S.W.O.T analysis of the Department of Nursing in healthcare organizations

S.W.O.T analysis is a proposed strategic analysis tool for healthcare organizations. The issues identified in the S.W.O.T. analysis are classified into four categories. From the internal environment of the service are the strength points, such as accessibility, good level of provided health services, experienced and specialized nursing staff, modern level of technological-biomedical equipment, management oriented to quality procedures, staff satisfaction and the weakness points, such as shortages of human resources and equipment, mental and physical fatigue, non-application of treatment protocols, vague nursing tasks, modest or reduced staff training, worker culture. From the external environment, there are opportunities, start-up and operation of quality assurance systems, awareness of service weaknesses, medical records, volunteering, private forms of hospital funding, multiculturalism, and threats, such as financial and values crisis, bureaucracy in day-to-day management, the presence of a significant number of migrants and uninsured people, health users’ displeasure, private care, change of epidemiological model. The purpose of the article is to highlight the application of the S.W.O.T. analysis as an important tool in the hands of nursing administration, decision-making and shaping a future strategy of health services. S.W.O.T is a useful, but not a stand-alone, strategic planning tool that promises health services to make informed decisions and leave nothing to chance in order to be efficient and competitive.

Factors that Sustain Health and Safety Management Practices in the Food Industry

Due to the significant change in business organizations, scholarly interest has diverted from studying the determinants of financial performance to understanding the environmental activities, sustainability practices, and health and safety management practices. Despite the extensive literature, it is yet to understand either internal or external factors that improve health and safety management practices in SMEs. This research examines the influence of the internal factors—intellectual capital, information technology capabilities (ITC), and entrepreneurial orientation, and the external capabilities—government financial support, institutional pressure, and managerial networking on six health and safety management practices: management commitment, staff training, worker involvement, safety communication and feedback, safety rules and procedures, and safety promotion policies. We researched 410 Pakistani SMEs from the food business industry. The results indicate that intellectual capital significantly improves management commitment, safety communication and feedback, and safety rules and produces; ITC significantly improves management commitment and safety communication and feedback; and entrepreneurial orientation significantly facilitates safety training and worker involvement only. In the external capabilities, government financial support has a significant influence on management commitment, worker involvement, safety rules and policies, and safety promotion policies. Institutional pressure has a significant influence on management commitment, safety training, safety communication, and feedback and safety promotion policies. Managerial networking significantly influences safety training, worker involvement, safety rules and procedures, and safety promotion policies of SMEs. Focusing only on the food industry is the major limitation of this research, this study recommends SMEs to give sufficient attention to their internal and external factors to enhance health and safety management practices. Further implications are discussed.

Protecting Disaster Rescue and Recovery Workers

This chapter describes disaster worker protection strategies and health surveillance activities in terms of temporal phases to address disaster safety management before, during, and after a disaster event. The protective strategies discussed in the chapter integrate assessments of on-scene hazards and health or safety impacts and require pre-event planning and coordination across multiple entities. The chapter also addresses the integration of physical, psychological and behavioral health approaches. The chapter addresses the complexities of hazard assessment and control, worker education and training, worker illness and injury surveillance, and access to healthcare services, along with a box on community preparedness. These activities are performed by diverse groups of occupational and environmental health professionals. Various illustrative examples are presented to describe how basic concepts of protection and medical evaluation are applied in specific situations. The U.S. federal system for protecting disaster rescue and recovery workers is described in detail.

SUCCESSFUL APPROACHES PROVIDING SAFETY TRAINING FOR FARM AND LANDSCAPE EMPLOYEES IN SOUTHERN FLORIDA

Safety training for farm, nursery and landscape workers has been provided in Miami-Dade County in English and Spanish for many years. Vegetable workers are available August–September; nursery, landscape and tropical fruit workers all year. Certificates of Completion and proof of training cards are provided. Traditionally, a half-day rodeo was offered—instructors delivered presentations several times as participants move from room to room. 4 to 6 agents and 2 to 4 volunteers are needed to teach such training, plus 8 to 10 classrooms. 100+ vegetable and nursery workers participate. A local school was used for many years, with training scheduled when school was out. A tractor driving competition was held after lunch, with trophies and cash prizes. As scheduling the school became difficult, training was offered at the CES office using one room and 2 agents (Spanish in am, English in pm). This is easier to arrange and can be offered any time of year. In total, 40–50 nursery workers attend. A third type of training developed as topics were requested by the industries; for example, chainsaw and climbing safety for tree crews. One agent and one volunteer are required; 50 or more participate, and class is in English. Safety is also taught as part of other seminars, required by law (pesticide applicator training, Worker Protection Standard), trade organizations (landscape, nursery, arborist) or county policy (hurricane pruning for public employees). Participation varies widely (15 to 100+), as does language. We have concluded that successful safety training depends on being willing and able to offer the type of training required by a given situation, which will change over time.

The Future of Work: The Significance of Non-Standard Work in the Twenty-First Century

Across the OECD, there is a significant decline in standard/typical work or employment relations and the growing presence of what is broadly (and inadequately) referred to as non-standard work. It is most obviously represented by part-time and temporary employment, accompanied by a growing variety of fixed term and contract arrangements, own account self-employment, agency-mediated and portfolio work. An increasing proportion of the workforce do not work under traditional employment contracts, at an employer’s place of work for specified and regular hours or with any certainty of long-term employment. The broad question is whether the work patterns which prevailed for the second half of the twentieth century represented a unique period of welfare and employment conditions and that we are now seeing major structural change that will eventually lead to new ways of working for most in the labour force. The rise of nonstandard work appears to be a response by employers to contain labour costs and to introduce a greater degree of numerical flexibility Oust-in-time labour), to externalise employment and, to an extent, management, to screen workers before employing them on a permanent basis and to develop new organisational strategies and networks such as joint arrangements and alliances. But there are also major policy and welfare considerations, especially as standard work has defined employer-employee relations and responsibilities, as well as access to state provisions. One effect has been to transfer costs and responsibilities (eg training, worker and their dependent's welfare) from a firm to individuals. However, non-standard work also reflects a choice by some to enhance personal autonomy in the work environment and to develop a better work-life balance. Non-standard work is not necessarily sub-standard work. There is considerable variability in the conditions and choices faced by non-standard workers. Some of this variability will be highlighted here, based on recent research on skilled non-standard workers in New Zealand. 1