Realistic evaluation as a new way to design and evaluate occupational safety interventions

Recent debates regarding the criteria for evaluating occupational health and safety interventions have focused on the need for incorporating qualitative elements and process evaluation, in addition to attempting to live up to the Cochrane criteria. Reflecting fundamental epistemological conflicts and shortcomings of the Cochrane criteria in evaluating intervention studies, the debate challenges the traditional (quasi-) experimental design and methodology, which are often used within safety research. This article discusses a revised ‘realistic evaluation’ approach as a way to meet these challenges.Evidence from the literature as well as examples from an integrated (leader-based/worker-based) safety intervention study (2008-2010) in a large wood manufacturing company are presented, with focus on the pros and cons of using randomised-controlled-trials and a revised realistic evaluation model.A revised realistic evaluation model is provided which includes factors such as role behaviour, leader and worker motivation, underreporting of accidents/injuries, production pressure, unplanned organisational change and accounting for multilayer effects. These can be attained through qualitative and/or quantitative methods, allowing for the use of realistic evaluation in both large and small scale studies, as well as in systematic reviews. The revised realistic evaluation model offers a promising new way of designing and evaluating occupational safety research. This model can help safety science move forward in setting qualitative and/or quantitative criteria regarding context, mechanisms and processes for single studies and for reviews. Focus is not limited to whether the expected results appear or not, but include suggestions for what works for whom, under what circumstances, in what respects and how.     

The effectiveness of occupational health and safety management system interventions: A systematic review

A variety of OHSMS-based standards, guidelines, and audits has been developed and disseminated over the past 20 years. A good understanding of the impact of these systems is timely. This systematic literature review aimed to synthesize the best available evidence on the effects of OHSMS interventions on employee health and safety and associated economic outcomes. Eight bibliographic databases covering a wide range of fields were searched. Twenty-three articles met the study’s relevance criteria. Thirteen of these met the methodological quality criteria. Only one of these 13 original studies was judged to be of high methodological quality; the remainder had moderate limitations. The studies’ results were generally positive. There were some null findings but no negative findings. In spite of these promising results, the review concluded that the body of evidence was insufficient to make recommendations either in favour of or against OHSMSs. This was due to: the heterogeneity of the methods employed and the OHSMSs studied in the original studies; the small number of studies; their generally weak methodological quality; and the lack of generalizability of many of the studies.     

The contribution of qualitative analyses of occupational health and safety interventions: An example through a study of external advisory interventions

With this study, we endeavoured to develop a model to explain both the processes leading to preventive-based changes during occupational health and safety interventions performed by external advisors, and the effect of the workplace context on these interventions and on the implementation of change proposals. The study concerns seven interventions carried out by advisors from four joint occupational health and safety sector-based associations. This longitudinal study entailed observing external advisor/workplace actors interactions and various interviews with the advisor and workplace actors. Each proposal for change was followed to see if it would be accepted, modified, and implemented or not. The research strategy and results presented herein illustrate the potential explanatory value of a qualitative, longitudinal study. For this purpose, we extracted six methodological principles from the eight criteria (further broken down into 17 questions) set forth in an article by Shannon et al. [Shannon, H.S., Robson, L.S., Guastello, S.J., 1999. Methodological criteria for evaluating safety intervention research. Safety Science 31, 161–179]. This article was chosen for its explicit, succinct presentation of a series of methodological criteria, some of which have been cited by other authors. The principles we selected are those that qualitative research could particularly be useful in attaining, among all the criteria defined by Shannon et al. (1999). The study results illustrate how a qualitative intra- and inter-case study could contribute to fulfillment of each selected principle, and towards a better understanding of the conditions for preventive intervention effectiveness.     

建设项目安全评价与职业病危害评价对比分析

建设项目的安全评价和职业病危害评价工作在我国的安全生产工作中占有重要地位。本文从评价的法律依据、评价分类、评价程序和评价方法等方面对建设项目安全评价和职业病危害评价进行了对比分析,探讨了建设项目安全评价与职业病危害评价的关系,两种评价工作在法律依据、评价内容等方面的联系和区别。安全评价和职业病危害评价的程序大体相同,评价方法的选择各有侧重。针对安全评价和职业病危害评价工作中存在的一些问题,如安全评价和职业病危害评价工作存在的交叉和重复问题、评价方法的选择以及评价报告评审规范化管理等提出建议。     

Applying online fleet driver assessment to help identify,target and reduce occupational road safety risks

Many studies have shown that driver attitude and behaviour are important determinants of the likelihood of collision involvement. Knowledge of the Rules of the Road and the perception of hazards are also associated with collision involvement. The aim of this paper is to review the practical application of an online fleet driver assessment program to help identify, target and reduce occupational road safety risks. A large and unique data set collected from online assessment of drivers employed in a UK telecommunications organisation is analyzed. Data was also collected on driver demographics and their driving and collision history. Analysis of the data revealed that attitude, behaviour, knowledge and hazard perception are highly correlated with self-reported collisions. The influence of these variables on collision involvement was assessed using a Poisson regression model. Both attitude and behaviour scores exhibit a statistically significant association with collision involvement, along with other variables such as mileage driven, driver age and personality. The findings lend support to the need to create a safety culture in which driver assessment and improvement is the norm, as well as reducing exposure to risk wherever possible through better ways of working and travelling.     

