In public health, prevention is a fundamentally political process as both the selection of problems to be addressed and solutions recommended reflect decisions that are informed by economic, social and cultural forces. Yet prevention is often presented as a monolithic enterprise, an objective and scientific discourse that does not take sides. Behind this facade of political neutrality, diversely positioned individuals and groups often fail to find and/or sustain a common ground for shared prevention initiatives. Increasingly, many prevention awareness campaigns focus upon true accounts or injury narratives that serve both as a catalyst to build multipartite consensus through developing shared collaborative prevention discourses and practices and to mobilize public support for health and safety issues. While the use of the true account form is a recommended strategy in the public health literature directed toward practitioners, the engagement of true accounts in prevention campaigns has not been adequately problematised and examined from a critical social theoretical perspective. A qualitative, sociologically oriented case study of the use of the true account form, the commemorative, in young worker safety campaigns is proposed to deepen our understanding of this particular type of prevention intervention in particular and prevention as an enterprise more generally. The study investigates the socio-historical context in which the Young Worker Memorial LifeQuilt, a Canadian young worker educational initiative, emerged and unraveled as a multipartite prevention campaign centered upon the true account form of consensus commemoratives. A key finding is that true accounts of young workers killed on the job are socially mediated to diffuse blame and build consensus between diversely positioned occupational health and safety practitioners and the family survivors of workplace tragedies. What is included and excluded from these true accounts of workplace injuries, as socially constructed narratives in multipartite prevention awareness campaigns, may be, in part, a product of the terms and conditions negotiated between lead players. The true accounts included in collaborative, cross-institutional prevention campaigns, while referencing real events, may be told in ways that accommodate and harmonize the political perspectives of diversely positioned stakeholders. Conversely, the true account form is a potentially problematic strategy for collaborative prevention discourses and practices, as consensus commemoratives can be retold as critical remembrances of workplace death, with the result that the unifying narrative of a shared, collective memory project is undermined. This dissertation finds that the activity of collaboration shapes prevention as a socio-political activity/practice.

The current research was a cross sectional research and was designed to assess the performance of the selected wind power company on compliance with health and management system OHSAS 1800:2007. One wind power company in Pakistan was selected for the research purpose. To collect quantitative data survey was conducted based on Questionnaire. For finding gaps within the existing practices and also for effectiveness of the research check list was designed. Questionnaires were distributed to the employees and one check list was given to the top management. The questionnaires were distributed randomly to the employees and out of fifteen questionnaires twelve were received back. After analyzing the data from the eleven questionnaires, the results shows that overall employees are 61 % strongly agree, 30 % agree, 2% disagree and 1% strongly disagree that the requirements of the system OHSAS 18001:2007 are met. 6% did not decide about it. The check list was received from top management after analyzing data from the check list results shows that top management of the subjected wind power organization is 74% strongly agree, 23% agree and 3 % undecided about the implementation of the system OHSAS 1800: 2007. From the results it can be concluded that both employees and top management of the subjected organization are agree with the fact that the H&S system OHSAS18001:2007 is being implemented well within the organization.

