scholarly journals Integral risk assessment to optimize expenses for occupational safety measures at a machine-building enterprise

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 10-22
Author(s):  
Vitalii Bezsonnyi

In the absence of uniform and unified requirements for the assessment of industrial risks at an enterprise, the system approach remains the only tool for a comprehensive assessment of the workplace safety. Implementation of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) system involves identifying, analyzing and reducing risks at the workplace. The purpose of the article is to calculate the minimum expenses for occupational safety measures and minimize production risks identified through the developed procedure for analyzing the hazards of the machine-building enterprise. The research methodology is based on the integrated use of qualitative and quantitative approaches to risk assessment, namely, structured assessment and integral assessment using the “rucksack problem” optimization model. The study identifies the risks that are most common and the most serious ones. The procedure of risk reduction is proposed, which is to determine the minimum costs for achieving each of the integral assessments for the machine-building enterprise. The practical value of work consists in the ability to directly apply the developed methodology for risk assessment at the enterprises of the machine-building industry, and to easily adapt the risk assessment procedure to other conditions.

Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Carlos Carvalhais ◽  
Micaela Querido ◽  
Cristiana C. Pereira ◽  
Joana Santos

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 global pandemic brought several challenges to occupational safety and health practice. One of these is the need to (re)assess the occupational risks, particularly, biological risks. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this work is to promote guidance to occupational safety and health practitioners when conducting a biological risk assessment in this context. METHODS: The main steps of the biological risk assessment are explained with some inputs regarding the novelty posed by SARS-CoV-2 and an example of a qualitative risk assessment method is presented. Also, its application to two different activities was exemplified. RESULTS: In both cases, the assessment considered that vulnerable workers were working from home or in medical leave. The results showed low or medium risk level for the assessed tasks. For medium risk level, additional controls are advised, such maintain social distancing, sanitize instruments/equipment before use, use proper and well-maintained PPE (when applicable), and promote awareness sessions to spread good practices at work. Employers must be aware of their obligations regarding biological risk assessment and OSH practitioners must be prepared to screen and link the abundance of scientific evidence generated following the outbreak, with the technical practice. CONCLUSIONS: This paper could be an important contribution to OSH practice since it highlights the need to (re)assess occupational risks, especially biological risk, to ensure a safe return to work, providing technical guidance.


2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takeshi Shinoda ◽  
Takashi Tanaka

It is a challenge to prevent an occupational accident in any industrial activities. The aim of this study is to improve the safety and reduce the risk of occupational accidents at shipyard through developing a risk assessment. This paper describes the concept and methodology of risk assessment for occupational safety and its application. The methodology introduces an effective and useful assessment procedure to construct the database based on the past occupational accidents occurred at shipyards. Quantitative methodology is developed to understand the unsafe working conditions and environment at the shipyard by the convenient handheld to collect the data with Information Technology. Some examples of effective hazard countermeasures are suggested and a feasibility study is conducted to improve a walking environment at shipyards.


2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (10) ◽  
pp. 506-511
Author(s):  
Stephanie Hammond ◽  
Pamela G. Bowen ◽  
Melanie Gibbons Hallman ◽  
Karen Heaton

With the rapid growth of the aging workforce, age-related conditions may negatively influence overall workplace safety and health among these workers and their employers. In this summary, we have outlined details about visual acuity, glare sensitivity, and contrast sensitivity, which are common age-related vision changes that can potentially affect their occupational safety. The occupational health nurse is well positioned to address these concerns by instructing aging workers about potential development of vision change and ensuring they receive the appropriate vision screening. By assisting employers to modify work environments to accommodate this population, the occupational health nurse can reduce the risk of injury, as well as positively impact the health of their aging workforce.


2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (6) ◽  
pp. 1866-1904 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew S. Johnson

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)


Author(s):  
Thomas Kniesner ◽  
John D. Leeth

This entry explicates how market forces incent managers to be concerned with worker health and safety. It also notes how supplementing market forces are government actions intended to improve work-related health and safety. These include the legal system under tort laws, states’ workers’ compensation insurance Programs, research into the causes of health hazards at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the federal government’s workplace regulations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). An important empirical conclusion emerging is that the labor market, via the additional compensation workers require for exposure to health and safety risks, provides the largest economic incentive for managers making workplace decisions involving worker health-related well being.


