This study analyzed the relationship between stressful work environments, physical fitness, and employee well-being, and proposed the “survival of the fittest” model. The “survival of the fittest” model was tested to determine whether physical fitness reduced the negative health outcomes of stressful work environments. Stressful work environments were framed through the job demands-control model (Karasek, 1979), and employee well-being was assessed through cardiovascular health and psychological well-being. Physical fitness was measured as cardiorespiratory endurance. Main effect and interaction effect models were tested using hierarchical regression and nonlinear structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses techniques. This study showed that employee well-being is negatively affected by current work trends. The results indicated that the interaction effect of high strain jobs (high job demands and low job control) negatively affected cardiovascular health, but not psychological well-being. Psychological well-being was negatively affected by high job demands, and low job control independently (main effects), whereas cardiovascular health was not negatively affected by these main effects. The results also indicated that fitness, when measured as a state, did not produce the hypothesized stress reducing effects, nor the expected improvements in cardiovascular health and psychological well-being. A discussion of these results includes an analysis of group differences, an evaluation of the fitness measure, and an examination of the sample population. This dissertation contributed to the occupational health and stress literature by offering conceptual and methodological improvements over past research. Specifically, I analyzed the job demands-control model through a focused measure of job control and a descriptive measure of job demands. Psychological well-being included the emotional exhaustion measure of burnout, and a measure of anxiety and depression not previously tested in this literature stream. Objective measures of cardiovascular health (blood pressure) and physical fitness (step test) were obtained, and data were gathered from a cross-sectional sample of 100 working adults. Furthermore, the application of nonlinear SEM techniques allowed for the simultaneous examination of physiological and psychological health outcomes, which provided a holistic view of the work stress and employee well-being relationship not previously found in this literature.

<p>Firefighters and asphalt pavers are exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) during various work activities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate urinary PAH levels and compare these bio-monitoring levels among firefighters, asphalt pavers, and non-occupationally exposed individuals. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) urinary PAH levels were used for non-occupationally exposed controls. When compared to the NIST standard for smokers and non-smokers, firefighters demonstrated statistically significant differences in urinary concentration differences for the following metabolites: 2-OH-fluorene, 3-OH-fluorene and 1-OH-pyrene, which were lower in firefighters than the NIST mean for smokers. 1-OHphenanthrene, 2-OH-phenanthrene and 3-OH-phenanthrene were higher among world trade center exposed firefighters than the NIST mean for smokers. When firefighters were compared to the NIST non-smoker standard, firefighters demonstrated elevated levels in all tested PAH biomarkers due to a mixture of smokers and non-smokers in the firefighter cohort. </p><p> Asphalt workers had statistically significant higher urinary concentration elevations in 2OH-fluorene, 1-OH-phenanthrene and 3-OH-phenanthrene as compared to the NIST smoker mean. When asphalt pavers were compared to the NIST non-smoker mean, asphalt pavers had statistically significant increases in all tested PAH biomarkers, with the exception of 2-OHphenanthrene. While firefighters did not demonstrate a substantial change in urinary PAH metabolite levels compared to control populations of smokers and non-smokers, asphalt pavers experienced concentrations that were in some cases increased by orders of magnitude compare to NIST controls. Future research may be needed to evaluate any potential health risk posted to occupational exposed asphalt pavers. </p>

<p> This study explores the pervasiveness of job fatigue in Emergency Room nurses. It identifies factors that contribute to nurse burnout, including job dissatisfaction and workplace bullying, and explores strategies for assessing and reducing fatigue syndrome. As the literature suggests, there is a link between nurse burnout and patient safety. These findings are expected to help organizations develop strategies to reduce stress in the workplace and develop wellness programs. Upon using an interviewing process, the study found several themes that pointed to the key factors of increased ER nurse burnout, and provided several implications as to the changes that need to be made to improve the ER department environment. Some of the key findings included the need to hire more staff, make supervisors and management more approachable and available, and increasing support to ER nurses. Doing so will clearly help mitigate the problem of high stress levels among ER nurses and help to prevent the likelihood of burnout.</p>