This compilation thesis aims to analyse how risk and safety are constructed, reproduced, and negotiated by communicative means in safety-critical workplaces. It conceptualizes these communicative moments of shaping and reshaping risk and safety as enmeshed in multiple forms of governing. That is, the management of risk and safety may not only be an employer’s responsibility delegated by the State, in a welfarist fashion, but may take different forms through a variety of institutional practices and communicative means. These defining practices seem particularly urgent to study, since it is through them that the locus of risk may be moved from one type of area or object to another, that attention is or is not paid to certain conditions of human exposure, and that parties are appointed responsible for safety measures.The thesis centres on three safety-critical factories located in Sweden that handle corrosive and/or explosive chemicals. It analyses interviews with various employees as well as recorded talk at a safety committee meeting. Previous research has addressed the existence of a tension between a strategy of individual responsibility and one of collective protection. This study makes a further contribution by demonstrating how these traditions are advocated and negotiated in discourse, and the dilemmas that emerge in the process. Although the study demonstrates that a discourse of collective prevention is reflected and reproduced in some narratives, it also makes evident that a great deal of responsibility is placed on the individual worker to avoid risk. The analysis has been able to show that this is due to the co-presence of traditional, hierarchical advice-giving and self-reproach, which amplify the importance of workers conducting themselves with greater caution, and of those newer concepts and technologies for worker involvement and responsibilization which are implemented in line with neoliberal ideas of human resources utilization.  Furthermore, the thesis demonstrates how employees’ risk and safety discourse exposes dilemmas, especially when, consciously or not, egalitarian norms are taken into account. For instance, the moralizing elements of behavioural discourse are regularly supplemented by mitigating, pronominal, or entirely agentless discursive choices, and thus by an anticipatory display of awareness of egalitarian norms. It is argued that this discoursal softening of workers’ risk responsibilities helps condition the sustained prevalence of a behavioural approach to risk and safety. It also exposes some of its fragility.

Countries seek to control exposure to hazardous substances and environments by the enactment of legislation. In the past thirty years, two major different approaches to occupational health and safety legislation have been devleoped by countries around the world. The performance-based legislative approach has been linked with the emergence of occupational health and safety management systems but no research has previously been done to determine whether or not the legislative approach taken by government influences the introduction or form of occupational health and safety management systems used by organisations. Similarly, although the reasons why Australia and other countries have moved to performance-based legislation have been explained in terms of social, political and economic factors that influenced the change, little research has been done on the effectiveness of this approach compared with the prescriptive approach of countries such as Korea. -I- The overall aim of this research is to develop a conprehensive understanding of the management of expusre to heavy metals in selected industries in Korea and Australia. The specific objectives of the study are to determine: The effectiveness of heavy metal exposure management in the fluorescent lamp manufacturing industry in Korea, and an Oral Health Service, and lead-risk workplaces in Queensland, Australia; The management of the legislative arrangements for health surveillance in Korea and Queensland, Australia; The characteristics of the occupational health and safety management systems that are in use in the heavy metal industries in Korea in Australia; and The effectiveness of prescriptive and performance based legislative systems in protecting the health and safety of workers in heavy metal based industries. Secondary analysis of biological monitoring data from 6 fluorescent lamp manufacturing companies (8 workplaces) in Korea was used to examine the extent of mercury exposure and the effectiveness of the health surveillance system in that country. A survey of dental workers in an oral health service in Queensland provided data on the extent of mercury exposure to the workforce and workers' attitudes to the management of occupational risks. The efficiency of the lead health surveillance in Queensland was examined by way of a questionnaire survey of lead designated doctors in the state. A survey of registered lead-risk companies and the oral health servies in Queensland, and 5 of the fluorescent lamp manufacturing companies in Korea provided data on the occupational health and safety management systems in place in these organisations. The health surveillance system for mercury exposed workers in Korea was found to have reduced the incidence of workers with biological levels of mercury above the Baseline Level from 14% in 1994 to 7% in 1999. Bilogical testing of dental workers in Queensland discovered no workers with biological levels of mercury approaching the Baseline Level and air monitoring failed to locate any areas where workers were likely to be exposed to levels approaching the Workplace Exposure Standard. The staff of the Oral Health Service were generally aware of the occupational health and safety management systems in place but only 43% felt that mercury management in the workplace effectively prevented exposure. The lead surveillance system in Queensland was found to be inadequately managed with approximately 37% of registered doctors no longer practicing in the field and their being no way for the government to collect reliable data on the extent of lead exposure in workplaces. The occupational health and safety management systems in the companies surveyed in Queensland and Korea were found to be influenced by the legislative arrangements in place in each of the locations. The Korean systems were more geared to meeting the regulatory requirements whereas the Queensland systems were geared more towards a risk management approach. However substantial differences were also noted depending on the size of the organisation in each case. Legislative arrangements in Korea and Queensland were found to provide reasonable protection from heavy metal exposure to workers however improvements in both systems are needed. The legislation was also found to influence the occupational health and safety management systems in place with performance-based legislation producing systems having a wide risk management focus while a narrower regulatory based focus was noted in Korea where more prescriptive legislation is in force. A confounding factor in the nature of the occupational health and safety management system in place is the size of the organisation and particular attention needs to be paid to this when legislative approaches are considered.

