scholarly journals Design for occupational safety and health: key attributes for organisational capability

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 2614-2636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Manu ◽  
Anush Poghosyan ◽  
Abdul-Majeed Mahamadu ◽  
Lamine Mahdjoubi ◽  
Alistair Gibb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Occupational Injuries ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Design ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Top Management Commitment ◽  
Design Firms

Purpose Against the backdrop of the contribution of design to the occurrence of occupational injuries and illnesses in construction, design for occupational safety and health (DfOSH) is increasingly becoming prominent in the construction sector. To ensure that design interventions are safe for construction workers to build and maintain, design firms need to have the appropriate organisational capability in respect of DfOSH. However, empirical insight regarding the attributes that constitute DfOSH organisational capability is lacking. The purpose of this paper, which trailblases the subject of DfOSH organisational capability in construction, is to address two key questions: what organisational attributes determine DfOSH capability? What is the relative priority of the capability attributes? Design/methodology/approach The study employed three iterations of expert focus group discussion and a subsequent three-round Delphi technique accompanied by the application of voting analytic hierarchy process. Findings The study revealed 18 capability attributes nested within six categories, namely: competence (the competence of organisation’s design staff); strategy (the consideration of DfOSH in organisation’s vision as well as the top management commitment); corporate experience (organisation’s experience in implementing DfOSH on projects); systems (systems, processes and procedures required for implementing DfOSH); infrastructure (physical, and information and communication technology resources); and collaboration (inter- and intra-organisational collaboration to implement DfOSH on projects). Whilst these categories and their nested attributes carry varying weights of importance, collectively, the competence-related attributes are the most important, followed by strategy. Originality/value The findings should enable design firms and other key industry stakeholders (such as the clients who appoint them) to understand designers’ DfOSH capability better. Additionally, design firms should be able to prioritise efforts/investment to enhance their DfOSH capability.

scholarly journals Regulation by Shaming: Deterrence Effects of Publicizing Violations of Workplace Safety and Health Laws

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (6) ◽  
pp. 1866-1904 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew S. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Occupational Injuries ◽  
Workplace Safety ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Press Releases ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Improve Compliance ◽  
Health Laws ◽  
Health Regulations

Publicizing firms’ socially undesirable actions may enhance firms’ incentives to avoid such actions. In 2009, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) began issuing press releases about facilities that violated safety and health regulations. Using quasi-random variation arising from a cutoff rule OSHA followed, I find that publicizing a facility’s violations led other facilities to substantially improve their compliance and experience fewer occupational injuries. OSHA would need to conduct 210 additional inspections to achieve the same improvement in compliance as achieved with a single press release. Evidence suggests that employers improve compliance to avoid costly responses from workers. (JEL J28, J81, K32, L51, M54)

scholarly journals Development of risk assessment tool using damaging energy and argumentation theory for evaluating construction occupational safety and health risks

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nor Haslinda Abas ◽  
Nick Blismas ◽  
Helen Lingard
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Phase I ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Damage Model ◽  
Argumentation Theory ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Risk Assessment Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Safety And Health

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the development of a risk assessment model to assess the occupational safety and health (OSH) risks presented by different construction approaches, namely traditional and industrialised building system (IBS). The development process applies the concept of argumentation theory, which helps construction designers integrate the management of OSH risk into the design process. In addition, an energy damage model is used as an underpinning framework for developing the model.Design/methodology/approachDevelopment of the model was achieved through two phases. Phase I involved collection of data on the activities involved in the construction process and their associated OSH risks, derived from five different case studies, field observation and interviews. Knowledge of design aspects that have the potential to impact on OSH was obtained from document analysis. Using the knowledge obtained in phase I, a model was developed in the form of argument trees (Phase II), which represent a reasoning template with regard to options available to designers when they make judgements about aspects of their designs. Inferences from these aspects eventually determined the magnitude of the damaging energies for every activity involved. Finally, the model was validated by panels of experts, and revisions and amendments were made to the model accordingly.FindingsThe risk assessment model development revealed that the concept of argumentation theory and energy damage model is suitable to represent design safety risk knowledge and effectively address the designer's role in making decisions in their designs and further illuminate the level of OSH risk their designs pose.Practical implicationsThe developed model provides best-practice reasoning support for construction designers, which help them to understand the impact of their designs decisions on worker's safety and health, and thereby assist them to further mitigate the risk to an acceptable level.Originality/valueThis study departs from the existing tool in that the model was developed based upon the combination of argumentation theory and energy damage model. The significance of the model is discussed.

scholarly journals Towards Effective Safety Cost Budgeting for Apartment Construction: A Case Study of Occupational Safety and Health Expenses in South Korea

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1335
Author(s):  
Kanghyeok Yang ◽  
Kiltae Kim ◽  
Seongseok Go
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Occupational Injuries ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Occupational Accidents ◽  
Accident Risk ◽  
Safety And Health

