Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:33:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:06:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Em um ambiente corporativo, depois de algum tempo, as pessoas sabem a quem recorrer quando necessitam de ajuda ou de algum conhecimento que não dispõem, caracterizando um contexto de múltiplas influências entre pessoas ou redes de relacionamentos. Desta forma, o trabalho proposto, teve como objetivo identificar os atores da rede de relacionamentos, que exercem maior influência no comportamento de segurança. Para isso, fomos buscar na literatura estudos de abordagens teóricas e práticas, que utilizassem conceitos sócio-antropológicos, de preferência trabalhos com enfoque na área nuclear, que possuíssem questionários de cultura de segurança, devidamente testados e avaliados por métodos estatísticos. Como resultado, identificamos inúmeros atributos que podem caracterizar uma cultura de segurança positiva e, extraímos quatro daqueles que mais apareciam nos diversos estudos. A partir daí, concebemos as questões que nos possibilitassem mapear e entender as redes sociais que influenciam sobre a formação e manutenção destas características. Então, aplicamos nossa pesquisa no âmbito do IPEN-CNEN-SP, no qual utilizamos a técnica de pesquisa tipo bola de neve para mapeamento das redes sociais de compartilhamento de idéias, bem como aplicamos também o questionário para mapear as crenças dos atores com significativo grau de influência (obtido a partir do levantamento de redes de influências). Embasado em técnicas de análise de redes sociais, obtivemos subsídios para comprovação de que as redes dos atores mais influentes são relevantes na formação de cultura de segurança do IPEN-CNEN-SP. / Dissertacao (Mestrado) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP

Magister Commercii - MCom / The aviation industry is one of many industries which is known to be a high-risk industry. Although it is a high risk industry, little research has been conducted within the industry especially with regards to safety culture. Safety culture is pivotal within the aviation industry as it reduces the potential to large scale disasters. While airlines are deemed to be highly reliable, when an accident occurs the cause usually tends to be human error. The aim of this study was to assess safety culture of professional pilots within selected South African based aviation organisations. This study utilized a safety culture quantitative survey instrument in order to collect data from pilots at selected South African based aviation organisations. The survey consisted of five themes (organisational commitment, management involvement, accountability systems, reporting systems and pilot empowerment). The pilots were required to respond to 49-item statements on a 5 point-likert scale, by only choosing one answer per statement. The results indicated that a majority of the participants had responded positively towards the items which represented a healthy safety culture within the selected South African based aviation organisations. Furthermore, a highly positive correlation exists between the themes of organisational commitment and management involvement. Multiple regression analysis showed there is an association between the five themes of safety culture with organisational commitment being a dependent variable. No significant difference was found between biographical information (such as rank, years of experience and flying hours), along with either the themes of organisational commitment or pilot empowerment.

This thesis presents two distinct, but linked, studies. Study 1 contrasted interactive [group] brainstorming against its nominal [individual] counterpart. Previous research has pointed to the productivity advantages of nominal brainstorming in terms of idea production rate [ideation], leading theorists to predict 'the end of interactive brainstorming'. Yet interactive brainstorming has remained the most popular means of ideation within organizations. Central to this research is the thesis that previous studies (a) failed to follow the instructions of the concept originator, Osborn (1953) and (b) used samples and conditions that were not representative of the organizations using brainstorming. Using a total of 10 groups sourced from a UK construction company, participants were asked to brainstorm ideas to improve organizational safety performance. Data produced indicated an equal average number of ideas generated, 30 for interactive, 30.2 for nominal, and an equal number of themes generated, 6.6 for interactive, 6.6 for nominal. Along with ideas and themes, post session group cohesion and process satisfaction levels were measured. Results indicated significantly higher levels of cohesion (t (73.75)=2.35, P<.05) and satisfaction (t (71.07)=4.74, P<.001) for the interactive condition over its nominal counterpart. Implications for research in this area are discussed.Study 2 consisted of two strands of research. The utility of interactive brainstorming, demonstrated in Study 1, highlighted its potential as a means of improving participation in safety. This formed the first area of research. The second area of research concerned the design and analysis of a working model in which Leader Member Exchange (LMX) and safety climate were identified as antecedents, compliance and participation as components and self report near miss/accident involvement as outcomes of safety performance. This model, and the potential utility of brainstorming as a means of improving participation, was tested using a longitudinal methodology. Study participants, sourced from the Refuse Collections division of a UK Local Authority, were asked to complete a questionnaire. LMX was measured using Graen and Uhl-Bien's (1995) LMX-7 scale, safety climate using Glendon and Litherland's (2001) questionnaire whilst measures of compliance and participant were sourced from Neal and Griffin (2006). This produced 101 respondents. Following this, brainstorming sessions were conducted with employees to produce safety improvement ideas. Questionnaires were redistributed seven months later and produced 104 respondents. Results indicated no improvement in participation over the period allocated, however, the measures of antecedents, components and outcomes of safety performance produced a number of significant findings. LMX was found to exhibit a direct relationship with accident involvement, however, analysis revealed the fluctuating mediating roles of compliance and participation in this relationship. Safety climate was found to moderate the relationship between LMX, compliance and participation. Although high levels of safety climate corresponded to higher levels of compliance and participation, LMX was seen to improve compliance and participation only in low climate environments, with this relationship reverse in positive safety climates. This finding is contrary to similar research in this area and the implications for future theory are discussed.

