essay about occupational health and safety

Occupational Health and Safety: Workers Neglect of Precautionary Measures

The issues connected to occupational health within the organizations are extremely significant as the opportunity to work in safe conditions is one of the most important rights of any employee. It is necessary to protect the rights of the employees, and this is why the particular bodies that fulfill this function were established. Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is the committee that provides compensations for the employees who were harmed because of inappropriate work conditions in their companies. The organization is an independent part of the Ministry of Labor capable of rendering the decisions on its own. Nevertheless, both organizations were created to discuss and implement the measures to ensure safety for all the employees and support them in difficult situations. As for my workplace, I am not sure that I know about all the accidents that have happened before. Anyway, all the cases that I have heard about have been reported as my co-workers are quite conscious when it comes to their safety. In the end, the urgent need to meet the requirements of OH&S encourages the management of my company to pay more attention to the equipment that we use and create a safer environment for the employees.

The situation that we have to discuss may become a serious challenge for any plant, and it is very important to define the root of the problem. Who is to blame is the situation when the workers neglect precautionary measures? I am sure that it is the fault of the workers. As it is clear from the question presented, the workers are given access to all the necessary equipment that can protect their ears, eyes, and skin; nevertheless, they continue using this equipment in the wrong way. As for me, a large share of the blame lies with the workers as all the people should think about their safety and take measures to protect themselves. At the same time, the management should also be more careful and encourage the employees to use ways to protect their lives and health. I believe that managers can have the greatest impact on this situation. For example, they can introduce penalty fees at work to urge their employees to observe all safety measures. If solving this problem was one of my responsibilities, I would encourage the management to explain to the workers the possible consequences of their carelessness and illustrate it with the stories of accidents that happened in other companies.

Ways to motivate the employees to work safely

Safety during the working process should be one of the primary values of any company. There are different ways to motivate the employees to work safely, such as educating the leaders and providing the employees with feedback on their ability to manage the risk of serious injuries. If I was supposed to create a work environment motivating the employees to take precautionary measures, I would use many tools to ensure that my work is successful. To begin with, I would apply the method of behavior modification. For instance, I would use special reinforcers to encourage the workers to use protective equipment. In this case, fees could be used to decrease unnecessary behavior. As an additional measure, I would try to provide employees with feedback on their attitudes towards occupational safety. In the end, I am sure that these measures would be effective for the company.

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Good Essay On Occupational Health And Safety

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Workplace , Disaster , Safety , Employee , Accident , Environment , First Aid , Equipment

Published: 02/20/2023

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Top Ten Causes of Accidents in the Work Place

Accidents are part of life and sometimes are uncontrollable and cannot be prevented. In as much as so much effort is put in ensuring that there is a secure and comfortable workplace, sometimes accidents are inevitable. Below are some of the top ten causes of accidents in the workplace a. Fatigue that result from tiredness. b. Anxiety and work related stress c. Distractions d. A hazardous work environment e. Lack of personal safety equipment or instructions f. Boring routinely motions or movements g. Use of alcohol at the workplace h. Violent behavior among employees i. Incorrect workplace design j. Incorrect work It is always said that it is better to prevent an accident than to cure it and the workplace can be made accident free or the number of accidents can be reduced if precaution is taken. To ensure that happens, it is always wise to create a conducive environment for working and communicate to employees all that is expected of them is as far as their safety is concerned. Below are some of the steps that can be taken to reduce the number of workplace accidents; a. It is always wise to draft a company formal safety policies or procedures that will detail the steps that can be taken so as to prevent accidents. That will include instructions that explain how employees are expected to go on with their work schedule, and if they are to follow that, then cases of accidents will have been reduced. b. It is always wise to have somebody put in charge of safety in the workplace. The company or organization can have an overall safety coordinator who is supposed to ensure that all safety precautions are taken seriously (Schultz & Schultz, 2003). Their duties will include safe storage of materials and equipment and that ensuring that the employee workstations are correct and adequate. c. It is also wise that the employer communicates their expectations for a safe and conducive work environment (Stellman, 1998). It is good that the staff is told on a regular basis, the major safety concerns of their organization. That includes among other things, ensuring that they do not come to work while intoxicated or get intoxicated in the workplace. That can be done verbally or through memos. d. Another good way to go about work safety is that employers inspect their facility on a regular basis to ensure that areas that are of concerned are fixed at all times (Reese, 2011). That way the management will be well aware of the areas of concern. e. It is responsible for the employers always to have the right tools availed to the employees so as to avoid instances where they have to improvise tools (Stellman, 1998). For instance, if employees are expected to use high shelving, there should be a strong ladder to climb. Employees should not be made to climb using improvised climbing equipment such as boxes of office furniture. f. Proper housekeeping or a well-kept work environment can go a long way in preventing accidents. It is advisable that workplaces are inspected and kept clean so as to avoid any toppling, slipping or tripping (Mlam- Perez, 2003). All workplaces should be assessed with a keen eye, paying a lot of attention to the layout to ensure that it is not only clean but also well maintained. g. It is good that the employers invests in first aid training for their employees or even have a first aid kit. (Reese, 2011). First aid knowledge will go a long way in helping employees attend to injuries when they happen to prevent the accident from getting out of control. A first aid kit may not help prevent an accident, but it can be used to prevent a minor accident from becoming fatal.

