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Huang YH, Lee J, Perry M, He Y, Tondokoro T. Safety Climate in the Utility Industry: Perceptual Discrepancies Across Organizational Hierarchy. J Occup Environ Med 2024; 66:298-304. [PMID: 38234091 DOI: 10.1097/jom.0000000000003037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study aims to extend safety climate research by considering perceptions across the following three hierarchical levels within a workplace: (1) senior leaders/executives, (2) field leaders/supervisors, and (3) front-line employees. METHODS We conducted a quantitative survey study at a US utility company where we collected data related to safety climate perceptions and employee-reported safety behaviors across the different levels of organizational hierarchy. RESULTS The findings revealed the highest safety climate scores among senior leaders/executives, followed by field leaders/supervisors, and then employees, suggesting potential discrepancies between espoused and enacted safety values in the workplace. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that supervisors and top managers may have different mental models of workplace safety compared with employees. Consequently, assessing perceptions at different organizational levels provides a fuller picture of safety in the workplace.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yueng-Hsiang Huang
- From the Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR (Y.H.H., T.T.); Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS (J.L.); Portland State University, Portland, OR (M.P.); and University of Georgia, Athens, GA (Y.H.)
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Cajander N, Reiman A, Tappura S. Occupational safety and health and temporary agency work in multiemployer restaurants. Work 2023:WOR220033. [PMID: 36710697 DOI: 10.3233/wor-220033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Current occupational safety and health (OSH) literature calls for sociotechnical, system-level approaches that increase understanding of the underlying reasons for insufficient OSH performance in non-standard employment that is associated with lower labour and social security protection when compared with traditional forms of work. OBJECTIVE This study focused on temporary agency work (TAW) which is a central form of nonstandard employment. The objective was to explore OSH issues in temporary agency work (TAW) in small and medium -sized multiemployer restaurants in Finland and discuss the issues from the perspectives of the agency worker, user company and agency. METHODS A directed content analysis method was used to examine the data obtained from semi-structured interviews (n = 20) with agency workers, restaurant managers and experts representing the temporary work agencies, a pension insurer, and a labour union. The balanced work system theory was used as a framework for this qualitative analysis. RESULTS A variety of OSH risks and hazards in TAW were identified. In addition, the complexity of OSH management was highlighted in this triangular employment relationship between the agency worker, the user company, and the agency. CONCLUSION This study reveals problems related to OSH in TAW. Restaurants are entities separate from agencies, so establishing and adhering to a common process of OSH management is not simple.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niko Cajander
- Industrial Engineering and Management, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - A Reiman
- Industrial Engineering and Management, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
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Lin JH, Lee W, Smith CK, Yragui NL, Foley M, Shin G. Cleaning in the 21st Century: The musculoskeletal disorders associated with the centuries-old occupation - A literature review. APPLIED ERGONOMICS 2022; 105:103839. [PMID: 35809429 DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2022.103839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Workers performing cleaning duties experience higher injury rates, especially in the form of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), than other industries. It is essential to understand the inherent risks associated with the nature of this occupation. Based on the Balance Theory (Smith & Carayon-Sainfort, 1989), this review surveys the current literature, especially those published since the previous review paper (Kumar & Kumar, 2008), and identifies which elements contributing to MSD risks were examined: task, technology, organization, environment, individual, and their interactions. Thirty-nine research papers published between 2005 and 2021 are identified and summarized. Among these papers, task and individual elements received the most attention, at 42 and 34 occurrences, respectively. The interaction elements of technology-organization, technology-environment, and organization-environment received less than three mentions. The goal of this literature review is to update the knowledge base and identify current trends for the cleaning occupation. Possible interventions for risk reduction and future research directions are suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Hua Lin
- Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP), Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, WA, USA.
| | - Wonil Lee
- Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP), Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, WA, USA
| | - Caroline K Smith
- Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP), Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, WA, USA
| | - Nanette L Yragui
- Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP), Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, WA, USA
| | - Michael Foley
- Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP), Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, WA, USA
| | - Gwanseob Shin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea
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Najaf K, Dhiaf MM, Nasrallah NH, Atayah OF, Marashdeh H. Role of ICT for workers’ safety at the workplace during pandemics: evidence from global data. JOURNAL OF HUMANITARIAN LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT 2022. [DOI: 10.1108/jhlscm-12-2021-0129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
PurposeThis study contributes to the extant literature on ICT firms by investigating the interrelationship between the health and safety (H&S) measures, market performance, and the coronavirus (COVID-19).Design/methodology/approachTo conduct the confirmatory analysis by testing our hypotheses, data have been collected from Bloomberg of all ICT firms from five countries. The authors gathered from 2010 until 2020 as the research sample to examine the pandemic impact on market performance and H&S measures.FindingsFirst, our results reveal a significant and positive relationship between market performance (proxied by Tobin’s Q) and the H&S measures of information technology (IT) firms. Second, the authors find that the IT firms have significantly increased the H&S measures during the COVID-19 period and were dynamic in linking employees’ adaptive capabilities to positive attributes. This has contributed to business success, resiliency, and sustainability.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors used a quantitative method of testing our hypotheses. Future studies may consider checking the robustness using qualitative methods such as structural or semi-structural interviews.Practical implicationsThe study offers valuable insights to academics, practitioners, stakeholders, policymakers, and international entities by fostering knowledge about responses to crises, integrating digital solutions, and disseminating digital information. The study also has implications on the health, social, business, and economic levels. This study is a call for international and local humanitarian organisations such as United Nations High Commission, Care international and many more to understand the gravity of safety of the workers in the workplace during the pandemic period and introduce a firm-level policy accordingly.Originality/valueThis paper is novel considering that the paper is unique in evaluating ICT firms’ market performance and H&S from a global perspective, considering the context of this historical pandemic.
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Stefanović V, Mladenović-Ranisavljević I. Legal framework and application of standards as influential factors of management of the occupational safety and health system in textile organizations. TEKSTILNA INDUSTRIJA 2022. [DOI: 10.5937/tekstind2204055s] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Research in the field of management of the occupational safety and health system indicates that legislation, implementation of established rules, measures and standards on working conditions, their integration into the existing management system, as well as their constant harmonization with socio-economic and technical-technological changes occupy a significant place in it. In this regard, the research is aimed at analyzing the importance of the impact of the legal framework and the application of standards as influential factors in the management of the health and safety system at work, based on the views of employees. In accordance with the established goal, the research presented in the paper was carried out using the survey method, on a sample of 202 employees in textile industry in Southeastern Serbia. The software program SPSS 21.0 was used for statistical data analysis. The obtained results indicate that there is a connection between the importance of the influence of the legal framework and the application of standards as influential factors in the management of the health and safety system at work, and thus the safety of employees. The results indicate that the implementation of safety laws, standards and procedures is the most effective way to improve employee safety. The methods used in the research can be applied to more effectively manage the quality of the work environment and work processes.