Byggbranschen är en av de mest olycksdrabbade och varje år skadas och omkommer människor i en omfattning som fortfarande är hög i jämförelse med många andra branscher. I den statistik som tillhandahålls av Arbetsmiljöverket definierar man inte om den skadade eller förolyckade individen är anställd av huvudentreprenör eller underentreprenör. Utländska entreprenörer som skadas eller förolyckas exkluderas helt och hållet i det statistiska underlaget. I Sverige är byggsektorn starkt reglerad av lagar och regler för hur säkerheten på byggarbetsplatsen ska garanteras. Den psykosociala miljön på arbetsplatser utgörs av övertygelser, uppfattningar, attityder, känslor och värderingar och är också betydelsefulla faktorer för säkerheten. Dessa faktum motiverar en studie om den säkerhetskultur som huvudentreprenören har som ambition att förmedla till sina underentreprenörer. En tydlig och positiv säkerhetskultur på arbetsplatsen är ett steg i rätt riktning för att uppnå nollvision för olyckor och dödsfall. Säkerhetskulturella grundstenar utgörs bland annat av gemensam inställning, högt engagemang och en enhetlig syn på säkerheten och arbetsmiljön inom hela företaget eller organisationen. Syftet med studien är att undersöka och redogöra för hur de stora byggföretagen Skanska, NCC och Peab bedriver sitt arbete kring säkerhetskultur på ett individuellt plan och hur de samverkar för att skapa en enhetlig kultur med fokus på underentreprenörer. Vidare är syftet att undersöka anledningen till varför underentreprenörer inte följer säkerhetskulturen och därmed kan orsaka olyckor i arbetet. Studiens metodologiska tillvägagångsätt grundas i litteraturstudier, semistrukturerade interjuver samt dokumentstudier. Generellt ansåg respondenterna att säkerhetskulturen inom byggbranschen handlar om att ändra inställningen från ”jag ska bara”-kultur till ”jag ska bry mig om”-kultur. De tyckte att en bra säkerhetskultur definieras av att man lyckas få med alla att arbeta enligt de processer som finns. En god säkerhetskultur innebar också enligt samtliga respondenter att man som chef ska föregå med gott exempel. De flesta ansåg att det fanns en kulturell skillnad mellan svenska och utländska underentreprenörer samt att säkerhetskulturen i andra länder skiljer sig från den kultur vi har i Sverige. Samtliga respondenter var enade om att orsaken till att underentreprenörer löper större risk att råka ut för olyckor än anställda hos huvudentreprenörer berodde på att de har inställningen ”vi är här nu, vi ska göra ett snabbt och bra jobb” och ”jag ska bara”. De flesta ansåg att utmaningen med säkerhetskulturen var att skapa engagemang och förståelse samt att få underentreprenörer att följa säkerhetskulturen. Slutsatsen blir således att Skanska, NCC och Peab har väl genomarbetade och nedskrivna policys, riktlinjer och förhållningssätt för hur säkerhetsarbetet är tänkt att fungera. Det som främst skiljer sig åt mellan företagen i praktiken är hur man kopplar ihop begreppet säkerhet och kultur. För ett företag är begreppet säkerhetskultur en blandning av säkerhetsarbete och kultur medan det för ett annat endast innefattar säkerhetsarbete eller kultur. Om målet är att förbättra säkerhetskulturen inom en hel bransch måste alla som är delaktiga på något sätt vara medvetna om vad säkerhetskultur egentligen betyder. Hur företagen ser på problematiken kring säkerhetskultur skiljer sig också åt. Uppfattningen om vem som har ansvaret för egna anställda och underentreprenörer är olika beroende på företag. / The construction industry is severely affected by accidents and every year people are injured and killed to an extent that is still high compared to many other industries. The statistics provided by the Work Environment Agency do not define whether an injured or deceased individual is or were employed by the main contractor or the sub-contractor. Foreign contractors who are injured or deceased are completely excluded from the statistical data. In Sweden, the construction industry is heavily regulated by laws that state how the safety of the construction site is guaranteed. The psychosocial environment in workplaces consists of beliefs, perceptions, attitudes, feelings, and values are also important factors for safety. These facts justifies a study about the safety culture that the main contractor aims to convey to his or her sub-contractors. A clear and positive safety culture in the workplace is one step in the right direction to achieve zero tolerance for injuries and