Journal List > Korean J Occup Environ Med > v.24(3) > 1125596

Ryu, Yong, and Kim: A Study Regarding the Work Fitness of a Manufacturing Worker Suffering from a Stroke and Muscle Weakness

Abstract

Objectives

Occupational health and safety guidelines have the goals of protecting workers, helping them to adapt to their working environment, and to promote their health and ability. In the work fitness evaluations done by occupational medicine doctors, one of their subjective duties is to assess a worker's working ability so as not to affect the health of the worker or his/her co-workers. A worker's functional capacity and reasonable accommodations should be considered. We studied a case regarding cerebral hemorrhage and muscle weakness after renal disease.

Case

This patient was a male who worked at a tobacco company. He suffered from acute renal failure in 2003. In 2004, during his treatment, a convulsion-seizure occurred. This patient had non-specific findings in family history, blood studies, urinary analysis, mental status examination, and showed no signs of depression. There was a decrease in muscle power found during a physical examination. As a result, an occupational and environmental doctor and an industrial hygienist went to the worker's company in order to analyze the workers tasks. They concluded that there were some problems regarding the worker' s daily activities. When considering reasonable accommodation it was determined that such cases could work in the qualify control department instead of current job, assembly department.

Conclusions

Throughout this case, we considered the work compatibility of the various complications arising from a cerebral hemorrhage and convulsion-seizure disease which occurred to a factory worker who suffered from acute renal failure. We recommend it essential to create work compatibility guidelines regarding this case presentations, ensuring consistency to the efforts made by health care workers and physicians.

Figures and Tables

Table 1
Work analysis based on survey of manufacture workers
kjoem-24-294-i001

*quality assurance for primary management department.

quality assurance for secondary management department.

instrument management department.

Table 2
The typical physical demands of work
kjoem-24-294-i002

*quality assurance for primary management department.

quality assurance for secondary management department.

instrument management department.

Table 3
Work analysis made by site visiting
kjoem-24-294-i003

*quality assurance for primary management department.

quality assurance for secondary management department.

instrument management department.

§quality assessment.

