In the following thesis the administrative strategies in occupational health and safety regulation form the primary focus of discussion. / The initial approach for ensuring acceptable work conditions had been through direct state intervention and the use of coercive power. In view of the limitations of this approach, over time, state regulation was replaced by the "self-regulation" or "internal-responsibility system" under which participants at the workplace were given an enhanced say in the regulatory process. Recent trends have continued to favour this shift towards deregulation of the state's administrative structures. / The self-regulation strategy, however, also has limited applicability and can only prove effective if applied in combination with the state's enforcement strategies. The two approaches need to be viewed as being complimentary to one another and not mutually exclusive. This being the case the state's role in the regulatory process would require re-examination and alteration to ensure an effective and efficient regulatory structure.

There are increasing numbers of preterm children of very low and extremely low birth weights surviving due to advances in neonatal care. The majority of these children attend mainstream classrooms and perform in the low average range on cognitive measures compared to peers. However, outcome studies document a range of subtle, clinically important impairments in their motor, visual-motor and visual perceptual performance compared to peers. The impact of these impairments on a complex, occupational task such as handwriting performance has never been investigated in the preterm population using an objective measure, except through parent or teacher questionnaires. / The primary objective of this doctoral thesis was to characterize and compare handwriting performance in preterm children (birth weight of ≤1250 grams) attending Grade One, to typically developing peers matched by age, gender and classroom. Standardized outcome measures were used to examine handwriting performance, sensorimotor component skills and psychosocial factors. Preterm survivors demonstrated significantly lower handwriting legibility and slower speed scores compared to matched peers. Visual perception and motor accuracy were identified as predictors of legibility; and in-hand manipulation (translation) and finger identification were associated with handwriting speed in preterm children. However, in typically developing children, legibility was associated with upper extremity steadiness, visual motor control and in-hand manipulation (rotation); and speed was associated with in-hand manipulation (translation) and upper limb speed and dexterity. These findings have important implications for clinical practice in guiding both evaluation approaches and intervention strategies. Clearly, preterm survivors are at high risk for developing handwriting difficulties at school-age. Increasing awareness may help with early identification and intervention with a view towards minimizing the negative effects on self-esteem and academic achievement often documented in children with handwriting difficulty.

<p> This safety research project explores the key factors that contribute to world-class safety programs for firms in the construction industry. A world-class safety program for this study is defined as a safety culture supported by all employees, and a work environment where accidents are not tolerated; zero accident mentality. This study used the Delphi methodology to identify the leadership qualities and safety processes that a company's leadership employs to influence an overall successful safety program in their organizations. The Delphi methodology obtained subjective judgments from the Delphi expert panel (55 members participated) to create objective safety information through an iterative process that is beneficial to the entire construction industry. The Delphi panel members were composed of 75% from subcontractor trades, 18% from construction managers, and 7% from construction trade associations. The Delphi expert panel reached consensus on 67 leadership qualities and 85 safety processes that improve safety performance. The 67 leadership qualities were consolidated to eight major leadership quality categories which include commitment, integrity, accountability, competence, value people, visionary, lead by example, and culture. The 85 safety processes were consolidated to four major safety process categories which include learning organization, structure, measurement and culture.</p>

<p>Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Current Population Survey, this work will examine under-reporting of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in construction for Hispanics from 1976-2008 at the national level. Previous research implemented different methods and techniques to examine the reasons behind under-reporting of workplace injuries and illnesses, concluding that the current surveillance system suffers from a problem of chronic under-reporting. By focusing on Hispanics working in construction, and by using different methods to examine to what degree the presence of Hispanics at the worksite contributes to the under-reporting of nonfatal occupational injuries and illness, our findings suggest that the presence of Hispanic construction workers significantly reduces the number of reported injuries. </p><p> A lagged fixed effect model will be used to investigate the under-reporting issue in construction with regard to Hispanics. Usage of this model constituted the first departure from previous research that studied under-reporting in which capture-recapture and face-to-face interviews were used. The second departure was implementing this method in the construction industry. This is the first time a lagged fixed effect model has been used to study this phenomenon (under-reporting in construction), while most literature about under-reporting has been restricted to manufacturing with some covering the overall economy. Lastly, this work is different in its duration and scope: It covers the years from 1976 up to 2008 and includes all 50 states and the District of Columbia. </p><p> From a base model (without inclusion of Hispanics) we can see that the real workers&rsquo; compensation rate negatively impacted all types of injury reporting except light-duty, while union rates, unemployment, wages, and firm size correlate negatively with all types of injuries. When Hispanics and their interactions with union rate and workers&rsquo; compensation rates were included and summed as independent variables, we see that the presence of Hispanics leads to a decrease in the incident rate for all types of injuries except for light-duty. In other words, the presence of Hispanics leads to lower reporting and, therefore, the appearance of lower rates of all types of injury rates except for light duty which indicates that Hispanics are under-reported. </p>