deaths. Safety-cultural keystones consists of, among other things, a common attitude, a high level of commitment and a uniform view of the safety and the working environment within the entire company or organization. The purpose of this study is to investigate and present how the large construction companies Skanska, NCC and Peab conduct their work with safety culture on an individual level and how they work together to create a uniform culture with focus on sub-contractors. Furthermore, the purpose is to investigate the reason why subcontractors do not follow the safety culture and thus are injured. The methodological approach of the study is based on literature studies, semistructured interviews, and document studies. In general, the responders believe that the safety culture in the construction industry is about changing the attitude to be caring instead of stressful. Most responders think a good safety culture is defined by being able to get everyone to work according to the processes that exists. According to all respondents, a good safety culture also means that as a manager you must set a good example. Most people believed that there were a cultural difference between Swedish and foreign sub-contractors and that the safety culture in other countries differs from the culture we have in Sweden. All respondents agreed that the reason why sub-contractors are exposed to higher risk of accidents than employees of main contractors are because they have the attitude “we are here now, we will do a fast and good job” and “just one last thing”. Most people believed that the challenges with the safety culture were to create commitment and understanding and to have sub-contractors follow the safety culture. The conclusion is that Skanska, NCC and Peab have well thought out and written down policies, guidelines, and approaches to how safety culture is supposed to work. What mainly differs between the companies in practice is how they link the concept of security and culture together. For one company, the concept of safety culture is a mixture of security work and culture, while for another it only includes security work or culture. If the goal is to improve the safety culture within an entire industry, everyone involved must be aware of what safety culture really means. How companies view the safety culture issues also differs. The perception of who is responsible for their own employees and subcontractors differs depending on the company.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The ability to improve the safety of patient care delivery is dependent on the safety culture, or the norms surrounding reactions following an error, the learning that takes place, and the proactive strategies in place to prevent future errors. While measurement of patient safety culture is now common in the United States (US) using instrument specifically developed for US healthcare organizations, no measurements of safety culture had been conducted at Hamad Medical Corporation in the State of Qatar, a Middle Eastern country; nor were valid or reliable instruments available. The purpose of this study was to assess registered nurses’ perceptions of the safety culture in the units where they provide nursing care at Hamad Medical Corporation using a modified version of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) patient safety culture an instrument (Hospital Survey of Patient Safety Culture). Eight hundred surveys were distributed to all randomly-selected nurses from eight targeted clinical services with a response rate of 57%. Survey results were compared with those from US hospitals using the original AHRQ survey. Ranking of subscales for this study in terms of strengths and areas needing improvement were almost identical to the ordering of US hospital results, with teamwork within units ranked highest and indicating a strength; and the subscale non-punitive response to error the lowest and indicating an area for improvement. Positive response rates in terms of safety culture for this study were generally lower on most subscales compared to the US results and may reflect the intensity of patient safety improvement activity in the US over the last eight years in response to the Institute of Medicine’s report on medical errors in 1999. Results from this study provide a baseline measurement for safety culture at Hamad Medical Corporation and beginning adaptation of an instrument that can be used in other Middle Eastern healthcare organizations in the future.

