The influence of employee training and information on the probability of accident rates

The construction industry is one of the most important socio-economic sectors of the Spanish economy and one of the most affected by workplace accidents. An analysis of the data on accident rates is needed, in order to identify variables related with workplace accidents and to define the measures that need to be taken for their reduction. In this study, an analysis is conducted using Bayesian Networks and data from the 7th National Survey on Working Conditions (VII NSWC), to study the relations between workplace accidents, visiting a doctor for occupational reasons, time in the company/sector, information that workers have on workplace risks in the workplace, and information and training on workplace risks that workers have received over the past two years. The NSWC survey, which is conducted every four years, was administered to 8892 workers, in Spain, in 2011. The values derived from the analysis yield certain implications involving the aforementioned variables and how to reduce the probability of workplace accidents. From among the variables under study, information on workplace risks is the most important, with the probability of suffering an accident in the construction industry doubling when such information is insufficient. In accordance with the results, these implications could also help with decision-making focused on improvements to training and on-the-job information, intended both to prevent and to reduce workplace accidents.     

The role of latent and active failures in workplace slips, trips and falls: an information processing approach

The vast majority of the published workplace slips, trips and falls (STF) literature is exceedingly narrow in its focus and often ignores wider systems issues in workplace STF aetiology. There is little recognition within the published literature of the importance of latent failures or the upstream organisational and cultural contexts within which workplace STF occur. This is unfortunate, as a systems approach to workplace STF analysis, that is inclusive of latent design and work organisation factors that often shape worker behaviour patterns related to STF risk (e.g. rushing, risk taking), is fundamental to the development of effective prevention measures. The aims of this paper are to provide an understanding of workplace STF causation that is cognisant of the potential role of both active and latent failures in STF causation. The paper presents an ergonomics model for workplace STF analysis that highlights information processing in STF aetiology, the STF incident process and the interaction between latent and active failures in STF causation. The paper draws upon ergonomics research conducted in a range of occupational contexts to illustrate the key features of the model as it applies to workplace STF. Implications of the model for analysis and prevention of STF are discussed.     

Assessment of electric accidents in power industry

Nowadays, electric power is the most commonly used form of energy and is an important part of everyday life. The violation of the rules of use of electricity implies material damages, human injuries, and, unfortunately, very often, loss of life. According to the international statistics, electric accidents are the most fatal among the other kinds of accidents. This particularity is also confirmed for Greece. The present article is an assessment of the electrocutions that happened between 1992 and 1996 to workers in the power industry of Greece. Specifically, data concerning the occupational characteristics of the injured person, the time at which the accident occurred, and its consequences are presented and discussed. The calculation of the accident frequency rate per 1,000 workers, with special attention to fatal accidents, is proposed. Also, the structure of an information system for accidents is proposed. With its simultaneous connection to the central computer of the company, the information system can calculate the frequency and severity rates per workplace, per group, and per specialty of workers. Also, it characterizes the workers according to the occupational risk they are running. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Ergonomics risk assessment among maintenance operators in a Tunisian railway company: A case study

Railway truck maintenance plays a crucial role for rail transport. It aims at ensuring the availability of the equipment and the safety of the operations. However, maintenance activities often involve uncommon work and nonroutine tasks and it is obvious that maintenance operators are more threatened than other employees to be exposed to various hazards in their workplace. In Tunisia, the prevalence of occupational accidents and injuries among maintenance workers is not well documented. The target of this cross‐sectional study is to assess ergonomics risks associated with maintenance activities in a railway company. Data collection was carried out through a self‐administrated questionnaire and via direct observations. The Body Parts Symptom Survey (BPSS) was used to identify the discomfort level of the workers. More than 100 maintenance operators working in nine different workshops were involved in this study. From BPSS results, this paper proposed a new method to calculate the discomfort index related to each body part in order to calculate the global discomfort index (GDI) for each workshop. Results showed that the most hazardous workshop was rail‐car maintenance workshop (GDI = 43.06). Four main tasks were assessed with normalized score. Final scores were found to be extremely high. To remedy the raised problems, new adjustable workstations were proposed, which showed a considerable improvement on workers’ postures.     

