scholarly journals “In Initiative Overload”: Australian Perspectives on Promoting Physical Activity in the Workplace from Diverse Industries

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josephine Chau ◽  
Lina Engelen ◽  
Tracy Kolbe-Alexander ◽  
Sarah Young ◽  
Heidi Olsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Occupational Health ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Office Workers ◽  
Health And Wellness ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Wellness Initiatives

Introduction: With two thirds of adults in paid employment and one third physically inactive, workplaces are an important setting for promoting more physical activity. We explored the attitudes and practices of employees and managers from different industries towards sitting and moving at work, to inform the development of acceptable solutions for encouraging businesses to adopt activity-promoting workplaces. Method: We conducted focus groups with employees and structured interviews with upper/middle managers from 12 organisations in a range of industries (e.g., education, healthcare, manufacturing, construction, insurance, mining). Topics focused on past and current workplace health and wellness initiatives, workplace culture and environment related to physical activity, responsibility for employee physical activity patterns at work, and enablers of/barriers to activity promoting workplaces. Results: Physical activity was not an explicit priority in existing occupational health and wellness initiatives. Instead, there was a strong focus on education about preventing and managing injuries, such as manual handling among non-office workers and desk-based ergonomics for office workers. Physical activity was viewed as a strategy for maintaining work ability and preventing injury, particularly in blue-collar staff, rather than for chronic disease prevention. Managers noted structural/organisational barriers/enablers to promoting physical activity at work (e.g., regulations, costs, competing concerns), while employees tended to focus on individual constraints such as time and geographic location. The issues of "initiative overload" and making physical activity a part of “business as usual” emerged as strong themes from employees and managers. Conclusions: While there is stakeholder enthusiasm for creating activity-promoting workplaces, multi-level support is needed to make physical activity an integral part of day-to-day business. The synergism between occupational health and safety priorities could be leveraged to facilitate the creation of activity-promoting workplaces.

Work scheduling and work location control in precarious and ‘permanent’ employment

2020 ◽  
pp. 103530462098140
Author(s):  
Helen Devereux ◽  
Emma Wadsworth
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Rest Period ◽  
Occupational Health And Safety ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Precarious Employment ◽  
Safety Risks ◽  
Jel Code ◽  
Lack Of Commitment

This article explores the relationship between precarious employment and seafarers’ control over the scheduling and location of their work, and considers the implications of this relationship for their occupational health and safety. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 20 permanently and 17 precariously employed seafarers. In contrast with those on permanent contracts, seafarers employed by crewing agencies on temporary contracts were deployed at short notice and commenced work on vessels irrespective of whether they had experienced an adequate rest period at home. Such precariously employed seafarers were also deployed across the various sectors of the industry on unfamiliar vessels. Seafarers felt strongly that scheduling and location uncertainties were closely linked with increased risks to their safety and well-being, and it was clear that these areas of uncertainty were frequently experienced in combination, in particular, by those with precarious employment arrangements. The article, therefore, suggests that the widespread disorganisation of the employment relationship increases the occupational health and safety risks faced by those working in an already dangerous industry. It concludes that this lack of commitment by shipping companies to their workforce means that, for many seafarers, protection against these additional risks is effectively at the discretion of the captain on board. JEL Code: J81

scholarly journals The Low-Wage Essential Worker: Occupational Concerns and Needs in the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Round Table

2021 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 154-160
Author(s):  
Susan Gallagher ◽  
Asha Roy ◽  
Sandra J. Domeracki ◽  
Todd Mohrmann ◽  
Vicki Missar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Home Environment ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Round Table ◽  
Round Table Discussion ◽  
Health And Wellness ◽  
Infection Transmission ◽  
Work Settings ◽  
Education Training

Background Planning occupational health and wellness services and support directed toward low-wage, essential workers in the COVID-19 pandemic has posed a number of challenges across work settings. This article explores the concerns and needs of low-wage essential workers as understood by experts in the field. Methods Leading experts in the areas of occupational health and safety, risk management, insurance, and professional education/training were identified and invited to participate in a Round Table discussion. Questions posed to experts were based on literature that addressed COVID-19, essential workers, low-wage workers, infection transmission, education/training, and social justice. Findings Experts agreed that special considerations must be in place to address the concerns and needs of the low-wage essential worker. These special considerations should address not only the worker’s occupational experience but their family and home environment, fears and anxieties, and the economic impact of the COVID-19 restrictions and requirements. Conclusion/Application to practice The occupational health professional is a key resource to employers charged with addressing the concerns and needs of low-wage, essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The changed relations between the construction industry and occupational health services