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He Y, Huang YH, Lee J, Lytle B, Asmone AS, Goh YM. A mixed-methods approach to examining safety climate among truck drivers. ACCIDENT; ANALYSIS AND PREVENTION 2022; 164:106458. [PMID: 34793995 DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2021.106458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of the current study was to use a mixed-methods approach to understanding safety climate and the strategies to improve safety climate among truck drivers. Using both survey (N = 7246) and interview (N = 18) responses provided by truck drivers regarding key safety climate items, the current study identified a number of positive and negative policies, procedures and practices that truck drivers perceived as the determinants of whether their organizations are committed to the promotion of safety at work. Item response theory (IRT) analyses were conducted to identify discrimination parameters indicating which safety climate items were most sensitive to the safety climate level. Discriminative items were identified at both the organization and group levels which can be used to evaluate safety climate and differentiate a high versus low safety climate across groups and organizations in the trucking industry. Based on our results, we also offer safety researchers and practitioners some recommendations on what and/or how to intervene with and promote organizational safety climate in the trucking industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yimin He
- University of Nebraska Omaha, United States
| | | | - Jin Lee
- Kansas State University, United States
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Lee J, Huang YH, Dainoff MJ, He Y. Where to focus? Insights from safety personnel and external safety consultants on lessons learned about safety climate interventions - A qualitative approach. JOURNAL OF SAFETY RESEARCH 2021; 79:51-67. [PMID: 34848020 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsr.2021.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Safety climate is important for promoting workplace safety and health. However, there is a dearth of empirical research on the effective ways of planning, designing, and implementing safety climate interventions, especially regarding what is going to be changed and improved. To address this gap, the present study sought to extract a comprehensive pool of compiled suggestions for safety climate intervention based on qualitative interviews with professionals in occupational safety and health management from potentially hazardous industries. METHOD A series of systematic semi-structured interviews, guided by a comprehensive sociotechnical systems framework, were conducted with company safety personnel (n = 26) and external safety consultants (n = 15) of 21 companies from various industries. The taxonomy of five work system components of the sociotechnical systems approach served as overarching themes, representing different areas of improvement in an organization for occupational safety and health promotion, with an aim of enhancing safety climate. RESULTS Of the 36 codes identified, seven codes were based on the theme of external environment work system, four were based on the theme of internal environment work system, five were based on the theme of organizational and managerial structure work system, 14 codes were based on the theme of personnel subsystem, and six were based on the theme of technical subsystem. CONCLUSIONS Safety climate intervention strategies might be most commonly based upon the principles of human resource management (i.e., codes based on the personnel subsystem theme and organizational and managerial structure work system theme). Meanwhile, numerous attributes of external/internal environment work system and technical subsystem can be jointly improved to bolster safety climate in a holistic way. Practical Applications: More systematic and organized management of safety climate would be available when various interrelated codes pertinent to a given context are carefully considered for a safety climate intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Lee
- Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA.
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Shore E, Tenney L, Schwatka NV, Dally M, Dexter L, Brown CE, Newman LS. A pilot study of changes in Total Worker Health® policies and programs and associated changes in safety and health climates in small business. Am J Ind Med 2021; 64:1045-1052. [PMID: 34462934 PMCID: PMC8989365 DOI: 10.1002/ajim.23290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is little longitudinal research on whether changes to Total Worker Health® (TWH) policies and programs are associated with changes in health climate and safety climate. We hypothesize that as TWH policies and programs change, employees will report changes in safety climate and health climate from baseline to 1 year. METHODS Twenty-five diverse small businesses and their employees participated in assessments completed approximately 1 year apart. The exposures of interest, TWH policies and programs, were measured using the business-level Healthy Workplace Assessment™ which collects information on six benchmarks. The outcomes of interest, employee perceptions of safety climate and health climate, were measured via an employee survey. We employed paired t-tests and simple linear regression to assess change over a 1-year period. RESULTS The mean Healthy Workplace Assessment overall score changed by 11.3 points (SD = 11.8) from baseline to Year 1. From baseline to Year 1, the mean scores of each benchmark changed in a positive direction within this sample. The mean safety climate score and health climate score changed by +0.1 points (SD = 0.2) and +0.1 points (SD = 6.4) from baseline to Year 1, respectively. The associations between changes in the overall Healthy Workplace Assessment score and health climate and safety climate scores were negligible [β = 0.01 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.002, 0.02), and β = 0.01 (95% CI: 0.002, 0.02), respectively]. CONCLUSION Our study suggests that when small businesses improve upon their TWH policies and programs they experience marginal measurable improvements in employee perceptions of their workplace safety climate and health climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin Shore
- Center for Health, Work & Environment, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17 Pl., 3 Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17 Pl., 3 Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045
| | - Liliana Tenney
- Center for Health, Work & Environment, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17 Pl., 3 Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17 Pl., 3 Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045
| | - Natalie V. Schwatka
- Center for Health, Work & Environment, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17 Pl., 3 Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17 Pl., 3 Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045
| | - Miranda Dally
- Center for Health, Work & Environment, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17 Pl., 3 Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17 Pl., 3 Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045
| | - Lynn Dexter
- Center for Health, Work & Environment, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17 Pl., 3 Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17 Pl., 3 Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045
| | - Carol E. Brown
- Center for Health, Work & Environment, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17 Pl., 3 Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17 Pl., 3 Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045
| | - Lee S. Newman
- Center for Health, Work & Environment, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17 Pl., 3 Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17 Pl., 3 Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045
- Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17 Pl., 3 Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045
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Kalteh HO, Mokarami H. A macroergonomics perspective for exploring safety culture factors: a qualitative content analysis approach. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND ERGONOMICS 2021; 28:2227-2237. [PMID: 34668843 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2021.1996070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Objective. Although assessing safety culture is a useful approach in reducing occupational accidents, there are no qualitative examinations of it based on a systems approach. This study was conducted with the aim of explaining the experiences of gas refinement personnel on safety issues and extending safety culture constructs using a macroergonomics approach. Methods. A directed qualitative content analysis was used. Data were collected by 18 semi-structured interviews based on a work subsystems model as a guiding framework. Results. From the interviews, 420 codes were extracted. By placing codes into subsystems, five categories in the organization subsystem, two categories in the job subsystem, one category in the human subsystem, two categories in the technology subsystem and two categories in the environment subsystem emerged. In addition to the common factors in assessment scales, factors such as work schedule, safety standards in new technologies and external factors of the organization like financial conditions were considered effective for workers' attitudes and safety behaviors. Conclusion. Investigating personnel perspectives about safety in the workplace based on a macroergonomics approach developed distinct factors in safety culture. It seems that industry features, environment and technology along with organizational factors are important in assessing safety culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haji Omid Kalteh