Implementation of a participatory ergonomics program in the rehabilitation of workers suffering from subacute back pain

This paper describes a participatory ergonomics program aimed at early return to regular work of workers suffering from subacute occupational back pain and assesses the perceptions of the participants on the implementation of ergonomic solutions in the workplace. The participatory ergonomics program was used in the rehabilitation of workers suffering from subacute back pain for more than 6 weeks, a program that was associated with an increased rate of return to work. The perceptions of the participatory ergonomics participants were assessed 6 months after completion of the ergonomic intervention through a questionnaire sent to employer representatives, union representatives and injured workers of participating workplaces. About half of the ergonomic solutions were implemented according to the perception of the participants, with a substantial agreement between respondents.     

Occupational biomechanics—a basis for workplace design to prevent musculoskeletal injuries

This paper proposes that occupational biomechanics is the growing discipline necessary to improve workplace design. As such it focuses on the rapidly expanding body of biomechanics knowledge on workplace situations that cause musculoskeletal injuries and disabilities. Several new methods for evaluating the bio-mechanical consequences of workplace designs are reviewed, including computerized biomechanical models of workers and the use of general design guidelines to improve workplace design. Examples of how workplaces can be redesigned to reduce musculoskeletal stresses on the lower back, wrist and shoulder are provided, to illustrate how occupational biomechanics is being applied in several different industries to prevent musculoskeletal injuries and disabilities.     

Investigating slips,trips and falls in the New Zealand dairy farming sector

The paper presents findings from 39 detailed follow-up investigations of slips, trips and falls (STF) incurred by individuals working in New Zealand's dairy farming industry. The study sought to identify the key contributory risk factors for STF in this sector to provide evidence to support intervention design, and to determine the effectiveness of the investigative methodology used to achieve these objectives. Findings from the follow-up investigations included an analysis of factors related to the underfoot surface, underfoot hazard and footwear. Of note here was the propensity for STF-involved workers to not see or identify an underfoot hazard due to concurrent visual task distractions, and for workers to use footwear that both lacked effective tread and was unsuitable for the task and underfoot surface. Key latent risk factors and their interactions identified included problems associated with time pressure and related time-saving behaviours and the presence of design errors that, for example, required workers to climb onto equipment to view aspects of the task they were working on. The paper concludes that the potential resource and logistical problems associated with conducting detailed STF investigations are outweighed by the opportunity to collect rich data on key risk factors and their interactions in STF research.     

Manual materials handling and related occupational hazards: a national survey in France

A large cross-sectional survey in France was conducted to describe occupational hazards at the workplace, including absence or presence of manual materials handling (MMH) with the number of hours per week and several psychosocial and physical hazards including various risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders. The frequency of MMH across economic activities was described for the 48,190 workers in the survey. The highest occurrences of intensive MMH were observed in the manufacture of wood, paper, wood and paper products, retail trade and repair, manufacture of food products, manufacture of mineral products, wholesale trade, transport, and construction. High occurrences were not limited to blue collar workers, but extended to shop and store employees, hotel and restaurant workers, and care workers. The study of associations between MMH and other occupational hazards emphasized situations with simultaneous exposure to MMH and other risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders.Relevance to industryA better knowledge of economic activities and occupations highly exposed to MMH is required in order to implement preventive interventions focussing on high risk sectors.     

An evaluation of the occupational accidents among logging workers within the boundaries of Trabzon Forestry Directorate,Turkey

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of occupational accidents among logging workers and the risk factors involved. Data for 378 out of 2994 members of 24 cooperatives engaged in logging in the study area were gathered using face-to-face questionnaires and anthropometric data via the free measurement method. The annual logging accident frequency rate was 30.4%, and the annual incidence of occupational accidents was 2052.9. The accident risk among workers using hookaroons was 2.14 times greater than the risk among those not using them. Five to six rest breaks a day increased the accident frequency rate by 0.37 times. The foot width, which was one of the variables among the measured anthropometric data, was observed to increase the accident risk 0.68 times. The likelihood of an employee suffering from an accident during the working year correlated with the handling of chainsaws, the use of hookaroons, smoking, the number of breaks taken while working, experience, shoulder and knee height, leg and arm length and hand and foot width.     

