Lifting and overstraining are major causative factors related to musculoskeletal injuries and low back pain. A great number of work-related injuries arise from the handling and/or mishandling of materials. Hence there is a need to quantify risk factors in situ and develop guidelines for safe lifting practises in industry. The aim of this study was to make appropriate in situ quantification, within a commercial warehouse, of the stresses and physical demands imposed on the worker when performing two handed lifts in the sagittal plane. The performance of employees was assessed under normal working conditions through an observational methodology of data collection. Task performance evaluation was based on detailed measurement of all containers handled, an activity and time analysis, and the 'Work Practices Guide to Manual Lifting’ (NIOSH, 1981) which was used as the primary guide to developing theoretical recommendations to probable MMH risk factors for the workers involved. Of the 191 tasks analysed 103 were deemed unsuitable. Appropriate task factor adjustments were made where necessary to both the frequency and Hfactors (horizontal distance between the centre of gravity of the container and that of the worker) in order to reduce the risk factor for the workers

The construction industry is one of the most dangerous industries in the world, with many workplace fatalities every day. The existence of legislation that governs Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is an intervention to ensure that all governments, employers and employees play their part in establishing and implementing policies that will help secure healthy and safe working environments. The study is qualitative and with the help of an interview guide, semistructured interviews were used to collect the data. The respondents were selected using purposive and snowball sampling methods. Ten managers from ten (five small, five large) construction firms, two employees from each firm, and the OHS inspector from the Department of Labour in Grahamstown were interviewed. Having explored management’s practices, communication methods, training and distribution of information, employee representation and participation, and industrial relations, several conclusions were reached. During the study it was found that there are a number of obstacles that are hampering effective OHS in the construction industry. Some of these include; management’s lack of commitment to a participatory approach in OHS decision-making, limited resources to invest adequately in OHS, and the lack of sufficient trade union involvement. In addition, we know very little about OHS in the construction industry, and the mere existence of OHS legislation does not help reduce the risks associated with construction work, especially when there is a shortage of skilled personnel to enforce the legislation and regulations.

The prosperity of small micro and medium enterprises (SMME’s) in the construction industry is vital for the improvement of the South African economy. Unfortunately, the poor safety record of this industry negatively affects the sustainability of SMME’s and augments the loss of human lives. Owners and managers of SMME’s in the construction industry are usually financially fragile and unaware of the direct and an indirect cost associated with injuries that may result in potential profit loss and ultimately, bankruptcy. The construction industry continues to lead with high levels of fatalities and injuries compared to other industrial sectors. High levels of non-compliance with health and safety legislation in the construction industry necessitate creative interventions to improve health and safety standards. The objective of the research was to establish to what extent SMME’s comply with health and safety in the construction industry. Research was done by means of a survey questionnaire and the findings concluded that government laws are appropriate however the enforcing of such law needs attention. Furthermore, most owners are aware of the required legislation but the competitive nature allude that “that shortcuts are taken”.

This study investigated the health and injury risks faced by emergency medical workers in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality. The aim of the study was to establish the emergency worker`s awareness, level of knowledge and attitude to practices of health and safety issues. The study sample consisted of eighty (80) emergency medical workers stationed in Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage. A self- administered questionnaire was developed and used in an empirical survey to collect data from the respondents on information such as health and safety knowledge, behavior, experiences, attitudes, beliefs and opinions in their workplace. The results of the study indicated that 90% of the workers experienced all occupational hazards identified in the questionnaire. Percutaneous injuries were found to be at 48%, PTSD was rated at 40% due to horrific accidents and incidents complicated by violent threats and armed robberies with emergency workers being victims. Musculoskeletal injuries were found to be very common. Ordinary stress was caused by dissatisfaction over human resources issues and structural changes by the management internally. The findings revealed that some workers took incapacity leave for long periods, sometimes more than three years at a time. The emergency workers are at high risk of being infected by ordinary TB or the more complex type, the DR-TB in their line of duty. The study revealed that there were no health and safety structures in the institution; as a result there was no formal documenting and identification of hazards in order to implement measures to protect the workers from future incidences. Health related absenteeism was high when employees were exposed to such hazards and replacement of skill was not implemented. The main recommendations included wearing of personal protective equipment, safe disposal of sharps objects, guidelines for lifting objects, introduction of organizational safety culture and safe transportation of PTB patients.

