Browsing by Author "Jelsma, J M"

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    Injury profile of employees at a specific beverage manufacturing company: A retrospective study
    (2007) Chetty, L; Jelsma, J M; Maart, S
    This article reports on important information pertaining to the prevalence of occupational injuries. At present very little data exists on the prevalence of occupational injuries in South Africa. A retrospective study was undertaken to detail the occupational injuries sustained by employees at a specific beverage manufacturing company. The aim of this study was to determine the mechanisms, type, classification, anatomical site, frequency and time of injuries at this beverage company. The sample consisted of all employees that reported to the occupational health clinic with occupational injuries during the six-month review period i.e. July 2004-December 2004. Results of this review were computed in a self-complied injury data spreadsheet. The data was presented descriptively and the level of significance was set at 0.05. Incorrect lifting of manual materials was reported as the most common mechanism of injury. Repetitive strain injuries were the most common type of injury. The spine/trunk was the site of 48 (66.7% of regions) injuries with the most frequently injured regions being the back (43.1%) and neck (22.2%). Most of the injuries were sustained during the month of December (27.8%). It is recommended that aggressive health promotion and injury prevention strategies be implemented to reduce the burden of occupational injuries at this specific beverage manufacturing company.
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    Open Access
    Motor Development in Children Living within Resource Poor Areas of the Western Cape
    (2007) Ferguson, G; Jelsma, J M
    Introduction: In 1986, Irwin-Carruthers tested 681 Black African babies from the Western Cape and concluded that the South African sample was in advance of the Denver sample both in fine and gross motor behaviour. This study was to determine whether the motor development of isiXhosa speaking children from the same area was still advanced compared to their North American counterparts. Method: The Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II were administered to 86 children attending well baby clinics, between the ages of 1-36 months. Results: The mean motor developmental quotient was 92 (SD=15). Twenty eight percent of the sample was either significantly or mildly delayed. No socio-economic or maternal characteristics were associated with this score. Conclusion: The reasons for the decrease in performance are not clear. The socio-economic situation of the mothers was poor and there were a large number of single mothers whose sole source of income was government child support grants. It is likely that the cause of the decrease is multi-factorial. The mothers are clearly in need of emotional and financial support. It is suggested that the introduction of stimulation programmes might be useful in reducing the long term impact of this delayed development.