- School of Public Health, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Iran
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Robertson MM, Tubbs D, Henning RA, Nobrega S, Calvo A, Murphy LA. Assessment of organizational readiness for participatory occupational safety, health and well-being programs. Work 2021; 69:1317-1342. [PMID: 34366313 DOI: 10.3233/wor-213552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Organizational readiness for change measures were reviewed to develop an assessment tool for guiding implementation of an occupational safety and health program based on Total Worker Health (TWH) principles. Considerable conceptual ambiguity in the theoretical and empirical peer-reviewed literature was revealed. OBJECTIVE Develop and validate an assessment tool that organizations can use to prepare for implementation of a participatory TWH program. METHODS Inclusion criteria identified 29 relevant publications. Analysis revealed eight key organizational characteristics and predictors of successful organizational change. A conceptual framework was created that subject matter experts used to generate prospective survey items. Items were revised after pretesting with 10 cognitive interviews with upper-level management and pilot-tested in five healthcare organizations. Reliability of the domain subscales were tested based on Cronbach's α. RESULTS The Organizational Readiness Tool (ORT) showed adequate psychometric properties and specificity in these eight domains: 1) Current safety/health/well-being programs; 2) Current organizational approaches to safety/health/well-being; 3) Resources available for safety/health/well-being; 4) Resources and readiness for change initiatives to improve safety/health/well-being; 5) Resources and readiness for use of teams in programmatic initiatives; 6) Teamwork; 7) Resources and readiness for employee participation; and 8) Management communication about safety/health/well-being. Acceptable ranges of internal consistency statistics for the domain subscales were observed. CONCLUSIONS A conceptual model of organizational readiness for change guided development of the Organizational Readiness Tool (ORT), a survey instrument designed to provide actionable guidance for implementing a participatory TWH program. Initial internal consistency was demonstrated following administration at multiple organizations prior to implementation of a participatory Total Worker Health® program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle M Robertson
- Department of Psychology, Center for Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.,D'Amore-McKim School of Business, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Diana Tubbs
- Department of Psychology, Center for Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Robert A Henning
- Department of Psychology, Center for Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Suzanne Nobrega
- Biomedical Engineering, Center for Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA, USA
| | - Alec Calvo
- Department of Psychology, Center for Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Lauren A Murphy
- D'Amore-McKim School of Business, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
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Stefanović V, Dobrosavljević A, Urošević S, Mladenović-Ranisavljević I. Modeling of occupational safety and health factors in production organizations and the formation of measuring scales of occupational safety climate. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND ERGONOMICS 2021; 28:1849-1857. [PMID: 34082649 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2021.1937840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
This article explores the impact of the main occupational safety and health (OSH) factors in the overall OSH climate of production organizations in the territory of the Republic of Serbia, South Serbia, as an important segment of their strategic development. The article aims to validate and test the proposed conceptual model of OSH. Hence, the SmartPLS methodology was applied. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 21.0. The hypothesized model was developed and tested on a sample of 871 participants employed in production companies. The results indicate that the development of an OSH climate in production organizations primarily depends on the commitment of the management to the OSH system. The results obtained indicate that the methods used in this research can be successfully used in order to identify the OSH factors in the work process, and thus to manage the quality of the work environment.
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Huang YH, Chang WR, Cheung JH, Lee J, Kines P, He Y. The role of employee perceptions of safety priorities on safety outcomes across organisational levels. ERGONOMICS 2021; 64:768-777. [PMID: 33317430 DOI: 10.1080/00140139.2020.1859139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Research has shown that safety climate predicts safety outcomes in various occupational settings. One important component of safety climate is employees' perceived priorities of safety in an organisation relative to other operational demands (e.g. productivity or efficiency). The relationships between three dimensions of employee perceptions of safety priorities (company, supervisor, worker), employee safety behaviour and self-reported injury outcomes were examined in the current study. Survey data were collected from 858 field workers (a response rate of 89%) at a TV-cable installation company. Results showed that all three dimensions of employee perceptions of safety priorities had significant and unique positive relationships with employee safety behaviour. Furthermore, safety behaviour was a significant mediator of the relationship between the three types of perceived safety priorities and missed work days due to workplace injury. The results showed the value of addressing employee perceptions of safety priorities across organisational levels when trying to improve workplace safety and reduce costly injuries. Practitioner Summary: The study examined relationships between the three different organisational levels of employee perceptions of safety priorities and employee safety behaviour and injury outcomes. The results demonstrated the value of addressing employee perceptions of safety priorities held by different levels of management as well as the worker level to improve workplace safety and reduce costly injuries. Abbreviations: AIC: Akaike Information Criterion; BIC: Bayesian Information Criterion; CFA: confirmatory factor analysis; CFI: comparative fit index; CI: confidence interval; NAICS: the North American Industry Classification System; RMSEA: root mean square errors of approximation; SB: safety behavior; SD: standard deviation; SE: standard error; SIC: the standard industrial class; SP: safety priority.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jin Lee
- Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Pete Kines
- National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Yimin He
- Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- University of Nebraska, Omaha, NE, USA
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Ensuring Organization-Intervention Fit for a Participatory Organizational Intervention to Improve Food Service Workers' Health and Wellbeing: Workplace Organizational Health Study. J Occup Environ Med 2021; 62:e33-e45. [PMID: 31815814 DOI: 10.1097/jom.0000000000001792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Food-service workers' health and wellbeing is impacted by their jobs and work environments. Formative research methods were used to explore working conditions impacting workers' health to inform intervention planning and implementation and to enhance the intervention's "fit" to the organization. METHODS Four qualitative methods (worker focus groups; manager interviews; worksite observations; multi-stakeholder workshop) explored in-depth and then prioritized working conditions impacting workers' health as targets for an intervention. RESULTS Prioritized working conditions included: ergonomics; work intensity; career development; and job enrichment. Data revealed necessary intervention mechanisms to enhance intervention implementation: worker and management communication infrastructure; employee participation in intervention planning and implementation; tailored worksite strategies; and ensuring leadership commitment. CONCLUSIONS These targeted, comprehensive methods move away from a typical focus on generic working conditions, for example, job demands and physical work environment, to explore those conditions unique to an organization. Thereby, enhancing "intervention-fit" at multiple levels within the company context.
