Where to focus? Insights from safety personnel and external safety consultants on lessons learned about safety climate interventions – A qualitative approach

Introduction: Safety climate is important for promoting workplace safety and health. However, there is a dearth of empirical research on the effective ways of planning, designing, and implementing safety climate interventions, especially regarding what is going to be changed and improved. To address this gap, the present study sought to extract a comprehensive pool of compiled suggestions for safety climate intervention based on qualitative interviews with professionals in occupational safety and health management from potentially hazardous industries. Method: A series of systematic semi-structured interviews, guided by a comprehensive sociotechnical systems framework, were conducted with company safety personnel (n = 26) and external safety consultants (n = 15) of 21 companies from various industries. The taxonomy of five work system components of the sociotechnical systems approach served as overarching themes, representing different areas of improvement in an organization for occupational safety and health promotion, with an aim of enhancing safety climate. Results: Of the 36 codes identified, seven codes were based on the theme of external environment work system, four were based on the theme of internal environment work system, five were based on the theme of organizational and managerial structure work system, 14 codes were based on the theme of personnel subsystem, and six were based on the theme of technical subsystem. Conclusions: Safety climate intervention strategies might be most commonly based upon the principles of human resource management (i.e., codes based on the personnel subsystem theme and organizational and managerial structure work system theme). Meanwhile, numerous attributes of external/internal environment work system and technical subsystem can be jointly improved to bolster safety climate in a holistic way. Practical Applications: More systematic and organized management of safety climate would be available when various interrelated codes pertinent to a given context are carefully considered for a safety climate intervention.     

Does the potential safety risk affect whether particular construction hazards are recognized or not?

Introduction: Evidence from the global construction industry suggests that an unacceptable number of safety hazards remain unrecognized in construction workplaces. Unfortunately, there isn’t a sufficient understanding of why particular safety hazards remain unrecognized. Such an understanding is important to address the issue of poor hazard recognition and develop remedial interventions. A recent exploratory effort provided anecdotal evidence that workers often fail to recognize safety hazards that are expected to impose relatively lower levels of safety risk. In other words, the research demonstrated that the underlying risk imposed by a safety hazard can affect whether a hazard will be recognized or not. Method: The presented research focused on empirically testing this preliminary finding. More specifically, the study tested the proposition that Construction workers are more likely to recognize safety hazards that impose higher levels of safety risk than those that impose relatively lower levels of safety risk. The research goals were accomplished through a number of steps. First, a set of 16 construction case images depicting a variety of construction operations that included a number of known safety hazards was presented to a panel of four construction safety experts. The experts were tasked with examining each of the known safety hazards and providing a rating of the relative safety risk that the individual hazards impose. Having obtained an estimate of the underlying safety risk, a hazard recognition activity was administered to 287 workers recruited from 57 construction workplaces in the United States. The hazard recognition activity involved the examination of a random sample of two construction case images that were previously examined by the expert panel and reporting relevant safety hazards. Results: The results of the study provided support for the proposition that workers are more likely to recognize hazards that impose relatively higher levels of safety risk. Practical Applications: The findings of the study can be leveraged to improve existing hazard recognition methods and develop more robust interventions to address the issue of poor hazard recognition levels.     

关于实行企业安全生产年审制的思考

在经济体制改革后,政府转变职能,企业转换经营机制,企业与政府脱钩,政府放权予企业,由企业自主经营、自负盈亏,企业成为独立核算的法人.按照权、责统一和管生产必须管安全、谁主管谁负责的原则,企业的安全生产从企业与政府共同管理转移到自主管理,政府及其有关主管部门从管理向监督转变,政府与企业的关系由隶属关系变成监督与被监督的关系.随着社会主义市场经济的进一步发展和日益完善,安全生产面临前所未有的新情况.在新的形势下,如何建立安全生产的长效机制,是当前安全生产亟待解决的重要课题.笔者针对安全生产监督与管理上存在的问题,有针对性地提出了实行企业安全生产年审制的建议,认为建立企业安全生产年审制是切合当前实际的安全对策,并对如何实施这一对策进行了初步的探讨.     

