Occupational health and safety promotion: Problems and solutions

Most occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals would agree that having a good OSH promotion programme is a challenge, and problems can be encountered at almost every stage in the planning and delivery of the programme.The first obstacle which may be encountered is programme justification. How does one convince employers and employees of the need for OSH promotion, and does competition from “Wellness Programmes” reduce available resources? Programme planning, deciding what constitutes a programme, and what to include in the OSH promotion programme, may be a dilemma. The programme implementation, deciding who implements the activities and how a programme is sustained, may be other difficult issues. Finally, programme evaluation can be problematic: How is it done properly? and Who should evaluate the programme?Possible solutions to these problems may include the costing of work accidents and occupational ill health to justify the need and benefits of an OSH programme, and riding on the bandwagon of “wellness promotion” instead of competition for limited resources. In programme planning, knowing what is wanted and employing a professional to plan the programme is essential. The programme coverage should encompass health and safety issues, and preventive strategies should be directed towards both environment and lifestyle factors. There should be a prioritization of topics according to the needs of workers. The choice of OSH professionals versus “wellness promoters” or human resource officers as programme co-ordinators may affect the programme outcome. Training supervisors and line workers to be trainers would involve those directly in contact with work hazards in the programme. Programme evaluation is crucial. There should be provision for both process and outcome evaluations, and pains should be taken to ensure independence and objectivity of evaluations. The idea of linking programme results to the OSH personnel assessments is worth considering.The delivery of OSH promotion programmes in a relevant and effective manner poses a real challenge. While some obstacles and problems appear to be insurmountable, these challenges have to be faced and overcome in order to achieve the goals of protecting and promoting the health of the worker.     

Occupational Health and Safety From Communist to Capitalist Structures

This article focuses on individual effects of the transformation from communist to capitalist structures in the system of occupational health and safety (OHS). Despite basic similarities among the communist nations the systems of OHS differed immensely. The political changes during transformation additionally contributed to varying opportunities for the development of OHS systems. Changes affecting the living and working conditions are significant and are demonstrated by the development of new work structures and work biographies. This is reflected in changed attitudes to demands and contents of work. No differences, however, were found between the employed and unemployed when asked about these issues. Conclusions for OHS in postcommunist states are drawn.     

Working in small enterprises – Is there a special risk?

Ownership structure is an important factor. For independent enterprises, the ergonomic, physical and chemical work environment is more hazardous in small enterprises than in large ones. For enterprises that are part of a larger organization, the work environment tends to be more hazardous in large enterprises when controlling for the same factors. For the psychosocial factors, the trend is different – better in small than in large enterprises independent of ownership. In all enterprises, both public and private, the quality of health and safety management systems and workplace assessment is remarkably higher in large than in small enterprises.These differences in work environment for small and large enterprises have been studied in the ‘Danish Work Environment Cohort Study’ and ‘Surveillance of health and safety activities in enterprises’. These datasets are linked together to a reliable database with data on work environment and enterprises including size, ownership structure, and health and safety management.     

Small businesses and OH&S advisors

Traditionally occupational health and safety (OH&S) enquiry has viewed the world of work as if it comprised of blue-collar male workers employed on a full-time basis in large organisations. However, to continue to analyze workplace health and safety within the narrow confines of unionized labour situated in large organisations is to ignore the health and safety in non-unionised small businesses. Therefore, this paper challenges existing OH&S research by investigating the compliance experiences of small businesses. The paper also demonstrates that small business employers are becoming increasingly reliant on their accountant to provide a range of compliance advisory services, including OH&S. However, the notion that small accounting firms act as ‘intermediary advisors’ between the OH&S regulatory agencies and the small business sector may influence the way in which regulatory agencies achieve OH&S compliance in small workplaces. Finally, the study reinforces the need for a more flexible approach to OH&S in the small business sector.     