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Huang YH, He Y, Lee J, Hu C. Key drivers of trucking safety climate from the perspective of leader-member exchange: Bayesian network predictive modeling approach. ACCIDENT; ANALYSIS AND PREVENTION 2021; 150:105850. [PMID: 33310427 DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2020.105850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Safety climate, which is defined as workers' shared perceptions of organizational policies, procedures, and practices as they relate to the true or relative value and importance of safety within an organization, is one of the best indicators of organizational safety outcomes. This study identifies key drivers of safety climate from the perspective of leader-member exchange (LMX). LMX is a theory describing the nature and processes of social interactions between a supervisor and a subordinate. This study examines the impact of individual drivers and combinations of drivers on safety climate through Bayesian Network simulations to predict practices which most effectively improve safety climate in the trucking industry. METHOD Survey data were collected from 5083 truck drivers in a large U.S. trucking company. Bayesian Network analysis was used to identify key drivers (factors) of safety climate and the best joint strategies for improvement. The impact of the drivers on safety climate was assessed and the simulation identified their potential impact independently and in concert with other drivers. RESULTS The results from Bayesian Network analyses showed that the effects of LMX on organization- and group-level safety climate were conditionally dependent on four other drivers including psychological ownership, supervisory integrity, situation awareness, and safety communication. Among the five contributing factors, supervisory integrity and LMX had the strongest independent effects on organization- and group-level safety climate. Moreover, the results indicated that the best two joint strategies for promoting organizational (company/top management level) safety climate were LMX and psychological ownership as well as LMX and situation awareness, whereas the best two joint strategies for improving group (workgroup/supervisor level) safety climate were joint optimization of LMX and safety communication as well as LMX and psychological ownership. IMPLICATIONS Based on the study results, the strategies that may have the most potential to improve trucking safety climate are: enhancing leaders' ability to engage in high-quality exchanges (e.g., caring about employees), developing training to encourage employees/leaders to deliver on promises, and providing employees with more autonomy to enhance their ownership.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yimin He
- Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA; University of Nebraska, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Jin Lee
- Kansas State University, Manhattan, KA, USA
| | - Changya Hu
- National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Vatani J, Arami M, Khanikosarkhizi Z, Shahabi Rabori MA, Khandan M, Dehghan N, Aminizadeh M, Poursadeqiyan M, Jafari M. Safety climate and related factors in rehabilitation nurses of hospitals in Iran. Work 2021; 68:189-196. [PMID: 33427720 DOI: 10.3233/wor-203368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Safety climate is a common insight of staff that indicates individuals' attitudes toward safety and priority of safety at work. OBJECTIVES Nursing is a risky job where paying attention to safety is crucial. The assessment of the safety climate is one of the methods to measure the safety conditions in this occupation. The aim of this study was to assess the safety climate of rehabilitation nurses working in hospitals in Tehran. METHODS This is a cross-sectional study which was carried out on 140 rehabilitation nurses selected from all hospitals and clinics in Tehran in 2019. To collect the required data, a two-section questionnaire was used. The first section was related to demographic factors and the second part (22 statements) was to measure the safety climate using nurses' safety climate assessment questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS V16 using independent t-test, ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U test at the 5% level. RESULTS Findings showed that the total mean of safety climate was 3.06±0.56. According to the results, a significant difference was found between the positive and negative satisfaction of nurses with safety climates (P-value = 0.03), communication with nurses (P-value = 0.01) and supervisors' attitude (P-value = 0.02). Furthermore, a significant difference in safety climate between the individual with the second job and the individual without second could be observed (P-value = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The results indicated that the safety climate was not at an acceptable level. Thus, it is essential to introduce safety training courses (e.g. safety, work-rest balance, and so on) and to improve the safety performance at work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javad Vatani
- Department of Occupational Health Engineering, Guilan Road Trauma Research Center, School of Health, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
| | - Mahmoud Arami
- Department of Occupational Medicine, Iran Medical University, Tehran, Iran
| | | | | | - Mohammad Khandan
- Department of Occupational Health, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
| | - Naser Dehghan
- Occupational Medicine Research Center, Iran Medical University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohsen Aminizadeh
- Health in Emergencies and Disasters Research Center, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Mohsen Poursadeqiyan
- Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Health, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran.,Health Sciences Research Center, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran
| | - Mojtaba Jafari
- Department of Nursing, Bam University of Medical Sciences, Bam, Iran
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Kalteh HO, Salesi M, Cousins R, Mokarami H. Assessing safety culture in a gas refinery complex: Development of a tool using a sociotechnical work systems and macroergonomics approach. SAFETY SCIENCE 2020; 132:104969. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ssci.2020.104969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
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Schwatka NV, Goldenhar LM, Johnson SK. Change in frontline supervisors' safety leadership practices after participating in a leadership training program: Does company size matter? JOURNAL OF SAFETY RESEARCH 2020; 74:199-205. [PMID: 32951784 PMCID: PMC7780528 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsr.2020.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Revised: 04/18/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The majority of construction companies are small businesses and small business often lack the resources needed to ensure that their supervisors have the safety leadership skills to build and maintain a strong jobsite safety climate. The Foundations for Safety Leadership (FSL) training program was designed to provide frontline leaders in all sized companies with safety leadership skills. This paper examines the impact of the FSL training by size of business. METHODS Leaders, defined as foremen or other frontline supervisors, from small, medium, and large construction companies were recruited to participate in a study to evaluate the degree to which the FSL changed their understanding and use of the leadership skills, safety practices and crew reporting of safety-related conditions. We used linear mixed modeling methods to analyze pre-post training survey data. RESULTS Prior to the training, leaders from small and medium sized companies reported using safety leadership skills less frequently than those from large ones. After the training, regardless of business size, we observed that the FSL training improved leaders understanding of safety leadership skills from immediately before to immediately after the training. Additionally, leaders reported greater use of safety leadership skills, safety practices, and crew reporting of safety-related conditions from before to two-weeks after the training. However, those from small and medium sized companies reported the greatest improvement in their use of safety leadership skills. CONCLUSIONS The FSL training improves safety leadership outcomes regardless of the size company for which the leader worked. However, the FSL may be even more effective at improving the safety leadership skills of leaders working for smaller sized construction companies or those with lower baseline levels of safety leadership skills. Practical applications: The majority of construction companies employ a small number of employees and therefore may not have the resources to provide their frontline leaders with the leadership training they need to be effective leaders who can create a strong jobsite safety climate. The Foundations for Safety Leadership (FSL) training can help fill this gap.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie V Schwatka
- Center for Health, Work & Environment and Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17th Pl., 3rd Floor Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
| | - Linda M Goldenhar
- CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training, 8484 Georgia Ave Suite 1000, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.
