OHSAS 18000 Occupational Health and Safety Assessment System Series have a special importance to mining. OHSAS standardization aims to provide secure, more tranquil and healthier working space to the employees by means of establishing an assessment system. As mining activities are generally carried out in high risk environments, OHSAS has been improved and has increased its importance for mining in the world. In this study, Bigadi&ccedil / Boron Work is taken as a case for the application of OHSAS 18001. Theoretical information about OHSAS and risk assessment is provided, and some exemplifying mines that implemented this standard are given to illustrate their benefits. All possible hazard sources are identified and a &ldquo / Hazard Source Inventory&rdquo / is proposed. Together with this hazard source inventory, a risk assessment method is developed for Bigadi&ccedil / Boron Work. Several tasks are evaluated according to this proposed form. In order to define policy, principles and structure of Occupational Health and Safety Assessment System, an &ldquo / OHSA Manual&rdquo / is prepared. Several sets of standard forms were prepared and recommended for Bigadi&ccedil / Boron Work. Consistency throughout the organization was established by means of these created standard documents, procedures and forms. Proposed Job Safety Analysis form can be used to identify, analyze and record the steps involved in performing a specific task, and the existing or potential safety and health hazards associated with each step. Several safe job procedures were also prepared with the help of the risk assessment process. In addition to this, an &ldquo / Emergency Plan&rdquo / is proposed for enterprise to prevent loss of life, property and information, and provide safety in case of any emergency or natural disaster. An &ldquo / OHS Audit Instrument&rdquo / is suggested for the Bigadi&ccedil / Boron Work that will play a key role for continuous improvement of the system. Audits are integral part of OHSAS in order to identify hazards, improve health and safety conditions, and check compliance with regulations. These studies also show that there are some problems in the implementation of the system. The main problem is ineffective data recording and keeping. Lack of consciousness of employees and low commitment of top management constitute another important difficulty. Although these problems are commonly encountered in practice, applying OHSAS 18000 standard is still worthwhile method of improving work environment.

The objective of this study is to examine lean production and its effects on general working conditions and occupational health and safety. Lean production is considered either as a humane way of production with positive effects on workers or to have negative consequences for workers&#039 / and their job quality. This study investigates the increasing workload of the workers as a result of the unlimited performance demands of lean production as the first hypothesis. Secondly, there is the question of whether lean production provides a reduction in the number of occupational accidents because of the fact that occupational accidents are seen as waste, thus eliminated at all costs. The last hypothesis which will be assessed is that the number of occupational diseases increases after the implementation of lean production. To that end, a case study was carried out in an automotive plant by a qualitative research method using tools of observation, document analysis, in depth interview and structured interview. As a conclusion, the implementation of lean production in a plant in automotive industry has resulted in the reduction of the occupational accidents and improvement of ergonomic conditions even though the main incentive for these improvements is to reduce the wastes and costs and to increase the profitability and competitiveness. Based on the interviews, workers do not consider that their workload is increased after the implementation of lean production. Besides, workers feel work autonomy and job satisfaction. They also claim that they do not feel job stress in contrast to the literature.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-03, Section: B, page: 1626. Advisers: George L. Delclos; Beatrice J. Selwyn. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2001. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 68 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 49-68).

Fysisk aktivitet på recept (FaR) har visat sig vara ett framgångsrikt verktyg för att minska det stillasittande beteendet och öka den fysiska aktiviteten på lång sikt. Förändringsprocesser är dock både tids -och motivationskrävande och det gäller för alla. Att förankra och implementera FaR i en organisation har därför visat sig vara lättare sagt än gjort. Syftet med studien är att undersöka vad en företagshälsovård i Västra Götaland anser om sitt uppdaterade FaR-koncept som arbetats fram och använts sedan början av år 2014. Studien undersöker även hur man ser på FaR-konceptets förändring över tid och vad som kan ha förbättrats eller försämrats med det nya upplägget. I studien har sex informanter från tre olika geografiska enheter, på samma företagshälsovård, intervjuats. Resultatet visade att det skett en ökning av receptutskrivningar sedan det nya konceptet infördes. Två centrala faktorer för att konceptet har lyckats är att alla varit positiva till och engagerade i att arbeta med FaR, samt att chefens inställning visat sig vara viktigt för att få konceptet i rullning. Andra faktorer som visade sig ha betydelse för informanterna var god kommunikation, samarbete, tydliga riktlinjer och roller med utsedda FaR-koordinatorer, vilka kan ta över rollen som utförare, samt att all legitimerad personal nu får ordinera och skriva ut recept. / Physical activity on Prescription (PaP) has proven to be a successful tool to reduce sedentary behavior and to increase physical activity in the long term. However, the process of change is both time-consuming and demands motivation, and as it applies to everyone. To establish and implement PaP in an organization has proven to be easier said than done. The purpose of the study is to examine what an occupational health care in Västra Götaland (Sweden) thinks about its updated PaP concept elaborated and used since the beginning of 2014. Six informants from three different geographical units, in the same occupational health care has been interviewed in this study. The results showed that there has been an increase in prescription discharges since the new concept was introduced. Two key elements in that the concept has succeeded are that all the staff members were positive and committed to work with PaP and that the manager supported it. Other factors that proved to be important for the informants were good communication, cooperation, clear guidance and clear roles, with designated PaP coordinators. Those could take over the role as performers. All qualified personnel also got the right to prescribe PaP.

