Occupational injury risk in a blue collar, small business industry: Implications for prevention

Conflicting perceptions of risk in OHS generate barriers to occupational injury prevention. Occupational injury prevention strategies that fail to address workplace risk perceptions are likely to be ineffective. In this study, we ask whether employers' and employees' have conflicting risk perceptions that may produce barriers to injury prevention in workplaces and we explore underlying understandings of risk in OHS that produce conflicting risk judgements. A novel research methodology was utilised to compare and contrast risk judgements of employers and employees in a blue collar, small business industry. Participants were asked to rate ten OHS risks and the risk rating scores of the two groups were compared. They were also asked to explain their risk judgements and their responses were contrasted by a method of qualitative data analysis. Significant differences between the risk rating scores of employers and employees were found for four OHS risks. The focus of conflicting risk judgements was a distinction between risks with an immediate injury effect and those with a delayed disease effect. Employers tended to rate the former significantly higher than employees. Employees tended to rate the latter significantly higher than employers. Three themes emerged to explain underlying understandings of risk in OHS that produce conflicting risk judgements. Implications of these understandings for occupational injury prevention strategies in an Australian blue collar, small business industry are explored and a new approach is proposed.     

职业健康与安全风险认知研究进展及分析

为了解和掌握国内外职业健康与安全（OHS）风险认知的研究进展，检索截至2017年12月31日美国工程索引（EI）、Web of Science数据库、中国知网、万方数据资源系统、维普中文科技期刊全文数据库收录的职业健康与安全风险认知研究论文。研究结果表明:国外OHS风险认知研究较成熟，相关研究成果涉及各行各业；我国OHS风险认知研究起步较晚、成果较少，仅涉及建筑、采矿、化工等行业领域。进一步对956篇文献开展深入分析，总结OHS风险认知的测量、OHS风险认知的影响因素、OHS风险认知的影响结果、OHS风险认知的差异4个主题研究进展。在分析结果基础上，结合行业实际情况，对今后OHS风险认知发展提出4点建议，并进一步讨论OHS风险认知研究的未来发展方向。     

The effect of first aid training on Australian construction workers' occupational health and safety motivation and risk control behavior

METHOD: A 24-week experiment was conducted to assess how first aid training affects the motivation of small business construction industry employees in avoiding occupational injuries and illnesses and its effect on their occupational health and safety behavior. A simplified multiple baseline design across workplace settings was used to evaluate the effects of first aid training. Participants' motivation to control occupational safety and health risks was explored during in-depth interviews before and after receipt of first aid training. Objective measurement of occupational safety and health behavior was conducted by a researcher directly observing the workplace before and after participants received first aid training. RESULTS: The observations at participants' worksites suggested that, for the most part, the first aid training had a positive effect on the occupational safety and health behavior of participants. First aid training appeared to reduce participants' "self--other" bias, making them more aware that their own experience of occupational safety and health risks is not beyond their control but that their own behavior is an important factor in the avoidance of occupational injury and illness. First aid training also appeared to reduce participants' willingness to accept prevailing levels of occupational safety and health risk and increase the perceived probability that they would suffer a work-related injury or illness. Participants expressed greater concern about taking risks at work after receiving first aid training. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: It appears that first aid training enhances participants' motivation to avoid occupational injuries and illnesses and improves their risk control behavior. The implications of this are that first aid training can have a positive preventive effect and could complement traditional occupational health and safety training programs. As such, there may be benefit in providing first aid training to all employees rather than limiting this training to a small number of designated "first aiders."     

Occupational health and safety issues in the informal economic segment of Pakistan: a survey of construction sites

This research covers the current status of occupational health and safety (OHS)-related practices in the informal construction segment of Pakistan. Data were collected, through interviews, from 316 construction sites employing 3577 workers. The results of the study reveal that both employers and workers lack knowledge of OHS laws/standards and no practices of this nature are enacted at these construction sites. Alarmingly, work-related accidents, whenever they happen, are not given due attention and there is no formal injury-report system. The informal construction industry employs a huge portion of the informal workforce, and lack of OHS happens at tremendous human cost. These research findings may thus play their role in strengthening the case for reforms in the sector. This study, if properly utilized, may also enable employers of the sector by increasing their knowledge about OHS practices and, as a result, trying to offer safer environments for their workers.     