| | - Stefanie K Johnson
- Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado Boulder, 995 Regent Drive 419UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
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Dennerlein JT, Burke L, Sabbath EL, Williams JAR, Peters SE, Wallace L, Karapanos M, Sorensen G. An Integrative Total Worker Health Framework for Keeping Workers Safe and Healthy During the COVID-19 Pandemic. HUMAN FACTORS 2020; 62:689-696. [PMID: 32515231 PMCID: PMC7346710 DOI: 10.1177/0018720820932699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim was to recommend an integrated Total Worker Health (TWH) approach which embraces core human factors and ergonomic principles, supporting worker safety, health, and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. BACKGROUND COVID-19 has resulted in unprecedented challenges to workplace safety and health for workers and managers in essential businesses, including healthcare workers, grocery stores, delivery services, warehouses, and distribution centers. Essential workers need protection, accurate information, and a supportive work environment with an unwavering focus on effective infection control. METHOD The investigators reviewed emerging workplace recommendations for reducing workers' exposures to the novel coronavirus and the challenges to workers in protecting their health. Using a theoretical framework and guidelines for integrating safety and health management systems into an organization for TWH, the investigators adapted the framework's key characteristics to meet the specific worker safety and health issues for effective infection control, providing supports for increasing psychological demands while ensuring a safe work environment. RESULTS The recommended approach includes six key characteristics: focusing on working conditions for infection control and supportive environments for increased psychological demands; utilizing participatory approaches involving workers in identifying daily challenges and unique solutions; employing comprehensive and collaborative efforts to increase system efficiencies; committing as leaders to supporting workers through action and communications; adhering to ethical and legal standards; and using data to guide actions and evaluate progress. CONCLUSION Applying an integrative TWH approach for worker safety, health, and well-being provides a framework to help managers systematically organize and protect themselves, essential workers, and the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. APPLICATION By using the systems approach provided by the six implementation characteristics, employers of essential workers can organize their own efforts to improve system performance and worker well-being during these unprecedented times.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack T. Dennerlein
- Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
- Jack T. Dennerlein, Northeastern University, Robinson Hall, Room 301, 360 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, USA;
| | - Lisa Burke
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Glorian Sorensen
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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Schwatka NV, Dally M, Tenney L, Shore E, Brown CE, Newman LS. Total Worker Health Leadership and Business Strategies Are Related to Safety and Health Climates in Small Business. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:E2142. [PMID: 32213806 PMCID: PMC7143812 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17062142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between Total Worker Health® (TWH) business strategies and employee perceptions of leadership commitment and safety and health climates. Using data from 53 small enterprises and 1271 of their workers collected as part of the Small + Safe + Well (SSWell) Study, we confirm the primacy of the relationship between leadership commitment to safety and workplace safety climate. After accounting for leadership commitment to safety, business-reported policies and practices that promote the health, safety, and well-being of workers (i.e., TWH strategies) were no longer related to safety climate. In contrast, the relationship between TWH strategies and health climate were significantly associated with the level of small business leadership commitment to worksite wellness. Relatedly, our results demonstrate that leadership is a common correlate to both safety climate and health climate. Future research should investigate integrated TWH leadership development strategies as a means of simultaneously improving safety and health climates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie V. Schwatka
- Center for Health, Work & Environment and Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17th Pl., 3rd Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (M.D.); (L.T.); (E.S.); (C.E.B.); (L.S.N.)
| | - Miranda Dally
- Center for Health, Work & Environment and Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17th Pl., 3rd Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (M.D.); (L.T.); (E.S.); (C.E.B.); (L.S.N.)
| | - Liliana Tenney
- Center for Health, Work & Environment and Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17th Pl., 3rd Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (M.D.); (L.T.); (E.S.); (C.E.B.); (L.S.N.)
| | - Erin Shore
- Center for Health, Work & Environment and Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17th Pl., 3rd Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (M.D.); (L.T.); (E.S.); (C.E.B.); (L.S.N.)
| | - Carol E. Brown
- Center for Health, Work & Environment and Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17th Pl., 3rd Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (M.D.); (L.T.); (E.S.); (C.E.B.); (L.S.N.)
| | - Lee S. Newman
- Center for Health, Work & Environment and Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17th Pl., 3rd Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (M.D.); (L.T.); (E.S.); (C.E.B.); (L.S.N.)
- Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17th Pl., 3rd Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17th Pl., 3rd Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
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Auzoult L, Ngueutsa R. Attitude to safety rules and reflexivity as determinants of safety climate. JOURNAL OF SAFETY RESEARCH 2019; 71:95-102. [PMID: 31862049 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsr.2019.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2019] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/19/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION We present two studies that focus on the relationship between safety rules and the safety climate. It is expected that a reasoned acceptance, namely one based on an understanding of the bases for the rules and a collective management of the rules, should benefit the climate. METHOD In an initial study (N = 202) employees replied to a questionnaire that measured the safety climate, the level of the relationship with the safety rules, and the understanding of their bases. The results highlighted the fact that a reasoned acceptance of the rules is associated with an understanding of their bases and predicts the level of safety. In a second study (N = 258) employees replied to a questionnaire measuring team reflexivity, the safety climate, and the level of relationship with the safety rules. We observed that collective management of the rules mediated the relation between team reflexivity and the safety climate. RESULTS The results are discussed from the point of view of their practical implications. Developing safety climate requires that operators are trained to understand the basis of safety rules and team reflexivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Auzoult
- University of Paul Valery, Laboratoire Psy-DREPI (EA 7458), Esplanade Erasme, BP, 27877 - 21078 Dijon, France.
| | - Robert Ngueutsa
- University of Bourgogne Franche Comté, Laboratoire de Psychologie (EA 3188), 30 rue Mégevand, 25032 Besançon cedex, France.
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Stefanović V, Urošević S, Stević Ž, Mladenović-Ranisavljević I. Multicriteria ranking of the influential factors of safety as criteria for development of the occupational safety and health climate. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND ERGONOMICS 2019; 27:763-773. [DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2019.1646474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Snežana Urošević
- Department of Engineering Management, University of Beograd, Serbia
| | - Željko Stević
- Department for Transport Engineering, University of East Sarajevo, Republic of Srpska, B&H
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22
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Stackhouse M, Turner N. How do organizational practices relate to perceived system safety effectiveness? Perceptions of safety climate and co-worker commitment to safety as workplace safety signals. JOURNAL OF SAFETY RESEARCH 2019; 70:59-69. [PMID: 31848010 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsr.2019.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Revised: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/10/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Integrating safety climate research with signaling theory, we propose that individual perceptions of safety climate signal the importance of safety in the organization. Specifically, we expect that three work-related organizational practices (training effectiveness, procedure effectiveness, and work pressure) relate to the broader risk control system in the workplace via individual perceptions of safety climate as a broad management signal. Further, we expect this broad management signal interacts with a local environmental signal (co-worker commitment to safety) to amplify or diminish perceived system safety effectiveness. METHOD In a field study of oil and gas workers (N = 219; Study 1), we used mediation modeling to determine the relationships between work-related organizational practices, perceived safety climate, and perceived safety system effectiveness. In a field study of railway construction workers (N = 131; Study 2), we used moderated mediation modeling to explore the conditional role of co-worker commitment to safety. RESULTS We found that training effectiveness, procedure effectiveness, and work pressure predicted perceived system safety effectiveness indirectly via perceived safety climate (Studies 1 and 2) and that these indirect paths are influenced by co-worker commitment to safety (Study 2). CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that perceived safety climate is driven in part by work practices, and that perceived safety climate (from managers) and co-worker commitment to safety (from the local environment) interact to shape workplace safety system effectiveness. Practical applications: The insight that training, procedures, and work pressure are meaningful predictors of perceived safety climate as a signal suggests that organizations should be cognizant of the quality of work-related practices for safety. The insight we offer on the competing versus complimentary nature of managerial safety signals (perceived safety climate) and co-worker safety signals (co-worker commitment to safety) could also be used by safety personnel to develop safety interventions directed in both areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madelynn Stackhouse
- Bryan School of Business and Economics, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA.
