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Most occupational hazardous agents in workplaces should be evaluated and controlled. Different methods exist for identifying, evaluating and controlling these agents, such as numerical simulation tools. Numerical simulations can help experts to improve occupational health. Due to the importance and abilities of numerical simulations, this study divided occupational hazardous agents into 10 subgroups. These subgroups included air pollution, ventilation, respiratory airways, noise and vibration, lighting, radiation, ergonomics, fire and explosion, risk assessment and personal protective equipment. Recent research studies in each subgroup were then reviewed, and the codes and software used in simulations were determined. The results show that Fluent software and k–ϵ turbulence models are the most used in occupational health studies simulations. Today, different codes and software have been developed for simulation, and we suggest their use in occupational health studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A questionnaire survey and an event-related potential (ERP) experiment were used to reveal the impact of safety attitudes on risk perception. The results revealed that during hazard identification, the N130 amplitude of subjects with negative safety attitude was significantly higher, which implied that subjects with negative safety attitude were more likely to feel confused. During risk analysis, subjects with positive safety attitude were more inclined to overestimate the probability and damage degree of risks; subjects with positive safety attitudes displayed higher P150 and late positive potential amplitudes, which indicated that subjects with positive safety attitudes devoted more attention to risks in the early stage of risk analysis and had a more intense affective response in the later period. The risk judgment ability of subjects with positive safety attitude was affected by time pressure, and they exhibited higher risk judgment accuracy only under no time pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Airborne respirable crystalline silica (RCS) has been a widely recognized hazard in the United States for nearly 100 years, yet it continues to pose a risk to construction tradespersons, among others. RCS exposures vary widely depending on site conditions and tools and materials used. The proper use of engineering, administrative, and personal protective equipment (PPE) controls can effectively reduce exposure to RCS. Historically, others have reviewed available RCS exposure data among construction trades and reported that there were considerable data gaps and variability that needed to be addressed. This current assessment aimed to synthesize available peer-reviewed exposure studies to determine potential RCS exposures during the use of common construction materials and evaluate to what extent data gaps and variability persist. Twenty-eight studies were identified that reported RCS exposure during construction tasks. After conversion to the unit of µg/m3, reported measurements from samples collected for varying durations ranged from 6.0 to 75,500 µg/m3 for work with concrete, 80 to 4,240 µg/m3 for work with brick, <59 to 10,900 µg/m3 for work with mortar, 90 to 44,370 µg/m3 for work with engineered stone, and 70 to 380 µg/m3 for work with roof tile. To better facilitate pooling data across studies, future researchers should report their sample duration, clarify how time-weighted average (TWA) exposure data are calculated, report the silica content of the material being manipulated, and specify whether samples were collected while the task was performed in isolation or on a worksite where other silica-containing materials were also actively handled. When reporting results as respirable quartz, it is important to note whether any other polymorphic forms of silica were detected. It is ultimately the employer's responsibility to train employees and monitor and control RCS exposures on construction worksites. To do this effectively, it is important to have a clear understanding of the tasks, materials, and site conditions where intervention is most urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional credentialing schemes based on experience and examination are used to clarify the scope and required competencies associated with the practice of a profession. National occupational hygiene (OH) credentials developed in 17 nations have been recognized by the International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA) to meet or exceed the requirements of a model certification program. To date, there is no credentialing or certification scheme for occupational hygienists in Spanish-speaking regions. To fill this void, a new credentialing body has been created named the Iberoamerican Board of Occupational Hygiene (JIHO). As a first step to the development of a certification exam for a profession, it is necessary to determine the interest in an occupational hygiene certification exam in Spanish and to clarify the most common work practices for those practicing the profession. To determine the proper exam weightings for occupational hygiene competencies needed to practice in Spanish-speaking regions JIHO conducted a comprehensive survey of professional practice of occupational hygiene in nations where Spanish is spoken as the primary language. Surveys were sent to 456 practicing occupational hygienists in nine different countries on a variety of topics. Results indicated that 79% of respondents felt the need for an OH certification exam in Spanish was very or extremely important. The most frequent and important technical competencies utilized in practice were (1) awareness about the health effects of hazardous agents to make decisions about workplace activities and exposures, (2) application of the hierarchy of controls, control banding, hazard communication, training of employees and other methods to reduce worker exposure and workplace risks, and (3) application of principles to recognize and control biohazards in the workplace. The study results have been used to guide the weighting and importance of various technical topics and rubrics on the JIHO exam. Data from this study can be used in the development of certification examinations, to improve international coherence in the profession, and the development of educational programs in OH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined factors related to perceived health risks in confined spaces (PCSHR) and their correlation with the mental workload among farmers managing agricultural wells in northern Thailand. A cross-sectional, multi-stage sample of 356 farmers was selected from four rural districts' agricultural areas. Data were collected through interviews conducted from August to December 2022, using a self-administered structured questionnaire. The five-part questionnaire gathered demographic data, information on experiences and operations in agricultural wells, knowledge of confined spaces, PCSHR, and the six-dimension NASA Task Load Index (TLX) mental workload. Linear regression and multi-variable analyses were used to investigate factors associated with PCSHR, while Pearson correlations tested the association between PCSHR and mental workload variables. Most farmers were male (92.4%), worked in wells to install pumping systems (81.7%) and maintain equipment (73.3%), averaging 3.80 times per year, with an average duration of 25.81 minutes. Physical symptoms reported included difficulty breathing (72.8%), feeling swelteringly hot (55.9%), and sweating excessively (27.8%), as well as accidents such as being struck by falling soil or objects (20.2%), and falling into the well while climbing down (14.9%). Farmers' perceived risk scores were high when working while physically exhausted or unprepared and when assisting an unconscious worker