No description available.

Major changes have occurred in the workplace in the past decades. Technology has changed dramatically, innovative ways of utilising nuclear power have been developed, new chemicals have been introduced to the market and the adverse effects of other chemicals on both human health and safety and the environment have been discovered. This has influenced the nature of the workforce itself. Regulators in the different jurisdictions were required to react to the challenges that these changes represent. This thesis explores the responses in the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the Republic of South Africa by identifying the occupational safety and health (OSH) regulations, administration, enforcement and penalties which have been put in place to address the above mentioned challenges. It is impossible to mention all the changes in the workforce and workplace that have occurred in the recent years, and this thesis therefore focuses on the possibilities that different types of regulation offer to address some of these changes. Alterations to existing approaches are proposed to ensure that enforcement is improved and better targeted. The utilisation of third parties as surrogate regulators is also addressed. The central theme of this thesis is how the law can stimulate self-regulation by adopting a Safety Management System (SMS) within enterprises to encourage “self-critical reflection about their OHS performance”. The purpose of criminal sanctions in occupational safety and health regulation, the role of the prosecution in the enforcement of OSH strategies and the possibility of combining prosecutions of corporations with prosecutions of individual managers and directors who are responsible for non-compliance with OSH standards are also addressed. Although it is most important to ensure that workers are not injured or do not contract occupational diseases, in practice this does unfortunately happen. Therefore this thesis also discusses the compensation of injured workers. / Professor D. S. de Villiers

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1981. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Includes bibliographies. / by Sonia Sylvia Jasso. / M.C.P.

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.

M.Com. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

A constante mudança nos meios de trabalho ocorre devido a evolução tecnológica e industrial. Entretanto, com o advento de tais inovações, dificilmente o trabalhador da indústria não é submetido aos mais variados riscos ocupacionais resultantes dos processos produtivos. Diante deste contexto, o presente estudo teve como objetivo principal avaliar os níveis de vibração e de ruído aos quais os trabalhadores de uma empresa do setor da construção civil, especializada na manutenção e reformas de pisos industriais, estavam expostos durante suas jornadas de trabalho em duas frentes de trabalho. As medições foram realizadas em locais e dias distintos nos municípios de Curitiba e de São José dos Pinhais, ambos no estado do Paraná. Para a avaliação da vibração ocupacional, utilizou-se um acelerômetro junto ao trabalhador e um sensor triaxial acoplado na empunhadura dos equipamentos objeto de estudo, que foram duas diferentes fresadoras de piso. Posteriormente os dados foram processados e comparados com o novo texto do Anexo no 08 da Norma Regulamentadora NR-15, apresentado para consulta pública pelo Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego entre os meses de janeiro e fevereiro de 2014. Já para a medição do ruído utilizou-se um dosímetro de ruído junto ao trabalhador, cujo resultado final possibilitou a comparação com o Anexo no 01 da mesma Norma Regulamentadora. Os resultados finais indicaram níveis de exposição excessivos, superiores aos limites de tolerância determinados pela Legislação, tanto para vibração quanto para o ruído, gerando insalubridade para os trabalhadores expostos, em todos os locais onde foram realizadas as medições. / The constant change in the means of work is done by technological and industrial developments. However, with the advent of such innovations, hardly the work of the industry is not subject to a variety of occupational hazards resulting from production processes. Given this context, the present study aimed to monitor the working hours of the employees of a company in the construction industry, specializing in industrial floor maintenance and renovations, as exposure of vibration and noise on two fronts work in the cities of Curitiba - PR and São José dos Pinhais – PR. The program took place in two locations and on different days. The workday adopted by the company is six hours daily. For the evaluation of vibration, we used accelerometer with the worker and coupled to the handle of the equipment object of study, a mill floor, triaxial sensor subsequently the data were processed and compared with the new text of Annex No. 08, NR 15, submitted for public consultation by the Ministry of Labour and Employment in the months of January and February 2014. As for noise measurement used a dosimeter with the worker, whose final results enabled comparison with the regulatory norm 15 - Annex No. 01. The final results indicate excessive exposure to the tolerance specified by the legislation, both vibration and sound pressure level, featuring unhealthy at all locations where measurements were performed.

