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>

The thesis titled "Occupational safety and health" is focused on summarizing the current legal regulations that impose rights and obligations on employers and employees in the field of occupational health and safety. Introductory chapter emphasizes the understanding of the importance and function of safety aspects, historical context and role of the state. In the crucial second chapter the Czech legal regulations are analyzed in detail and the basic concepts of this issue (prevention of risk, work categorization, training...) are characterized. Following the legislation chapter three introduces options above standard approaches, by which the employer can be inspired or directly certified in task of the safety system solution. In the next chapter the analysis of the current legislation of "Occupational Services" is presented and also compared with the previous one. The theoretical part is concluded with an article concerning work accidents and occupational diseases, in which are also defined possibilities of accident insurance. In the case study, I focused on the application of the legal regulations for a particular employer, evaluation of the current state and the proposal for possible remedy measurements.

Dans nos pays industrialisés, les comportements sédentaires entrainent des enjeux de santé pour de nombreux travailleurs, les exigences physiques de leur travail étant désormais insuffisantes. Afin de répondre à cette problématique, la recherche s’intéresse aux bureaux actifs (poste de travail debout, avec pédalier ou avec tapis roulant) qui comparativement au poste de travail conventionnel permettent aux travailleurs d’augmenter l’apport d’activité physique au travail et ainsi, réduire le temps sédentaire quotidien. Lorsqu’ils sont comparés au poste conventionnel (assis), les bureaux actifs ont des effets sur des biomarqueurs physiologiques et biomécaniques liés à l’amélioration de la santé. En plus, ils offrent quelques avantages sur la productivité et le bien-être au travail des travailleurs. Malgré l’accumulation des connaissances sur les bureaux actifs, les différences entre bureaux actifs sont toujours méconnues. Ce mémoire s’adresse donc à la compréhension et à la comparaison entre les types de bureaux actifs, plus précisément à leurs impacts sur le temps sédentaire au travail, leurs effets sur les biomarqueurs physiologiques et biomécaniques et à leurs effets sur la productivité et le bien-être au travail. Pour ce faire, les résultats et la discussion sont développés autour d’un article de revue systématique (Dupont et al., 2019) et d’un article issu d’une recherche expérimentale soumis en octobre 2019. Dans un premier temps, les avantages associés à chaque type de poste de travail actif (debout, avec pédalier ou avec tapis roulant) ne sont pas équivalents. En effet, les postes avec pédalier et avec tapis roulant semblent apporter de plus grands changements physiologiques à court terme que les postes de travail debout et pourraient potentiellement améliorer la santé. De plus, les postes debout, avec pédalier et avec tapis roulants semblent tous présenter des avantages de productivité à court terme, toutefois les postes avec tapis roulants réduisent les performances des tâches faites à l’aide de clavier et de souris d’ordinateur. Dans un deuxième temps, à court terme (2 semaines), l’introduction d’un poste debout et d’un poste à pédalier dans leur bureau permet aux travailleurs d’accumuler en moyenne 132 minutes de temps actif (ex. travail fait avec poste debout et/ou avec poste avec pédalier) par jour, ce qui représente 46 % du temps total passé dans leur espace de travail personnel. Ce faisant, les travailleurs réduisent de moitié leur temps assis au travail en fractionnant le temps assis en courtes périodes de 30 minutes. Basé sur nos résultats, l’ajout de deux postes de travail actif à même le bureau d’un travailleur permet de diminuer le temps sédentaire au travail. / In our industrialized countries, sedentary behaviours lead to health issues for many workers, as the physical demands of their work are now insufficient. To answer this problem, the research focuses on active workstations (standing, with pedals or treadmill workstations) which compared to the conventional workstation allow workers to increase physical load at work and thus, reduce daily sedentary time. When compared to the conventional (sit) workstation, active workstations have effects on physiological and biomechanical biomarkers related to better health. Also, they offer some advantages over workers’ productivity and wellbeing at work. Despite the accumulation of knowledge about active workstations, the differences between active workstations are still unknown. This thesis is aimed at understanding and comparison between active workstation types, specifically their impacts on sedentary time at work, their effects on physiological and biomechanical biomarkers and their effects on productivity and well-being at work. The results and the discussion are developed around a systematic review article (Dupont et al., 2019) and an article from an experimental research submitted in October 2019. First of all, the benefits associated with each type of active workstation (i.e. standing, cycling, treadmill) may not be equivalent. Cycling and treadmill workstations appear to provide greater short-term physiologic changes than standing workstations that could potentially lead to better health. Cycling, treadmill and standing workstations appear to show short-term productivity benefits, while treadmill workstations reduce the performance of computer-related work. Secondly, in the short term (2 weeks), the introduction of a standing workstation and a pedal workstation in their office allows workers to accumulate an average of 132 minutes of active time (i.e. work done with standing and/or cycling workstations) per day, which represents 46% of the total time spent in their personal workspace. As a result, workers reduce their total desk-sitting time by half and sat on average 30 minutes per sedentary bout. Based on our findings, adding two active workstations to an office worker’s helps reduce sedentary time at work.

Needs assessment--Cost analysis--Modeling--Pilot studies--Sample programs--Training programs--Communication.

