The purpose of this study was to examine the complexities that constitute women’s narratives within a mining organisation in South Africa. A review of the literature suggests that social constructions about gender influence the way in which individuals construct narratives and meaning in their lives, which inform their ways of being. This research draws upon two main schools of thought, that is, post-modern social constructionism and post-structuralism. Based on these world views, a qualitative analysis was selected as the most appropriate research design. This research examined the narratives of nine women in senior positions from a single mining organisation, in the form of semi-structured in depth interviews carried out in September 2011. An ethnographic research design was selected, in line with the theoretical framework of this study. A thematic analysis was conducted, and the results revealed two central themes, viz. Navigating the interceptions between occupational and multiple identities; and negotiating a space for women in mining. The nature of identity that emerged from participant’s narratives was viewed as an act of weaving together the multiple strands of the self, where participants recognise the points at which these multiple strands intercept and where they diverge. So rather than merging these strands into a unified (and essentialist) self, participants seemed to recognise the fluid, dynamic and contextual sense of self and in-so-doing, participants began to, in their narrative, construct an authentic sense of self. At each interception participants are faced with (i) contradictions and ambiguity, or (ii) congruency of the self between roles, which emerged as ‘identity salience’. Interceptions were interpreted as an illustration of the micro-physics of power, as postulated by Foucault (1979). In some cases, participants internalise normative and ‘masculine’ prescriptions of the self, resulting in the reification of gendered norms and the subsequent ‘disciplining’ of the self to embody such norms. However, participants also exercise individual and collective agency in resisting dominant ideology, thereby driving shifts in the power dynamics of society and negotiating an authentic and egalitarian self, and space for women in mining. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

This study investigated what helps and what hinders RCMP officers in being meaningfully engaged in their work. Experiencing workplace engagement is becoming increasingly meaningful and important for both workers and employers in the new economy. The study is important to the field of counselling, and related fields such as organizational psychology, in terms of both theory and practice, as it concretely expands our understanding of the experience of workplace engagement for workers. In this study, the participants consisted of 14 male RCMP officers and 11 female RCMP officers. Participants were all posted in the Greater Vancouver area at the time of the study, although officers had previously been posted at a variety o f locations throughout Canada. Officers were individually interviewed using a semi-structured, open-ended interview consistent with Flanagan's (1954) Critical Incident Technique. In total, 370 critical incidents were elicited from the 25 participants. Critical incidents helping officers experience meaningful engagement in their work totaled 197. Critical incidents hindering officers in experiencing meaningful engagement in their work totaled 173. The critical incidents were then grouped into 19 categories based on the nature of the incident and the meaning the incident held for the officer. To address reliability in categorizing incidents, two independent judges categorized a sampling o f incidents. In both cases judges agreed with the researcher's categorization in over 90% of incidents. Four participants were also presented with their own critical incidents, and asked to categorize them. Again participants agreed with the researcher's categorization in over 90% of incidents. The main categories identified in this the study were supervision, police incidents, perceived organizational support, transfer, personal circumstances, and peers. In each of these categories both helping and hindering critical incidents were identified by participants. This study provides a detailed description and analysis of the critical incidents that help or hinder RCMP officers in being meaningfully engaged in their work.