References

1. Serra C, Rodriguez MC, Delclos GL, Plana M, Luis I, Benavides FG. Criteria and methods used for the assessment of fitness for work: a systematic review. Occup Environ Med. 2007. 64:304–312.
2. Cox RAF, Edwards FC. Cox RAF, Edward FC, Palmer K, editors. Introduction. Fitness for Work: The Medical Aspect. 2000. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford university press;1–25.
3. Gibson L, Strong J. A review of functional capacity evaluation practice. Work. 1997. 9:3–11.
4. Shaller EH. Reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act - What does it mean? Employee Relat Law J. 1991. 16:431–451.
5. Alan L, Richard E, Madison HT. Functional ability assessment: Guidelines for the workplace. J Occup Environ Med. 1999. 41(3):172–180.
6. Kim SK. Korea Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinic. Ethic of fitness for work. cited 31 May 2012. Available: http://www.koec.org/(Korean).
7. Kim YH. Fitness for work. Principle and truth reality of fitness for work. 2001. Korea: Academic of korea association of occupational and environmental clinic;9–22. (Korean).
8. Jeong WM, Park CY, Koo JW, Roh YM. Predictors of return to work in occupational injured workers. Korean J Occup Environ Med. 2003. 15(2):119–131. (Korean).
9. Kim I, Song J. Occupational health and fitness for work of firefighters. J Korean Med Assoc. 2008. 51(12):1078–1086.
10. Lee CR. Kim YH, Yoo CI, Lee HJ, Lee H. Mental disorders and fitness for work in korea. Korean J Occup Environ Med. 2003. 15(3):224–236. (Korean).
11. McGregor A. Fitness standards in airline staff. Occup Med (Lond). 2003. 53:5–9.
12. Korea Ministry of Government Legislation. Employment Policy 2011. cited 31 May 2012. Available: http://1www.law.go.kr/lsInfoP.do?lsiSeq=115300&efYd=20110725#0000. (Korean).
13. National Human Rights Commission of Korea. Law of National Human Rights Commission of Korea 2012. cited 31 May 2012. Available: http://www.law.go.kr/lsInfoP.do?lsiSeq=124084&efYd=20120321#0000. (Korean).
14. Hwang SK. Employment disadvantages of persons with disabilities and the disability effect. 2003. Seoul: Korea Labor Institute;141–169. (Korean).
15. Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency. Management of result after employment medical examination and guideline of fitness for work. 2008. Incheon: Occupational and Health Research Institute(OSHRI);(Korean).
16. The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency. Fitness for work for worker with cerebrovascular disease (KOSHA GUIDE H-50-2011). cited 31 May 2012. Available: http://www.kosha.or.kr/board?tc=RetrieveBoardListCmd&boardType=A&contentId=342996&pageNum=1&urlCode=T3|Y|4828|6|6|4808|4810|4828|/board|N&tabId=&searchField=TITLE&searchInput=&RadioField=default(Korean).
17. Willcox R, Hardie RJ. Palmer KT, Cox RAF, Brown I, editors. Neurological Disorders. Fitness for Work : The Medical Aspects. 2007. 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press Inc;105–146.
18. The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency. Fitness for work for worker with cerebrovascular disease (KOSHA GUIDE H-50-2011). Available: http://www.kosha.or.kr/board?tc=RetrieveBoardListCmd&boardType=A&contentId=342996&pageNum=1&urlCode=T3|Y|4828|6|6|4808|4810|4828|/board|N&tabId=&searchField=TITLE&searchInput=&RadioField=default.
19. Palmer KT, Cox RAF, Brown I, editors. Fitness for Work. Fitness for Work : The Medical Aspects. 2007. 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press Inc;105–146.
20. Li LM, Fish DR, Sisodiya SM, Shorvon SD, Alsanjari N, Stevens JM. High resolution magnetic resonance imaging in adults with partial or secondary generalized epilepsy attending a tertiary referral unit. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1995. 59:384–387.
21. Chadwick D. Epilepsy after first seizure: risk and implications. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1991. 54:385–387.
22. Marson A, Jacoby A, Johnson A, Kim L, Gamble C, Chadwick D. Immediate versus deferred antiepileptic drug teratment for early epilepsy and single seizures: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2005. 365:2007–2013.
23. Annegers JF, Hauser WA, Elveback LR. Remission of seizures and relapse in patients with epilepsy. epilepsia. 1979. 20:729–737.
24. Masland RL. Rose C, editor. Employability. Part V111. Social Aspects. Research Progress in Epilepsy. 1983. London: Pitman;527–532.
25. Brown I, Prevett MC. Palmer KT, Cox RAF, Brown I, editors. Epilepsy. Fitness for Work : The Medical Aspects. 2007. 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press Inc;169–178.
26. Haling CC. Palmer KT, Cox RAF, Brown I, editors. Ethics for Occupation Physicians. Fitness for Work : The Medical Aspects. 2007. 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press Inc;70–89.
27. King PM, Nicola T, Barrett TE. A critical review of functional capacity evaluations. Phys Ther. 1998. 78:852–866.
28. Abdel-Moty E, Khalil T, Sadek S, lsen E, Fishbain D, Rosomoff RS. Kanvowski W, Yates JW, editors. Functional capacity assessment of chronic low back pain patients. Industrial ergonomics and safety. 1991. Vol 111. Bristol: Taylor & Francis Publishers Inc;75–79.
29. Lee CH. Korea Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinic. Muskuloskeletal diseases of fitness for work. cited 31 May 2012. Available: http://www.koec.org/(Korean).
30. Matheson L. Andersson G, Demeter S, Smith G, editors. The functional capacity evaluation. Disability Evaluation. 2003. 2nd Edition. Chicago: 1–34.
31. Zolna J, Sanford J, Sabata D, Goldthwaite J. Review of accommodation strategies in the workplace for persons with mobility and dexterity impairments: application to criteria for universal design. Technol Disabil. 2007. 19:189–198.
32. Pigini L, Andrich R, Liverani G, Buccarelli P, Occhipinti E. Designing reasonable accommodation of the workplace: a new methodology based on risk assessment. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol. 2010. 5(3):184–198.
TOOLS
Similar articles