Yes / Purpose: To summarize studies that have examined patient safety culture (PSC) in maternity units and describe the different purposes, study designs and tools reported in these studies, whilst highlighting gaps in the literature. Methodology: Peer-reviewed studies published in English during 1961-2016 across eight electronic databases were subjected to a narrative literature review. Findings: Among 100 articles considered, 28 met the inclusion criteria. The main purposes for studying PSC were: (a) assessing intervention effects on PSC (n= 17); and (b) assessing PSC level (n=7). Patient safety culture was mostly assessed quantitatively using validated questionnaires (n=23). The Safety Attitude Questionnaire was the most commonly used questionnaire (n=17). Intervention varied from a single action lasting five weeks to a more comprehensive package lasting more than four years. The time between the baseline and the follow-up assessment varied from six months up to 24 months. No study reported measurement or intervention costs, and none incorporated the patient’s voice in assessing PSC. Practical Implications: Assessing PSC in maternity units is feasible using validated questionnaires. Interventions to enhance PSC have not been rigorously evaluated. Future studies should report PSC measurement costs, adopt more rigorous evaluation designs, and find ways to incorporate the patient’s voice. Originality/Value: This review summarized studies examining PSC in a highly important area and highlighted main limitations that future studies should consider.

No / Rational, aim, and objectives: A positive patient safety culture in maternity units is linked to higher quality of care and better outcomes for mothers. However, safety culture varies across maternity units. Analyses of variation in safety culture using statistical process control (SPC) methods may help provider units to learn from each other's performance. This study aims to measure patient safety culture across maternity units in Oman using SPC methods. Methods: The 36-item Safety Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ) was distributed to all doctors, nurses, and midwifes working in ten maternity care units in Oman's hospitals and analysed using SPC methods. The SAQ considers six domains: job satisfaction, perception of management, safety climate, stress recognition, teamwork, and work condition. Results: Of the 892 targeted participants, 735 (82%) questionnaires were returned. The overall percentage of positive safety responses in all hospitals ranged from 53% to 66%, but no hospital had the targeted response of above 75%. Job satisfaction had the highest safety score (4.10) while stress recognition was the lowest (3.17). SPC charts showed that the overall percentage of positive responses in three maternity units (H1, H7, and H10) was above and one (H4) was below the control limits that represent special cause variation that merits further investigation. Conclusion: Generally, the safety culture in maternity units in Oman is below target and suggests that considerable work is required to enhance safety culture. Several maternity units showed evidence of high/low special cause variation that may offer a useful starting point for understanding and enhancing safety culture.

Yes / Background: Patient safety culture/climate in maternity units has been linked to better safety outcomes. Nurses have a crucial role in patient safety and represent the majority of staff in maternity units. In many countries, nurses are recruited from abroad, bringing their own perceptions of patient safety culture. Nonetheless, little is known about the relationship between perceptions of patient safety culture and nurses’ nationality. Understanding this relationship will assist stakeholders in designing a responsive programme to improve patient safety culture. Aims: To investigate the association between nurses’ nationality and their perceptions about patient safety culture in maternity units in Ministry of Health hospitals in Oman. Methods: In 2017, the Safety Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ) was distributed to all staff (892 distributed, 735 returned) in 10 maternity units. Results: About three-quarters (74%, 541/735) of the returned SAQs were completed by nurses, of whom 34% were non-Omani, 21.8% were Omani and 44.7% did not report their nationality (missing). Overall, the mean safety score for non-Omani nurses was significantly higher than for the Omani nurses: 3.9 (SD 1.3) vs 3.6 (SD 1.2) (P < 0.001). The mean safety score for stress recognition was significantly lower for non-Omani nurses: 2.8 (SD 1.5) vs 3.2 (SD 1.3) (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Non-Omani nurses have a more positive perception of patient safety culture than Omani nurses except in respect of stress recognition. Decision-makers, directors, and clinicians should consider these differences when designing interventions to improve patient safety culture. / This study is part of a PhD study that was funded by the Ministry of Health in Oman

