Health
Cold workplaces
Working in a cold environment can involve several adverse effects on human performance and health: thermal discomfort, increased strain, decreased performance and cold-related diseases and injuries. Cold can also interfere with several other factors in the workplace, modifying or aggravating the risk of common hazards and increasing the risk of cold-associated injuries.
ISO 15743:2008, Ergonomics of the thermal environment – Cold workplaces – Risk assessment and management, describes the methods and practices for assessing and managing occupational health and performance risks in cold workplaces.It gives practical instructions for risk analysis and management in cold working conditions.
A number of indoor or outdoor activities from industries or commerce are concerned such as the construction industry, maintenance of electrical power lines, gas lines, telecommunication systems or road, agriculture and forestry work, fishing industry or meat processing industry, cold stores in industry and in the transport chain from industry to the shops.
Spinal disc implants
Intervertebral spinal discs acting as cushions that absorb shocks to a person’s back resulting from their daily activities can be damaged through age or following an accident and put pressure on spinal nerves – which can be very painful.
Implant surgery of spinal disc prostheses provides an innovative alternative with a tremendous potential that could help patients. The development of prosthetic discs presents a number of challenges. The device must allow movement, provide stability, and be resistant to impact from a person’s daily activities. It should not be destructive and exhibit great endurance.
ISO 18192-1:2008, Implants for surgery – wear of total intervertebral spinal disc prostheses, Part 1: Loading and displacement parameters for wear testing and corresponding environmental conditions for test, provides requirements for comparing the wear performance of different spinal disc prostheses, particularly important as once implanted these will need to absorb the impact from the body’s daily activities for years to come.
News feeds
