Occupational Safety Of Workers Research Articles

Environmental management in small olericultural properties: assessment and prioritization of environmental damage

Some inappropriate cultivation practices can promote negative consequences to the physical, biotic and anthropic environment. Horticulture plays an important role in both food production and income generation. The objective of the study was to identify environmental damage through analysis of the environmental aspects of vegetable production activities and to propose a prioritization of these damages using the severity, urgency and trend prioritization matrix (GUT Matrix). The method was applied in three small farms. After using the GUT matrix, it showed that for each rural property the damage management priorities were different. The priority in the management of environmental damage on rural property 1 is related to the water reservoir, the damage on small property 2 is on the health and occupational safety of workers and the damage to be prioritized on vegetable property 3 is related to loss of productivity. In this context, it demonstrates the need to know and prioritize environmental damage in small rural properties to improve the environmental management process and introduce management tools for management.

National Survey of Sharps Injuries Incidence Amongst Healthcare Workers in the United States.

Reporting sharps injuries is crucial for healthcare worker occupational safety. However, these incidents are often underreported, thus posing potentially dangerous working environments. Previous small and limited studies have quantified this underreporting in specific groups of healthcare workers. This study aims to expand on these studies by further quantifying sharps injury incidences through a national study, thus better understanding healthcare reporting behaviors and the reasons for underreporting. This is a national, multi-center, cross-sectional study conducted via an online anonymous survey distributed through email among United States attending physicians, fellows, residents, medical students, and nurses of all specialties (ie, surgery, medicine, pediatrics). Data analysis used descriptive statistics and regressive modeling with significance defined as p<0.05. Of over 3000 surveys emailed, 460 (15.3%) healthcare workers responded. The most vulnerable cohort to report sharps injuries were medical students (0.87 injuries per year ±0.69, n=92) and Postgraduate Year (PGY) 1 (0.67±0.81, n=71), PGY2 (0.86±-0.82, n=48), and PGY3 (0.92±0.8, n=45) resident physicians. Healthcare workers in surgical fields reported significantly higher likelihoods (odds ratio=4.61, p<0.001, 95% confidence interval 2.83-7.26) of sharps injuries. Medical students reported sharps injuries the least (40%) and nurses reported sharps injuries the most frequently (71%). The three most common reasons for not reporting sharps injuries included (1) healthcare workers perceiving low infection risk based on patient medical history, (2) fear of peer perception, and (3) belief of lack of reporting utility or that reporting is inconsequential. Medical students and physicians early in training, especially those in surgical fields, are more vulnerable to sharps injuries, but are less likely to report, while nurses are the most likely to report. Dedicated sharps training, education to reduce stigma around injury, and implementing a simplified reporting process may help encourage reporting as well as consistency in reporting, leading to improved workplace safety.

Impact of a Mindfulness Intervention on Hospice Care Worker Safety and Well-Being

Hospice care workers are exposed to the hazards associated with in-home care in uncontrollable environments as well as occupational stress related to caring for terminally ill patients and their families. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an abbreviated mindfulness intervention to improve hospice care worker occupational safety performance and well-being. This study used a single-group pre-post design to pilot test an 18-hour mindfulness training as an intervention on self-reported safety performance and well-being among 13 hospice care workers in Colorado. Participants reported statistically increased levels of safety compliance, one component of safety performance, and subjective well-being following the abbreviated mindfulness intervention in comparison to baseline. The findings that mindfulness training can improve self-reported safety compliance and well-being among hospice workers support further testing of the use of abbreviated mindfulness trainings within hospice care organizations to promote worker safety and well-being.

A systematic review of factors leading to occupational injuries and fatalities

PurposeThe burden of health and safety related issues emanating from the modern workplace is overwhelming. Although the prevailing statistics found in the literature show that victims of workplace fatalities and injuries are higher in developing countries and transition economies, there is a very limited understanding of the causal factors that may correspond to the continuous increase in the occupational exposure of employees to various fatalities and injuries. The purpose of this study was to review the literature on occupational safety of workers with the objective of highlighting the major causal factors of workplace injuries and fatalities from a multi-regional perspective, particularly on job-contexts with highest safety and health related hazards.MethodologyA systematic review of the literature was conducted on 73 empirical studies in the regions of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and the Americas (the US & Canada).FindingsThe results showed that the highest number of injuries and fatalities were mostly found in the construction industry. It further emerged that most of the studies were centered in developing countries within Africa and Asia. Other results and recommendations were discussed for each region.ValueThe findings from this study have the potential to expose the regional dynamics in relation to safety in the workplace. This study also addresses the main areas of concern for stakeholders to promote organizational development and safety culture.

