Safety Executive Research Articles

Understanding the Role of Job Stress in Safety Climate in a Dairy Industry using Structural Equation Modeling

Background and purpose: The safety climate refers to employees’ perception of safety which can be affected by job-related stress in the workplace. This study aimed to assess the safety climate and investigate the relationship between job stress factors and safety climate dimensions in a dairy industry.
 Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The data was collected using two self-report questionnaires including the Nordic Safety Climate Questionnaire (NOSACQ-50) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) indicator tool. After removing the incomplete questionnaires, 164 questionnaires were selected for statistical analysis. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to investigate the association of the study variables.
 Results: Most job stress factors and all were correlated to the safety climate dimensions. The highest correlation was detected between job stress factors and dimension of management safety priority, commitment, and competence. Among job stress factors, role (r=0.522, P<0.001) and managerial support (r=0.452, P<0.001) had the highest relationship with this dimension. SEM showed job stress had a significant effect on safety climate (B = 0.52, P < 0.001).
 Conclusion: The job stress dimensions could be effective in the safety climate. Besides, management and peer support as well as high job demands could decrease stress. Thus, improvement of job stress could promote employees’ safety behaviors and improve their perception of the organization’s safety management system.

Moderating Role of Spirituality between Occupational Stress and Work-Family Conflict among COVID-19 Rescue Responders

COVID-19 has become a global pandemic which has affected millions of people worldwide. It has become a global issue for the people of the world. The current study aimed to find whether there is any relationship between spirituality, Occupational stress and work family conflict among COVID-19 rescue responders or not. A sample of 180 COVID-19 rescue responders was selected through purposive sampling by selecting 5 rescue responders from each district of Punjab Province. Co relational research design used for this study and Data was collected by administering Health Safety Executive Standard Indicator Tool for occupational stress, Work Family Conflict Self Efficacy scale for work family conflict and Multidimensional Measure for Islamic Spirituality to rescue responders. Data was analyzed though SPSS by using statistical processes of regression, correlation and moderation along with calculating Percentage and frequencies of responses. Results of the study showed that spirituality moderates the relationship between occupational stress and work family conflict among COVID-19 rescue responders. It also showed that there was no significant effect of demographic variables on occupational stress, work family conflict and spirituality. This study is the first study on COVID-19 rescue responders. More research work may be done by other researchers to fully explore different aspects of spirituality, occupational stress and work family conflict among Rescue responders and emergency responders. Keywords: Spirituality, Occupational stress, Work Family Conflict, COVID-19, Rescue Responders.

An investigation into managerial support for the psychological wellbeing of national health service doctors during the Covid-19 pandemic: A cross sectional study.

AimThis study investigates the psychological wellbeing of United Kingdom National Health Service doctors during the Covid‐19 pandemic and evaluates how they have been supported managerially.MethodA mixed‐method sequential study design of online surveys and semi‐structured interviews was employed between July‐August 2020, with a response rate of 273/300 and 4/4 respectively. The Warwick‐Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) and Health and Safety Executive Management Standards (HSE MS) were used as measuring tools. The Jobs Demands Resource (JD‐R) model and its relation to psychological wellbeing was determined. Survey findings informed semi‐structured interviews, coded using thematic analysis.ResultsOverall mean WEMWBS, 43.2 (SD = 9.44), was low as was mean managerial support, 2.38 (SD = 0.78). Overall mean clinical demand score was high (2.6 on reverse scale). First year female trainee respondents from frontline specialties were found to have low psychological wellbeing scores. Key correlations were found between high managerial support, low clinical demands and low psychological wellbeing (r > 0.6). Core themes emerged: (1) breakdown of leadership, (2) vulnerability of wellbeing without support, (3) suboptimal navigation through change and (4) poor physical and human resource management.ConclusionMaintaining the psychological wellbeing of doctors requires physical and psychological resources to meet clinical demands and the enhancement of fundamental managerial principles of control, communication, change management and leadership through adversity.