Gravity plays a vital role in our everyday lives. It provides the development of our muscle mass which fuels our brain’s advancement and our ability to complete daily tasks. Yet we often take for granted the things we do not see. From hunting and gathering, chasing after prey, migrating from one place to the next, to growing and harvesting crops to long hours laboring away, we have felt gravity through millions of years in time.  Along with the rise of technology, we are witnessing the fall of our physical selves. Our lives have become busier, more stressful and our days behind a screen much longer. Within the past 30 years, gravity has been intercepted by the chair and the ratio of moving to sitting has been reversed. Instead of feeling this force within our legs and lower limbs, it has now been deferred to our fingers, buttocks and backs.  We spend the bulk of our days in a seated position, often behind a screen. Sitting has become such a norm that daily exercise at the gym is no longer enough to offset all the negative things done to our bodies in a sedentary posture.  We were programmed to move, but we’ve hacked our brains to think otherwise. Prolonged sitting is a serious issue that should not be overlooked. The challenge is to change a habit that we’ve acquired from an early age.  The numbers are staggering, over 1.5 billion people worldwide are obese.(WHO. int, 2013) 5.3 million die each year from heart related diseases and diabetes as indirect result of the chair, .3 million more than smoking. (Thelancet.com, 2012)  It is time to break the norm, adjust our perceptions, expectations and stop living in extremes and move towards moderation. It’s time to stand up and make gravity visible.  10/60: Make Gravity Visible is a social movement to challenge our society to move more, reminding people to be up and moving 10 minutes for every 60 minutes.  The goal is to challenge society to integrate movement within the home, work and societal environments through the support and influence of communal behaviour.  10/60 is facilitated by a website and a smartphone application. The website provides ideas shared by the community to help inspire movement into people’s lives. The app tracks a person’s daily physical activity levels and sends a reminder when he/she has been sitting for too long. How much a person moves is reflected by an avatar’s physical state as well as graphical data by the time of day. Challenges can be submitted within the inner circle of friends to encourage more movement.  The initial strategy around this topic was through the intersections of four subjects: human evolution, philosophy, behavioral psychology, and physiology. This concept was developed based on findings from foundational research, expert interviews, user tests, experiments and behavioral observations - in particular social influences and the underlying principle that motivation is different for everyone.  Awareness alone does not generate action. Motivating people to move more is beyond an individual problem - sitting is a societal and cultural issue and unless that is addressed, no long term changes can be sustained.  This project aims to inspire people to leverage their communities and integrate more physical activity in the home, work and societal environments.  Societal and cultural norms will not change unless we change together.

The veterinary healthcare team concept was explored using an inductive approach involving four veterinarian (N=23) and four Registered Veterinary Technician focus groups (N=26). Themes revealed included Communication, Toxic Attitude and Environment, Leadership, Coordination, and Work Engagement. Each was subsequently explored in a study of team effectiveness and its associations with job satisfaction and burnout. A random sample of 274 participants from 48 companion-animal veterinary teams was recruited. Mixed linear regression found job satisfaction increased with increased individual engagement and tenure at the practice, and decreased with increased years in veterinary medicine, full-time employment status, or within a toxic clinic environment. Higher scores for exhaustion and cynicism were associated with the presence of a toxic environment, reduced individual engagement, and full-time employment status. A coordinated team environment contributed to decreased cynicism and increased professional efficacy scores. These results suggest team effectiveness significantly influences job satisfaction and burnout among veterinary healthcare teams. / Royal Canin Veterinary Diets

Kasmet vidutiniškai šalyje užauginama 3 – 4 milijonai tonų javų. Juos pristatant į grūdų apdorojimo įmones nustatyta, kad grūdų vidutinis šiukšlingumas siekia 4 – 7%. Dalis mažųjų šiukšlių gali patekti į darbo vietą grūdų apdorojimo patalpose. Grūdų apdorojimo technologijose dirbantiems žmonėms dulkės kenkia sveikatai ir ilgainiui gali tapti rimtos profesinės ligos priežastimi. Dulkėtumo tyrimai grūdų sandėliuose yra aktuali, mažai tyrinėta problema. Darbe ištirti dulkių koncentracijos lygiai grūdų sandėlyje technologinėse operacijose. Nustatyta, kad dulkių koncentracijos matavimų maksimali paklaida neviršytų 0,35 mg/m3, imties tūris turėtų būti ne mažiau, kaip 31 matavimai (bandymuose pasirinkta ne mažiau 33). Bandymų metu nustatyta maksimali dulkių koncentracija (6,17 mg/m3), kuri yra potencialiai pavojinga aptarnaujamo personalo sveikatai, todėl rekomenduotina darbuotojams naudoti asmenines apsaugos priemones. Nustatyta vidutinė dulkių koncentracija (2,16 mg/m3) neviršija HN 23:2011 ilgalaikio poveikio ribinio dydžio 5 mg/m3. / Each year, the national average and producing 3-4 million tonnes of cereals. Delivery to the grain-processing companies showed that the average grain impurities to 4-7%. Some small debris can enter the work area of grain handling facilities. Grain processing technology for people working in the dust is harmful and may eventually become a serious cause of occupational disease. Dust grain storage research is relevant, a little research on the problem. Work to investigate the concentration levels of dust grain warehouse technological operations. There were found that it has been not less as 31 measurement off amount (in experimentations there were chosen not less than 33), that the maximum concentrations of dusts bias won’t go off 0,35 mg/m³. During the tests, the maximum concentration of dust (6,17 mg/m³), which is potentially dangerous to the health personnel served, therefore, recommended that employees wear personal protective equipment. Estimated the average dust concentration (2,16 mg/m³), does not exceed the long-term exposure limit value of 5 mg/m³ with HN 23:2011.

