Occupational Health Care in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises—Introduction of Services to Craftsmen by Using Their Professional Networks

In order to ensure equality of occupational health care among employees of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and of larger companies, amendments in the regulations of the numerous German accident insurance funds had to be made to provide for full availability of services, as requested by German and European law. According to these amendments, sectors formerly exempted due to small size and due to lack of an adequate number of qualified personnel, had to be covered by occupational health care. In order to reach this target group new strategies of care delivery had to be developed, making use of pre-existing infrastructure and networks.

In Germany, district trade association (Kreishandwerkerschaften) have proved to be very effective for introducing occupational safety and health care into SMEs by either hiring external multidisciplinary services or by establishing a common service to be used by all associated crafts establishments. In a study conducted by the Federal Office for Health and Safety at Work in 1996 (Boldt, Gille, &Grahl, 1997), 7 district trade association were looked at in detail for their strategies. The results were discussed and supplemented in a 2-day workshop.     

Workers’ Involvement—A Missing Component in the Implementation of Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems in Enterprises

Effective implementation of occupational safety and health (OSH) legislation based on European Union directives requires promotion of OSH management systems ( OSH MS). To this end, voluntary Polish standards (PN-N-18000) have been adopted, setting forth OSH MS specifications and guidelines. However, the number of enterprises implementing OSH MS has increased slowly, falling short of expectations, which call for a new national policy on OSH MS promotion. To develop a national policy in this area, a survey was conducted in 40 enterprises with OSH MS in place. The survey was aimed at identifying motivational factors underlying OSH MS implementation decisions. Specifically, workers’ and their representatives’ involvement in OSH MS implementation was investigated. The results showed that the level of workers ‘ involvement was relatively low, which may result in a low effectiveness of those systems. The same result also applies to the involvement of workers’ representatives and that of trade unions.     

International Comparison of Occupational Safety and Health Research—A Review Based on Published Articles

A comparison of international literature in occupational safety and health (OSH) research over the years from 1980 to 1998 was conducted. The comparison is based on the different languages of the over 35,000 articles, which were collected from different databases. The distribution of languages in the analyzed data has to be considered carefully with respect to the original purpose of the data collection and the specific role of the international publication language, English. The comparison shows that in several aspects OSH research does not differ in different publication languages. In some methodological aspects, and in specific objects of research, differences between articles published in different languages can be found.     

Summary of recommendations from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program, 2006–2014

Introduction: The NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP) conducts independent investigations of selected fire fighter line-of-duty deaths (LODD) and offers recommendations to prevent similar deaths. The purpose of the current study was to provide information on more recent FFFIPP recommendations and to determine if recommendations have changed over time. Methods: Fatality investigations completed from 2006 to 2014 were selected for this study with recommendations being assigned into twelve major categories when possible. The most frequently occurring recommendations were then rank ordered overall and then by medical and traumatic fire fighter LODD. Results: There were 1,067 total recommendations made in the published fire fighter investigative reports for both medical and trauma-related fire fighter fatalities for the period 2006–2014. Of these, 784 (73%) could be placed within one of the 12 categories noted previously. The top 10 recommendation categories overall were: 1. Medical screening, 2. Fitness and wellness program, 3. Training, 4. Medical clearance, 5. Standard Operating Procedures/Standard Operating Guidelines (SOPs/SOGs), 6. Incident command, 7. Strategy and tactics, 8. Communications, 9. Personal protective equipment and 10. Staffing. Conclusions: The leading recommendations from the NIOSH FFFIPP medical investigations between 2006 and 2014 did not change compared to those made between 1998 and 2005, with the exception of the addition of “medical clearance for duty”. There were changes for the traumatic injury leading recommendations for 2006–2014, with the major change being “training”, which was the leading FFFIPP recommendation for traumatic injuries for this time period. Practical applications: The intent of the FFFIPP is to influence fire departments and fire fighters to critically assess and evaluate situations/circumstances similar to those identified by NIOSH investigations and implement the recommendations offered to prevent additional fire fighter fatalities.     