There is anecdotal and scientific evidence to suggest that schoolbag carriage is associated with musculoskeletal discomfort (MSD) and possibly long-term back pain. Thus schoolbag carriage is an area of concern for students, parents and both education and health professionals. A schoolbag weight limit of 10% of body weight (BW) is currently recommended. However, it is based on subjective observations rather than objective findings and does not consider other aspects of schoolbag carriage such as schoolbag design and adjustment or carriage patterns. Five studies were conducted in order to determine the effects on students' responses to schoolbag carriage of schoolbag design, adjustment, carriage duration and weight. Backpack design had a significant effect on reported musculoskeletal discomfort and choice of backpack. Schoolbag hip-belt and shoulder strap adjustment and weight significantly affected shoulder strap tension forces and shoulder interface pressure in simulated schoolbag carriage. Using activity monitoring, school students were found to spend approximately two hours carrying their schoolbags each day. This usually comprised 11-15 times per day of 8-9 minutes of carriage. Using this temporal pattern information, 16 boys (13-14 years) were exposed to a simulated school day using schoolbags weighing 0, 5, 10, 12.5 and 15% BW and an additional condition of 10% BW with tighter shoulder straps. Posture, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), muscular strain and reported ability to walk and balance were significantly affected when schoolbag load reached 10% BW. However, despite these findings, the magnitude of self reported muscular strain and MSD suggested that 15% BW may be too heavy for school students. Thus, 10% BW may be an appropriate upper schoolbag weight limit for a typical school day. Using a psychophysical approach the mean (standard deviation) maximum acceptable schoolbag weight (MASW) selected by 16 school boys (13-14 years) was 10.4(3.8) %BW. This finding agrees with the findings of the previous study and supports the current schoolbag weight recommendation of 10% BW. The results of the five studies can be used in developing schoolbag carrying guidelines to help reduce the prevalence of MSD amongst school students.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-07, Section: B, page: 3672. Adviser: Joseph H. Pleck. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-117) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

This diploma thesis deals with the issue of education and competence development of employees of selected organization XY, which deals with grocery wholesale. It is a multinational organization employing more than 10,000 employees throughout the country. It analyzes the shortcomings and presents suggestions for their improvement, including the quantification of the costs of the current situation and, on the other hand, the cost of the remedy leading to a better functioning of the company. For the practical part of the thesis were using methods as observing, managed interviews and use the company's internal materials. Managed interviews were conducted with employees across the organization. Specifically, these were interviews with row staff, shift managers, HR worker and branch directors. At the end of the thesis, it is possible to find a proposal for a completely new concept of education, which would reduce the existing costs of the organization and increase both the efficiency of the education system and the satisfaction of the employees. New proposal is to create an internal academy, when an internal lecturer is selected in the company and further educates other employees as needed. The half-year pilot project would cost approximately CZK 260,000.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:09:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissFEAM.pdf: 2435900 bytes, checksum: 752c78b0eac1972ad5bc9ec9878e8131 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-03-09 / Temporary electric installations occur in small, average and great construction-sites and many times for being of temporary nature are unsafe and precariously executed. The electricity, source of potential danger even in low tension, is responsible on significant part of the occupational accidents, directly by means of electrical shocks and burnings due the voltaic arcs or indirectly by means of injuries caused for machines, equipment and components, requiring therefore, special attention in order to prevent accidents. Through case study it is considered to verify the safety condition in a construction-site temporary electric installations in the NR 18 - Conditions and Environment of Work in Construction Industry regulations. / As instalações elétricas provisórias em canteiros de obras ocorrem em pequenos, médios e grandes empreendimentos e muitas vezes, por serem de natureza temporária, são executadas de forma precária e insegura. A eletricidade, fonte de perigo potencial mesmo em baixa tensão, é responsável por parte significativa dos acidentes de trabalho, sendo que estes ocorrem diretamente por meio dos choques elétricos e queimaduras devidas a arcos voltaicos ou indiretamente, por meio de lesões causadas por máquinas, equipamentos, componentes elétricos, ou quedas, requerendo, portanto, atenção especial para que se previnam acidentes, muitas vezes, fatais. Através de estudo de caso pretende-se avaliar a segurança das instalações elétricas provisórias de um canteiro de obras verificando as condições de atendimento às prescrições da NR 18 Condições e Meio Ambiente de Trabalho na Indústria da Construção.

