Occupational Health And Safety Legislation Research Articles

Evaluation of Road Roughness and Vehicle Speed Effects on Vibration Comfort of School Bus Driver Seats following the ISO 2631-1 Standard and Occupational Health and Safety Legislation

Human perception in terms of vehicle comfort problems is a significant issue for automotive manufacturers and academic researchers as evident from scientific papers available in the literature. In this study, the maximum vehicle speed is predicted for comfortable driving of school bus drivers at certain working conditions. First, a full-vehicle school bus model, which consists of a seat, vehicle body, wheels and suspension systems, is developed to evaluate vehicle seat comfort in accordance with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 2631-1 and Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) legislation. Second, collected experimentally power spectrum densities of road roughness are converted to amplitude form in order to be an input to the developed full-vehicle model. Third, the frequency weighting factor, which is determined by International Organization for Standardization 2631-1, is applied to the calculated RMS acceleration of the seat. Finally, frequency-weighted RMS accelerations of the seat for various conditions of road roughness and vehicle speeds are obtained, and it is used to evaluate the bus driver seat comfort in accordance with ISO 2631-1. In addition, RMS accelerations of the bus driver seat are used to evaluate vehicle seat comfort in accordance with OHS legislation. It is concluded that the effects of vehicle speed and road roughness on comfortable driving are observed and maximum vehicle speed for comfortable driving decreases as the power spectrum density of road roughness increases. According to the results, measures to be taken in accordance with the OHS legislation are suggested.

Güney Afrika Kalkınma Topluluğunda Sağlık Sektörüne Yönelik İş Sağlığı ve Güvenliği Mevzuatı: Botsvana ve Güney Afrika Örneği

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) legislation, regulation, and enforcement for workers in all sectors worldwide still need to be improved and require a radical and systematic approach to foster development. However, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the great need for OHS legislation in every sector, with health at the forefront. Some nations in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region need more organizational and legislative structures in OHS, particularly in the health sector. Literature on OHS in the Southern African region is scarce because it is still in its infancy and greatly underdeveloped. The purpose of this study is to conduct a traditional review of the structure of OHS legislation in the SADC region, specifically in Botswana and South Africa's health sector. In conclusion, Botswana and South Africa have reached different levels in developing legislation frameworks that govern workplace health and safety, with South Africa having a highly developed system compared to Botswana. Human resource shortage and a lack of OHS expertise are significant challenges in implementing and adhering to workplace health and safety programs in both countries. The development of occupational health, specifically in the health sector in both countries, the Southern African region and other developing countries, could be aided by a focus on developing specific policies and legislations and providing training and education in OHS.

Le traitement de la violence conjugale comme un enjeu de SST au Canada : une étude empirique

La violence conjugale (VC) est un enjeu important pour les milieux de travail, et ce, tant du point de vue de la productivité que de la sécurité au travail. Pourtant, au Québec et au Canada, la conception de la VC en tant que dimension de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (SST) est relativement récente. Peu d’études sur la VC et le travail portent sur des interventions, et encore moins sur celles de nature préventive. Cette étude contribue à combler cette lacune. Elle présente les résultats d’une série d’entretiens avec des informatrices-clés dans différentes juridictions canadiennes où la législation en SST vise la VC. L’étude suggère que, pour que la législation puisse atteindre son but, la sensibilisation à la VC dans les milieux de travailreprésente un élément incontournable. De plus, les ressources communautaires spécialisées en VC ont un rôle crucial à jouer dans la mise en œuvre de la législation.

Design for safety among design professionals in the Botswana construction industry

Design has been identified as a contributor to adverse occupational safety and health (OSH) outcomes in construction. In spite of this, relatively fewer studies have focused on design for safety (DfS) within developing countries; Botswana being a prime example. This research investigates the extent of DfS implementation in Botswana’s construction industry, and the factors that affect its implementation. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among design professionals (i.e., architects and civil/structural engineers) in the Botswana construction industry. Data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Results revealed that a majority of respondents are aware of the concept of DfS and respondents generally consider DfS to be of high importance. Furthermore, there is a high willingness to apply DfS and a high interest in undertaking DfS related professional development training, however, engagement in DfS practices is rather moderate and participation in DfS professional development training is low. Moreover, DfS legislation as well as industry guides are considered by designers to be the most influential factor for DfS implementation in Botswana. From the results, recommendations are given including the inclusion of DfS requirements in OSH legislation and provision of DfS industry guides by the relevant design professional bodies.