The productivity assessment tool: computer-based cost benefit analysis model for the economic assessment of occupational health and safety interventions in the workplace

INTRODUCTION AND MEthod: This paper describes the concepts behind cost benefit analysis in occupational health and safety and introduces the Productivity Assessment Tool, a method by which an analysis may be performed relatively easily in a service or manufacturing workplace. The advantage of using such analyses is to show the important financial role that safe and efficient workplaces play in the workplace. RESULTS: By using analytical tools, the effectiveness of an intervention (workplace change) may be estimated prior to its introduction. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: This places occupational health and safety on the same financial footing as other proposed workplace changes and thus places occupational health and safety in a strong position to attract scarce resources.     

Using lagging and leading indicators for the evaluation of occupational safety and health performance in industry

Improvement of occupational safety and health (OSH) management is closely related to the development of OSH performance measurement, which should include OSH outcomes (e.g., occupational accidents), OSH inputs (including working conditions) and OSH-related activities. The indicators used to measure the OSH outcomes are often called lagging indicators, and the indicators of inputs and OSH activities are leading indicators. A study was conducted in 60 companies in order to determine what kinds of indicators were used for OSH performance measurement by companies with different levels of OSH performance. The results reveal that the indicators most commonly used in all of the companies are those related to ensuring compliance with the statutory requirements. At the same time, the leading indicators are much more often adopted in companies with a higher performance level. These companies also much more often monitor on a regular basis the indicators adopted for the evaluation of their OSH performance.     

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.     

Evaluating safety management and culture interventions to improve safety: Effective intervention strategies

The Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment provided subsidy over the period 2004–2008 to a number of companies to introduce changes aimed at reducing accidents by changing their safety culture and aspects of their safety management. As part of the programme a scientific evaluation was set up to assess the effectiveness of the interventions in 17 of the projects, covering 29 companies. Before and after studies were made of the companies, documenting the state of their safety management and risk control efforts and their accident rates before the intervention, the changes made over the study period and the resulting changes in a range of measures aimed at assessing the success of the changes. The analysis led to a categorisation of the projects according to their degree of success.This paper describes the patterns of interventions distinguishing between successful and not successful projects and discusses the mechanisms lying behind them. Interventions bringing about constructive dialogue between shop-floor and line management, providing motivation to line managers and strengthening the monitoring and learning loops in the safety management system (SM) appeared more successful. The amount of energy and creativity injected by top managers and, above all, by the coordinator (safety professional) appeared also to be a distinguishing factor.     

小议我国职业安全管理

简要地提出了我国职业安全管理中存在的问题 ,并加以分析 ,同时有针对性地提出了建设性建议     

基于风险等值线的职业安全评价分级方法

依据危害因素引发工伤、职业危害事件的后果严重度和可能性来开展职业安全评价,在严重度和可能性的定量评价基础上,引入等值风险线的概念,建立风险评价分级方法,并在单一危害因素的职业安全评价基础上建立了作业场所、工厂、企业的职业安全(风险)评价分级方法.通过应用实例分析,验证了该方法的可操作性.     

Pushing and pulling: an assessment tool for occupational health and safety practitioners

A tool has been developed for supporting practitioners when assessing manual pushing and pulling operations based on an initiative by two global companies in the manufacturing industry. The aim of the tool is to support occupational health and safety practitioners in risk assessment and risk management of pushing and pulling operations in the manufacturing and logistics industries. The tool is based on a nine-multiplier equation that includes a wide range of factors affecting an operator’s health risk and capacity in pushing and pulling. These multipliers are based on psychophysical, physiological and biomechanical studies in combination with judgments from an expert group consisting of senior researchers and ergonomists. In order to consider usability, more than 50 occupational health and safety practitioners (e.g., ergonomists, managers, safety representatives and production personnel) participated in the development of the tool. An evaluation by 22 ergonomists supports that the push/pull tool is user friendly in general.     

建设项目职业病危害评价中的关键问题探讨

在我国现有的建设项目职业病危害评价相关的法规标准中,有许多不够清晰和明确之处。技术改造和改建、扩建项目的辅助设施评价的范围界定不明确,建设项目建设过程中以及外包或转包工作中的职业危害评价,临时聘用人员的职业健康体检与培训等没有包括在评价范围之内。另外,相关的法规标准中,存在制定的接触限值标准的覆盖面有限,检测标准不配套,定量评价方法较为薄弱,部分符合标准的很难简单地评价结论等问题。针对存在的问题,该文进行分析,并提出使之完善的建议,以切实落实《职业病防治法》,真正保障从业人员的身体健康。     

Post-trip safety interventions: State-of-the-art,challenges, and practical implications