Cette thèse s’inscrit dans le champ de recherche en ergonomie qui porte sur les acteurs de la prévention. Elle défend l’idée que l’activité des représentants du personnel est un travail et qu’il est possible de contribuer au développement de leur activité à travers des interventions ergonomiques.Elle a été conduite auprès de sept CHSCT de métiers différents de la SNCF et fait suite à une demande sociale formulée par l’Observatoire de la Qualité de Vie au Travail de cette entreprise. Les membres de cet Observatoire souhaitaient avoir un éclairage scientifique pour comprendre les difficultés de fonctionnement de ces instances et les possibilités d’y améliorer la prise en compte du travail pour contribuer à la prévention de la pénibilité.Par l’Analyse Ergonomique du Travail, il a été possible de comprendre les spécificités de cette activité. Plusieurs interventions ergonomiques ont été mises en place au sein de sept CHSCT pour mettre à l’épreuve les diagnostics locaux réalisés. Il a ainsi été possible de contribuer au développement de l’activité des représentants du personnel.Cette thèse démontre que les représentants du personnel sont des praticiens qui contribuent par leur activité à résoudre les problèmes de l’entreprise. Pour autant, le cadre réglementaire ne leur permet pas de prendre en charge le caractère dynamique des situations de travail des salariés et les possibilités d’action de leur propre activité. Cela les amène à définir des modes d’action qui soient en adéquation avec l’environnement dynamique dans lequel ils agissent.Il leur est de fait nécessaire de construire un référentiel commun permettant d’articuler une nécessité d’agir ensemble tout en tenant des points de vue individuels. La conflictualité et la coopération sont par conséquent inhérentes au mode de fonctionnement des CHSCT. Toutefois, ce cadre commun doit s’appuyer sur d’autres éléments que la réglementation et il est nécessaire de donner une place aux salariés dans la construction des problèmes et des solutions.Il apparaît également qu’il est difficile pour eux de pouvoir débattre des difficultés individuelles et collectives qu’ils rencontrent. Cela contribue au développement de défenses collectives amenant à un traitement des problèmes en vase clos au sein de l’instance.Dès lors, l’intervention ergonomique doit faciliter une activité collective par la mise en débat des pratiques et des difficultés individuelles et collectives. Toute la difficulté pour l’intervenant étant qu’il ne s’appuie pas sur un collectif de travail qui pour autant doit développer un travail collectif. Il s’agit ainsi de contribuer à ce que le dénominateur commun entre les membres permette d’y intégrer la complexité du travail et les salariés. En cela, la conflictualité et la coopération doivent s’articuler autour des situations de travail des salariés et non uniquement de l’application de la réglementation. / This dissertation falls within a field of research in ergonomics focused on health and safety staff. It defends the idea that the activity of staff representatives is to be considered as work and that it is possible to contribute to the development of their activity thanks to ergonomic interventions.This research was carried out by studying seven CHSCTs (Occupational Health and Safety Committee) of different professions at the SNCF (French National Rail Company), and was ordered by their Observatoire de la Qualité de Vie au Travail (Monitoring Agency for Quality of Life in the Workplace). The members of the Observatoire wanted a scientific study to help them understand the functional difficulties encountered by the CHSCTs, and the possibilities for improving work analysis, in turn improving their prevention work.Thanks to an Ergonomic Work Analysis, we were able to understand the specificities of this activity. Several ergonomic interventions were organized in order to test previous local diagnostics. We were thus able to contribute to the development of the activity of staff representatives.This