<p> The purpose of this project was to partner with a community mental health outpatient clinic, locate a potential funding source, and write a grant to obtain funding for a clinic wide wellness program. The proposed program aims to support mental health providers and employees at a mental health outpatient clinic to prevent and decrease burnout among mental health providers. A literature review was conducted to discuss the history of burnout, burnout symptoms and consequences, and interventions to reduce burnout. The Weingart Foundation was identified as a potential funding source for the program. The host agency chosen for this project is Western Youth Service West Clinic which provides comprehensive mental health services to children and families dealing with mental illness. The actual submission or funding of this grant was not required for the successful completion of this project.</p>

Heat stress conditions are prevalent in the working environment around the world. Often they are not readily engineered out. Administrative controls and, in extreme/toxic environments, personal protective gear are the means available to protect workers. For every combination of metabolic work rate, clothing ensemble and environmental WBGT, there is a time of exposure threshold, beyond which the worker can no longer compensate for the heat stress, and signs and symptoms of heat strain appear. Increasingly, worker environments require specialty clothing either for worker protection or to maintain a clean/sanitary environment. Prior to the publication of the USF safe exposure time equation, no simple method was available for determining safe worker exposure time based on a clothing adjustment factor. To demonstrate the validity of the USF SET equation, both direct and indirect data from different environments, metabolic rates, and clothing ensembles were collected to compare observed tolerance times to the predicted safe exposure time. Statistical analysis was performed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The USF SET equation predicted an acceptable safe exposure time, 19 % of the trials. Based upon this data, the USF safe exposure time heat stress equation over estimates safe exposure time for workers in hot environments, in various clothing ensembles at various metabolic work rates.

Existing literature provides support for a possible syndemic among adult film actresses. Multiple studies emphasize that a combination of economic, social, and cultural issues work together in tandem to synergistically amplify HIV/STI risk in this vulnerable population. It is critical to acknowledge how the detrimental effects of the high prevalence of substance abuse, psychological distress, intimate partner violence, and childhood sexual abuse work together in a system to heighten HIV/STI risk among adult-film actresses. Additionally, issues including the retrogressive dynamic and unequal power and hegemony in the industry function as facilitators which lower the overall health profile of adult-film actresses. It is therefore important to explore the additive relationship between multiple psychosocial health problems of HIV/STI risk among adult-film actresses. The goals of this study are to explore the tenets of the adult-film actress syndemic and use the ecosocial model to organize the associations between psychosocial health problems and HIV/STI risk. This thesis utilizes a two-phase, transformative explanatory sequential mixed methods design which combines multivariable logistic regression and ethnography to understand HIV/STI risk and how depression, childhood sexual abuse, intimate partner violence, and substance use are embodied in the daily lives of adult-film actresses. The quantitative component of this study utilized data collected from a survey of 134 adult- film actresses from the United States. Statistically significant relationships were seen between the independent variables (psychosocial problems) and the dependent variables (i.e., number of personal sex partners, perception of HIV risk, and participation in other sex work). Other relevant quantitative findings included the statistically significant relationships between the syndemic variable and multiple dependent variables. The second component of this study consisted of an ethnography that addressed the theoretical deficiencies in the quantitative phase. Eight adult-film actresses living in the United States were recruited through a testing agency located in Florida, a non-profit located in California, and social networking sites (You tube, Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace) and were then interviewed by phone. The ethnography provided substantive information on the processes which potentially undergird and fuel the syndemic among adult-film actresses including the link between traumatic childhood experiences, substance use and depression. Additional qualitative findings also included elucidating how components of occupational culture increase HIV/STI risk among adult-film actresses. Prominent qualitative themes included traumatic childhood experiences, tenuous romantic relationships and multiple rapes. The integration of both phases of this study provide information on how the interplay between micro, meso and macro level factors work together in a system to additively augment HIV/STI risk among adult-film actresses. Findings from this study have the potential to influence risk reduction policies that could improve the lives of adult-film actresses.