STRATEGIC ENHANCEMENT OF WORKPLACE SAFETY IN SMALL SCALE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES USING AHP APPROACH

Despite progress in technology, workplace safety in small scale manufacturing industries (SSMIs) still lacks the required attention. Occupational safety of workers is one of the major concerns for organizations as it involves a number of factors that affect many direct and indirect costs of the industry. To this end, the current study was conducted in order to determine the key factors that affect workplace safety. A total of nine main factors and twenty-two sub-factors were identified and then prioritized using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Opinions from experienced and proficient experts were recorded on a framed questionnaire for all the above factors. The effectiveness of the study was ensured by maintaining a consistency ratio of less than 10% for the factors and sub-factors. The factor personal protective equipment was found to have the highest Eigen vector of 27.4%, and therefore the highest priority. Organizational attributes and hygiene are the factors that demand the next level of priority, whereas, equipment and hand tools safety and machine guarding, and material handling are the factors requiring the least priority. The outcome of this analysis enables the small scale manufacturing industries to effectively implement safety measures by giving priority to the factors in the order specified by the study. This would empower the organizational safety standards and benefit not only the employees but also the employers without considerable costs.

Safety index: a systematic approach to measure the level of occupational safety in manufacturing industry

Despite the advancement in technology, workplace safety in the industry still needs improvements. This study aimed to develop a new safety index, termed as occupational safety evaluation approach (OSEA) index, by using Delphi method. This approach considered 40 factors that were validated with content validity index (CVI). The ideal value of OSEA obtained is 21.07, which is further used for evaluating and mapping the current level of occupational safety of workers in medium-sized iron and steel manufacturing industry. In order to estimate OSEA, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted in 30 medium sized manufacturing industries (MSMI) of Punjab. The results revealed that the OSEA index of MSMI lies in the range of 8.90-17.79. Moreover, it is concluded that OSEA index is a useful tool to measure the existing level of occupational safety of workers in the industry, which can be implemented to assess the level of workplace safety.

Occupational exposures and associated risk factors among U.S. casino workers: a narrative review.

We conducted a narrative literature review of U.S. casino occupational health and safety research based on the following inclusion criteria: 1) focused on workers, 2) provided information pertaining to exposures present in the occupational environment (e.g., hazards, stressors, etc.), and 3) pertained to casino, gaming, or gambling workers. Following a multi-step process, a total of 11 articles were identified that related to the occupational health and safety of U.S. casino workers. These articles primarily focused on environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposures (n = 7 articles), with the remaining articles related to casino worker risk behaviors (i.e., problem gambling and drinking) (n = 2), and psychosocial stressors (n = 2). Our results demonstrate that the overwhelming consensus in the literature is that ETS leads to high respirable particulate matter (PM2.5), tobacco toxin levels and exposures among gaming employees. Our results also suggest that harassment, low autonomy at work, and unsafe work conditions may be of concern, especially for female workers. We identified major gaps in the casino worker occupational safety literature including a lack of studies that evaluated noise exposure, injury data, ergonomics, psychosocial hazards, or long term respiratory health outcomes related to ETS exposure. Future research regarding the occupational safety and health of U.S. casino workers should address these gaps in the literature.

Tritium Plasma Experiment Upgrade and Improvement of Surface Diagnostic Capabilities at STAR Facility for Enhancing Tritium and Nuclear PMI Sciences

Recently, Tritium Plasma Experiment (TPE), a unique high-flux linear plasma device that can handle beryllium, tritium and neutron-irradiated plasma facing materials, has undergone major upgrades in its electrical and control systems. The upgrade has improved worker occupational safety, and enhanced TPE plasma performance to better simulate extreme plasma-material-interaction (PMI) conditions expected in ITER, Fusion Nuclear Science Facility (FNSF) and demonstration fusion power plant (DEMO). The PMI determines a boundary condition for diffusing tritium into bulk plasma-facing components (PFCs) and plays critical role in in-vessel and ex-vessel safety assessments. Enhancing surface capabilities for tritium-contaminated and radioactive samples is crucial for the PMI sciences in burning plasma long pulse operation. The TPE Upgrade and improvement of surface diagnostic capabilities for tritium-contaminated and radioactive samples at STAR facility help enhance tritium and nuclear PMI sciences for the development of reliable PFCs and tritium fuel cycle in ITER, FNSF and DEMO.

Improving Occupational and Industrial Safety Management System at Coal Mining Enterprises

The article highlights the problem of mine workers occupational safety. The foreign and domestic experience of the field is analyzed. Some areas, activities and methods that meet modern requirements for ensuring occupational safety and production development, which are aimed at improving the quality of occupational safety management system, are described. The possibilities of their use in industrial safety of Kuzbass coal mining enterprises are considered. The proposed methods were implemented by JSC “Shakhta Yuzhnaya”, “Kiselevsky Razrez” Ltd., the coal mining enterprises of the Kemerovo region.

