Occupational Health And Safety Practitioners Research Articles

Promoting Knowledge Dissemination and Sharing Via Interactive Research: Pioneering an EvidenceBased Approach to Enhance Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Implementa-tion

Effective occupational health and safety (OHS) practices play a crucial role in preserving the health and safety of employees in the workplace. In this context, the effectiveness and efficiency of OHS practices require the continuous integration of up-to-date and evidence-based information. Occupational health and safety are constantly faced with new threats, making it vital for OHS practices to remain current and adaptable. In this regard, this study aims to explore the potential of interactive research methods to support knowledge transfer and exchange within the field of OHS. Compared to traditional methods of sharing information, interactive research encourages a more profound exchange of knowledge among OHS practitioners. This fosters the rapid adaptation and more effective implementation of OHS strategies in workplaces. Particularly noteworthy is the promotion of real-time information sharing among OHS practitioners, enabling swift responses to emergencies or emerging risks. Interactive research methods also have the capacity to establish a collaborative platform among OHS professionals, decision-makers, and researchers. This approach not only encourages more informed decision-making in OHS matters but also enhances the more effective management of workplace risks. The continuous improvement and updating of OHS practices further contribute to providing better protection for the health and safety of employees. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the need for OHS professionals, decision-makers, and researchers to embrace interactive research methods to create safer and healthier work environments. These methods contribute to the ongoing enhancement of OHS practices and aid in minimizing workplace risks. This innovative approach within the field of OHS plays a pivotal role in achieving the goal of creating safer and healthier workplaces in the future.

Autoethnography in workplace safety: Revealing the suffering of unintentional first responders in the Canadian trucking industry and beyond

The author presents evocative and analytical autoethnography as a promising qualitative research methodology for application in occupational health and safety (OHS) practice and research, where it is not currently a commonly used technique. Through an autoethnography, the author discusses OHS in the Canadian trucking industry and trauma as a result of witnessing and responding to collisions as a trucker or other unintentional first responder. Using a personal and traumatic experience of witnessing and then providing assistance at a collision involving a freight train and small car, the author attempts to show the reader what a trucker goes through in such a situation for the purpose of revealing these experiences and humanizing OHS data. The use of autoethnography in this way is presented as an additional and relatively new tool for OHS researchers and practitioners as a way to address, with their OHS management systems, the psychosocial hazards staff may face that may be unknown to the employer for cultural reasons within the trucking industry. The role of employers in addressing psychosocial hazards is explored and autoethnography is positioned as a tool employers may use in expanding their safety management systems into the area of psychosocial hazard mitigation, all within a Canadian trucking OHS context but with applications beyond the trucking industry.

Occupational health and safety cases in the New Zealand District Court

Occupational health and safety (OHS) practitioners need to understand prosecutions that have been before the District Court if they are to provide informed guidance about compliance with the New Zealand (NZ) Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) to “persons having control of a business or undertaking” (PCBUs). However, if they cannot access academic databases, they may need to rely on individual reports of a few cases but may not have the time or resources to develop their own database. Those who are studying for a tertiary level qualification may also lack the time to find and catalogue more than a few cases.
 This short article reports on the first stage of the development and analysis of a dataset of prosecutions under NZ OHS legislation. We describe our data sources and a high-level analysis of the dataset and issues to be resolved before proceeding with further data analysis. This work also forms part of research into “grey literature” and its use in practice by OHS practitioners and professionals.
 We conclude by showing the disparity between prosecutions and deaths due to occupational disease and trauma (leading to an area for further research) and loop back to one of the origins for this research: the meaning of a safe system of work.

Testing and Improving an ISO 14119-Inspired Tool to Prevent Bypassing Safeguards on Industrial Machines

Various safety-related standards associated with the machinery design phase, such as ISO 14119:2013, emphasize the appropriate design and selection of protective devices to prevent bypassing. Despite such standards, bypassing safeguards is a common issue at the machinery use phase. ISO 12100:2010 indicates, “experience has shown that even well-designed safeguarding can fail or be violated”. This unsafe practice can cause serious injuries or fatalities. This paper presents an improved version of a bypassing-related assessment tool initially inspired by ISO 14119. The improvement results from testing its performance through industrial case studies to explore how the tool works in reality. Five occupational health and safety (OHS) practitioners apply this tool in four plants in Quebec to 18 machines and 37 activities. Afterwards, the OHS practitioners provide feedback using a questionnaire. The findings reveal that the tool is appropriate for the machine usage phase to prevent bypassing with an overall 82% satisfaction score. The probability levels of bypassing given by the tool enable a safety improvement prioritization method for the machines and safeguards. The tool was improved, redefining some incentives to bypass and its layout. The findings explain how practitioners could influence decision-making to minimize incentives to bypass and the probability of bypassing to prevent accidents.