JOURNAL ASRO ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 124
Author(s):  
Sukmo Hadi Nugroho ◽  
Bambang Suharjo ◽  
Adi Bandono ◽  
Agus Tri Haryanto

Indonesian Navy ships (KAL) is one element of the Integrated Fleet Weapon System (SSAT), which plays an important role in carrying out tasks in the defense field. So, we need an optimal KAL readiness to support the passage of the operation to be carried out successfully and smoothly. One of the ways used to prepare KAL is to carry out routine maintenance through the docking process. However, in practice there are accidents  suffered by workers.This research was conducted using the HIRARC method. HIRARC is a method of hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control measures that are used for this method is considered moreappropriate and more accurately where the dangers that arise in the process described docking of any work activity. In this method also provides appropriate control measures for each hazard. Based on the results of the HIRARC analysis, each suction work activity of docking based Risk Ranking will be sorted according to the level of Risk Matrix and will be discussed further against high risks and implemented controls. Then the resulting draft recommendation to minimize workplace accidents in the docking process is by way of elimination, Administration Control and Use of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).Keywords: HIRARC method, Docking process, KAL.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilyn D Thomas ◽  
Ellicott C Matthay ◽  
Kate A Duchowny ◽  
Alicia R Riley ◽  
Harmon Khela ◽  
...  

COVID-19 mortality disproportionately affected specific occupations and industries. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) protects the health and safety of workers by setting and enforcing standards for working conditions. Workers may file OSHA complaints about unsafe conditions. Complaints may indicate poor workplace safety during the pandemic. We evaluated COVID-19-related complaints filed with California (Cal)/OSHA between January 1, 2020 and December 14, 2020 across seven industries. To assess whether workers in occupations with high COVID-19-related mortality were also most likely to file Cal/OSHA complaints, we compared industry-specific per-capita COVID-19 confirmed deaths from the California Department of Public Health with COVID-19-related complaints. Although 7,820 COVID-19-related complaints were deemed valid by Cal/OSHA, only 627 onsite inspections occurred and 32 citations were issued. Agricultural workers had the highest per-capita COVID-19 death rates (402 per 100,000 workers) but were least represented among workplace complaints (44 per 100,000 workers). Health Care workers had the highest complaint rates (81 per 100,000 workers) but the second lowest COVID-19 death rate (81 per 100,000 workers). Industries with the highest inspection rates also had high COVID-19 mortality. Our findings suggest complaints are not proportional to COVID-19 risk. Instead, higher complaint rates may reflect worker groups with greater empowerment, resources, or capacity to advocate for better protections. This capacity to advocate for safe workplaces may account for relatively low mortality rates in potentially high-risk occupations. Future research should examine factors determining worker complaints and complaint systems to promote participation of those with the greatest need of protection.


Author(s):  
MASOOMEH VAHABI ◽  
MOSTAFA POUYAKIAN ◽  
ZAHRA MOHAMMADI ◽  
GHASEM HESAM ◽  
HOSSEIN AFIFEHZADEH KASHANI

The root cause of many workplace incidents is the lack of knowledge on occupational safety and health principles. Despite the safety and health authorities in organizations, safety and health is the general responsibility of all other experts working in an organization. Experts and managers are expected to think, decide and work safely in workplaces. However, we don’t have enough information about the level of safety and health-related education when they were in universities. In addition, there is not too much reliable published reports on the academic teaching of safety and health courses and syllabus in higher education in Iran. Therefore, the current study was aimed to provide a general view of the status of occupational safety and health teaching subjects in different academic disciplines (excluding specialized fields in occupational safety and health) in the Iranian higher educational system. Firstly, the latest edition of the entire program (curricula) of all academic disciplines held in Iranian universities was downloaded. Secondly, the required information, including discipline title, program’s degree, number of required (core) and elective (non-core) courses, and program’s date of approval, were recorded in an Excel sheet. Every course’s title and syllabus were then studied to find out any safety and health-related topics. Finally, data were analyzed and reported. 251 academic disciplines in the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME) and 771 disciplines in the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology (MSRT) were investigated. Most of the curriculums have been revised by both ministries since 2011. Results showed that 20 percent of the MOHME‎ ‎disciplines and 10.4 percent of MSRT‎ disciplines were included in the occupational safety and health courses. The number of courses with health and safety content (syllabus outline) in the MOHME ‎‎and the MSRT‎ were 168 and 173. Most health and safety courses presented in the MOHME academic majors were in the basic medical sciences category of disciplines. A majority of MSRT covered academic safety and health courses and topics were presented in the engineering category of disciplines. Presenting lessons with health and safety content at the MOHME ‎was more practical than that of the MSRT. The quality and quantity of teaching on safety and health topic were not at satisfactory levels. Revising the course syllabus of the academic disciplines and adding theoretical and practical courses related to each field's specific health and safety curriculum can make a significant contribution in improving the general knowledge of the safety and health of the university graduates. In turn, it improves future workplace safety and health conditions, managers’ insights and decision-makers on the importance of safety and health at work. It protects the people's life and the property of the organization.


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