ABSTRACT There has been a change in the nature of work over recent decades with an increase in the use of non-standard forms of work. Non-standard work includes for example the use of contractors and sub-contractors. These forms of employment lead to a greater vulnerability of the workforce. These workers are missing out on union representation, training opportunities and basic employment protection. This directly impacts the safety of the workers due to the confusing legislation over duty of care. It is often unclear who is responsible for providing occupational health and safety (OHS) training for these workers. It is for this reason the following report will attempt to gain a better understanding of the policies and regulations surrounding OHS in two countries. Sweden and New Zealand have been chosen as a focus for this research because they represent two different governing systems. The aim of this research was to describe what structures and policies regulate occupational health and safety matters in Sweden and New Zealand comparatively. It was also the aim of this research to seek insight into the policy conversation around OHS training in both Sweden and New Zealand. Three research questions have been used throughout the report to guide the researcher when selecting relevant documents collating the main themes and overall ensuring that the research stays on track. The questions are as follows: What structures and policies regulate occupational health and safety matters in Sweden and New Zealand? What characterises both the Swedish and the New Zealand work environment? What is the policy conversation around OHS training in Sweden and New Zealand? The methodology choosen for this research was a qualitative approach because greater in-depth  understanding for OHS matters were sought after. The research was focused around policy documents from both Sweden and New Zealand. The documents from each country were chosen because of their current and topical relevance to each country. The main findings from this research were grouped into five themes based on key termes identified in both countries documents. The five themes are as follows:  Work Environment and Regulation OHS Training and Attitudes Worker Participation OHS Research Longer Working Life Conclusions were made based on these themes. OHS regulation was found to be adequate in Sweden in contrast to New Zealand. In New Zealand there is a call for major reforms to be made to the OHS legislation because due to its lack of adequate coverage for the current workforce. The term work environment is used in Sweden and includes a more holistic view, compared to the term occupational health and safety which is used in New Zealand and focuses more on safety and the prevention of work-related harm. Inadequate training for safety representatives were found to be an issue both in Sweden and New Zealand. In Sweden safety representatives are entitled to sufficient paid leave to fulfill their duties including training, in contrast to New Zealand where the safety representatives are entitled to only two days paid leave annualy. OHS training was suggested to be a necessary component in many tertiary education programs both in Sweden and New Zealand. The suggestion was made to better prepare prospective managers who will have OHS responsibilities. Worker participation was found to be a necessary component of a well functioning OHS scheme in both the countries. It was not adequately regulated in New Zealand until the implementation of the Health and Safety in Employment Amendment Act 2002. In both Sweden and New Zealand new OHS research functions were suggested to be established. The changing nature of work is highlighted as a concern in both countries, because legislation does not adequately cover the new forms of work and is not conducive to OHS.

The objectives of this thesis are to identify key safety concerns related to the introduction of automated underground mining machines. Second, a synthesis of existing standards, and guidelines is required to identify what existing safety standards or parts of standards could apply to mining machine automation systems. Finally, a framework is required for the development of a safety standard or guideline for automated mining machine systems. / Two workshops were organized and facilitated by the author to document as many identified safety concerns as possible from a range of parties with a vested interest. Workshop participants included mine operators, automated mining equipment suppliers, safety professionals, students, and academics. In addition, an analysis of underground mining equipment accidents for the province of Ontario was completed. A review of European, and North American safety standards was performed to identify those safety standards which could be used for mining machine automation systems. A synthesis of applicable safety standards is provided. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