Mlam- Perez, L. A. (2003). HR How- to: Work Place Safety, Everything You Need to Know to Ensure a Safe and Healthy Work Place. Chicago: CCH Reese, C. D. (2011). Accident/Incident Prevention Techniques. 2/e. New York: Taylor & Francis Schultz, D. & Schultz, E. S. (2010). Psychology and Work Today: An Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology. 10/e. New York: Routledge. Stellman, J. M. (1998). Encyclopedia of Occupational Health and Safety. 4/e. Geneva: International Labor Office

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Occupational Safety and Health, Essay Example

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I enjoyed this course because it helped me learn more about practical applications and examples of safety in the work place. Many of the assignments allowed me to think about what I would do in real life situations, and I believe that this helped prepare me for the problems I will face as a health and safety supervisor throughout my career. My favorite part of this course were dealing with health and safety problems in which more than one group of employees would be impacted my decision. For example, the machine guards assignment forced me to determine the benefits and disadvantages of removing the guards in addition to the people that would be positively or negatively impacted by this decision. I believe this course could be improved if we are presented with more complex ethical situations that may have more than one answer. A longer class discussion could be used in order to answer the question so we can benefit from learning everyone’s opinion on the subject.

Goetsch, D. L. (2011). Occupational safety and health for technologists, engineers, and managers (7th ed.).Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

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Safety and occupational health

Updated 03 March 2023

Subject Experience ,  HR Management ,  Workforce

Downloads 32

Category Business ,  Economics ,  Life

Topic Accident ,  Safety ,  Workplace

The place where one goes to work to earn an honest life should be safe. Sadly, there are millions of occupational injuries in the US (2.9 million in 2015), thousands of which result in death (4836 in 2015). (U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017). Businesses have a responsibility to ensure the safety, security, and welfare of all of its employees as well as everyone else present at the workplace, including clients and visitors. In order to reduce the risk of accident or illness, employers should set up training, tools, and work systems. The workplace can be risky, and a number of things could go wrong. The following are the ten most common causes of workplace accidents and the steps that employers and employees alike should take to prevent them: Overexertion Overexertion was the primary cause of workplace injuries in 2016 (U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017). These injuries are as a result of kneeling, reaching, crawling, pushing, and lifting. In 2016, overexertion cost U.S businesses over fifteen billion dollars (Liberty Mutual Insurance). A job may not require an employee to lift heavy or large objects, but even light objects like files, stacks of paper, and books can injure the shoulders, neck, or back if an individual uses improper techniques. To prevent overexertion injuries, employers should provide training, safety equipment, and lifting devices for heavy loads while employees should take short breaks if their job involves regular lifting as well as using caution while performing physical tasks. Shortcuts People are notoriously lazy and using shortcuts is a somewhat common practice. Be that as it may, when individuals take shortcuts at work, particularly when they are working around dangerous chemicals and machinery, they expose themselves to potential injuries. Shortcuts take many forms such as skipping breaks and failing to wear a hard hat. Shortcuts increase the risk of harm. Rather than permitting employees to take shortcuts, management needs to ensure that they follow safety procedures and that they are aware that the company prioritizes safety over speed. Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) This type of injury happens when an individual repeatedly carries out the same movement (for example, clicking on a mouse). When people initially start to experience RSI symptoms, they are uncertain of what is happening. Initially, the effects can be very mild twinges with some tingling or numbness. However, as it develops, the amount of pain also increases until it is with the individual for twenty-four hours, prompting to weeks of agony and disability. Prevention of RSI is much simpler than curing it. If one works in an occupation that puts them at risk of RSI (jobs that require repetitive actions all through the day), you ought to: warm up your muscles before work and cool them down after, ensure a straight posture, ensure you have a comfortable workstation and that you can easily reach everything. Vehicle Accidents Numerous industries depend on the utilization of vehicles and trucks such as tractors, diesel trucks, and forklifts. These machines make a wide assortment of jobs conceivable, yet they additionally have a high rate of injury and fatalities for the individuals who use them; 1264 deaths in 2015 (U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017). Preventing vehicle-related injuries largely depends on training and appropriately preparing workers. Hazardous Materials A few occupations require workers to handle hazardous materials making the workplace dangerous. Hazardous materials can cause skin infections, blindness, respiratory tract infections, and even death. 424 people died in 2015 due to exposure to hazardous materials in the workplace (U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017). To prevent these kinds of injuries from happening, all employees must adhere to the protocol for handling dangerous chemicals and materials and wear protective gloves, ensure their body and skin are protected with proper attire, and their eyes and faces are covered with protective glasses. Employers must train employees on the proper handling procedures, evaluate the risks of the hazardous materials they use, and have safety data sheets. Poor, or Lack of Housekeeping A poorly organized area leads to perils and dangers. Poor housekeeping hides hazards that result in injuries. If the sight of spills, clutter, and debris are ignored, then more severe health and safety risks are also probably ignored too. The solution for this is proper housekeeping by maintaining order, storing tools out of the way, securing items that might cause injuries and most importantly, inspection to check for deficiencies. Workplace Violence In spite of the increased security and restriction of office access, innocent casualties are frequently involved when angry spouses, displeased former workers or even complete strangers appear with the goal of causing harm. Administrators and employees should be vigilant of suspicious packages or mails, telephone threats and evidence of any security infringement. Employers should protect their employees by having strict security protocols for office access. Slips, Trips, and Falls Office kitchens and lunchrooms are typical spots where slips happen due to the fluids that get splashed there and remain uncleaned, as well as wet floors after they have been cleaned or waxed. Trips occur due to trailing cables, poor lighting, and an uneven floor surface. Falls were the leading cause of disabling workplace injuries in 2013 (Copeland, 2017). To prevent slips, trips, and falls, employers ought to post signs for hazardous areas such as slippery floors, repair any uneven floors, and provide training for any employee exposed to falling hazards. Fatigue If an individual is pushed or pushes themselves past practical limits to remain on top of their workload, the outcomes are frequently physical and mental depletion. This exhaustion leads to impaired judgment, slower reflexes while operating motor vehicles and other machinery, a slow reaction to emergency circumstances and a lack of attention to details. To prevent fatigue-related accidents, employers should create and enforce a strict work schedule that involves breaks while workers should minimize sleep loss, take breaks or naps during shifts (especially night shifts), have healthy sleeping habits. In case other approaches fail then they should consider alert-enhancing medications (Sadeghniiat-Haghighi & Yazdi, 2015). Disregarding Safety Procedures Most if not all workplace injuries occur due to employees neglecting safety procedures. Intentionally ignoring these procedures in the work environment not only endangers you, but it also threatens the safety of all other workers. Disregarding safety procedures also includes lack of knowledge of these procedures. Employers should make sure that they educate every employee about the company's' safety procedures. Workers need to ensure that they are following them. Conclusion The greater part of common workplace injuries can be prevented as long as both staff and employers consider it as their obligation to avoid mishaps at their place of work. It is the employer's duty to guarantee that safety is enforced in the working environment. They should perform a risk assessment for possible mishaps that could happen and come up with strategies to prevent accidents. Employees should strictly adhere to the wellbeing and security measures adapted by their employers to prevent workplace injuries. Workplace safety ought to be taken seriously and followed correctly. References 2016 Liberal Mutual Workplace Safety Index. (2017, January). Retrieved from Liberty Mutual Insurance: https://www.libertymutualgroup.com/about-lm/research-institute/communications/workplace-safety-index Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) - Current and Revised Data. (2017, March 2). Retrieved from Bureau Of Labor Statistics: https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm Copeland, J. (2017). ainful Statistics on Slips, Trips and Falls. Retrieved from The Arbill Safety Blog: http://www.arbill.com/arbill-safety-blog/bid/203028/Painful-Statistics-on-Slips-Trips-and-Falls Sadeghniiat-Haghighi, K., & Yazdi, Z. (2015). Fatigue management in the workplace. Industrial Psychiatry Journal, 12-17.