without knowing the gas concentration. In addition, the maximal mental workload scores were mental demand and effort subscale. Factors significantly associated with PCSHR (adj.R2 = 60.6%, p <.05) encompassed education higher than lower secondary level, current alcohol consumption, smaller well width, assisted operations, number of physical symptoms experienced, absence of environmental accidents, and confined space knowledge, while increased PCSHR was positively associated with mental workload (Overall r = 0.711, p <.01). Comprehensive education about potential hazards can improve farmers' risk perception, potentially reducing mental workload and preventing fatal accidents. Field studies are recommended to develop community-specific work protocols and accurate measuring instruments suitable for rural settings are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a critical activity in occupational risk management, the occupational health and safety risk assessment (OHSRA) aims at assessing occupational hazards in the workplace and prioritizing them to ensure employees' safety and reduce occupational risk to an acceptable level. In this paper, we develop a new integrated OHSRA model for the risk evaluation and prioritization of occupational hazards based on probabilistic linguistic information and social network consensus analysis. The probabilistic linguistic term sets are applied to handle the hesitant risk evaluations of occupational hazards provided by experts. A combinative distance-based assessment technique is introduced for determining the risk priority of the identified occupational hazards. Additionally, the social network consensus analysis with minimum adjustment distance is used to help individual experts reach consensus. Finally, a healthcare case study is implemented for illustrating the developed OHSRA model and its effectiveness is validated with a sensitivity analysis and a comparative analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Podologists are exposed to many occupational hazards, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from insole manufacturing and noise/vibration during nail or tissue grinding. In this study, VOCs, noise, and vibration were measured in five podiatry clinics and three offices. Questionnaires were administered to 23 podologists and 19 office workers to inquire about their pain, ocular, skin and respiratory complaints. The results showed that the podologists' exposure to the total VOC concentrations was approximately twice as high as that of the office workers. The podologists' complaints regarding pain were found to be correlated with ambient noise and hand-arm vibration levels. Ocular, skin, and respiratory complaints were also found to be correlated with total VOC concentrations. These results suggest that VOCs, noise and vibration in the working environment may impair podologists' health and that they have an intensifying effect on each other, increasing the severity of health issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. It is prescribed to determine blue-light hazard (BLH) weighted radiances, $ {L_\textrm{B}} $ L B , for an assessment of spotlights with an angular subtense $ \alpha \ge 11{\mkern 1mu} \,\textrm{mrad} $ α ≥ 11 mrad . The BLH weighted irradiance, $ {E_\textrm{B}} $ E B , can be used alternatively for smaller sources. Appropriate instruments are not common among persons commissioned with risk assessment (RA), and especially $ {L_\textrm{B}} $ L B measurements may be challenging. Therefore, a practical BLH RA approach is proposed that is based on illuminance, $ {E_\textrm{v}} $ E v , pre-calculated blackbody BLH efficacies of luminous radiation, $ K_{\textrm{B,v}}^{\textrm{Planck}} $ K B,v Planck , and solid angle considerations. Methods. The practicality of this method was examined and compared against other RA approaches. Results. To ensure comparability of the applied instruments, measurements were performed close to a radiance standard, showing deviations within the lamp's expanded uncertainties ( $ \lt 4{\mkern 1mu} \% $ < 4 %), whereas the deviations were $ \pm 15\% $ ± 15 % for longer distances. Focusing on a complex light-emitting diode (LED) spotlight, all detected values could be converted to $ {L_\textrm{B}} $ L B by means of the RA methods within $ \pm 20\% $ ± 20 %. Two field tests with several spotlights yielded maximum permissible exposure durations (MPED) obtained from the different RA approaches that agreed among each other within uncertainties largely below $ \pm 30\% $ ± 30 %. Conclusion. The general practicality of the proposed $ {E_\textrm{v}} $ E v method can be concluded for a workplace BLH RA of white-light sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Notwithstanding its economic importance, the construction industry is still facing challenges due to its high accident record. As a result, the goal of this study is to identify the key underlying causes of accidents in the Malaysian construction industry that construction stakeholders can focus on to reduce the menace of accidents in the industry. Methods. To achieve this goal, relevant literature was reviewed in order to identify the causes of accidents. The identified factors were used to develop the survey questionnaire for collecting primary data, and the collected data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results. The results of the EFA and CFA establish and confirm 11 clusters for the causes of accidents on construction sites: management problems; inadequate training; inadequate supervision; mental health problems; bad attitudes; inadequate funding; inadequate experience; material and equipment handling; poor safety practices; inadequate orientation; and work environment. Conclusion. The study concludes that addressing all 11 factors will drastically reduce the incessant accident occurrences in the construction industry. The result of this study will help construction stakeholders know where to direct their energy in an effort to reduce construction accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approaches to safety culture assessment may have many limits if supported exclusively by quantitative methods. Based on this, a research team developed a quantitative–qualitative approach to assess the maturity of the safety culture on an oil platform. To that end, the team sought to develop and test a method consisting of an initial ethnographic phase followed by four other distinct phases: definition of homogeneous groups; production of customized questionnaires; quantitative evaluation; and qualitative assessment. The results show the emergence of trends, from pre-defined themes in safety culture to specific levels of maturity for each of the homogeneous groups. At the same time, it was perceived that the maturity level of the groups is defined from the daily work practices developed by each one of them. This experience allowed us to propose a framework for assessing the maturity levels of safety culture for the oil and gas industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. The informal economy in Tanzania, as in many other developing countries, presents numerous workplace safety issues. This study was conducted in stone quarrying (SQ) and soil brickmaking (SBM) sites to assess workers' awareness and perceptions of safety practices, identify common workplace risks and hazards, and evaluate challenges hindering the implementation of workplace safety culture. Methods. A total of 173 workers responded to a semi-structured questionnaire and 15 workers were interviewed. Data were summarized using Stata (version 15). Results. More than 95% of the SQ and SBM workers were exposed to ergonomic hazards and related health risks, due to low awareness (90%) and unavailable leadership structures (>96%) for enforcing and overseeing the implementation of workplace occupational health and safety (OHS) regulations. Conclusion. Due to the lack of regulation and oversight, workers in the informal sector in Tanzania often face hazardous conditions that put their health and safety at risk. Workers use self-intuitions, observations, injuries and near miss incidences to improvise control measures and minimize hazardous risks. This study provides baseline information that can be used for evidence-based decision-making and policy formulation to safeguard workers' safety and health in the informal sectors of Tanzania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards is a trusted resource that displays key information for a collection of chemicals commonly encountered in the workplace. Entries contain chemical structures—occupational exposure limit information ranging from limits based on full-shift time-weighted averages to acute limits such as short-term exposure limits and immediately dangerous to life or health values, as well as a variety of other data such as chemical-physical properties and symptoms of exposure. The NIOSH Pocket Guide (NPG) is available as a printed, hardcopy book, a PDF version, an electronic database, and a downloadable application for mobile phones. All formats of the NIOSH Pocket Guide allow users to access the data for each chemical separately, however, the guide does not support data analytics or visualization across chemicals. This project reformatted existing data in the NPG to make it searchable and compatible with exploration and analysis using a web application. The resulting application allows users to investigate the relationships between occupational exposure limits, the range and distribution of occupational exposure limits, and the specialized sorting of chemicals by health endpoint or to summarize information of particular interest. These tasks would have previously required manual extraction of the data and analysis. The usability of this application was evaluated among industrial hygienists and researchers and while the existing application seems most relevant to researchers, the open-source code and data are amenable to modification by users to increase customization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmers are at an elevated risk for injuries and are, therefore, highly sought after for research studies. However, their participation in research studies is low. We examine how characteristics of the farmer, farm location, and timing of recruitment contact impact the probability that farmers will engage and participate in a study of injuries and related farm hazards. Study data were obtained from the Farm Safety Study conducted at the University of Iowa between June 2019 and March 2020. We used recruitment data from participants enrolled using Farm Journal magazine subscription lists. Multinomial logistic regression was used for predictive modeling. Predictor variables included the time of day and the farm season in which phone contact for study recruitment was attempted, as well as the rurality of the farm. Two models were created to characterize screening and participation of farmers in the study. Farm season and time of day of the last recruitment call increased the likelihood of farmers being screened for study participation and completing the study. Specifically, contacting farmers during the growing season and during the daytime, regardless of farm rurality, resulted in higher probabilities of participation. Studies of agricultural injury may be more efficiently conducted, with higher participation responses, when circumstances of the recruitment call are considered. This work serves as a starting place for much-needed methodological research to identify factors that increase participation of farmers and farm workers in research studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hospitals represent complex organizations where a range of hospital workers, from physicians to administrators, encounter a deluge of information they must quickly process and act upon. New technologies implemented to streamline patient care, like electronic health records and wearable technologies, have both enhanced and complicated communicative exchanges between hospital workers and their organizations. Hospital workers feeling over saturated with workplace communication, and thus unable to effectively manage or interpret workplace messages, experience what has been labeled communication overload, which can negatively impact worker productivity and concentration. This study examines hospital workers (N = 303) in a Midwestern U.S. healthcare network, and uses structural equation modeling to offer a preliminary theoretical model that demonstrates the effects and outcomes of communication overload in high-risk organizations. The model offers theoretical implications through depicting communication overload as indirectly related to burnout, job satisfaction, and organizational identification through participation in decision-making and organizational safety climate. Results suggest that even if communication overload is an expected state in high-risk organizations, managers can prevent its negative effects on workers' job attitudes by providing workers opportunities to get involved in organizational decision-making and constructing a robust organizational safety climate. Finally, we suggest pairings of organizational safety communication channels and sources through which high quantities of safety information can be communicated without communicatively overloading workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Rubberwood manufacturing has a wide range of occupational safety hazards. Workers' safety behaviors are substandard. This quasi-experimental study aimed to determine the factors affecting safety behaviors using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and compare the effects of safety intervention programs on workers' behaviors. Methods. The sample comprised workers from a rubberwood processing factory. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to validate the TPB constructs. The constructs were also analyzed before and after the interventions using structural equation modeling to confirm the observed variables. The interventions included conducting job safety analysis, establishing safety standard operation procedures and launching a behavioral promotion campaign. A t test was used to compare the constructs' intervention effects. Results. The structural equation model adequately fit the data and confirmed that the constructs were aligned with the TPB. Most path coefficients were statistically significant after the interventions were implemented. 'Attitude' and 'perceived behavioral control' directly and significantly affected 'intention'. 'Intention' was an essential mediator to 'behaviors'. The improvement in workers' behaviors was evident. Conclusions. According to the TPB, safety program interventions helped enhance workers' behaviors. Hence, based on participatory approaches, sustainable safety interventions should be maintained for all levels of personnel in the organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Occupational health and safety (OHS) is a relevant issue for many systems and stakeholders. This systematic literature review aims to expand knowledge on this topic starting from the integrated safety model (ISM) and to evaluate the role of psychological capital (PsyCap) on safety behaviours (SBs) (i.e., safety performance and prevention of occupational accidents and injuries). Methods. A total of 2704 studies was initially identified in the Scopus, PsycINFO and Web of Science databases. After rigorous screening, 20 empirical studies were included. Results. The results showed the relevant contribution of PsyCap in promoting SBs as a direct antecedent, a mediator between organizational factors and SBs or a moderator between job demands and SBs. Conclusion. Findings indicate that when workers feel