Investigation on the Compliance of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Legislations among Contractors and Potential Interventions to Improve Construction Safety Performance

The Malaysian construction industry contributes more than one-third of fatalities out of all industries and further proves that safety performance in the construction industry lags behind most other industries. One of the causes is due to the lack integration of technological system and people in safety and health (OSH). This study suggests that one of the ways to avoid accidents at construction site is through an effective OSH management planning tool, with proper management of the interaction between technological systems and people. As an initial step towards the development of the tool, this study aims to investigate the contractors’ compliance with OSH legislation in the Malaysian construction industry. It also attains construction stakeholder’s perceptions of the current situation and intervention to improve OSH performance in the construction industry by providing information or creating a system that can provide information according to the acts and regulations. The information was collected through interviewing selected respondents from several organizations and enforcers in construction industry. The results revealed that the majority of construction organizations followed the OSH requirements, though they did not comprehensively follow them. Lack of knowledge about OSH was also acknowledged by the organizations, even though they were aware about the OSH requirements. The findings also revealed that there is no available tool that can provide information about legislation on OSH requirements which can facilitate the construction teams effectively and lead to prevent an accident happens at the construction site.Therefore, it is essential to improve the safety performances including provide the guidelines of the OSH according to the acts and requirements and enhancing the management in improving the safety at construction sites.

Occupational Health and Safety in Tanzanian Construction Sector: Incompliance, Informality, and Power Relations

The management of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) on construction sites continues to be an area of concern. Workers have continued to be blamed for unsafe behavior, contributing to the increase in the number of accidents on construction sites. Although various legislative acts enforcing Health and Safety (HS) exist, incompliance with such legislation is evident. This study sets out to understand why construction managers and workers do not comply with OHS legislation. Interviews, focus group discussions, and observations were carried out with the construction site managers and informal construction workers on selected construction sites. Content and thematic analyses were adopted to analyze the data using Nvivo version 12, qualitative analysis software. The study confirmed poor OHS practices and concluded that the precarious nature of the workers’ jobs in the construction sector limits their power to demand the enforcement of OHS, resulting in them accepting the risks as wage-for-labor precariat. Site managers have limited power since they are employees of the main contractor, and their focus is on the completion of the construction projects. This study recommends the need to establish an inclusive safety management system that accommodates the main contractors, managers, and workers. Moreover, a review of the current OHS (building and construction) rules is recommended to recognize the precariat-informal construction workers, who are the main players on construction sites.

Who takes care of safety and health among young workers? Responsibilization of OSH in the platform economy

This study explores how young workers experience employment relations and responsibility for Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) in the platform economy. The study is based on 29 qualitative interviews with young Nordic workers (age 18–30) who find work through digital labour platforms and social media platforms. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work asserts that the placement of responsibilities for OSH in the platform economy is challenged by the unclear categorisations of employers, employees and self-employed, and that existing labour law and OSH legislation might be inapplicable. Even though most platforms position workers as self-employed, the study shows that the young workers rarely experience themselves as being self-employed and assume that the platforms take care of OSH. When operating in this grey zone, the young workers risk being left without protection and societal resources for improving their OSH. Rasmussen’s model ‘migration towards the boundary of unacceptable safety performance’ is used to discuss how work activities in platform work is driven by strong cost and effort gradients, while, the counter gradient, in terms of OSH systems, at the same time is very weak or completely absent.