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Home — Essay Samples — Business — Safety — Statement Of Purpose (Msc In Occupational Health And Safety)

Statement of Purpose (msc in Occupational Health and Safety)

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Published: May 7, 2019

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• Published: 13 July 2023

Influence of psychosocial safety climate on occupational health and safety: a scoping review

• Mustapha Amoadu 1 ,
• Edward Wilson Ansah 1 &
• Jacob Owusu Sarfo 1  

BMC Public Health volume  23 , Article number:  1344 ( 2023 ) Cite this article

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Creating a healthy, decent and safe workplace and designing quality jobs are ways to eliminate precarious work in organisations and industries. This review aimed at mapping evidence on how psychosocial safety climate (PSC) influence health, safety and performance of workers.

A literature search was conducted in four main databases (PubMed, Scopus, Central and Web of Science) and other online sources like Google Scholar. A reference list of eligible studies was also checked for additional papers. Only full-text peer-reviewed papers published in English were eligible for this review.

A search in the databases produced 13,711 records, and through a rigorous screening process, 93 papers were included in this review. PSC is found to directly affect job demands, job insecurity, effort-reward imbalance, work-family conflict, job resources, job control and quality leadership. Moreover, PSC directly affects social relations at work, including workplace abuse, violence, discrimination and harassment. Again, PSC has a direct effect on health, safety and performance outcomes because it moderates the impact of excessive job demands on workers’ health and safety. Finally, PSC boosts job resources’ effect on improving workers’ well-being, safety and performance.

Managers’ efforts directed towards designing quality jobs, prioritising the well-being of workers, and fostering a bottom-up communication through robust organisational policies, practices, and procedures may help create a high organisational PSC that, in turn, promotes a healthy and decent work environment.

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Introduction

Every job has tremendous inherent health, safety and well-being challenges, thus, creating a safe and decent work for improved health and safety outcomes becomes eminent [ 1 , 2 ]. For instance, pprecarious jobs and work environment are detrimental to the health and safety of workers and place huge financial burden on workers and their organisations [ 2 ]. Occupational incidents do not affect only workers and their families, but have a huge burden on society through impaired productivity and increased use of healthcare and cost [ 3 , 4 ]. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) working conditions are worsening globally, and majority of workers are found in precarious employment [ 1 ], which is responsible for about 7,600 deaths daily [ 1 ]. Therefore, occupational health and safety (OHS) remains the key factor to restoring dignity at work and improving worker health outcomes, to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 8, which seeks to eliminate all forms of precarious work and ensure a decent and safe workplace for all [ 1 ]. However, robust research designs and reviews are needed to map quality evidence to inform interventions and policies aimed at creating such a safe and decent work for all workers.

