Safety Officer Research Articles

The mediation role of safety training between risk perception and safety behaviors among non-medical hospital staff

The relationship between risk perception and safety outcomes has been extensively studied in the past, but there is scarce research on the mediating effect of safety training on risk perception and both safety dimensions of safety behaviors in hospital settings. This study investigates the role of safety training as a mediator in the relationship between risk perception and safety behavior, as measured by compliance and participation in safety measures. The cross-sectional data from one big private hospital in Saudi Arabia was examined using the most recent iteration of Smart Partial Least Squares (PLS4). A 71% response rate was achieved on surveys that were personally handed out to 155 non-medical staff in hospitals. In this study, the significance level for Percentile Bootstrapping with a 95% confidence interval and p ≤ 0.05 was utilized to analyze mediation. Safety training served as a full mediating variable in the link between risk perception and safety compliance. Surprisingly, safety training did not act as a mediator in the relationship between risk perception and safety participation. This study fills a gap in the body of knowledge about non-medical staff's attitudes toward risk, safety training, and safety behaviors. Additionally, it helps us comprehend how safety training can help people perceive risks and behave safely. Considering that hospital management and safety officials receive high-quality training on safety concerns, more workers follow safety precautions, and the number of workplace accidents is reduced. The results of this study can be used as a foundation for future studies to enhance occupational safety practices.

A decade of wireless emergency alerts: A longitudinal assessment of message content and completeness

AbstractWireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) provide a direct way for public safety officials to reach at‐risk publics via text‐based messages on their mobile devices. Although WEAs were introduced over a decade ago and can be either 90 or 360 characters in length, we currently do not know what these messages have contained. To address this gap, we quantify the contents of the last decade of WEA messages using the principles of effective warning message design. Specifically, we use quantitative content analysis to conduct a longitudinal assessment of 6080 WEAs sent by Alerting Authorities from 2012 to 2022. We code these messages according to the concepts in the Warning Response Model, which establishes that WEAs need to include information about the hazard, location, source, guidance, and time. Our results indicate that source and timing information are included at a much lower rate than location, hazard, and guidance information. Furthermore, only 8.5% of these messages are complete—or include all five pieces of WRM content. Complete WEA messages can minimise protective action delay while maximising message understanding, belief, and personalisation. We also find that 360‐character WEAs are more likely to be complete than 90‐character WEAs. Thus, those responsible for crafting WEAs should continue to take full advantage of the increased number of characters to write complete messages that warn populations at risk, rather than simply alert them to the existence of a hazard.

The power of uniforms to change your community relationships

For years, I can remember that police uniforms, regardless of the municipality, all looked similar. Campus police and public safety officers also took to wearing that type and style of uniform, and it helped make the transition from campus security guards.

Novel field data for exposure of bystanders and residents towards spray drift during application of plant protection products in orchards

Exposure to pesticide spray drift during the application of plant protection products (PPP) in orchards poses potential health risks to bystanders and residents. To address this concern, this study aimed to gather novel field data on exposure to spray drift in orchards. The research was conducted by the Julius Kuehn-Institute (JKI), the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL), and the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). From 2018 to 2021, the method for conducting the field trials and analysis was implemented. The data from multiple series of performed field trials conducted between 2021 and 2022 allowed for collecting data on potential dermal exposure (PDE), inhalation exposure, and ground sediment. The trials considered various distances from the treatment area and drift-reducing techniques. Adult and child mannequins were used to simulate bystanders’ exposure, and petri dishes were used to measure ground sediment. The results showed that drift reduction settings (75% drift reduction) considerably reduced exposure levels on the mannequins. Furthermore, a strong correlation between PDE values for adults and children located next to each other at the same distance was observed. This finding suggests a possibility to convert exposure results from adult to child mannequins. The study produced realistic exposure data for bystanders and residents next to a treated area. It contributes to a better understanding of exposure risks from PPP application and includes data for different distances and spray drift reducing technique. If taken into account for further development of the current risk assessment models, new risk management options for the safe application of PPP, including buffer strips or application of drift reducing systems, might be available in near future.