The Relationship Between Workers’ Safety Culture and Accidents,Near Accidents and Health Problems

One of the dimensions treated as part of a company’s safety culture or climate is workers’ attitudes towards risk and safety. In the present study these personal aspects are defined as workers’ safety culture, which is understood as a way of acting focused on life and taking care of one’s health. A questionnaire on safety culture was filled out by 200 employees of a metallurgical enterprise. Factor analysis was used to determine empirical scales of the questionnaire, whereas variance analysis was used to test hypotheses. The results confirmed the hypotheses that people who experienced accidents, dangerous situations, and—to a lesser extent—health problems had a lower level of safety culture. Nevertheless not all of the scales determined during factor analysis turned out to be significant as far as all kinds of those undesirable situations are concerned. Proposals for future studies are formulated in the conclusion.     

Workers’ Perceptions of Workplace Safety and Job Satisfaction

A lot of attention has beenfocused on workers ‘ perceptions of workplace safety but relatively little or no research has been done on the impact of job satisfaction on safety climate. This study investigated this relationship. It also examined the relationships between job satisfaction and workers’ compliance with safety management policies and accident frequency. A positive association was found between job satisfaction and safety climate. Workers who expressed more satisfaction at their posts had positive perceptions of safety climate. Correspondingly, they were more committed to safety management policies and consequently registered a lower rate of accident involvement. The results were thus consistent with the notion that workers ‘ positive perceptions of organisational climate influence their perceptions of safety at the workplace. The findings, which have implications in the work environment, are discussed.     

Occupational Medicine—Its Contribution to Protection and Promotion of Health at Work

This article deals with the special demands on occupational medicine due to the changes of work and of tasks at workplaces. Conclusions for research in occupational medicine are drawn from these processes. They are discussed on the basis on an analysis of literature from the years 1980–1998. Focus of future research in the field of occupational medicine is developed by taking international tendencies, the interdisciplinary setting of occupational medicine, and the close relations between science and practice into consideration.     

Occupational Health Care in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises—How Many Doctors Do We Need and How Do We Ensure Good Care?

The translation of the framework directive 89/391/EEC (Council Directive 89/391/EEC) into national law aims at supplying occupational protection and health care to all employees of large, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) likewise, depending on assessed exposure. Prior incomplete protection of the German workforce with bias against the SMEs requires an assessment of quantitative and qualitative adequacy of present occupational health care practice and also of future needs.

Therefore, the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of Germany initiated a study to evaluate the present state of occupational health care in 4 regions with different geographic and economic structure. Based on these data the future demand for adequately trained occupational physicians will be estimated by employing a statistical method that allows for including a large number of modifying variables (economic development, demographic change, etc.).

Expected result of the applied technique are the estimated minimal and maximal number of occupational physicians that have to be trained to meet future demand. In the same study models of best practice will be identified and evaluated for general application. The project started in October 1997 and will be finished by January 2000.     

The WWDU (Work With Display Units) Conference as a Platform for Occupational Health and Safety in the Past—And as a WWCS (Work With Computer Systems) Conference in the Future

The real burden of occupational diseases, specifically work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), and its impact on workers’ productivity is not known. The situation is critical in developing countries where only cases that cause workers’ disability are recorded. In this study, the incidence of MSDs in Colombia was estimated by using the age and gender specific double incidence rate of repetitive strain injuries diseases in Finland for 2002. The results showed that the estimated number of MSDs recorded in Colombia during 2005 was 23,477 cases at the rate of 11.6 cases per 10,000 workers. The estimated total cost of these MSD cases relative to workers’ productivity was US $171.7 million, representing around 0.2% of Colombia’s Gross Domestic Product for 2005. The systematic appraisal of the incidence of MSDs and their associated cost on workers’ productivity are necessary in developing countries to reduce the costly impact on productivity and to increase workers’ well-being.     