dissertation shows that staff representatives are practicians who, through their activity, contribute to problem solving in the company. The current regulations framework does not permit them to take into account the dynamic nature of employees' work situations, nor the possibilities for action in their own work. This has lead them to defining modes of action that are in line with the dynamic environment in which they are called upon to intervene.It is therefore necessary for them to build a common frame of reference in order to act together, while still retaining individual points of view. Inevitably, conflictuality and cooperation are inherent to the functioning of CHSCTs. This common framework however must be based upon other elements besides regulations, and it is necessary to give employees a say in the formation of both problems and solutions.It also appears to be difficult for them to discuss the individual and collective difficulties that they encounter. This contributes to the development of collective defenses, leading to a closed, in-house treatment of the workers situational problems.As such, ergonomic interventions must facilitate collective activity by questioning both individual and collective pratices and difficulties. The challenge for the ergonomist is that he cannot base his intervention upon a work collective, which must none-the-less produce a collective work. Therefore the contribution must work towards a common denominator between the members, allowing for the integration of both the complexity of work and the employees. In that, conflictuality and cooperation must be articulated around employees' work situations, and not only the application of regulations.

Enligt arbetsmiljölagen ska arbetsgivare när det saknas kunskap och kompetens i det systematiska arbetsmiljöarbetet (SAM) anlita en företagshälsovård (FHV) eller liknande resurs. Detta bygger på en programteori där FHV förväntas vara den externa resurs som behövs för arbetsgivare och arbetsplatser i arbetsmiljöarbetet. Samarbetet och FHVs stöd ska generera god arbetsmiljö och hälsa hos kunderna. Forskning om hur detta samarbete fungerar är begränsad.   Avhandlingens syfte är att utforska om FHV fungerar som stöd i kundens förebyggande arbetsmiljö-arbete och att identifiera mekanismer som har betydelse för samarbetet mellan FHV och kund. Mer precist har avhandlingen syftat till att öka kunskap och förståelse för om lagens intention uppfylls.   Datainsamlingen i de fyra kvalitativa fallstudierna utfördes med hjälp av semistrukturerade och tematiska intervjuer, telefonintervjuer och gruppintervjuer. Empirin samlades in i små- och stora företag samt inom den offentliga sektorn och fokuserade även på vilken betydelse avtalet har för samarbetet. Intervjuerna har genomförts med ledning, chefer och skyddsombud samt HR-personal i deltagande verksamheter samt FHV professioner i kundens FHV. Intervjuerna har analyserats med kvalitativ innehållsanalys och det sammanlagda resultatet analyserades med hjälp av realistisk utvärdering.    Resultatet visar att samarbete och FHVs stöd i förebyggande SAM brister. Förändrade styrformer i offentlig sektor; New Public Management och HR transformationen identifieras som kontextuella förutsättningar som påverkar samarbetet. I den realistiska utvärderingen identifierades mekanismer som positivt eller negativt påverkar samarbetet mellan FHV och kund.   Mekanismer som påverkar samarbete positivt är; att det finns en fungerande samverkan och SAM hos kunden och att FHV får information och tillgång till kundens inre processer. Att FHV har en oberoende ställning med kontakter på flera nivåer i verksamheten är andra mekanismer som påverkar samarbete positivt. Att ledningen är engagerad i samarbetet med FHV och att avtalen stöder samarbetet bidrar också positivt till ett framgångsrikt samarbete. Ytterligare mekanismer som gynnsamt påverkar samarbete är att det finns kontinuerliga uppföljningar där tjänster och service kontinuerligt stäms av och anpassas efter kundens behov. En viktig mekanism som påverkar samarbetet positivt är att HR stöder samverkan och SAM i kundföretaget.   