| | - Nick Turner
- Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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23
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Schwatka NV, Goldenhar LM, Johnson SK, Beldon MA, Tessler J, Dennerlein JT, Fullen M, Trieu H. A training intervention to improve frontline construction leaders' safety leadership practices and overall jobsite safety climate. JOURNAL OF SAFETY RESEARCH 2019; 70:253-262. [PMID: 31848003 PMCID: PMC7076738 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsr.2019.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Revised: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The 2.5 h Foundations for Safety Leadership (FSL) training program teaches construction supervisors the leadership skills they need to strengthen jobsite safety climate and reduce adverse safety-related outcomes. METHODS Using a quasi-experimental prospective switching replications study design, we examined (1) if FSL-trained jobsite safety leaders would report improved understanding and practice of the FSL leadership skills, safety practices and crew reporting of safety related conditions, and (2) if their crew perceived a change in (a) their supervisors' practices, (b) their own safety practices and reporting of safety-related conditions, and (c) overall jobsite safety climate. Twenty construction sub-contracting companies were recruited and randomly assigned to either an early or lagged-control training group. Participating supervisors and workers completed surveys at multiple time points before and after the FSL training. We used linear mixed modeling to test changes over time. RESULTS Only supervisors in the early group reported a statistically significant improvement in their understanding and practice of the leadership skills as well as safety practices from before to 2- and 4-weeks post-training. Overall, no significant change was detected in crew-reported outcomes from before to after their supervisors' participated in the FSL training. CONCLUSIONS These results provide evidence that the FSL training can, at least in the short-term, improve construction frontline leaders' jobsite leadership skills. Future research could include an evaluation of FSL refresher activities and a longer-term follow-up. Practical applications: The Foundations for Safety Leadership (FSL) program fills an identified need for construction frontline supervisors to learn and practice critical safety leadership skills on the jobsite. It has already reached over 60,000 leaders and has the potential to reach over 100,000 each year during either an OSHA 30-h or a stand-alone course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie V Schwatka
- Center for Health, Work & Environment and Department of Environmental & Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 E. 17(th) Pl., 3(rd) Floor, Mail Stop B119 HSC, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
| | - Linda M Goldenhar
- CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training, 8484 Georgia Ave Suite 1000, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.
| | - Stefanie K Johnson
- Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado Boulder, 995 Regent Drive 419UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
| | - Marissa A Beldon
- Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado Boulder, 995 Regent Drive 419UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
| | - Jamie Tessler
- Office of Environmental Health and Safety, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue/RP 320, Boston, MA 02115., USA.
| | - Jack T Dennerlein
- Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Robinson Hall, Room 301, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Mark Fullen
- West Virginia University Safety & Health Extension, 3604 Collins Ferry Road, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA.
| | - Hao Trieu
- Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Department of Physical Therapy, Movement, and Rehabilitation Sciences, Northeastern University, Mail: 301 Robinson Hall, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Bongiovanni I, Newton C. Toward an Epidemiology of Safety and Security Risks: An Organizational Vulnerability Assessment in International Airports. RISK ANALYSIS : AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS 2019; 39:1281-1297. [PMID: 30452779 DOI: 10.1111/risa.13238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Revised: 07/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
International airports are complex sociotechnical systems that have an intrinsic potential to develop safety and security disruptions. In the absence of appropriate defenses, and when the potential for disruption is neglected, organizational crises can occur and jeopardize aviation services. This investigation examines the ways in which modern international airports can be "authors of their own misfortune" by adopting practices, attitudes, and behaviors that could increase their overall level of vulnerability. A sociotechnical perspective, the macroergonomic approach, is applied in this research to detect the potential organizational determinants of vulnerability in airport operations. Qualitative data nurture the case study on international airports produced by the present research. Findings from this study highlight that systemic weaknesses frequently reside in areas at the intersection of physical, organizational, and social spaces. Specific pathways of vulnerability can be drawn across these areas, involving the following systemic layers: individual, task, tools and technology, environment, and organization. This investigation expands the existing literature on the dynamics that characterize crisis incubation in multiorganization, multistakeholder systems such as international airports and provides practical recommendations for airport managers to improve their capabilities to early detect symptoms of organizational vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cameron Newton
- School of Management, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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Auzoult L, Gangloff B. The mediating role of integration of safety by activity versus operator between organizational culture and safety climate. Int J Inj Contr Saf Promot 2018; 25:433-438. [DOI: 10.1080/17457300.2018.1456471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Auzoult
- Département de Psychologie, Laboratoire Epsylon (EA 4556), University De Paul Valery, Montpellier, France
| | - Bernard Gangloff
- Laboratoire Parisien De Psychologie Sociale, Université De Paris 10, Paris, France
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Zhang Q, Ge Y, Qu W, Zhang K, Sun X. The traffic climate in China: The mediating effect of traffic safety climate between personality and dangerous driving behavior. ACCIDENT; ANALYSIS AND PREVENTION 2018; 113:213-223. [PMID: 29428640 DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2018.01.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2017] [Revised: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 01/23/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Traffic safety climate is defined as road users' attitudes and perceptions of traffic in a specific context at a given point in time. The current study aimed to validate the Chinese version of the Traffic Climate Scale (TCS) and to explore its relation to drivers' personality and dangerous driving behavior. A sample of 413 drivers completed the Big Five Inventory (BFI), the Chinese version of the TCS, the Dula Dangerous Driving Index (DDDI) and a demographic questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were performed to confirm a three-factor (external affective demands, internal requirements and functionality) solution of the TCS. The reliability and validity of the Chinese version of TCS were verified. More importantly, the results showed that the effect of personality on dangerous driving behavior was mediated by traffic climate. Specifically, the functionality of the TCS mediated the effect of neuroticism on negative cognitive/emotional driving and drunk driving, while openness had an indirect impact on aggressive driving, risky driving and drunk driving based on the internal requirements of the TCS. Additionally, agreeableness had a negative direct impact on four factors of the DDDI, while neuroticism had a positive direct impact on negative cognitive/emotional driving, drunk driving and risky driving. In conclusion, the Chinese version of the TCS will be useful to evaluate drivers' attitudes towards and perceptions of the requirements of traffic environment in which they participate and will also be valuable for comparing traffic cultures and environments in different countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Ge
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Weina Qu
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Kan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xianghong Sun
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Haas AD, Hunter DA, Howard NL. Bringing a structural perspective to work: Framing occupational safety and health disparities for nursing assistants with work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Work 2018; 59:211-229. [DOI: 10.3233/wor-172676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alysa D. Haas
- Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP) Program, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, Olympia, WA, USA
| | - Daniel A. Hunter
- Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP) Program, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, Olympia, WA, USA
| | - Ninica L. Howard
- Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP) Program, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, Olympia, WA, USA