Evaluation of work ability index and its association with job stress and musculoskeletal disorders among midwives during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and work-related stress are among the factors that can negatively affect work ability. Given the importance of midwives' health, this study aims to evaluate the work ability of midwives and to investigate its association with the prevalence of MSDs and work-related stress in midwifery. Ninety-one midwives participated in this study. Three questionnaires, including Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire (NMQ) plus body map, Persian version of work ability index (WAI) questionnaire, and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) job stress questionnaire, were used to collect data. Finally, the association of MSDs, work-related stress, and individual characteristics with WAI among midwives was investigated. The highest rates of pain and discomfort were reported in the lower back and neck. The mean job stress was 116.08 with the highest scores on demand, role, and control subscales. The work ability among midwives was at an acceptable level of 39.07 on average. Inter-variable association analysis showed that the work ability was significantly associated with pain in the past 12 months and the number of coexisting MSDs. Job stress was not associated with work ability. Midwives' WAI was at an acceptable level despite high prevalence of MSDs in midwives, the confirmation of the possible correlation between MSDs and work ability, as well as the high job stress in midwifery. Since the present study was conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic, the high stress in midwives may be partly due to the pandemic and may not be permanent. However, this level of stress may reduce the midwives' work ability over a long time.

Research on Safety Interlock System Design and Control Experiment of Combined Support and Anchor Equipment.

In view of the risk of collision with humans or equipment arising from a lack of protection in the operation process of combined support and anchor equipment on the heading face, this paper designs a safety interlock system for combined support and anchor equipment. Firstly, a mathematical model of hydraulic power system control and a valve control system based on feedforward–feedback optimization were established according to the power demand of the combined support and anchor equipment. Secondly, according to the reliability indexes of the safety interlock system, corresponding sensor, logic control and execution modules were designed. Ultrasonic sensor groups were arranged at the key positions of the combined support and anchor equipment to capture the position information in real time when the equipment was moving. Thus, the pump-valve hydraulic system was controlled through closed-loop feedback. The experimental results show that the safety interlock system of the combined support and anchor equipment can adjust the revolving speed of the permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) in real time according to the distance from the obstacle, so as to control the pump outlet flow, and then perform interlocking safety control of the hydraulic cylinder’s movement speed. The system can effectively prevent damage to the surrounding equipment or personnel arising from equipment malfunction.

Work-related stress, self-efficacy and mental health of hospital nurses.

The limited research has focused on the relationship between work-related stress and self-efficacy in relation to mental health problems in nurses. This multi-hospital cross-sectional survey investigated the relationships between work-related stress, self-efficacy and mental health status of hospital nurses in Tabriz, Iran. Four hundred hospital nurses completed a questionnaire including demographic and job details, Health & Safety Executive (HSE) Management Standards Revised Indicator Tool (MS-RIT), General Self-Efficacy (GSE-10) scale, and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). A three-step hierarchical logistic regression modelling was used. Work-related stress, self-efficacy and mental health problems were significantly related to each other. The results of the regression modelling revealed that working overtime and number of patients cared for were significant positive predictors, while job tenure as well as control and relationships dimensions of work stress were significant negative predictors of mental health problems, with the final model explaining 21% of the variance in the outcome measure. Addition of self-efficacy at step 3 did not result in a significant change in the variance from previous steps. The results provide further support for stress prevention strategies focused at the job (e.g., better organisation of work demands) and organisational (e.g., improving employee participation and involvement in work) levels.

