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

Author(s):  
Michael A. Flynn ◽  
Pietra Check ◽  
Andrea L. Steege ◽  
Jacqueline M. Sivén ◽  
Laura N. Syron

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.

Author(s):  
David M. Rempel ◽  
Scott Schneider ◽  
Sean Gallagher ◽  
Sheree Gibson ◽  
Susan Kotowski ◽  
...  

The National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) is a research framework for the nation and for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The NORA Musculoskeletal Health Cross-Sector (MUS) Council focuses on the mitigation of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). Two projects have been chosen by the MUS Council for disseminating existing information on ergonomic assessment methods and interventions. The first project involves collaboration with the AIHA Ergonomics Committee on the latest update of the AIHA Ergonomic Assessment Toolkit. The second project aims to post all-industry information on ergonomic solutions/interventions/guidelines in collaboration with the International Ergonomics Association (IEA). The MUS Council plans on leveraging the collaborative efforts for promoting widespread adoption of evidence-based workplace practices for the prevention of WMSDs.


2021 ◽  
pp. 187-208
Author(s):  
Emily F. Rothman

This chapter focuses on the work-related hazards faced by pornography performers and other laborers in the adult entertainment industry workforce. The chapter reviews demographics and characteristics of pornography performers, what health-related and other challenges those in the industry face because of their work, which organized groups support their collective health and safety on the job, and what policies have been drafted that seek to address pornography performers’ health and safety. The chapter details health hazards, including sexually transmitted infections (STIs), violence on set, stigma, the challenges of working as independent contractors, and lack of wage transparency in the industry. The chapter emphasizes that occupational safety and health hazards faced by performers are undoubtedly compounded when performers are Black, Latinx, transgender, or identify as belonging to another marginalized group. Public health advocates should focus on promoting the well-being of those who work in the pornography industry by establishing meaningful, long-term, trusting partnerships with those presently working in the industry.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (S14) ◽  
Author(s):  
Netsanet Workneh Gidi ◽  
Anna Suraya ◽  
Beatrice Mutayoba ◽  
Bernarda Espinoza ◽  
Bindiya Meggi ◽  
...  

AbstractThe international CIHLMU Occupational Safety and Health Symposium 2019 was held on 16th March, 2019 at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany. About 60 participants from around the world representing occupational health and safety professionals, students, instructors from several institutions in Germany and abroad, attended the symposium.The main objective of the symposium was to create awareness on global challenges and opportunities in work-related respiratory diseases. One keynote lecture and six presentations were made. While the keynote lecture addressed issues on occupational diseases in the twenty-first century, the six presentations were centered on: Prevention and control of work-related respiratory diseases, considerations; Occupational health and safety in Mining: Respiratory diseases; The prevention of TB among health workers is our collective responsibility; Compensation and prevention of occupational diseases and discussion on how artificial intelligence can support them: Overview of international approaches; Work-related Asthma: Evidence from high-income countries; and The role of imaging in the diagnosis of work- related respiratory diseases. A panel discussion was conducted following the presentations on the importance and challenges of data acquisition which is needed to have a realistic picture of the occupational safety and health status of workers at different levels. The current summary is an attempt to share the proceedings of the symposium.


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):  
Mohammad Mahmoud Alglilat ◽  
◽  
Tengku Mohammad Arif ◽  
Osama Mohammad Abu Nawwas ◽  
Ahmad Zubaidi A. Latif ◽  
...  

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.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-25
Author(s):  
Nor Azma Rahlin ◽  
Munawar Mustafa ◽  
Abdul Halim Abdul Majid

The statistic on occupational safety and health has received considerable attention in the SME industry regarding to the vital role of the SME in the Malaysian economy to become a developed country by the year 2020. However, the official statistic specific on SME related occupational safety and health still una-vailable. Thus, the secondary data related to estimation statistic refer to the Department of Statistic (DOS) since 2001 until 2012 were used. Estimation related statistic is adapted from the Global Estimates of Occupational Accidents and Work-related Illnesses 2014. The total number of occupational accident and fatalities average high within ten years. Whereas a number of the accident decrease during 2002 to 2007 with the involvement of 85926 to 56339 cases, nevertheless, four years later trend drastically in-creased. Approximately ten thousand fatal occupational related diseases as 2014. In addition, the cost of compensation claims related occupational accident report increase in 2012 as well as disease and sur-vival recipient. Overall cost of occupational accident increase every year. Presently, this study provided useful hints of implication of ignoring safety to encourage improvement of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), enhance effectiveness of company operational cost, and stimulate prevention at the SME level substantially great approach to the Malaysian economic development.


Safety at workplace is an issue that has been growing in the social context and is becoming an increasing concern of many parties that call for the need of actions to prevent injuries and other sort of dangerous situations. Safety in school, as a workplace for many, is not only the school’s management responsibility but teachers, staff as well as the students have roles to play to ensure that schools are safe. Teachers need to have knowledge and awareness of safety in schools and embrace its related concepts as depicted by Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (OSHA 1994).This paper reports on a qualitative study, involving interviews with20 experienced secondary school teachers from the Northern States of Peninsular Malaysia. It examines the concept of safety in school from their perspectives. The interview data were analysed thematically. Among the concepts that had emerged from the analysis are safety in school as undeniably an important aspect that warrants attention from the related parties; safety in school as a condition whereby the community in the schools feel safe; and safety in schools as the awareness of being free from danger from the physical and psychosocial aspects. The results of the study provided evidence of limited conceptions of safety in school among the teachers. Hence, it indicates the need to provide teachers with relevant knowledge about matters pertaining to safety in school as described by the ministry.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1476
Author(s):  
Ya-huei Wang ◽  
Cheng-Ming Chang ◽  
Hung-Chang Liao

Occupational accidents and diseases cause the loss of valuable workers and lead to high healthcare expenses. Because occupational accidents and diseases are ascribed to inadequate working conditions and work environments, they can be prevented through a well-established occupational safety and health management system, which can ensure workers’ health and reduce the expense of healthcare. The study investigated the shortage of work-related occupational safety and health (OSH) measures in medium-sized manufacturing industries. This study mainly focused on qualitative interviews with 15 labor inspectors and 25 business executives from OSH participating to investigate the problems of occupational safety and health in the manufacturing industries in Taiwan. The results of a qualitative study show that the most important problems with OSH management are employers’ negligence and workers’ insufficient knowledge about OSH management. The research results revealed the following eighteen significant shortcomings of OSH management: employers care mostly about production profit and do not care much for OSH; OSH data collection and OSH planning are not suitable for the workplace; many managers of OSH affairs are not qualified, in terms of their professional or academic backgrounds; and the repair of workplaces’ roofs often results in falling accidents, especially before or after a typhoon, because of workers’ failure to use safety belts and/or to follow OSH guidelines. In order to address the shortcomings and bottlenecks, the study also presented recommendations for how to implement and revise the OSH Act and how to research and enhance OSH management. The results of this study will not only supply the Ministry of Labor (Taiwan) with data to plan the strategy of OSH management but also will allow employers and workers to improve OSH management in the workplace in order to prevent the occurrence of occupational accidents.


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