Designing and Implementing an Internship Unit in the Field of Medical Sciences with an Approach of Occupational Safety and Health in Health and Medical Settings in Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences

İş Sağlığı ve Güvenliği hayatımızın her aşamasında yer almaktadır. İlk aklımıza gelen işletmelerde çalışanların sağlığının korunması ve güvenli bir çalışma ortamının sağlanılması şeklinde düşünülebilir. İş sağlığı ve güvenliğinin amacı; iş kazası ve meslek hastalıklarının önlenmesi, çalışanların sosyal, ruhsal ve bedensel olarak tam iyilik halinin sağlanmasıdır. Ayrıca, üniversitelerde iş sağlığı ve güvenliği dersinin müfredata eklenmesi ile iş sağlığı ve güvenliği bilincinin kazanılması amaçlanmıştır. Zaman içerisinde İş Sağlığı ve Güvenliği alanında profesyonellere ihtiyaç duyularak İSG Uzmanlığı mesleği ortaya çıkmıştır. Üniversitelerde, önlisans ve lisansda İş Sağlığı ve Güvenliği programı açılarak sektörün ihtiyacı olan uzman ihtiyacının giderilmesi hedeflenmiştir. Programların kuruluşlarında alanından yetişmiş hoca olmadığından, fizik, kimya, biyoloji, mühendislik fakülteleri ve teknik eğitim fakültelerinde bulunan akademisyenler derse girmiştir. Zaman içerisinde İSG uzmanlığı ya da İSG eğitici belgesine sahip hocalar derse girerek, yüksek lisans ve doktora ile alanında yetişmiş akademisyenler yetişmeye başlanmıştır. Günümüzde alanında yetkin hocaların sayısı azdır. Belirli bir uzmanlık alanı hala yoktur. Bu çalışmada, Üniversitelerde İSG eğitimi veren akademisyenlerin İSG alanındaki akademik kariyerlerini, uzmanlık alanlarını, demografik yapılarını, bu alanda akademik kariyerlerine devam etmek isteyip istemediklerini incelemek üzerine yapılmış bir çalışmadır. Elde edilen veriler “IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0” programı ile analiz edildi. “Cronbach Alpha (α)” değeri 0.623 bulunarak çalışmanın güvenirliği sağlanmış oldu. Erkek, evli, C sınıfı belgesi, öğretim görevlisi akademisyenlerin çoğunlukta olduğunu görüyoruz. Ankete katılanların İş Sağlığı ve Güvenliği alanında doçent ünvanı almak istediklerini, İSG Programının mühendislik fakültesinde olması gerektiğini düşündüklerini görüyoruz. Sonuç olarak; İş Güvenliği alanında akademik çalışma yapan hocaların azınlıkta olduğunu görüyoruz. Bu sonuçlara göre İş Sağlığı ve Güvenliği alanında doçent ve prof ünvanına sahip hocaların yetişmesinin zaman alacağını söyleyebiliriz.

An analysis of the main provisions and terms in accordance with domestic and international standards in the field of occupational health and safety of employees (hereinafter referred to as OSH) and risk management was carried out in order to avoid different interpretations in the draft Law on Occupational Safety and Health of Employees. To achieve this goal, the continuous sampling method, the descriptive method, the method of analyzing dictionary definitions, the method of word formation analysis, and the comparative method of component analysis were used. The study was conducted in four stages: analysis of the literature on occupational safety and health protection of workers; selection of terms for analysis; analysis of approaches to defining the concepts of "term", "terminology", analysis of lexical-semantic and structural features of terms; formation of general conclusions and prospects for further research. The justification of the change in the definitions of the main terms in OSH was carried out. It is proposed to present OSH at work as a part of the overall management system of the employer's activities, which is aimed at creating safe working conditions for employees and preserving their health by managing occupational risks. We recommend adding the concept of accident to the terms in the draft Law of Ukraine on occupational safety and health of workers, since the Procedure for Investigations and The Civil Protection Code of Ukraine defines the specified term. It is proposed to define occupational risk as a combination of the probability of occurrence of a work-related hazardous event(s) or exposure(s) and the severity of injury and health impairment that may be caused by this event(s) or exposure(s); occupational risk assessment as a process of comparing the results of occupational risk analysis with risk criteria to determine whether the occupational risk and/or its magnitude is acceptable (acceptable); occupational risk management is preventive and protective measures that reduce and/or modify (change) occupational risk to an acceptable (acceptable) level. The justification of the semantic load of the most used terms in the field of occupational safety and health protection of workers: risk, risk management, acceptable risk, dangerous event, incident was carried out for their qualitative use in the draft Law on Occupational Safety and Health of Workers. Recommendations for the description of terms and definitions for the draft Law of Ukraine on occupational safety and health of workers have been developed.

