Accidents susceptibility

Descriptive or inferential data that provide information about incident occurrences. Accident Susceptibility... 

Research into individual differences in accident rate (accident proneness) has a long and complex history littered with mistaken conclusions from invalid methodology and poor experimentation - . It set out to discover whether there were stable differences in accident susceptibility when individuals were subjected to equal hazards (both in type and length of exposure). It was established very early in the research that both age and experience were correlated with differences in accident susceptibility (see Figure 13.8). The exact shape of the graphs will vary from job to job. 

Research on the relationship of other factors to accident susceptibility has produced few clear-cut results personality factors, intelligence coordination and attention skills and many other characteristics have been studied but the correlations produced have usually been low and have been specific to the job or task studied. 

Figure 2.7.6 shows the process of taking in information from the environment, processing it and taking actions. The general effects of the environment will be discussed in section 2.7.4.6. In section 2.7.4.2 we consider the question of individual differences in accident susceptibility because of the way an individual functions at each of these steps. 

A patient s resistance is cmcial in determining the outcome of a medicament-borne infection. Hospital patients are more exposed and susceptible to infection than those treated in the general community. Neonates, the elderly, diabetics and patients traumatized by surgeiy or accident m have impaired defence mechanisms. People suffering fiom leukaemia and those treated with immunosuppressants are most vulnerable to infection there is a strong case for providing all medicines in a sterile form for these patients. 

Several large accidents have been caused by flammable vapors being sucked into the intake of air compressors subsequent compression resulted in autoignition. A compressor is particularly susceptible to autoignition if it has a fouled after-cooler. Safeguards must be included in the process design to prevent undesirable fires that can result from adiabatic compression. 

Compared to people in a noncontaminated area, plasma IgG levels were also significantly decreased in proportion to increasing plasma levels of TCDD in a cohort exposed in an industrial accident in Seveso, Italy.118 There was no effect on IgM or IgA levels, or on complement levels IgE was not measured. In separate studies, in vitro exposure to TCDD enhanced the spontaneous production of IgE by B cells isolated from atopic but not non-atopic individuals, but did not affect the levels of other isotypes.119 Other recent studies have reported small changes in immune cells from individuals exposed occupationally to PHAH.120121 For example, compared to unexposed controls, a cohort of men exposed occupationally to TCDD had diminished IFNy production in a recall response to tetanus toxin, while IFNy production following polyclonal activation was unaffected.120 This observation is consistent with mouse studies, in which antigen-specific responses are highly suppressed by TCDD, but mitogen-driven T cell responses are less susceptible to impairment.83 88122123... 

Insomnia can have a serious impact on a person s quality of life. Acute insomnia can lead to daytime sleepiness and reduced ability to concentrate, remember things, use logical reasoning, and even impair your ability to drive a car. Chronic insomnia can have major health consequences, such as an increased susceptibility to depression and some forms of heart disease and a reduced ability to fight off colds or infections. There is also a tremendous cost to society caused by insomnia—billions of dollars are spent each year on treatment, healthcare services, and hospital costs. An equal cost can be attributed to lost productivity at work and property and personal damage from accidents caused by sleepy insomniacs. 

In California, mixer-loaders and spray applicators who work with toxicity category I and II organophosphates or N-methyl carbamates more than 30 hours per 30-day period are required to have medical supervision. Supervision consists of an interview and a medical examination to determine if a medical condition exists which would make the worker unusually susceptible to poisoning due to cholinesterase inhibition, and to caution the individual about the use of certain drugs such as the pheno-thiazine tranquilizers vdtich potentiate the effects of cholinesterase (ChE) inhibition. Two blood samples, taken several days apart, are analyzed to determine the individual s preexposure plasma and red blood cell (RBC) ChE activity (baseline value). The physician arranges a routine ChE testing program and provides for extra ChE tests should the worker be accidently exposed to OP s. If ChE activity is depressed to 50 percent of the baseline value, the physician may ask the employer to place the worker on... 

Acute poisoning by local anesthetics is fairly common, especially with cocaine, and is apt to be fatal. Some accidents are due to excessive doses through mistakes or faults of technique, but the susceptibility varies greatly owing to differences of absorption and of destruction, and to varying response to the actions. Fright plays a considerable part. 

Children s Susceptibility. A limited number of human studies have examined health effects of CDDs in children. Data from the Seveso accident suggest that children may be more susceptible to the dermal toxicity of 2,3,7,8-TCDD (chloracne), but it is not known if this would be the case for other effects. Follow-up medical surveillance of the Seveso children (including measurement of serum 2,3,7,8-TCDD levels) would provide information on whether childhood exposure would pose a risk when the individual matures and ages. The available human and animal data provide evidence that 2,3,7,8-TCDD can cross the placenta and be transferred to an infant via breast milk. Although information on the developmental toxicity of CDDs in humans is limited, there are extensive animal data that the developing... 

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