Hybrid Architecture Based System for the Establishment of Sustainable Environment in a Construction Site with 433 MHz LoRa and 2.4 GHz Zigbee

The rapid development of technology has empowered us to achieve resilient infrastructure to establish a sustainable ecosystem. The construction site is one of the highest risk jobs for accident-related fatalities and injuries globally. From the previous studies, it is concluded that untrained or inexperienced workers were responsible for 40% of work-related accidents and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) report concludes that inadequate working experience, knowledge, and safety awareness were the key causes of fatal accidents in the construction industry. Moreover, it is identified from previous studies that digital technology such as IoT with the assistance of wireless sensors can enhance the safety of construction sites. Based on this advantage, this study has implemented the hybrid architecture with the integration of the 2.4 GHz Zigbee, 433 MHz long-range (LoRa), and Wi-Fi communication protocol to monitor the health status of workers and construction sites and also to identify workers’ equipment wearing status in real-time scenarios. The proposed architecture is realized by implementing customized hardware, based on 2.4 GHz Zigbee, 433 MHz long-range (LoRa), and Wi-Fi. Furthermore, in the analysis of the evaluation metrics of LoRa, it is concluded that the lowest sensitivity is observed for SF 12 at BW 41.7 kHz and the highest is observed for SF 7 at BW 500 kHz; the maximum value data rate is observed at BW 500 kHz at CR 1 for SF 7, and the minimum data rate is observed at BW 41.7 at CR 4 for SF 12. In the future, the customized hardware will be implemented in different construction environments resolving possible challenges that empower to implementation of the proposed architecture in wide extensions.

An Updated Analysis on the Risk Factors Associated with COVID-19 Transmission

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global public health disaster and knowledge of its associated risk factors provides protection/slowdown against its transmission. AIM: This study was undertaken to investigate all major risk factors associated with transmission of the COVID-19 infection. METHODS: The data on the risk associated factors for the COVID-19 transmission were collected from the Texas Medical Association, Center for Disease Prevention and Control, World Health Organization, and Health and Safety Executive. The collected data were combined, analyzed, and presented as percentage mean ± SD. RESULTS: The collective data showed that among games such as playing football and basketball are highly risky followed by swimming in public pool and playing at the beach. Whereas, playing golf and tennis are not risky (p < 0.05). Moreover, the carryout food from the restaurants is much safer as compared with eating at buffet, in restaurants (p < 0.01). The data on social gathering showed that religious places, sports stadium, music concert, cinema halls, amusement parks, attending funerals, and wedding showed a higher risk of spreading COVID-19. The data on general outing showed that going to gymnasium, traveling by bus or plane, and visiting in salon are highly risky (p < 0.01) for COVID-19 infection. Moreover, hugging, shaking hands, and kissing are also highly risky for the COVID-19 infection. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the collective information on the risk factors associated with the COVID-19 transmission. The findings can contribute to the concerned authorities to formulate the preventive measures to limit spread of the COVID-19 infection.

Experimental and kinetics investigations of low-concentration CO2 adsorption on several amine-functionalized adsorbents

The rapid cleanup of endogenous CO2 has become a necessity in environmental control and life support systems (ECLSSs), to ensure crew safety and long-term task execution. The extensively used non-regenerable LiOH and soda lime adsorbents, although exhibit high CO2 storage capacities and fast kinetics, can hardly fulfill the demands of reduced launch weight and storage volume in the space- and load-limited ECLSSs. New CO2 adsorbents with desirable attributes including high CO2 uptakes, good selectivity, facile regeneration, fast adsorption and desorption kinetics, and good multicycle stability are urgently needed. We developed amine-functionalized adsorbents by loading tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) on mesoporous supports of activated carbon (AC), aluminum oxide (AO) and silica gel (SG). The adsorbents were characterized by N2 adsorption-desorption, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) to study their microstructural properties. CO2 adsorption capacities and kinetic performance of the adsorbents with different supports and various amine loadings (10–50 wt%) were evaluated in 2%CO2 at 20 °C. The effects of support and amine loading on the structure-performance relationships of the adsorbents were demonstrated. The TEPA-SG-20 adsorbent (20 wt% TEPA loaded on silica gel support) exhibits the highest CO2 adsorption capacity of 1.90 mmol CO2/g and the maximum amine efficiency of 0.48 mmol CO2/mmol N. TEPA-SG-20 also exhibits fast CO2 adsorption kinetics, and the Avrami fractional order kinetic model provides a satisfactory correlation of the experimental CO2 uptakes. Furthermore, the TEPA-SG-20 adsorbent can be efficiently regenerated at 110 °C with a great regeneration efficacy of 97%. The desired adsorbent also exhibits good working stability with a low loss-in-capacity of 4.32% in 10 consecutive cycles. The good CO2 adsorption performance of TEPA-SG-20 is associated with the excellent microstructural properties such as high surface area, great pore volume and uniform dispersion of amine species. Overall, the desired TEPA-SG-20 adsorbent shows promise for low-concentration CO2 removal in ECLSSs.