Improving public safety in events of mass gathering: The 2022 Kanjuruhan Stadium Disaster in Indonesia

AbstractThe Kanjuruhan tragedy has caused tremendous sorrow for Indonesia and its football history. The incident happened during the match between the Arema and Persebaya football teams that was followed by a chaotic stampede due to supporters’ anarchy. The incident caused 135 deaths due to a stampede in the chaotic stadium. However, it has also brought into the limelight several violations and depravity of safety measures that have been neglected by the Indonesian officials and its football association. Despite being banned by FIFA's Safety and Security Regulations, the use of crowd‐control gas is hypothesized as one of the key driving factors for the stampede. There were also violations of the evacuation plan with overloaded stadium capacity, lack of safety protocol, and no regard for the disaster management command chain needed in such a situation. Inappropriate security plans, lack of safety officers, lack of a contingency plan in the event of a stampede, and lack of appropriate safe infrastructure contributed to the severity of this incident. We discuss the incident with the possible causes and notable issues in the management of mass gatherings, as well as the might‐be solution and precaution for all parties involved, from the evaluation of the use of crowd‐control gas, reassessment of safety protocol, and infrastructure to the appropriate response for stampede or any similar situations. The Kanjuruhan tragedy is heart‐wrenching, with various issues involved, showing the lack of regulations by the Indonesian government and its football association. However, it might also be an opportunity to learn and inspect all parties to achieve a peaceful and safe football in Indonesia.

Contributory Factors in Traffic Congestions in the 2nd District of Albay, Philippines: Basis for Traffic Management Framework

The global concern over traffic safety conditions has escalated due to the growing number of vehicles and pedestrians. Governments are putting significant efforts into implementing systems to alleviate and reduce traffic congestion. This study aimed to identify the factors contributing to traffic congestion in the 2nd district of Albay through quantitative research. It examined traffic congestion status in terms of Data Traffic Volume, Rush Hour, Classification of Vehicles, and Road Users. The research pinpointed key contributors to congestion, including insufficient road infrastructure, high vehicle density, rapid population growth, poor public transport, and road quality. A survey questionnaire was administered to personnel from Camalig MPS, Daraga MPS, and Legazpi City Police Station, as well as Public Safety Officers from the mentioned areas. The community, representing riders and commuters in the Poblacion area, also participated. The findings revealed that traffic congestion is prevalent in the 2nd district of Albay, primarily driven by traffic volume, rush hour, vehicles, and road users. As a result, the study emphasizes the need for a standardized traffic management framework to be implemented. This framework aims to coordinate stakeholders' perceptions regarding the factors contributing to traffic congestion, serving as a guide for effective traffic management in the region.

Validation results on future flight safety methods to be instituted at the Guiana Space Center -New Generation

In the very short term, the European Spaceport in French Guiana (CSG) will welcome new kinds of missions and launchers, such as Ariane 6, micro-launchers or reusable vehicles, and must prepare to operate them. At the same time, the launch safety process must be improved in order to maintain flight safety standards and to respect the requirements of the French Space Operation Act (FSOA [1]) regarding the new risks induced. The Flight Safety Department at CSG has been working on the development of new methods to fit these upcoming challenges while enabling the best possible protection to people, the environment and infrastructures. These concepts will be implemented with the arrival of the new Operations Centre (CDO).Although the flight termination decision remains on a human authority, the process to evaluate the dangerousness of a mission is optimized in order to gain reactivity and effectiveness. As presented at the 73rd IAC [2], this optimization of methods relies on both decreasing the number of operators within the flight safety team during launch operations and on implementing decision-aiding algorithms to better characterize the launcher condition status at any time. This implies a new distribution of the responsibilities between the safety operators and a redesign of the systems in the future organization at CSG.A large test campaign has already been conducted with the participation of all flight safety officers in order to collect data covering different fields [2]: personal and collective impressions, level of comfort, trust in the new concepts and comparison to the current process, amongst others. In follow-up of this study, to consolidate and validate the operability of the presented concepts and methods, the impacts of this new organization on the flight safety officers have been evaluated in order to apprehend the main changes compared to the current organization. In addition, a specific evaluation was performed in order to study the operator behaviour during various simulations of dangerous-case scenarios in which the launcher trajectory or on-board parameters deteriorated. The most critical cases were analysed in order to measure the reaction times before terminating the flight, with respect to different configurations of launcher abnormality. When comparing the behaviour and the reaction time of operators between the current and the future organization, we obtained conclusive results that are presented in this paper. These results will help to determine and demonstrate the efficiency of the new suggested method for the future flight safety organization at the CSG New Generation. The test campaign presented in this paper was possible following significant ergonomics choices regarding both the flight safety room configuration and the operator HMI layout. Indeed, the enhancement of flight safety operations has been enabled by a careful selection of decision-aiding algorithms and logical equations, however the study determining the most adequate position of HMI elements has also played a major role in the safety officers’ ability to operate the new concepts.This paper will present the results of the test campaign based on initial ergonomic studies enabling this major change in the organization of the flight safety team within the future CSG.

