The dangerous work environment in the construction industry and the inherent high risks associated with construction work make it the focus of safety training and regulations. Highway construction and maintenance has unique hazards but seemingly less directly applicable safety standards, regulations, and programs. Department of Transportation (DOT) employees working in highway maintenance are exposed to a variety of unique hazards specifically associated with their work and not relating to the adjacent traffic. Yet, highway construction and maintenance work has not received sufficient attention in terms of safety research and programs. The lack of safety training and education in highway construction and maintenance work leaves a significant portion of DOT employees prone to different work-related hazards that can be avoided with additional safety awareness. As part of the efforts of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) to improve safety of their employees, the study describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a pre-task safety briefing toolbox. By analyzing recordable incidents of KYTC maintenance employees and identifying frequent hazards present within their typical work operations and the causes behind the frequent incidents, the final product of design phase is a toolbox that is relatable and relevant to KYTC maintenance crews. The toolbox presents these hazards along with incidents causes and the appropriate safety practices to avoid or mitigate the associated risk. The goal of this safety toolbox is to improve safety awareness of KYTC maintenance crews. The second part of the study is a comprehensive systematic evaluation of the effectiveness of the toolbox. Three evaluation phases including reaction and knowledge evaluation, implementation evaluation, and behavior change evaluation were carried out to assess the effectiveness of the toolbox. With 22% improvement in workers safety knowledge, 23% improvement in workers hazards identification skills, and 33.24% increase in the likelihood of safe behavior, the results showed that pre-task safety toolbox talks can increase highway workers’ safety awareness, improve their hazards identification skills, and increase their safe behavior. In addition to serving an underserved audience of the construction workforce, this study contributes to the body of knowledge in different ways. First, it sheds the light on a significant underserved portion of construction workers and the unique hazards present in their work environment. Second, it presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of a data driven safety intervention that addresses the most frequent safety issues in highway maintenance operations. Finally, it presents an empirical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a common practice used in the construction industry in a unique sector of the industry that has not received sufficient research efforts.

Safety at work is of the utmost importance to employees and the organizations they work for, and as such, it is a central issue for occupational health psychology. Although dramatic decreases in the number of worker injuries and fatalities have been observed over the last several decades, safety remains a principal concern for organizations. This is especially true in occupations in which employees face serious threats to their personal safety, such as correctional officers (COs). While a number of studies have identified workplace factors that contribute to worker safety, few have attempted to draw a link between employee nonwork experiences and safety at work. In the current study, a model was tested to examine whether the relationship between cognitive nonwork recovery experiences and safety performance at work was mediated by safety motivation. Specifically, the effort-recovery model (Meijman & Mulder, 1998) and the concept of self-regulatory resources (Muraven & Baumeister, 2000) were utilized to test these relationships. It was hypothesized that psychological detachment during nonwork time can replenish cognitive resources that employees need in order to feel motivated to be focused on safety in the workplace, and negative work reflection can drain these resources. Furthermore, drawing on Broaden-and-Build theory (Fredrickson, 1998) it was posited that positive work reflection during nonwork time would have a positive relationship with safety motivation. Additionally, it was hypothesized that the relationship between these cognitive recovery experiences and safety motivation would be moderated by individual perceptions of safety climate. The hypotheses were examined in a sample of COs (N = 166) from two correctional facilities in Oregon. The results overall did not provide strong empirical support for the model. No support was found for the role of psychological detachment or negative work reflection. Additionally, perceptions of safety climate did not moderate the relationship between cognitive recovery experiences and safety. However, positive work reflection during nonwork time was significantly associated with safety participation motivation, which in turn had a positive association with safety participation. Additionally analyses revealed that this relationship was reciprocal in nature when utilizing an additional sample four months after data collection, such that safety participation motivation and safety participation predicted positive work reflection. The findings from the current study build on the research between the work-life interface and safety at work, suggesting that positive nonwork experiences can potentially be related to discretional safety performance at work. Implications for practical applications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Understanding safety factors in construction is critical to reducing accident frequency and severity. Grounded in the safety performance model, this study was conducted to examine the impact of psychological capital (PsyCap), which consists of the shared variance of hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism, and Past, Present, and Future thinking perspectives, on safety climate and performance. A nonexperimental quantitative design was used to determine whether PsyCap and thinking perspectives of construction project employees predicted safety performance and/or moderated the relationship between safety climate and performance across construction sites in different countries. 411 construction employees were recruited via a multistage and clustering strategy and took part in the study. The PsyCap Questionnaire, MindTime Profile Inventory, Group-Level Safety Climate Scale, and Safety Performance Measure were used to assess PsyCap, thinking perspectives, safety climate, and safety performance. Multiple regression was used to determine the effects of PsyCap and thinking perspectives on safety climate and safety performance. Results showed that Future and Present thinking predicted PsyCap as well as safety climate and safety performance in the construction industry. Further, safety performance accounted for variations in hope and efficacy, two PsyCap components. Findings might be used to influence thinking perspectives of team leaders in designing training, developing employees' efficacy levels, and preventing accidents and fatalities on construction sites.