Work ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 903-915
Author(s):  
Maria Johansson ◽  
Magnus Nygren ◽  
Leif Berglund
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
General Character ◽  
Occupational Health Services ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Main Barrier

BACKGROUND: From the 1960s until the beginning of the 1990s, the construction industry in Sweden received support for health and safety issues from Bygghälsan, an Occupational Health Service (OHS) that targeted the construction industry. In the 1990s, a reorganization of the OHS changed the relations between the actors involved. OBJECTIVES: This study explores these changed relations between the construction industry and the “old” industry-specific Bygghälsan versus the relations with “new” external OHS. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 interviewees from the construction industry and individuals involved in OHS which were transcribed and analyzed. RESULTS: The results suggest that OHS have changed towards a more general character instead of tailor-made services which has had a negative effect on the relations. Further, Bygghälsan was perceived as being a part of the construction industry while contemporary OHS providers were perceived as outsiders which further complicates building trustful relations. CONCLUSIONS: The relation between the construction industry and Bygghälsan was perceived as better compared to the relations with the new companies providing external OHS. The main barrier to building better relations is the perception that contemporary OHS do not have the same knowledge about the construction industry as Bygghälsan.

scholarly journals Occupational Health and Safety Challenges From Employment-Related Geographical Mobility Among Canadian Seafarers on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 371-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Desai Shan ◽  
Katherine Lippel
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Health And Safety ◽  
Legal Analysis ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Geographical Mobility ◽  
International Labor ◽  
Maritime Labor ◽  
National Boundaries

Seafaring involves multiple patterns of mobility. Ships are mobile workplaces that connect and disconnect from land. Many move within and between national boundaries. Maritime labor forces are recruited from multiple locations engaging in varying commutes to and from homeports—international commutes for international labor forces and internal commutes for national labor forces. Mobilities expose seafarers to a range of occupational health and safety hazards, which can be exacerbated by mobility-related constraints on regulatory protections. Based on legal analysis and twenty-five semi-structured interviews with Canadian seafarers, managers, and key informants, this exploratory study examines how employment-related geographical mobility may create occupational health and safety challenges for Canadian seafarers working on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway. Findings show that few legal instruments are available to protect seafarers from commuting-related occupational hazards and that occupational health and safety challenges are numerous. Seafarers’ occupational health and safety rights on board are restricted and they are systemically discouraged from raising safety concerns.

Identifying and describing segments of office workers by activity patterns

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Close ◽  
Leslie A. Lytle ◽  
Anthony J. Viera ◽  
Ding-Geng Chen ◽  
Laura A. Linnan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
Office Workers ◽  
Major Health ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Exercise Behaviors ◽  
Exercise Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and characterize patterns of physical activity among office workers employed in largely sedentary occupations at a major health insurer located in the Southeastern USA. Design/methodology/approach The authors used latent class analysis to identify segments of office workers (n=239) based on their self-reported activities of daily living and exercise behaviors. The authors examined the association of demographic characteristics with segment membership, and differences in accelerometer-measured weekly minutes of light and moderate-vigorous physical activity across segments. Findings The authors identified two segments and labeled them “exerciser” and “non-exerciser.” Being female was associated with lower odds of membership in the “exerciser” segment (OR=0.18; 95% CI=0.06, 0.52), while those with at least a bachelor’s degree were more likely to be in the “exerciser” segment (OR=2.12; 95% CI=1.02, 4.40). Mean minutes of moderate-vigorous physical activity per week were greater for the “exerciser” segment than the “non-exerciser” segment. Practical implications Based on this sample, the authors found that office workers in sedentary occupations were roughly equally divided and distinguished by their engagement in exercise-type behaviors. The findings underscore the need for innovative workplace programming that enhances activity opportunities particularly for those that are not likely to exercise. Originality/value A scarcity of research on activity patterns among office workers inhibits development of targeted worksite activity programming. The present research reveals two segments of workers with regard to their activity patterns and suggests ways for worksites to meet their unique needs.

scholarly journals Improving Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) implementation in construction project in Bali

2019 ◽  
Vol 276 ◽  
pp. 02022
Author(s):  
Dharmayanti Gusti ◽  
Pramana Sien ◽  
Diputra Astawa ◽  
Frederika Ariany
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Health And Safety ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Planning Stage ◽  
Weak Supervision ◽  
Low Culture ◽  
The Cost

