Research/Studies

Palma, Spain — Hotel beds with lifting systems can help reduce injuries among housekeepers by at least half, results of a recent study by a safety agency in Spain’s Balearic Islands suggest.

Austin, TX — Women injured on the job have a better chance of qualifying for workers’ compensation disability payments and receiving higher payouts when a female doctor evaluates their claim, according to a recent study.

Copenhagen, Denmark — Performing “simple and brief strengthening exercises designed to strengthen the primary muscles used during work” – known as micro-exercise – while on the job may help prevent long-term sickness absences, according to a recent study out of Denmark.

Washington — The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine is calling for two separate respiratory protection frameworks – one for workers, and one for the public – amid the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, in a recently published report.

Seattle — Use of portable HEPA filters can significantly reduce the indoor concentrations of ultrafine particles from vehicle emissions and other outdoor air pollutants that make their way into buildings, results of a recent University of Washington study show.

Chicago — The spread of COVID-19 slowed in small to medium-sized communities in which large local manufacturing plants and distribution centers closed during the early months of the pandemic, results of a recent study led by researchers from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine suggest.

Boston — Common types of N95 respirators – widely used by health care professionals providing direct care to patients with COVID-19 – can be safely reprocessed up to 25 times to help augment supplies during future pandemics, results of a recent study by Boston researchers suggest.

Los Angeles — Nearly a quarter of the fast-food workforce in Los Angeles County tested positive for COVID-19 during the first 18 months of the pandemic, a likely result of adverse working conditions and shaky compliance with safety measures, a recent report from the University of California, Los Angeles and UC Berkeley suggests.

Montpellier, France — Long-term exposure to formaldehyde may contribute to cognitive impairment in older age, according to a recent study out of France.

Silver Spring, MD — Symptoms of anxiety and depression among construction workers have worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among women and workers living in poverty, according to a new report from CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training.