Evaluation of a comprehensive slip, trip and fall prevention programme for hospital employees

In 2007, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the incidence rate of lost workday injuries from slips, trips and falls (STFs) on the same level in hospitals was 35.2 per 10,000 full-time equivalents (FTE), which was 75% greater than the average rate for all other private industries combined (20.2 per 10,000 FTEs). The objectives of this 10-year (1996-2005) longitudinal study were to: 1) describe occupational STF injury events in hospitals; 2) evaluate the effectiveness of a comprehensive programme for reducing STF incidents among hospital employees. The comprehensive prevention programme included analysis of injury records to identify common causes of STFs, on-site hazard assessments, changes to housekeeping procedures and products, introduction of STF preventive products and procedures, general awareness campaigns, programmes for external ice and snow removal, flooring changes and slip-resistant footwear for certain employee subgroups. The hospitals' total STF workers' compensation claims rate declined by 58% from the pre-intervention (1996-1999) rate of 1.66 claims per 100 FTE to the post-intervention (2003-2005) time period rate of 0.76 claims per 100 FTE (adjusted rate ratio = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.33-0.54). STFs due to liquid contamination (water, fluid, slippery, greasy and slick spots) were the most common cause (24%) of STF claims for the entire study period 1996-2005. Food services, transport/emergency medical service and housekeeping staff were at highest risk of a STF claim in the hospital environment. Nursing and office administrative staff generated the largest numbers of STF claims. STF injury events in hospitals have a myriad of causes and the work conditions in hospitals are diverse. This research provides evidence that implementation of a broad-scale prevention programme can significantly reduce STF injury claims.     

Effects of the work environment and safety activities on occupational accidents in eight wood‐processing companies

The study was conducted at 16 wood‐processing companies in southern Finland. The companies involved were selected according to the following criteria: (a) 8 companies were to have an accident rate that was clearly below the average rate for the wood‐processing industry in the period 1985–1989, and 8 companies a rate clearly higher than the average; and (b) the companies were to form pairs engaged in the same type of activity and exhibiting different rates. Companies were divided into 2 groups. Two sawmills, 1 parquet, and 1 plywood factory with a low accident rate and 4 similar factories with a high rate were selected as “experiment companies” and received advice aimed at improving their work environment and safety activities. Eight similar companies were selected as a control group and received no advice. This study attempted to ascertain the effects of such advice on the work environment, safety activities, and occupational accidents. In addition, differences in the safety of the work environment, in safety activities, and in occupational accidents were studied in companies with a low accident rate as compared with the situation in companies with a high rate. Work environment and safety activities showed a statistically significant correlation with accident rate. The better the situation, the lower the accident rate. In the companies with a low accident rate, the work environment and safety activities were also better than in the companies with a high rate. In the period 1989–1994, the drop in the accident rate at the experiment companies was greater—to a statistically significant extent—than it was in the control group or in the wood‐processing industry as a whole. In cases where advice was given to the experiment companies with the aim of preventing particular occupational accidents, the rate of such accidents declined; there was no such trend in the control companies. By contrast, trends for other types of accidents were similar in the experiment and control companies. Changes in the accident rates of the experiment or control companies could not be explained by economic cycles or by changes either in the employees' work experience or in the duration of absences. It is highly probable that the positive trend with regard to occupational accidents in the experiment companies was related to improvement in the work environment and safety activities and that this in turn was a result of the advice given to these companies in 1990. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Workplace and organizational accident causation factors in the manufacturing industry

Labor inspectors investigate accidents to identify possible accident causes, initiate prosecution, and plan future accident prevention. The Method of Investigation for Labor Inspectors (MILI) was designed to help them to identify workplace and organizational factors in addition to immediate factors and legal breaches. The present study analyzes the impact of workplace (work design and provision of unsafe equipment) and organizational factors (training and employee involvement) on accident causation and validates MILI on real accident cases. Accident data from the manufacturing sector are analyzed with LISREL structural equation modeling. Results confirm the relationship between work design and training as well as between provision of unsafe equipment and employee involvement. The present study provides evidence that MILI is a structured accident investigation method allowing multiple accident causation factors to be revealed and that it could help all interested parts (not only labor inspectors, but companies as well) to thoroughly investigate occupational accidents. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Progress in understanding processes underlying occupational accidents on the level based on case studies