309 cases of organic dementia, cerebral atrophy or psycho-organic syndrome, admitted for 5 days or more to one of 18 Quebec hospitals, were individually matched to a psychiatric referent, admitted with some other diagnosis, and a general hospital referent. Lifetime occupational history was obtained by telephone. Occupational solvent exposure was assessed by (i) individual ratings blind to case status and (ii) a job-exposure matrix. Subjects working with moderate or high solvent concentrations for at least 10 years were considered exposed. With the psychiatric referent series an odds ratio of 1.44 (90% CI 1.03-2.01) was calculated for individual exposure ratings and 1.41 (90% CI 0.89-2.23) for the job matrix. The increased risk was found largely in those with diagnoses of both organic dementia or cerebral atrophy and an alcohol related condition. A similar pattern of risk was found with the general hospital referents. Adjustment for possible confounders did not appreciably alter the risk estimates.

Through the study of the effects of Virtual Reality (VR) on human subjects, scientists have determined that the main cause of discomfort while experiencing VR is the time lag between the head movements and its corresponding scene changes. / The main purpose of this thesis is to study and to propose solutions to reduce VR effects. The proposed solution is an alternative controller based on a Proportional Derivative (PD) model. Compared with a simple Proportional Controller, the PD Controller offers several enhancements: namely, a larger bandwidth and a faster and more stable reaction time. The proposed controller will also reduce the physical side effects commonly experienced by users of Virtual Reality.

The soleus H-reflex modulation pattern was measured in 8 normal and 8 spastic paretic subjects during standing and walking, under the conditions of 0% and 40% body weight support (BWS). In standing, both the normal and patient groups showed no significant difference (p $<$ 0.01) in the H-reflex amplitude between 0% and 40% BWS. Normal subjects had a phase dependent modulation of the H-reflex during gait, there being no significant difference (p $<$ 0.001) in this modulation with 40% BWS. The patients had an abnormally elevated H-reflex throughout the step cycle, although five showed some modulation. In the patient group, 40% BWS produced a decrease of the H-reflex amplitude mainly in the push-off phase. BWS produced a decrease in electromyographic (EMG) mean burst amplitude of the lower limb muscles investigated, with more appropriate EMG activity timing. BWS improved knee and ankle angular displacements in patients, which were associated with an improved locomotor pattern. However, these improvements in locomotor pattern were not reflected clearly by changes in the H-reflex modulations. Thus the relationship between H-reflex amplitude, EMG activity, and ankle position under 0% and 40% BWS, needs to be further investigated.

Renal cell carcinoma, which accounts for 85% of all kidney cancers, is among the ten leading malignancies in industrialized countries. To identify occupational risk factors for cancer, a multi-site case-control study was conducted in Montreal; renal cell carcinoma was one of the sites. A total of 142 cases of renal cell cancer and 2,433 controls were interviewed in this study. Complete occupation histories were obtained, and a team of industrial hygienists and chemists estimated each subject's exposure to a list of industrial substances. Statistical analyses were carried out to estimate the association between renal cell cancer and each non-occupational and occupational variable. Among non-occupational variables collected and analysed, increased risks were observed for highest level of body mass index (BMI) and a previous history of hypertension. Negative associations were found for tea and coffee consumption. Increased risks were found in the following industries: printing related service, laundries, military, wholesale and retail trade industries. Increased risks were found in the following occupations: managers, plumbers, welders, printers, nursery workers, and aircraft mechanics. Exposure to the following substances significantly increased the risks for renal cell carcinoma: hair dust, felt dust, styrene-butadiene rubber, ozone, hydrogen sulphide, inorganic acid solution, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, jet fuel, aviation gasoline, jet fuel engine emissions, ink, chromium compounds, and ultraviolet radiation. The above findings were not adjusted for mutual confounding. After adjustment for known risk factors using multivariate logistic regression models, one non-occupational and several occupational risk factors were associated with renal cell carcinoma. These were: high BMI, asbestos, hair dust, felt dust, styrene-butadiene rubber, ozone, exposed to any of jet fuel, aviation gasoline, and jet fuel engine emission, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, and ultraviolet