石材加工行业尘肺病危害风险评估研究

应用国际采矿与金属委员会风险评估模型（ICMM）评估石材加工行业尘肺病风险。 以20家石材加工企业为研究对象,运用ICMM模型的定量法和矩阵法分别评估4个重点岗位的尘肺病风险,并与粉尘作业分级和文献报道进行结果验证。 结果显示打磨、雕刻、切割和破碎4个重点岗位的总粉尘和呼吸性粉尘浓度均超过职业接触限值,超限倍数范围分别为4.3~85倍和3.1~63.3倍。ICMM定量法判定该4个重点岗位的Ⅲ期矽肺风险均为最高级风险水平（不可容忍）,矩阵法判定该4个重点岗位Ⅲ期矽肺风险也均为最高级水平（高风险）。这些风险评估结果得到生产性粉尘作业分级和文献报道的支持。结论为石材加工行业尘肺病发病风险非常高,ICMM风险评估模型可应用于石材加工行业职业健康风险评估。     

电子封装行业化学有害因素职业暴露评价

以法规及风险评价模型为基础,对电子封装行业内通常使用的化学有害因素进行职业暴露分析,将健康风险进行分级、定量评价,得出结论:行业中回流焊工艺可能产生的铅烟、电镀车间存在的硝酸、失效分析中使用的氢氟酸等,其职业暴露风险为中等风险水平;但由于化学物质的健康危害等级HR因其固有性而相对不变,而其会随控制措施的效果高低而变化的暴露等级ER是一个可变的要素,不同企业的控制措施的水平高低不同,其最终的风险等级可能是不同的。行业中使用的氢氧化钾、氢氧化钠的职业暴露风险为低风险水平,前提也是在合理有效的控制措施环境下。因此,控制措施的水平就是决定风险等级的最重要因素。时时地运行和维护有效的控制措施,是确保风险水平不发生变化的关键。     

工作场所超细颗粒物暴露评估与风险评估研究进展

纳米技术产业的快速发展促使纳米材料需求量不断增长,纳米材料的规模化生产及使用,增加了暴露于超细颗粒物的职业人群数量,且工种复杂多样,尤其在自动化程度低、工人职业卫生防护意识薄弱的作业场所,对接触者有潜在的职业暴露风险.从现场暴露评估策略、检测方法、接触限值以及风险评估手段,综述针对超细颗粒物这一新型职业危害因素的研究进...     

Delphi法职业危害风险评估模型及案例研究

为科学合理地进行建设项目职业病危害风险分类,基于系统工程及风险评估的基本原理,采用Delphi法分析和确定了影响职业病危害风险程度的因素,通过构建风险评估指标体系,建立了职业病危害影响因子赋值法(OHFA)定量化风险评估模型。根据对作业场所的危害源、本质及附加防护设施水平、人员接触机会、职业病防治管理等因子的综合分析,预测分析了研究对象的职业病危害的风险程度,为职业病危害风险辨识、风险评估、防治管理及防护设施设计等提供参考。并以某石化行业硫磺回收项目为实例进行应用与验证,得出了该项目的总体职业病危害风险度值为12,风险等级为Ⅰ级,各职业病危害因素的风险度由高到底排序为硫化氢、一氧化碳、二氧化硫、硫磺、高温,其风险分类的关键决定因素为硫化氢。实践表明该方法与专家评估结果及工程实际吻合较好,应用于职业病危害风险评估中可给出定量化的风险分类结果。     

A new practical approach to risk management for underground mining project in Quebec

The mining industry worldwide is currently experiencing an economic boom that is contributing to economic recovery and social progress in many countries. For this to continue, the mining industry must meet several challenges associated with the start-up of new projects. In a highly complex and uncertain environment, rigorous management of risks remains indispensable in order to repel threats to the success of mining.In this article, a new practical approach to risk management in mining projects is presented. This approach is based on a novel concept called “hazard concentration” and on the multi-criteria analysis method known as the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The aim of the study is to extend the use of this approach to goldmines throughout Quebec. The work is part of a larger research project of which the aim is to propose a method suitable for managing practically all risks inherent in mining projects.This study shows the importance of taking occupational health and safety (OHS) into account in all operational activities of the mine. All project risks identified by the team can be evaluated. An adaptable database cataloguing about 250 potential hazards in an underground goldmine was constructed. In spite of limitations, the results obtained in this study are potentially applicable throughout the Quebec mining sector.     

