Documents health and safety programme 63 results

"Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women in the United States and other countries, making it a major public health concern. Despite significant scientific evidence about its known or suspected causes, research and prevention measures to identify and eliminate occupational and other environmental hazards and risk factors for breast cancer remain largely overlooked. As a result, hazards continue unabated for women generally, especially those who work outside the home. The science linking breast cancer and occupation in particular is growing. Researchers have identified commonly used chemicals that induce breast tumors in test animals. Animal studies link chemicals that mimic reproductive hormones to elevated breast cancer rates. Other animal and human studies link chemical exposures to increased breast cancer rates, including two recent investigations focused on occupational hazards. But the latter are the exception. Studies that attempt to identify and characterize workplace agents linked to breast cancer, as well as intervention studies focusing on the use of less toxic processes and substances, are limited. In what might be construed as a case of gender and social class bias, many research and funding agencies have ignored or downplayed the role of occupational studies despite their relevance to prevention efforts. Action required starts with making a national priority of promoting and supporting research on occupational and other environmental causes of breast cancer. Other public health actions include hazard surveillance and primary prevention activities such as reductions in the use of toxic materials, informed substitution, and green chemistry efforts."

"Leading-indicator-based (e.g., hazard recognition) incentive programs provide an alternative to controversial lagging-indicator-based (e.g., injury rates) programs. We designed a leading-indicator-based safety communication and recognition program that incentivized safe working conditions. The program was piloted for two months on a commercial construction worksite and then redesigned using qualitative interview and focus group data from management and workers. We then ran the redesigned program for six months on the same worksite. Foremen received detailed weekly feedback from safety inspections, and posters displayed worksite and subcontractor safety scores. In the final program design, the whole site, not individual subcontractors, was the unit of analysis and recognition. This received high levels of acceptance from workers, who noted increased levels of site unity and team-building. This pilot program showed that construction workers value solidarity with others on site, demonstrating the importance of health and safety programs that engage all workers through a reliable and consistent communication infrastructure."

"Ce document présente une synthèse de l'étude d'évaluation de l'implantation du Programme de prévention des troubles musculo-squelettiques (TMS) liés au travail du Réseau de santé publique en santé au travail (RSPSAT) réalisée par le Groupe scientifique sur les TMS liés au travail de l'INSPQ. Elle décrit le degré et la variabilité d'implantation du programme, les facteurs influençant l'implantation du programme incluant des obstacles et des facteurs facilitant l'implantation. Elle présente 10 recommandations pour améliorer le programme qui ont été acheminées à la TCNSAT."

"Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the Danish return-to-work (RTW) program on long-term sickness absence in a randomized controlled trial in three municipalities. Methods The intervention group comprised 1948 participants while the control group comprised 1157 participant receiving ordinary sickness benefit management (OSM). Study participants were working-age adults receiving long-term (?8 weeks or more) benefits, included regardless of reason for sickness absence or employment status. Each beneficiary was followed-up for a maximum period of 52 weeks. Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) for return to work (RTW) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results The intervention effect differed significantly between the municipalities (P=0.00005). In one municipality (M2) the intervention resulted in a statistically significant increased rate of recovery from long-term sickness absence (HR 1.51, 95% CI 1.31–1.74). In the other two municipalities, the intervention did not show a statistically significant effect (HRM1 1.12, 95% CI 0.97–1.29, and HRM3 0.80, 95% CI 0.63–1.03, respectively). Adjustment for a series of possible confounders only marginally altered the estimated HR. Conclusion The effect of the intervention differed substantially between the three municipalities, indicating that that contextual factors are of major importance for success or failure of this complex intervention."