The modern world is impossible to imagine without digital technologies that are implemented in all areas of activity, including helping to address occupational safety. The purpose of this work was to consider the prospects and problems of implementation of information technology in the field of occupational safety, as well as ways to improve the use of digital technologies by health and safety professionals for more effective risk management and safety. Digitalization (digitalization) in labor protection is a transformation of OSH, which involves the use of digital technologies to optimize management, increase company productivity and improve working conditions and reduce the number of occupational diseases and accidents. The main procedures of digitalization, which are implemented in the field of labor protection, are highlighted. The main components of successful implementation of digital solutions in occupational safety are highlighted. The conditions for the introduction of digitalization in the management system of labor protection are formed. Various innovations, from process automation to the proliferation of field sensors and the transition to predictive analytics, will allow employees and organizations to make significant improvements in health and safety if they are able to take advantage of the opportunities that open up. In the coming years, there will be a shift from passive monitoring to specific recommendations that will give people software applications. Gadget data collected by gadgets will be used to assess occupational risk and occupational disease insurance. There are already examples of testing these technologies to increase productivity and reduce employee injuries. The considered technologies do not appear and are not used alone, the interconnected and complex, system approach is usually observed. Thus, all the tools listed in the introduction of digital technologies in the modernization of occupational safety management contribute to reducing the number of accidents.

An analysis of the application of occupational health and safety legislation in Montenegro shows that there is a comprehensive legal framework that regulates this area, but also certain challenges in its implementation. Occupational health and safety in Montenegro are primarily regulated by the Law on Occupational Health and Safety. This law prescribes the rights, obligations and responsibilities of employers and employees in relation to ensuring safe working conditions. The Constitution of Montenegro also guarantees the right to occupational health and safety as a fundamental human right. Employers are obliged to: Adopt a risk assessment act for all workplaces, organize occupational health and safety activities, provide occupational health and safety measures, train employees for safe work, procure and issue personal protective equipment and supplies. Employees have the right to: Be informed about protective measures before starting work, refuse to work if the prescribed conditions are not provided, provide suggestions and comments on protection issues. Despite the existence of a legal framework, the implementation of occupational safety and health measures in practice is not at a satisfactory level: The situation in the field of occupational safety and health is assessed as unsatisfactory, there is a need for better harmonization of regulations, especially in the field of construction, a lack of information among state institutions on the obligations of implementing the ZZNR has been observed, only 4.8% of employers have prepared a risk assessment act, and the Risk Assessment Act covers only 18.1% of employees. To improve the implementation of ZZNR regulations, it is necessary to implement the following measures: Better harmonization of the Law on Planning and Construction of Facilities with the Law on ZZNR, informing state institutions about the obligations of implementing the ZZNR when they are in the role of investors, adapting the rulebook to modern work methods, especially in construction, strengthening inspection supervision and education of employers and employees. Although there is a solid legal framework, additional efforts are needed to raise awareness, strengthen capacities and improve the implementation of regulations in order to achieve a higher level of occupational safety and health in Montenegro. Continuous monitoring and analysis of the implementation of regulations are key to further improving the situation in this area.

The article focuses on the importance of mobile applications in enterprises with a focus on logistics in the service sector. In the theoretical part, individual software applications in the field of occupational health and safety, fire protection, which are used in Slovakia and the Czech Republic are clearly described. The article contains a brief overview of the legislative regulations on the basis of which the obligations for management decisions in enterprises arise. A telephone survey was conducted in 110 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises between 2022 and 2023 in order to determine the use of software solutions in ensuring the fulfilment of obligations in the field of occupational safety and health and fire protection. To collect data, research questions were set and a questionnaire was developed, which included 6 merit questions, identification questions and a specific question aimed at finding out the prioritisation of the most preferred mobile application features in the study area. The questions were closed-ended, with options where the respondent could choose only one answer. SPSS for Windows version 21.0 was used for statistical analysis and processing of the collected data. We used methods of statistical description, analysed using relative abundance, arithmetic mean, standard deviation and median. At the level of statistical inference, we used chi-square goodness-of-fit tests to analyse categorical variables. We also used nonparametric tests, Friedman analysis of variance, 3D pie charts, and 3D group bar charts. We found that business representatives had a significantly higher preference for the functionality "record of initial and recurrent BOZP and PO training", followed by the second most preferred functionality "OSH inspections and fire prevention inspections". The research focused on logistics enterprises.

Editorial News

Regulatory actions to prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders--the use of research-based exposure limits.