Construction safety ontology development and alignment with industry foundation classes (IFC)

A pronounced gap often exists between expected and actual safety performance in the construction industry. The multifaceted causes of this performance gap are resulting from the misalignment between design assumptions and actual construction processes that take place on-site. In general, critical factors are rooted in the lack of interoperability around the building and work-environment information due to its heterogeneous nature. To overcome the interoperability challenge in safety management, this paper represents the development of an ontological model consisting of terms and relationships between these terms, creating a conceptual information model for construction safety management and linking that ontology to IfcOWL. The developed ontology, named Safety and Health Exchange (SHE), comprises eight concepts and their relationships required to identify and manage safety risks in the design and planning stages. The main concepts of the developed ontology are identified based on reviewing accident cases from 165 Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) and 31 Press Releases from the database of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the United Kingdom. Consequently, a semantic mapping between the developed ontology and IfcOWL (the most popular ontology and schema for interoperability in the AEC sector) is proposed. Then several SPARQL queries were developed and implemented to evaluate the semantic consistency of the developed ontology and the cross-mapping. The proposed ontology and cross-mapping gained recognition for its innovation in utilising OpenBIM and won the BuildingSMART professional research award 2020. This work could facilitate developing a knowledge-based system in the BIM environment to assist designers in addressing health and safety issues during the design and planning phases in the construction sector.

Dying at work. Work-related suicide – how does the UK regulatory context measure up?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how work-related suicides are monitored, investigated and regulated in the UK, examining a small selection of cases and drawing on international comparison with other countries. Effective data collection and regulation are the cornerstone of suicide prevention, and this paper aims to consider whether the UK’s current regulatory framework provides an effective basis for preventing work-related suicides.Design/methodology/approachThis study draws on qualitative sociological methods and is based on an in-depth analysis of 12 suicide cases occurring between 2015 and 2020. In each case, work-related causal factors had been previously identified by at least one official source (police enquiry, coroner or employer’s investigation). This study analysed multiple sources of documentation and undertook interviews with individuals close to each suicide case. The aim of this study was to consider the organisational response of three stakeholder organisations to the suicides: the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the coroner and the employer.FindingsThe study points to serious shortcomings in the UK’s regulatory response to work-related suicides. Suicides are currently not recorded, investigated or regulated. Whereas the fracture of an arm or leg in the workplace needs to be reported to the HSE for further investigation, a suicide occurring in the workplace or that is work-related does not need to be reported to any public agency. Employers are not required to investigate an employee suicide or make any changes to workplace policies and practices in the aftermath of a suicide. The work-related factors that may have caused one suicide may, therefore, continue to pose health and safety risks to other employees.Originality/valueWhereas some recent studies have examined work-related suicides within specific occupations in the UK, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to analyse the UK’s regulatory framework for work-related suicides. The study on which the paper is based produced a set of recommendations that were targeted at key stakeholder organisations.

The Relationship Between Professional Autonomy and Job Stress Among Intensive Care Unit Nurses: A Descriptive Correlational Study.

