Psychosocial Hazards Research Articles

Occupational Stress and Metabolic Syndrome among Bus Drivers: Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Diseases

Introduction: Bus drivers are more vulnerable to health complications due to the nature of their occupation. There is less information available on the role of occupational stress and metabolic syndrome as the risk factors for Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) among them. Metabolic syndrome is described by clustering of hypertension, hyperglycaemia, obesity, and dyslipidemia. Aim: To investigate the relationship between occupational stress and metabolic syndrome and assess its role among bus drivers as a predictive risk factor for CVD. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2014 to March 2015, at the Department of Biochemistry, BLDE (DU) Shri BM Patil medical college, Vijayapura, Karnataka, with randomly selected bus drivers (n=90) and age, sex-matched healthy participants (n=110) serving as controls. The National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) was used to describe metabolic syndrome. Data on sociodemographic features, anthropometric indexes, blood pressure, and biochemical parameters, including serum cortisol, were obtained. The questionnaire related to working patterns and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was used to assess the psychosocial hazards, and the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) model was used to predict the subsequent 10-year possible risk of developing CVD in bus drivers. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 16.0. Results: The mean age of bus drivers was 44.60±6.74 years. According to the PSS, with 28 as the cut-off value, 36 (40%) bus drivers were under stress. As per FRS, 51 (56.7%) of bus drivers were at low CVD risk, 27 (30%) were at intermediate risk, and 12(13.3%) were at higher CVD risk. Statistically significant values for parameters such as Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS), glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), serum triglyceride, serum cortisol, and PSS were seen among bus drivers with metabolic syndrome (p<0.001). A positive correlation between Waist Circumference (WC) and Triglycerides (TG) (r=0.215, p<0.001), WC and diastolic blood pressure (r=0.329, p<0.001), WC and HbA1c (r=0.409, p<0.001) was observed. Conclusion: The stress at work in the bus driver’s occupation is a crucial factor associated with metabolic syndrome, a significant risk factor for CVD. The awareness program in health camps and regular physical activity will prompt lifestyle modification that reduces diseases and moderate future cardiovascular events.

Occupational Hazards in Building Construction

Minor injury to fatality and permanent disablement cases due to accident at the construction sites are one of the highest as compared to the other sector. Hence, there is an urgent need to mitigate this problem. The first step that should be taken is identifying the hazard to ensure a safe and conducive working condition. Therefore, this paper is intended to identify and highlight the hazards that are most commonly found at our construction sites today. The data collection was carried out through a questionnaire forms and checklist survey regarding hazards in construction. The sites include high rise commercial building projects. The study determines six major groups of hazards in relation to works at construction sites such as physical, chemical, mechanical, biological, psychological and physiological hazards. The study was conducted on 50 contractors and 5 building construction sites. The results showed that the most common hazards for the project around the study area are noise, electric shock and vibrations as the major physical hazards; cement dust and sand dust as major chemical hazard; hit by equipment as major mechanical hazard and job dissatisfaction as major psychosocial hazard in building construction projects. Thus, contractors should be responsible and accountable for documenting different types of hazards as they are implementing agent of safety during the construction and development of any project. For this, awareness level should be increased by conducting regular awareness program, along with engineering and enforcement activities.

Comparing the Psychosocial Safety Climate between Megaprojects and Non-Megaprojects: Evidence from China

Compared to non-megaprojects, megaprojects are often more complex and riskier, and construction employees are thus susceptible to a higher level of psychosocial hazards, which adversely affect their psychosocial health and safety performance. The psychosocial safety climate evaluates the employees’ perceived level of psychosocial health and safety of the workplace and reveals the causes of psychosocial hazards that need to be addressed; it is, therefore, of great significance to determine whether the psychosocial safety climate (PSC) of megaprojects is different from that of non-megaprojects. A questionnaire survey is described involving 10 megaprojects and 143 non-megaprojects in China. The results show that, contrary to expectations, the psychosocial safety climate of megaprojects is significantly better than that of non-megaprojects. Compared with those of non-megaprojects, the employees of megaprojects have a higher common perception of the organization’s emphasis on psychosocial health and safety-related policies, procedures, and behavioral practices in work processes. This research, for the first time, demonstrates and tests the use of the psychosocial safety climate scale (PSC-12) for measuring the construction industry’s PSC, provides insights for understanding the psychosocial safety climate of megaprojects, and serves as a reference for organizational management to intervene in employees’ psychosocial health and correct unsafe behaviors. It also contributes to theoretical research and the measurement standards of psychological safety in megaprojects.

