Evaluating repeated patient handling injuries following the implementation of a multi-factor ergonomic intervention program among health care workers

Objective

The objective of this study was to evaluate repeated patient handling injuries following a multi-factor ergonomic intervention program among health care workers.

Methods

This was a quasi-experimental study which had an intervention group and a non-randomized control group. Data were collected from six hospitals in Saskatchewan, Canada from September 1, 2001 to December 1, 2006.

Results

A total of 1,480 individuals who had a previous injury were eligible for the study. Medium and small size hospitals in the intervention group had significantly fewer repeated injuries than in the control group. Multivariate analysis showed that the intervention group had 38.1% lower odds of having repeated injury compared to the control group, after adjusting for hospital size.

Conclusions

The work-related repeated injury after a multi-factor intervention program was reduced. The synergistic relationships between components of multi-factor intervention and applicability of injury prevention programs to different settings need to be further explored.

Impact on Industry

Implementing a multi-factor program with the right equipment and training can lower the risk of injury among health care workers.     

Antecedents and outcomes of contingent workers' attitudes toward their temporary help services firm: A unit level longitudinal investigation

This study explored the unit‐level antecedents and outcomes of contingent workers' attitudes toward their temporary help services (THS) firm. It was proposed that (a) client‐orientation levels of the THS firm's full‐time staff would influence the level of support received by contingent workers, (b) staff supportiveness would be reciprocated by these workers in the form of favorable firm‐directed attitudes, and (c) contingent workers' attitudes toward the THS firm would influence two unit‐level outcomes—client reported service failure, and voluntary turnover rates of THS staff. Support was found for all the hypothesized relationships in a longitudinal study utilizing survey data gathered from 1324 full‐time employees, 570 contingent workers, and 1951 clients; and archival data on staff turnover from 46 strategic business units (SBUs) of a THS firm. These results are discussed within the context of employee–organization relationship (EOR), contingent workforce, and service management literatures. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantification of risk perception: Development and validation of the construction worker risk perception (CoWoRP) scale

Introduction: The construction sector is leading in the number of accidents and fatalities; risk perception is the key to driving these numbers. Previous construction safety studies on risk perception quantification have not considered affective risk perception of construction workers or conducted comprehensive reliability and validity testing. Thus, this study aims to fill this need by developing a psychometrically sound instrument – the Construction Worker Risk Perception (CoWoRP) Scale – to assess the risk perception of construction workers. Method: Four phases of scale development, namely, item development, factor analysis, reliability assessment, and validity assessment were conducted with the collection and testing of data from a group (n = 469) of voluntary construction workers in Hong Kong. Results: The CoWoRP Scale with 13 items was shown to have acceptable test–retest reliability, internal consistency reliability, as well as content, convergent, discriminant, and criterion-related validity. Also, the CoWoRP Scale was affirmed to have three dimensions of worker risk perception, namely risk perception – probability, risk perception – severity, risk perception – worry and unsafe. These three dimensions of worker risk perception were negatively correlated with their risk-taking behavior. Conclusions: The CoWoRP Scale is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring the risk perception of construction workers and is expected to facilitate the construction safety studies that take risk perception of construction workers into account. Practical applications: The CoWoRP Scale could serve as an aptitude test to identify the characteristics of construction workers most likely to perceive lower risk in risky work situations. In turn, this information could help safety management provide safety training programs to those workers to enhance their risk perception and thereby minimizing their risk-taking behavior, reducing unnecessary training costs, and improving the construction safety performance.     

Occupational Safety and Health Status of Sanitation Workers in Urban Areas: A Pilot Study From Wuhan,China

Sanitation workers ‘ workload increases quickly with rapid urbanization, but there is almost no evidence or policy recommendations for their management in developing countries. This study describes the health status and occupational protection of sanitation workers; it also explores risk factors related to their health status in Wuhan City, China. Three hundred and eighty-five sanitation workers from 54 streets of Wuhan were surveyed. Their prevalence of 2-week illness and arthritis was relatively higher than in the general population in China. Findings related to occupational protection showed that both sanitation workers (users) and their managers (providers) neglected the role of low-cost protection measures, especially masks, soap/hand sani-tizer and prejob training (use rate of 7.27%, 26.75% and 43.64%, respectively). High-intensity workload was an important risk factor for 2-week illness, and prejob training was an important protective factor against arthritis.     