Possibilistic regression analysis of influential factors for occupational health and safety management systems

The code of occupational health and safety (OHS) is an influential regulation to improve the on-the-job safety of employees. A number of factors influence the planning and implementation of OHS management systems (OHSMS). The evaluation of OHSMS practice is the most important component when forming a health and safety environmental policy for employees. The objective of this research is to develop an intelligent data analysis (IDA) in which possibilistic regression being endowed with a convex hull approach is used to support the analysis of essential factors that influence OHSMS. Given such subjective terms, the obtained samples can be conveniently regarded as fuzzy input/output data represented by membership functions. The study offers this vehicle of intelligent data analysis as an alternative to evaluate the influential factors in a successful implementation of OHS policies and in this way decrease an overall computational effort. The obtained results show that several related OHSMS influential factors need to be carefully considered to facilitate a successful implementation of the OHSMS procedure.     

企业职业卫生综合风险管理评估体系的研究与应用

为了能够全面、客观地评估企业职业卫生风险管理质量,利用美国EPA吸入风险评估模型、新加坡化学物职业暴露半定量风险评估模型以及风险指数评估模型,对作业场所存在的职业病危害因素进行风险水平评估,并结合企业职业卫生管理评估模型,对企业职业卫生管理水平进行定量评估,以风险等级和管理水平,综合判断企业职业卫生风险水平。将该体系应用于实例分析,结果表明:体系在充分考虑企业职业病危害因素时空分布以及企业管理现状的基础上,能够定量评估职业病危害因素的急慢性影响以及企业职业卫生管理水平。     

运用危险源控制方法改进职业健康安全管理的有效性

危险源辨识和风险评价是GB/T28001职业健康安全管理的基本方法,通过危险源辨识找出与职业健康安全有关的管理点（危险源）,评价出职业健康安全管理需要管理的重点（中度和高度风险）,制定适宜的方法,即制定目标指标方案、运行控制或应急预案加以控制和改善,体现职业健康安全管理的基本原则和思路。只有正确运用危险源辨识和风险评价的方法,才能做到合理策划危险源的控制方法,集中力量抓主要矛盾解决主要问题,兼顾次要矛盾和一般问题的管理;根据不同危险源的具体情况选择适宜合理的方法,既保证危险源的有效控制,又保证采用的任何危险源控制方法和措施与危险源产生后果的严重性和伴随的风险相适应,尽量避免危险源控制的盲目性和不经济,达到追求最佳职业健康安全绩效的目的,提高整体和系统管理的有效性。     

Occupational Safety and Health in Finland

In Finland, occupational safety is the responsibility of the employer, while the occupational safety and health laws are enforced by the Labour Inspection Service, an organization of the state. The Labour Inspection is divided in 11 administrative districts, and it employs 360 professionals. They are mandated to carry out site visits without prearranged appointments to inspect safe work situations, working hours, construction safety, or any aspect of accident risks. The inspectors are also mandated to verify the existence of sufficient occupational health services as prescribed by the Occupational Health Services Act for all employees. The occupational health services are typically provided by enterprise-owned medical departments, by mutually owned health care centers, by private practitioners, or by municipal health care centers. The latter are required by law to provide all services as prescribed by the legislation to anyone who comes to the facility. This situation is prevalent in the countryside, where there are very few private caregiving centers. Declaring occupational accidents and disease cases is mandatory, and the Inspection districts examine all accidents to establish causes and consequences, and to initiate prosecution in case of criminal negligence. Labour Inspection Districts are also notified of the new occupational disease cases as they are declared to insurance companies. Insurance for occupational disease, accidents, and death is an obligation of the employer, although they can choose the insurance company. The medical confidentiality between the workers and their occupational health care providers is very strict. Official statistics are maintained by the state Statistics Finland organization, and they may be used, for example, for research purposes by scientific institutes like the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. Construction industry accounts for 25% of all fatal accidents (120 cases per 1 million working hours), followed by mechanical, wood, metal, machinery, and pulp and paper industry (10% each of fatal accidents) with rates ranging from 100–160 cases per 1 million working hours. There are some 5,000 occupational disease cases per year (rate 22/10,000 employed). The major disease categories include repetitive strain injuries (1,300 cases), respiratory allergies (600 cases), occupational skin diseases (1,000 cases), and 900 cases of noise-caused hearing loss. In 1998, 589 cases of asbestos-related diseases were reported.     

