School staff members' and occupational health nurses' evaluation of the promotion of occupational well-being – with good planning to better practice

2005 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 465-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terhi Saaranen ◽  
Kerttu Tossavainen ◽  
Hannele Turunen
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Sari Laine ◽  
Terhi Saaranen ◽  
Tiia Pertel ◽  
Siivi Hansen ◽  
Kadi Lepp ◽  
...  

This article examines whether a three-year learning-based work community intervention resulted in changes in working community-related interaction factors and occupational well-being among Finnish and Estonian school staff. It reports the types of changes in working community-related interaction factors and their associations to the subjective occupational well-being and general occupational well-being of the working community. The initial quantitative survey data were collected in Finland (n = 486) and Estonia (n = 1330) in 2010 using the “Well-being at your work index questionnaire.” The same measurement tool was used in 2013 to collect final survey data from school staff members in Finland (n = 545) and Estonia (n = 974). The data were analyzed statistically with percent, mean, SD, Mann-Whitney test, sum variables, one-way analysis of variance and Spearman’s correlation. Changes were detected in factors related to working community interaction; in particular, statistically significant changes in work management and time use were detected in Finnish schools. Working atmosphere and appreciation of others’ work, cooperation and information, and work management and time use were associated to both the subjective occupational well-being and general occupational well-being of the working community. Schools should plan and implement development activities to promote the subjective occupational well-being and general working community occupational well-being. Development work should focus on working community-related interaction, such as trust between workers. Principals should draw particular attention to principal–subordinate relationships and to providing information about changes.


2006 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 248-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Saaranen ◽  
K. Tossavainen ◽  
H. Turunen ◽  
V. Kiviniemi ◽  
H. Vertio

2021 ◽  
pp. 001789692110108
Author(s):  
Doris Testa

Background: COVID-19 has dramatically changed how school communities operate. Many schools have had to navigate enforced closures and modify their usual teaching and learning practices. Furthermore, they have had to rethink how they address student well-being issues. In Australian Catholic schools, there is little data on the concerns of Catholic school staff during enforced school closures. Aims: This article describes findings from a study of the experiences and concerns of school staff in two Catholic primary school communities to understand how staff in these settings experienced and re-imagined or reinforced student well-being practices and processes. Methods: Data were collected by means of a survey assessing staff experiences and concerns, with a particular focus on student well-being. Results: Results indicated that enforced school closures were perceived as negatively affecting student well-being programmes with staff members being particularly concerned about students who were socially, educationally, culturally and economically disadvantaged. However, negative impacts were mitigated by a school culture underpinned by a pastoral and health-promoting perspective. Strong leadership in the face of systemic lethargy prompted schools to utilise their engagement and partnership arrangements for additional support. Conclusion: During forced school closures, an inclusive school ethos, environment and culture ensured an effective response to the diverse needs of staff, students and other school community members.


Author(s):  
Helmut Strasser

AbstractMutual adaptation and inter-changeability of system elements are very important prerequisites for machines, technical devices and products. Similar to that technical compatibility which can be achieved by standards and regulations, optimum design of human-oriented workplaces or a man-machine system cannot be attained without, e.g., a compatible arrangement of connected displays and controls. Over and above those stimulus/response relations, all technical elements and interfaces have to be designed in such a way that they do not exceed human capacity in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance. Compatibility between the properties of the human organism on the one hand, and the adaptable technical components of a work system on the other hand, offers a great potential of preventive measures. Examples of ergonomically designed working tools show that compatibility is capable of reducing the prevalence of occupational diseases and repetitive strain injuries as well as leading to lower physiological cost in such a way that the same output results from a lower demand of human resources or even a higher performance will be attained. Compatibility also supports the quick perception and transmission of information in a man-machine system, and as a result of lower requirements for decoding during information processing, spare mental capacity may enhance occupational safety. In the field of software, compatibility also helps to avoid psychological frustration. All in all, the center core competency, which reflects the major significant function of the ergonomist in work design, consists in determining the compatibility of human capacity and planned or existing demands of work. In order to provide efficient working tools and working conditions as well as to be successful in occupational health and safety, ergonomics and industrial engineering in the future are expected to pay more attention to the rules of compatibility. Applied in an appropriate way, these rules may convince people that ergonomics can be a powerful means for reducing prevalence of occupational diseases and complaints, and has a positive effect on overall system performance. Besides presenting examples of work design according to the principle of compatibility, also methods will be shown which enable the assessment of the ergonomic quality of hand-held tools and computer input devices.


