Heart Rate Variability in Exposure to High Altitude Hypoxia of Short Duration Krystyna Zużewicz, Bogusław Biernat, Grzegorz Kempa, Krzysztof Kwarecki, 337-346 Assessment of the Protection Efficiency and Comfort of Personal Protective Equipment in Real Conditions of Use Alain Mayer, Eero Korhonen, 347-360 Filtration Properties of Nonwovens Witold Gądor, Elżbieta Jankowska, 361-379 Influence of Exercise-Focused Group Activities on the Physical Activity, Functional Capacity, and Work Ability of Female Farmers A Three-Year Follow-Up Merja Perkiö-Mäkelä, 381-394 Achievement and Social Relations Values as Conditions of the Importance of Work Aspects and Job Satisfaction Anna M. Zalewska, 395-416 Participative Versus Assigned Production Standard Setting in a Repetitive Industrial Task: A Strategy for Improving Worker Productivity Biman Das, Ashraf A. Shikdar, 417-430 Assessment of the Pulmonary Toxicity of Inhaled Gases and Particles With Physicochemical Methods Tomasz R. Sosnowski, Albert Podgórski, 431-447

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General Evaluation of Risk Associated With the Use of Pesticides and Other Chemical Substances on Animal Breeding and Plant Production Farms Krystyna Pomorska, 449-457

Heart Rate Variability in Exposure to High Altitude Hypoxia of Short Duration
Krystyna Zużewicz, Bogusław Biernat, Grzegorz Kempa, Krzysztof Kwarecki

The objective of the presented studies is to attempt an evaluation of heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) regulatory mechanisms in the presence of autonomous nervous system (ANS) components in transient exposure to high altitude hypoxia.
  During 24 hrs including a stay in hypobaria, the participants had their HR continuously recorded using the Holter method. The following parameters were calculated at rest and during the stay in a thermobarochamber: spectral power in low frequency bands (LF) 0.04 0.15 Hz and high frequency bands (HF) 0.15 0.5 Hz, and the sympathetic-parasympathetic balance index LF/HF.
  Under hypobaric conditions, a decrease in mean spectral power of R-R intervals was noted within both frequency ranges, compared with the study performed in normobaria. The observed differences were larger at daytime.

Assessment of the Protection Efficiency and Comfort of Personal Protective Equipment in Real Conditions of Use
Alain Mayer, Eero Korhonen

The lack of scientific and technical knowledge in certain complex fields, together with schedule constraints, have lead to adopt in EN standards insufficiently validated tests, relying sometimes on an empirical approach. Thus, even personal protective equipment (PPE) with positive results in tests required by the standards can nevertheless prove to be unsatisfactory when used at work. Several research projects have already been carried out on equipment, fall arresting systems, protective clothing, and gloves by several health and safety institutes in Europe.
  The results would suggest practical solutions to improve the representativity of several European Committee for Standardization (CEN) test methods and to focus more on informing and training workers on the manner of wearing PPE, in particular respiratory protective equipment or hearing protectors.

Filtration Properties of Nonwovens
Witold Gądor, Elżbieta Jankowska

This paper presents the results and conclusions from experimental investigations concerning filtration properties of nonwovens. The needled nonwovens were made from polyester fibres (PTE) with average fibre diameter 12 m and polypropylene fibres (PP) with average fibre diameter 32 m. Nonwovens were produced out of each of those fibres or out of a mixture of polyester and polypropylene fibres. This paper also presents investigations of nonwoven fabric made of polypropylene fibres (PP) with average fibre diameter 2.6 m, which was formed according to melt-blown technology. Oil mist, as challenge aerosol, was used to evaluate the performance of filter media at various aerosol velocities. The average oil mist test aerosol particle diameter was 0.3 m. Filter penetration was measured at oil mist concentration 0.24 g/m3.

Influence of Exercise-Focused Group Activities on the Physical Activity, Functional Capacity, and Work Ability of Female Farmers A Three-Year Follow-Up
Merja Perkiö-Mäkelä

The objective of this randomised study was to evaluate the influence of exercise-focused group activities on female farmers' physical activity, functional capacity, and work ability over a period of 3 years. Physical activity increased more in the intervention group (n = 62) than in the control group (n = 64) during the first year. By the third year physical activity had almost returned to the pre-intervention level. In the 3-year follow-up examination muscular endurance and cardiovascular fitness had improved in the intervention group, and musculoskeletal symptoms had decreased more often in the intervention group than in the control group. The index used to measure perceived work ability showed no changes over the 3-year period. It can be concluded that group activities focused on leisure-time physical activity and work habits can be recommended as health promotion measures for farmers' occupational health services.

Achievement and Social Relations Values as Conditions of the Importance of Work Aspects and Job Satisfaction
Anna M. Zalewska

One hundred and sixty-nine bank employees were investigated with the Orientation to Work Values Inventory by Seifert and Bergmann (values; Seifert & Bergmann, 1983), and the Work Description Inventory by Neuberger and Allerbeck (importance and satisfaction with work aspects, overall job satisfaction; Neuberger & Allerbeck, 1978). The data show complex connections between values and the perceived importance of work aspects and job satisfaction. The results indicate that (a) the importance of achievement and social relations values influences the importance of aspects of work, (b) overall job satisfaction depends on social relations value and satisfaction with some aspects depends on this value or on interactions of both of the values, (c) predicting overall job satisfaction from satisfaction with aspects of work is modified by the interaction of the values. However, the hypothesis that overall job satisfaction can be predicted from satisfaction with most important aspects of work is not confirmed by the data.

Participative Versus Assigned Production Standard Setting in a Repetitive Industrial Task: A Strategy for Improving Worker Productivity
Biman Das, Ashraf A. Shikdar

The participative standard with feedback condition was superior to the assigned difficult (140% normal) standard with feedback condition in terms of worker productivity. The percentage increase in worker productivity with the participative standard and feedback condition was 46%, whereas the increase in the assigned difficult standard with feedback was 23%, compared to the control group (no standard, no feedback). Worker productivity also improved significantly as a result of assigning a normal (100%) production standard with feedback, compared to the control group and the increase was 12%. The participative standard with feedback condition emerges as the optimum strategy for improving worker productivity in a repetitive industrial production task.

Assessment of the Pulmonary Toxicity of Inhaled Gases and Particles With Physicochemical Methods
Tomasz R. Sosnowski, Albert Podgórski

Physicochemical techniques used for evaluating the pulmonary surfactant (PS) quality are discussed as methods useful in assessing toxicity of inhaled gases and particles. Two standard devices, Langmuir-Wilhelmy film balance and pulsating bubble apparatus, are presented in detail, and the measured results of interaction between sulfuric acid and 2 model PS materials are analyzed. The evident decrease in surface activity of the pulmonary surfactant after its contact with the acid at concentrations approaching 0.001 M may be considered as an indicator of the adverse effect, which can result in several health problems. The presented approach can be used as a method of assessing pulmonary toxicity of any substances present in the breathing air.

Notes:

General Evaluation of Risk Associated With the Use of Pesticides and Other Chemical Substances on Animal Breeding and Plant Production Farms
Krystyna Pomorska

A general characteristic of chemical risk on plant production farms in Poland is presented. The paper describes risk associated with the natural occurrence of chemical substances (such as ammonium and hydrogen sulfide) in the process of animal breeding and risk connected with the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides. Pesticides are briefly described taking into consideration toxicity classes and the toxic effect of individual compounds. Exposure to pesticides is presented for individual methods and related activities. Finally, the author discusses pesticide risk on fruit-growing farms and in greenhouses.