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1 – 10 of over 9000Observes that the World Health Organization (WHO) has promoted the goal of “Health for All” since 1977. The Workers’ Health Programme of WHO aims to: strengthen international and…
Abstract
Observes that the World Health Organization (WHO) has promoted the goal of “Health for All” since 1977. The Workers’ Health Programme of WHO aims to: strengthen international and national policies for health at work; develop a healthy work environment; develop healthy work practices and health promotion; strengthen occupational health care and services; establish appropriate support for occupational health; develop occupational health standards which are science‐based; develop human resources for occupational health; establish appropriate information systems and raise public awareness; strengthen research; foster collaborative efforts.
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Rhoda Ansah Quaigrain, De-Graft Owusu-Manu, David John Edwards, Mavis Hammond, Mabel Hammond and Igor Martek
Occupational safety issues among employees remains a contemporary and omnipresent concern. In developing countries, safety-related problems are amplified, resulting in higher…
Abstract
Purpose
Occupational safety issues among employees remains a contemporary and omnipresent concern. In developing countries, safety-related problems are amplified, resulting in higher incidences of serious accidents and occupational diseases. This study aims to evaluate employees’ knowledge and attitudes toward occupational health and safety, and how these influence overall occupational health and safety compliance. Ghana’s oil and gas industry provides the contextual backdrop for this research, given it is characterized by high rates of injury.
Design/methodology/approach
A positivist and deductive research strategy was used to quantitatively analyze both primary and secondary data sources. A structured survey was administered to industry employees, and multiple linear regression was used to establish the effects of employee’s knowledge and attitude toward occupational health hazards on overall health and safety compliance.
Findings
The findings indicate that most employees had both a high level of knowledge and positive attitude toward mitigating occupational health hazards. Moreover, the study reveals that most employees complied with occupational health safety practices. However, the study also reveals that the effect of employees’ knowledge and attitude toward occupational health hazards does not translate into deployment of comprehensive safety practices. Interestingly, female employees were found to be more knowledgeable and compliant with occupational health and safety practices than their male counterparts.
Practical implications
Premised upon the findings, the study recommends: implementation of relevant education and training programs encompassing the proper usage of machinery and equipment, tailored hazard safety training appropriate to specific employee job requirements, effective dissemination of risk information and governance initiatives that enforce strict adherence to correct safety procedures.
Originality/value
The study uniquely examines the influence of employee’s knowledge of health and safety to overall compliance within the oil and gas industry. Cumulatively, the study’s findings and recommendations contribute to improving the occupational health and safety outcomes within the industry.
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Rachel S. Rauvola, Cort W. Rudolph and Hannes Zacher
In this chapter, the authors consider the role of time for research in occupational stress and well-being. First, temporal issues in studying occupational health longitudinally…
Abstract
In this chapter, the authors consider the role of time for research in occupational stress and well-being. First, temporal issues in studying occupational health longitudinally, focusing in particular on the role of time lags and their implications for observed results (e.g., effect detectability), analyses (e.g., handling unequal durations between measurement occasions), and interpretation (e.g., result generalizability, theoretical revision) were discussed. Then, time-based assumptions when modeling lagged effects in occupational health research, providing a focused review of how research has handled (or ignored) these assumptions in the past, and the relative benefits and drawbacks of these approaches were discussed. Finally, recommendations for readers, an accessible tutorial (including example data and code), and discussion of a new structural equation modeling technique, continuous time structural equation modeling, that can “handle” time in longitudinal studies of occupational health were provided.
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People are a company′s most valuable resource. Protection of thisinvestment is, therefore, very important. In today′s business world,never before has so much attention been paid…
Abstract
People are a company′s most valuable resource. Protection of this investment is, therefore, very important. In today′s business world, never before has so much attention been paid to the health and safety of people at work. Explains the part played in this by occupational health management. Defines occupational health and outlines the ways in which occupational health services can help to improve productivity. Identifies the elements that need to be included in an occupational health plan.
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Liker (2003) asserts that continuous improvement’s goal is to favour organisational learning (OL), the latter being one of the key principles of lean management (LM). Yet, OL may…
Abstract
Purpose
Liker (2003) asserts that continuous improvement’s goal is to favour organisational learning (OL), the latter being one of the key principles of lean management (LM). Yet, OL may result in better occupational health (Panari et al., 2010). The purpose of this paper is to consider Liker’s assertion seriously and to study the relations between LM, team learning (TL) and occupational health.
Design/methodology/approach
For this purpose, the authors compared 22 teams in nine case studies. A mixed methodology approach called qualitative comparative analysis (Ragin, 1987) was used to test the hypothesis that TL plays a key role in preserving occupational health in LM implementations, leading to improved performance that is not at the expense of workers’ health.
Findings
The central hypothesis questioned was that complete LM when resulting in a TL dynamic (i.e. systemic lean), would enable both increases in industrial performance and maintain or improve occupational health. The data tend to validate this hypothesis.
Originality/value
This research may enrich three types of research literature that hardly know each other, namely, LM literature (production research), occupational health literature and OL literature. For professionals concerned with the social dimension of modern production, this research shows that there is a path for a mutual gain perspective in LM, but this is a demanding process with many conditions to satisfy.