Master of Science / Department of Kinesiology / Katie M. Heinrich / Firefighting is an inherently dangerous occupation with high rates of injuries and fatalities, with the majority of line of duty fatalities due to cardiovascular events. Additionally, firefighters struggle with poor health and low levels of fitness, including very high (>80%) rates of overweight and obesity likely related to the culture of the fire service. Limited resources exist for fire departments that are sensitive to the culture and work requirements of these “tactical athletes”. Though there has been increasing interest in circuit-type high intensity exercise training programs, key research data are lacking for the firefighter population and few studies have focused on training firefighter recruits. PURPOSE: The purpose of this pilot investigation was to examine a novel physical training program on fire academy recruits’ health, fitness, and performance, in addition to examining the programs’ acceptability, feasibility, and future efficacy. METHODS: Thirteen participants were recruited from an entry level fire academy and were randomly assigned to either the control (CG, n=6) or intervention exercise group (TF20, n=7). Due to attrition within the first two weeks of the study, 10 male fire recruits (23±3 years) completed the study (CG, n=3, TF20, n=7). The CG were asked to continue their current exercise habits. TF20 were provided an online-based training program (The First 20) that included periodized workouts, nutritional information, and mental readiness education. All participants completed baseline and post-intervention assessments and 10-weeks of exercise training. Health assessments included resting and post-exercise heart rate and blood pressure and estimated VO₂[subscript]max. Anthropometric measures included height, weight, % body fat, % lean mass, and BMI. Performance was measured using the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT). Psychosocial measures were assessed by a short questionnaire. A feasibility analysis was also completed for those in TF20 group. Due to the small sample size and group differences at baseline, descriptive statistics were calculated and each participant was reviewed as an individual case study. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test was used to test for significance among TF20 group. RESULTS: This pilot investigation provided effect sizes and parameter estimates necessary for the design of a larger randomized controlled trial. Even with a small sample size, TF20 group showed improvement on numerous outcome measures including CPAT performance (40% passing at baseline to 86% passing post-intervention). Of five TF20 participants completing the CPAT at baseline and post-intervention, four improved their passing time. TF20 participants significantly increased estimated VO₂[subscript]max (p=0.028) and significantly improved body composition (decreased fat mass (kg) and % fat mass, p=0.028). TF20 participants also significantly improved grip strength (p=0.018). The CG saw no statistically significant differences from baseline to post-intervention. TF20 group completed approximately 75% of the assigned workouts. Participants reported enjoying the workouts and stated a program like this should be offered for fire academy recruits in the future. CONCLUSION: While TF20 participants showed significant fitness gains, the small sample size limited comparisons to the control group or other covariates. TF20 program was well-received although there may be a better way to implement the intervention to increase participation. Participants mentioned they would like group workouts led by a certified strength and conditioning coach/peer fitness trainer as opposed to self-guided workouts. This investigation provides promising results for the efficacy of high-intensity training programs in firefighter recruits. Additionally, this study provides alternative guidance for exercise prescription designed specifically for the firefighter population.

<p> The purpose of this study was to identify ideas about how occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals influence decision-makers on matters impacting occupational health and safety management systems. A modified nominal group technique was used that involved 67 participants in ten nominal groups and identified the most important ideas about how OSH professionals can influence workplace safety and health decision making. The research produced themes of communication, scientific, professionalism, leadership, adaptability, and business acumen that resulted in six domains of occupational safety and health professional influence.</p><p>

Despite an increased understanding of the individual and contextual factors that influence both employee safety behavior and workplace safety incidents (e.g., injuries, accidents), there has been surprisingly little theoretical or empirical consideration of the individual employee's psychological experience of safety at work. Given that feeling safe is widely theorized to be a basic psychological need with implications for individual well-being and safety-related work behavior, the purpose of this dissertation was to use cybernetic theory-a conceptual framework that explains self-regulation through negative feedback processes-to explore both the antecedents and outcomes of individuals' perceived safety at work. Theory-based hypotheses were tested in a field sample of 595 production employees and their foremen at three weapons production sites in the southern United States. Results revealed that psychological safety climate and perceived job risk were both meaningful correlates of workers' perceived safety whereas personality variables (i.e., trait anxiety, safety locus of control) and personal safety knowledge were not meaningful correlates. Consistent with cybernetic theory, lower perceived safety was associated with increased safety-related anxiety. However, contrary to theoretical expectations, safety-related anxiety did not share consistent, positive associations with self- or foreman-rated safety behaviors. There was limited support, however, which suggested that safety-related anxiety is positively associated with self-reported safety participation behaviors. The implications of these findings in conjunction with a number of explorative analyses are discussed and recommendations for future research are provided.