The existence of an occupational health and safety policy is believed to be evidence of management accepting their occupational health and safety role in terms of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. It is accepted that this results in management ensuring the provision of a safe workplace. Despite the emphasis in legislation (the Occupational Health and Safety Act) on the need for management to implement comprehensive occupational health and safety policies, there is a lack of research on the implementation and efficacy of occupational health and safety policies in the workplace. This study investigates the efficacy with which management carries out their occupational health and safety duties and responsibilities when implementing the provisions of an occupational health and safety policy in the workplace. A number of factors are essential to the efficient performance of management in this regard. These factors include managerial commitment, practices and strategies; communication practices and structures; training initiatives and information; the extent of employee and trade union involvement; and the infrastructure of the organisation. This research study is primarily qualitative in nature. Semi-structured interviews were the primary tool used by the researcher to collect the data. The case-study research method was employed to assist the researcher in collecting the data. The participants involved in the research were selected using the principles of strategic informant sampling and expert choice sampling. The participants consisted of a sample of management, employees and shop stewards. The research findings indicate that firstly, the presence of occupational health and safety policies, practices, strategies and systems in the workplace do not automatically result in reduced hazards, accidents or deaths in the workplace. Secondly, the participation schemes and the communication practices put in place by management are weak. The reason for their weakness is their ineffective implementation by management and use by employees and the trade union. Thirdly, management has a definite impact on the involvement, attitudes and actions of the employees and the trade union in occupational health and safety issues. Fourthly, there is an unequal partnership between management and employees as a result of the educational differences regarding occupational health and safety between them. The outcome is that management and employees are faced with numerous challenges in relation to occupational health and safety. Contributing to this challenge is a lack of sufficient resources allocated to training, resulting ultimately in the ineffective monitoring of occupational health and safety in the workplace. The existence of occupational health and safety structures and systems does not provide the essential evidence to suggest that their mere presence makes a difference to the workplace safety level. However, through more co-operation and participation by all the parties, these structures and systems have the potential to be effective. / KMBT_363 / Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in

It is essential for both employers and employees to know and understand their obligations and rights about occupational health and safety. The study aimed at developing guidelines for the managers of health and safety programmes to promote compliance with OHS Act (No. 85 of 1993) among the food and beverage industry in South Africa. The study sites were from the four selected provinces of South Africa, with twenty three of them located in the Gauteng Province. A quantitative research method which is descriptive in nature was used to obtain in-depth knowledge on compliance to the health and safety legislation. Data was collected from 27 study sites using an inspection checklist and an interview- led questionnaire for the 202 employees. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Most employees on the study sites were young and therefore needed regular supervision, information, instruction and training to promote safe work and reduce injury and diseases. The study sites were male dominated. It emerged that there was general lack of consultation and communication with regards to health and safety matters between the employers and the employees. It was also noted that most study sites did not have a written and conspicuously placed health and safety policy and the OHS Act No. 85 of 1993. Majority of the study sites did not deploy adequate resources to manage problems related to health and safety at work and reduce their incidence. In addition, employees experienced injuries or illnesses at one point or the other as they were exposed to various occupational hazards. Finally, most study sites had poor housekeeping practices. Employers did not have the appropriate control measures, such as baseline risk assessments, in place. This placed employees at an increased risk of injuries and illnesses as well as the possibility of employers facing financial burdens such as higher compensation claims, medical specialist fees, fees involved in the replacement of injured employees or fees for the recruitment and training of new recruits. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

Work is an essential activity that provides goods or services of value to oneself and others. Paradoxically, in a bid for self-realisation, workers are seriously endangered. Work-related or induced diseases and stresses pose serious threats to workers’ health and the general well-being, hence, the need to seriously consider the issue of occupational health and safety of workers. In terms of safety at work, the experience of small and medium scale enterprises (SMSEs) worldwide is that of neglect. Their incomes are very low and uncertain, coupled with high levels of risk and hazard in their work, with little or no social protection coverage (Chen, 2008). This study therefore examines how environmental and sociological factors determine occupational health and safety of workers in SMSEs in Lagos State, Nigeria. Ulrich Beck “Risk Society” theory, Political Economy of Health framework (PEH) (Minkler et al 1994, Linnan et al, 2001) and Labour Process Theory (LPT) (Braverman, 1974; Marx, 1976; Bottome, 1991) underpinned the study. The study adopts both the qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. The qualitative method includes field observation of the selected workplaces, six Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and eight In-depth interviews (IDIs). The quantitative involved the use of structured questionnaire. The sample survey involved 180 respondents in a multi-stage sampling technique from purposively selected sawmills, mechanic villages and blacksmith cottages in three Local Government Areas in Lagos State. The quantitative data analysis uses simple percentile and univariate analyses, while the qualitative data are content-analysed, based on the objectives of the study. The findings identified low level of education (60.5%), and poor awareness of OHS in SMSEs (86.1%). It further reveals poor physical (69.5%) and technological environment (70.5%), unavailability of OHS facilities (60.5%) and prevention methods by manager/owners (60.5%), carefree attitudes of workers/managers/owners to OHS (69.5), non-acquaintance of workers to OHS laws (86.1%), workers’ economic incapacitation to deal with issues of occupational hazard (76.1%), lack of enforcement of OHS (88.3%), and transferring knowledge on OHS (82.2%) in the selected SMSEs. The study recommends roles for managers/owners, workers, trade associations, government, non-governmental organisations to promote effective OHS in the selected SMSEs. / Sociology / D.Phil. (Sociology)