Evidence from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and ILO shows that in 2016, about 1.9 million deaths occurred globally due to occupational accidents and injuries [ 5 ]. Again in 2017, about 2.78 million workers died from occupational-related accidents and injuries [ 6 , 7 ]. Thus, globally, about 7,600 workers died daily in 2017 due to precarious and unhealthy working conditions, but this affects poor developing nations disproportionately. For instance, the African region recorded the highest global occupational communicable diseases among over one-third of its working population and 20% of its workforce has experienced serious work-related accidents [ 1 ]. These unfortunate trends of statistics are frightening and might be as a result of insufficient safety regulations and enforcement as well as emerging industries and technological advancements which may require updated safety protocols and training [ 1 ]. Also, these figures give the indication that most workers, especially those in developing countries do not have access to a decent, safe and healthy workplace [ 5 , 8 ]. Perhaps, global economic pressures are forcing some industries and organisations to focus on cost-cutting and increase productivity instead of protecting the well-being and safety of their workers [ 1 ]. There is the need for adequate measures and pragmatic steps taken by national regional and global bodies to guarantee decent, safe, and healthy workplace for all workers [ 5 , 8 ]

Evidence shows that global occupational morbidity and mortality from psychosocial hazards keep increasing, something that need urgent attention [ 5 , 8 ]. Psychosocial working conditions or exposure to psychosocial hazards by workers, to a greater extent, is dependent on the interplay between job demands and job resources (job design) [ 9 , 10 ]. Most work stress models such as the job demand-resource, job demand-control and effort-reward imbalance argue that work environments with high job demands and fewer job resources expose workers to impaired health outcomes that lead to impaired performance and less productivity [ 11 ]. Psychosocial safety climate (PSC) has been the basis for job designs and improving social relations at work, perhaps it is capable of prioritising the well-being and safety of workers [ 12 ]. Besides, PSC is capable of buffering the effect of high job demands on workers’ health and safety [ 11 ].

In organisations with high PSC, the well-being and safety of workers are prioritised [ 11 , 12 ], commitments and efforts are made by senior management to involve and leverage workers’ participation in designing jobs and programmes that help create a safe and healthy work environment for improved well-being, safety and productivity [ 12 ]. Empirical evidence from work stress, organisational psychology and safety science showed PSC as a unifying framework for dealing with work stress [ 11 ]. While there is a growing body of research work exploring PSC, not enough is understood about its importance and application to psychosocial working conditions, health and safety, and performance of workers. Hence, this review maps evidence on the influence of PSC on psychosocial working conditions, health and safety, and performance, thus, to inform workplace policies and actions that create a safe, decent and healthy workplace for all workers to achieve SDG 8 and improve organisational performance.

The authors carried out this scoping review using the guidelines by Arksey and O’Malley [ 13 ], by identifying and stating the research questions, identifying relevant studies, study selection, data collection, data summary and synthesis of results, and consultation. Two research questions guided this review. (1) What is the influence of PSC on (a) psychosocial work factors, (b) health and safety outcomes of workers, and (c) performance and productivity outcomes? (2) what is the moderating role of PSC in the health erosion and motivation pathways?

Authors created a search technique that employed a combination of controlled vocabularies like Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and keywords for each of the four major electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Central and Web of Science) to address the research questions and map relevant literature. Table 1 illustrates the search strategy conducted in PubMed. The search strategy used in PubMed was then modified for search in other databases. The authors used four key words in their search strategy (1) psychosocial safety climate, (2) psychosocial work factors, (3) Health and safety and (4) performance.

Additional searches were conducted in Google, Google Scholar, JSTOR, Emerald, and Taylor and Francis to gather adequate and relevant peer-reviewed papers for this review. Reference lists of eligible full-text articles were also searched for additional papers. A chartered librarian was consulted during the search for literature and data screening process. The authors started the search for papers on December 5, 2022, and ended on March 29, 2023. The authors developed eligibility criteria for data screening. Studies published in the year 2010 and later were included because we were interested in studies that explored PSC using PSC-12 and that PSC-12 was published in 2010 [ 12 ] (See Table 2 for details on eligibility criteria).

The Mendeley software was used to remove duplicates. Abstracts and full-text records were screened and papers selected based on eligibility criteria. Data from eligible papers were extracted independently by MA and reviewed by EWA and JOS. Disagreements among authors during the data screening and extraction phases were resolved during weekly meetings to ensure accuracy in extracted data. Data extracted included authors, purpose of the study, design, population, sample size, measure for PSC, and study outcomes. These data were relevant to help map evidence to answer the research questions and make relevant recommendations for future studies. Extracted data is presented in Table S 1 . The authors read through the final extracted data, organised data into themes and results presented and discussed.

Search results

The results from the four main databases yielded 13,669 records and additional search produced 42 records. After removing duplicates (2,490 records) using the Mendeley software, 11,221 records were available for screening. After removing non-full text and records irrelevant to the review, 156 full-text records were available for further screening. Checking of reference lists of full-text records produced additional 24 records. Thus, 180 records were finally screened. Finally, 87 full-text records were excluded, the remaining 93 were included in the thematic synthesis (See Fig.  1 for search results and screening process).

PRISMA flow diagram of search results and screening process

Study characteristics

Most reviewed studies used a cross-sectional survey design (See details in Fig.  2 ), and were conducted among workers in Australia (30) and Malaysia (24) [See details in Fig.  3 ]. The general working population, healthcare workers and workers in academia remained the most explored groups using PSC (See Fig.  4 for more details). Most of the reviewed studies were published in the year 2022 (See Fig.  5 for more details).

Study designs of reviewed studies

Map showing countries and continents where reviewed studies were conducted

Occupational groups explored by reviewed studies

Number of studies based on the year of publication

Findings from this review were reported based on the two research questions, and into four sections; (1) influence PSC on psychosocial work factors, (2) influence of PSC on health and safety, (3) influence of PSC on performance outcomes and (4) the moderating effect of PSC.