The purpose of this work was to further the knowledge of contexts surrounding accidents on the level in occupational situations with a view to proposing suitable actions for the prevention of these accidents. The study, undertaken at three establishments belonging to a national rail transport company, was based on quantitative and qualitative analysis of accident-on-the-level data available at the establishments concerned, typology of these accidents, interviews with victims and activity analysis. Understanding accidents on the level through building scenarios makes it possible to consider the relevance of prevention actions, such as workplace or environmental design/remediation and machine access system design. Moreover, it also makes it possible to consider curtailing the injury-causing aspect of the physical environment by reducing its 'aggressiveness'. Finally, the prospects emerging from this work in the research field are discussed.     

Investigating slips, trips and falls in the New Zealand dairy farming sector

The paper presents findings from 39 detailed follow-up investigations of slips, trips and falls (STF) incurred by individuals working in New Zealand's dairy farming industry. The study sought to identify the key contributory risk factors for STF in this sector to provide evidence to support intervention design, and to determine the effectiveness of the investigative methodology used to achieve these objectives. Findings from the follow-up investigations included an analysis of factors related to the underfoot surface, underfoot hazard and footwear. Of note here was the propensity for STF-involved workers to not see or identify an underfoot hazard due to concurrent visual task distractions, and for workers to use footwear that both lacked effective tread and was unsuitable for the task and underfoot surface. Key latent risk factors and their interactions identified included problems associated with time pressure and related time-saving behaviours and the presence of design errors that, for example, required workers to climb onto equipment to view aspects of the task they were working on. The paper concludes that the potential resource and logistical problems associated with conducting detailed STF investigations are outweighed by the opportunity to collect rich data on key risk factors and their interactions in STF research.     

Risk assessment of parking lot management based on occupational injuries data

This study is concerned with the characteristics of occupational injuries and sick leaves for the workers doing parking lot management. Possible incidents and sick leaves have been identified and analyzed for 470 occupational accidents in the parking lot management process. Management level of accidents for prioritizing prevention measures is induced for the combination of the accident types and parking lot management processes. Accidents occurring during the specific parking lot management process showed different characteristics, depending on the type of accident and agency of accident. Most critical accidents that required corrective actions for prevention were being struck by an object in the “guide” process and slipping in the “valet parking” process. And, possible incidents predicted also as high level of management were slips in the “fee collection” and “cleaning” processes and falls to lower level in the “operating lift” and “repair” processes. Also, traffic accidents in the “guide” process, overexertion and bodily reaction and posture in the “patrol” process were ranked ‘high. The findings of this study can be used to develop more effective accident prevention policies to reduce occupational accidents in parking lot management.     

Occupational and environmental risk factors for falls among workers in the healthcare sector

Falls are a leading cause of occupational injury for workers in healthcare, yet the risk factors of falls in this sector are understudied. Falls resulting in workers' compensation for time-loss from work from 2004–2007 for healthcare workers in British Columbia (BC) were extracted from a standardised incident-reporting database. Productive hours were derived from payroll data for the denominator to produce injury rates; relative risks were derived through Poisson regression modelling. A total of 411 falls were accepted for time-loss compensation. Compared to registered nurses, facility support workers (risk ratio (95% CI) = 6.29 (4.56–8.69)) and community health workers (6.58 (3.76–11.50)) were at high risk for falls. Falls predominantly occurred outdoors, in patients' rooms and kitchens depending on occupation and sub-sector. Slippery surfaces due to icy conditions or liquid contaminants were a leading contributing factor. Falls were more frequent in the colder months (January–March). The risk of falls varies by nature of work, location and worker demographics. The findings of this research will be useful for developing evidence-based interventions.

Statement of Relevance: Falls are a major cause of occupational injury for healthcare workers. This study examined risk factors including occupation type, workplace design, work setting, work organisation and environmental conditions in a large healthcare worker population in BC, Canada. The findings of this research should contribute towards developing evidence-based interventions.     