Restaurant and Staff Characteristics Related to Practices that Could Contribute to Cross-Contamination

Foodborne illness is a persistent public health concern in the U.S.; over 800 foodborne illness outbreaks are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) annually. Most of these outbreaks (60%) are linked with restaurants. Contamination of food with foodborne pathogens during preparation and storage is a significant contributing factor to many of these outbreaks. The CDC’s Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-Net) collected data to identify restaurant characteristics, policies, and practices associated with contamination prevention practices. Data collectors interviewed managers and conducted kitchen observations in 312 restaurants across six EHS-Net sites in five states. Data collectors observed at least one food worker action that could lead to contamination in 63.1% of restaurants. The most frequently observed action that could lead to contamination was bare-hand or dirty glove contact with ready-to-eat food (35.9%). The estimated mean number of observed potential contamination actions was greater in restaurants that were independently owned (does not share a name and operations with other restaurants), did not require managers to be certified in food safety, did not have workers trained in food safety, did not have a handwashing policy, did not have a policy minimizing bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods, and had a manager with more than two years of experience at their current restaurant. These results suggest that to improve contamination prevention, the foodservice industry and food safety officials can consider supporting and encouraging strong food safety training and policies, particularly concerning hand hygiene, and targeting interventions to independent restaurants.

Crisis management for Patient Safety Officers: lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic

BackgroundThere is no consensus for the role definition for Patient Safety Officers (PSOs) in healthcare during pandemics or other crises as opposed to their routine activities. This study aimed to examine the contribution of personality traits and systemic factors on the performance of PSOs during the pandemic, and to compare these variables during the first and third waves of the Covid-19 pandemic in Israel.MethodsThis cross-sectional study invited 117 PSOs to complete a questionnaire addressing their role during the Covid-19 pandemic. The questionnaire included items concerning: Personal and socio-demographic characteristics; Uncertainty; Personal initiative; Burnout; Professional functioning; Patient Safety and Risk Management policies and practices; Organizational functioning; and Personal Involvement in risk management activities. Qualitative data was collected by two open-ended questions.ResultsA total of 78 PSOs (67%) completed the questionnaire. The results revealed that many PSOs reduced their involvement in risk management processes or even left their position temporarily in order to return to their primary specialization as clinicians. Only 51.3% and 57.7% reported practicing risk management in the first and third waves, respectively. The three main factors that kept PSOs functioning were managerial support, mobilization of their team, and the belief in the importance of their position.ConclusionsA crisis generates uncertainty, a plethora of frequent and urgent tasks, and the need to adapt policy to changing circumstances and to the increased risks. The risk manager must be a member of the crisis management team and participate in every important discussion in order to represent essential staff and patient safety issues and ensure that these are fully addressed already in the early stages of planning.

