Association of perceived work pace and physical work demands with occupational accidents: a cross-sectional study of ageing male construction workers in Denmark

Background Occupational accidents continue to be a significant public health challenge worldwide. Construction workers in particular are at high risk of occupational accidents, and thus it is of major importance to identify possible predictors of occupational accidents among construction workers. We aimed to investigate the association between self-reported work pace and physical work demands and occupational accidents among ageing male construction workers in Denmark. Methods Data on perceived work pace, physical work demands, and occupational accidents was acquired from questionnaires sent to ageing construction workers in Denmark in 2016 as part of the ALFA project (ALdring og Fysisk Arbejde; Ageing and Physical Work). A sample of 1270 Danish male construction workers above 50 years of age was included in the present study. Multiple logistic regression models were applied, with adjustments for age, smoking, body mass index, musculoskeletal disorders, occupation, work experience, and support at work. Results Of 1270 construction workers, 166 (13.1%) reported an occupational accident within the last 12 months. There was no significant association between perceived work pace and occupational accidents, but physical work demands were associated with higher odds for occupational accidents, with an odds ratio of 2.27 (95% confidence interval 1.26–4.10) for medium physical work demands and 2.62 (95% confidence interval 1.50–4.57) for high physical work demands. Conclusions Ageing male construction workers with high physical work demands had statistically significant higher odds of having an occupational accident. By contrast, perceived work pace was not associated with occupational accidents in this large cross-sectional study.

Latent class analysis for identification of occupational accident casualty profiles in the selected Polish manufacturing sector

The objective of the analysis is identifying profiles of occupational accident casualties as regards production companies to provide the necessary knowledge to facilitate the preparation and management of a safe work environment. Qualitative data characterizing employees injured in accidents registered in Polish wood processing plants over a period of 10 years were the subject of the research. The latent class analysis (LCA) method was employed in the investigation. This statistical modelling technique, based on the values of selected indicators (observed variables) divides the data set into separate groups, called latent classes, which enable the definition of patterns. A procedure which supports the decision as regards the number of classes was presented. The procedure considers the quality of the LCA model and the distinguishability of the classes. Moreover, a method of assessing the importance of indicators in the patterns description was proposed. Seven latent classes were obtained and illustrated by the heat map, which enabled the profiles identification. They were labelled as follows: very serious, serious, moderate, minor (three latent classes), slight. Some recommendations were made regarding the circumstances of occupational accidents with the most severe consequences for the casualties.

Incidence of Occupational Accidents and Contributing Factors among Male Workers in an Electrical Distribution Company in Istanbul, Turkey

Background: This study aimed to determine the incidence of occupational accidents among male workers in an electric power distribution company and to analyze the contributing factors. Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted on 158 male workers from an electricity distribution company in Istanbul (Turkey) between October 2014 and June 2015 in two phases. In the first phase, the data were collected with the face-to-face interviews based on a questionnaire related to the occupational accidents and working conditions in the past year. Then, each worker was followed-up for four months for the occupational accident incidence. The data were analyzed using SPSS software. The degree and magnitude of association between dependent and independent variables were determined by Phi (Φ) and Cramer's V coefficient. Results: The incidence rate of self-reported occupational accidents was 47.5% in the past year. The incidence was found to be higher for those aged over 41 (51.7%, p=0.02), work in lighting and overhead line units (71.0% and 47.2%, p=0.04), have occupational disease (66.7%, p=0.01), and have witnessed any occupational accident in the electricity sector (66.1%, p<0.001). The incidence rate was moderately associated with the working unit (Cramer’sV=0.25), witnessing any occupational accident (Φ=0.29), and occupational disease (Φ=0.21). It was higher for those with shift work (52.0%; p=0.29) and with job insecurity (51.8%, p=0.11). The incidence rate of occupational accidents based on four-month follow-up was 0.53 person-year. The most frequent type of accident was explosion (14.3%), and the majority of the accidents resulted in injuries (78.6%). Conclusion: The incidence of occupational accidents among male workers in the electricity distribution company was higher than the national average. The accidents were significantly related to the working conditions.

Conflict of Laws on Occupational Accident Death Benefits: Presented with Actual Cases in Taiwan

When a worker dies due to an occupational accident, the labor insurance death benefit being applied for by his/her survivors subject to more conditions due to the revision of the Act. When the survivor does not meet the requirements, the labor insurance will not be paid. At this time, the survivor of the occupational accident worker shall instead turn to the employer for compensation to pay the labor insurance premium as the Bureau of Labor Insurance did not pay. The employer had to pay out of its pocket to compensate the survivor for the absurdity of the death compensation by the Labor Standards Act. A large company can take care of family members in terms of corporate responsibility or financial resources, if it is a small and medium-sized enterprise or even a microenterprise, it cannot pay this huge amount, and family members have to fight for compensation through litigation. However, it is not commonly known that the premiums of the labor accident insurance are not shared by the government or workers, and 100% of the total amount is paid by the employer.

The Role of the Big Five Personality Factors on Accident: A Case of Accidents in Construction Industries

Limited research has been undertaken to explore how construction workers’ personality affects safety behavior. Most of the previous literature in the field of health and safety especially in the construction industry has been focusing on managerial, non-occupational accident,s or somewhat other aspect accident causation. Indeed, construction is known as one of the most dangerous industries globally, therefore, this study estimates the importance of personality traits in relation to risk behavior in the workplace. The objective is to review and identify which dimension of personality traits (big five models) are more effective on occupational accident to suggest a new model that is helpful in the construction industry in order to reduce the accident rate. The finding showed that neuroticism, agreeableness, and conscientiousness compare to the other personality traits are more effective on both occupational/non-occupational accidents, while, the effect of agreeableness and conscientiousness on improving safety performance was overwhelming. On the other hand, there is little evidence to show the meaningful and efficient connection between occupational accidents and extraversion. Extraversion and openness were appropriate only to affect non-occupational accidents. Finally, this research presents the appropriate model which is worthwhile to improve the safety performance in the construction industry.