火电厂(汽轮机部分)职业安全健康风险评价与控制研究

依据职业安全健康管理(OSHM)的要求,在危险辨识的基础上对火力发电厂(汽轮机部分)的危险源进行分类及其相互作用、影响的分析,建立了职业安全健康管理模式及其问卷,针对现场的运行、维修和试验部分进行了详细的调查。应用工业风险评价的定性及量化分析方法,通过现场调研和分析,对各种危险性事件发生的可能性及其后果的严重度进行评价,从安全管理和安全工程两方面提出对不可接受的危险源的预控措施。危险源的有效预测和控制,对火电厂职业安全健康水平的提高将发挥积极作用。     

The unequal distribution of occupational health and safety risks among immigrants to Canada compared to Canadian-born labour market participants: 1993–2005

ObjectivesTo examine the prevalence of occupational health and safety risk factors among immigrants to Canada compared to Canadian-born labour force participants.MethodsUsing data from Statistic Canada’s Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics, we examined the differential probabilities of six different occupational health and safety risks: non-membership in a union or collective bargaining agreement; employment in physically demanding occupations; employment in a workplace with less than 20 employees; regular shift work; irregular shift work; and having non-permanent employment. Our main independent variables were length of time in Canada, visible minority status, mother tongue, and location where highest level of education was attained. Models were adjusted for age, gender, education, marital status, province of residence, living in an urban or rural location, and industry group.ResultsOf the six occupational health and safety risks examined we found that our main independent variables describing aspects of immigration status were associated with five; the exception being irregular shift work. Adjustment for industry did not attenuate these relationships to a large extent.ConclusionsImmigrants to Canada are faced with many occupational health and safety risks compared to Canadian-born respondents. These risks may be heightened among immigrants as they may not have knowledge of workplace rights and protections or have problems communicating health and safety risks or concerns. The timely provision information on occupational health and safety to immigrants before they start working should be a priority as they integrate into the Canadian labour market.     

职业卫生定性风险评价方法的研究

根据风险评价的原理，建立了较为完整的职业卫生定性风险评价方法，为企业进行职业卫生管理提供了充分的依据。此方法利用现场的各种信息对潜在的职业危害风险进行指数分级，在暴露评估过程中包含了危害来源，暴露途径和职业暴露的接受体这三个要素，使企业以此为依据来决定减轻职业危害的控制方法及优先顺序如化学品的替代、工程控制及个体防护用品。     

基于模糊贝叶斯网络的煤气化职业健康风险分析

针对煤气化行业职业健康风险影响因素不确定及模糊的特点,建立了职业健康风险计算模型。该模型将模糊数学与贝叶斯网络相耦合,模拟事件概率,找出导致风险的主要因素。通过分析煤气化行业中存在的多种风险因素,应用问卷调查法和模糊集理论模拟了根节点的发生概率,得出职业健康风险概率的预测值;应用贝叶斯网络反向推理的功能计算根节点后验概率并排序,确定了薄弱环节。该模型不仅能解决概率缺失情况下的风险量化推算问题,定量进行职业健康风险评估,还可以实现关键因素的识别,并能有针对性地提出改进措施,为职业健康风险预防提供决策依据。     

Job control and occupational health: the moderating role of national R&D activity

Workers (n = 17 275) from 14 European Union (EU) member states provided data on job control, job dissatisfaction, perceived risk of occupational stress, and absence. For each state, level of research and development (R&D) activity was assessed. Associations between individual levels of control and occupational health were stronger where national R&D activity was higher. The moderation occurred for individuals' levels of control in relation to job dissatisfaction, perceived risk of occupational stress, and absence. The findings with job dissatisfaction and absence were replicated in a sample of workers from 10 Eastern European former Communist countries (n = 7926). Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A hybrid decision-making approach based on FCM and MOORA for occupational health and safety risk analysis

IntroductionWith the development of industries and increased diversity of their associated hazards, the importance of identifying these hazards and controlling the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) risks has also dramatically augmented. Currently, there is a serious need for a risk management system to identify and prioritize risks with the aim of providing corrective/preventive measures to minimize the negative consequences of OHS risks. In fact, this system can help the protection of employees’ health and reduction of organizational costs. Method: The present study proposes a hybrid decision-making approach based on the Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM), and Multi-Objective Optimization on the basis of Ratio Analysis (MOORA) for assessing and prioritizing OHS risks. After identifying the risks and determining the values of the risk assessment criteria via the FMEA technique, the attempt is made to determine the weights of criteria based on their causal relationships through FCM and the hybrid learning algorithm. Then, the risk prioritization is carried out using the MOORA method based on the decision matrix (the output of the FMEA) and the weights of the criteria (the output of the FCM). Results: The results from the implementation of the proposed approach in a manufacturing company reveal that the score at issue can overcome some of the drawbacks of the traditional Risk Priority Number (RPN) in the conventional FMEA, including lack of assignment the different relative importance to the assessment criteria, inability to take into account other important management criteria, lack of consideration of causal relationships among criteria, and high dependence of the prioritization on the experts’ opinions, which finally provides a full and distinct risk prioritization.