Relationship between oral temperature and sleepiness among night workers in a hot industry

Night work can have a significant impact on health, well-being, performance and occupational safety of workers. Night workers often complain about the sleep disorder characterized by excessive sleepiness. The aim of the study was to determine the level of sleepiness among night workers and investigate its relationship with oral temperature in a hot industry. This cross-sectional study involved 80 night workers. Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS) has been used to measure the level of sleepiness. Oral temperature and SSS were recorded at different hours of night shift (23 pm to 4 am) for two consecutive nights. The analysis of results showed that there was a positive linear trend in the sleepiness scale (Pvalue<0.001) and an increasing trend in the oral temperature between 23pm and 1am. Then a decreasing trend has been observed after 1am for both of them (Pvalue <0.001). Comparison of the results for two nights indicated that the mean sleepiness index in the second night is higher than the first (Pvalue <0.001), but the mean oral temperature in the second night was equal to that in the first night. Findings suggest a weak negative association between sleepiness and oral temperature. (r=-0.24, Pvalue =0.03). A substantial proportion of subjects were working while sleepy, especially at late night and early morning hours. The combination of heat stress and sleepiness can lead to impaired performance. The growing amount of sleepiness index indicates the high risk of sleep disorders and the other possible problems related health among night shift workers.

0212 Epidemiological Surveillance of Work-Related Injuries in Norway: An Enduring Challenge

ObjectivesData on work-related injury is critical in devising preventive strategies. In Norway, there are different systems that yield epidemiological data on work-related injuries, both fatal and non-fatal. In this study...

Are green building features safe for preventive maintenance workers? Examining the evidence

Many newly constructed green buildings (GB) are certified using the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system for new construction and major renovation which focuses on architectural and mechanical design to conserve energy, reduce environmental harm, and enhance indoor quality for occupants. This study evaluated the preventive maintenance (PM) worker occupational safety and health (OSH) risks related to the design of GB. PM job hazard analyses (JHA) were performed on the tasks required to operate and maintain five GB features selected from 13 LEED certified GB. A 22-item JHA and OSH risk scoring system were developed. Potentially serious OSH hazards included: green roofs made of slippery material without fall protection; energy recovery wheels and storm water harvesting systems in confined spaces; skylights without guard rails; and tight geothermal well mechanical rooms constraining safe preventive practices. GB can present PM OSH risks and these should be eliminated in the building design phase.

Occupational health and safety management using grey relational analysis: an Indian perspective

Recent concern regarding the occupational safety of workers has resulted in the adoption of safety management systems particularly in high-risk industries. Perceptions and understandings of risk on occupational health and safety (OHS) among employers and employees influence the control of risk at work. A study of risk perceptions and understanding in OHS by workers has been conducted in three sectors, such as construction, refractory and steel industries. A broad-based questionnaire is prepared covering various aspects of current OHS practices in industries. Grey relational method is used for assessing safety culture and work practices. It is demonstrated that the method can be used for benchmarking of organisations on these two aspects. The construction sector fairly lack behind on both aspects compared to other types of industries. In addition, the respondents perceive various items related to both aspects differently in different industrial settings. The chronic ailments of workers due to occupational ...

Young Worker Occupational Safety and Health Educational Materials: A Resource List

Young Worker Occupational Safety and Health Educational Materials: A Resource List

Young Worker Occupational Safety and Health Educational Materials: A Resource List

Young Worker Occupational Safety and Health Educational Materials: A Resource List

Student and faculty issues in distance education occupational safety and health graduate programs

Problem: There is increasing interest in delivering degree programs without requiring students to attend traditional classroom-based classes. There are many differences between classroom and distance courses that must be addressed to have effective distance programs. Method: Occupational safety and health faculty and occupational safety and health professionals were surveyed to determine the need for graduate occupational safety and health programs, delivered by means of distance education, and the best means to deliver the program from the perspective of faculty and working occupational safety and health professionals. Results: Adequate time is the largest problem issue for potential students and the distance student's needs must be considered when developing program policies and procedures. Faculty must be sufficiently trained in pedagogy, technology, and communications so that they have the same comfort level with this method of instruction as they do for the more familiar classroom, and technical and instructional support personnel need to be readily available to work with the faculty and support course development. Impact on Industry: Findings indicate that there is interest in a distance education-based program and it is believed that industry will be positively impacted as educational opportunities expand for working professionals.