resourceful, they feel also more confident and engaged, and, in turn, more focused on safety issues. Moreover, the results sometimes turn out to be contradictory, showing the dark side of personal resources. Considering these results, a plan to monitor and develop PsyCap could be implemented to promote SBs and safety environment. Indeed, PsyCap can be an essential individual resource for behaving safely also by reducing job demands' perceptions and improving safety leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. This article describes the reduction of unsafe behaviors observed at a fertilizer complex by implementation of a behavior-based safety (BBS) program via a behavior observation form developed by a multidisciplinary team. Methods. Six observation categories, i.e., position of people, reaction of people, personal protective equipment (PPE), tools used, operating procedures and housekeeping, are used to monitor safe and unsafe behaviors for a period of 18 months. Results. Safe behaviors increased from 57 to 70% and unsafe behaviors reduced from 40 to 26%. Behaviors of employees working in various sections of fertilizer complex such as ammonia, urea, utility, bagging/shipping and workshop were also observed. Non-compliance with PPE, housekeeping and standard operating procedures was also monitored in individual sections. Non-operational areas including the administration block, housing colony, maintenance workshop, warehouse, fire station and electrical substation were also observed. Among these, the maximum unsafe behaviors are for the housing colony and minimum for the electrical substation. Conclusion. It has been concluded that working on the housing colony, administration block and fire station areas will address 74% unsafe behaviors of non-operational areas. For practical applications, worldwide industries can implement this BBS program to enhance BBS, thus reducing unsafe behaviors and increasing employee morale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asian and Asian Americans (A/AA) are a group overlooked in general health outcomes but especially occupational safety and health outcomes. In the United States, the beauty service microbusiness industry (e.g., nail salons) predominantly employs immigrant Asian women who regularly encounter a plethora of occupational hazards (e.g., harmful chemical exposures -toluene, formaldehyde, bloodborne pathogens, fungi. However, due to the precariousness of beauty service jobs, cultural and linguistic barriers, and social determinants of health, A/AA beauty service workers face complex occupational safety and health challenges that require interdisciplinary collaboration and cultural competency to address. This commentary will discuss a multi-level approach including specific outreach partners that will offer the required diverse skillsets necessary for improving the occupational safety and health for this worker population in this microbusiness industry. Implications and suggestions for interventions and policy changes are also recommended utilizing the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities' Research Framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review is about the ethical use of sensors to monitor occupational exposure to hazards. It considers whether the same or different, ethical measures apply to using sensors, compared to conventional hazard monitoring surveys. To undertake the review, subject experts developed a research question, identified suitable search terms, and set the scope of these searches. Candidate research papers dating from 2000 to mid-2022 that met inclusion criteria were identified and reviewed by each author. Ethical concerns were identified by the authors of studies in which sensors were used to monitor employee health and well-being, but most of the studies that used them to monitor employee exposure to hazards focused on the technical aspects of their deployment. These ethical concerns included questions about employee rights and privacy, the anonymity of the data collected with sensors, and how the security of this data is managed. The review considers ethical standards and codes of practice for occupational hygiene work and the ethical risks when sensors are used to gather data. Sensors may provide insight into occupational exposure to hazards, but their use is not always adequately explained to employees by those managing this monitoring work. The ethical concerns identified were relevant to many areas of industrial hygiene work, but more studies are required that consider the ethical use of sensors in workplaces. Studies that monitored employee health, well-being, and productivity, identified ethical risks in using sensors to monitor these endpoints. An ethical framework and checklist for hygienists are proposed including a set of questions that consider the risks of using sensors to monitor occupational hazards. Industrial hygiene professional bodies provide ethical codes of practice for their members but may also need to consider the implications of using sensors in workplaces. Ethical standards support the collection of industrial hygiene exposure data whilst maintaining the privacy rights of employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to create a Bayesian network (BN) model to manage and improve workers' situation awareness. The 12 important variables affecting workers' situation awareness were determined using the Fuzzy Delphi method and experts' opinions. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The BN model was created using the Dempster-Shafer theory. The expectation-maximization algorithm was employed to determine the conditional probability tables. Belief updating was utilized to determine the variables with the strongest effects on situation awareness. Based on performance evaluation criteria of the BN model, the model performance was acceptable. Environmental distraction, safety knowledge, and fatigue were the best predictors of situation awareness. Furthermore, it was found that decreasing environmental distraction and work pressure, and improving safety knowledge were the best intervention strategies to improve workers' situation awareness. Overall, we can conclude that the BN model is a powerful tool to create a causal model. Moreover, using belief updating as an exclusive characteristic of BN enables managers to select the best intervention strategies. The results of this study provide a basis for managers' decision-making to improve employee safety performance in the workplaces and the proposed model can potentially be used for employee safety performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issues of risk and safety can be challenging to discuss with forensic patients with an intellectual disability. Talking Mats is a visual communication tool that facilitates therapeutic conversations. A pilot study, adopting an ethnographic approach, was used to evaluate Talking Mats. Interviews and video observations were conducted with nurses and forensic patients with an intellectual disability from two forensic wards in Scotland. Exploratory evidence suggests that Talking Mats offers a non-biased platform to discuss potentially emotive issues around risk, safety, and wellbeing. Pre-existing notions of Talking Mats, staff availability, and the context of COVID-19 acted as barriers to adopting the visual communications tool. There is value in further research regarding communication tools to facilitate input on care planning and risk management for patients with an intellectual disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Hospitals provide direct and indirect employment benefits to medical professionals. Accidents in hospitals often lead to disastrous consequences such as fatalities, property damage and economic losses. It is, therefore, imperative to have an occupational health and safety (OHS) policy that