Home care nurses (HCNs) have reported a high rate of exposure to work-related injuries (WRIs). Nurses are challenged by the multidimensional problems associated with home care safety. These contextual risk factors increase the physical and social health problems of health care workers and of community suffering as a whole. This quantitative, cross-sectional study was designed to examine the relationship between the organization-related factors (ORFs) and the environment-related factors (ERFs) and their influences on safety behaviors (SBs) and the WRIs of HCNs. The PRECEDE framework was used to guide the study. Self-reported data were obtained from 74 home health care (HHC) nurses using the Safety Home Care Nursing questionnaire. A linear regression model was applied to determine the nature of the association between the independent variables and dependents variables. Findings showed the ORFs demonstrate a stronger effect on the SBs than the impact of the ERFs. The management commitment and the home-based care significantly affected the SBs. The supervisory support and safety access to a client's home were decreasing the WRIs. Therefore, the integration of efforts: The management and leadership of the health organization, the health care providers, and the clients' family would improve safety of HHC. This study is expected to help develop safety strategies for home care and thus attempt to minimize WRIs among HCNs. Nurses free of injuries are able to provide a quality of care and improve patients' health outcomes that in turn have an effect on reducing community suffering and financial costs.

The impact of occupational stress on employees' health and work performance costs U.S. companies $300 billion annually; work-related stress is an issue for private security organizations all over the world. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies private security organizational leaders used to mitigate private security officers' occupational stress. The study participants were 4 leaders of a private security organization in Bahrain who had a minimum of 5 years of experience in the private security field and had addressed occupational stress successfully. The human capital theory was the conceptual framework used for this study. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and review of archival documents. Yin's 5-step data analysis plan was applied to the data to generate 4 themes: private security occupational stressors, occupational stress reduction practices, leaders-officers open communication, and health protection policies. The identification and development of job stressor mitigation strategies has multiple implications for positive social change including protecting employees' well-being and increasing their working performance, productivity, and business success. Improving work performance and productivity produces opportunities for employment and supports economic growth and community goodwill. The practices of a successful organization positively influence the society by providing jobs and capital investments, which can improve the quality of life in the community.

The World Health Organization classified carbaryl, glyphosate, and paraquat as hazardous to human health. In the Agriculture Health Study in the United States, health problems were associated with the use of these 3 agrochemicals 12 or more times per year. These 3 agrochemicals were commonly used in Grenada. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to investigate the relationship between the social and economic characteristics of the farmers who participated in the 2012 agriculture survey and the use of agrochemicals at frequencies that could pose health risks. Five constructs of the social cognitive theory were used as the premise to hypothesize relationships between the variables. Binomial regression analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses of relationships between the characteristics of 8,868 farmers and use of agrochemicals or herbicides -?¥12 timers per year. Statistically significant relationships were found between 16 characteristics of the farmers and use of agrochemicals. Significant relationships were also found between 8 characteristics of the farmers and use of herbicides -?¥12 timers per year. The findings of this study show that several characteristics of the farmers in Grenada were associated with the use of agrochemicals at frequencies that were hazardous to health. By demonstrating the need to implement preventive measures and adopt the precautionary principle in the use of agrochemicals, positive changes can be made in monitoring agriculture practices, health surveillance, and clinical practice.

Thesis (MPH. (Occupational and Environmental Health))-- University of Limpopo, 2012 / Background: The objective of this study was to quantify personal time-weighted average respirable dust and silica exposure of workers at foundries in Gauteng and to rank the occupations in foundries according to the risk of exposure to silica quartz. Methods: A task-based risk assessment of 56 personal samples from two foundries was conducted. Personal exposure data was collected from workers’ breathing zones for the full working shift. All analyses of samples for silica dust were carried out in the CSIR Centre for Mining Innovation’s Laboratory, which has SANAS accreditation (ISO 17025) for both x-ray powder diffraction and particle size analysis methods. Results: The personal time-weighted average mean and median respirable silica dust concentration was 0.184 mg/m³ and 0.167 mg/m³ respectively. The maximum exposure concentration was 0.835 mg/m³ and minimum exposure was 0.010 mg/m³. The occupations within the foundries with the highest exposures were moulders, sand mixers, furnace operators and the lowest exposed occupations were grinders, closers, and casting operators. The majority of foundry workers (62%) in both foundries are exposed to respirable silica dust at above the South African occupational exposure level (OEL). Conclusion and recommendations: Foundry workers are over-exposed to respirable silica dust and are potentially at high risk of contracting silicosis and other occupational diseases associated with respirable silica dust. It is recommended that a dust control programme be implemented and a baseline study be conducted.