POLISH ADAPTATION OF THE COPENHAGEN PSYCHOSOCIAL QUESTIONNAIRE II (COPSOQ II) IN POLISH PRISON SERVICE STAFF - A TOOL FOR PSYCHOSOCIAL RISK ASSESSMENT AT THE WORKPLACE

Introduction: The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) is identified to be appropriate to assess psychosocial hazards at work and is recommended in WHO publications. However, the tool was never fully adopted in Poland. The purpose of this paper is to present the psychometric characteristics of COPSOQ II in Polish. Material and Methods: A validation study of the long (128-item) COPSOQ II was conducted on a stratified sample of the Polish Prison Service staff (N=380). Reliability was tested with Cronbach's α. Validity was verified through factor analysis as well as analysis of correlations with four other relevant measures for psychosocial hazards assessment. All of them were previously widely applied in Poland by many researchers and approved for studying psychosocial environment at work, health and well-being in Polish employees. Results: The Polish version of COPSOQ II is composed of 42 scales. The greater number of scales compared to the original version results from reliability analysis. As the original Variation scale was the only with unsatisfactory Cronbach's α so it was divided into two separate measures: Work Repetitiveness and Work Variety. Seven factors were identified and labelled as: Demands at Work, Organizational Relations, Physical Violence, Psychological Violence, Health and Well-being, Work Commitment and Development Perspectives, Relations within a Team. All associations were in the expected direction. Conclusions: The long COPSOQ II PL may be considered as a proper tool to study psychosocial hazards at work in Poland. However, further tests on work environments other than Prison Service are recommended.

COVID–19 as a Source of Psychosocial Hazard Related to Work

The article deals with occupational health and safety in the context of the emergence of a new threat of COVID-19 disease. It focuses on occupational stress and organizational problems experienced by employees in the context of economic problems of companies and administrative restrictions caused by pandemic crisis situation. The research question of the article is: How do the employees adapt to the initial phase of coronavirus crisis situation in their working environment? The theoretical part of the article contains the comparative analysis of the psychosocial hazards and proposal of their classification with the reference to COVID-19 syndrome. The research part analyzes the current results of survey studies dedicated to the perception of pandemic by employees in Poland. In the conclusion the author advocates for including new psychosocial work hazards which appear in connection to COVID-19 outbreak into already existing official lists of work-related psychosocial risks. It is especially recommended in case of evaluation of occupational health and safety in flexible work and remote work models.

Work-related musculoskeletal and mental health disorders: Are workplace policies and practices based on contemporary evidence?

Stress related mental health disorders (MHDs) and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are significant workplace problems associated with exposure to a range of physical and psychosocial workplace hazards. Little is known about real-world risk management practices used by organisations to mitigate MHD and MSD risk. The current study examines risk management policies and practices for MHDs and MSDs in three high risk industry sectors. MethodData was collected via interviews with 25 Work, Health & Safety (WHS) Managers from the healthcare, retail, and transport/logistics sectors on risk management practices implemented for stress related MHDs and MSDs in their organisations. The organisational policies and procedures for MHDs and MSDs were assessed for coverage of five key dimensions (reference to, exposure factors, outcomes, assessment, prevention) using an adapted policy score card. ResultsAnalysis of interview data identified key themes which impact risk management approaches including: a failure to adopt a comprehensive approach to risk management, and the influences of senior management. Across all three sectors, coverage of physical hazards was more comprehensive in comparison to psychosocial hazards. ConclusionsDespite recognition that MHDs and MSDs are significant workplace problems, approaches to manage these complex health issues are not based on contemporary evidence. Transactional approaches are used which fail to take account of the multiple interacting hazards associated with the development of work related MHDs and MSDs. Improved guidance material and support from the regulators is required along with education of WHS Managers about how to identify and manage psychosocial hazards to reduce the significant burden of MHD and MSDs.

Psychosocial Hazards faced by Healthcare Workers at a Public Hospital

Public health institutions are an integral part of Guyana’s society, within which healthcare workers play a pivotal role. However, research indicates that Guyana’s health facilities are under staffed, which can lead to the risk of on-the-job injury. Moreover, other environmental conditions such as the overcrowding of wards, lack of pharmaceuticals and other institutional deficiencies can lead to stress and result in workplace violence.