Introduction: Managers in small businesses are faced with a dilemma of meeting the requirements of health and safety legislation and trying to grow their businesses. It is important that they understand the business value of occupational health and safety programs. For them to allocate resources to occupational health and safety programs they need to understand if there are any economic benefits attached to such programs. Thus this study was designed to investigate the benefits of occupational health services on economic performance and growth of small businesses in Gauteng, South Africa. Method: This was a descriptive quantitative study. A self administered structured questionnaire was developed and distributed to 200 small businesses in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Thirty completed questionnaires were received back, representing a response rate of 15%. Data was analysed by the NMMU Unit for Statistical Consultation, using STATISTICA. Results: Economic performance moderately correlated with the presence of occupational health and safety professionals. It moderately correlated with the categories of occupational health and safety professionals in a small business. The level of knowledge, awareness, attitude and perception on occupational health and safety was rated high. Eighty three percent (83%) of the respondents had a clear understanding of their responsibility in terms of the health and safety function at work. The level of employee engagement was rated high with seventy six percent (76%) of respondents reporting that they get recognition for their work, and eighty six percent (86%) indicated that they were happy with the relationship they had with their boss. There was a difference between managers and employees in terms of how they view economic performance and growth of their companies. Conclusion: The presence of occupational health and safety professionals as well as different categories of occupational health and safety professionals are factors of importance in the economic performance and growth of small businesses in Gauteng, Republic of South Africa. The weak correlation between economic performance and growth of small businesses requires a further study with a bigger sample size.

Health and safety management forms part of the overall risk management of medical institutions, and deals with the responsibility of an organisation to provide a risk free environment for all who are exposed to the activities of such medical institutions. Affected people include health care workers, contractors, visitors, and patients. Medical institutions, and hospitals specifically, are uniquely distinct from other industries in that they employ highly skilled staff with specific specialised knowledge. These institutions are also increasingly making use of complex technology that requires specialist staff to operate medical machines and equipment. These specific aspects are accounted for in this research. The overall purpose of this research is to determine the need for an alternative approach to the management of health and safety in medical institutions. An appropriate model will be developed that can be integrated into the existing health and safety management system. The research methodology for this study comprises the following steps: Firstly, the health and safety environment was researched in relation to all stakeholders, external and internal, that are affected by medical institutions’ activities. The effect of these activities, and how it influences health and safety management, was evaluated in a South African context. Secondly, the overall risk management approach of medical institutions and the effect of organisational culture were researched to determine the effect on health and safety performance. Thirdly, a questionnaire was sent to selected staff of five hospitals in the Eastern and Western Cape to determine their perception and experience of health and safety management. Quantitative data on incidents in Netcare Hospitals were obtained, and a comparison of the questionnaire studies was done to determine the need for a health and safety model. The final step of this study entailed the development of a health and safety model using legislative requirements and the needs identified in the research. A proposal is made to integrate specialist functions and departments into the existing health and safety management system, in order to strengthen the managerial capabilities of such a system. The importance of improving the safety and compliance culture is indicated.