Accident analysis of gas cylinder handling work based on occupational injuries data

This study is concerned with the characteristics of occupational injuries and sick leave for gas cylinder handling workers. Possible incidents and sick leave have been identified and analyzed for 223 occupational accidents in the gas cylinder handling work. Management level of accidents for prioritizing prevention measures is induced for the combination of accident agencies, types, and gas cylinder handling work processes. Accidents occurring during the specific gas cylinder handling work process showed different characteristics, depending on the type and agency of the accident. Most critical accidents that require corrective actions for prevention were slips and trips caused by floors, walkways, steps, or ground surfaces and overexertion and bodily reaction and posture caused by gas cylinder in the manual delivery of heavy cylinders process. Also, fall to lower level caused by floors, walkways, steps, or ground surfaces in the loading to and unloading from vehicles process and struck by or against caused by fixtures in the manual delivery of heavy cylinders process were also ranked high. The findings of this study can be used to develop more effective accident prevention policies to reduce occupational accidents in gas cylinder handling works.     

Analysis of occupational risk management tools for the film and television industry

Using the ISO 31000 and ISO 31010 standards as basic guidelines, this article's main objective is to identify, analyze and evaluate tools for management of occupational risks during the filming of soap operas, series and movies by a Brazilian media company. The relevance of the study is associated, first, with the provision of information to minimize and even eliminate the risks of work-related accidents and illnesses in the company examined; and second, the groundbreaking nature of workplace risk analysis in this field of activity. The study is based on interviews with experts with long professional experience in the film and television industry along with personal observation of the sets and filming. The result was the development of a tool for risk management that has essential characteristics to minimize the risks of accidents on sets.     

Associations of ergonomic and psychosocial work hazards with musculoskeletal disorders of specific body parts: A study of general employees in Taiwan

Background and aimsMusculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are major occupational health concerns. This study examined the associations of ergonomic and psychosocial work hazards with the risks of MSDs of specific body parts and their distribution across a wide range of occupational groups.MethodsStudy participants comprised 8,937 male and 7,052 female employees aged 20–65 years from a nationwide survey in 2016. A self-report questionnaire was administered to obtain information regarding demographic characteristics, work conditions, ergonomic and psychosocial work hazards, and MSDs of different body parts in 12 months. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate prevalence ratios of MSDs in relation to ergonomic and psychosocial work hazards.ResultsIn professionals and skilled workers, MSDs of the neck and shoulders were more prevalent, whereas in manual workers, MSDs of the hands, wrists, and lower back were more prevalent. Psychosocial work hazards, including high psychological demand and low workplace justice, were major work-related risk factors for shoulder and neck disorders, whereas ergonomic hazards were major work-related risk factors for lower back and wrist or hand disorders.ConclusionDifferent workplace hazards contribute to the risks of different MSDs. To prevent the development of MSDs, occupational health professionals should evaluate both ergonomic and psychosocial work hazards and develop health prevention programs tailored to the risk profiles of working populations.     

Structural stability and reliability of the Swedish occupational fatigue inventory among Chinese VDT workers

The aim of the present study was to test the structural stability and reliability of the Swedish occupational fatigue inventory (SOFI) for use in a group of Chinese visual display terminal (VDT) workers. A qualified translator was recruited to translate the Chinese version of the SOFI (SOFI-C). The content validity was established with 12 bilingual practitioners and seven professional experts. The translated SOFI was administered to 104 sedentary workers on two occasions with an interval of 60 min. Most of them were female (80.8%) and they had a mean age of 34.5 years. Fifty-one percent of them reported using a VDT for 4h or more at work. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a five-factor solution, which was comparable to the original latent factors. Cronbach's alpha for the five-factor scales was between 0.88 and 0.95. The test-retest reliability was satisfactory with intra-class correlations ranging from 0.69 to 0.83. The workers who used a VDT for 4h or more had significantly higher SOFI scores than those who used one for less than 4 h (p = 0.007 - 0.046). The results indicated that the SOFI-C was valid and reliable for measuring fatigue among Chinese sedentary workers. The satisfactory structural stability suggested that cultural influences on the construct of fatigue were not strong. Its characteristics of discrimination of the sedentary workers who had high VDT exposure suggested that the SOFI-C would be a useful instrument for prevention and intervention programs designed for work-related injuries in the workplace.