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Kazutaka Kogi and Tsuyoshi Kawakami
Describes how many Asia‐Pacific countries have experienced a major shift in occupational health services in the last two decades. There is an extension of occupational health…
Abstract
Describes how many Asia‐Pacific countries have experienced a major shift in occupational health services in the last two decades. There is an extension of occupational health services with more co‐ordinated efforts of all social partners, action programmes with emphasis on practical risk assessment and primary prevention, and more active participation of managers and unions, supported by occupational health personnel.
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Examines the provision of an occupational health service and the audit of such a service as one barometer of an organization's effective functioning. Occupational health is seen…
Abstract
Examines the provision of an occupational health service and the audit of such a service as one barometer of an organization's effective functioning. Occupational health is seen as part of the human resource function and encompasses health care, health education/information, health surveillance and health protection. It is concerned with the effect of health on work as well as the effect of work on health. Looks at attempts to measure the effectiveness of such a service using the traditional arguments of reduction in the costs of work absence and the increase in worker morale. Finally, suggests that the most effective argument is the cost to an organization of not putting into place an effective occupational health service. Concludes by recognizing that occupational health services must be more accountable, and be regularly audited. At the same time there is a social aspect to any enterprise and an element of humanitarianism without which human institutions lose a significant part of the reason for their existence.
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Zhiyu Dong, Ruize Qin, Ping Zou, Xin Yao, Peng Cui, Fan Zhang and Yizhou Yang
The occupational health risk associated with the production of prefabricated concrete components is often overlooked. This paper will use a damage assessment and cyclic mitigation…
Abstract
Purpose
The occupational health risk associated with the production of prefabricated concrete components is often overlooked. This paper will use a damage assessment and cyclic mitigation (DACM) model to provide individualized exposure risk assessment and corresponding mitigation management measures for workers who are being exposed.
Design/methodology/approach
The DACM model is proposed based on the concept of life cycle assessment (LCA). The model uses Monte-Carlo simulation for uncertainty risk assessment, followed by quantitative damage assessment using disability-adjusted life year (DALY). Lastly, sensitivity analysis is used to identify the parameters with the greatest impact on health risks.
Findings
The results show that the dust concentration is centered around the mean, and the fitting results are close to normal distribution, so the mean value can be used to carry out the calculation of risk. However, calculations using the DACM model revealed that there are still some work areas at risk. DALY damage is most severe in concrete production area. Meanwhile, the inhalation rate (IR), exposure duration (ED), exposure frequency (EF) and average exposure time (AT) showed greater impacts based on the sensitivity analysis.
Originality/value
Based on the comparison, the DACM model can determine that the potential occupational health risk of prefabricated concrete component (PC) factory and the risk is less than that of on-site construction. It synthesizes field research and simulation to form the entire assessment process into a case-base system with the depth of the cycle, which allows the model to be continuously adjusted to reduce the occupational health damage caused by production pollution exposure.
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Irina Farquhar and Alan Sorkin
This study proposes targeted modernization of the Department of Defense (DoD's) Joint Forces Ammunition Logistics information system by implementing the optimized innovative…
Abstract
This study proposes targeted modernization of the Department of Defense (DoD's) Joint Forces Ammunition Logistics information system by implementing the optimized innovative information technology open architecture design and integrating Radio Frequency Identification Device data technologies and real-time optimization and control mechanisms as the critical technology components of the solution. The innovative information technology, which pursues the focused logistics, will be deployed in 36 months at the estimated cost of $568 million in constant dollars. We estimate that the Systems, Applications, Products (SAP)-based enterprise integration solution that the Army currently pursues will cost another $1.5 billion through the year 2014; however, it is unlikely to deliver the intended technical capabilities.
Terhi Saaranen, Kerttu Tossavainen, Hannele Turunen and Paula Naumanen
The purpose of this paper is to present the baseline results of a school development project where the aim was to improve school community staff's occupational wellbeing in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the baseline results of a school development project where the aim was to improve school community staff's occupational wellbeing in co‐operation with occupational health nurses.
Design/methodology/approach
The Wellbeing at Your Work index form for school staff developed for the study aimed to account for occupational wellbeing and satisfaction in terms of the activities maintaining the ability to work as well as the working conditions, working community, worker and work and professional competence and the need to develop them.
Findings
The most problematic factors of occupational wellbeing were the urgency and pace of work at school and the problems in working space, postures and equipment. In addition, the activities supporting resources, including stress control, exercise, relaxation and mentoring, were inadequate at work.
Research limitations
The sample of school staff (n=271) consisted of 12 schools in Eastern Finland, and the results cannot be generalised widely due to the small and geographically defined sample. However, the results are suggestive for other schools elsewhere in Finland.
Practical implications
The content model for the promotion of occupational wellbeing presented in the article and the results obtained provide a broad and practical approach to the development of school staff's occupational wellbeing. Occupational health care services are meant to support school communities, and they should therefore provide better information of their services and develop their competence based on the content model of occupational wellbeing.
Originality/value
The work index form based on the content model serves as a good tool for schools and occupational health care in evaluating and developing occupational wellbeing.
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