Jean-Paul Imbert, Laboratoire d’informatique interactive, ENAC, Toulouse, France; François Vachon and Sébastien Tremblay, École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec City, Que.; Helen M. Hodgetts, Université Laval and Department of Applied Psychology, Cardiff Metropolitain University, Cardiff, UK; Robert Parise, DSNA, DTI EEI/Egis Avia, Toulouse, France; Frédéric Dehais, ISAE, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France

Large display screens are common in supervisory tasks, meaning that alerts are often perceived in peripheral vision. Five air traffic control notification designs were evaluated in their ability to capture attention during an ongoing supervisory task, as well as their impact on the primary task. A range of performance measures, eye-tracking and subjective reports showed that colour, even animated, was less effective than movement, and notifications sometimes went unnoticed. Designs that drew attention to the notified aircraft by a pulsating box, concentric circles or the opacity of the background resulted in faster perception and no missed notifications. However, the latter two designs were intrusive and impaired primary task performance, while the simpler animated box captured attention without an overhead cognitive cost. These results highlight the need for a holistic approach to evaluation, achieving a balance between the benefits for one aspect of performance against the potential costs for another. The researchers performed a holistic examination of air traffic control notification designs regarding their ability to capture attention during an ongoing supervisory task. The combination of performance, eye-tracking and subjective measurements demonstrated that the best design achieved a balance between attentional power and the overhead cognitive cost to primary task performance.

Ergonomics, Volume 57, Issue 12, pages 1817-1832. Correspondence to: Helen M. Hodgetts, École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec; email: hhodgetts@cardiffmet.ac.uk.

S. Turner, S. D. Forman and R. Agius, Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Manchester (UoM), Manchester, UK; R. McNamee, Centre for Biostatistics, UoM, Manchester; S. M. Wilkinson, Department of Dermatology, Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds, UK

Both solar and non-solar exposures associated with occupation and work tasks have been reported as skin carcinogens. In the UK, there are well-established surveillance schemes providing relevant information, including when exposures took place, occupation, location of work and dates of symptom onset and diagnosis. The aim was to add to the evidence on work-related skin neoplasia, including causal agents, geographical exposure and time lag between exposure and diagnosis. This study investigated incident case reports of occupational skin disease originating from clinical specialists in dermatology reporting to a UK-wide surveillance scheme (EPIDERM) by analysing case reports of skin neoplasia from 1996 to 2012 in terms of diagnosis, employment, suspected causal agent and symptom onset. The suspected causal agent was ‘sun/sunlight/ultraviolet light’ in 99% of the reported work-related skin neoplasia cases. Most cases reported (91%) were in males, and the majority (62%) were aged over 65 at the time of reporting. More detailed information on exposure was available for 42% of the cases, with the median time from exposure to symptom onset ranging from 44 (melanoma) to 57 (squamous cell carcinoma) years. Irrespective of diagnostic category, the median duration of exposure to ‘sun/sunlight/ultraviolet light’ appeared longer where exposures occurred in the UK (range 39–51 years) rather than outside the UK (range 2.5–6.5 years). It is important to provide effective information about skin protection to workers exposed to solar radiation, especially to outdoor workers based outside the UK.

Occ Med, Volume 65, Issue 1, pages 22-28. Correspondence to: S. Turner, Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, 4th Floor, C Block, Ellen Wilkinson Building, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK; tel: +44 (0)161 275 5524; email: susan.m.turner@manchester.ac.uk.

Leigh Anne Shafer, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Manitoba (UoM); Dr. Allen Kraut, Departments of Internal Medicine and Community Health Sciences, UoM; Colette B. Raymond, Department of Community Health Sciences, UoM and Manitoba Center for Health Policy, UoM

This study identifies the percentage of opioids prescribed for compensated workplace conditions in Manitoba, Canada and whether Workers Compensation Board (WCB) status is associated with higher prescription opioid doses. Opioid prescriptions for WCB recipients were linked with databases housed at the Manitoba Center for Health Policy. Duration of continuous opioid prescription and morphine equivalents (ME) per day (ME/D) were calculated for individuals age 18–65. Over the period from 1998 to 2010, 3.8% of the total opioid dosage of medication prescribed in the study population were prescribed to WCB recipients. WCB recipients accounted for 2.1% of the individuals prescribed opioids. In adjusted analyses, WCB recipients were more likely to be prescribed over 120 ME/D (OR 2.06 95% CI, 1.58–2.69). WCB recipients account for a small, but significant amount of the total opioid prescribed in Manitoba. Manitoba’s WCB population is a group at increased risk of being prescribed over 120 ME/day.