Optimal Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) implementation to achieve zero accident becomes the demand for construction service providers in realizing a qualified infrastructure, including for construction industry in Bali and Indonesia as general. This study aims to investigate the barriers of OHS implementation faced by contractors in Bali, and to formulate the efforts to improve the implementation. Collected data from a questionnaire survey were analysed using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to determine the priority level of the identified barriers. The results suggested that the barriers on the implementation of OHS which was sorted from the most important included Limited funding for OHS (3.231), Low OHS priority by company management (2.020), Low culture and discipline to implement OHS (1.031), Lack of knowledge about OHS (0.725), Weak supervision (0.478), Weak application of sanctions from the company (0.340), and Contractor forced to work until late at night (0.230). The related efforts were formulated based on semi-structured interviews recommended that the cost of implementing OHS including the required methods and equipment should be covered in the planning stage, and socialization, supervision and strict sanctions against violations of OSH implementation needs to be applied.

scholarly journals Employee health and wellness in South Africa: The role of legislation and management standards

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Sieberhagen ◽  
Sebastiaan Rothmann ◽  
Jacobus Pienaar
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Occupational Health ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Health And Safety ◽  
Employee Health ◽  
Health And Wellness ◽  
Management Standards ◽  
Role Players

The aim of this study was to investigate the role that legislation and management standards might play in ensuring occupational health and wellness in South Africa. The Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1993 determines that an employer must establish and maintain a work environment that is safe and without risk to the health of employees. It seems that there is a lack of guidance in the laws and statutes with regard to dealing with employee health and wellness. A management standards approach, which involves all the role players in the regulation of employee health and wellness, should be implemented.

scholarly journals Children’s Independent Mobility and Physical Activity during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study with Families

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4481
Author(s):  
Chelsea A. Pelletier ◽  
Katie Cornish ◽  
Caroline Sanders
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Friendship Networks ◽  
Independent Mobility ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
Urban And Rural Areas ◽  
Fear And Anxiety ◽  
The Impact

Children’s independent mobility (CIM) is the freedom of children to move around their neighbourhood without adult supervision and is closely related to overall physical activity participation. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted movement behaviours for children, with evidence indicating a decrease in physical activity. The aim of this study was to explore experiences of CIM and physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspectives of children and their parents. We completed 21 family (at least one parent and one child aged 7–12) semi-structured interviews with 45 participants living in small urban and rural areas of British Columbia, Canada. Three themes were identified through a reflexive thematic analysis: (1) keeping everyone safe from COVID-19; (2) change in pattern and types of activity; (3) social impacts with family, friends, and community. Participants expressed a perceived increase in unstructured activity and a decrease in structured physical activity during the pandemic, which many parents viewed as a positive change. Parents and children indicated negative feelings due to spending less time with peers and reflected positively about spending more time with family. Parents and children expressed fear and anxiety in trying to keep their families safe from virus spread and creativity in adapting play behaviours. Findings highlight the impact of the pandemic on social friendship networks for families and a shift in activity patterns for children toward unstructured play.

Nurses’ physical activity exploratory study: Caring for you so you can care for others

Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 461-471
Author(s):  
Bhibha M. Das ◽  
Brianna C. Adams
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Occupational Health ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Moderate Intensity ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Patient Health ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Pearson Correlations

BACKGROUND: Nurses report the greatest stress of all health care workers. Although physical activity (PA) is associated with health benefits among other populations, nurses have stressors that other occupations do not typically encounter. It is important for nurses to identify techniques for stress management since stressors negatively impact their health and patient care. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to examine the relationship between PA levels and physical, mental, and occupational health among nurses. METHODS: Nurses (N = 62) completed measures of anthropometrics, demographics, and domains of physical, mental, and occupational health. Pearson correlations determined the relationship between PA and measures health along with the relationship between PA and health among active versus inactive nurses. RESULTS: Fatigue was significantly correlated with moderate-to-vigorous PA (r = –0.27, p < 0.05). Relationships were found between mental health and light and moderate intensity PA (r = 0.40, p < 0.001; r = 0.30, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Stress is prevalent among nurses and negatively impacts a nurse’s health along with patient care. Findings suggest health benefits associated with PA among nurses. PA interventions among nurses may be needed to fully see the effects of PA on physical, mental, and occupational health, and ultimately patient health and safety.

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