Work-Family Conflict and Mental Emotional Disorder in Female Nurses at National Referral Hospital in Jakarta

Introduction: Emotional mental disorder (EMD) is a state of psychological distress that, if not handled properly, can lead to severe mental disorders. One potential psychosocial hazard that is thought to be related to mental health disorders is work-family conflict (WFC). The issue of family-work balance has become an important issue among Indonesian female workers, especially with the rapidly growing female worker society and the strong family culture. This study aimed to identify the association between work-family conflict and emotional mental disorder in female nurses. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 264 female nurses who work at national referral general hospital in Jakarta. Their emotional mental disorder was measured using Self-Reported Questionnaire 20 (SRQ-20) and the work-family conflict was measured using the Work-Family Conflict Scale (WCFS). Results: The prevalence of emotional mental disorder in female nurses was 23.5%. The most dominant factor associated with emotional mental disorder is work-family conflict (OR 2,40, CI 95% 1,32-4,35, p=0,004). Conclusion: There is a significant association between work-family conflicts and emotional mental disorders in female nurses in Indonesia. Nurses with work-family conflicts are more likely to have emotional mental disorders. Regular mental health checks and counseling should be performed along with periodic health checks.

Workplace eye safety: a neglected essential

Background: An occupational hazard is a hazard experienced in the workplace. This includes many types of hazards like chemical hazards, biological hazards, psychosocial hazards and physical hazards. Occupational ocular trauma holds significant proportion of visual morbidity worldwide. This can be prevented with the use of proper protective eyewear and strict compliance. This survey was conducted to study occupational related ocular hazard in our tertiary health care system hospital having patients involved in various occupations.Methods: A total of 90 occupational ocular injuries were recorded during study period. The age group of the patients to be studied was between 20 to 60 years. Brief history of present complaints, detailed clinical history and occupation history as like type of work, working environment, place, working hours was recorded. Required ophthalmological check-up was done. All valid responses were tabulated and analysed. Appropriate treatment was given.Results: Our study showed that majority (85.6%) of patients were not wearing protective eye equipment. Male to female ratio was approximately 3:1. Major age group affected was between 31-40 years (41.1%). Welders (40%) were more prone to injury occupation wise.Conclusions: Occupational eye injury is often severe and it contributes to significant loss. Incompliance of appropriate protective eye wear can lead to potential eye damage and permanent blindness.

Mapping and assessing psychosocial risk factors for individual- and organizational-level occupational stress intervention

Various international organizations have raised awareness regarding psychosocial risks and work-related stress. From January 1, 2019, an amendment to the Estonian Occupational Health and Safety Act came into force, obliging the employer to ta ke measures to improve the psychosocial environment of the company in order to prevent health damage caused by psychosocial hazards. In current paper the focus is on: a) developing a mapping tool for psychosocial risk factors at work (Organizational Psychosocial Factors Indicator, OPSTI); b) delivering automatic feedback for the OPSTI test taker; c) evaluating workplace psychosocial risks at work by developing an organizational level psychosocial risk assessment system compliant with the requirements of European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA); and d) developing different occupational stress interventions.

ETHICAL LEADERSHIP IN NURSING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Dear Editor,   I am writing to you about ethical leadership in nursing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The challenges posed by the pandemic have been incredible, especially for nursing staff who have been on the front line since day one, and I believe this calls for a balance of moral courage and moral distress. I propose that recognising moral distress is key for nurse leaders, yet it is vital and courageous to strive to do the right thing always, especially during and after the pandemic crisis.   It is a nurse’s ethical duty to help patients. However, such problems as insufficient PPE and bed crises may lead to moral distress, not to mention physical exhaustion. Long working hours, shift work, high workload, and other psychosocial hazards can lead to fatigue, occupational burnout, increased psychological distress, or declining mental health, affecting both health workers’ health and the quality and safety of care delivered (WHO, 2020). At this point, nurses’ moral courage and resilience are most invoked. Nevertheless, the worry remains, how much longer can nurses stay resilient, and what role do nurse leaders play in ensuring such resilience?   A nurse leader must ensure that everything is done to protect nurses’ safety and well-being without compromising patient safety. A nurse leader has a moral duty to build a good ethical practice climate —in other words, an environment where poor or unethical practices are not cheered. For example, an overwhelmed staff member can err and potentially injure a patient. In this instance, the nurse leader is responsible for ensuring fair work delegation to ensure adequate rest for staff. It is equally crucial for the nurse leader to be open and welcome staff to share any ethical concerns. So, they do not feel they are walking alone during this crisis. An appropriate communication climate in the workplace is provided by ethical leaders who have excellent communication with their followers (Brown & Trevino, 2006; Makaroff et al., 2014).   It is also important to ensure that nurses stay resilient and brave. How can that commitment be realized? One way is for the nurse leader to model professional conduct and promote ethical behaviour among nurses. Leaders need to do something to foster an ethical environment (Makaroff et al., 2014) whose culture makes it clear to staff that ethics matters to them. Furthermore, a positive environment can be compromised when there are conflicts between staff members. As much as a win-win situation is the goal, there are times when this is almost impossible. Ethical leaders must seek to model and foster ethical success (Storch et al., 2013), while at the same time responding to moral issues and improving nurses’ efficiency by fostering respect for human beings. Nurse leaders must continue to promote ethical principles and values. Ethical leaders often seek to improve wrong actions or outcomes by raising awareness of the consequences, encouraging people to change their behaviour, and providing incentives to learn the right practices, as well as being firm in dealing with errors. Leadership also plays a role in building a caring culture (Gustafsson & Stenberg, 2017), and leadership ethics and trust are core components of a healthy work environment culture (Gallagher & Tschudin, 2010).   Last but not least, ethical leadership has a positive effect on the nurse leader and the workforce in most instances. Given the current crisis, it is equally crucial for nurse leaders to take care of themselves as well. It may always be emotionally and physically challenging to be viewed as a role model and to behave with dignity. It is important to remember that nursing leaders themselves are often fragile.

