables were compared in individuals grouped into cohorts based on injury level, chronologic age, age at injury, time since injury, and years of education. The study sample (N = 286) was highly educated (~- = 14.2 years of education) and was an average of 18.6 years post-injury. Forty-eight percent of the participants were working at the time of the study, and 75% had worked at some time since injury. Only 12% of the persons who were employed at the time of the injury returned to the same job after injury. Several noteworthy findings among the groups were: (1) participants with paraplegia were more likely than those with quadriplegia to return to their preinjury jobs; (2) employment rates were dramatically lower in the 51to-60-year group; (3) more than 85% of persons in the cohorts who were at least 21 years post-injury had worked at some time since

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