BARRIERS TO THE ADOPTION OF NEW SAFETY TECHNOLOGIES IN CONSTRUCTION: A DEVELOPING COUNTRY CONTEXT

The adoption rate of new technologies is still relatively low in the construction industry, particularly for mitigating occupational safety and health (OSH) risks, which is traditionally a largely labor-intensive activity in developing countries, occupying ill-afforded non-productive management resources. However, understanding why this is the case is a relatively unresearched area in developing countries such as Malaysia. In aiming to help redress this situation, this study explored the major barriers involved, firstly by a detailed literature review to identify the main barriers hampering the adoption of new technologies for safety science and management in construction. Then, a questionnaire survey of Malaysian construction practitioners was used to prioritize these barriers. A factor analysis further identified six major dimensions underlying the barriers, relating to the lack of OSH regulations and legislation, technological limitations, lack of genuine organizational commitment, prohibitive costs, poor safety culture within the construction industry, and privacy and data security concerns. Taken together, the findings provide a valuable reference to assist industry practitioners and researchers regarding the critical barriers to the adoption of new technologies for construction safety management in Malaysia and other similar developing countries, and bridge the identified knowledge gap concerning the dimensionality of the barriers.

Strengthening Inspection and Audit of Occupational Safety and Health in Coal Mining Enterprises in Vietnam

Coal mining is one of the heavy, hazardous industries. Therefore, workers in this industryalways face high risks of occupational accidents and diseases. According to the annual report of theMinistry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), the situation of occupational accidents andillnesses in the mining sector in recent years has increased both in terms of number and severity, and thisincludes fatal occupational accidents in the coal mining industry. Currently, the authorities have beenimplementing inspection of occupational safety and health (OSH) to prevent and limit the situation. In thescope of this article, the author focuses on clarifying the position and the role of OSH inspecting whilepresenting and analyzing the results of the inspection of OSH legislation compliance within the coalmining industry nationwide. From there, proposing several solutions to strengthen inspection of OSH,prevent and limit occupational accidents and diseases in the coming time, contributing to improving theefficiency of state management of OSH in the coal mining industry in Vietnam today.

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.

A reference framework for health and safety in the workplace in China and the European Union: A comparative study.

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) has a direct repercussion on the work, social and economic environments. The regulatory frameworks developed by each country are a basic aspect of OHS action policies. This study analyses and compares the differences in OHS regulations in China and the European Union (EU) to identify weaknesses or gaps in the Chinese regulations. Firstly, an overview of the OHS situation in the EU and China is carried out to provide context. Following this, a comparison of OHS regulations is conducted by searching different European and Chinese databases. The comparison focuses on several areas: socio-economic issues, accident rates, and the OHS regulatory framework. Since 1989, the EU has produced a broad and comprehensive OHS regulatory framework. Almost 30 years later, its positive impact can be seen in EU accident rates, indicating that this framework might be used as a reference for other territories or countries. China has a complicated system with over 280 OHS legislative regulations, in the form of laws, regulations, rules, integrated regulations, etc. that lead to a mixture and repetition of contents. The Chinese OHS legislation is still being constructed and complemented, since the two main Chinese OHS laws were approved during the last decade. This contrasts with the mature European framework, as it has been modified and completed over the years.

OHS Problems of Migrants in Turkey and the Order of Importance: Pareto Analysis

In Turkey, no studies have been conducted on the listing of the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) problems of legal and illegal migrant workers, especially of Syrian origin, in the order of importance and the need to address solution suggestions according to this order. This study aims to list the OHS problems of migrants, refugees, asylum-seekers, migrants under international protection, and irregular migrants employed in the production and service sectors in the order of importance and show their effect on solutions. The 40-item list of problems created by performing the literature review was weighted with the expert opinions of stakeholders related to migrants in Turkey, namely, universities, migrant NGOs, Syrian academicians, government units, migrant workers, and OHS specialists, and checked using Pareto analysis. In the table created by experts through the evaluation and weighting of the problems obtained from the literature review, the first eight questions (20%) constituted 79%, the next 12 questions (30%) constituted 16%, and the last 20 questions (50%) constituted 5%. When the first eight problems are analyzed, it is observed that the OSH problems of migrants are caused by the laws that are not enacted, the fact that the state institutions ignore migrant workers, and that migrant workers are completely vulnerable to OSH risks. Afterward, the same expert team was asked about solution proposals within the scope of the existing problems, and they were put in the order of importance via Pareto analysis. In Turkey, there is no law or legislation regarding OHS legislation for migrant workers. Migrant workers experience serious security and health problems. The state especially ignores illegal migrant workers. Illegal migrant workers are deprived of their security rights and the right to access health care. It is observed that 80% of the migrant workers’ problems will be resolved when the most important eight problems identified are resolved.

