Benzene, a volatile organic compound (VOC) with widespread industrial applications, poses severe health risks to humans even at trace levels. Its genotoxic effects, which involve direct damage to cellular DNA and genetic material leading to mutations, are strongly linked to cancer and blood disorders, making its control a critical priority for workplace safety and environmental […]
A future for autonomous vehicles in the UK? Lessons from the US
One of the final bills passed by the outgoing Sunak government was the Automated Vehicles Act (2024), designed to make provisions for the possible rollout of autonomous vehicles in the future. If the new Starmer government is to continue this work, then lessons need to be learnt from the US, where the deployment of autonomous […]
The abuse of women runners: Implications for the violence against women and girls policy agenda
New research at The University of Manchester has found that over two-thirds of women runners across Greater Manchester and Merseyside have experienced abuse. This has taken the form of physical and sexual assaults, verbal abuse, being followed, flashing, and harassment, with only 5% reporting it to the police. This briefing highlights key findings, along with […]
Making light work: Recommendations for healthy lighting
Light exposure has important effects on human health and wellbeing, regulating our sleep/wake cycles, and influencing our mental and physical health. Advances in our understanding of the role of light in health, and emerging lighting technologies, now present opportunities to adjust lighting to promote optimal physical and mental health and performance. In this blog, Professor […]
How logistics workers kept the UK going during lockdown: Lessons for the next pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, measures to reduce social contacts were applied in most countries; something that was only viable because the logistics sector continued to deliver. However, in the face of a lack of pandemic preparedness and planning from the government, how did different parts of the sector respond? In this blog, Dr Hua Wei, […]
Rapid diagnosis and treatment of fungal infections
The rapid and accurate diagnosis of fungal infections is crucial to effective treatment and ultimately saves lives. Diagnostics are often not widely available in low income countries leading to inappropriate and delayed treatments. This is the case for a serious fungal infection called chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA), and often for other fungal infections associated with […]
Public transport and the pandemic: perceptions of risk and mitigation
Throughout the pandemic, public transport has been identified as a significant potential hub of transmission for the disease, with messaging urging people to avoid it wherever possible. Despite this guidance, however, there was little evidence on how great this risk was, or the effectiveness of mitigation measures such as masks and ventilation. In this blog, […]
Homeworking experiences during lockdown
Like millions of others, call centre workers were required to work from home at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this blog, Professor Debra Howcroft and Professor Phil Taylor examine the experiences of call centre staff and provide recommendations for improvement in the future. Managerial staff often directly and indirectly control call centre workers […]
The darker politics of wellbeing: the managerial abuse of ‘positive’ interventions at work
In this blog, Miguel Martínez Lucio, Professor in the Work and Equalities Institute and the Alliance Manchester Business School at The University of Manchester, discusses the ‘individualised’ approach to worker wellbeing and argues for a more collective approach that recognises the seriousness of mental health. Changing agendas in the workplace continue to undermine the regulatory […]
Bugchasing: The importance of desire and fantasy in HIV-prevention policies
Today in the UK, due to early diagnosis and early, effective treatments, life has greatly improved for people living with the HIV virus. But HIV has not gone away and there are new concerns in a world of increasing sexual experimentation and online communication. In Sexual Health Week 2018, Jaime García-Iglesias explains why policies to […]