Background:Autonomy is an essential factor in the nursing profession. Nurses' autonomy can improve care quality, decrease mortality in patients, and attenuate job stress. This study aimed to investigate professional autonomy and its relationship with job stress among nurses working in Intensive Care Units (ICUs).Materials and Methods:This descriptive correlational study was conducted at Urmia nursing school in Iran in 2020. Three hundred ninety-eight nurses working at the ICUs entered the study. Data was collected using the Dempster Practice Behavior Scale (DPBS) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) questionnaire. Independent t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to examine the relationship between demographics and study variables. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to investigate the relationship between professional autonomy and job stress of nurses.Results:The mean (SD) of total professional autonomy and job stress score of nurses was, respectively, 102. 11(91. 88), and 115. 53(12. 42), indicating moderate autonomy and job stress. Professional autonomy had a significant positive correlation with job stress (r = 0.51, p < 0.001). It also had a significant positive correlation with work experience in ICU (r = 0.12, p = 0.014).Conclusions:ICU nurses have moderate autonomy and job stress, and their autonomy is a significant positive predictor of their job stress. University authorities are recommended to develop practical strategies to enhance nurses' autonomy and eliminate factors that cause job stress in ICU nurses in order to preserve nurses' health, improve the quality of nursing care, and increase patient safety.

Estimating whole-body vibration limits of manual wheelchair mobility over common surfaces.

Whole-body vibration (WBV) experienced during manual wheelchair use was quantified across several types of terrain (tile, sidewalk, decorative bricks, expanded metal grates). Over-ground travel was controlled using a robotic propulsion system. Vibrations along the vertical axis were measured with a triaxial accelerometer mounted to the seat of the wheelchair. Root-mean-square acceleration values were compared to the health guidance exposure limits established by the European Council using the WBV calculator tool published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Vibrations along the vertical axis were well below the exposure values associated with health risks. Even the most aggressive tactile surface (grates) tested in this study would require more than 14 h of daily travel to reach the “exposure action value,” and more than 24 h would be required to reach the “exposure limit value”. Considering the average cumulative duration of active self-propulsion among manual wheelchair users is around an hour or less, none of the tested conditions were deemed unsafe or damaging.

More than 80 NHS staff deaths from COVID-19 were not investigated by government safety body

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) decided not to investigate nearly 300 reports of occupational exposure to COVID-19 submitted by NHS organisations, including 83 deaths, according to information obtained by The Pharmaceutical Journal. Responding to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, HSE has revealed that 287 reports dated between January 2020 and May 2022 were […]

Pattern and Sociodemographic Correlates of Job Stress among Staff in a Nigerian Psychiatric Hospital.

Context:Globalization and technological advances are associated with rapid social and economic changes which are accompanied by increased pressures in the work environment. Job stress is a hidden pandemic, especially in developing countries where it remains largely unaddressed.Aims:The objective is to determine the pattern and sociodemographic correlates of job stress among staff in a Nigerian psychiatric hospital using the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) indicator tool.Methods and Material:This is a cross-sectional study conducted among 292 full-time staff who were randomly selected across hospital units. Informed consent was obtained and the study questionnaires which included a sociodemographic questionnaire and the HSE indicator tool were administered. Statistical analysis was done using IBM SPSS version 22 and the level for statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.Results:The study sample comprised of 133 (45.5%) men and 159 (54.5%) women. The mean age was 35.03 and (SD = 7.45). A high level of stress (<20th percentile) was found in the demands, control, and relationships domains. Sociodemographic correlates of stress in domain analysis included age, marital status, staff level, parenthood, and being a clinical worker.Conclusions:This study demonstrates a high level of stress in domains of the HSE indicator among respondents. More research is needed to further examine the stress levels of hospital workers.

How to Construct a Safety Management System (SMS) That Promotes Safety Culture in Your Organization

Organizations spend considerable resources building robust Safety Management Systems, yet may struggle to develop a strong Safety Culture. The effect can ripple throughout the organization, particularly affecting employee safety, as well as product quality, productivity, engagement, and retention. This paper introduces the four basic components and most critical cultural preconditions of a successful SMS. It then provides recommendations aligned with each of the four basic components to guide management toward creating the kind of work environment that empowers and engages employees at all levels of the organization. Building a strong Safety Culture is simply good business, and the research conducted here culminates in a checklist for safety managers and executives who are committed to creating an environment that promotes a resilient Safety Culture within their organization.