In high- risk industries, such as aviation, safety is a key for organization survivor. Most accidents involve human losses and bring substantial cost to organizations. Accidents can devastate the reputation and profitability of any organization. In aviation, more than 80% of aircraft accidents are related to human errors. Safety culture has substantial impact on the success of any organization. Employees' performance and behaviors are influenced by their perception of safety culture within their organization. In the aviation industry, pilots are considered the last resort to prevent accidents or mishaps in the air or ground. The focus on pilots' perception of safety culture is vital to understand how the airline can influence pilots' behaviors in the flight deck, and provide opportunities to minimize risk or unsafe behavior in the future. The present study examined the effect of safety culture on safety performance among pilots of Saudi Airlines. Safety performance was measured by pilot attitude toward violations and pilot error behavior. The study further analyzed the mediating role of pilot commitment to the airline between safety culture and measures of safety performance. The study used a quantitative approach using survey questionnaire to collect the data. A total of 247 commercial airline pilots, captain and first officer, flying at Saudi Airlines voluntarily participated in the study. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to validate each latent construct. The study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the relationship between all variables in the study using AMOS 22 software. The study results revealed that safety culture had a direct effect on pilot attitude toward violations and indirect effect on pilot error behavior. Moreover, safety culture had strong effect on enhancing pilot commitment to the airline. The mediating role of pilot commitment to the airline was not significant, and could not mediate the relationship between safety culture and measures of safety performance. The present research contributed to the current state of knowledge about the significant role of safety culture as a main predictor of safety performance in civil aviation. The present study contributes to aviation psychology by analyzing the effect of safety culture as a predictor for improving pilot commitment to the airline. In addition, this research analyzed the effect of safety culture on pilot attitude toward violations and pilot error behavior. Study findings can be used by airline management to better identify causes of unsafe behavior inside the cockpit. The outcomes of this research emphasize the role of management in shaping and affecting employees' behaviors and attitudes.

The need for a positive safety culture in healthcare is essential. It not only advances the prevention and reduction of possible medical errors and threats to patient safety, but also enhances the overall quality of healthcare services provided, especially in respect of medication safety. While the evolution and surge in hospital pharmacies has bolstered treatment possibilities, the risk of harm to patients has also increased as errors in the provision of medication by pharmacists create a threat to patient safety. The increasing need to deploy a protective measure to enhance patient safety culture in the healthcare is imperative suggesting the necessity for the inclusion of new knowledge through the process of organizational learning. Safety culture and organizational learning are complex constructs which may be measured, to some extent, by validated instruments. The current study seeks to assess the reliability and validity of a translated Arabic version of the learning organization survey short-form (LOS-27), and the pharmacy survey on patient safety culture (PSOPSC) through the evaluation of pharmacy staff’s knowledge about organizational learning and patient safety culture in public and private hospital pharmacies of Kuwait. The aim is to explore the relationship between organizational learning and patient safety culture in hospital pharmacy settings through the LOS-27 and PSPOSC instruments. In addition, the relationship between the different dimensions of organizational learning and pharmacy patient safety culture is explored. The results highlighted the adequacy of the Arabic translation of the LOS-27 and PSOPSC questionnaires as they depicted the reliability and validity consistent with the original surveys results. It was also found that in the context of Kuwaiti pharmacies, organizational learning was positively related to performance of the staff in creating a positive patient safety culture. Several dimensions of the organizational learning showed association with various elements of patient safety culture in pharmacy settings, specifically: training, management that reinforces learning, and a supportive learning environment had the strongest effects on the pharmacy patient safety culture dimensions. The contribution of this thesis is in three areas. First, it is the first research that links organizational learning with patient safety culture in a hospital pharmacy setting (theoretical contribution). Second, the research is useful for research scholars as it combines the two questionnaires, LOS-27 and PSOPSC, on the same participants using a single form to explore the relationship between organizational learning and patient safety culture in a hospital pharmacy setting and their dimensions (method contribution). Third, this research contributed to the currently limited literature that examines patient safety culture and organizational learning by considering the context of Kuwait (Contextual Contribution).