Background: Operations in the manufacturing and utilities sectors vary in scale, scope, and complexity. The operations conducted in both sectors expose employees to a combination of inherent, unabated, and residual occupational health hazards. Occupational noise remains the most prominent health hazard in both sectors.
Objective: To provide an overview of noise-emitting industries within the manufacturing and utilities sectors, to inform practice and regulation.
Methods: A phased literature search of the United States' National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) databases was conducted. The Web of Science Core Collection database was also searched for journal articles, using key words. Reported noise levels were entered into Microsoft Excel, and interpretive visuals were generated to show differences among industries within the two sectors.
Results: Many of the recorded noise levels in both the manufacturing and utilities sectors were ≥ 85 dBA, the universal level at which hearing conservation programmes should be implemented. Noise levels as high as 100 dBA were reported in the steel product manufacturing, forging and stamping, electrical power generation, petroleum and coal products manufacturing, cement and concrete product manufacturing, and sawmills and wood preservation industries.
Conclusion: Noise levels remain high within the manufacturing and utilities sectors, despite technological advancements in machinery design and availability of quieter equipment. Establishment of national hazard surveillance systems and job exposure matrices can assist in directing policy responses to occupational noise exposure.

Background: Clinicians and researchers increasingly require short, efficient methods for assessing distress, in both applied research and clinical settings. Available questionnaires may be unsuitable due to language constraints or time burdens. The Visual Analogue Scale for Stress Overload (VAS-SO) is brief and may lessen the risk for semantic misinterpretation.
Objectives: The validity of the VAS-SO to screen for stress overload was assessed in the context of occupational health screening, in a South African sample of skilled workers.
Methods: Employees (N = 428) participating in occupational health assessments completed the VAS-SO and other mental health measures. Correlation, linear regression, and receiver operating/operator characteristic curve analysis were conducted to determine criterion validity and scale thresholds for clinical application.
Results: : Negligible socio-demographic effects were observed. The VAS-SO appeared to be as effective as the longer scales in identifying stress overload. Practically useful lower and upper thresholds (> 4 and > 7) were identified to guide clinical decision-making. The VAS-SO scores were associated with a history of recent experience of workplace trauma, as well as with the severity of depression and anxiety symptoms.
Conclusion: The study provided evidence that the VAS-SO is a good alternative to longer questionnaires to identify high stress overload and risk for common psychiatric disorders. It further highlights the importance of locally developed thresholds to guide clinical decision-making.

Background: Firefighters who die from cardiac arrest often have underlying conditions such as narrowed coronary arteries or structural heart damage, both of which are forms of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Modifiable clinical risk factors include hypertension, elevated blood glucose levels, high blood lipids, obesity, and lifestyle factors such as insufficient physical exercise and smoking.
Objective: We explored how the workplace accommodates and supports firefighters at risk of developing CVD.
Methods: This was a qualitative study. We purposively selected 12 firefighters with risk of CVD from the City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service (COCTFRS). Semi-structured interviews were conducted and the responses were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analysed.
Results: The study results indicated that firefighters are supported and accommodated by the COCTFRS. Support includes regular physical evaluations, access to gym facilities, organised fitness activities, and opportunities for participation in sports events. Participants reported that they did not meet the recommended minimum 150 minutes of physical activity per week. They expressed a need for guidance regarding physical activity to reduce their risk of CVD, and for better mental health support.
Conclusion: The COCTFRS supports and accommodates firefighters at risk of CVD. At least 150 minutes of physical activity per week should, however, be mandatory.