A follow‐up evaluation of the health, wellbeing, and safety outcomes of implemented psychosocial safety interventions for disability support workers

BackgroundDisability support workers (DSWs) are an occupational group identified as at high risk of exposure to psychosocial work hazards. This research reports on follow‐up findings from action research undertaken over three separate studies over a 5‐year period to address DSW psychosocial work safety. The first study showed DSWs experienced poorer health and safety outcomes than norm groups (Study 1, n = 99). Stakeholder feedback informed work safety recommendations, seven of which were translated into practice and evaluated (Study 2, n = 129). Evaluation findings showed improved health and safety trends compared to Study 1.ObjectiveThis third study aimed to investigate whether Study 2 gains were maintained after 18 months.MethodA follow‐up evaluation (Study 3, n = 138) using the same survey (measuring burnout, physical and mental health, bullying and/or harassment, and safety climate) examined changes over time (analysis of variance) and relative to instrument norms (t tests and chi‐square test).ResultsFollow‐up findings showed that the health and safety outcomes continued improving after 18 months. While bullying levels remained higher than the norms, experienced and witnessed bullying progressively decreased, with witnessed bullying significantly lower than Study 1. Findings showed significant improvements across the three studies in personal and work‐related burnout, mental and physical health, and safety climate means. Furthermore, favourable safety climate findings were supported by improved incident and workers' compensation statistics for the organisation.ConclusionWhile causation cannot be established (e.g., due to the absence of control groups), numerous outcome improvements were observed, with findings supporting the use of a safety climate measure to assess and monitor work safety.

A Systematic Review of Job Demands and Resources Associated with Compassion Fatigue in Mental Health Professionals.

Psychosocial hazards in mental healthcare contribute to the development of compassion fatigue in mental health professionals. Compassion fatigue has a negative impact on the mental health and wellbeing of professionals that can impair the quality of services provided to clients. The majority of research on compassion fatigue has focused on individual-level variables such as gender, history of trauma and age, among others. It is also imperative to understand the role played by alterable work-related characteristics in contributing to the development of compassion fatigue in order to attenuate its impact on mental health professionals and their clients. The present review examined articles exploring work-related factors associated with compassion fatigue. Fifteen quantitative studies were included and their quality was assessed using a checklist. An inductive content-analysis approach was adopted to synthesise the themes emerging from the data. The results suggested a theoretical model consistent with the Job Demands-Resources model, wherein job demands (such as workplace trauma, workload and therapeutic settings) are associated with compassion fatigue, and job resources (such as supervisors’, coworkers’ and organisational support) mitigate the impact of job demands. In addition to person-oriented factors, work-related factors are critical for the prevention of compassion fatigue.

Psychological distress symptoms among healthcare professionals are significantly influenced by psychosocial work context, Ethiopia: A cross-sectional analysis.