A new Human factors incident taxonomy for members of the public (HFIT-MP): An investigation of escalator incidents

BackgroundEscalators are common across many urban environments, yet, incidents and fatalities can occur during their use. This research takes a Human Factors approach to: 1) produce an Incident Taxonomy for Members of the Public (HFIT-MP); and 2) apply the taxonomy to a unique dataset of serious escalator incidents. MethodsThe HFIT-MP was developed using Human Factors literature, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance, and subject matter experts. 403 narrative escalator incident reports were obtained from the HSE and coded according to the HFIT-MP. Cohen’s Kappa was used for inter-rater agreement and Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) coupled with cluster analysis was used to identify factors that tended to occur together. ResultsThe HFIT-MP consisted of four overarching themes and 25 factors. All factors achieved a Kappa greater than 0.60. Analysis of all incident reports indicated that 93% were falls. MCA identified six groups of factor categories that tended to occur together; for example, falls occurred more frequently in people aged 65 or over, who lost their footing, getting onto the escalator, that was not moving unexpectedly, travelling alone, and moving in a descending direction. ConclusionResults provide health and safety practitioners with target groups (e.g., age), actions (e.g., getting onto the escalator) and locations (e.g., descending escalator) to inform interventions and the need to consider the interaction of multiple factors among incidents. Further application of the HFIT-MP to different sources and modes of data, such as video footage, could further refine the taxonomy for incident investigations.

Food safety vs health and safety

Food safety vs health and safety

The Implementation of the POPMAR (Policy, Organising, Planning and Implementing, Measuring Performance, Audit and Reviewing) Model in Occupational Health and Safety Risk Management in an Indonesian Batik Company

Introduction: In 2009, UNESCO declared Batik Indonesia as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This study examines the occupational health and safety hazards and risks that arise in a Batik company based on a case example of a Batik company in Surakarta, Indonesia. In Indonesia, Batik is categorized as traditional attire. Two kinds of Batik are produced - Batik tulis (traditionally handcrafted) and Batik printing, which uses specific printing tools. The UK Health Safety Executive (HSE) risk assessment framework is referred to in this study, which consists of: hazard identification, population exposure, risk evaluation, precaution development, recording findings, and regular appraisal of systems. Methods: Both observation and interviews (of workers) at the Batik company were utilized for this study as well as an independent risk assessment. Results: The findings highlighted physical, ergonomic, chemical, mechanical, and biological hazards, originating from the materials, tools, and working methods utilized in the batik production. Conclusion: Many of the issues highlighted by this study can be addressed via in-depth risk assessment, using the POPMAR model to frame the activities. This approach can create a positive pathway, leading to a continuous cycle of improvement which puts the workers’ health at the forefront of the business activities.Keywords: Batik, workers, hazard identification, HSE Model, risk management

Work-related stress among headteachers in Wales: Prevalence, sources, and solutions

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence, sources, and underlying causes of work-related stress among headteachers in Wales and to identify possible solutions. An online questionnaire was sent to all 1588 headteachers across Wales. The questionnaire included demographic questions, Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Management Standards Tool, a list of known stressors, and open questions exploring the underlying causes and possible solutions. A total of 359 (22.6%) headteachers completed the survey. Two-thirds of participants reported experiencing levels of stress that were rated as ‘high’. Pressures of managing greater demands and increasing workload with fewer financial resources and a lack of support from local authorities were the main sources of stress. Solutions focused on improved funding to enhance staffing and resources at a school level, reduced accountability, and improved support. The findings indicated that a multi-faceted, multi-level, intervention approach, extending beyond improving personal resilience and individual school improvements, into regional and national opportunities for change, is likely to be most effective in reducing work-related stress within the profession.