Research/Studies

Chicago — Health care workers commonly carry respiratory viruses on their hands, clothing and personal protective equipment after administering care to patients, accentuating the need to practice “complete hand hygiene and use other PPE to prevent dissemination,” results of a recent study suggest.

San Francisco — Some call it “soda.” Others prefer “pop.” In the South, it’s largely “Coke.” Whatever your name for sugary soft drinks, simply saying “no” to selling them in workplaces may help employees experience positive health outcomes such as weight loss and reduced cholesterol, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco say.

Washington — Surface coal miners, especially those who work in drilling, may be exposed to higher concentrations of respirable dust or quartz. This puts them at elevated risk of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis – a deadly but preventable disease known as black lung, results of a recent NIOSH study show.

Manchester, England — Walking speed is the strongest predictor of a stoke victim’s ability to return to work, with about 3 feet per second the “critical threshold,” say researchers from Manchester Metropolitan University.

New York — Retail employees injured on the job miss an average of 24 days of work as a result, according to recent report from AmTrust Financial Services Inc., an insurance provider for small businesses.

Menlo Park, CA — Half of respondents to a recent survey say their commute to and from the office stresses them out, and 45% think their trip is too long – up from 30% in 2017.

West Lafayette, IN — Researchers at Purdue University have outlined recommendations for enhancing the safety of a popular method for repairing water pipes that may release hazardous chemicals into the air, as part of a recent study on rehabilitating damaged drainage culverts.

Seattle — The way your job is structured, how much you’re paid and how flexible your schedule is are among the factors that could affect your health and workplace injury risk, according to the results of a recent study out of the University of Washington.

Raleigh, NC — When workplace safety incidents involving autonomous robots occur, workers may be quick to blame the machine, results of a recent study from North Carolina State University suggest.

New York — Nearly 4 out of 5 Americans say they feel pressure to work when they don’t feel well, results of a recent survey show.