Work-related psychosocial hazards result in numerous adverse effects on physical and psychological health, a reduction in quality of life and a decline in performance capacity to workers. While the condition is widespread across various occupations, healthcare sectors are acknowledged to be at high risk. In developing countries such as Ethiopia, however, the lack of reliable data on psychosocial hazards including psychological distress (PD) often hampers officials from planning for preventive actions. This study assessed the magnitude and influencing factors of PD among healthcare professionals in Gondar city, Ethiopia. We employed a cross-sectional survey of 422 healthcare professionals selected with a stratified random sampling technique between April and March 2019. The symptoms of psychological distress were assessed with a standardized 10 items Kessler Psychological Distress Scale instrument. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted by use of SPSS program version 20. Factors associated with psychological distress symptoms were ascertained at < 0.05 p-value. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a confidence interval (CI) of 95% was used to determine the strength of associations. In total, 417questionnaires fully completed and returned with a response rate of 98.8%. Age ranges from 23 to 57 with a mean of 31.00 (± 8.219 SD) years. Work-related psychological distress symptoms in the past 4weeks stood at 44.4% (N = 185) [95%CI (39.8, 49.4)]. Being female worker [AOR: 2.07; 95% CI (1.29, 3.32)], high job demand [(AOR: 1.53; 95% CI (1.10, 2.57)] and low job control [AOR: 2.54; 95% CI (1.60, 4.04)] were significant factors of psychological distress. This study underscores the level of psychological distress among healthcare professionals is high. The experiences of psychological distress symptoms were significantly influenced by socio-demographic factors including sex and psychosocial job characteristics such as job demand and job control. Efforts to prevent the mental health of workers including psychological distress symptoms need to focus on individual attributes and job contexts.

Model of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Surveillance System on Women Workers to Save the First 1000 Days of Life

Introduction: There are risk of physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, and psychosocial hazards in workplace which may pose harm to women and their fetuses, especially if it is related to chemical hazards. Chemicals and radiation at workplace may increase the incidence of congenital anomalies, infant morbidity and mortality as well as recurrent abortion. The purpose of this study was to compile MCH surveillance. Method: A qualitative study design was used and a case study was conducted on three manufacturing companies in Sidoarjo District from August to October 2017. Thirty respondents from each company were selected using accidental sampling. Socio demographic and job-related data were obtained from the respondents. The variables of this research were personnel that were given training about public health center, data types, data instruments, data collection, data processing, data analysis, information dissemination, and comprehensive MCH information. Result: The MCH surveillance system for women workers in order to save the first 1000 days of life consisted of inputs, processes, and outputs. Inputs included worker factors, company factors, surveillance staff factors, data types and data instruments. The surveillance process consisted of several processes including data collection, data processing, data analysis, and information dissemination. Output in this service model was comprehensive maternal and child health information that can be applied in company. Conclusion: MCH surveillance model consists of input, process, and output. Every industry has unique characteristic which is not found in other type of industry.Keywords: child, health, maternal, surveillance

Trends in Work Conditions and Associations with Workers' Health in Recent 15 Years: The Role of Job Automation Probability.

Job automation and associated psychosocial hazards are emerging workplace challenges. This study examined the trends in work conditions and associations with workers’ health over time in jobs with different automation probabilities. We utilized data from six waves of national questionnaire surveys of randomly selected 95,762 employees between 2001 and 2016. The Job Content Questionnaire, the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, and the Self-Rated Health Scale were applied, and working time was self-reported. Automation probability was derived for 38 occupations and then categorized into three groups. Trends in work conditions and the associations between automation probability, work conditions and health were examined. We observed a 7% decrease in high automation probability jobs, an overall increase in job demands for and prevalence of shift work, and a decrease in job control. Workers with high automation probability jobs had low job demands, low job control and high job insecurity. Low automation probability was associated with burnout in logistic regression models. The odds ratio of job insecurity, long working hours, and shift work relating to health was higher in the later years of the surveys. In conclusion, there has been a decrease in high automation probability jobs. Workers employed in jobs with different levels of automation probability encountered different work condition challenges.

Potential Scenarios and Hazards in the Work of the Future: A Systematic Review of the Peer-Reviewed and Gray Literatures.

