A Healthy Workforce Needs Comprehensive Reproductive Healthcare

Details

• Personal Author:
  Quinn, Margaret M.
• Description:
  The May 2018 Annals of Work Exposures and Health special issue on gender, work, and health, was initiated with a call for research on work exposures that evaluated the different experiences of workers by sex (biological differences) and/or gender (socially constructed differences) and subsequent impacts on health (Quinn and Smith, 2018). Working age populations worldwide are increasingly diverse and men, women, all gender identities, should be included with safety, dignity, and income equality. Healthy, secure workers are needed to develop and sustain a robust workforce. In the May 2018 issue, Cherry et al. (2018) reported on early stages of their prospective longitudinal cohort study of Canadian men and women in the welding and electrical trades, called Workers Health in Apprenticeship Trades-Metal and Electrical, 'WHAT-ME'. In addition to the work of Cherry et al., 10 papers from 6 countries were included in the special issue. Overall, it was seen that few work exposure and health studies adequately account for sex and/or gender and a call was made to the occupational health community to advance this research in order to remain relevant to increasingly diverse worker populations. Since then, Cherry et al. have forged ahead and this editorial reflects on two new papers from their team. The first provides a detailed quantitative exposure assessment of urinary and airborne metals, including aluminum, chromium, manganese, and nickel exposures among male and female welders (Galarneau et al., 2022a). The second evaluates the impacts of metal fume exposures and ergonomic exposures (heavy lifting, whole-body vibration, heat, noise, and extended work shifts) on pregnancy outcomes (birth weight, gestation, miscarriage, still birth) experienced by the women welders (Galarneau et al., 2022b). The methods in each paper are innovative and meticulously executed. Male and female study participants were recruited from construction trades apprenticeship programs and completed a baseline questionnaire and follow-up questionnaires every 6 months for up to 5 years. The first study identified sex differences in urinary metals (higher excretion of aluminum and chromium among women), differences in estimated airborne exposures, and differences in work practice behaviors such as use of respiratory protection equipment and use of local exhaust ventilation. The second study found that adverse pregnancy outcomes were increased by several ergonomic exposures and to a lesser degree by metals and particles in welding fume. The authors concluded that the welding environment cannot be assumed safe should a welder become pregnant and that ergonomic factors present a high priority for intervention. These findings are discussed thoroughly and thoughtfully by the authors and provide a basis for policy and practice interventions to improve the health of both female and male welders. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Ergonomics Occupational Health Pregnancy Safety Sex Characteristics Urogenital System Welding
• Keywords:
  Occupational Health Reproductive Health Sex Factors Welders Welding Fumes
• ISSN:
  2398-7308
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  66
• Issue:
  9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070840
• Citation:
  Ann Work Expo Health 2022 Nov; 66(9):1095-1098
• Contact Point Address:
  Margaret M. Quinn, Lowell Center for Sustainable Production and Department of Public Health, University of Massachusetts Lowell, MA 01854, USA
• Email:
  Margaret_Quinn@uml.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• NORA Priority Area:
  Healthcare and Social Assistance
• Performing Organization:
  University of Massachusetts - Lowell
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20040901
• Source Full Name:
  Annals of Work Exposures and Health
• End Date:
  20230831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:bc6d56f450a00a0c4b384fb712b4f145e58508e9d88adb5b189a3c1d94bd134d5f3119a28ebfa661342da847fd006355429dd6a9da1d3348b1188318209a3c3a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208985/cdc_208985_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 168.04 KB ]