Understanding the organizational performance metric, an occupational health and safety management tool, through workplace case studies

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to use a comparative qualitative case study design to better understand how the observed characteristics of an organization correspond to their score on the organizational performance metric (IWH-OPM), a leading indicator tool designed to measure an organization’s occupational health and safety (OHS) performance.Design/methodology/approachFive organizations were recruited based on their diverse IWH-OPM scores obtained in a previous study. Qualitative data were collected from these cases and analyzed with consideration of OHS leadership; OHS culture and climate; employee participation in OHS; OHS policies, procedures and practices; and OHS risk control. Similarities and differences among organizations were examined in relation to these themes.FindingsThree distinct groups of firms emerged from the cross-case analysis in terms of their overall OHS performance: high, medium and low. Higher firm IWH-OPM scores generally corresponded to better OHS performance in the workplace as observed through qualitative methods.Originality/valueThe findings are a step toward OHS leaders or practitioners eventually being able, based on an organization’s IWH-OPM score, to have a quick understanding of a workplace’s OHS status and of how best to support further improvement.

A holistic assessment tool to estimate the probability of bypassing safeguards on machinery

Bypassing safeguards is a contributing cause of work-related accidents. Organizations must pay attention to the incentives of bypassing and ways to prevent it. This paper proposes a holistic assessment tool that estimates the probability of bypassing safeguards on machinery as high, significant, moderate or low based on a comprehensive list of literature-based incentives to bypass safeguards. The proposed tool is developed in four steps. Step 1 identifies all activities and operation modes associated with the machine. Step 2 investigates whether bypassing exists. Step 3 identifies and estimates the existing incentives to bypass. Step 4 estimates the probability of bypassing to help occupational health and safety (OHS) practitioners determine the corrective and preventive actions to promote the use of safeguards in industries. The tool is tested with five scenarios. Some of the results illustrate that: (i) OHS practitioners could identify the existing incentives in enterprises among a comprehensive list of incentives presented in the tool; next, they could determine the impact of the incentives; (ii) OHS organizations and practitioners from enterprises with limited resources could prioritize improvement actions to reduce or eliminate the incentives to bypass based on the probability levels estimated with the tool. The bypassing issue should be integrated with the elements of the OHS management system in organizations to promote the use of safeguards and to reduce accidents due to bypassing of safeguards on machinery.

A short history of the role and status of the safety professional in Romania

This paper is written by a practicing safety specialist in Romania. So far as can be ascertained by the author there is no research done in Romania into the role that such a specialist and aspiring professional fulfils, and the author has no possibility of funding such research herself. Therefore, the paper is based only on an analysis of legal requirements for the role and education/training of such practitioners. These are filled out with personal observations and questions arising out of the author’s own work as a safety professionals and consultant over a period of 30 years It is offered to the special issue in that limited form as a personal view of the limited effect of reliance only on legislation as a support for the development of a professional preventive function in occupational health and safety (OHS).In Romania, being a health and safety practitioner requires formal qualifications (education, training and experience) established by government regulations. These have changed significantly even over the relatively short time since they were first established, indicating that they lack the firm basis in research and debate that could anchor them more firmly in practice. Such legally required qualifications are only one aspect in establishing a recognized OHS profession. There needs to be a supporting perception by the OHS practitioners themselves, their employers, government and the work community that they have a valuable and ethically underpinned contribution to make to danger prevention and protection. What is needed in Romania is research into the question whether those working in those jobs and their clients/employers see the possession of those jobs and qualifications as stepping stones to a profession, or simply as a way of making money.

Leading and lagging indicators of occupational health and safety: The moderating role of safety leadership

In response to the call for empirical evidence of a connection between leading and lagging indicators of occupational health and safety (OHS), the first aim of the current research is to consider the association between leading and lagging indicators of OHS. Our second aim is to investigate the moderating effect of safety leadership on the association between leading and lagging indicators. Data were collected from 3578 employees nested within 66 workplaces. Multi-level modelling was used to test the two hypotheses. The results confirm an association between leading and lagging indicators of OHS as well as the moderating impact of middle management safety leadership on the direct association. The association between leading and lagging indicators provides OHS practitioners with useful information to substantiate efforts within organisations to move away from a traditional focus on lagging indicators towards a preventative focus on leading indicators. The research also highlights the important role played by middle managers and the value of OHS leadership development and investment at the middle management level.