This is a qualitative study that seeks to explore the workers’ perceptions towards the occupational safety and health administration (OSHA) system at the petrochemical industrial plant Sasol Infrachem in Sasolburg. It provides a platform for shop floor workers to express their subjective perceptions of the company’s OSHA measures by answering open ended questions. The study advances the notion that notwithstanding the safety managers’ efforts towards ensuring a safety regime in the workplace, however lucrative these might be, to really ensure a safe working environment in the workplace will always depend on the individual workers’ motivation to participate safely at work at any given time to ensure his/her safety and that of others. The study explores this subject by considering how they perceive these safety strategies, their vigilance, attitudes, their ownership of these and their inclination to comply with the occupational safety and health administration measures of Sasol. This study follows a Postmodernist theoretical framework emphasizing differences. Difference is a first and foremost identity feature of human beings. This goes for both their external and internal qualities. How workers perceive and relate to safety concepts will always be shaped by the differences among them. The study also makes use of the Environmental Justice Theory as a central theme, that holds that one life lost is one too many. At the forefront of industries are shop floor workers who are most vulnerable to workplace incident.The study assumes this premise with regard to their safety and health in the workplace

Aunque la empresa cuenta con un Sistema de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional formulado por la Supervisora de Seguridad y Salud, este no es adecuado y resulta poco útil debido a que no cumple con algunos aspectos importantes de las leyes N° 29783: Ley de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo y N° 30222 (ley que modifica la ley 29783); así como los decretos supremos N° 005 2012 TR y N° 006 2014 TR. Por consiguiente, esta investigación permitirá a la empresa mejorar su Sistema de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional. Esto traería beneficios sustanciales para Plásticos Joly: un mejor clima laboral, incremento de su valor en el mercado y una reducción de costos ocultos al cumplir con la legislación vigente. / Trabajo de investigación

Tecandina S.A., es una empresa peruana que desarrolla trabajos de Consultoría ambiental en el subsector minería, cuenta con 12 trabajadores en oficina y contrata por proyectos a profesionales especializados en temas minero–ambiental. Las labores administrativas son realizadas en las oficinas ubicadas en la ciudad de Lima mientras que trabajo de campo necesario para la recopilación de información, es realizado en las zonas donde se desarrollan los proyectos mineros ubicados, en su gran mayoría, en la sierra del Perú. El principal objetivo del presente trabajo es diseñar un Sistema de Gestión de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo (SGSST), que le permita a Tecandina S.A. llevar a cabo la implementación, verificación y control del mismo, para conseguir este objetivo, se realizó un análisis del entorno externo e interno de la empresa, el diagnóstico (línea base) de la situación actual en la que se encuentra la empresa relacionada a la seguridad y salud en el trabajo, finalmente se calculó el costo que involucra implementar y mantener el SGSST. / Tecandina S.A. is a Peruvian company that develops environmental consultant work in the mining subsector; has 12 workers in its office and hires professionals specialized in mining and environmental issues for their projects. Administrative labors are done in Lima, while the necessary fieldwork to gather information is performed in areas where mining projects are located, mostly in the highlands of Peru. The main objective of this research is to design a Work Safety and Health Management System (OHSMS), that allows Tecandina S.A. to carry out its implementation, verification and control; to achieve this goal , an analysis of the external and internal environment of the company was performed; the company´s current situation diagnose (baseline) related with safety and health at work; and finally the cost involved in implementing and maintaining OHSMS was calculated. / Trabajo de investigación

El presente trabajo de investigación plantea la implementación de un Sistema de Gestión de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo (SGSST) a partir de la adecuación a los requisitos legales vigentes de la Ley N° 29783: Ley de Seguridad y Salud en el trabajo (SST)1 y sus modificatorias; desarrollándose en SUMIT S.A.C., empresa dedicada a brindarel servicio de confección y exportación de prendas de vestir ubicada en el distrito de Ate, Lima – Perú, debido a que la empresa ha decidido implementar un SGSST que le permita adecuarse a los requerimientos de la Ley mencionada. / This research proposes the implementation of an Occupational Safety and Health Management System (OSH-MS) from the adjustment of the current legal requirements from Law N° 29783: Occupational Safety and Health peruvian law and its modifications; developed in SUMIT S.A.C., a company dedicated to providing the service of manufacturing and garments exportation, located the district of Ate, Lima – Peru, because the company has decided to implement an OHSMS that allows suit the requirements of the aforementioned law. / Trabajo de investigación