It would be useful for researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers to anticipate the hazards that workers will face in the future. The focus of this study is a systematic review of published information to identify and characterize scenarios and hazards in the future of work. Eleven bibliographic databases were systematically searched for papers and reports published from 1999 to 2019 that described future of work scenarios or identified future work-related hazards. To compile a comprehensive collection of views of the future, supplemental and ad hoc searches were also performed. After screening all search records against a set of predetermined criteria, the review yielded 36 references (17 peer-reviewed, 4 gray, and 15 supplemental) containing scenarios. In these, the future of work was described along multiple conceptual axes (e.g. labor market changes, societal values, and manual versus cognitive work). Technology was identified as the primary driver of the future of work in most scenarios, and there were divergent views in the literature as to whether technology will create more or fewer jobs than it displaces. Workforce demographics, globalization, climate change, economic conditions, and urbanization were also mentioned as influential factors. Other important themes included human enhancement, social isolation, loneliness, worker monitoring, advanced manufacturing, hazardous exposures, sustainability, biotechnology, and synthetic biology. Pandemics have not been widely considered in the future of work literature, but the recent COVID-19 pandemic illustrates that was short-sighted. Pandemics may accelerate future of work trends and merit critical consideration in scenario development. Many scenarios described ‘new’ or ‘exacerbated’ psychosocial hazards of work, whereas comparatively fewer discussed physical, chemical, or biological hazards. Various preventive recommendations were identified. In particular, reducing stress associated with precarious work and its requirements of continual skill preparation and training was acknowledged as critical for protecting and promoting the health and well-being of the future workforce. In conclusion, the future of work will be comprised of diverse complex scenarios and a mosaic of old and new hazards. These findings may serve as the basis for considering how to shape the future of work.

The psychosocial hazards of academic work: an analysis of trends

ABSTRACT This study examines the psychosocial hazards experienced by academic staff working in UK institutions over time. A risk assessment framework developed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was used to measure seven key hazards: demands, control, support from managers and colleagues, relationships, role and change management. Data were obtained from three waves of a national survey of academic staff across the UK (2008, n = 6,203; 2012, n = 7,068; 2014, n = 3,952). Mean scores for each hazard were compared with HSE benchmarks from the UK working population and changes over the three waves were examined. Apart from job control, none of the benchmarks was met and the risk associated with demands, manager and peer support, role and change was particularly high. An increase in most of the psychosocial hazards was found over time, particularly for job demands, control, role and relationships, showing clear cause for concern. How the findings could be used to monitor the wellbeing of academic staff over time and develop targeted interventions is considered.

Does exposure to workplace hazards cluster by occupational or sociodemographic characteristics? An analysis of foreign-born workers in Australia.

Disparities in exposure to occupational hazards may be linked to social position as well as the type of job a person holds. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of exposure to workplace hazards among three migrant worker groups and to assess whether social disparities in exposure for these groups remain after adjusting for occupational characteristics. Data were collected in 2017/2018 from 1630 Australian workers born in New Zealand, India, and the Philippines. Weighted estimated prevalence of exposure to 10 carcinogens and four psychosocial hazards (discrimination, job strain, vulnerability, and insecurity) was calculated for sociodemographics and occupation. Regression estimated the likelihood of exposure by sociodemographics after adjustment for occupational characteristics. Exposure to workplace hazards ranged from 11.7% (discrimination) to 61.2% (exposed to at least one carcinogen). Compared with workers born in India, New Zealand born workers were over twice as likely to be exposed to diesel engine exhaust (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.60) and 60% more likely to be exposed to at least one carcinogen (aOR = 1.60) but less likely to be exposed to any psychosocial hazard. Social disparities by country of birth, sex, age, education, and number of years in Australia, as well as company size, employment type, and hours, worked remained associated with greater likelihood of reporting one or more workplace hazards after adjusting for occupational characteristics. Examining sociodemographic as well as occupational characteristics helps to clarify groups most likely to be exposed to workplace hazards who can be hidden when examining occupational characteristics alone.

Is teaching work? A heuristic study of the views of teachers.

Teachers can be at risk of exposure to psychosocial hazards. Improving workplace safety for teachers, within a 'systems thinking' context, should begin with understanding the work. While much is known about what teachers do, little is known about how teachers conceptualize 'work'. Knowing how teachers conceptualize 'work' provides a reference point for exploring attitudes towards work health and safety. The paper presents a review of the literature, an overview of heuristic methodology describing and interpreting the lived experience of teachers as workers, and analysis of teachers' accounts of work. The heuristic approach allowed the author to compare their lived experiences and perceptions as a teacher with the lived experience of teachers in the NSW school system. Teaching is work that is both rewarding and hazardous. It is argued that teachers draw on battle motifs, perceive a need for safety within a workplace context, and have an ability to conduct personal risk assessments. Findings from the study provided direction for the second phase of the project that is aimed at exploring the ways in which teachers conceptualize psychosocial work- related hazards and the extent to which they are visible in teaching practice and policy.