Influence of PSC on psychosocial work factors

Three sub-themes were developed from the findings of the reviewed studies. The themes are job demands, job resources, and hostile work factors.

Job demands

Evidence is strongly established in the literature that PSC is negatively and significantly associated with job demands [ 12 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. PSC has a significant and negative association with cognitive demands [ 20 ], psychological demands [ 15 , 21 , 22 , 23 ], emotional demands [ 22 , 24 , 25 , 26 ], quantitative demands [ 27 ], work intensification [ 28 ], work pressure [ 25 , 29 ], conflicting pressure [ 30 ], workload [ 25 ], long-working hours [ 31 ], hindrance demands [ 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 ], challenge demands [ 32 ] and compulsive working [ 37 ]. However, a reviewed study found no significant association between PSC and challenge hindrance [ 36 ]. Job insecurity [ 38 ], work-family conflict [ 14 , 38 , 39 , 40 ], effort-reward imbalance [ 41 ] and family-work conflict [ 39 ] are reduced in high PSC context.

• Job resources

Job resources are high in a positive PSC context at various occupational settings [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 21 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ]. Key job resources such as job control [ 26 , 46 , 47 ], decision authority [ 21 ], decision influence [ 48 ], skill discretion [ 21 , 25 ], co-worker support [ 38 ], supervisor support [ 22 , 46 ], managerial support [ 49 ], organisational support [ 50 ] and organisational rewards [ 22 , 51 ] were found to have a positive and significant association with PSC. Furthermore, workers in a high PSC work environment were more likely to perceive a high possibility for development [ 20 ], organisational justice [ 22 , 52 ], health-centric [ 53 ], quality leadership [ 27 , 54 ], psychological capital [ 55 ] and emotional resources [ 45 ] at work.

Workplace abuse

PSC had a negative and significant association with workplace bullying [ 29 , 51 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 ], and that, workplace violence [ 29 , 62 ], physical or verbal abuse [ 63 ], and harassment [ 29 , 51 ] were reduced or eliminated in the presence of a high-level PSC.

Influence of PSC on worker health and safety

Findings indicated that burnout [ 19 , 27 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 59 , 64 ], job strain [ 65 , 66 ] and emotional exhaustion [ 21 , 22 , 24 , 25 , 48 , 61 , 67 ] might be a result of low organisational PSC. Also, fatigue [ 68 , 69 ], injuries [ 67 ], accidents [ 70 ] and circulatory diseases [ 71 ] had a significant and negative association with PSC. Moreover, mental health issues such as psychological distress [ 23 , 26 , 42 , 49 , 54 , 64 , 67 ], stress [ 27 , 72 ], depression [ 31 , 41 , 65 , 73 ] and PTSD [ 56 ] might be a result of low workplace PSC. Meanwhile, reviewed studies found that workers that perceived high levels of PSC at work were more likely to experience improved general health, safety and well-being [ 12 , 16 , 17 , 55 , 57 , 62 , 74 ], psychological well-being [ 15 , 58 ], personal resilience [ 75 ], psychological safety [ 54 , 76 ], and self-worth [ 77 ].

Influence of PSC on job performance outcomes

Improved job performance was linked to higher perceived organisational PSC [ 32 ]. Similarly, job satisfaction [ 17 , 27 , 77 , 78 ], work engagement [ 17 , 21 , 22 , 25 , 27 , 37 , 42 , 57 , 69 , 79 , 80 ] and job commitment [ 27 , 44 , 52 ] are three key performance outcomes (psychosocial outcomes) that were consistently reported to be associated with high level of PSC. However, two studies reported no significant association between PSC and job engagement [ 44 , 81 ], but improved productivity was expected in a highly perceived PSC work environment [ 20 , 75 ]. As a result, issues that affected productivity, such as turnover intentions [ 41 , 61 , 78 ], absenteeism [ 71 , 82 , 83 ], presenteeism [ 23 , 28 , 82 , 84 ], and need thwarting [ 40 ] were reduced or eliminated in highly perceived PSC work environment. These might lead to more funding opportunities [ 47 ], sustained profits [ 83 ] and reduced compensation claims [ 83 ].

Elimination of unsafe working behaviours [ 85 ] and improvement in workplace safety behaviours [ 38 , 86 ], safety participation [ 87 ] and compliance [ 87 ] were also common in workplaces where management prioritises the well-being of workers. Workers were more likely to be workaholics [ 44 ], have high morale [ 83 ], and develop organisational citizenship behaviours [ 50 ] in a high PSC context. Moreover, adaptive and proactive work behaviours [ 88 ], creative problem solving [ 55 , 89 ], taking of personal initiatives [ 80 ], personal development [ 80 ], positive service behaviour [ 88 ], workaround [ 68 ], and service recovery performance [ 90 ] were more likely to be observed in high PSC work environment. Perhaps, managerial quality is one of the key benefits in a high organisational PSC context [ 64 , 91 ]. For instance, the quality of patient care and patient safety was protected when healthcare professionals perceived high PSC in their facilities [ 30 , 70 ].

The moderating role of PSC

One key strength of PSC was its buffering effect on precarious work conditions on health, safety and performance outcomes [ 11 ].