Occupational Safety Culture Index (OSCI)——measuring the community and employees awareness,attitude and knowledge towards workplace safety and health in Hong Kong SAR

Promoting occupational safety and health in Hong Kong,Special Administrative Region of China is an important and ongoing mission. As the major organization with statutory responsibilities,the Occupational Safety and Health Council understand the importance to strengthen and cultivate our safety culture. It is widely believed that numbers of occupational related diseases and injuries could be prevented with the improvement of the awareness and attitudes of the employees and the public. Therefore,a comprehensive and in-depth study to monitor the occupational health and safety level and status of the community and working population is needed. Objectives: Our Council has developed the Occupational Safety Culture Index ( OSCI) to measure the current level of community and workplace safety and health awareness,knowledge and attitude. Benchmarking measures of the key safety performance indicators are to be derived thereof. Methods: A territory-wide random telephone survey was conducted to assess the community and employees’awareness,attitude and knowledge in 2008. A structured questionnaire was designed with the content validity and reliability assessed before the survey administration. A series of quality control approaches were also applied to assure the quality of the fieldwork and the reliability of the data. Results: 1,531 eligible participants’data were collected and computed into 2 types of composite indices,Occupational Safety Culture Index ( Community) ( OSCIC) and Occupational Safety Culture Index (Workplace) (OSCIW) . With the maximum score of index at 100,the overall score of OSCIC is 66. 9 and the OSCIW is 61. 3 in Hong Kong. Achievements: OSCI served as an effective management tool to measure the safety culture in Hong Kong. With a representative sample and high quality study control and validated assessment approaches,the OSCI and the sub-indices are reliable indicators to assess the effectiveness of safety culture enhancement strategy and the OSH intervention measures.     

Psychological Approaches to OSH Research—An Evaluation of 20 Years of Psychological Research on Industrial Safety and Health in Germany

During the past 20 years of research in occupational safety and health (OSH), major contributions have been made by psychology in general, foremost German work and organizational psychology. This is the result of an empirical study with 216 scientific projects that were analyzed by content, and 32 interviews on OSH with experts on science, as well as in professional occupations and federations. Its sound methodological and theoretical approach has helped work and organizational psychology to embody itself as a driving force of OSH. The research focuses on the development of tools for job analysis, striving for the valid diagnosis of occupational hazards and mental load. Consequently, work and organizational psychology provides a solid foundation for deriving human and personality ameliorating organizational measures. Among the predominant means of intervention are training in coping with stress, behavioral training and modeling, health circles, and the arrangement of environments sensitive to occupational load. Major deficits in the field of research show up within evaluation and transfer as well as within quality control of the developed diagnostic and devices regarding intervention. Future scientific effort by means of application-orientated methods is vital to detect and overcome effectively a mounting mental load in the occupational world.     

Cultural Ergonomics in Ghana,West Africa: A Descriptive Survey of Industry and Trade Workers’ Interpretations of Safety Symbols

Globalization and technology transfer have led to the diffusion of risk communications to users from cultures that were not initially viewed as the target users. This study examined industry and trade workers’ overall impressions of symbols used to convey varying degrees of hazardousness. Six symbols, including symbols from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z535 Standard (ANSI, 1998) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 3864:1984 Standard (ISO, 1984) were selected. With the exception of the SKULL symbol, results showed wide discrepancies between users’ perceptions of the symbols and their intended meanings. Implications for cross-cultural research on warning components and risk communications are discussed.     

Perceived benefits of applying Pay for Safety Scheme (PFSS) in construction – A factor analysis approach

In recent years, construction safety has been a hot topic in Hong Kong. The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has launched different safety measures to improve the prevailing safety performance of the construction industry. The Pay for Safety Scheme (PFSS) has emerged as one of the major safety initiatives launched within the public sector construction industry since 1996. It aims to encourage the safety awareness by taking the contractor’s pricing for safety-related items out from the consideration of competitive bidding. The objective is to provide a concise review of the prevailing application of PFSS in Hong Kong in general, and to identify and analyse the key benefits of PFSS in construction through an industry-wide empirical questionnaire survey in particular. Altogether, 145 industrial practitioners who have derived extensive hands-on experience with the PFSS construction projects participated in the survey to indicate their levels of agreement to those 14 key benefits identified which were measured and analysed by factor analysis. The results of factor analysis indicated that the 14 individual benefits of implementing PFSS were consolidated under four underlying factors: (1) Enhancing safety climate and attitude; (2) Promoting effective safety-related communication; (3) Streamlining the safety procedures; and (4) Ensuring adequate safety training. A wider application of PFSS should be encouraged with a view to achieving better safety performance within the industry. It is recommended that a similar scheme to PFSS currently applied in Hong Kong may be developed for implementation in other regions or countries for international comparisons.