The construction industry has experienced a lot of occupational accidents, and construction work is considered one of the most dangerous occupations. In order to reduce the number of occupational injuries from construction, the South Korean government legislated the occupational safety and health expense law, requiring companies to reserve a reasonable budget for safety management activities when budgeting for construction projects. However, safety budgets have not been spent based on the risk of accidents, and a large amount of the safety budget is spent either in the beginning or late stages of construction projects. Various accident risk factors, such as activity types, previous accident records, and the number of workers on a construction site, need to be considered when determining the safety budget. To solve such problems, this study investigated the expenditure trends of occupational safety and health expenses for 10 apartment construction projects in South Korea. This study also proposed an accident risk index that can be incorporated with the project costs, schedule, the number of workers, and historical accident records when budgeting for the safety costs. The results from the case study illustrate the limitations of the current planning strategy for safety expenditures and demonstrate the need for effective safety budgeting for accident prevention. The proposed safety cost expenditure guideline helps safety practitioners when budgeting for the occupational safety and health expenses while considering accident risk and the characteristics of safety cost expenditures in practice. The outcome of this research will contribute to the development of regulations for the budgeting of safety costs and help to prevent occupational injuries by providing a reasonable budget for safety management activities in an apartment construction project.

A fuzzy association rule-based knowledge management system for occupational safety and health programs in cold storage facilities

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-216
Author(s):  
Y.P. Tsang ◽  
K.L. Choy ◽  
P.S. Koo ◽  
G.T.S. Ho ◽  
C.H. Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cold Storage ◽  
Association Rule ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Knowledge Management System ◽  
Rule Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Fuzzy Association Rule ◽  
Storage Facilities

Purpose This paper aims to improve operational efficiency and minimize accident frequency in cold storage facilities through adopting an effective occupational safety and health program. The hidden knowledge can be extracted from the warehousing operations to create the comfortable and safe workplace environment. Design/methodology/approach A fuzzy association rule-based knowledge management system is developed by integrating fuzzy association rule mining (FARM) and rule-based expert system (RES). FARM is used to extract hidden knowledge from real operations to establish the relationship between safety measurement, personal constitution and key performance index measurement. The extracted knowledge is then stored and adopted in the RES to establish an effective occupational and safety program. Afterwards, a case study is conducted to validate the performance of the proposed system. Findings The results indicate that the aforementioned relationship can be built in the form of IF-THEN rules. An appropriate safety and health program can be developed and applied to all workers, so that they can follow instructions to prevent cold induced injuries and also improve the productivity. Practical implications Because of the increasing public consciousness of occupational safety and health, it is important for the workers in cold storage facilities where the ambient temperature is at/below 10°C. The proposed system can address the social problem and promote the importance of occupational safety and health in the society. Originality/value This study contributes to the knowledge management system for improving the occupational safety and operational efficiency in the cold storage facilities.

scholarly journals Occupational Safety and Health in Ecuador

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (12) ◽  
pp. 139-152
Author(s):  
Paúl Cajías Vasco ◽  
Darío Álvarez Calderón ◽  
Pamela Merino Salazar ◽  
Antonio Gómez Garcia
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Occupational Injuries ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Occupational Accidents ◽  
Academic Education ◽  
International Labor Organization ◽  
Working Population ◽  
Informal Workers ◽  
Safety And Health

Background: The occupational safety and health diagnostic (OSH) constitutes a first step for the design of national programs and ongoing reviews of existing regulations.  The OSH diagnostic performed in Ecuador in 2011 is devastating due to the high labor accidents’ toll, the scarce official information, lack of high-level academic education, and insufficient research.Objective: To diagnose the current state of occupational safety and health in Ecuador from official sources of information.Methods: We examined the geographical situation, sociodemographic and public health data, legal regulations, statistics on occupational accidents and diseases, training and research on OSH in Ecuador between 2010 to 2015. The main sources of data and information were: national laws and regulations on OSH, conventions of the International Labor Organization, resolutions of the Andean Community of Nations, and official web pages of national public bodies. In addition, we analyzed the scientific production on OSH of authors with Ecuadorian affiliation, carried out in Ecuador, and published in journals indexed in the main scientific databases.Results: In Ecuador, the rate of employment is 94,3%, and 40% is recognized as adequate employment. The percentage of the working population covered by the social security has raised during the period of study, but it remains around 42% of this population. The country has ratified the 32 ILO OSH conventions and has adopted regional regulatory instruments. The national OSH legal body starts with the Constitution. A total of 99.156 occupational injuries and 2.733 occupational were notified, showing a significant increase from 2010 to 2015. Regarding fatal occupational accidents, 1.524 cases were notified. Training in OSH is focused on occupational risk prevention. Twelve scientific articles on OSH from authors of Ecuadorian affiliation and developed in a national context were identified.Conclusions: OSH status in Ecuador faces a persistent high toll of informal workers, an aging working population, an increase of work accidents, a scarce scientific evidence and an outdated legislation. The design of a OSH National Plan should become a priority in order to improve working conditions and health in Ecuador.