aims to reduce work-related accidents to acceptable levels. This study aims to investigate health risks to staff from various hazards and suggest control measures to prevent recurrence of accidents. Methods. A two-stage fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach incorporating the fuzzy analytical hierarchical process (FAHP) and fuzzy technique for order preference for similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) was applied to assess the hazards in a leading multi-speciality hospital in Chennai. Results. The top three hazards identified in the workplace were electrical hazards, faulty medical equipment, and ventilation and air conditioning hazards. Subsequently, control measures were suggested to reduce the recurrence of hazards. Finally, a survey of hospital accidents occurring in India between 2010 and 2020 was conducted and compared with the results of this study. Conclusions. The survey findings show similarity to the hazard rankings obtained in this work, thus validating the methodology used for the assessment of hazards in hospitals. Electrical hazards and faulty medical equipment should be monitored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The power plant accident is considered one of the man-made disasters in many developing countries, including the Philippines. This study aimed to identify the factors influencing behavioral-based safety (BBS) of coal-fired power plant workers which subsequently led to their active safety participation (SPT). In total, 201 coal-fired power plant workers in the Philippines answered the questionnaire consisting of 60 items using a purposive sampling approach. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) revealed that personal measures (PM) had significant effects on safety incentives (SI), safety management system (SMS) and safety perception (SP). SP also had significant effect on BBS which subsequently led to SPT. Finally, SMS had significant effect on safety culture (SC) which subsequently led to safety communication (SCM), BBS and SPT. This study is the first to explore BBS in the Philippine coal-fired power plant, and can positively reinforce SPT of workers in the coal-fired power plant industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify occupational hazards and hazard control strategies adopted by inland fishers of Odisha state in India. Methods: Information on occupational hazards faced by fishers was collected by personal interviews with 90 riverine and reservoir fishers of Odisha. Through qualitative discussions with key informants and review of literature, a list of occupational hazards were prepared and classified into physical, ergonomics, psychosocial, and natural. Responses were quantified, and descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Results: Occupational hazards faced by fishers were physical (94%), ergonomic (75%), psychosocial (50%), and natural (34%) in nature. Physical hazards include sharp fishing instruments, uneven surfaces, high temperatures, and wet/slippery areas on the vessel along with the presence of snake/leech/crocodile/fish fin rays. About 97% of reservoir and 90% of the riverine fishers reported physical hazards leading to cuts, fractures, dehydration, headache, sunburn, snakebite, leech bite, crocodile bite, and injuries due to fish fin rays. Heavy nature of work and force exerting activities caused pain in the upper back (50%), shoulders (45%), and lower back (41%). Regarding psychosocial hazard, stress (31%), and anxiety (23%) was reported. Common reasons for this were uncertainty in fish catch and extended working hours, causing tiredness, headache, dizziness, and fatigue. Natural hazards like cyclones, floods, and excessive rain caused financial loss and damage to fishing nets and boats. Regarding personal protective equipment (PPE), floating buoys were used by 26% of riverine and 43% of reservoir fishers to avoid drowning. Conclusion: Occupational hazards in the inland fishing sector were identified as physical, ergonomic, psychosocial, and natural. No particular hazard control strategy was reported to be used. Integrating the occupational safety measures in the fisheries policies is thus needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Safety voice (SV) is a form of voice in which employees express opinions or concerns about organizational safety. It plays an important role in preventing accidents and promoting safety performance. The purpose of this study is to reveal the emotional factors and boundary conditions behind employee engagement in SV, especially in the construction context. This study, therefore, investigated how organizational identification (OID) drove construction project participants' SV using a three-way interaction model of perceived insider status (PIS) as an individual difference and safety climate (SC) as an organizational contextual difference. The proposed model was tested using a sample of 357 participants in different construction projects. The results showed that OID was positively correlated with SV. The interaction effect of OID and PIS on SV depended on SC, with PIS enhancing the identification–voice relationship at a low level of SC and weakening it at a high level of SC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction safety culture can be greatly improved if safety planning is done hand-in-hand with project planning. This article investigates the integration of construction scheduling with construction safety planning by developing an automated safety planning add-in (ASPA) for Microsoft Project. A risk assessment database was developed that analysed the frequency and severity of hazards associated with construction tasks and the risk level of each hazard was calculated. The developed ASPA compares the ongoing construction activity in the schedule with the safety database, and an automated safety report is produced as a spreadsheet containing details of task name, risk priority, task start and end dates, and hazard and safety regulations related to the tasks. The schedule integrated ASPA was then tested for efficacy by implementing in a real-time project. The ASPA facilitated the safety engineers to plan daily activities by prior envisaging of hazards and safety regulations through schedule-based report generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several chemical pollutants can accumulate within the closed environments of transportation and storage. Pollutants are mainly residues of pesticides, volatile organic compounds and components of diesel exhaust. The study objectives were to (i) review the regulations relevant to occupational chemical exposures in closed environments of inland transportation and storage; and (ii) explore the practice of preventing these exposures. A systematic search and content analysis of international and Hungarian nation legal documents were carried out. In addition, semi-structured interviews with occupational health and safety (OHS) professionals and warehouse managers were conducted. Analysis of legal documents highlighted the lack of explicit regulations on the investigated problem. The 21 interviews revealed that the participants had limited knowledge about the pollutants; they deemed chemical exposure rare and related health effects negligible. The revealed limitations indicate that this field should be more specifically regulated and OHS professionals should be better informed about these workplace hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formal risk assessment is a component of safety management relating to hazardous manual tasks (HMT). Systems thinking approaches are currently gaining interest for supporting safety management. Existing HMT risk assessment methods have been found to be limited in their ability to identify risks across the whole work system; however, systems thinking-based risk assessment (STBRA) methods were not designed for the HMT context and have not been tested in this area. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of four state-of-the-art STBRA methods: Net-HARMS, EAST-BL, FRAM and STPA to determine which would be most useful for identifying HMT risks. Each method was independently applied by one of four analysts to assess the risks associated with a hypothetical HMT system. The outcomes were assessed for alignment with a benchmark analysis. Using signal detection theory (SDT), overall STPA was found to be the best performing method having the highest hit rate, second lowest false alarm rate and highest Matthews Correlation Coefficient of the four methods. Practitioner summary: A comparison of four systems thinking risk assessment methods found that STPA had the highest level of agreement with the benchmark analysis and is the most suitable for practitioners to use to identify the risks associated with HMT systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Occupational fatality rates are useful in communicating key safety challenges associated with different industries or affecting different populations within those industries. Though seemingly intuitive, the calculation and use of fatality rates associated with farming needs to be carefully considered. This paper highlights difficulties and variability in Farm Fatality Rate (FFR) measures, proposes a series of rates appropriate for assessments of farm safety, and demonstrates their usage through an analysis of farm workplace deaths in Ireland between 2008 and 2016. Six FFRs are calculated including: the Farm Household Rate (FHR); Farm Operator Rate (FOR); Family Worker Rate (FWR), Worker Rate (WR), Seasonal Fatality Rate (SFR) and, Enterprise Fatality Rate (EFR). To assess trends over time we calculate the rate using appropriate numerators and denominators in three sub-periods. FFRs vary considerably depending on which numerator and denominator are deployed. Over the period, the FHR, FOR, and FWR increased due to growth in the number of fatalities and a slight decrease in the denominator populations. The WR has declined substantially over the full period. The QFR increased substantially for Q2–Q4 whilst the EFR highlights workers on dairy or beef enterprises being particularly at risk. The characteristics of farm workforces present many challenges to the calculation of occupational fatality rates. We propose six alternatives that provide insights into the risks faced by farm households, farm operators, farm workers, seasonally and by type of farm enterprise. We recommend that, regardless of the rate used, the limitations associated with all fatality rates are clearly explained, particularly when engaging with media and occupational health and safety stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forestry services work presents high risk for injury, illness, and fatality. How worker and employer views of workplace safety compare influences the strategies to address hazardous working conditions. Interviews with forestry services workers and employers revealed themes about occupational hazards and ways to prevent work-related injury. Workers identified hazards related to the social and natural environments, and injury prevention solutions focused on interventions beyond their control and based on employer responsibility. Employers characterized hazards within job task contexts and tied solutions to worker behaviors to improve job task performance. Discordance between worker and employer reports indicates inconsistent views about what safety measures should be provided and pursued to effectively reduce injury risk. Because many workers in the forest services industry are marginalized due to their immigrant documentation status and being racially/ethnically minoritized, power differentials between workers and employers can also influence how workplace safety and health measures are determined and implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article indicates that work standardization is an effective tool for the improvement of occupational safety in any process performed by people. Work standardization has an impact on improving productivity, quality and engaging employees in improving current working methods. The article shows that in the construction industry there are problems concerning the selection of operations for work standardization due to the specificity of the operations performed there. As a result, work standardization is not a common methodology used in the construction industry, which may be one of the reasons for the greater number of accidents and near misses when compared to the manufacturing industry. The article presents the author's safety–complication–frequency (SCF) model for the selection of operations for work standardization, which is dedicated to the construction industry. The SCF model enables operations with the highest priority in terms of implementation for work standardization to be selected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementing a safety program is an essential step toward improving safety performance. This research aims to develop an overall project success (OPS) model for building projects through investigating the direct and indirect impact of safety critical success factors (CSFs) on OPS mediated by safety program elements. First, interviews were carried out with experts in the Iraqi construction industry, and then a questionnaire survey was utilized to obtain feedback from construction professionals. The results revealed that 20 elements are needed to confirm and improve effectiveness. These elements were categorized into four constructs: management commitment and employee involvement, worksite analysis, hazard and prevention control, and health and safety training. The analysis confirms that the relationship between safety CSFs and OPS are mediated by safety program elements. These findings offer a glimmer of hope for implementing safety programs in the Iraqi construction sector, and can also be used to enhance safety performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to conduct an analysis leading to the optimization of industrial safety related to the use of a cotton fabric automatic screen printing press. The author’s multistage algorithm, i.e., the analysis-synthesis-minimization procedure, brings effective solutions to the issue in question. There are several risk factors at the printing press workstation and its environment, which are identified by employee surveys, scorecards and airborne samples testing. The risks are visualized by the fishbone/Ishikawa diagram. In accordance with the Fine–Kinney method, a set of 70 scorecards assessing occupational risk is applied to support the identification of critical hazards, which is next re-analyzed using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Hierarchically assessed risk factors related to the use of a printing press are easy to be minimized by organizational and technical solutions which are intended to be implemented at the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial is presented on characterizing occupational health in the cannabis cultivation industry. Topics include need to identify the health and safety needs of cannabis workers and lay plans for unified and coordinated research and advocacy efforts; and Marijuana Reform pardoning Federal offenses of simple marijuana possession and initiating review of federal scheduling.

The article discusses how wearable technology protect youth and children on farms in agricultural settings. Topics include prominent traditional strategies to protect safety of children and young workers in agricultural settings are supervision adults watch children and young workers; and use of technology that automates separation of children and youth from dangerous agricultural risks may be effective than reliance on human behavior.