The reality of “Revitalizing Health and Safety”

Problem: Workplace health and safety remains an important international socioeconomic issue, but the progressive declines in reported incidents may be slowing. The British Government has responded by launching a new policy initiative aimed at “Revitalizing Health and Safety” by establishing targets for improvement, strategies, and a series of action points, mainly targeting employers and organizational issues. This paper critically assesses the realities of implementing this policy with respect to the scientific base for each of the strategies. Method: Literature meta-analysis; analysis of policy. Results: Empirically proven determinants of workplace health and safety provide baselines for compensation and conditions of work, workforce characteristics, workplace characteristics, health and safety environment, political and economic factors, and industry characteristics. Support for different policy elements is varied and there are some significant gaps. Summary: An impressive body of research was found that offers a firm foundation for future developments. However, the need for work that is interdisciplinary, ordered, and collaborative is pressing. The need to move away from elegant but simplistic pictures of occupational health and safety (OHS) management practice, and to reflect true complexity is imperative. The reality of health and safety at work is that it is an issue that is taken lightly by those who do not practice or research safe and healthy working, and a serious issue for victims or relatives of victims of shoddy management. It remains one of the bastions of inequality of work worldwide. Impact on industry: The intent of governments in attempting to reinvigorate the suppression of workplace injury and illness is motivated by both social and economic imperatives. Motivation for organizations is not fully understood as there is no obvious business imperative. If organizations can further understand and provide a scientific justification for investment in OHS management, then governments' task will be made easier. By proving the value of OHS to management, we will demonstrate that organizations continue to present considerable hazards to their employees.     

British directors perspectives on the impact of health and safety on corporate performance

Occupational health and safety is established as a factor in international competitiveness, but we question the relevance of this economic argument at the organisational level. On this basis we assess the place of health and safety in the senior management agenda, based on findings from recent market research. Out of this we take a brief perspective on the literature on performance assessment and corporate reputation, and their relationship with health and safety in the workplace. We then report original in-depth research on directors' attitudes to and practice in workplace health and safety. We conclude with a summary of the key issues and a discussion of directions for further work.     

Occupational and public health and safety in a changing work environment: An integrated approach for risk assessment and prevention

During recent years the work environment has undergone significant changes regarding working time, years of employment, work organization, type of employment contracts and working conditions. In this paper, consequences of these changes on occupational and public health and safety are examined. These include the disruption of human biological rhythms, the increase of workers fatigue due to changes in patterns of working hours and years of employment, job insecurity and occupational stress, which have a serious impact on workers’ health and may result in an increase in occupational accidents. Unsafe work practices related to workload and time pressure, the impact of work changes on public safety and the deterioration of workers’ living conditions with respect to income, social-family life, health and insurance benefits, are also described. In this context, difficulties that occur due to the changing work environment in conducting effective occupational risk assessments and implementing OSH measures are discussed (for example, frequent changes between tasks and workplaces, underreporting of occupational accidents and diseases, lack of methodological tools, etc.). A fundamental criterion used while studying consequences on health and safety and the relative preventive measures is that health and safety must be approached as ‘the promotion and maintenance at the highest degree of the physical, mental and social well-being of workers’ and not only as retention of their work ability. Limits in combining “flexibility” at work and overall protection of occupational and public safety and health in a competitive market are put forward for discussion.     

从业人员安全卫生权利法律定位及保护问题综述

通过对安全卫生权本质的解析和法理学分析,明确安全卫生权的法律定位,并指出民法上的物质性人身权与劳动法上的职业安全卫生权存在的区别。根据安全卫生权的法律定位,并结合我国职业安全卫生权利法律保护研究现状,对我国职业安全卫生权利保护存在的问题进行了综述,并对法律制度的综合性调节功能欠缺,法律制度的内容不够系统、完善,侵权责任中的工伤赔偿与民事侵权赔偿等主要问题进行研讨。经过分析和归纳,可以得出如下结论:只有向着职业安全卫生法律一体化方向发展,方能从制度层面有效解决现存的问题;应采用"补充模式"解决侵权责任事故中的工伤赔偿与民事侵权赔偿问题。     