Excessive exposure to heat stress can cause a host of heat-related illnesses. For laborers, job specific work demands and protective garments greatly increase the risk of succumbing to the effects of heat stress. Microclimate cooling has been used to control heat stress exposure where administrative or engineering controls are not adequate. This study tested the performance of four personal cooling vests for use with insulated protective clothing (gas extraction coveralls) in warm-humid (35 ° C, 50% relative humidity) and hot-dry (40°C, 30% relative humidity) conditions. On 10 separate occasions, 5 male volunteers walked on a treadmill to elicit a target metabolic rate of 300 watts, for 120 minutes, while wearing a (a) water cooled vest, (b) air cooled vest, (c) frozen polymer vest (FP) (d) liquid CO2 cooling (LCO2) vest, or (e) no cooling (NC). A three-way mixed effects ANOVA was used to assess the results and a Tukey's Honestly Significant Difference multiple comparison test was used to identify where significant differences occurred ( < 0.05). The air, water, and FP systems produced significantly lower heat storage rates compared to NC. To the extent that the gas extraction coverall is worn in an environment between 30°C and 45°C and the rate of work is moderate, the FP, air and water vest were shown to manage heat storage well, reducing storage rate by about 48%, 56% and 65% respectively.

Needlestick injuries (NSIs) are a recognized risk for occupationally-related transmission of bloodborne pathogens (BBP). The occurrence of NSIs and BBP exposures among firefighters (FFs) and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel has been documented. The purposes of this study were: 1) to define the problem of NSI among FFs and EMS personnel in a suburban fire department (FD) and identify practices and factors that influence sharps use and safety; 2) design and implement and intervention to promote safer sharps device usage; and 3) to measure the effectiveness of the intervention among FFs and EMS personnel. A multi-phase, mixed methods approach was used that included a diagnosis phase that utilized a mixed methods exploratory design, an intervention period, and a quantitative evaluation phase that used a before and after evaluation design. In the diagnosis phase, data regarding sharps device practices were obtained through a count of discarded sharps devices. Qualitative data regarding sharps practices and factors which influenced those practice were obtained via focus groups. The PRECEDE/PROCEED model (PPM) was used as the theoretical framework for assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of an intervention to increase the occurrence of safer sharps device behaviors and decrease the frequency of riskier sharps device behaviors. The evaluation phase included a post-intervention sharps count and a post-intervention survey to assess changes in sharps practices and the impact of the intervention. During the baseline sharps count, 2743 sharps devices were counted and classified according to pre-established categories of safer or risky behaviors for NSI. Altered safety devices on IV stylets were the highest count for unsafe behaviors (n=105), followed by recapped traditional needles (n= 53). A statistically significant increase in risky behaviors was observed in discarded sharps from engines, as opposed to ambulances, among all sharps devices combined (p=0.000) and IV stylets (p=0.000). When comparing advanced life support (ALS) medications to all other medications, a statistically significant increase in unsafe behaviors occurred among all sharps devices combined (p=0.000) and prefilled syringes (p=0.000). Input from eight focus groups of firefighters allowed for identification of multiple themes which guided the development of an intervention. The intervention included distribution of a hands-on training kit and booklet, expansion of an existing required BBP training, and posters to increase awareness regarding NSI prevention. In the evaluation phase, a total of 2178 sharps devices were counted and classified in a post-intervention sharps count. Altered safety devices on IV stylets were the highest count of unsafe behaviors (n=50). Recapped traditional needles were the second highest count of unsafe behaviors (n=27), but experienced an 18.7% drop in frequency when compared to baseline. When comparing riskier behaviors to the pre-intervention baseline sharps count, statistically significant decreases in risky behaviors were observed in all sharps devices combined ( 2=25.71, p=0.000), IV stylets (2=16.87, p=0.000), and traditional needles (=5.07, p=0.024). A post-intervention survey, consisting of 15 Likert scale questions, was returned by 165 out of 383 active field personnel (41.3%). Results indicated high frequencies of strongly agree and somewhat agree responses regarding risk perception; the importance of using safer needle devices; the impact of the intervention on safer needle practices and sharps safety awareness. Critical predisposing, reinforcing, enabling, and environmental factors which influenced sharps device practices were identified. This study identified factors and practices which influenced unsafe sharps device behaviors. Due to the statistically significant decreases in risky behavior in the post-intervention sharps count and the positive responses in the post-intervention survey, it can be concluded that the intervention did positively impact sharps device behavior and reduced the risk of NSI. The implications of the study are numerous and include a need to explore these practices and factors at other fire departments and EMS agencies, address gaps in regulations; promote research targeting FFs and EMS personnel in regard to NSI, and promote a nationwide effort to prevent NSI among emergency responders.