Work-related injuries and illnesses may lead to absenteeism, which affects the level of productivity. The purpose of this study was to determine the success of an employee workplace training program on work-related injury and illness rates at selected federal districts within a federal organization. Newman's model, which describes internal and external factors that may have an effect on an individual's health, was the framework that guided this project. A pre-post design was used to compare data from 2 publically available data sets, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Illness and Injury and the Voice of the Employee Survey, for the years 2013 and 2014, before and after a wellness training program. According to a descriptive analysis of 91 illness and injury events that occurred during the 2-year period, the greatest number of employees who reported illnesses were mail handlers and mail processing clerks. Slips/trips and falls, strikes by machine/equipment or other objects, and repetitive motion were the top 3 types of injuries. After training, the total number of illness and injury days away from work and days of limited duty were decreased, indicating a positive impact of this workplace wellness program and a need for future training for these workers. This project has the potential to affect social change by supporting the benefits of workplace wellness in improving employee health and reducing workplace injuries at federal agencies.

No description available.

No description available.

The purpose of this essay is to describe the legal conditions of the two legal rights the safety representatives upholds, the right to suspend work and the right to request investigations. Furthermore, it should be investigated and explained what obstacles and problems the safety representatives may face when it comes to exercising these rights. The aim is also to give the essay a diversity perspective with the help of a study of language problems among migrated workers and if this can be a safety hazard in the work and how it then can be related to the safety representatives legal rights mentioned above. As occupational health and safety issues also are regulated by EU law, the purpose of this essay is also to give a brief account of how EU bodies affects the law concerning occupational health and safety issues. In order to answer the essays research questions and to achieve its purpose, I have worked with the legal method and also performed a qualitative research interview.   I have concluded that the right to request investigations and the right to suspend work are two powerful tools that a safety representative has at its disposal. However, there are several aspects that can affect how they can be used and for what. Furthermore, I also came to the conclusion that there are certain obstacles affecting safety representatives possibilities  to work with its right, in the form of knowledge, time for education and also fear from negative consequences applied from the employer. Finally, I would like to present my conclusions concerning language problems and that they could be considered a safety hazard in the work and that the right to request investigations and the right to suspend work could be relevant in the particular case.

Occupational Health and Safety is largely determined by the creation of a Safety Culture that minimises risk. In South Africa the construction sector is the second most hazardous industry after mining. This study focuses on two exemplary construction firms in the Western Cape. The main research question is "How do the companies ensure coherent safety management practices that create a safety culture?" Based on a modification of a Balanced Health and Safety Scorecard for the Construction sector five sub-questions address safety management practices from a Management Perspective, an Operational Perspective, a Learning Perspective and a Client and Compliance Perspective. Data has been gathered from company documents, semistructured interviews, together with on-site observation. In conclusion the study reveals that management commitment, active communication and employee acknowledgement contribute positively to creating an effective safety culture on-site. Further studies are recommended with a specific view on small and medium companies in the construction sector. / Magister Commercii - MCom

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Risk management is a widely used term meaning different things to people in different economic sectors. To some, it refers to auditing and, to others, it means Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), compliance or any risk management activity dominant in the user’s frame of reference. Risk management probably includes all these associations. Viewing this study field from different angles prevents the visualisation and grasping of the whole. Business schools do not lead the way in overcoming this fragmented study field, as an all-inclusive theory basis and course outline are not yet available. The whole is taken to be the complete answers to a list of very basic questions, namely who must do what, how, when and why, and what then. This introductory study starts with the what question. Risk management activities within a sample of companies from banking to mining and manufacturing were researched. The result is a proposed map of common risk types and sector or industry-unique risks dominant in a specific environment. Three risk management training programmes were evaluated to determine whether or not the basic questions are addressed: the UNISA Advanced Programme in Risk Management, the USB Programme in Risk Management and the Enterprise Risk Management Integrated Framework developed by COSO. These programmes were assessed to determine whether they address the practical risk management questions of who must do what, when and why, and what then. A combination of some of the strong points of the courses is proposed as a starting point for overcoming the theory gap. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Risikobestuur is ʼn algemeen gebruikte term wat verskillende dinge vir verskillende gebruikers beteken. Vir party verwys dit na die ouditfunksie, vir ander beteken dit beroepsgesondheid en -veiligheid, wetlike voldoening of enige ander risikobestuursaktiwiteit wat deel van ʼn persoon se verwysingsraamwerk vorm. Risikobestuur sluit waarskynlik al hierdie assosiasies in. Die benadering van die studieveld vanuit verskillende verwysingspunte maak dit egter moeilik om die studieveld as geheel te sien en te begryp. Bestuurskole neem ook nie die leiding om die gefragmenteerde aard van die studieveld te oorkom nie, want ʼn omvattende teoretiese grondslag en raamwerk is nie beskikbaar nie. Die geheel word geag te wees volledige antwoorde op ʼn paar basiese vrae, naamlik wie moet wat, wanneer, hoe en wat daarna doen. Hierdie inleidende studie fokus op die wat vraagstuk. Risikobestuursaktiwiteite in ʼn steekproef van firmas vanuit die bankwese, mynwese en vervaardigingsektor word ondersoek. Die resultaat is ʼn voorgestelde raamwerk van algemene asook omgewingsunieke risikosoorte. Drie risikobestuuropleidingsprogramme, naamlik UNISA se Gevorderde Sertifikaatprogram in Risikobestuur, die USB se Risikobestuursprogram en COSO se Ondernemingswye Risikobestuursprogram, is geëvalueer om te bepaal in watter mate hulle op die praktiese risikobestuursvraagstukke, naamlik wie moet wat, wanneer, hoe en wat daarna moet doen, ingaan. ʼn Kombinasie van die verskillende kursusse se sterkpunte word uiteindelik as beginpunt vir die oorbrugging van die gaping in die teorie voorgehou.