Identifierade mekanismer som påverkar samarbete negativt är att SAM och samverkan på arbetsplatsen mellan arbetsgivare och arbetstagare brister. Andra mekanismer som negativt påverkar är att ledningen inte är engagerad i samarbetet och att FHV inte får ta del av kundens SAM. Samarbetet påverkas även negativt när HR definierar avtalsinnehåll och är enda kontakt med FHV. En ytterligare mekanism som påverkar samarbetet negativt är att kunden upplever ett bristande förtroende; att FHV saknar kompetens.  Ett antal mekanismer har även identifierats som påverkar samarbete negativt mellan FHV och småföretag.  Bland annat saknas samverkan mellan arbetsgivare och arbetstagare i stor utsträckning och småföretagen arbetar inte systematiskt med sin arbetsmiljö. Detta innebär att FHV inte fungerar som stöd i SAM utan de tjänster som används består framför allt av hälsoundersökningar.  Samma mekanismer som påverkar samarbetet negativt framkommer i den offentliga sektorn; när samverkan och SAM saknas på arbetsplatsen, används FHV främst till individuella hälsofrämjande tjänster och rehabilitering. Andra mekanismer som påverkar samarbetet negativt i den offentliga sektorn är bristen på kunskap om samverkan och SAM hos både HR och skyddsombud. Det finns en otydlighet kring varandras roller som påverkar samarbetet negativt. Även kundens föreställning om FHV; att de uppfattas sakna kompetens och vara en efterhjälpande resurs, påverkar samarbetet negativt.  Slutsatserna från avhandlingen visar att samarbetet mellan FHV och kund i stor utsträckning inte stöder förebyggande SAM. I analysen identifieras ett antal mekanismer som påverkar samarbetet mellan FHV och kund, både positivt och negativt. Framför allt kunskap om arbetsmiljö, en fungerande samverkan och SAM identifieras som viktiga mekanismer som på ett positivt sätt bidrar till att nå ett framgångsrikt samarbete. / According to the Work Environment Act, employers should, when there is lack of knowledge and competence regarding the occupational health and safety management (OHSM, employ an occupational health service (OHS) provider or comparable resource. Research on how this collaboration works is however limited. The purpose of the thesis is to investigate whether the OHS provider serves as support in the custom-er's preventive OHSM and to identify which mechanisms are important for the collaboration between the OHS provider and customer.The data collection in the four qualitative case studies was conducted using semi-structured and the-matic interviews, telephone interviews and group interviews in small and large companies as well as the public sector. The interviews were analyzed with qualitative content analysis and the overall result has been analyzed using realistic evaluation.The results show that collaboration and support from OHS providers in preventative OHSM is lacking. Contextual conditions affected collaboration, such as New Public Management and HR transformation. In the realistic evaluation, mechanisms were identified that positively or negatively affect collaboration between OHS provider and client customer. Mechanisms that affect the collaboration positively are for example; a cooperative relationship between the employers and safety representatives in OHSM at the client customer, OHS providers also need access to the client customer's internal processes. Identified mechanisms that affect the collaboration negatively are; that cooperation in the workplace between employers and employees is lacking, the OHSM does not work. Other mechanisms that negatively affect are when top management not is involved in the collaboration with the OHS provider and when the OHS provider does not get information of the client customer's OHSM.  The conclusion from the thesis is that OHS providers do not largely support the client customer's pre-ventive OHSM. / <p>QC 20171019</p>