Agricultural and food production systems are constantly evolving in response to societal and environmental factors. These sectors are also laden with occupational hazards, creating an opportunity for emerging and re-emerging issues such as emerging markets and changing worker demographics. The Upper Midwest is a region of intensive agricultural production, with many states leading the United States in livestock and crop production. As a National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health Center for Agricultural Safety and Health, the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH) is tasked with protecting the health and safety of the region's agricultural workers. UMASH implements an Emerging Issues program to effectively respond to emerging and re-emerging issues impacting agricultural health and safety in the Upper Midwest. To direct such work, UMASH developed a novel Selection, Planning and Action Process Model. This model guides all stages of the UMASH Emerging Issues response and emphasizes the ongoing need for monitoring, evaluation, and feedback from agricultural communities. In conjunction with the UMASH Process Model, the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Spectrum of Public Participation frames the work of the Emerging Issues Program in meaningfully engaging the community of stakeholders across all stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction workers are found to use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) infrequently, although workplace accidents are common and strongly associated with safety education. In Ho, Ghana, this study examines POP installers' awareness of occupational hazards and the use of PPEs. The study's motivation and contribution are in its analysis of the perceived obstacles and driving forces behind PPE use by POP installers in the construction industry, which is yet unknown in Ghana. Between May 15 and June 30, 2022, 149 POP installers in Ho Municipality filled out a crosssectional questionnaire using a purposive sampling method, and the data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) v.20. The outcome variables were determined using logistic regression with a 0.05 p value, the relative importance index (RII), and correlation analysis. There is a lack of awareness of knowledge, PPE use, and workplace safety among the participants. Once again, respondents cited discomfort as a reason for not wearing PPE during POP installation. Furthermore, knowledge of occupational hazards among POP workers negatively predicts PPE usage (B = 0.207, p < 0.05). The study's findings provide critical information for contractors' associations to collaborate with relevant health and safety professionals to regularly organise safety awareness training for members to increase worker knowledge and reduce risk-taking behaviour. This study is unique because it is the first to access and provides an in-depth analysis of the purported barriers and driving motivations for PPE compliance and noncompliance from the perspective of an under-researched group of construction workers in Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Investigating the root causes of under-reporting near misses is very important. The aim of this study was investigating barriers to near-miss reporting in East Azerbaijan Province Gas Company from the perspective of health, safety and environment (HSE) officers. Methods. Semi-structured individual interviews were used and 21 interviews were conducted with HSE officers. Inductive content analysis was used for analyzing interviews. After analyzing the interviews, the codes in the interviews were categorized. Results. In general, two categories of code were created: reasons for non-reporting of accident precursors; and suggested solutions to improve the reporting system of accident precursors. However, two main categories were found for not reporting: individual reasons such as lack of commitment to the job, lack of attention to social responsibility, forgetfulness and laches in reporting, etc.; and organizational reasons such as job instability among employees, lack of sufficient training, failure of the organization to provide feedback, etc. Conclusion. This study found that the opinions of people working in the organization can be very effective in promoting reporting, so any organization can choose the appropriate strategy to increase the number and quality of reports by examining the opinions of managers, HSE officers and workers in the organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Healthcare workers face many biologic, chemical, physical and psychosocial hazards and risks in their work environment. Our research aimed to examine the types and frequency of occupational accidents, their notification status and predisposing factors to which emergency medicine residents (EMRs) were exposed in the last 12 months in Turkey. Methods. This research is a national, multicenter, online descriptive survey study. Participants' descriptive features, characteristics of occupational accidents they were exposed to in the last 12 months and their use status of personal protective equipment (PPE) were examined. Results. We found that 215 EMRs were exposed to 1919 occupational accidents in the last 12 months, and only 287 of these accidents were reported. All participants had at least one occupational accident in the previous 12 months. PPE was not used in 37.9 and 44% of biologic and chemical transmission accidents, respectively. The PPE use frequency of the EMRs in necessary situations for examination gloves, surgical masks, respirators, goggles, gowns and face shields was 60, 19, 19, 8, 15 and 4%, respectively. Conclusion. The actual number of occupational accidents was determined to be considerably higher than those reported. PPE use habits of EMRs were less than they should be. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underground utilities pose a hazard during excavation works. One-call services are available to prevent strikes by providing relevant drawings to contractors, such as Dial Before You Dig in Australia. Even with this service and many other technologies, incidents keep occurring at an alarming rate. The research team developed a plan to observe relevant incidents occurring at multiple sites in Melbourne. Thirty cases of service strikes were detected over a 2-year period and the data showed the existence of common causes related to proactiveness in operational management. This includes errors in the use of current tools such as geographic information systems, which need to correctly show the most up-to-date buried infrastructure to be effective. This research also highlighted the need for procedures to be followed that involved having assets marked out on site and proved through non-destructive digging prior to excavation. Two practical scenarios were used to verify the research findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Environmental Public Health Tracking Program which is the Environmental Public Health Tracking Network examines as a web-based system with components at the local, state, and national levels. Topics include examines the Tracking Network brings together standardized data on environmental hazards, exposures to these hazards, potentially related health effects, and other data such as socioeconomic.

