This thesis outlines the structural problems that, affect the operation of the Workers' Compensation Board within the industrial economy of B.C. The study confines itself to the years between 1972 and 1937, a period in which workers' compensation in B.C. underwent political and economic transformations under the governmental aegis of the New Democratic Party government and then the Social Credit Party. In order to understand the ostensibly contradictory functions of the WCB, a partially autonomous component of the state, liberal-pluralist and Neo-Marxist models are compared and contrasted. The thesis concludes that the UCB serves two principal functions: capital accumulation and legitimation of the status quo. Historical and contemporary evidence shows that the WCB continues to serve the interests of employers at the expense of workers. Low government expenditure on health and safety safeguards, delaying of workers' claims, weak penalties against employers violating safety legislation, the chronic scarcity of safety inspectors, and the habitual undercompensation of claims, are clear indications that the WCB puts costs ahead of workers' health. The WCB's rejection of radical solutions to the problems, solutions likely to offend employers, is further evidence of the pro-capital bias of the WCB. Thus the study rejects the liberal-pluralist interpretive framework and reaffirms the structuralist, interpretation as an appropriate schema for understanding how the WCB operates within a capitalist economy. Alternatives to the WCB policy such as a universal disability plan, are explored. The chief method of investigation used in this research study was to interview workers and their representatives, lawyers specialising in the WCB, and WCB staff. Available WCB data and various evaluative reports on the WCB were important secondary sources of information. / Arts, Faculty of / Sociology, Department of / Graduate

As much as the mining and construction industries in South Africa have been the backbone of the South African economy since the discovery of gold at the turn of the 19th century, so too have they been responsible for most work-related deaths in their employee population, due to their inherent hazardous working conditions. It is for this reason that the governing bodies of these industries have started to clamp down on safety in organisations, legislatively ensuring that all organisations adhere to comparatively stringent and austere regulations, or face possible shutdown. Internal safety communication is, therefore, not only literally a matter of life and death, but also forms part of complying with the laws of the country. Notwithstanding its importance, this inimitable form of internal organisational communication has yet to be widely researched. Positioned within this void, this study proposes the first model for internal safety communication within the context of the South African mining and construction industries, as well as a measuring instrument for its evaluation. The research into these two contributions is based on a sound and rigorous literature review, focusing on the chronological development of germane theories, onwards from the systems theory – the meta-theory of this research. Subsequently, the empirical research of the study was done at two organisations seated within the mining and construction industries of the country, and comprises interviews, focus group discussions and a questionnaire. In this way, the research took the form of a longitudinal study, in terms of the testing of the two contributions, but specifically the measuring instrument. This testing was done during the first stage of the empirical research at the Gautrain project and after the research intervention yielded from the findings of this first stage, the Abstract contributions were reworked and tested again in the second empirical stage of the research, at Diesel Power Opencast Mining. The model and the empirically tested and validated measuring instrument for internal safety communication – both for the context of the South African mining and construction industries – expand and contribute to the field of internal organisational communication in an imperative and relevant way, providing new theory from the South African context. / Communication Science / D.Litt et. Phil. (Communication)

Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / The purpose of this study was to determine the provision and utilisation of personal protective equipment amongst contractors in a mine in Phalaborwa Limpopo Province. A quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional research approach and design were used to conduct the study. Information was gathered through self-administered questionnaires that were analysed statistically. A cross-sectional study was used to investigate the provision and utilisation of PPE amongst contractors in a phosphate mine. A quantitative research study was conducted using a questionnaire to gather data from contractors working at Foskor mine. Two hundred sixty-one employees responded to the questionnaire. The findings revealed that contractors were not being provided with PPE hence there is little utilisation of it. They have to buy PPE from their own pockets. Respondents also reported that they were not trained on the use of PPE. The use of PPE among contractors is very low as compared to permanent employees. Conclusions The contracted companies were not providing PPE to their employees. As result, PPE was not utilised as required in the mine. The response also indicated that they were not trained in the use of PPE.

Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / The purpose of the study was to assess the knowledge and practice of personal protective equipment amongst the employees at Laundromats in Seshego industrial site, Limpopo province. A quantitative research study was conducted using a questionnaire to gather information from employees who were working at Laundromats and possibly exposed to occupational injuries and diseases. Fifty-two employees responded to the questionnaires. The findings revealed that employees showed good knowledge (81%) about personal protective equipment but poor practice (52%) of personal protective equipment. The findings also revealed that the majority of employees (75%) did not receive training because it was not offered. Conclusion Majority of employees had good knowledge. There was an appropriate response to the majority of questions relating to knowledge about PPE. However, majority of employees had poor practice of PPE. The lack of training might have led to poor practice. Key concepts: Knowledge, Practice and Personal Protective Equipment.