In today's context, training in the field of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) has become essential due to the increase in the number of employees and the diversification of industries. Globalization and the accelerated technologization of jobs have imposed the need to adapt and continuously update knowledge in this field. At the same time, the covid-19 pandemic has led to an increase in interest in online training, making access to quality information and training easier for more people, regardless of location. Thus, occupational health and safety training faces new challenges and opportunities in terms of course delivery and accessibility. In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of the online training system in the field of OSH are presented, as they emerge both from the specialized literature and from the authors' own experience. This paper also provides a number of recommendations for improving the online OSH training system at the national level.

The article proposes the use of coefficients of efficiency and effectiveness of measures, the degree of effectiveness of measures to manage the probability of negative events and risks in general. The introduction of the first universal classifier of measures "Safety Rainbow". Design/methodology/approach. To determine the effectiveness coefficient of security measures, an expert evaluation method was used to assess the consistency of expert opinions by calculating the concordance coefficient, based on the data obtained, a formula (polynomial) of the effectiveness of measures was determined, a new calculation formula was used to determine the probability of events, the effectiveness coefficient of security measures was determined as the share of the effectiveness coefficient in the cost of the measure per year, the degree of effectiveness is the total effectiveness of all measures used, given by The effectiveness coefficient of measures can be used both to determine the level of probability of negative events, as demonstrated by the matrix method of risk assessment, and in other occupational health and safety issues. The measure effectiveness ratio allows to prioritise measures for the purpose of rational use of resources. The degree of effectiveness of measures should be used to understand the prospects for reducing the level of risk and effective hazard management. The principles of ranking measures are laid down in the universal classifier "Safety Rainbow" and allow covering all possible measures for various hazards, works and not only in the field of occupational safety and health. Research limitations/implications. The proposed methodology is universal and can be used not only in the application of the matrix method of risk assessment, but also in other methods and not only in the field of occupational safety and health. The developed methodology of risk assessment allows to perform once an expert assessment of the effectiveness of safety measures and in the future by personnel who do not have sufficient qualifications in the relevant field of activity to perform promptly and efficiently assess and manage risks, develop additional safety measures, rationally use resources, including the use of computer programs, mobile applications, etc. Originality and significance. The proposed methods are used for the first time.

The current research aimed to identify the risks that confront the agricultural extension workers researched in the work environment, as well as to identify the degree to which the researched extension workers apply safety and occupational health standards and procedures in the agricultural sector from the point of view of the guides researched in their work, as well as to identify the related and influencing factors on the degree of application of agricultural extension agents. Respondents for standards and procedures for occupational safety and health in the agricultural sector. The most important results of this research are summarized as follows: About (52%) of the interviewed agricultural extension workers fall into a low implementation level for occupational safety and health measures and standards, meaning that more than half of the respondents have a low executive level, which reflects the severity of their need to conduct training courses in the field of occupational safety and health, as well as the necessity The interest of the agricultural sector in applying safety and occupational health measures and standards to maintain the safety of workers within the sector. There is a positive and significant correlation relationship at the probability level 0.01 between the degree of application of the researched agricultural extension workers to the procedures and standards of occupational safety and health in the agricultural sector and the job specialization, the duration of work in the agricultural sector, job satisfaction, the trend towards training, achievement motivation, and the number of working hours, and that There is an inverse relationship between the degree of application of occupational safety and health measures and the duration of the agricultural extension work, training courses in the agricultural sector, the extent of utilization of information sources.

Occupational health disparities: The pandemic as prism and prod

Occupational safety training is part of the system of preventive measures aimed at reducing the dynamics of occupational injuries and occupational diseases in the country and is currently one of the most relevant and massively discussed areas of the professional community in the field of occupational safety and health, as well as employers. The authors of the paper analyze the quality of training and identify related socio-economic problems in this area. The paper presents the author's vision of the algorithm of occupational safety training, which has universal and additional components, as well as formulates the results and competencies formed by the results of training. The authors summarize and analyze the requirements that are imposed on employees who provide training in the field of occupational safety and health, formulate conclusions about the transformation of the training process in connection with the development of a new professional standard «Specialist in training in the field of occupational safety and health» and the Rules of training.

The article focuses on the results of a study on indicators characterizing working conditions, occupational morbidity, occupational injuries, including fatalities, in Bashkortostan construction enterprises. Official statistics, state reports in the field of occupational safety and health, sanitary and epidemiological welfare of the population were used in the work. The study materials on occupational diseases, fatal occupational injuries between 2017 and 2020 have been analyzed. The data obtained indicate that construction workers, due to the specifics of their occupational activities, are exposed to a wide range of hazardous occupational factors (chemical, physical, work severity), the levels of which at 29–32 % of jobs do not meet the hygienic requirements. Hazardous working conditions and non-compliance with occupational safety requirements are risk factors for the development of occupational diseases and occupational injuries. The indicator of occupational morbidity for the study period was from 0.01 to 0.06, injuries — from 1.30 to 1.90 per 1000 workers. The number of workplace trauma victims in the construction industry was as much as 1.1–1.9 times higher than the national average. To ensure safe working conditions, prevent occupational diseases and occupational injuries, it is imperative to introduce comprehensive targeted preventive measures.