Am J Ind Med, Volume 58, Issue 1, pages 33-39. Correspondence to: Allen Kraut, University of Manitoba S-108 750 Bannatyne Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E OW3; email: allen.kraut@med.umanitoba.ca.

CHILLIWACK, B.C. — A taxi driver in Chilliwack, B.C. has escaped injury after he was attacked in the early morning hours of Jan. 6. At about 5 a.m., members of the Chilliwack RCMP detachment were called to the 45000 Block of Wolfe Road following a complaint of a robbery, the RCMP’s Upper Fraser Regional Valley Detachment said in a press release. After stopping on Wolfe Road, one passenger allegedly pointed a gun at the taxi driver and demanded all of his money. The driver exited the taxi and ran away as another suspect allegedly attempted to spray him with pepper spray, the release said. The driver was not injured and police continue to investigate.

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The Workers Compensation Board of Prince Edward Island (WCB) is reminding workers, especially outdoor workers, to protect themselves from cold stress during the extreme winter weather. “Risk factors for cold stress include temperature, humidity, wind chill, fatigue, dehydration and lack of acclimatization,” said Bill Reid, the WCB’s director of occupational health and safety, in a statement. “Adequate precautions can help prevent injuries caused by frostbite and hypothermia.” Among other suggestions, the WCB recommends that workers wear layered clothing with a wind-resistant outer layer; set up shelters to block wind where possible; take breaks in heated buildings; drink plenty of warm fluids; and cover metal handles and bars with insulating materials. For more information, visit http://www.wcb.pe.ca/DocumentManagement/Document/pub_guidetocoldstressatwork.pdf.

SAINT JOHN, N.B. — WorkSafeNB, in co-operation with the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, has begun hosting the “It’s Your Job” student video contest, challenging high school students in the province to create a two-minute, original video that illustrates the importance of working safely. Winners of the New Brunswick video contest will be automatically entered into the national “It’s Your Job” student video contest to compete against high school winners from across the country and be viewed by Canadians coast-to-coast during voting in May 2015, WorkSafeNB said in a statement. For contest rules and entry forms, visit www.youthsafenb.ca/en/nomercy/its_your_job.aspx. The deadline for entries is April 10.

SUDBURY, Ont. — Dr. Reuven Jhirad, deputy chief coroner of the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario, announced on Jan. 6 that an inquest would be held into the deaths of two miners in 2011. Jason Chenier, 35, and Jordan Fram, 26, died on June 9, 2011 after they were buried by a run of muck at Vale’s Stobie Mine in Sudbury. A statement from the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services said that the inquest was set to begin on April 20 and last 10 days. As usual, the inquest jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths from occurring.

TORONTO, Ont. — The Toronto Police Service (TPS) announced on Jan. 5 that it had arrested a man in connection with an assault on an officer. At about 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 23, plainclothes officers were investigating the recently reported theft of a vehicle, the TPS said in a statement. The officers allegedly approached a vehicle parked at an apartment building, and the passenger surrendered to officers without incident. Police alleged the driver had struck one of the officers with the vehicle while fleeing, causing non-life-threatening injuries. Kirisanth Pathmanathan, 24, was arrested on Jan. 3 and charged with 13 counts, including assault on a peace officer, assault with intent to resist arrest, dangerous driving, failing to comply with probation and two counts of theft under $5,000.

Safety Services Manitoba will be hosting its SAFE Work Conference at the Victoria Inn Hotel & Convention Centre in Winnipeg on Jan. 21 and 22. The conference will feature over 550 delegates, 28 workshop presentations and 40 trade show exhibitors. Topics include fall protection awareness, creating an inclusive and effective labour market, communicating with difficult people and distracted driving. For more information, visit http://www.safetyservicesmanitoba.ca/safework2015/.

The Saskatchewan Association for Safe Workplaces in Health (SASWH) will be hosting Engagement = A Strong Safety Culture in Saskatoon on March 25. The one day conference and SASWH annual general meeting will be held in galleries C and D at TCU Place. The conference, intended for healthcare workers and employers, will feature Jan Wachter, CSP, CIH and associate professor in the Department of Safety Sciences at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania as the keynote speaker. He will discuss “harnessing worker and employer engagement in workplace safety.” Michael Kerr, known as the “Workplace Energizer,” will be the closing speaker. For more information, visit www.saswh.ca. To register, visit https://s235.z2systems.com/np/clients/s235/eventRegistration.jsp?event=1&.