The effect of workplace abuse on workers’ health and safety

The effect of workplace abuse and violence on workers’ health and safety is controlled by the presence of PSC. For instance, reviewed studies reported that PSC moderated the effect of workplace bullying on psychological contract violation [ 92 ], work engagement [ 57 , 79 ], PTSD [ 56 ]and psychological distress [ 52 ]. Also, PSC played a moderating role in the effect of workplace harassment on psychological distress [ 52 ], and the impact of workplace stigma on bullying and burnout [ 59 ]. Contrary to the argument of Dollard et al. [ 11 ], the moderating role of PSC on the association between workplace bullying and psychological contract violation had an inverse result [ 92 ].

The effect of job demands on workers’ health and safety

Evidence also indicated that PSC could buffer the effect of job demands on workers’ health and safety. For example, the effect of job demands on burnout [ 81 ], fatigue [ 69 ], work engagement [ 69 ] and depression [ 93 ] were found to be moderated by PSC. Also, the association between emotional demands and emotional exhaustion [ 12 ] and psychological distress [ 94 ] were reduced in the presence of high-level organisational PSC. Furthermore, the relationship between work-family conflict and insecurity, as well as the association between job insecurity and safety behaviours are buffered by the presence of workplace PSC [ 38 ]. The high level of workplace PSC among nurses reduced the effect of work intensity on presenteeism [ 29 ].

The effect of job resources on workers’ health and safety

It was expected that in a high PSC work environment, job resources’ effect on workers’ health and safety would be enhanced [ 11 ]. For instance, the effect of job resources on safety behaviours [ 38 ], and workaholism [ 43 ] were boosted in the presence of high PSC. Evidence also showed that the effect of social support (support from co-workers and supervisors) on work engagement [ 81 ]and the effect of job control on mindfulness among workers improved in the presence of high PSC [ 95 ]. Moreover, a reviewed study found that a supportive work environment’s effects on personal hope were lowered in low PSC [ 76 ]. Besides, health-centred leadership had the greatest impact on psychological health when oil and gas workers perceived high PSC [ 53 ]. Finally, the interaction between job demands and job resources in predicting distress among police workers was moderated by PSC [ 26 ].

The effect of mental health on workers’ behaviours

In an unsafe work environment, workers’ mental health is severely impaired [ 88 ]. In such a situation, the high presence of PSC is expected to control the effect of mentally distressed on workers’ performance [ 12 ]. A reviewed study confirmed this hypothesis and reported that the effect of depression on workers’ positive organisational behaviour was attenuated by the presence of PSC [ 17 ].

A thorough literature search conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Central and Web of Science and other databases such as Google and Google scholar produced 13,669 records. Through a robust screening process, 91 studies that explored psychosocial safety climate using PSC-12, PSC-8 and PSC-4 as a measure were included in this review. Reviewed studies showed that PSC, as an upstream job resource construct, was essential in designing jobs by matching job demands and resources. Thus, PSC has consistently been found in the literature to be negatively associated with job demand variables such as psychological demands, emotional demands, quantitative demands, work intensification, work pressure, conflicting pressures, job insecurity, work-family conflict, family-work conflict, and effort-reward imbalance. Moreover, PSC is positively associated with job resources (job control, social support, quality leadership, organisational rewards, decision authority and influence, emotional resources, organisational justice, and personal development). Hence, PSC has great influence on psychosocial work factors (job demands and job resources). Also, it was established that PSC was negatively associated with workplace abuse, such as stigma, discrimination, bullying, and harassment. Furthermore, PSC directly improves workers’ health, safety, and performance, proving a strong buffering effect for health and safety of workers. This shows that PSC has influence of health and safety and performance outcome of workers and reduce the effect of precarious work on the health and safety of workers. Discussion of findings have been done according to the research questions.

PSC as a precursor to psychosocial work factors (job demands and resources)

Managers need to be guided by ethics and value for workers when making decisions regarding job design and nature to foster healthy and decent workplaces [ 96 ]. However, job design and the promotion of a healthy and decent workplace might depend on the priority managers give to productivity or profits as against the well-being and safety of the workers [ 11 ]. In many cases where the manager’s priority was overly focused on productivity and profits, job demands were high, affecting workers’ health and safety, especially in a resource-limited work environment [ 12 ]. However, when managers shift attention from productivity to well-being and safety of their workers, excessive job demands are likely to be reduced, to protect the health of the workers. Perhaps, the negative association between job demands and PSC is explained by the shift of managers’ attention from productivity to valuing the psychological well-being and safety of the workers and vice versa.

The review further found that in a low PSC context, excessive job demands are expected, due to the lack of feedback from workers or the lack of opportunity for workers to voice their frustrations concerning high level of job demands [ 59 ]. In such organisations, job demands were likely to be high because of the likelihood that managers prioritised an up-to-bottom communication rather than a bottom-up approach, to ensure that workers’ voices are heard and factored into the job designs [ 43 , 95 ]. There is high likelihood of reduced job demands when organisational PSC is high, because workers will be involved, consulted, participated in designing their jobs, workplace health and safety policies and any intervention that creates a healthy and decent workplace for such workforce. Finally, PSC was observed as an upstream job resource and its presence at the workplace is a signal for reduction in excessive job demands and helping workers to fulfil their requirements, that achieve organisational goals and a sense of belongingness [ 11 ].