Successful health and safety management. The contribution of management audit

Auditing the health and safety performance of organisations is now recognised as an essential ingredient of successful health and safety management systems. The audit protocol — the question sets—is, however, only one of a number of factors which determine the end value of auditing. The competence of auditors, their insights into the organisations subject to scrutiny, their independence and the feedback and decision making processes that help organisations to review and change the way they operate are equally important. Much of the process of auditing needs to be systematic, methodical and scientific. However the art of the informed analysis and inspired interpretation can also add value to the total management process. Auditing alone will not prevent accidents and injuries. Health and safety management systems do that. Auditing seeks to assess the efficiency effectiveness of the systems. Informed management action must then follow, to maintain and improve them. This paper outlines five essential components of health and safety management; policy making, organising, planning, performance measurement and review which provide the environment in which effective auditing systems operate. It is derived from the work of HSE's Accident Prevention Advisory Unit and the advice published in “Successful Health and Safety Management” in 1991.     

职业卫生工作若干问题思考与探讨

在概述职业卫生内涵与基本属性的基础上,对其与职业安全、职业医学与公共卫生的关系进行初探.职业卫生是影响社会经济持续发展的重要因素,是以职业人群和作业环境为服务对象,以为劳动者创造或改善劳动条件(作业环境、劳动组织与管理)为主要手段,以预防和控制职业病或职业危害事故的发生为目的的一项劳动保护工作,与职业安全密不可分,同属劳动关系中劳动保护范畴,与职业医学、公共卫生也有着密切的关系,但并不等同.职业安全卫生的一体化管理是经济社会发展的必然要求,也是我国当前安全生产管理中亟需解决的重要问题.     

Psychosocial safety climate: Conceptual distinctiveness and effect on job demands and worker psychological health

Psychosocial safety climate is an emerging construct that refers to shared perceptions regarding policies, practices, and procedures for the protection of worker psychological health and safety. The purpose of the research was to: (1) demonstrate that psychosocial safety climate is a construct distinct from related climate measures (i.e., physical safety climate, team psychological safety, and perceived organizational support); and (2) test the proposition that organizational psychosocial safety climate determines work conditions (i.e., job demands) and subsequently worker psychological health. We used samples from two different cultures; an Australian sample (N = 126 workers in 16 teams within a primary health care organization) and a Malaysian sample (N = 180 workers in 31 teams from different organizations and diverse industries). In both samples confirmatory factor analysis verified that psychosocial safety climate is a construct distinct from related climate measures. Using hierarchical linear modeling, psychosocial safety climate was superior to other team level climate measures in its negative relationship to both job demands and psychological health problems. Results supported a mediation process, psychosocial safety climate → job demands → psychological health problems, corroborating psychosocial safety climate as a preeminent stress risk factor, and an efficient target for intervention. We found both physical and psychosocial safety climates were stronger in the Australian, compared with the Malaysian work context. Levels of psychosocial safety climate were significantly lower than those of physical safety climate in both countries indicating a ‘universal’ lack of attention to workplace psychological health.     

Environmental disaster education at the university level: an integrative approach

Because of the highly complex nature of chemical and nuclear accidents, efforts aimed at prevention, preparedness and response require the melding of many types of knowledge and the close collaboration of a wide range of professions. Nevertheless, the need for such integration and cooperation is not always strongly emphasized in university-level curricula. As a result, developing professionals have few opportunities to learn and practise unified models of environmental accident management. In an effort to foster a more integrative approach, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA, has launched the “Environmental Disasters” project. The project crosses disciplinary boundaries with respect to both curriculum and enrollment. In terms of curriculum, the project examines chemical and nuclear accidents from a multi-dimensional perspective, considering not only regulatory, scientific and policy issues, but also the public health, social, and psychological implications. In terms of enrollment, the project brings together students from the full range of fields that are involved with environmental accidents, including engineering, public health, public administration, social work, psychology, nursing, communications, medicine, and environmental studies. Emphasizing the need for a collaborative approach, students work in multi-disciplinary teams as they explore theory, case studies and current research. In addition, the student teams develop detailed plans for addressing the effects of a chemical or nuclear disaster. With environmental accidents representing an on-going threat to health and safety, the approach discussed in this article may provide a useful model for environmental disaster education at the university level.     