ILAR Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-126
Author(s):  
John Bradfield ◽  
Esmeralda Meyer ◽  
John N Norton

Abstract Institutions with animal care and use programs are obligated to provide for the health and well-being of the animals, but are equally obligated to provide for safety of individuals associated with the program. The topics in this issue of the ILAR Journal, in association with those within the complimentary issue of the Journal of Applied Biosafety, provide a variety of contemporary occupational health and safety considerations in today’s animal research programs. Each article addresses key or emerging occupational health and safety topics in institutional animal care and use programs, where the status of the topic, contemporary challenges, and future directions are provided.


2020 ◽  
pp. 073401682095770
Author(s):  
Kate Kelly ◽  
Nai Soto ◽  
Nadi Damond Wisseh ◽  
Shaina A. Clerget

Although often left out of public health efforts and policy decisions, prisons, jails, and detention centers are integral to community health. With an average of 650,000 citizens returning home from prison each year in the United States, and thousands of correctional staff members returning home every night, there are millions of touchpoints between outside communities and carceral settings. For this reason, carceral communities should be central to planning and policy making in response to the spread of the COVID-19 illness. As social workers and clinicians, we are urgently concerned that efforts to prevent COVID-19 infections in prisons are underdeveloped and inadequate in the face of a fast-spreading virus. In this commentary, we outline a set of public health, policy, and clinical recommendations based upon the existing literature to mitigate various risks to the well-being of carceral communities.


2016 ◽  
Vol 117 (5) ◽  
pp. S10
Author(s):  
A. Tsuang ◽  
H. Demain ◽  
K. Patrick ◽  
M. Pistiner ◽  
J. Wang
Keyword(s):  

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 16-29
Author(s):  
Jeremy D. Visone

A suburban elementary school experiences an emergency evacuation. This evacuation event reveals trust and safety concerns. Some parents, staff members, and children express safety concerns, and a key school staff member questions the judgment of another staff member during the emergency event, exacerbating existing tensions between the two. The principal must move the school community forward, while re-establishing trust and addressing safety concerns. Frameworks for repairing trust and trust in schools are considered.


2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Jayne Eastham ◽  
Diane Cox

Purpose The purpose of this paper, practice-based mixed methods small-scale study, is to explore the design features of a “dementia friendly” acute ward environment and, staff views on the implications of daily activity engagement for patients with dementia. Design/methodology/approach Eight staff members of the multidisciplinary team who work full time on an acute “dementia friendly” ward completed semi-structured questionnaires. Thematic analysis explored responses to the open-ended questions, and a further environmental assessment tool rated features of the “dementia friendly” ward design, on promoting aspects of well-being in patients with dementia. Findings Six overarching themes were found. These included: contrasting ward colours; clear ward signage; positive staff interaction; memorabilia, and activity rooms and items, had a positive influence on patient interaction, well-being and engagement in daily activities. The audit scores were rated highly for various aspects of the ward design. These included: the ward design promoting patient interaction, well-being, mobility, orientation, continence, eating and drinking and calm and security. Research limitations/implications This practice-based small-scale study highlights the importance that a “dementia friendly” ward environment may have on patient engagement and well-being, from a daily activity perspective. Further research into the key aspects of design that enable meaningful daily activity engagement is required. Practical implications This study supports staff perceived views of the positive influence that “dementia friendly” design may have for patients with dementia. Both the physical design modifications of the ward and staff interaction were highlighted as positively influencing patient well-being, and daily activity engagement. Staff members also felt that they needed to balance the clinical ward priorities, with the contextual requirements of patients with dementia, to establish an effective “dementia friendly” ward. Originality/value The value of this research is the combined consideration of an environmental assessment tool and qualitative interviews with members of the multidisciplinary team.


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