Identification of representative sampling sites for the investigation of aerial longer distances transport of pesticides in Germany

Aerial transport of pesticides during and after their application both over medium range distances and long distance may lead to residues on plants and soil far away from agricultural treatments. Therefore, the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety carried out a Germany-wide geographical analysis to identify monitoring sites which could be used for a representative German-wide monitoring. The identified sites reflect climate areas with different meteorological conditions, land coverage and pesticide use. By using a geographical information system, five different areas were identified representing the climatic and agricultural conditions of pesticide use in Germany. Since the required measuring technique needed a certain infrastructure, using already existing measuring sides was considered to be most efficient in order to use them for a German-wide monitoring. In a second step, agro-meteorological weather stations with distances of < 100 m, 100–1000 m and > 1 km in the main wind direction from treated fields were identified within these areas. The identified areas reflect the main different conditions for aerial pesticide transport along with suitable weather stations to monitor pesticide residues in the air and its deposition on plants and soil all over Germany.

Incidence of acute haemolytic transfusion reaction among ABO-incompatible recipients transfused with A3 blood: A case series.

ABO antigens are among the most immunogenic, but the haemolytic risks of ABO incompatibilities involving a donor with a weak ABO phenotype are little documented. This retrospective case series assessed the incidence of acute haemolytic transfusion reaction (AHTR) among ABO-incompatible recipients of A3 blood in Québec (Canada). Transfusion safety officers reported laboratory AHTR indicators measured ≤24 h pre- and post-transfusion. Because the AHTR case definition of Québec's Hemovigilance System (QHS) leaves significant room for clinical judgement, a two-step approach was used to assess potential cases: Step 1 consisted in a highly sensitive-but unspecific-initial screen that identified all candidate cases per QHS case definition, and Step 2 consisted in a detailed review of candidate cases by two haematologists. Nine donors initially typed as Group B (N = 1) or O (N = 8) were subsequently found to display an A3 B or A3 O phenotype. Eighty-one recipients received ABO-incompatible blood, including 53 (65.4%) with interpretable data. Of these, 29 (54.7%) were classified as candidate cases after Step 1. Following Step 2, no conclusive evidence of AHTR was found: Abnormal pre- versus post-transfusion changes appeared modest, within normal range, insufficient to ascertain AHTR, or were consistent with a pre-existing condition unrelated to AHTR. Two candidate cases had a QHS-reported transfusion reaction; both were unrelated to AHTR. In this case series, no conclusive evidence of serious AHTR was found among ABO-incompatible recipients who were inadvertently transfused with A3 blood.

Leveraging Radiopharmaceutical Programmatic Collaboration for Management of Pretherapy and On-treatment Urinary Incontinence.

Many parenteral radiopharmaceuticals available as anticancer therapy are filtered by the kidneys and excreted in the urine. Here, physician leaders of radiation medicine, nuclear medicine/molecular imaging, and the radiotheranostics programs as well as radiation safety officers, collaborated to develop a decision-making guideline for the administration of therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals in patients with pretherapy or day-of-treatment incontinence. We discussed challenges and opportunities in the screening of patients in urine collection strategies according to grade of urinary incontinence and in subsequent coordination of care. Lutetium-177 ( 177 Lu)-based radiopharmaceutical therapies provided clinical examples of how our procedures were operationalized. Our key management issues of urinary incontinence were cutaneous radiation injury and redness, infection, or pain. In response, we developed clinical practice guidelines for the recognition and management of incontinence-related adverse events. Common adverse events of urinary incontinence were noted in this study. Our how-to guideline for the safe administration of therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals for patients with urinary incontinence warrants further investigation and should continue to be evaluated across all radiopharmaceutical therapy agents.

Implementation of Safety Management of Selected Construction Companies in Manila

In the 1980s, the safety management system (SMS) was created to reduce material waste and the risk of accidents and fatalities in the construction industry. With the correct SMS deployment, construction companies can reduce safety-related difficulties. This study assessed the current status of construction safety management intending to determine the level of implementation of selected construction companies with category AAA in Manila, Philippines. A survey was done to determine the SMS implementation level in terms of lack of control, basic cause, immediate cause, incident, and accident. The researcher used the quantitative method of research with the survey questionnaire as the main tool in gathering data. Architects, engineers, safety officers, and skilled workers were the respondents of the study. The gathered data were statistically treated with the use of Frequency, Percentage, Weighted Mean, Kruskal Wallis, Man Whitney U-test, and Spearman Rho Correlation. The overall results showed that the level of the selected construction companies in Manila is somewhat implemented. The results of this study are helpful to the industry as well because they can improve the understanding of SMS among industry professionals and aid in better SMS deployment at work.