Situation Analysis of Occupational Safety and Health in Small-Scale Sugarcane Processing Establishments in Kenya

2000 ◽  
Vol 44 (22) ◽  
pp. 670-673
Author(s):  
D.A. Mutuli ◽  
H. A. Onyoyo ◽  
P.W. Makhonge
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Rural Economy ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Occupational Injuries ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Awareness Campaigns ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Sugarcane Processing

In both the agricultural and industrial sectors, working conditions of the workers are far from satisfactory leading to excessive drudgery and a host of occupational injuries and accidents. Workers are forced to endure working environments that lack any consideration in aspects of occupational health, safety and comfort. About 60 per cent of the employed people in Kenya are in small-scale industries. The sugar industry in Kenya has seventy-one (71) small-scale sugarcane processing establishments scattered throughout the Sugar Belt employing labour-intensive techniques and providing essential employment to the rural people. The work environment is unsatisfactory and management is often unaware of the poor working conditions and the types of improvements that can enhance productivity. Given the important role played by these establishments in the rural economy, a qualitative study of these establishments was undertaken with a view to mapping out the occupational safety and health problems afflicting them. This paper, therefore, attempts to analyse the situation and thereby chart out a strategy for improvement designed to enhance productivity while improving safety and health. It concludes by proposing an awareness campaign targeted specifically to the small-scale manufacturing establishments on the importance of occupational safety and health together with the setting up of a scholarship scheme to assist these establishments gain access to the awareness campaigns currently going on in the country.

Problems and Prospects of Forming a System of Proactive Monitoring of Safety for the Employees in Mining Industry

2020 ◽  
pp. 48-54
Author(s):  
I.P. Karnachev ◽  
◽  
S.P. Levashov ◽  
N.K. Smirnova ◽  
P.I. Karnachev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Russian Federation ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Occupational Injuries ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Health State ◽  
Active Monitoring ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Proactive Monitoring

The analysis of official statistics shows that the existing mechanisms for reducing the risks of occupational injuries, based on monitoring traditional indicators of occupational safety, and financing a set of appropriate preventive measures, largely exhausted their potential. They do not contribute to further formation of a stable trend to reduce the occupational injuries. The phased abandonment of prescriptive regulation in the industry of the Russian Federation makes it inevitable to introduce the concept of the goal of activities on ensuring occupational safety and health. Approaches to managing safety of the organizational processes when measuring the efficiency of the occupational health and safety management system should be based on active monitoring and continuous improvement of the performance indicators of the relevant processes. The relevance and need for a comprehensive solution of the theoretical, methodological and applied problems of monitoring efficiency in the field of ensuring safety of employees labor in the industry of the Russian Federation, as well as the imperfection of the scientific and methodological base and the state system of the operative management of occupational risks require the development of adequate and efficient solutions for improving the level of occupational safety, reduction of deaths and injurie rate. The essence of the concept of proactive monitoring of safety is that the efficiency of planning and monitoring in the field of ensuring safety at all levels (state, industry, corporate, etc.) should be justified using measurable indicators (indices) of the efficiency of ensuring safety and corresponding values of the target and threshold safety levels. The paper focuses on the problems of developing a proactive monitoring system for occupational safety, and the use of leading indicators for monitoring occupational safety and health state in real time, as well as to respond appropriately.

NSC Responds to OSHA's Proposed Reporting System

1971 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 15-17
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Reporting System ◽  
Occupational Injuries ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
National Safety Council ◽  
Rule Making

In meeting its advisory responsibility to occupational safety and health, the National Safety Council offers this response statement on the proposed rule-making Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illnesses. The statement represents a consensus among the nation's ablest safety advocates — who are identified with labor, industry, agriculture, motor transportation, and other fields.

scholarly journals Health Equity and a Paradigm Shift in Occupational Safety and Health

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 349
Author(s):  
Michael A. Flynn ◽  
Pietra Check ◽  
Andrea L. Steege ◽  
Jacqueline M. Sivén ◽  
Laura N. Syron
Keyword(s):  
Health Equity ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Occupational Injuries ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
The Social

Despite significant improvements in occupational safety and health (OSH) over the past 50 years, there remain persistent inequities in the burden of injuries and illnesses. In this commentary, the authors assert that addressing these inequities, along with challenges associated with the fundamental reorganization of work, will require a more holistic approach that accounts for the social contexts within which occupational injuries and illnesses occur. A biopsychosocial approach explores the dynamic, multidirectional interactions between biological phenomena, psychological factors, and social contexts, and can be a tool for both deeper understanding of the social determinants of health and advancing health equity. This commentary suggests that reducing inequities will require OSH to adopt the biopsychosocial paradigm. Practices in at least three key areas will need to adopt this shift. Research that explicitly examines occupational health inequities should do more to elucidate the effects of social arrangements and the interaction of work with other social determinants on work-related risks, exposures, and outcomes. OSH studies regardless of focus should incorporate inclusive methods for recruitment, data collection, and analysis to reflect societal diversity and account for differing experiences of social conditions. OSH researchers should work across disciplines to integrate work into the broader health equity research agenda.

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