scholarly journals Notification of occupational diseases in the Republic of Croatia: the impact of COVID-19

SEER ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-30
Author(s):  
Cvetan Kovač ◽  
Ivana Krišto ◽  
Ana Šijaković
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Occupational Diseases ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Current Health ◽  
Special Knowledge ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Interdisciplinary Process ◽  
Administrative Problem

Diagnosis of occupational diseases is an interdisciplinary process that requires special knowledge of medicine and other areas related to health and safety at work. So too is their diagnosis and treatment the responsibility of occupational health specialists. The recognition of occupational diseases in Croatia is regulated by the Law on the List of Occupational Diseases, while diagnosis is carried out according to modern occupational health criteria, which includes determining the clinical picture of the disease and the damage caused by the work process. The current health crisis caused by the pandemic of the new infectious disease COVID-19 points us to several challenges in the field of health and safety at work in the Republic of Croatia, including the administrative problem of reporting and recognising occupational diseases caused by COVID-19. At the beginning of April 2020, an amendment to the Regulation on Infectious Diseases completely removed all administrative barriers to the recognition of occupational diseases caused by COVID-19 infection.

scholarly journals Will COVID-19 Reverse the Gains Made in Occupational Health and Safety in the Mining Sector in South Africa?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivian Atud
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Occupational Health ◽  
Occupational Diseases ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Occupational Health And Safety ◽  
Mining Sector ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Made In

This paper reviews the possible impact of the Corona Virus (COVID-19) pandemic on the Mining and Mineral Industry (MMI) in South Africa. It examines the possible impact of COVID-19on the industry milestones on Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) agreed at the industry tripartite summit in 2014 which had ambitious targets of reaching zero harm in the industry and minimising occupational diseases by 2024. The paper used secondary data from the department of mineral resources. The analysis showed that (1) the industry has already missed some of the industry milestones towards the 2024 targets such as zero fatalities by 2020 and many other targets in health are also lagging behind. (2). PTB remains the dominant occupational diseases in the mining sector in South Africa constituting about 50% of major occupational diseases in the sector. (3) COVID-19 Positive continue to increase in the sector and it is being seen as a new epicentre for COVID-19 in the country despite the mandatory guidelines for OHS in the sectorin terms of the Mine Health and safety Act (MHSA) published by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) to respond to COVID-19. There is a need for the industry stakeholders to work together to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on the sector and improve occupational health outcomes towards the 2024 targets.

scholarly journals ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY RISKS ON THE SUSTAINABILITY OF ROMANIAN ORGANIZATIONS UNDER THE SARS-COV-2 PANDEMIC

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mihaela Cornelia Sandu ◽  
◽  
Valentin Mihai Leoveanu ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Health And Safety ◽  
Social Situation ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Safety Risks ◽  
Health And Safety Risks ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Working Hypotheses

In the current difficult economic and social situation in Romania and worldwide characterized by the health crisis caused by the evolutions of the SARS CoV-2 pandemic, the present study aims to highlight the amplitude to which the risk of occupational health and safety influences the continuity and sustainability of business in Romania. The research methodology adopted by the authors was based on the research highlighted in the specialized literature and by considering firstly the analysis of the results of the survey realized by applying a questionnaire to the employees from different fields of activity during the period February 29 - March 15, 2020. Secondly, the authors considered the analysis of the determinants of the risk of occupational health and safety at the level of the employers with an impact on the continuity and sustainability of the Romanian organizations, especially the businesses. The results of this research reveal how the working hypotheses in the second level of the analysis were confirmed or not regarding the impact of occupational and healthy risks on the sustainability of Romanian organizations under the SARS-COV-2 pandemic.

Drawing the Line between Dismissal for Alcoholism (Incapacity) and Dismissal for Drunkenness (Misconduct). Are the Boni Mores Compromised?

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 57-63
Author(s):  
Thandekile Phulu
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Occupational Health ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Health And Safety ◽  
Fundamental Rights ◽  
Labour Relations ◽  
Labour Practice ◽  
The Republic

In South Africa employees are protected by various pieces of legislation. Section 23 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996 provides for a right to fair labour practice. In its preamble the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (hereafter referred to as the LRA) states that the purpose of the Act is to advance economic development, social justice, labour peace and democratisation of the workplace. The LRA also states that one of its objectives is to give effect to and regulate the fundamental rights conferred by section 27 of the Constitution. The Occupational Health and Safety Act as amended by the Occupational Health and Safety Amendment Act 181 of 1993 provides for the health and safety of persons at work and for the health and safety of persons in connection with the use of plant and machinery. The LRA provides for dismissal for incapacity and dismissals for misconduct. It also differentiates between the two. The LRA provides for both substantive and procedural fairness when dismissing an employee for incapacity and misconduct. This paper will examine the rationale behind differentiating between dismissal for drunkenness and dismissal for alcoholism.

scholarly journals Compatibility as guiding principle for ergonomics work design and preventive occupational health and safety

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helmut Strasser
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
System Performance ◽  
Occupational Diseases ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Health And Safety ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Design ◽  
Human Organism ◽  
Machine System ◽  
Human Capacity

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.

scholarly journals “A Mere Matter of Rock”: Organized Labour, Scientific Evidence and British Government Schemes for Compensation of Silicosis and Pneumoconiosis among Coalminers, 1926–1940

2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark W Bufton ◽  
Joseph Melling
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Occupational Health ◽  
Occupational Diseases ◽  
Government Regulation ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
British Government ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Industrial Injuries ◽  
Recent Account

The growth of statutory compensation for industrial injuries and illness has attracted considerable attention from historians of state welfare and students of organized labour in both Europe and North America. The rights of legal redress for disease and accidents in the workplace have become the subject of some debate among historians of occupational health and safety, most particularly in regard to asbestos-related illnesses. Among the most detailed and scholarly accounts of the subject in Britain are those by Peter Bartrip and his collaborators. In contrast to many accounts in labour and medical history which express strong empathy with the plight of workers who faced injury and death in the workplace, Bartrip adopts a model of industrial behaviour which is closer to rational-choice assumptions of mainstream economics. His recent account of government regulation of occupational diseases since the nineteenth century offers limited comment on the attitudes of trade unionists to accidents, though he broadly maintains that British unions have historically been more concerned with winning compensation awards than pressing for the prevention of hazards in the industrial workplace.