The Current Experience and Training of Romanian Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Professionals

The study is about history of health and safety legislation in Romania, about European tools, empowerment procedures, organisations and association in the field. It`s an overview about European tools to allow people free movements all around European Union (EU). The study presents tools which identifies the fundamental skills, the most important abilities and knowledge that people would need to be recognised, in order to allow free movements all around European employment market. The study is about possibilities to be voluntary recognised as a health and safety professionals across EU and why not, around the world. It`s a brief list of ways of transfer and recognition of learning experiences in Europe, including vocational education and training, for a better understanding of qualifications from different EU countries. The research presents ENSHPO (The European Network of Safety & Health Professional Organisations) and EUSAFE (European project) voluntary certification procedures for occupational health and safety professionals (OHS) and where the Romanian practitioners are placed, if their qualifications could be recognised through Europe. The research presents the necessary characteristics for a well developed profession, as mentioned by Ferguson & Ramsay [1] and also presents IOSH, the most valuable health and safety professional association and the necessary steps for Romanian OHS practitioners to build a strong association. IOSH is the model of a profession and Romanian practitioners could learn to become Charted Members. The European Union single market - as well as the increasing number of companies operating across Europe that are applying a consistent set of safety and health standards to their work sites - has created a great need for safety and health managers with credentials that are recognised at a Pan-European level. The absence of a harmonised, agreed system for the mutual recognition of safety & health qualifications at a European level creates uncertainty about professional competence across countries within Europe and may create problems for multinational companies in the effective use of their safety and health expertise. It also forms a barrier for safety and health professionals wishing to offer their services across the EU. Knowing their training level is necessary to determine the training needs of OHS practitioners, now that Romania has joined the EU in order to allow free movement of the work force. Knowing where to start and what needs to be improved, will allow the Romanian practitioners to be just as good and compete with their European colleagues. The study will show which of the Romanian empowerment procedures was better, with or without examinations and if this examination procedures make them better ones. The research is part of a study that aims to thoroughly analyze the transformation in the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) field in Romania following the major political, economic, social and cultural transformations that are necessary in the context of Romania`s accession to the European Union. The research evaluates the current experience and training needs of Romanian OHS professionals. A review of the changes in the legislation and qualification requirements in Romania will be presented and placed into the context of European legislation and standards.

Accredited OHS professional education: A step change for OHS capability

In the last two years Australia has seen a step-change in Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) professional education with the implementation of the OHS regulator-funded OHS Body of Knowledge project. This project resulted in the development and publication of the OHS Body of Knowledge, accreditation of university-level OHS professional education and certification of OHS professionals and practitioners. The OHS Body of Knowledge for Generalist OHS Professionals was first published in 2012 and work is ongoing. The OHS Body of Knowledge is achieving recognition within Australia and internationally. Professional accreditation for university level OHS education was introduced in 2012. Coincidentally, accreditation of OHS professional education has been implemented at the same time as structural changes in the quality standards for universities and changes in the Australian Qualification Framework presenting significant opportunities.Commencing with a brief description of the rationale, development and implementation of the OHS Body of Knowledge project this paper focuses on the OHS Body of Knowledge itself and accreditation of OHS professional education. The paper provides a discussion on competence compared with capability. It then examines the impact of recent Australian government initiatives, the OHS Body of Knowledge and accreditation, on capability and draws on the results of accreditation assessments to describe the impact on OHS education. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the contribution of the OHS Body of Knowledge and program accreditation to the capability outcomes of the Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy for 2012–22 with an extrapolation to potential lessons for other countries.

Using leading indicators to measure occupational health and safety performance

A study was conducted to advance the state of knowledge and practice on the topic of using leading indicators to measure occupational health and safety (OHS) performance of organizations. The specific research aims were to (1) describe the extent to which OHS practitioners understand leading indicators; (2) explore organizational practices pertaining to tracking, analyzing, and applying information provided by leading indicators to improve OHS performance; and (3) identify barriers and factors that enable the use of leading indicators. The study design included an expert panel and a quantitative survey to explore the views and experiences of OHS practitioners in relation to leading indicators. The findings suggest several important characteristics (e.g., actionability) that effective leading indicators need to possess and describe modifiable factors (e.g., commitment and technical knowledge of senior executives) that may be correlated with such characteristics. Overall, this study argues for continued effort to improve access to research and practical knowledge among OHS professionals as well as their executive leaders who seek to demonstrate continuous improvement of performance measurement strategies.