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Murphy LA, Robertson MM, Huang YH, Jeffries S, Dainoff MJ. A sociotechnical systems approach to enhance safety climate in the trucking industry: Development of a methodology. APPLIED ERGONOMICS 2018; 66:82-88. [PMID: 28958433 DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2017.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2016] [Revised: 07/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The systems approach is increasingly used as a framework within which to examine safety climate. Utilizing a macroergonomics approach to design work systems can help identify aspects of human-technology-organization interfaces that impact workers' perceptions of safety, both positively and negatively. Such an approach also supplements traditional uses of safety climate as a leading indicator of safety and helps expand research toward an approach that can determine problems impacting safety. The purpose of this study was to develop a methodology that extends safety climate beyond just an overall score by using the framework of macroergonomics to examine the entire system in a more comprehensive manner. The proposed methodology can be used as a way to identify gaps in the specific work system, and this information can be used to design interventions to change the safety climate, and ultimately the culture, of an organization in order to reduce negative safety outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren A Murphy
- Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, MA, USA; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
| | | | | | - Susan Jeffries
- Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, MA, USA
| | - Marvin J Dainoff
- Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, MA, USA
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Murphy LA, Huang YH, Robertson MM, Jeffries S, Dainoff MJ. A sociotechnical systems approach to enhance safety climate in the trucking industry: Results of an in-depth investigation. APPLIED ERGONOMICS 2018; 66:70-81. [PMID: 28958432 DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2017.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2016] [Revised: 07/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to develop a methodology that extends safety climate beyond an overall score by using the framework of macroergonomics to examine the entire system in a more comprehensive manner. The study is discussed in two papers: one paper describes the study methodology in detail (Murphy, Robertson, Huang, Jeffries, & Dainoff, in press), and the current paper describes the results of the study. Multiple methods were combined to create a systems approach, and those methods include the critical incident technique, contextual inquiries with functional role diagrams, and affinity mapping. Key informants in the trucking industry identified 19 themes that affect safety. The themes ranged from balancing work and family/personal time, the company's policy vs. practice, respecting the job of the driver, and active listening and meaningful feedback. The most prominent themes were related to the workers and their activities; the internal environment, including psychosocial job design elements; and organizational design. Such information can be used to design interventions to change the safety climate of an organization in order to reduce negative safety outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren A Murphy
- Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, MA, USA; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
| | | | | | - Susan Jeffries
- Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, MA, USA
| | - Marvin J Dainoff
- Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, MA, USA
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Marín LS, Lipscomb H, Cifuentes M, Punnett L. Associations between safety climate and safety management practices in the construction industry. Am J Ind Med 2017; 60:557-568. [PMID: 28485525 DOI: 10.1002/ajim.22723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Safety climate, a group-level measure of workers' perceptions regarding management's safety priorities, has been suggested as a key predictor of safety outcomes. However, its relationship with actual injury rates is inconsistent. We posit that safety climate may instead be a parallel outcome of workplace safety practices, rather than a determinant of workers' safety behaviors or outcomes. METHODS Using a sample of 25 commercial construction companies in Colombia, selected by injury rate stratum (high, medium, low), we examined the relationship between workers' safety climate perceptions and safety management practices (SMPs) reported by safety officers. RESULTS Workers' perceptions of safety climate were independent of their own company's implementation of SMPs, as measured here, and its injury rates. However, injury rates were negatively related to the implementation of SMPs. CONCLUSIONS Safety management practices may be more important than workers' perceptions of safety climate as direct predictors of injury rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luz S. Marín
- Department of Safety Sciences; Indiana University of Pennsylvania; Indiana Pennsylvania
- Department of Public Health; University of Massachusetts Lowell; Lowell Massachusetts
| | - Hester Lipscomb
- Department of Community and Family Medicine; Duke University Medical Center; Durham North Carolina
| | - Manuel Cifuentes
- Department of Public Health; Regis College; Boston Massachusetts
| | - Laura Punnett
- Department of Public Health; University of Massachusetts Lowell; Lowell Massachusetts
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Sorensen G, McLellan DL, Sabbath EL, Dennerlein JT, Nagler EM, Hurtado DA, Pronk NP, Wagner GR. Integrating worksite health protection and health promotion: A conceptual model for intervention and research. Prev Med 2016; 91:188-196. [PMID: 27527576 PMCID: PMC5050152 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2016] [Revised: 06/28/2016] [Accepted: 08/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
There is increasing recognition of the value added by integrating traditionally separate efforts to protect and promote worker safety and health. This paper presents an innovative conceptual model to guide research on determinants of worker safety and health and to inform the design, implementation and evaluation of integrated approaches to promoting and protecting worker health. This model is rooted in multiple theories and the premise that the conditions of work are important determinants of individual safety and health outcomes and behaviors, and outcomes important to enterprises such as absence and turnover. Integrated policies, programs and practices simultaneously address multiple conditions of work, including the physical work environment and the organization of work (e.g., psychosocial factors, job tasks and demands). Findings from two recent studies conducted in Boston and Minnesota (2009-2015) illustrate the application of this model to guide social epidemiological research. This paper focuses particular attention on the relationships of the conditions of work to worker health-related behaviors, musculoskeletal symptoms, and occupational injury; and to the design of integrated interventions in response to specific settings and conditions of work of small and medium size manufacturing businesses, based on a systematic assessment of priorities, needs, and resources within an organization. This model provides an organizing framework for both research and practice by specifying the causal pathways through which work may influence health outcomes, and for designing and testing interventions to improve worker safety and health that are meaningful for workers and employers, and responsive to that setting's conditions of work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glorian Sorensen
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Deborah L McLellan
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Erika L Sabbath
- Boston College, School of Social Work, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | - Jack T Dennerlein
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Northeastern University, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, 360 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eve M Nagler
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - David A Hurtado
- Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Science, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd, L606, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Nicolaas P Pronk
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA; HealthPartners, Inc., 8170 33rd Ave S, Bloomington, MN 55425, USA
| | - Gregory R Wagner
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 395 E Street, SW, Washington, DC 20201, USA
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Yuan Z, Li Y, Tetrick LE. Job hindrances, job resources, and safety performance: The mediating role of job engagement. APPLIED ERGONOMICS 2015; 51:163-171. [PMID: 26154214 DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2015.04.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2014] [Revised: 04/22/2015] [Accepted: 04/30/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Job engagement has received widespread attention in organizational research but has rarely been empirically investigated in the context of safety. In the present study, we examined the mediating role of job engagement in the relationships between job characteristics and safety performance using self-reported data collected at a coal mining company in China. Most of our study hypotheses were supported. Job engagement partially mediated the relationships between job resources and safety performance dimensions. Theoretical and practical implications and directions for future research are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenyu Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 4A Datun Rd, Chaoyang Dist, Beijing 100101, China; University of Iowa, Department of Management & Organizations, W217 Pappajohn Business Building, Iowa City, IA 52242-1994, USA.
| | - Yongjuan Li
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 4A Datun Rd, Chaoyang Dist, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Lois E Tetrick
- George Mason University, Department of Psychology, David King Hall, Room 3066A, 4400 University Drive, MSN 3F5, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA.
