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    Frumkin 1989

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    Frumkin 1989

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    AllySahall
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    frumkin1989

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    Frumkin 1989

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    AllySahall

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    Letters to the Editor ‘Roaders are invited o subst ltrs for publ- ‘cation in this dopartment. Subset hem fo: Tho ‘ator, Joumal of Occupational Medicine, FO ‘Box 370, Bryn Mavwr, PA 19010. Latins should ‘be typowfon and double spaced and should ‘be designated “For Publication.” Jackhammer Usage and the mentum ‘To the Editor: It is not often that I ‘comment on refereed journal publica tions; however, the recent November, 1088, papor ontitled “Primary Torsion of the Omentum in a Jackhammer Op- erator: Another Vibration-related In- Jury,” by Peter G, Shiolds and Kenneth 4H, Ohase, desorves comment. ‘This caso ie ono of the very first re- ported linking jackhammer usage and ‘the omontum. What is equally significant is what the report does not say, namely, how the operator used the jackhammer fon tho job and how this relates to the ‘omentum condition. If we assume that ‘the operator held the jackhammer out and away from his body, hand-arm or segmental vibration resulted, with most of tho vibration coupled and damped in his upper limbs and with the remaining ‘vibration reaching his upper torso. Al- ternately, we could also assume that the ‘operator held the tool close to his abdo- ‘mon, or that he actually pressed his ab- omen against the tool handle effort to damp some of the tool vibi tion); this results in whole body vib lon. ‘The abdomen actually leaning against tho tool results in exeallent cou pling of vibration into this part of the body which is particularly susceptible to low frequency 4 to 8 Hz (resonance) vibration. I suspect the latter was the situation. If tho tool indood contained vibration compononts in the 4 to 8 Hz range and if it was held against the abdomen, then the actual vibration I ls in the omontum area were actually amplified from that of the impinging tool handlo vibration. If my assumptions are correct, then ‘the work practices used in operating this particular tool together with these high vibration levels as woll as “using a larger jackhammer than usual” all con- tributed to the reported torsion of the Journal of Occupational Me ‘omentum found in this worker. This uation of using one's body to damp vi- bration coming from hand tools unfor- tunately is common in the workplace, ‘since there are so few antivibration toole currently available. However, sadly, the worker is unknowingly substituting one ‘bad work practico for another, as thie paper's result seems to demonstrate, Finally, the foregoing is not a eriti- clsm of the fine work of Drs Shields and Chase. It is simply an elaboration of their findings by mysolf, who has lived with those problems for many years. Donald B. Wasserman Human Vibration and Biomedioal Engineering Consultant, Ginoinnati, OH 40042 Periodic Examination of South African Mine Workers To tho Ralitor: Wo commend tho effort of Drs Hessel and Zolss to evaluate crit {eally the role of periodic health exam!- nation in the South African mining in- dustry.’ However, their paper exhibits imprecision, important omiasioné, and bold implicit generalizations that invite ‘comment. The title, abstract, and conclusion do not reveal that the study was based on date available only for white workers. Some background information is neces- sary. In 1963 (the year of the study), the South African mining work force was 85% black, 14% white, and 1% colored.” White miners have not, for soveral dec- fades, boon directly involved in produe- ‘fon work, with its assoclated hazardous exposures; they constitute a eatogory of suporvisory and low-level managerial personnel operating at some social and physical distance from the rockfaca.° Not surprisingly, health indioatore for the two groups of minors are widely dispar ate, with blacks exporiencing higher morbidity and mortality rates and differ~ ent pathologies. The authors allude to ‘this when they note that the main cato- gory of compensation awards to white minors is obstructive airways disease, ‘whereas there are virtually no awards for tuberculosis. The situation is ro- versed for black miners, who have an ‘annual tuberculosis incidence of around 10/1000 (as compared with near zero Pre-eminent in recruitment of occupational and environmental health professionals Walter K. Wilkins (snw) SAMPSON, NEILL & WILKINS INC First In Executive Search For The Health Industries 543 Valley Rd., Upper Montclair, N.J. 07043 (201) 783-9600 ine/Volume 31 No. 6/June 1989 563 for white minors) ‘Tho Modical Bureau for Ocoupationsl Diseases (MBOD) is a government bu- rreau that assesses the health of workers in mining and primary ore proc ‘This agoncy and its surveillance activi tes represent benefits gained by orga- nlzed white labor early in this century. Only white minors have historically o: Joyed the examination schedule de- scribed by the authors. Black miners have been dopendent upon corporat medical services conducted by minimally ‘trained gonoral practitioners directed ‘mainly to the detection of tuberculosis. ‘There are other disparities. For in- stance, white miners have received rou- tine chest radiography since the second Aocado of this contury. Togethor with ‘other factors, this has contributed to the

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