The European Union Council’s zero vision aims to eliminate workplace fatalities, while Industry 4.0 presents new challenges for occupational safety. Despite HR professionals assessing managers’ and employees’ competencies, no system currently exists to evaluate the competencies of workers’ representatives in occupational safety and health (OSH). It is crucial to establish the necessary competencies for these representatives to avoid their selection based on personal bias, ambition, or coercion. The main objective of the study is to identify the competencies and their components required for workers’ representatives in the field of occupational safety and health by following the steps of the DACUM method with the assistance of OSH professionals. First, tasks were identified through semi-structured interviews conducted with eight occupational safety experts. In the second step, a focus group consisting of 34 OSH professionals (2 invited guests and 32 volunteers) determined the competencies and their components necessary to perform those tasks. Finally, the results were validated through an online questionnaire sent to the 32 volunteer participants of the focus group, from which 11 responses (34%) were received. The research categorized the competencies into the following three groups: core competencies (occupational safety and professional knowledge) and distinguishing competencies (personal attributes). Within occupational safety knowledge, 10 components were defined; for professional expertise, 7 components; and for personal attributes, 16 components. Based on the results, it was confirmed that all participants of the tripartite system have an important role in the training and development of workers’ representatives in the field of occupational safety and health. The results indicate that although OSH representation is not yet a priority in Hungary, there is a willingness to collaborate with competent, well-prepared representatives. The study emphasizes the importance of clearly defining and assessing the required competencies.

Forty years has passed since the first issue of the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health. Over these four decades of rapid change in scientific publishing, the Journal has stabilized its position as the top international periodical in Occupational and Environmental Health. Our latest (2014) impact factor is 3.454, with a 5-year impact factor of 4.060. The journal now ranks 21st of 160 journals in the Public, Environmental and Occupational Health category of the Journal Citation Report - and the best among more than a dozen occupational health journals on the list.Authors refer to that are important for their own new research. But what makes an important publication in occupational health research? At the very least, it should be an innovative and high-quality publication. One paper alone is rarely responsible for societal impact, but a good one can further catalyze, support, or enhance our understanding of the elements of good practical solutions and cost-effective interventions. The aim of Scand J Work Environ Health has always been to promote good and impactful research in the field of occupational and environmental health and safety and increase knowledge through scientific publication.Over the years, although the goals of the Journal have remained unchanged, scientific focus, research methods, and academic publishing itself have undergone a monumental change.Looking back, the first paper published in the Journal in 1975 was a review by Anna Maria Seppalainen (1) on the applications of neurophysiological methods in occupational medicine. At that time, neurophysiological methods were recommended for the research and diagnosis of vibration and exposure to, for example, insecticides, carbon monoxide, acrylamide, and lead. The first issues of the Journal were rich in exposure assessment methodology and toxicology. Likewise, there were many papers related to occupational medicine. In the third issue from the same year, however, a paper did emerge on sleep length and adaption to shift work among Swedish railroad workers (2), varying the content. A study of the distribution of the research topics of 85 (ie, papers with >100 citations) from 1950 to 1997 in five major occupational medicine journals (including Scand J Work Environ Health) revealed some interesting findings. While a few citations classics dealing with toxicology were published during each decade, classics concerning solvents appeared only during the 1970s and 1980s, and those dealing with work-related musculoskeletal disorders emerged in the 1980s and increased significantly in the decades thereafter (3).During the last ten years, the most popular topics in the Journal have been occupational epidemiology, musculoskeletal disorders, and psychosocial factors. These papers also performed better than average with respect to citations (especially psychosocial factors), while papers on, eg, toxicology and respiratory disorders have appeared less frequently and have also been less frequently cited (4). During the last two years (see the top-cited articles www.sjweh.fi/list_top_cited.php) , many well-cited papers have investigated key issues relating to present working life, factors predicting return-to-work (5, 6), decreased sickness absence (7, 8), longer work careers (9, 10), and higher productivity (7, 11) at work. The solutions studied were often practical interventions related to work modifications and working hours, but also changes in individual, social or lifestyle factors. The evolution of the Journal's contents seems to reflect the current trends in general occupational safety and health (OSH) research policies (see eg, http://www.perosh.eu/research-priorities/). The Journal has come a long way in updating its expertise and focus areas but is still open to all relevant topics in the area of occupational and environmental health. Also toxicology, which the Journal initially targeted, is still an issue in today's working life. …