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Lee J, Huang YH, Murphy LA, Robertson MM, Garabet A. Measurement equivalence of a safety climate scale across multiple trucking companies. JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/joop.12127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jin Lee
- Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety; Hopkinton Massachusetts USA
- University of Connecticut; Storrs Connecticut USA
| | - Yueng-hsiang Huang
- Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety; Hopkinton Massachusetts USA
| | - Lauren A. Murphy
- Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety; Hopkinton Massachusetts USA
- Harvard School of Public Health; Boston Massachusetts USA
| | | | - Angela Garabet
- Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety; Hopkinton Massachusetts USA
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Carayon P, Hancock P, Leveson N, Noy I, Sznelwar L, van Hootegem G. Advancing a sociotechnical systems approach to workplace safety--developing the conceptual framework. ERGONOMICS 2015; 58:548-64. [PMID: 25831959 PMCID: PMC4647652 DOI: 10.1080/00140139.2015.1015623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2013] [Accepted: 01/26/2015] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Traditional efforts to deal with the enormous problem of workplace safety have proved insufficient, as they have tended to neglect the broader sociotechnical environment that surrounds workers. Here, we advocate a sociotechnical systems approach that describes the complex multi-level system factors that contribute to workplace safety. From the literature on sociotechnical systems, complex systems and safety, we develop a sociotechnical model of workplace safety with concentric layers of the work system, socio-organisational context and the external environment. The future challenges that are identified through the model are highlighted. PRACTITIONER SUMMARY Understanding the environmental, organisational and work system factors that contribute to workplace safety will help to develop more effective and integrated solutions to deal with persistent workplace safety problems. Solutions to improve workplace safety need to recognise the broad sociotechnical system and the respective interactions between the system elements and levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascale Carayon
- Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Center for Quality and Productivity Improvement, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
- Corresponding author.
| | - Peter Hancock
- Department of Psychology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, USA
| | - Nancy Leveson
- Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA
| | - Ian Noy
- Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, USA
| | - Laerte Sznelwar
- Escola Politécnica da USP, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Geert van Hootegem
- Centre for Sociological Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Kleiner BM, Hettinger LJ, DeJoy DM, Huang YH, Love PE. Sociotechnical attributes of safe and unsafe work systems. ERGONOMICS 2015; 58:635-49. [PMID: 25909756 PMCID: PMC4566878 DOI: 10.1080/00140139.2015.1009175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Theoretical and practical approaches to safety based on sociotechnical systems principles place heavy emphasis on the intersections between social-organisational and technical-work process factors. Within this perspective, work system design emphasises factors such as the joint optimisation of social and technical processes, a focus on reliable human-system performance and safety metrics as design and analysis criteria, the maintenance of a realistic and consistent set of safety objectives and policies, and regular access to the expertise and input of workers. We discuss three current approaches to the analysis and design of complex sociotechnical systems: human-systems integration, macroergonomics and safety climate. Each approach emphasises key sociotechnical systems themes, and each prescribes a more holistic perspective on work systems than do traditional theories and methods. We contrast these perspectives with historical precedents such as system safety and traditional human factors and ergonomics, and describe potential future directions for their application in research and practice. PRACTITIONER SUMMARY The identification of factors that can reliably distinguish between safe and unsafe work systems is an important concern for ergonomists and other safety professionals. This paper presents a variety of sociotechnical systems perspectives on intersections between social--organisational and technology--work process factors as they impact work system analysis, design and operation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian M. Kleiner
- Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Perry Street, Blacksburg, VA24061, USA
- Corresponding author.
| | - Lawrence J. Hettinger
- Center for Behavioral Sciences, Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, 71 Frankland Road, Hopkinton, MA01748, USA
| | - David M. DeJoy
- Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, University of Georgia, 315 Ramsey Center, Athens, GA30602, USA
| | - Yuang-Hsiang Huang
- Center for Behavioral Sciences, Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, 71 Frankland Road, Hopkinton, MA01748, USA
| | - Peter E.D. Love
- Department of Civil Engineering, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA6845, Australia
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Robertson MM, Hettinger LJ, Waterson PE, Ian Noy Y, Dainoff MJ, Leveson NG, Carayon P, Courtney TK. Sociotechnical approaches to workplace safety: Research needs and opportunities. ERGONOMICS 2015; 58:650-8. [PMID: 25728246 PMCID: PMC4647649 DOI: 10.1080/00140139.2015.1011241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2014] [Revised: 01/16/2015] [Accepted: 01/17/2015] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED The sociotechnical systems perspective offers intriguing and potentially valuable insights into problems associated with workplace safety. While formal sociotechnical systems thinking originated in the 1950s, its application to the analysis and design of sustainable, safe working environments has not been fully developed. To that end, a Hopkinton Conference was organised to review and summarise the state of knowledge in the area and to identify research priorities. A group of 26 international experts produced collaborative articles for this special issue of Ergonomics, and each focused on examining a key conceptual, methodological and/or theoretical issue associated with sociotechnical systems and safety. In this concluding paper, we describe the major conference themes and recommendations. These are organised into six topic areas: (1) Concepts, definitions and frameworks, (2) defining research methodologies, (3) modelling and simulation, (4) communications and decision-making, (5) sociotechnical attributes of safe and unsafe systems and (6) potential future research directions for sociotechnical systems research. PRACTITIONER SUMMARY Sociotechnical complexity, a characteristic of many contemporary work environments, presents potential safety risks that traditional approaches to workplace safety may not adequately address. In this paper, we summarise the investigations of a group of international researchers into questions associated with the application of sociotechnical systems thinking to improve worker safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle M. Robertson
- Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, 71 Frankland Road, Hopkinton, MA01748, USA
- Corresponding author.
| | - Lawrence J. Hettinger
- Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, 71 Frankland Road, Hopkinton, MA01748, USA
| | - Patrick E. Waterson
- Human Factors and Complex Systems Group, Loughborough University, LeicestershireLE11 3TU, UK
| | - Y. Ian Noy
- Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, 71 Frankland Road, Hopkinton, MA01748, USA
| | - Marvin J. Dainoff
- Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, 71 Frankland Road, Hopkinton, MA01748, USA
| | - Nancy G. Leveson
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building 33-334, Cambridge, MA02139, USA
| | - Pascale Carayon
- University of Wisconsin – Madison, 3126 Engineering Centers Building, 1550 Engineering Dr., Madison, WI53706-1609, USA
| | - Theodore K. Courtney
- Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, 71 Frankland Road, Hopkinton, MA01748, USA
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