The Relationships Between Control Measures and Absenteeism in the Context of Internal Control.

BackgroundThe study tries to show the effect of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) legislation implemented via plan-do-check-act methodology on accident and sickness absenteeism.MethodsThe data for the study gathered via a questionnaire from a large-sized organization operates in production and maintenance of passenger coaches in February–March 2019 in Turkey. The data analyzed via structural equation model analysis.ResultsThe results showed that there are statistically meaningful relationships between OHS protective measures, training and informing of employees, and employee participation and accident and sickness absenteeism. In addition, a meaningful relationship between internal control and accident and sickness absenteeism was determined. Statistically meaningful relationships between emergency measures, and health surveillance and internal control, and accident and sickness absenteeism could not be determined.ConclusionIt is concluded that the actions implemented by organizations to reduce absenteeism should be as per OHS legislation.

Risk Perceptions and Safety Cultures in the Handling of Nanomaterials in Academia and Industry.

ObjectivesWork and research with nanomaterials (NMs) has primarily focused on innovation, toxicity, governance, safety management tools, and public perceptions. The aim of this study was to identify academia and industry occupational safety and health (OSH) managers’ perceptions and handling of NMs, in relation to safety culture.MethodsSemistructured interviews were carried out with OSH managers at six academic institutions and six industrial companies. The interview statements were coded into five topics regarding NMs: risk comprehension, information gathering, actions, communication, and compliance. The statements were then coded according to a five-step safety culture maturity model reflecting increasing occupational safety maturity from passive, to reactive, active, proactive, and exemplary occupational safety.ResultsThe safety culture maturity of the academic institutions were primarily active and proactive, whereas the industry group were primarily active and reactive. None of the statements were rated as exemplary, with the majority reflecting an active safety culture. The topics varied from a passive approach of having no focus on NMs and regarding risks as a part of the job, to applying proactive measures in the design, production, application, and waste management phases. Communication and introduction to OSH issues regarding NMs as well as compliance provided challenges in both academia and industry, given the increasing cultural and linguistic diversity of students/staff and employees. Workplace leaders played a crucial role in establishing a legitimate approach to working safely with NMs, however, the currently available OSH information for NMs were described as insufficient, impractical, and inaccessible. There was an embedded problem in solely relying on safety data sheets, which were often not nanospecific, as this may have led to underprotection.ConclusionsThere is a need for more structured, up-to-date, easily accessible, and user-friendly tools and information regarding toxicity and threshold limit values, relevant OSH promotion information, legislation, and other rules. The study underscores the need for politicians and engineers to collaborate with communication experts and both natural and social scientists in effectively framing information on NMs. Such a collaboration should allow for flexible deployment of multilevel and integrated safety culture initiatives to support sustainable nanotechnology and operational excellence.

Effectiveness of the Labour Inspection Authority’s regulatory tools for work environment and employee health: study protocol for a cluster-randomised controlled trial among Norwegian home-care workers

IntroductionThere is a need to evaluate whether, and to what degree, labour inspections or other regulatory tools have the desired effects on psychosocial, organisational and mechanical work environment, and employee...

Occupational health and safety practices among contractors in Malawi: a generic overview

The construction industry accounts for a high percentage of occupational accidents, leading to violation of workers’ human dignity and labour rights. The situation is critical in developing countries owing to occupational health and safety (OHS) interventions being in their infancy and inadequacy in systematic implementation of OHS programmes. This study was concerned with obtaining a generic overview of implementation of selected OHS practices by construction companies in Malawi in order to identify underlying motivations for their implementation or non-implementation and determine OHS management techniques for improvement. A questionnaire was used to collect data, which were analysed using a combination of frequency distribution and categorisation of OHS implementation levels. The results revealed inadequacies in the provision of OHS facilitation services and training practices on construction sites and to construction workers, respectively. Further, the findings revealed workers’ negativity towards OHS practices and reporting of construction accidents to insurance companies despite a legal mandate to notify the OHS directorate. The study supports the notion that developing countries are poor at establishing and implementing OHS legislation and programmes. If properly utilised, the study may guide interventions for improving OHS management at company and national levels.