This research project investigates the influence of, and interplay between, contextual and biographical factors on an educator's ability to respond to the work context. In particular, this study explores what factors a small number of educators believe were important, before, during and after their participation on one or other specific professional development programme in enabling them to develop (design and/or adapt) and implement a course curriculum in their work environments. Within the context of this research, the professional development programmes of interest are designed with/for environmental educators from the Southern African region. Although past educational research has often focused on the importance that programme participants give to the interactions between themselves and tutors , the materials used, the assignments tackled, etc. this research project did not set out to draw the research subjects' attention to programme-related factors. Rather, it was designed to broaden the focus to include factors before and after a programme as well. Within this enquiry, three research subjects were engaged in numerous, open-ended conversations throughout the course of the year during which the study unfolded. The above participants were also involved in semi-structured interviews where, again, relatively open-ended questions were asked. A small number of documents, such as the materials of the above professional development programmes, were also analysed. This research has provided a number of insights into the wide range of factors that might enable educators to respond effectively to their work environments. Specifically, it has indicated the importance of four broad families of factors perceived by the subjects of this research to have enabled them to develop and implement a meaningful course curriculum. The personal variables are highlighted in particular. Importantly, this study raises questions and challenges both for those involved in similar research as well as for those involved in the design and implementation of professional development programmes, particularly for educators. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

Stress, very simply, is a built-in condition. Humans are hard-wired to have a physical and psychological ―stress" reaction when facing a perceived threat, whether it is real or not. Irrespective of its definition or its source, excessive workplace stress has serious repercussions for both employees and employers. Everyone experiences stress differently because of various reasons and reacts differently to stress in the face of the same stressor. Stressors produce different stress levels in different people: combined with the external factors of stress (potential stressors) it has been found that how one is affected by that stressor depends on how one perceives this stressor, based on its relative importance to the person and the traits and characteristics of the person e.g. reactions in face of a challenge or threat. As an effect of stress, one reacts physically, psychologically and behaviourally, and has negative consequences rather than positive consequences, which affect both physical and mental well-being and performance at work. These have serious implications for businesses, especially in this highly competitive and dynamic environment. This study endeavoured to identify the causes of workplace stress at the University of KwaZulu- Natal and whether the merger between the former Universities of Natal and Durban-Westville has contributed to workplace stress. The sources of stress were identified and its effect on work performance was acknowledged. The main aim of this study was to assist employees and management alike to address the disparities of stress and to cope with stress. To prove the objectives of this study an on-line questionnaire was sent out to respondents using QuestionPro to obtain their views on the effects of stress that they have felt in the past 2 years and how they rate their workplaces. The results of the survey found that 90.3% of respondents experienced stress in the last two years while 9.7% had no experience of stress over the same period. In terms of the impact of workplace stress on work performance, 64% of the respondents indicated that stress has had a negative impact on their work performance while 26% indicated that workplace stress had no impact on their work performance. The majority of respondents felt that in order to reduce stress at UKZN, management should increase pay (rated as most relevant) followed by line managers should show more respect and empathy towards staff. Staff also indicated that stress management workshops and counselling should be provided for staff. After embarking on this research and identifying with the stress within UKZN, it was recommended that UKZN increase the awareness of stress counselling and management programmes to effectively help employees cope with stress. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2011.