The impact of career customization on work outcomes: Boundary conditions of manager support and employee age

The current paper investigated the longitudinal effects of mass career customization (MCC) on job attitudes and objective career outcomes of employees in a professional service firm in the Netherlands. On the basis of theory on individualization of career trajectories, it was expected that the possibility for employees to customize their careers would be positively related to their job attitudes and subsequent objective career success, as indicated by their levels of affective commitment, work engagement, and received salary and bonuses. However, these effects were expected to occur primarily under the combination of high manager support for implementation of career customization and, on the basis of lifespan theory, older workers, as customization fulfills their increased heterogeneous career preferences. A three‐wave longitudinal study largely showed support for the study hypotheses; the relation between MCC use and work engagement and subsequent career success was stronger for older workers who received support for MCC, whereas the relation between MCC use and commitment was negative for older workers who received low support. The study shows the benefits of career customization in organizations by showing the conditions under which these benefits will manifest. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

隧道工人的PM10职业暴露特征调查分析及其健康风险评价

针对隧道工人职业健康风险缺乏定量评价方法的现状,借鉴公共环境健康领域暴露评价模型对隧道施工PM10职业暴露的健康风险进行定量评价.设计职业暴露问卷对湖北麻竹高速公路某标段施工中的250名隧道工人进行了调查,并对现场PM10浓度水平进行了监测.结果表明,隧道工人的PM10暴露浓度水平相当高,开挖工、爆破工、支护工、出渣工、二衬工的PM10暴露浓度分别为限值的83倍、18倍、8倍、9倍和9倍;5个工种比较,二衬工日均暴露时间最长,达11.48 h·d-1,能量代谢率最高,达1 067.43 k J·(m2·h)-1,呼吸速率的计算结果显示除二衬工属于重度活动以外,其他4个工种均为中度活动;评价结果显示5个工种均存在健康风险,其中,PM10暴露浓度高是开挖工和爆破工危险系数高的主要原因,而二衬工危险系数高的原因则在于高劳动强度所致的较高的呼吸速率以及较高的日均暴露时间.降低隧道工人PM10健康风险可行的途径是通过配备合适劳动作业的呼吸防护用品从而降低PM10暴露浓度,另外可通过制定相应的职业规范设置合理的劳动年限从而减少持续暴露时间.     

高校宣传思想工作者要强化十种意识

高校宣传思想工作者要抓住宣传思想工作的根本问题，不断提高自身素质，尤其要强化相关意识：党性意识、人本意识、求真意识、服务意识、民主意识、导向意识、渗透意识、阵地意识、示范意识、创新意识。     

我国女职工劳动保护标准与国际劳工标准比较研究

中国“入世”后 ,其劳动标准问题与其他经济和社会领域中的问题一样 ,不可避免地越来越带有国际化的色彩。究竟我国的劳动标准处于何种水平 ?是低 ,是高 ?这需要针对劳动标准的各方面内容进行一系列的比较研究。我国女职工劳动保护标准作为劳动标准体系中的一个组成部分 ,一直是国际社会关注的热点问题之一。通过比较 ,可以认为 :就水平而言 ,我国法定的女工保护标准或者与国际标准类似 ,或者高于国际标准 ;就结构而言 ,二者的框架也大体相同。但鉴于国际劳工标准的发展趋势 ,我国女工保护标准也应考虑增加某些注重促进女工社会平等方面的内容 ,如家庭责任问题等。     

Health and social impacts of a flood disaster: responding to needs and implications for practice

Carlisle in northwest England suffered its worse floods for more than 180 years in 2005. A study, reported here, was undertaken to assess the health and social impacts of these floods via in‐depth, taped individual and focus‐group interviews with people whose homes had been flooded and with agency workers who helped them. Respondents spoke of physical health ailments, psychological stress, water health‐and‐safety issues related to the floods, and disputes with insurance and construction companies, which they felt had caused and exacerbated psychological health problems. Support workers also suffered from psychological stress. Furthermore, it was found that people had low expectations of a flood and were not prepared. The findings are presented in five sections covering flood risk awareness, water contamination issues, physical health, mental health, and impact on frontline support workers. The discussion focuses on the implications of the findings for policy and practice vis‐à‐vis psychological health provision, contamination issues, training and support for frontline support workers, matters relating to restoration, and preparation for flooding.     

Sleeping with a broken promise: The moderating role of generativity concerns in the relationship between psychological contract breach and insomnia among older workers

This paper examines the relationship between psychological contract breach and insomnia among older workers (aged 40 years and up). Drawing upon the conservation of resources theory, we conceptualize breach as a stressful event characterized by a perceived threat, failure to gain, or actual loss of valued resources, which increases psychological distress and insomnia. Moreover, we hypothesized that older workers' generativity concerns would act as a personal resource that would buffer the negative impact of breach. We tested our proposed model in 2 studies (Study 1 = 123; Study 2 = 168) of employee–spouse dyads. Results revealed that psychological distress mediated the relationship between psychological contract breach and insomnia. These mediated relationships were significant for those with low, but not for those with high levels of generativity concerns. These effects remained significant even after controlling for perceived organizational support (i.e., a social exchange mechanism). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.