The main goal of this thesis was to examine the effects of family-to-work conflict on safety performance. Data were collected from a sample of 134 employees, consisting primarily of construction workers. Results found that levels of conflict from the family role to the work role negatively affected participants' workplace cognitive failure, or cognitively based errors that occur during the performance of a task that the person is normally successful in executing. Workplace cognitive failure, in turn, was a significant predictor of levels ofsafety performance, both employees' compliance with safety procedures and the extent to which they participated in discretionary safety-related activities. Although family-to-work conflict did not significantly predict levels of safety performance, results suggest that it is a practical antecedent of workplace cognitive failure, which is an important predictor of safety behaviors. Future research should explore further antecedents to workplace cognitive failure.

No description available.

No description available.

On December 29, 1970, the President signed into law the Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) of 1970, which became effective April 28, 1971. The purpose of this act is to assure safe and healthful working conditions for the nation's wage earners. The law provides that each employer has the basic duty to furnish his employees a place of employment which is safe from recognized hazards that cause death or serious physical harm. The implementation of the OSHA Act has been the most extensive intervention into the day-to-day operation of American Industry in history. Originally, employers expressed doubt that they could meet requirements of the OSHA standards and remain in business. This investigation reveals that a concentrated effort to organize a safety group trained in OSHA standards and a program for identifying costs for correction can lead to an economical compliance program which is advantageous to the employer and employee as well. Three aerospace firms were investigated for the impact of OSHA. Results show that approximately $400,000 will bring each of these firms into compliance. Compliance cost, however, is greatly determined by the type of industry, age of facility, and the safety program in effect at the facility.

Thesis (MPAM.) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / The study explored the impact of Labour inspection and enforcement strategy on Occupational Health and Safety with specific reference to Tzaneen Labour Centre in the Limpopo Province. The international Labour Organisation (ILO) 2017 world statistics indicate that 2.3 million women and men around the world succumb to work-related accidents or diseases every year and this corresponds to over 6 000 deaths every single day. The Department of Labour (DOL) Annual Reports (2007) indicates that in the Province of Limpopo, 1 717 workplaces were inspected to determine compliance with Occupational Health and Safety and only 825 were found to be compliant. Literature indicate that most accidents and fatalities at the workplace are primarily due to reluctance by employers to provide safety clothing and equipment, lack of proper training on OHS, lack of safety policy and enforcement procedures, poor safety consciousness among workers and lack of strict operational procedures amongst others. A qualitative approach was used to conduct this study and a case study was selected as the most direct method to conduct the study and obtain insight. Interviews were conducted with DOL managers, OHS inspectors and farm employers. Questionnaires were administered to farmworkers. The study revealed that there are few OHS inspectors at the Tzaneen Labour centre hence inspections are very minimal at the farms, this can assist in increasing number of places to be inspected and enforcing compliance. Findings also indicate that most farm employees are not cognisant with the OHS policies enacted to protect them and OHS records non-existent on many farms. The study recommends further rigorous training of the OHS inspectors, beefing up their numbers and equipping them with safety clothing and detection gadgets

This study examined the effect that pulse rate, pulse pattern, and onset distance had on the performance of an auditory warning signal. The warning signal's purpose was to alert mobile crane operators of their proximity to overhead power lines. The study consisted of two experimental phases. The first phase consisted of three sections; A) development and construction of the PWD's auditory warning signal. B) development of the experimental tasks and a pilot study, and C) an examination of the workload level of the secondary tracking task. Phase two consisted of a full factorial experiment which examined the performance effects caused by pulse rate range, pulse pattern, and onset distance manipulations. The experimental task required subjects to monitor an auditory warning system while simultaneously operating a single-axis driving simulation task. Subjects were required to initiate braking responses based on the information conveyed through the auditory collision warming system. In addition, subjective ratings were obtained to compare subjects’ actual performance using the warning system to their subjective preferences. Results indicate that subjects performed optimally under warning signals with moderate onset distances and low pulse rates. The pulse pattern did not have a large impact on subjects' performance across the various warning signals. Overall, it was concluded that a pulsing auditory warning signal comprised of a moderate onset distance and low pulse rate was subjectively preferred and would work effectively as a proximity warning device for mobile cranes. / Master of Science