Occupational health and safety professionals and management: identity, marriage, servitude or supervision?

The role and training of occupational health and safety professionals is a continuing subject of debate in the light of recent European legislation. This paper discusses the possible roles of professionals in the context of the complexities of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) management. It presents the roles using the metaphor of parent-adult-child relationships (Harris, 1970) and discusses the ways in which different relationships can lead to different problems of functioning. It concludes with presenting the possible role of training in tackling these problems.     

Exploring the information literacy of professionals in safety management

With the rapid development of increasingly complex technology and large scale industrial projects, all kinds of safety problems become extremely intricate in daily safety management (SM). It is therefore indispensable to effectively collect, analyze, assess, and synthesize information that is relevant to accident risk. In this paper, the concept of the information literacy (IL) of professionals in SM is proposed, and a conceptual framework is put forward. Further, determinants of the IL of safety professionals are suggested, including individual attributes, safety climate and culture, information infrastructure, information technology (IT) human resources, production technology and management, and national information policy, law and ethics. Of course, further research on the IL of safety professionals should be carried out for effective SM.     

Predicting safety culture: the roles of employer, operations manager and safety professional

Introduction: This study explores predictive factors in safety culture. Method: In 2008, a sample 939 employees was drawn from 22 departments of a telecoms firm in five regions in central Taiwan. The sample completed a questionnaire containing four scales: the employer safety leadership scale, the operations manager safety leadership scale, the safety professional safety leadership scale, and the safety culture scale. The sample was then randomly split into two subsamples. One subsample was used for measures development, one for the empirical study. Results: A stepwise regression analysis found four factors with a significant impact on safety culture (R² = 0.337): safety informing by operations managers; safety caring by employers; and safety coordination and safety regulation by safety professionals. Safety informing by operations managers (ß = 0.213) was by far the most significant predictive factor. Impact on industry: The findings of this study provide a framework for promoting a positive safety culture at the group level.     

企业安全管理工作评价方法的探讨

事故统计表明,85%左右的事故都与管理因素有关.可见,安全管理工作的好坏是体现企业安全水平的一项重要指标.企业安全管理工作评价的目的在于找出企业安全管理工作的不足之处,使管理者能及时地了解预防事故方面工作的状况,掌握最有效的预防对策,从而为今后改善安全管理工作指明方向.     

Developing a competency model for safety professionals: Correlations between competency and safety functions

IntroductionPersonal competency is an important factor influencing individual performance. The objective of this study was to develop a competency model of safety professionals and investigate the factors contributing to their competency to achieve greater safety performance.MethodIn this study, 299 participants (153 safety professionals and 146 safety educators) completed self-administered questionnaires. The response rate was 75%.ResultsThe results of exploratory factor analysis and cluster analysis revealed that the competency scale for safety professionals comprised five factors. Additionally, the factor “safety and health training and management” explained most of the variance in the competency. The multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) results showed that the respondents’ perception of professional competency was significantly influenced by the following factors: occupation, age, job tenure, level of education, and work status. Additionally, the Pearson product–moment correlation coefficient analysis indicated that a safety professional's perceived competencies and safety functions were positively correlated.Impact on industryThis study discusses possible reasons for the influence of the factors previously mentioned and explains how the results can contribute to the development of safety competencies and curricula.     

Social identity and applicant attraction: Exploring the role of multiple levels of self

Applicant attraction is a critical objective of recruitment. Common predictor variables of applicant attraction are limited in that they do not provide a comprehensive understanding of the process that shapes the perceptions and beliefs of job applicants about the firms for which they aspire to work for. Because individuals have the inherent desire to expand and enhance their social identities (e.g., personal, relational, and collective identities), they are likely to be attracted to organizations that allow them to do so. Building on recent work on levels of self, our paper suggests that social identities mediate the relation between currently established predictor variables of applicant attraction (e.g., compensation, type of work, and organizational image) and important applicant attraction outcomes. Common predictor variables of applicant attraction can lead to the activation, evaluation, and identification processes described by social identity theory. A theoretical framework is presented that illustrates the mediating influence of social identity on the relations between common predictor variables and applicant attraction outcomes. This framework may lead to more effective recruitment strategies. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

对安全生产标准化建设的探讨

０前言湖南大乘资氮集团有限公司是一个拥有５２００余名员工、年产合成氨１８万ｔ、尿素２６万ｔ。精甲醇６万ｔ和多种化工产品的大型综合化工企业集团,生产工艺复杂,具有高温高压,易燃易爆、易中毒,生产高度连续性,检修现场及设备分布点多面广,不安全因素多等特点...     