The Development and Integration of a Safety Officer Role to Facilitate Prevention of COVID-19 Virus Transmission in an Adult Inpatient Rehabilitation Setting Using Collaborative Change Leadership Methodology.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a large urban academic hospital responded by creating the temporary role of a "Safety Officer (SO)." The key task of the SO role was to supervise staff donning and doffing personal protective equipment (PPE) and provide real-time feedback on their performance. The support for safe donning and doffing would contribute to staff well-being by reducing their fear of infection transmission. A Collaborative Change Leadership (CCL) approach was used to facilitate the development, implementation, and evaluation of the role. This included an iterative feedback process with clinicians and safety officers to continually refine the role. Feedback indicated value in the initiative as increasing staff confidence about preventing virus transmission, as well as their sense of safety at work. Areas for future improvement included additional communication strategies for interprofessional teams and external partners, as well as planning around logistics to better support the safety officers in performing this new, temporary role. The Safety Officer role was able to help alleviate concerns regarding potential infection transmission and contribute positively to staff well-being.

Mental health hygiene during a health crisis: Exploring factors associated with media-induced secondary trauma in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Given the risk of developing vicarious trauma through news media has increased during the pandemic, we explored risk factors associated with media induced secondary trauma, and its behavioral and psychological implications. An international study (N = 1066), with a diverse sample, was administered in July 2020. We used standardized and validated questionnaires to measure news consumption, media-related trauma, compliance, and paranoia. Greater frequency of news consumption, accessing news via social media and WHO, and believing in conspiracy theories increased likelihood of developing media-induced secondary trauma. News related trauma was associated with greater compliance with safety measures and increased paranoid ideation. Media-trauma however exhibited a greater association with paranoia than compliance. Findings highlight the need to facilitate a collaborative intervention, with public, media houses, health safety officials, and social scientists to have a deeper understanding of potential psychological costs of news consumption patterns.

Thực trạng và một số yếu tố ảnh hưởng tới điều kiện bảo đảm an toàn thực phẩm tại bếp ăn tập thể trong cơ sở giáo dục mầm non Thị xã Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh năm 2022

Objectives: Describe the current situation and identify the elements influencing the food safety conditions of the children's collective kitchens in Trang Bang district, Tay Ninh province in 2022. Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional study integrating quantitative and qualitative methodologies was conducted at 48 children's collective kitchens in Trang Bang district, Tay Ninh province. Results: The percentage of collective kitchens that met food safety conditions was low (60.4%). The following groups of conditions achieved a high level: the conditions of facilities (81.3%), human conditions (85.4%), equipment and tools (95.8%). However, the legal documents and other related conditions were still low (60.4%). A number of factors affect the percentage of collective kitchens that have not met food safety requirements: there have been no instructions, in-depth training, or on-site practice for a number of difficult-to-implement regulations; a lack of food safety officers at the grassroots level; resources for inspection and examination that do not yet meet actual requirements; the sanctioning of administrative violations has not applied the forms of deterrence that are frequently cited. Conclusion: The management agency organizes intensive training, guidance, and practice of food safety regulations, intensifies administrative penalties for infractions, and proposes increased resources for food safety management. Keywords: Food safety, collective kitchen, preschool, Tay Ninh.

Risk-based reservoir safety management: experience from the United States of America

Reservoir safety in the United Kingdom is undergoing a period of review and change, as part of implementing the 15 recommendations in the Balmforth report. Changes are also taking place in the United States as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) updated their guidelines for hydro-power projects regulated by the FERC. This paper is an overview of key issues and changes in the United States, as presented at the annual American Society of Dam Safety Officials conference in Baltimore in September 2022, attended by the authors. This paper is intended to inform the debate in the United Kingdom on options for change to ensure that dams and reservoirs meet public safety standards while at the same time avoiding disproportionate expense on investigations and studies where this is not warranted by the level of risk to the public.

