Volume 75, Issue 1, January 2025

Although the worst of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic appears to be over, the burden of airborne infection in workplaces remains unacceptably high, leaving society vulnerable, and harming workers and others. A better approach is needed to mitigate the risk of infection as actively as other multifactorial ubiquitous risks such as workplace stress. Sources and pathways of transmission need much improved control, with special emphasis on ensuring the protection of the vulnerable and susceptible.

This commentary explores the invisible occupational risks of platform work, focusing on food couriers and ride-hailing drivers. Algorithmic management, income instability, and the constant pressure of surveillance create physical and psychosocial health problems. Addressing these challenges through transparency, policy reform, and improved occupational health services can better protect workers in the platform economy.

Long coronavirus disease (COVID) is an umbrella term to describe prolonged health problems and symptoms that arise following COVID infection. It is affecting a large proportion of the working population and high rates of long-term work absence, detrimental to individuals, employers and economies. Return to work (RTW) is often difficult and incomplete. The Society of Occupational Medicine has produced detailed guidelines to try and achieve a sustained RTW, aimed at managers, employers, occupational health professionals and workers.

There was a marked change in the stressors reported by healthcare workers to an open-ended question repeated between 2020 and 2022 during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The stressors associated with responding to a novel pathogen decreased but those from volume of work and poor behaviour from the public and co-workers increased as the pandemic progressed. Exposure to psychosocial factors fluctuates over time within a population and workplace prevention programs must be responsive to these changes.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a frequent and socially relevant condition. We studied the association between severe forms of CTS and work, considering personal anthropometric risk factors as well. An association between manual work and moderate/severe forms of CTS was found. The identification of risk factors for CTS severity is of paramount importance for targeting preventive strategies like decreasing biomechanical overload of the upper limbs and limiting overweight.

There were 43 symptoms associated with Long coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the workplace. The prevalence of Long Covid-19 among workers was 38%. Common symptoms include dyspnoea, mental symptoms, fatigue and effort intolerance.

This study explores occupational stress among Belgian healthcare workers, specifically medical residents, and introduces a worker-centred, decentralized time-tracking solution using machine intelligence and blockchain technology. The findings highlight significant gaps in transparency, compensation and well-being in traditional systems, underscoring the pressing need for innovative occupational management. Preliminary testing of the proposed solution shows promises in enhancing autonomy, transparency and efficiency in healthcare settings.

Some diagnosed diseases as well as self-perceived poor overall health increase the risks of job loss. Evidence is lacking on which self-reported symptoms or activity limitations are related to job loss. We found that workers with self-reported symptoms or activity limitations (pain-related problems; limited physical movement and mobility; fatigue, loss of appetite, fever, dizziness, moodiness; mental health problems and sleep- or eye-related problems) were more likely to report job loss after 1 year.

Selected occupational exposures were inconsistently associated with sarcoidosis across studies, but recent studies elucidated the contribution of crystalline silica. The current study demonstrated that exposure to hay in agriculture, stone dust, engine exhausts and even printing equipment is associated with a significantly greater odds of sarcoidosis, and the effect may be stronger in subjects over 40 and never-smokers. Knowing occupational risk factors for sarcoidosis may guide prevention strategies for the disease.

Assessing job exposure is difficult since reliable evaluation methods are rare and some exposures date back to several decades. However, job exposure matrices (JEMs) are simple tools allowing standardized assessment of exposure of workers. In this study, we used a JEM to assess occupational silica exposure among patients with systemic sclerosis, showing accurate and reliable results, especially to detect positive cases.

This paper explores the psychological outcomes of workers with hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) who were assessed at an occupational medicine clinic. Most participants worked in the mining and construction sector. Various psychological outcomes were common in workers with HAVS. In multivariable models, the QuickDASH, a measure of upper-extremity function and disability, was the only significant predictor of psychological outcomes. Tailored interventions to address the mental health of workers with HAVS may be needed.

Silica exposure and silicosis are strongly associated with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), with ex-miners from the South African gold mines carrying a large burden of both diseases. We present a case of lymph node silicosis and recurrent TB complicated by cavitation with aspergilloma requiring right upper lobectomy, in a 38-year-old ex-goldminer with only 19 months of silica exposure. While silicosis was detected histologically in the lymph nodes, radiological findings and histopathological lung parenchyma lesions were consistent with inactive TB. A worker’s compensation claim for silicotuberculosis was unsuccessful. The findings highlight the need to take into account the contribution of subradiological silicosis and/or a low silica exposure threshold to increased TB risk, and the persistence of such TB risk following exit from exposure. The case also demonstrates the need to differentiate between the radiological and pathological features of silicosis and TB, and the possible mechanistic role of lymph node silicosis in increasing TB risk. These considerations have relevance to the surveillance of silica-exposed workers in high TB settings and the potential to reduce TB risk through silica dust control.