Tropical infections as occupational diseases – labor inspectorate physicians’ aspects of a complex problem

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 21-28
Author(s):  
Paul J. Jansing ◽  
Audry Morrison ◽  
Travis W. Heggie ◽  
Thomas Küpper
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Occupational Disease ◽  
Occupational Diseases ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Complex Problem ◽  
Risk Exposure ◽  
Tropical Diseases ◽  
State Institute ◽  
Occupational Physicians ◽  
Tropical Infections

<p><b>Background: </b>Occupational physicians work directly with individual employees regarding diseases that has been caused or exacerbated by workplace factors. However, employees are increasingly required to travel for their work, including to tropical countries where they risk exposure to diseases they would not normally encounter at home (i.e., malaria). Such disease/s may also take days to months to incubate before becoming symptomatic, even after their return home, thus delaying and complicating the diagnosis. Proving this was an occupational disease with respective sick leave entitlement or compensation can be challenging. There is a lack of data concerning occupational diseases caused by tropical infections. <p> <b>Material and methods: </b>Employee case records for the period 2003-2008 from the State Institute for Occupational Health and Safety of North-Rhine Westphalia in Germany were analysed and assessed within Germany’s regulatory framework. These records included Germany’s largest industrial zone.<p> <b>Results: </b>From 2003-2008the suspected cases of “tropical diseases and typhus”, categorized as occupational disease “Bk 3104” in Germany, have decreased significantly. A high percentage of the suspected cases was accepted as occupational disease, but persistent or permanent sequelae which conferred an entitlement to compensation were rare. <p><b>Conclusion: </b> There is scope to improve diagnosis and acceptance of tropical diseases as occupational diseases. The most important diseases reported were malaria, amoebiasis, and dengue fever. Comprehensive pre-travel advice and post-travel follow-ups by physicians trained in travel and occupational health medicine should be mandatory. Data indicate that there is a lack of knowledge on how to prevent infectious disease abroad.

scholarly journals Quantifying the relationship between lean maturity and occupational health and safety

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 150-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed Sajad Mousavi ◽  
Reza Khani Jazani ◽  
Elizabeth A. Cudney ◽  
Paolo Trucco
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Health And Safety ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Leading Indicators ◽  
Lean Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Factors ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to quantify the multifaceted relationship between lean implementation and occupational health and safety (OHS) performance. Hypotheses based on a set of antecedents (mediating factors) are built and quantitatively tested. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through an international survey with responses from more than 20 countries. Partial least square-based structural equation modeling was used to test a theoretical framework derived from literature. Leading indicators (formative indices) were used to evaluate the four antecedents of OHS performance (mediating factors). Findings All the identified antecedents show a significant mediating role. Antecedents related to the working environment and organizational factors have the strongest mediating effect. Results support the importance of using OHS leading indicators to appropriately measure the impact of lean implementation on workers’ health and safety. Research limitations/implications The proposed OHS leading indicators connecting lean practices to OHS performance antecedents are only explored in this study. Therefore, to establish a comprehensive, validated and practically usable set of leading indicators, further research is needed. Practical implications As there are some synergistic and trade-off relationships between lean and safety, the findings of this study will enable managers and organizations to leverage the positive effects of lean implementation on workers’ health and safety and mitigate the negative effects. Originality/value Several prior studies investigated the multifaceted link between lean and OHS; however, this is the first study that tested direct and mediated influence by defining a coherent set of antecedents. The results justify and strongly support the adoption of OHS leading indicators to measure the impact of lean implementation on OHS performance.

scholarly journals Proceedings from the CIHLMU occupational safety and health symposium 2019 “Protecting workers’ health: global challenges and opportunities in work-related respiratory diseases”

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (S14) ◽  
Author(s):  
Netsanet Workneh Gidi ◽  
Anna Suraya ◽  
Beatrice Mutayoba ◽  
Bernarda Espinoza ◽  
Bindiya Meggi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Occupational Diseases ◽  
Respiratory Diseases ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Global Challenges ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

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.

Restructuring of the Québec Health Network and its Effects on the Profession of Home Health Aides and their Occupational Health and Safety

2007 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther Cloutier ◽  
Elise Ledoux ◽  
Madeleine Bourdouxhe ◽  
Hélène David ◽  
Isabelle Gagnon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Health And Safety ◽  
Home Care Services ◽  
Home Health ◽  
Home Health Aides ◽  
The Impact

The Québec health sector is facing profound macroeconomic and macro-organizational changes. This article addresses the impact of these changes on the work of home health aides (HHAs) and their occupational health and safety (OHS). The study was carried out in the home care services of four local community service centers (CLSCs) with different organizational characteristics. It is based on an analysis by triangulation of 66 individual and group interviews, 11 work days, and 35 multidisciplinary or professional meetings observed, as well as administrative documents. HHAs are experiencing an erosion of their job because the relational and emotional components of their work are disappearing. This results in an increase in musculoskeletal and psychological health problems. This study also shows that managers’ decisions can reduce or increase the HHAs’ work constraints. Stability in the clientele served and the possibility of organizing their routes are good examples of positive impacts.

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