"Problem: While several management practices have been cited as important components of safety programs, how much does each incrementally contribute to injury reduction? This study examined the degree to which six management practices frequently included in safety programs (management commitment, rewards, communication and feedback, selection, training, and participation) contributed to a safe work environment for hospital employees. Method: Participants were solicited via telephone to participate in a research study concerning hospital risk management. Sixty-two hospitals provided data concerning management practices and employee injuries. Results: Overall, the management practices reliably predicted injury rates. A factor analysis performed on the management practices scale resulted in the development of six factor scales. A multiple regression performed on these factor scales found that proactive practices reliably predicted injury rates. Remedial measures acted as a suppressor variable. Discussion: While most of the participating hospitals implemented reactive practices (fixing problems once they have occurred), what differentiated the hospitals with low injury rates was that they also employed proactive measures to prevent accidents. Impact on Industry: The most effective step that hospitals can take is in the front-end hiring and training of new personnel. They should also ensure that the risk management position has a management-level classification. This study also demonstrated that training in itself is not adequate."

"Objective This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a prevention program on work ability, health, and sick leave targeted at construction worksites. Methods A total of 15 departments (N=297 workers) from 6 construction companies participated in this cluster randomized controlled trial and were randomly allocated to the intervention (8 departments; N=171 workers) or control (7 departments; N=122 workers) group. The intervention consisted of two individual training sessions with a physical therapist aimed at lowering the physical workload, a rest-break tool to improve the balance between work and recovery, and two empowerment training sessions to increase the worker's influence at the worksite. Data on work ability, physical and mental health status, and musculoskeletal symptoms were collected at baseline, and at 3, 6, and 12 months follow-up. Sick leave data were obtained from the companies. Results Overall, no differences in work ability [? 0.02, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) -0.34–0.37] or physical and mental health status (? -0.04, 95% CI -1.43–1.35, and ? 0.80 95% CI -0.51–2.11, respectively) were found between the intervention and control group. The intervention showed an overall decline in musculoskeletal symptoms (ranging from OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.34–1.33, to OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.47–1.57) and long-term sick leave (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.13–1.26) among construction workers. Both reductions were not statistically significant. Conclusion The prevention program seemed to result in a beneficial but not statistically significant decline in the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms and long-term sick leave among construction workers, but showed no effects with regard to work ability, physical health, and mental health."

"This report presents the findings of a literature review that identifies the motivating factors for employees to participate in workplace health promotion (WHP). This knowledge can be used to improve WHP programmes and, consequently, participation rates. The findings section of the report is divided into two key areas. The first outlines and describes some of the key findings from the literature concerning workers' motivation to participate in WHP, and the second examines the role that diversity may play in workers' participation and recruitment. WHP is the combined efforts of employers, workers and society to improve the health and wellbeing of people at work. Developing and sustaining a healthy work environment and workforce has clear benefits for companies and employees, but can also lead to an improvement in social and economic development at local, regional, national and European level."

"La manutention de la boue thermale est un facteur de pénibilité et de risque élevé de TMS (troubles musculo-squelettiques) pour les salariés des 17 établissements thermaux de Dax et Saint-Paul-lès-Dax (département des Landes). Parce que ces agents thermaux partagent les mêmes contraintes liées au pousser-tirer des bacs de boue, le service de santé au travail des Landes (SSTL) a mis en oeuvre, avec son équipe pluridisciplinaire, un projet santé - sécurité, afin de développer un outil d'aide à cette manutention. Débuté en mars 2007, pour une durée de 3 ans, il a impliqué 45 salariés dans le cadre de tests de 6 prototypes. La version finale de l'outil a été produite en 50 exemplaires pour ces thermes, contribuant à l'amélioration des conditions de travail."

"Safe behaviour programs are currently a popular strategy for improving safety in large organizations. This paper provides a critical look at the assumptions which underly such programs and identifies some of their limitations. Safe behaviour programs run the risk of assuming that unsafe behaviour is the only cause of accidents worth focusing on. The reality is that unsafe behaviour is merely the last link in a causal chain and not necessarily the most effective link to focus on, for the purposes of accident prevention.
One major drawback of these programs is that they miss critically important unsafe behaviour, such as attempts by workers to re-start processes that have been temporarily interrupted. Conventional safe behaviour programs aimed at front line workers are also of no use in preventing accidents in which the behaviour of front line workers is not involved. Given that it is the behaviour of management which is most critical in creating a culture of safety in any organization, behavioural safety observations are likely to have their greatest impact if directed upwards, at managers.
The paper concludes with an appendix about accident repeater programs which are sometimes introduced along with safe behaviour programs."