基于安全控制论的株洲冶炼厂的综合安全评价

对生产经营单位进行安全评价可以有效地预防事故发生,减少财产损失和人员伤亡及伤害,安全评价是安全生产管理的一个重要组成部分.综合安全评价是以安全控制论为理论基础的安全评价法.笔者从现代安全控制论角度,通过系统危险辨识、系统危险控制能力诊断,运用综合安全模型对株洲冶炼厂进行了安全评价.综合安全评价结果表明,一方面,株洲冶炼厂的安全度为56.13,处于临界状态;被评价的系统危险控制指数均为-0.24,说明其安全系统总体状况呈下降趋势.近20年来株洲冶炼厂的伤亡事故伤害频率有明显起伏波动的特点,当前的安全管理形势还非常严峻,应通过对全厂的安全评价,全面提高安全管理水平;另方面,基于安全控制论的综合安全评价是一种有效的安全评价方法,可以在各个大型厂矿得以推广应用.     

Household youth on minority operated farms in the United States, 2000: exposures to and injuries from work, horses, ATVs and tractors

INTRODUCTION: It is likely that youth living on minority operated farms (<3% of U.S. farms) face hazards similar to the general farm population; however, since minority youth are not well represented by general farm surveys, this information hasn't been confirmed. METHOD: Nonfatal injury and exposure data were obtained from the 2000 Minority Farm Operator Childhood Agricultural Injury Survey (M-CAIS). RESULTS: On racial minority farms, there were an estimated 28,600 household youth. Of these, about 41% worked, 26% rode a horse, 23% drove an ATV, and 23% operated a tractor. On Hispanic farms, there were an estimated 17,998 household youth. Of these, 44% worked, 30% rode a horse, 27% drove an ATV, and 25% operated a tractor. CONCLUSIONS: These results show the value of conducting a survey of minorities to identify high risk groups and target issues that may be unique to the minority farm population.     

一种改进的模糊控制方法及其在大坝安全上的应用

大坝的安全运行状态影响因素多变且各因素之间关系错综复杂,而目前大坝普遍存在事故隐患以及对其安全所使用的监控方法的落后和效果的不良,笔者针对上述原因,给出了一种新的应用模糊理论的算法,将传统的模糊控制理论用神经网络优化后,能更加方便地应用于非线性系统建模,利用给出的新的学习规则,可以用竞争学习为训练样本的输入空间进行聚类,然后为其确定区域划分边界.将该法运用于水坝的安全管理上,将得到的训练网络用实际的历史记录数据验证.结果表明差距很小,证明了该方法的正确性,将其应用于大坝的安全监控和事故预测方面将会有很好的发展前景.     

一种现代化的安全管理方法安全管理信息系统

安全管理信息系统是现代化安全管理中,安全信息综合处理的枢纽,是安全信息管理、安全决策的关键.通过建立以安技部门为信息处理中心、各危险岗位和各专业部门为终端的安全管理信息系统网络,从而由安全信息反馈来推进对隐患的不断检查、整改和监控,形成闭环管理,力求把安全管理从传统的事后追踪变为事前的预防控制,使安全管理工作逐步走向科学化、系统化和规范化,对提高目前安全管理水平具有实际意义.     

Ecology of player-to-player contact in boys' youth soccer play

INTRODUCTION: Youth soccer (football) injuries occur for a wide range of reasons, but the most frequent cause of injury is via player-to-player contact. This study was designed to study the ecology of collisions between players during youth soccer play. METHOD: Six teams of 11- and 12-year-old male players were followed over the course of a full season. Games were videotaped and reviewed to address three primary questions: how frequently do player-to-player collisions occur; when and where on the field do those collisions occur; and what is the rate of falls and injuries as a result of player-to-player contact. RESULTS: A total of 1,279 player-to-player collisions was observed, or an average of 65.59 collisions per game. Nearly half of the observed collisions resulted in one or both players falling to the ground, and about one-tenth resulted in the referee calling a foul, but very few of the collisions (less than 1%) resulted in an injury. Collisions occurred relatively consistently throughout the games, no matter what the score was. They occurred most frequently in the midfield area, when the ball was on or near the ground, and when players were attempting to retrieve a loose, uncontrolled ball. CONCLUSIONS: Results are discussed with respect to implications for injury prevention.     

安全控制论原理和应用

以系统论、信息论、控制论为指导思想,结合安全系统工程现场实践,对开发、完善安全控制论的理论体系及其应用等方面研究成果作了简要介绍,包括安全控制论的数学模型,安全系统的控制方式,安全计量及其在安全评价等方面的应用.     