Baigiamajame magistro darbe atliekami statinių projektavimo specialistų patiriamo streso ir jį sukeliančių veiksnių bei Vilniaus universiteto Statybos ir remonto direkcijos darbo aplinkos sąlygų ir darbo vietų įrengimo tyrimai ir analizuojami jų rezultatai . Siekiant ištirti statinių projektavimo specialistų stresą ir jį sukeliančius veiksnius atlikta anketinė apklausa Lietuvos architektūros ir statybinių konstrukcijų projektavimo įmonėse. Anketa įdėta elektroninėje apklausų sistemoje ir elektroniniu paštu išplatinta daugiau nei 200 skirtingų statinių ir inžinerinių sistemų projektavimo įmonių, užpildytos 129 anketos. Gauti rezultatai parodė, kad statinių projektavimo specialistai patiria vidutinio intensyvumo stresą, visus arba dalį streso požymių jaučia 78 % respondentų, o pagrindiniai stresą sukeliantys veiksniai yra skubėjimas, netolygus darbo pasiskirstymas ir aukštas atsakomybės lygis. Vilniaus universiteto Statybos ir remonto direkcijos darbo aplinkos sąlygų ir darbo vietų įrengimo tyrimo metu išmatuotos darbo vietų meteorologinės sąlygos ir apšvieta, gautos vertės palygintos su teisės aktuose reglamentuojamomis reikšmėmis. Taip pat išmatuoti darbo kėdės bei stalo parametrai ir įvertinta jų atitiktis darbuotojų antropometriniams kūno matmenims. Atlikta šios įstaigos darbuotojų apklausa bei jos rezultatų palyginimas su atliktais matavimais parodė, kad norint užtikrinti optimalias darbo sąlygas yra būtina laikytis Higienos normose apibrėžtų reikalavimų ir atsižvelgti... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The research on stress assessment of building design professionals and the research of work environment in Vilnius University Directorate of Construction and Repairs are analysed in this master thesis. A survey was carried out to investigate the level of stress and the main stressors in the architectural and constructional engineering companies of Lithuania. The questionnaire was published on the internet. The link to the questionnaire was sent to more than 200 engineering companies and 129 questionnaires were fully answered. The results of survey have shown that the building design professionals are affected by a middle range stress in their workplace and 78 % of them feel few or all symptoms of stress. The main stressors are high level of rush, uneven work intensity and high level of responsibility. During the research of work environment in Vilnius University Directorate of Construction and Repairs there were measured the meteorological factors and the level of illumination in the office. The results were compared with the values in the regulations. The parameters of the work chair and the table were measured as well. The values were compared with the anthropometric data of the workers. The comparison of measurements results and opinion of the workers has shown that optimal work environment can be reached by tracing the rules of regulations and designing the workplace by the individual needs. There are made few conclusions and suggestions for work environment improvements... [to full text]