Collaboration Tripartite Elements Accident Reporting and Potential Hazards Management Coal Mining, Indonesia: Systematic Review

Objective: Occupational accidents and diseases in Indonesia are still a scourge because they not only cause minor and serious accidents, but often result in fatalities. The same occupational accidents and diseases’ would seem to be happening in the coal mining business sector. According to the Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial Indonesia, 234,370 cases of work accidents and work-related illnesses occurred in 2021, of which the mining sector contributed 6,565 cases. Collaboration between companies, workers and local governments in the management of work accident reporting needs special attention so that similar incidents do not occur in the future.Material and Methods: This literature review supports the researchers hypothesis or belief in disclosing that there is an increasingly open space for collaboration between companies, workers and local governments in accident reporting management to reduce accidents. The literature review search term used is work accident reporting sourced from Google Scholar, National Library of Indonesia, PubMed, and other sources in the 2017-2022 period.Results:This literature review found a number of facts that companies have an obligation as stipulated in the Regulation of the Minister of Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia No. 03 of 1998 concerning Accident Reporting and Investigation Procedures to report every work accident and work-related illness that occurs both periodically and specifically to the competent authority. Likewise, workers have the responsibility to report any accidents and potential hazards found in the workplace to the occupational safety and health officer. The Regional Government is no exception, which is a regulator and at the same time supervises companies in carrying out their business activities.Conclusion: To reduce workplace accidents requires diligent and constructive cooperation between the business managers, the workers, and the government regulators to support a zero-accident work environment.

Production and certification of BOTS-1: bovine muscle-certified reference material for incurred veterinary drug residues.

A freeze-dried bovine muscle-certified reference material (CRM), known as BOTS-1 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.4224/crm.2018.bots-1 ), containing incurred residues of commonly used veterinary drugs was produced and certified for the mass fraction of eight veterinary drug residues. Value assignment was carried out using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods in conjunction with isotope dilution and standard addition approaches involving stable isotope internal standards. Data from the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety in Germany (BVL) were used for value assignment. Results for two drug residues were also obtained through an international inter-laboratory comparison CCQM-K141/P178 organized under the auspices of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). Quantitative NMR (1H-qNMR) was used to characterize primary standards of all veterinary drugs certified. The certified mass fractions of the veterinary drug residues were 490 ± 100µg/kg for chlorpromazine, 44 ± 4.4µg/kg for ciprofloxacin, 3.3 ± 1.4µg/kg for clenbuterol, 9.5 ± 0.8µg/kg for dexamethasone, 57 ± 4.8µg/kg for enrofloxacin, 3.0 ± 0.4µg/kg for meloxicam, 12.4 ± 1.2µg/kg for ractopamine, and 2290 ± 120µg/kg for sulfadiazine with expanded uncertainties quoted (95% confidence) which include the effects due to between-bottle inhomogeneity, instability during long-term storage and transportation, and characterization.

P.019 Safe prescribing of antipsychotic drugs in the elderly - Parkinson Disease

Background: The Canadian Guideline for Parkinson Disease (PD) indicates clozapine and quetiapine are considered the only safe antipsychotics for people with PD, to avoid potentially exacerbating motor symptoms. In response to safety events in our centre, we explore contraindicated antipsychotic prescriptions being administered to hospital inpatients with PD to determine common factors and develop approaches to prevent future occurrences. Methods: Following a privacy impact analysis, the Interior Health Quality Improvement &amp; Patient Safety Office identified inpatients at Kelowna General Hospital, between December 2018 and June 2021, with a coded diagnosis of PD. Pharmacy medication order and dispensing data were cross-referenced to determine patients exposed to a contraindicated antipsychotic for further chart analysis. Results: Of the 140 admissions with a PD diagnosis, 17 had at least one contraindicated antipsychotic prescribed or dispensed (12.1%). Loxapine (7) and haloperidol (6) were the most frequently prescribed. This occurred despite a diagnosis of PD being noted on admission in 14 cases, and 13 cases were known to be taking levodopa. Conclusions: These results demonstrate additional safety measures are needed to reduce the frequency of contraindicated antipsychotic prescriptions in this population. We propose developing a stepwise plan for behaviour de-escalation and pharmacological management.