Thesis (LLM. (Development and Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2012 / Occupational health, safety and wellbeing of employees is an important factor in the socioeconomic development of a country hence the need for South Africa as a developmental state, to give priority to the health and safety of employees in the country as employees are key to socio-economic development. The right to an environment that is not detrimental to the health and wellbeing of employees is also entrenched in the Constitution of the Republic making it a fundamental right which should be enjoyed by all. Laws related to occupational health and safety have been enacted in South Africa with a view to, on the one hand, prevent occupational injuries, diseases or deaths and on the other hand to provide compensation where such occurs. This study seeks to determine which of the laws are applicable, whether they are reasonable when compared to the constitutional requirements and South Africa’s obligations as a member of the international community. Comparisons are also made with other countries and recommendations made for the South African government to adequately ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of employees in the country.

Decabromodiphenylether (deca-BDE) and triclosan (2,4,4'-trichloro-2'-hydroxydiphenylether) are used in consumer products as flame retardant and bactericide, respectively. Dermal contact is a major human exposure pathway. Deca-BDE and triclosan are known to be photolytically degraded to compounds like lower-BDEs and dioxins. My hypothesis is that photolysis of deca-BDE and triclosan generates free radicals and degradation products which cause toxic effects including cytotoxicity, growth inhibition, oxidative stress and genotoxicity in skin. To test this hypothesis radical formation and photolytic products of deca-BDE and toxic effects of deca-BDE and triclosan alone/with UV-exposure were determined using immortal human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and primary human skin fibroblasts (HSF). My electron paramagnetic resonance and GC-MS studies indicate that deca-BDE is photoreactive and UV irradiation of deca-BDE in organic solvents generates free radicals and lower-BDEs. The free radical formation is wavelength-dependent and positively related to the irradiation time and deca-BDE concentration. In structure-activity relationship studies with deca-BDE, octa-BDE, PBB 209, PCB 209 and diphenyl ether, the presence of halogen atoms (Br > Cl), and/or an ether bond enhance free radical formation. Debromination and hydrogen abstraction from the solvents are the mechanism of radical formation with deca-BDE, which raises concerns about possible toxic effects in UV-exposed skin. In cell culture experiments high levels of triclosan plus UV irradiation and repetitive deca-BDE and UV exposures caused synergistic cytotoxicity in HaCaT. However, neither triclosan nor deca-BDE can be regarded as a phototoxicant following the OECD test and evaluation guidelines. In HSF, no synergistic cytotoxicity was observed, although HSF were more sensitive to deca-BDE and triclosan alone than HaCaT. Contrary to expectations, the photodegradation products of triclosan were less toxic than triclosan itself to HaCaT. However, UV irradiation of triclosan-exposed cells produced a dose dependent increase in intracellular oxidative stress (dichlorofluorescein formation). Comet experiments did not show consistent results of genotoxicity in HaCaT. Overall, deca-BDE and triclosan had no or weak phototoxic potential in cells with the experimental conditions employed. To my knowledge, my research is the first prove of free radical formation during UV irradiation of deca-BDE and the first investigation of phototoxicity of deca-BDE and triclosan in human skin cells.

Three main projects are included in this dissertation. Though seemingly broad in scope, this research afforded a unique opportunity for comprehensive study of urban and rural environmental inhalation exposures to endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide LPS) and the associated immune response. In the LA PM10 Endotoxin Study, ambient concentration of LPS in PM (particulate matter) was quantified through analysis of air samples collected in Southern California. Endotoxin concentrations measured were lower than recognized thresholds for adverse health effects in occupational exposures, but in the same range as for indoor effects. This study provides the first extensive characterization of endotoxin concentration across a large metropolitan area in relation to PM10 and other pollutant monitoring, and supports the need for studies of the role of endotoxin in childhood asthma in urban settings. The Mouse Whole Blood Assay (WBA) Study replicated LPS-induced airway inflammation in a laboratory model. Presently, there is a need for less invasive options for evaluating pulmonary responses to occupational exposures. The whole blood assay (WBA), which measures cytokine production of leukocytes after ex vivo stimulation with LPS, may be one such option. This study used an endotoxin-tolerance model to demonstrate the efficacy of the WBA as a biomarker of inhalation exposure to swine concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) dust and showed the utility of the WBA for assessing susceptibility to organic dust-induced lung inflammation. Finally, The Human WBA Study applied the WBA outside the controlled environment of the laboratory. This study utilized pulmonary function testing (PFT), symptom questionnaires and the WBA to evaluate inflammatory responses following an inhalation exposure to purified LPS in CAFO workers and controls. Subjects were stratified into response groups for analysis of WBA results based on PFT response. All subjects demonstrated significant WBA LPS-stimulant dose-responses for all 3 cytokines measured. This study demonstrated that LPS-induced pulmonary and WBA responses are variable among individuals and offered insight into the use of the WBA in future studies. Information gained from these studies provides much insight into urban endotoxin concentrations, the use of the WBA as a biomarker of pulmonary exposure in the rural environment, and offers possibilities for further research.