The quality of a worker’s productivity or performance is influenced by the design of their job, which also establishes how workers would carry out their responsibilities and meet organisational and personal goals. It is worth appreciating that quality work involved resourcing workers adequately to cope with excessive job demands [ 12 , 44 ]. The positive association between job resources and PSC indicates that in a high PSC work environment, workers have the confidence to access the needed resources to accomplish their job demands and responsibilities [ 43 ]. Thus, in such a context, workers are encouraged, trained and offered the opportunities not only to access job resources but to utilise these resources for organisational and personal growth [ 11 ]. Besides, in a high PSC context, adequate job resources are made available to workers to ensure that the psychological well-being of workers are prioritised over productivity. On the other hand, in a low PSC context, job resources were limited and, to a larger extent, non-existing, which exposes workers to job strain and poor health outcomes [ 12 ], that will further compromise productivity.

Workplace abuse and violence are unhealthy factors that exposed workers to precarious situations. We found that workplace abuse, bullying, harassment, stigma and discrimination were social-relational factors that created an unhealthy, corrupt and indecent workplace, violated human rights, and compromised the dignity of workers [ 56 , 61 ]. Various mechanisms might explain the negative association between PSC and workplace abuse. First, in a high PSC context, workplace social relations are supposed to improve and give workers the signal that there are available resources for dealing with any form of abuse [ 12 ]. Also, workers who are abused victims were given opportunities to find solutions in such positive worksites [ 12 , 71 ]. This way of solving workplace conflicts or abuse might not be present in a low PSC work context which may fuel turnover intentions and turnovers of affected workers [ 41 , 78 ]. Finally, it would be difficult for many workers to report abuse in organisations where PSC is low, and that majority of these workers may not have the opportunity to seek redress since such institutions practice the top–bottom approach communication that usually limits open communication and trust in management [ 41 ]. But, in a high PSC context, managers give cues to workers about social-relational aspects of work, such as how workers should interact with one another and the behaviours that would be rewarded or punished [ 12 ].

PSC as a precursor to workers’ health and safety

Evidence suggests that PSC positively correlated with improved worker health, safety and performance outcomes [ 13 , 97 ]. High-quality work with manageable job demands, and adequate job resources were more likely in a high PSC work environment, where managers value and safeguard workers’ psychological health for improved well-being, safety and performance outcomes [ 18 , 59 , 66 ]. Thus, a high PSC context foster satisfaction of psychological needs, job satisfaction, job commitment, and mental health maintenance, which translate into improved productivity [ 58 , 88 , 89 ]. Basically, in such a PSC context, workers perceive that their well-being is a priority to managers, hence, become intrinsically motivated, which may lead to improved mental health and well-being [ 98 , 99 ], and positive performance outcomes. Unfortunately, low PSC environments are more likely to produce low-quality work that threatens and obstructs worker job satisfaction, resulting in psychological distress, exhaustion, fatigue, impaired well-being and organisational performance [ 62 , 68 ].

The evidence is that PSC moderates the effect of psychosocial work factors on health, safety, and performance outcomes [ 26 ]. One explanation is that PSC acts as a safety signal [ 52 ], when danger cues such as work pressure, excessive job demands, and workplace abuse are present. This safety signal works by indicating options such as access to and safe use of available resources to counteract the psychosocial hazards to prevent the onset of impaired health, safety and performance outcomes [ 26 , 54 ]. Aside from being a safety signal, PSC could initiate resource caravans or gain spirals, promoting workers’ well-being and productivity [ 96 ]. A study found that PSC moderated the association between workplace bullying and psychological contract violation [ 93 ]. It is worth noting that receiving support at the workplace was not always be connected with favourable health and performance outcomes, primarily when the support is obtained in an unsafe or negative work environment [ 93 ], making the organisational climate increasingly important.

Implications for practice

Creating and promoting a healthy, safe and decent workplace might start with integrating PSC as an essential upstream psychosocial resource at every workplace. Moreover, efforts directed towards prioritising and valuing the well-being and safety of workers by managers may be the beginning of eliminating precarious working condition. Thus, the experience of workers at the workplace, to a greater extent, influence workers perception of PSC. Still, this premise does not change the fact that managers possess the power and resources to design quality jobs through pro-worker and robust organisational policies and practices [ 12 ]. Dollard et al. [ 12 ] argued that PSC was a modifiable variable; hence, managers should know that change could be implemented by improving involvement and communication mechanisms around psychosocial hazards and mental health issues. This could also be achieved by management demonstrating commitment and support for stress prevention and psychological treatment. Furthermore, managers commitment becomes paramount to any workplace policies targeting workers’ well-being [ 24 , 92 ].

Workers who experienced bullying were more prone to rage and irritation, which have undesired consequences to the worker and the organisation. Thus, managers need to pay attention to these signals and act quickly to relieve workers of distressing feelings. Managers need to give workers channels to vent their rage since doing so would make them feel better [ 100 ]. Organisations could, for instance, offer victims psychological counselling services and listen to their complaints. Understanding the implicit expectations from fair treatment of workers may also help managers to manage and deliver on the expectations of employees, which in turn, helps prevent violations and other adverse outcomes. Perhaps, fostering a bottom-up approach to communication allows workers to report excessive job demands and low job resources and enables workers to talk about workplace abuse and hostility [ 35 , 100 , 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 ]. Also, managers need to create a safe and decent psychosocial work environment that may lower the risk of workplace bullying and can successfully prevent the events leading to an escalation of vices and eventually increase productivity and organisational image [ 106 , 107 , 108 , 109 , 110 ].