中日合作项目职业安全卫生法规与标准体系初步研究

按照中日合作项目《加强中国安全生产科学技术能力计划》,分析了中国职业安全卫生法规标准体系现状,提出了中国《安全生产法》和日本《劳动安全卫生法》的各自特点与不同点。同时,系统梳理了中国危险化学品、机械安全和职业卫生等领域安全生产法规标准体系,分析了其中存在的主要问题,提出了针对性对策和建议。这对健全中国职业安全卫生法规体系建设具有重要的借鉴和参考意义。     

The need for detailed gender-specific occupational safety analysis

IntroductionThe female work in population is growing in the United States, therefore the occupational health and safety entities must start to analyze gender-specific data related to every industry, especially to nontraditional occupations. Women working in nontraditional jobs are often exposed to extreme workplace hazards. These women have their safety and health threatened because there are no adequate policies to mitigate gender-specific risks such as discrimination and harassment. Employers tend to aggravate this situation because they often fail to provide proper reporting infrastructure and support. According to past studies, women suffered from workplace injuries and illnesses that were less prominent among men. Statistics also confirmed that men and women faced different levels of risks in distinct work environments. For example, the rates of workplace violence and murders by personal acquaintances were significantly higher among women.MethodsIn this paper, the authors analyze prior public data on fatal and nonfatal injuries to understand why we need to differentiate genders when analyzing occupational safety and health issues.ResultsThe analyses confirmed that women dealt with unique workplace hazards compared to men.ConclusionsIt is urgent that public agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Labor, record gender-specific data in details and by occupations and industries.Practical applicationThe reader will become aware of the current lack – and need – of data and knowledge about injuries and illnesses separated by gender and industry. Finally, safety and health researchers are encouraged to investigate the gender-specific data in all industries and occupations, as soon as they become available.     

Occupational safety and health in Spain

Occupational Health and Safety in Spain has improved considerably over the last decade, most likely due to a new concept where an overall concept of safety culture is defined. Important changes in industrial safety, hygiene, and psychosocial factors present an optimistic panorama for the future of Spain. Despite this general improvement, according to the European Convergence Program, Spanish statistics still offer far from good safety results. In fact, according to 1997 official statistics, Spain had the highest incidence rate for nonfatal occupational accidents of all European Union (EU) countries, and occupied third place for fatal accidents. This paper summarizes the organizational structure of the Spanish National System of Health & Safety at Work, its effective health and safety laws, and statistics on the Spanish work environment obtained from III Spanish National Survey on Work Conditions (1997). The researchers hope that the findings of this work will have an impact on Spanish industry that will subsequently bring about improvements in work conditions and develop assessment and intervention models in occupational health and safety, from a theoretical position integrating environmental, human, and organizational factors.     

Mechanical Equipment Injuries in Small Manufacturing Businesses. Knowledge,Behavioral, and Management Issues

This paper presents findings from an extensive study intofactors that impact upon the high rate of injuries due to mechanical equipment, especially in small manufacturing firms. Issues relating to knowledge of health and safety issues and to management practices have been shown to be extremely important with regards to safety in smaii businesses. Knowledge and awareness of hazards were found to be relatively low and few respondents, especially managers, had received adequate safety training. Managers did not regard the identification and control of risks as a priority. Workplaces generally lacked effective safety management procedures such as safety rules and regulations, procedures for recording and learning from accidents, and clearly defined responsibilities for safety. Some issues requiring further investigation, and some recommendations for improving safety in small businesses, are presented.     