Perceived safety climate, job demands, and coworker support among union and nonunion injured construction workers

PROBLEM: This study evaluated injured construction workers' perceptions of workplace safety climate, psychological job demands, decision latitude, and coworker support, and the relationship of these variables to the injury severity sustained by the workers. METHODS: Injury severity was assessed using the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), which evaluates functional limitations. Worker perceptions of workplace variables were determined by two instruments: (a) the Safety Climate Measure for Construction Sites and (b) the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ). RESULTS: The overall model explained 23% of the variance in injury severity, with unique contributions provided by union status, the Safety Climate Score, and Psychological Job Demands. A positive significant correlation was found between injury severity and the Safety Climate Scores (r = .183, P = .003), and between the Safety Climate Scores and union status (r = .225, P < .001). DISCUSSION: There were statistically significant differences between union and nonunion workers' responses regarding perceived safety climate on 5 of the 10 safety climate items. Union workers were more likely than nonunion workers to: (a) perceive their supervisors as caring about their safety; (b) be made aware of dangerous work practices; (c) have received safety instructions when hired; (d) have regular job safety meetings; and (e) perceive that taking risks was not a part of their job. However, with regard to the 49-item JCQ, which includes Coworker Support, the responses between union and nonunion workers were very similar, indicating an overall high degree of job satisfaction. However, workers who experienced their workplace as more safe also perceived the level of management (r = -.55, P < .001) and coworker (r = -.31, P < .001) support as being higher. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: The findings of this study underscore the critical need for construction managers to alert workers to dangerous work practices and conditions more frequently, and express concern and praise workers for safe work in a manner that is culturally acceptable in this industry. Workplace interventions that decrease the incidence and severity of injuries, but that are flexible enough to meet a variety of potentially competing imperatives, such as production deadlines and client demands, need to be identified.     

手工包装安全人机工程评价

较详细地阐述了西安杨森制药有限公司手工包装安全人机工程评价的方法、程序、内容与改进意见,并简要介绍了评价后的效果     

Is there a link between children's motor abilities and unintentional injuries?

PROBLEM: The common view is that clumsy children experience unintentional injury more frequently. Empirical evidence supporting this position is mixed. METHOD: One hundred 6- and 8-year-olds completed a battery of nine tasks designed to assess motor ability. Mothers completed a lifetime injury history measure about their children and families completed a 2-week injury diary assessing frequency and severity of daily injuries. RESULTS: Internal reliability for the motor ability battery was good. Correlations between motor ability measures and injury risk were nonsignificant and near zero. DISCUSSION: Motor ability does not appear to be directly related to injury risk. Possible explanations include: (a) coordinated and clumsy children engage in hazardous activities with differing frequency; or (b) other individual difference factors may interact with motor ability to explain children's injury risk. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Children's motor abilities do not appear to be directly linked to rate of unintentional injury, but instead may influence risk for injury in conjunction with other factors. Results could have implications to the engineering of children's toys and playground equipment and to the design of appropriate supervision strategies for children engaging in potentially dangerous activities.     

Synthesis and recommendations of the economic evaluation of OHS interventions at the company level conference

PROBLEM: In today's economic environment, enterprises may not be able to fund every new project aimed at promoting health and safety in the workplace. Company level economic evaluation of interventions can provide guidance in sound business decision-making. The Economic Evaluation of Occupational Health and Safety Interventions at the Company Level Meeting brought together members of the global occupational safety and health community interested in encouraging the use of economic knowledge and tools to evaluate economic gains from occupational health and safety interventions. DISCUSSION: Discussions of the six models presented explored similarities, reliability, and potential use by corporate enterprises, small and medium enterprises, developing and transitioning nations, and economic theorists. Each group provided specific projects that could be pursued to advance knowledge in the area of economic evaluation at the company level. CONCLUSION: This conference established pathway to incorporate economic evaluation of health and safety interventions or programs at the workplace.     

安全的自然属性和社会属性

通过对安全、安全系统、安全动力学等基本概念的探讨,提出了安全属性概念,拓展了安全、安全系统的内涵;同时运用科学学、哲学、系统科学和系统动力学等方法,从安全属性的角度研究了安全的规律性.笔者还指出安全系统动力学方法是研究安全规律性的途径.这些探讨和研究为安全科学的充实和发展起到了积极的推动作用.