<p> Personnel who work on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier are exposed to extreme levels of jet engine noise often in excess of 140 decibels (dB). The current circumaural hearing protective devices (CAHPD) employed by flight deck crewmen are inadequate for the level of protection required for these extreme levels of noise. Fiber-reinforced thermoset polymer composite (FRPC) materials such as aramid fibers used in body armor, have high theoretical values of acoustic impedance due to a fundamentally high modulus of elasticity and may offer a superior level of hearing protection over original equipment (OE) thermoplastic CAHPDs. The objective of this project was to measure and evaluate the attenuation of CAHPD&rsquo;s constructed from FRPC materials. FRPC CAHPD ear cups were paired with OE thermoplastic CAHPD ear cups of equal shape and thickness, and the protected and unprotected A-weighted sound pressure level (SPL) was measured in continuous and impulse noise environments >80 dBA using a JOLENE manikin. These data were evaluated for paired differences between the protected and unprotected mean SPL, and OE protected and FRPC protected mean SPL and indicates that OE thermoplastic CAHPDs provide greater sound attenuation of continuous noise >80 dBA and aramid FRPC CAHPDs provide greater sound attenuation of impulse noise >80 dBA.</p>

This study examined the relationship between helping (organizational citizenship behaviours) and workplace safety. It is the second study in a sequence, building on an initial study by Burt and Williams (2012). The aims of the current study are three-fold. Firstly, further evidence was sought to support the argument put forth by Burt and Williams (2012) suggesting that there are situations in which helping behaviours can lead to an increase in safety risk. Additionally, based on findings from Burt and Williams (2012), the following two situations were investigated: I) why do helpers often not tell the target of help that help has been given; and, II) in the instance where help inadvertently leads to a safety risk increase for the target, why does the target fail to communicate this risk increase back to the helper. The personality traits of humility and agreeableness were hypothesised to positively relate to the first and second situations, respectively. The sample consisted of 79 participants across a variety of high risk occupations. Participants completed an anonymous questionnaire, containing measures of job risk, negative outcomes of helping behaviours, humility, agreeableness, single item measures to assess situation I and II, and subsequent measures to further investigate these two situations. The results showed clear evidence that helping can be associated with safety risks. Both of the personality-based hypotheses failed to reach significance. However, the results suggest that helpers often fail to tell the target of help that help has been given, through a lack of understanding regarding the importance of communicating one’s helping behaviours, and a lack of time or opportunity. Additionally, results suggest that the instance where help inadvertently leads to an increased safety risk for the target (but the target fails to inform the helper of this risk increase), occurs through the target wanting to protect the helper’s confidence, and not wishing to be seen as ungrateful. The results provide valuable information to significantly add to the limited literature regarding helping behaviours and occupational safety. The findings from this study potentially allow organizations to decrease the negative safety outcomes of such behaviours. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.

<p> The purpose of this case study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of hospital emergency preparedness coordinators of preparing for and responding to incidents. Stakeholder and protection motivation theories provided the theoretical framework for the study. The nonprobability sampling technique of purposive sample was used to identify 10 hospital preparedness coordinators employed at acute care hospitals with emergency departments located in Connecticut and Massachusetts. A field-tested researcher developed 20-question interview questionnaire guided data collection. This qualitative case study answers the questions: What are hospital emergency preparedness coordinators perspectives of hospital preparedness? How do hospital emergency preparedness coordinators prepare for a hospital incident? How do hospital emergency preparedness coordinators respond to a hospital incident? What factors do hospital emergency preparedness coordinators believe best prepares a hospital for incidents? Ranked in order of replication, the researcher identified three themes using first and second cycle coding techniques with pattern coding: (a) planning, (b) training, and (c) communication. Control and motivation emerged as subthemes. Results of the study provide detail rich data for hospital emergency preparedness coordinators, and provide insight and information for stakeholders from all types of private and public organizations to improve hospital emergency preparedness programs. </p>

<p> 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&rsquo; 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&rsquo; health outcomes that in turn have an effect on reducing community suffering and financial costs.</p><p>