Current Status and the Future of Occupational Safety and Health Legislation in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

This article addresses three key issues. First, the commonalities, differences, strengths, and limitations of existing occupational safety and health (OSH) legislation of low- and middle-income countries were determined. Second, required revisions were identified and discussed to strengthen the laws in accordance with the best international practice. Finally, proposals for additional OSH laws and interventions were suggested. A literature search of OSH laws of 10 selected low- and middle-income countries was carried out. The laws were subjected to uniform review criteria. Although the agricultural sector employs more than 70% of the population, most of the reviewed countries lack OSH legislation on the sector. Existing OSH laws are gender insensitive, fragmented among various government departments, insufficient, outdated, and nondeterrent to perpetrators and lack incentives for compliance. Conclusively, the legal frameworks require reformation and harmonization for the collective benefit to employees, employers, and regulatory authorities. New OSH legislation for the agricultural sector is required.

Investigation of the Availability of Occupational Health and Safety Related Documents on the Construction Sites in Windhoek, Namibia

Background: Construction industry is regarded as dangerous industry with more occupational injuries and accidents. Documents related to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) should be utilised and kept in the construction sites to show that the construction sites are applying to national and international OHS legislation requirements. Objective: To review the documents to determine the presence of OHS related documents utilized on the construction sites in OHS provision. Methods: A quantitative, descriptive study was conducted among ten construction sites in Windhoek, Namibia to investigate the availability of OHS related documents in the study sites. Data were collected with the document review checklist. Data were analysed using SPSS software program. Results: The study found that many construction sites did not have OHS related documents which show poor compliance towards OHS national and international legislation requirement in OHS provision. Conclusion: The study concluded that absence of OHS related documents on the construction sites is negatively affecting the implementation of OHS on the construction sites It was recommended that employers should ensure that OHS program is developed at workplaces and OHS related documents should be available for utilization in all workplaces according to the legislative requirements.

Assessment of current occupational safety and health regulations and legislation in the Caribbean

ABSTRACTNeglecting occupational safety and health (OSH) can have adverse and even deadly consequences. While OSH is important in any nation, the issue is particularly concerning in developing countries, including ones in the Caribbean. The purpose of this study, which was carried out in 2012 and 2013, was to examine the reasons for an apparent fundamental lack of awareness of OSH in the Caribbean. We conducted a descriptive study, in which a questionnaire was administered, via telephone, to key policy-making representatives from six English-speaking Caribbean nations, in order to assess the current OSH environment in their countries. We also did a situational analysis of current OSH regulations and legislation within the six countries. We found that that some of the countries’ OSH laws are out of date or are limited to a certain type of industry. We also found that there is very little documentation on research on exposure to and risks from hazards and on psychological and reproductive health as related to OSH. It is recommended that these Caribbean countries both increase national OSH awareness and strengthen enforcement of OSH regulations. Additionally, further assistance and a more coordinated effort from intergovernmental bodies could help build and fortify OSH systems in the Caribbean.

Key elements on implementing an occupational health and safety management system using ISO 45001 standard

Occupational health and safety (OHS) management system is one of the main elements of the company’s general management system. During last decade, Romanian companies gained a valuable experience on implementing this type of management systems, using OHSAS 18001 referential and standard. However, the projected release of the ISO 45001 represents a new approach which requires the companies to take in consideration new key elements for a successful implementation of the OHS management system. The aim of the paper is to identify and analyse these key elements, by integration of the following issues: standard requirements, Romanian OHS legislation and good practice examples, including the general control measures for new and emerging risks such as psycho-social risks, workforce ageing and new technologies. The study results represent an important work instrument for each company interested to implement or upgrade its OHS management system using ISO 45001 standard and could be used regardless the company size or activity domain.