Implementation of interventions to prevent musculoskeletal injury at work — lost in translation?

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are a major cost burden to individuals, organizations, and society. While the contribution to injury of various factors is widely acknowledged, little is known about the translation of this knowledge from researchers to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) practitioners, nor the implementation, and effectiveness, of injury prevention advice subsequently provided to organizations. It is widely acknowledged that a ‘research-practice gap’ exists and this is further complicated by difficulties evident in applying structured interventions to prevent injury in the workplace. Injury prevention advice commonly includes proposed changes to the work system, environment, and work practices. This requires a change in both organizational and individual behaviour. The structuring of injury prevention advice according to behaviour change principles has been proposed by researchers as a means for improving its effectiveness. However, there is little evidence that this has been adopted by OHS practitioners. The incorporation of such an approach as a means of structuring advice will, for many OHS practitioners, require a paradigm-shift. While most focus on the domain of practice in which they are most expert — the physical environment — the inclusion of a method to guide and structure their advice may improve its relevance to their client and its adoption and potential effectiveness. Ultimately, the translation of research findings into OHS professional practice will require an approach which will bridge the ‘researcher-practice gap’ by both actively engaging OHS practitioners in research and improving the dissemination of findings.

Managing Occupational Risk in Creative Practice: A New Perspective for Occupational Health and Safety

ABSTRACT There has been little recognition of the fact that creative production operates in a somewhat different environment and timeframe to that associated with traditional industries. This has resulted in the application of an orthodox, generic or ``one size fits all'' framework of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) systems across all industries. With the rapid growth of ``creative industry,'' certain challenges arise from the application of this “generic” strategy, mainly because the systems currently employed may not be entirely suitable for creative practice. Some OHS practitioners suggest that the current OHS paradigm is failing. This paper questions the appropriateness of applying a twentieth century OHS model in the present industrial context, and considers what framework will best provide for the well-being of creative workers and their enterprise in the twenty-first century. The paper questions the notion of “Risk” and the paradox associated with “Risk Management,” particularly in the context of the creative process. Clearly, risk taking contributes to creative enterprise and effective risk management should accommodate both risk minimization and risk exploitation.

Occupational sitting: practitioner perceptions of health risks, intervention strategies and influences

Workplace practitioners are well placed to provide practical insights on sedentary behaviour issues in the workplace. This study consulted occupational health and safety (OHS) practitioners, examining their perceptions of sedentary health risks and views on strategies and influences to reduce and break prolonged occupational sitting. Three focus groups were conducted with convenience samples of OHS practitioners (n=34; 6 men; 46.4 ± 9.6 years) attending an Australian national conference in November 2010. Open-ended questions concerning health risks, sitting reduction strategies and influences were posed by lead researchers and practitioners invited to express opinions, viewpoints and experiences. Audio-recordings and summary notes of focus group discussions were reviewed by researchers to identify key response themes. OHS practitioners were well informed about the chronic disease and musculoskeletal risks associated with prolonged occupational sitting, but noted the importance of not replacing one workplace health issue (too much sitting) with another (too much standing). Ideas for strategies were diverse and explored the dichotomy between providing choices for employees to stand and move more (e.g. sit-stand desks), as opposed to obligating change through adapting job and office design (e.g. centralising printers and scanners). Productivity concerns were cited as a major influence for change. OHS practitioners also highlighted the value of using cross-disciplinary expertise to bridge the gap between research and practice. This study identified that OHS practitioners in Australia have a good understanding of the risks of prolonged occupational sitting and potential strategies to manage these risks.

Occupational health and safety professionals strategies to improve working environment and their self-assessed impact

Research suggests that Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) practitioners have difficulty influencing the decision-making process because they are placed on the sidelines in the organisation. This paper analyses the strategies that OHS practitioners use to fulfill their job role and the impact they have on the working environment and OHS management systems. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten New Zealand OHS practitioners from mainly large private and public organisations about their job role, OHS tasks, strategies and their impact. The interviews were tape recorded, transcribed, entered into a qualitative data management programme and analysed thematically in relation to their strategies, barriers and their impact on the OHS management system and working environment. The analysis revealed that these OHS practitioners used multiple strategies - chosen in relation to the situation, the stakeholders and their own resources. They saw themselves as change agents or facilitators. They preferred to use a knowledge strategy, supported by an audit strategy. Their last resort was a regulation strategy. All of the practitioners had a positive impact on stakeholders' knowledge, attitude and behavior and on OHS management systems. Some practitioners improved the working environment but few were involved in introduction of new technology.