建筑火灾安全事项探讨

本文从建筑防火设计、消防官兵救火和群众在发生火灾时的自救方面,介绍了建筑火灾的安全注意事项.     

在提升企业安全管理中的思考

一轻控股有限责任公司(简称:控股公司)大力宏扬科学的发展观,坚持真抓实干、常抓不懈,逐步改变安全生产条件,从根本上实现安全生产工作的稳定好转.控股公司的基本做法是以抓基础工作为主,坚持以人为本,加强安全生产宣传教育,下功夫增强全体员工的安全意识,提高全民安全素质,把安全生产建立在广泛的群众性的基础上,尽最大努力控制和减少了事故的发生.     

Perceived organizational support and perceived safety climate from the perspective of safety professionals: Testing reciprocal causality using a cross-lagged panel design

Introduction: The objective of this study was to determine the reciprocal relationship between safety professionals perceived organizational support (POS) and perceived safety climate. Safety professionals are most effective when they perceive support from management and employees and they also attribute most of their success to support from the organization. Their work directly improves safety climate, and organizations with a high safety climate show a higher value for the safety professional. The causal direction of this relationship is, however, unclear. Method: Using a sample of 162 safety professionals, we conducted a cross-lagged panel study over one year to examine whether safety professionals’ POS improves their perceived safety climate and/or whether safety climate also increases POS over time. Data were collected at two points and, after testing for measurement invariance, a cross-lagged SEM was conducted to analyze the reciprocal relationship. Results: Our findings show that safety professionals’ POS was positively related to perceived safety climate over time. Perceived safety climate, however, did not contribute to safety professionals’ POS. Conclusions: This study significantly adds to the discussion about the factors influencing safety professionals’ successful inclusion in organizations, enabling them to perform their work and, thus, improve occupational safety. Practical Applications: Since safety climate increases in organizations in which safety professionals feel supported, this study points out the kind of support that contributes to improved organizational safety. Support for safety professionals may come in classical forms such as approval, pay, job enrichment, and information on or influence over organizational policies.     

职工安全生产主劝性的激励方式初探

安全生产的重要性在党和国家各级领导和政府的不断关心和重视下,得到了越来越多的企事业单位的广泛认同.但近年来,我国的重、特大恶性事故却有不断抬头,愈演愈烈之势,究其原因,根本还在于在社会主义的经济大潮中,各级、各部门领导和职工对安全工作被动应付的思想仍根深蒂固,在利益交叉时安全屈从于眼前利益的现象仍屡禁不止,安全生产的被动局面仍未得到根本的扭转.     

Exploring the role of emotional intelligence in behavior-based safety coaching

INTRODUCTION: Safety coaching is an applied behavior analysis technique that involves interpersonal interaction to understand and manipulate environmental conditions that are directing (i.e., antecedent to) and motivating (i.e., consequences of) safety-related behavior. A safety coach must be skilled in interacting with others so as to understand their perspectives, communicate a point clearly, and be persuasive with behavior-based feedback. METHOD: This article discusses the evidence-based "ability model" of emotional intelligence and its relevance to the interpersonal aspect of the safety coaching process. RESULTS: Emotional intelligence has potential for improving safety-related efforts and other aspects of individuals' work and personal lives. Safety researchers and practitioners are therefore encouraged to gain an understanding of emotional intelligence and conduct and support research applying this construct toward injury prevention.     

安全工程高等教育人才培养模式的探讨

安全工程高等教育人才培养以开设学校的相关专业背景为其专业基础,以学校隶属的行业为依托,已形成了多种培养模式,适应面不宽,行业背景强的安全工程专业人才培养格局.这种培养模式已影响了安全工程专业和学科的发展,而且其培养人才的知识结构不能满足社会需求.如何培养能适应现代科学技术进步、满足社会发展需要的安全科学专门人才,是安全工程高等教育发展所必须考虑的问题.本文对安全工程高等教育的培养目标、专业方向、人才培养模式等相关问题进行了探讨,其目的是统一和完善安全工程高等教育人才培养计划,促进安全工程高等教育的发展,培养适应社会发展需要的人才.     

