Korean J Occup Environ Med.  2012 Sep;24(3):294-303.

A Study Regarding the Work Fitness of a Manufacturing Worker Suffering from a Stroke and Muscle Weakness

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Kosin University Gospel Hospital, Busan, Korea. hedoc68@gmail.com

Abstract


OBJECTIVES
Occupational health and safety guidelines have the goals of protecting workers, helping them to adapt to their working environment, and to promote their health and ability. In the work fitness evaluations done by occupational medicine doctors, one of their subjective duties is to assess a worker's working ability so as not to affect the health of the worker or his/her co-workers. A worker's functional capacity and reasonable accommodations should be considered. We studied a case regarding cerebral hemorrhage and muscle weakness after renal disease. CASE: This patient was a male who worked at a tobacco company. He suffered from acute renal failure in 2003. In 2004, during his treatment, a convulsion-seizure occurred. This patient had non-specific findings in family history, blood studies, urinary analysis, mental status examination, and showed no signs of depression. There was a decrease in muscle power found during a physical examination. As a result, an occupational and environmental doctor and an industrial hygienist went to the worker's company in order to analyze the workers tasks. They concluded that there were some problems regarding the worker' s daily activities. When considering reasonable accommodation it was determined that such cases could work in the qualify control department instead of current job, assembly department.
CONCLUSIONS
Throughout this case, we considered the work compatibility of the various complications arising from a cerebral hemorrhage and convulsion-seizure disease which occurred to a factory worker who suffered from acute renal failure. We recommend it essential to create work compatibility guidelines regarding this case presentations, ensuring consistency to the efforts made by health care workers and physicians.

Keyword

Fitness; Muscle weakness; Epilepsy; Stroke; Assesment

MeSH Terms

Acute Kidney Injury
Cerebral Hemorrhage
Delivery of Health Care
Depression
Epilepsy
Humans
Male
Muscle Weakness
Muscles
Occupational Health
Occupational Medicine
Physical Examination
Stress, Psychological
Stroke
Tobacco

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