Introduction: Currently, risky driving behaviour is a major contributor to road crashes and as a result, wide array of tools have been developed in order to record and improve driving behaviour. Within that group of tools, interventions have been indicated to significantly enhance driving behaviour and road safety. This study critically reviews monitoring technologies that provide post-trip interventions, such as retrospective visual feedback, gamification, rewards or penalties, in order to inform an appropriate driver mentoring strategy delivered after each trip. Method: The work presented here is part of the European Commission H2020 i-DREAMS project. The reviewed platform characteristics were obtained through commercially available solutions as well as a comprehensive literature search in popular scientific databases, such as Scopus and Google Scholar. Focus was given on state-of-the-art-technologies for post-trip interventions utilized in four different transport modes (i.e. car, truck, bus and rail) associated with risk prevention and mitigation. Results: The synthesized results revealed that smartphone applications and web-based platforms are the most accepted, frequently and easiest to use tools in cars, buses and trucks across all papers considered, while limited evidence of post-trip interventions in -rail was found. The majority of smartphone applications detected mobile phone use and harsh events and provided individual performance scores, while in-vehicle systems provided delayed visual reports through a web-based platform. Conclusions: Gamification and appropriate rewards appeared to be effective solutions, as it was found that they keep drivers motivated in improving their driving skills, but it was clear that these cannot be performed in isolation and a combination with other strategies (i.e. driver coaching and support) might be beneficial. Nevertheless, as there is no holistic and cross-modal post-trip intervention solution developed in real-world environments, challenges associated with post-trip feedback provision and suggestions on practical implementation are also provided.     

浅谈职业卫生评价(上)

1 职业卫生评价的目的和意义 劳动是人类生存和发展的基本需要,劳动创造了财富,但劳动过程中存在的各种职业病危害因素无论是在现代化生产,还是手工作业中,一定条件下都可对劳动者的身体健康产生不良影响,如引起     

浅谈职业卫生评价(下)

3 职业卫生评价的相关法律、法规规定 针对建设项目职业病危害评价,《中华人民共和国职业病防治法》规定:新建、扩建、改建建设项目和技术改造、技术引进项目可能产生职业病危害的,建设单位在可行性论证阶段应当向卫生行政部门提交职业病危害预评价报告。未提交预评价报     

徐州市职业安全卫生工作探讨

本文概略描述了徐州市职业安全卫生各组成部门的工作情况。指出职业病危害存在患者待遇不落实、职业危害项目转移、职业健康检查滞后、工作场所职业危害因素检测、评价制度不健全的状况。调查发现，职业卫生工作存在5个方面的问题：现有职业卫生法律法规不够完善；对职业危害防治工作的支持力度不够；部门之间的协作机制有待加强；执法监督力量不足；企业法制意识淡漠。最后，提出解决问题的应对办法。     

Analysis of occupational accidents: prevention through the use of additional technical safety measures for machinery

This article presents an analysis of results of 1035 serious and 341 minor accidents recorded by Poland's National Labour Inspectorate (PIP) in 2005–2011, in view of their prevention by means of additional safety measures applied by machinery users. Since the analysis aimed at formulating principles for the application of technical safety measures, the analysed accidents should bear additional attributes: the type of machine operation, technical safety measures and the type of events causing injuries. The analysis proved that the executed tasks and injury-causing events were closely connected and there was a relation between casualty events and technical safety measures. In the case of tasks consisting of manual feeding and collecting materials, the injuries usually occur because of the rotating motion of tools or crushing due to a closing motion. Numerous accidents also happened in the course of supporting actions, like removing pollutants, correcting material position, cleaning, etc.     

Employee representation and occupational health and safety: the significance of Europe

This paper considers the implementation and operation of provisions for employee representation in health and safety in a number of member states of the European Union. It describes the results of two studies undertaken in seven European countries, including the UK, between 1989 and 1993. These studies compared legislative provisions for employee representation in health and safety in different countries and analysed the information available on the implementation and operation of these provisions. With regard to the coverage and implementation of legislation, the research found a similar pattern in all of the countries studied, with Britain distinguished by a number of features, most notably the very specific rights on this subject given to trade unions. However, analysis of information on operation of the provisions in all of the countries studied pointed to the strong association between trade union workplace organization and support as a powerful influence and determinant of the effectiveness of employee representation in health and safety. Taking this finding into account, the paper discusses the present and future situation in Britain with special reference to the implications of the provisions on employee representation found in the CEC Framework Directive 89/391.     

美国职业安全健康标准体系现状研

为提高我国安全生产标准化水平,进一步发挥标准的技术支撑作用,收集了美国职业安全健康标准有关资料,对美国职业安全健康标准的分类、管理机构和管理模式、标准体系构成等进行了系统的梳理,归纳了美国金属非金属矿山（包括露天和井下）职业安全健康技术法规体系和职业安全健康技术法规体系（矿山除外）的要素构成,以及各要素规范的主要技术内容,分析了美国职业安全健康标准及标准体系的特点。为完善我国安全生产标准体系,加强标准制修订工作以及相关标准科研工作提供依据和参考