新形势下加强高等工科院校安全管理工作的体会及对策探讨

高等工科院校危险因素较多,并且科研、生产任务没有规律,随机性很大,因此安全工作管理起来就不大容易.最近几年来,我们坚持“安全第一、预防为主”的方针,严格安全生产规章制度,增强安全生产宣传教育力度,克服当前工作面临的种种困难,努力做好安全生产工作,因此,工伤事故率一直保持在较低的水平上,为学校的教学、科研、产业开发真正起到了保驾护航的作用.现在结合我校实际情况,把自己从事安全生产工作的心得体会向同志们汇报一下,和大家共勉,不妥之处,请批评指正.     

安全生产基础建设继承与创新——近期几起重特大事故的反思

针对近期我国重特大生产安全事故频发、安全生产形势严峻的实际情况,分析了事故多发的特点和原因,认为我国安全生产工作中存在系统脆弱性,其中最突出的问题是基础薄弱,本质上是结构性缺陷。提出当前最紧迫的战略性任务是强化安全生产基础工作的制度化设计与安排。建议：逐渐实现安全生产执法监察“暗查”制度化;事故分级与分级标准中经济损失指标的导向性作用不容忽视;应从制度上保证事故调查客观、独立和公正;建立现代生产安全事故统计系统与指标体系;从制度上加强对企业安全生产的职工参与和社会监督;强化监察员队伍的专业化建设;安全监督应实行安全生产事故风险分级与分级管理。     

基于地方经济发展特点的安全工程专业人才培养模式

安全工程本科专业的人才培养模式一直是安全学科建设中的一大热点问题.回顾了国内各高校安全工程本科专业的发展现状,包括相关高校的所属类别、行业背景,综述了有关安全学科建设的研究成果.结合福建省经济发展的特点,系统介绍了福州大学安全工程本科专业的培养模式,包括课程设置、实验教学、生产实习等内容.最后提出高校安全工程本科专业应坚持通用人才与行业人才相结合的培养思路;即各高校应该依据自身的类别、所处的地理位置、所拥有的行业背景等建立相应的安全工程本科专业人才培养模式,从而满足地方经济发展的需求.     

关于设立公共消防安全管理硕士教育的构想

消防安全是社会安定与经济发展的保证.提高公共消防安全管理水平,实现消防安全,是人心所向.然而,我国目前缺乏高层次消防管理人才,消防硕士教育中没有公共消防安全管理专业,这严重影响了公共消防安全管理水平的提高.本文认为,我国消防硕士教育专业设置不合理,提出了增设公共消防安全管理硕士的必要性和重要性,并提出了公共消防安全管理学科体系的构建与公共消防管理硕士课程体系的设置框架.     

Whole-body vibration knowledge survey of U.S. occupational safety and health professionals

Problem

Whole-body vibration (WBV) is an occupational issue of concern due to adverse health effects or simple discomfort and annoyance. Unlike in Europe, WBV is an emerging topic in the U.S. safety and health (S&H) professional community. We hypothesized that at least one-half of the U.S. occupational S&H professionals knew little or nothing about WBV.

Method

We conducted a cross-sectional study (survey) of WBV knowledge among members of the American Society of Safety Engineers. A Likert scale (1-none to 5-expert) was used to determine WBV topic knowledge levels (KL_1-5).

Results

Analysis of 2,764 responses revealed that 69.5% of the participants self-reported a less than basic WBV understanding. The WBV KL_1-5 mean for all participants was 1.94 ± 1.00, corresponding to an awareness of WBV without a depth of understanding.

Summary

Many at-risk U.S. workers may not be supported by occupational S&H professionals with adequate WBV knowledge.

Impact on Industry

A significant number of U.S. workers may be exposed to unhealthy levels of whole-body vibration. However, the U.S. occupational safety and health community is generally unprepared to anticipate, monitor, and control the whole-body vibration hazard.