Automatic welding filters are intended to protect the eyes of the welder from optical radiation generated by the welding process. Safety standards for automatic welding filters (AWFs) have been developed worldwide. However, switching time requirements have not been studied considering the exposure limits established by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) or the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). The aim of this study is to derive the maximum permissive switching time based on ICNIRP guidelines for exposure to intense optical radiation. The single and cumulative exposures associated with retinal thermal and blue light hazards were assessed in the welding environment. The results show that the maximum switching time is inversely proportional to the exponential function of the shade number difference. The proposed maximum switching time, 1/2 to 1/10 smaller than the current ISO, is derived from the effective blue light radiance limits. In addition, an evaluation of the periodic short circuit welding indicates that AWFs do not transmit hazardous levels of radiation in the dark state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many workers are exposed to noise levels that can cause hearing problems. Earplugs remain a common form of protection for workers exposed to hazardous levels. Their comfort directly affects the effective protection by influencing their consistent and correct use. In order to assess comfort, the COPROD questionnaire was previously developed on the basis of four comfort dimensions: acoustic, physical, functional and psychological. During this field survey, nine earplug models were evaluated by 118 participants over a 6-week period. This paper presents analyses of the collected data and compares three families of earplugs: roll-down foam, premolded and custom moulded. Analyses have shown a better rating of custom moulded earplugs in terms of overall comfort and for all dimensions of comfort. Although premolded earplugs are generally preferred to roll-down foam earplugs, from a statistical point of view, the evaluations of these two families are not significantly different for numerous characteristics. Practitioner Summary: Earplugs comfort conditions the hearing protection of the users. The COPROD questionnaire was developed to jointly evaluate all dimensions of comfort. Nine earplugs models were evaluated by 118 participants during 6 weeks. This paper presents analyses of the collected data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of virtual reality devices for exploring construction sites is a promising alternative to anticipate problems and reduce the occurrence of work-related accidents. The present study drew comparisons between different ways of performing virtual exploration to improve workers' safety on construction sites. These comparisons allowed the proposal of guidelines for modelling and exploring construction site simulations using low-cost immersive virtual reality devices. Eight construction managers participated in two virtual reality simulations in which they had to identify hazards to the workers. Considering the volunteers' opinion, the time used and the number of hazards identified, the study concluded that the best simulation mode was one in which the user rigidly followed the guidelines of a protocol for their displacement and hazard analysis. The results of the study indicated that the procedures for virtual exploration of the construction site should be standardized, providing greater focus on hazard identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All-terrain vehicle (ATV) crashes are one of the leading causes of death and injury in agriculture across the United States. Use of ATVs is highly prevalent in rural areas and has seen an increase in their application for a variety of agricultural work tasks. Empirical research on the use of these vehicles for agricultural tasks and associated injuries is limited, especially in the United States. Moreover, little is known about the risk factors associated with ATV-related injuries while doing farm work. A comprehensive review was conducted to evaluate the current injury burden of ATV use in agriculture, the need for future research, and possible solutions related to agricultural ATV safety. Potential injury prevention approaches are evaluated based on the hierarchy of control, including elimination or substitution (using side-by-side vehicles instead of ATVs or modifying ATV design), engineering control (operator protection devices), administrative authority (regulations and standards in the United States and around the world), training, and use of personal protective equipment. In addition, vehicle nomenclature, risk factors, and crash mechanisms are reviewed. Recommendations to decrease the likelihood of ATV crashes and injuries are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Recent legal changes mean Canadian cannabis production has moved from an illegally grown crop to a potentially common one. However, little is known about the needs of long-time producers accustomed to operating outside a legal framework. In order to develop effective safety communication strategies, there is a need to better understand cannabis producers' perceptions of OHS regulations, OHS controls, and sources of OHS information. Methods: The specific objectives of this study are to (1) Describe production tasks and identify potential hazards related to these tasks and (2) describe workers' current sources of OHS information. This study gathered two types of information: facility and production information gathered from key informants during three facility walkthroughs, and health and safety perceptions gathered during face to face interviews with nine cannabis production workers. Interviews were thematically analyzed using interpretive description. Results: Cannabis production and related occupational health and safety issues occur within a larger context, and descriptions of contextual factors were interwoven with workers' responses which, on the whole, expressed positive views of occupational health and safety. Perceived barriers to OHS included cost, lack of specialized skills, and lack of worker consultation, while named sources of OHS information included courses, requests to OHS agencies, and the internet. Conclusion: It is hoped that an enhanced understanding of Canadian cannabis producers can inform the development of effective occupational health and safety interventions to promote the health and productivity in this workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on COVID-19 pandemic resulting in a dramatic increase in the use of N95 respirators, barrier face coverings, and disposable gloves. Topics include plastic litter in the environment breaking down to plastic fragments found in air, water, and food; and NMP particles through inhalation and ingestion raising concerns about the potential adverse health effects.

Women working onsite in construction contend with multiple work hazards arising from the masculine-based work culture. Resilience has been proposed as an important asset for trades and semi-skilled women to manage work hazards and retain work focus. An explanatory sequential research design incorporating survey and interview data was used to explore the resilience of women. One hundred and sixty-eight Australian trades and semi-skilled women completed the Employee Resilience Scale and forty-three of these participants were interviewed. Survey results indicate that participants had a high level of employee resilience, suggesting a strong ability to adapt and succeed in a challenging work environment. Thematic analysis of the interview data identified that resilience is considered as a mandatory capability by women working onsite to manage gendered workplace hazards and attain career success. The findings indicate that these women had high levels of resilience despite little to no support from their workplace. Given its importance, it is recommended that resilience development be included in apprenticeship programs to support retention and career success for tradeswomen. Developing the resilience of semi-skilled women requires more consideration from the industry given their precarious employment status and career pathway. More broadly, the results reiterate that more needs to be done to provide a safe working environment for women working onsite. Rather than relying on women to navigate hostile workplaces, construction employers must protect the safety and health of all workers irrespective of gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the negative feasibility assessment for establishing a Biological Exposure Index (BEI) for 1-bromopropane, a chemical used in various industries, due to inadequate scientific data. Topics discussed include the call for additional data, the potential health risks associated with 1-bromopropane exposure, and the need for field or experimental studies to establish a BEI and improve risk management.

In determining whether a new permissible exposure limit is technologically feasible, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and various courts have used poorly defined criteria such as whether "most employers most of the time" are able to comply with a standard. This vague definition creates problems when employers try to determine the best way to protect their workers and estimate the costs to remain in compliance with the permissible exposure limit. This article proposes a more rigorous approach to determine feasibility. By utilizing the best available statistical methods, employers and rule makers can better understand the variability within existing exposure data to determine the feasibility of new exposure limits. There are several readily available statistical tools that can be used for this purpose. To illustrate these techniques, a subset of data from the foundry industry and analysis from the OSHA respirable crystalline silica rulemaking proceeding are compared to methods published by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in 1977 and a more sophisticated Bayesian approach. The results of this analysis suggest that complying with a new permissible exposure limit is more challenging than what is implied by OSHA's analysis, and calls into question its method of determining compliance. In the same vein, OSHA should move away from assessing compliance based on individual measurements and instead use a statistical approach to determine if a workplace is in compliance. These changes will encourage employers to better characterize occupational exposures, and will ultimately lead to better protection for employees while also providing employers protection from violations due to one-off overexposures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]