Stigma at work: The psychological costs and benefits of the pressure to work safely

Introduction: Workplace accidents and injuries can be quite costly to both individual employees and their organizations. While safety climate (i.e., perceptions of policies and procedures related to safety that should reflect an organization's value of safety) has been established as a predictor of safety behaviors, less research has considered the possible negative pressures that could result from an environment that emphasizes safety. Though organizations may intend to create a positive safety climate, concerns about being treated differently if an employee were to be involved in a safety incident may result in unintended, but detrimental safety and health outcomes. Method: This study investigated the stigma associated with being involved in a safety-related incident in relation to self-reported safety behaviors and psychological health outcomes. The data were acquired through a two-wave prospective design, surveying workers from Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk; N = 528) who indicated they were exposed to at least one physical work stressor (e.g., heavy lifting; air quality; standing for extended periods) a few times each month or more. Results: When controlling for safety climate, safety stigma was related to decreased safety compliance and poorer psychological health. There was a marginally significant interaction between safety stigma and safety motivation in relation to safety compliance. Conclusions: These findings suggest that experiencing pressure to work safely, for fear of being evaluated negatively, may actually come at the cost of employees' safety compliance and psychological health. Practical applications: These results may be useful in assessing and intervening to improve an organization's safety climate. Organizations should closely examine the climate for safety to ensure that positive aspects of safety are not undermined by a stigmatizing pressure associated with safety in the work environment.     

Nanotechnologies,engineered nanomaterials and occupational health and safety – A review

The significance of engineered nanomaterials (ENM) and nanotechnologies grows rapidly. Nanotechnology applications may have a positive marked impact on many aspects of on human every day life, for example by providing means for the production of clean energy and pure drinking water. Hundreds of consumer nano-based products are already on the market. However, very little is known of the risks of ENM to occupational safety and health (OSH), even though workers are likely to be at extra risk, as compared with other potentially exposed groups of people, because the levels of exposure are usually higher at workplaces than in other environments. However, knowledge of the exposure to, or effects of, ENM on human health and safety in occupational environments is limited and does not allow reliable assessment of risks of ENM on workers’ health. Several issues related to ENM in the workplaces require marked attention. The most topical issues include: (1) improved understanding of ENM metrics associated with ENM toxicity; (2) development of monitoring devices for ENM exposure assessment; (3) understanding the changes of ENM structure and state of agglomeration at different concentrations in aerosols; (4) understanding translocation of ENM in the human body; (5) identifying the key health effects of ENM including pulmonary toxicity, genotoxicity, carcinogenic effects, and effects on circulation; (6) development of tiered approaches for testing of safety of ENM; and (7) utilizing these data for health risk assessment, with a special emphasis on occupational environment. Available data on several ENM – ability to enter the body and reach almost any organ, to cause pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis, and even to cause increased risk of mesotheliomas in animal models, call for immediate action. It is crucial to identify those ENM that may cause occupational health and safety risks from those ENM which are innocent, hence allowing prioritization of regulatory and preventive actions at workplaces at national, regional and global levels.     

FMEA and consideration of real work situations for safer design of production systems

Production equipment designers must ensure the health and safety of future users; in this regard, they augment requirements for standardizing and controlling operator work. This contrasts with the ergonomic view of the activity, which recommends leaving operators leeway (margins for manoeuvre) in performing their task, while safeguarding their health. Following a brief analysis of design practices in the car industry, we detail how the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) approach is implemented in this sector. We then suggest an adaptation that enables designers to consider real work situations. This new protocol, namely, work situation FMEA, allows experience feedback to be used to defend the health standpoint during designer project reviews, which usually only address quality and performance issues. We subsequently illustrate the advantage of this approach using two examples of work situations at car parts manufacturers: the first from the literature and the second from an in-company industrial project.