This essay describes coordination of the work environment on construction sites where many entrepreneurs share workplace. As employer, the entrepreneur has main responsibility for the workers safety on the construction site, the project supervisor is responsible for the work environment, and to coordinate the work environment a coordinator of the construction work environment is appointed. The purpose of this essay is to describe how the work environment is ensured on a shared workplace. In order to answer the essays questions I’ve used a juridical method to interpret the law. Current law and regulations has been studied, as well as the industry's rules and regulations. The juridical method is complemented by social science methodology by the use of an empirical survey consisting of interviews with a coordinator of the construction work environment, and subcontractors on a construction site. The questions of this essay concerns the project supervisor’s and the entrepreneur’s safety responsibilities of the working environment, and how they ensure their joint work environment. And also the requirements imposed on the entrepreneur’s coordination responsibilities, and if the working methods differ when the workers are posted. A construction site is a complicated workplace with many companies working side by side. Requirements for cooperation and consultation are the responsibility of all employers who have employees engaged on the same construction site. Entrepreneurs who post workers in Sweden have the same employer responsibilities as other entrepreneurs, and shall ensure the work environment of the posted worker. / Denna uppsats handlar om samordningen av arbetsmiljön på byggarbetsplatser där flera entreprenörer delar arbetsplats. Som arbetsgivare har en entreprenör huvudansvaret för de anställdas arbetsmiljö, på byggarbetsplatsen är det byggherren som ansvarar för arbetsmiljön, och för att samordna parternas arbetsmiljö utses en byggarbetsmiljösamordnare. Studiens syfte är att deskriptivt redogöra för hur arbetsmiljö säkerställs på en gemensam arbetsplats. För att besvara uppsatsens frågeställningar har juridisk metod använts genom att tolka gällande rätt. Förutom lag och förordningar har även böcker i ämnet använts, samt branschens regler och bestämmelser. Den juridiska metoden kompletteras med samhällsvetenskaplig metod genom att vidga studien med empiriskt material i form av intervjuer med en byggarbetsmiljösamordnare, samt ett urval underentreprenörer på en byggarbetsplats. Uppsatsens frågeställningar berör förhållandet mellan byggherrens och entreprenörers arbetsmiljöansvar och hur de arbetar för att säkerställa den gemensamma arbetsmiljön. Samt vilka krav som ställs på entreprenörers samordningsansvar och om arbetssättet skiljer sig om arbetstagarna är utstationerade. En byggarbetsplats är en komplicerad arbetsplats med många företag som arbetar sida vid sida. Krav på samarbete och samråd åligger alla de arbetsgivare som har arbetstagare sysselsatta på en byggarbetsplats. En entreprenör som utstationerar arbetstagare i Sverige har samma långtgående arbetsgivaransvar som andra entreprenörer, och ska säkerställa arbetsmiljön för den utstationerade arbetstagaren.

Many survivors of sexual trauma describe the forensic rape exam as a second rape (Campbell et al., 1999; Parrot, 1991). Rape crisis medical advocates (RCMAs) assist survivors through this process, a time of particular vulnerability to retraumatization (Resnick, Acierno, Holmes, Kilpatrick, & Jager, 1999), by providing emotional support, education, and advocacy for comprehensive and respectful services. Campbell (2006) stated that the primary role of the RCMA is to reduce victim-blame, or the tendency to blame the victim of a crime for the crime or the circumstances leading up to it. The literature has consistently shown that survivors who worked with RCMAs received more medical and legal services and were less likely to feel revictimized (Campbell, 2006; Resnick et al., 1999; Wasco et al., 2004), but the impact of the work on RCMAs has not been sufficiently examined. Previous research has shown that many advocates experienced anger and fear in relation to the work (Wasco & Campbell, 2002), that RCMAs who witnessed more victim-blame reported less satisfaction with the work and lower levels of affective commitment to the job (Hellman & House, 2006), and that professional counselors who worked with trauma survivors reported higher levels of vicarious trauma than those who did not (Schauben & Frazier, 1995). Other researchers have shown that counselors who worked with trauma survivors reported higher traumatic stress than those who did not, and counselors who worked with victims of sexual trauma endorsed more disruptive beliefs about self, others, and the world (Bober & Regehr, 2005). However, the appropriateness of generalizing results observed among counselors to RCMAs is unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine possible predictors of RCMAs’ experiences of vicarious trauma (VT) and vicarious post-traumatic growth (VPTG). Since a great deal of research examining the effects of trauma on care-providers focuses on individual-level contributing variables like personality style, coping skills, and history of victimization (Kelley, Schwerin, Farrar, & Lane, 2005; King, King, Fairbank, & Adams, 1998; Pearlman & Mac Ian, 1995), in this study I examined the predictive ability of several environmental/contextual/systemic variables on RCMAs ratings of VT and VPTG, including caseload, amount of formal individual and group supervision received, ratings of social community at work, meaning of the work, emotional demands of the work, and perceptions of witnessing VB by police and medical staff. One hundred and sixty-four RCMAs participated in this internet-based survey research. A series of hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that higher ratings of VT were predicted by younger age, lower amounts of formal group supervision received, and lower ratings of the social community at work and the meaning of the work. Ratings of VPTG were significantly and positively predicted by amount of formal individual supervision received, and negatively predicted by age and educational achievement. Interpretations and recommendations are provided to assist rape crisis agencies in supporting RCMAs in their work.