Recommendations for future research

Reviewed studies exploring PSC were mainly conducted in Australia, Malaysia and Canada, and not much research attention was given in Africa and South America. Also, existing PSC literature concentrates on occupational groups such healthcare workers, education workers, police and workers in the banking sector. Hence, studies from developing nations and other worker groups such as agricultural workers, road transport workers, rescue workers and military officers are needed. Moreover, the direct effect of PSC on some psychosocial work factors such as lone working, shift workers and those working extended hours may need more exploration. Furthermore, more studies are required to tease out the conditions under which the strength of PSC matters in the work context [ 12 ]. In addition, qualitative designs are needed to understand PSC through shared and individual experiences, working conditions and the psychological health of workers. More quality studies that adjust for confounding variables may be essential in understanding the independent effect of PSC on psychosocial work factors and stress symptoms. Finally, understanding PSC through the experiences of minority workers such as refugees, child workers, pregnant workers, and workers in the informal sectors might help improve the working conditions of vulnerable workers.

Limitations in this review

About 63% of the included studies are cross-sectional surveys whose findings might be affected by response bias since they mostly rely on self-report measures. This situation may affect the generalisation of findings in this review. Also, the literature search was restricted to only peer-reviewed articles and papers published in English. This situation may affect the number of included studies and the depth of information presented in this review. Including only papers that explored PSC using PSC-12, PSC-8 and PSC-4 as measures may reduce the number of included studies which also affect the depth of information provided in this review. However, the authors pulled 93 studies from 45 countries globally, which may help understand PSC’s importance in creating a safe and healthy work environment for workers.

Organisational PSC is an essential upstream job resource that directly affects psychosocial work factors, including job demands, job insecurity, effort-reward imbalance, work-family conflict, job resources, job control and quality leadership. In addition, PSC directly affects social relations at work, including workplace abuse, violence, discrimination and harassment. Moreover, PSC directly affects health, safety, and performance outcomes. Besides, PSC moderates the effect of working conditions on workers’ health, safety and performance across different occupational groups and settings. Therefore, designing quality jobs, prioritising the well-being of workers and fostering bottom-up communication through robust organisation policies, practices, and procedures may help create a high workplce PSC for healthy and decent work for all workers, for productivity and organisational integrity.

Availability of data and materials

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this article and its supplementary information files (Table S 1 ).

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We are grateful to Dr. Kwame Kodua-Ntim of Sam Jonah Library, University of Cape Coast, Ghana, for his enormous support during data search and screening process.

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Amoadu, M., Ansah, E.W. & Sarfo, J.O. Influence of psychosocial safety climate on occupational health and safety: a scoping review. BMC Public Health 23 , 1344 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16246-x

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Challenges and support needs in psychological and physical health among pilots: a qualitative study.

• 1 School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
• 2 Other, Shanghai, China
• 3 National Center For Global Health and Medicine, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
• 4 School of Public Health, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
• 5 School of Nursing, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, Shanghai, China
• 6 International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China

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Abstract Introduction Physical and mental health problems among pilots affect their working state and impact flight safety. Although pilots’ physical and mental health problems have become increasingly prominent, their health has not been taken seriously. This study aimed to clarify challenges and support needs related to psychological and physical health among pilots to inform development of a more scientific and comprehensive physical and mental health system for civil aviation pilots. Methods This qualitative study recruited pilots from nine civil aviation companies. Focus group interviews via an online conference platform were conducted in August 2022. Colaizzi analysis was used to derive themes from the data and explore pilots’ experiences, challenges, and support needs. Results The main sub-themes capturing pilots’ psychological and physical health challenges were: 1) imbalance between family life and work; 2) pressure from assessment and physical examination eligibility requirements; 3) pressure from worries about being infected with COVID-19; 4) nutrition deficiency during working hours; 5) changes in eating habits because of the COVID-19 pandemic; 6) sleep deprivation; 7) occupational diseases; 8) lack of support from the company in coping with stress; 9) pilots’ yearly examination standards; 10) support with sports equipment; 11) respecting planned rest time; and 12) isolation periods. Discussion The interviewed pilots experienced major psychological pressure from various sources, and their physical health condition was concerning. We offer several suggestions that could be addressed to improve pilots’ physical and mental health. However, more research is needed to compare standard health measures for pilots around the world in order to improve their physical and mental health and contribute to overall aviation safety.

Keywords: Occupational Health, Mental Health, physical health, qualitative study, Pilots and cabin crew, COVID-19

Received: 06 Dec 2023; Accepted: 05 Apr 2024.

Copyright: © 2024 Xu, Bao, Zhang, Li, Zhang, Li, Jin, Chen, Duan, Shi, Wang, Lu, Chen, Gao, Han, Ren, Su and Xiang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Yuyan Bao, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China Lin Zhang, Other, Shanghai, China Qingqing Jin, Other, Shanghai, China Yan Chen, Other, Shanghai, China Qingqing Duan, Other, Shanghai, China Feng Shi, Other, Shanghai, China Linlin Wang, Other, Shanghai, China Ziyang Lu, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China Xuhua Chen, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China Qijing Gao, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China Bin Ren, Other, Shanghai, China Ya Su, School of Nursing, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, Shanghai, China Mi Xiang, School of Public Health, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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2024 Occupational Health and Safety Scholarship Winners Announced

From: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety

News release

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) announced the winners of the 2024 Dick Martin Scholarship Award.

For Immediate Release

April 4, 2024 – Hamilton, ON – Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)

The two recipients, Stephanie Wu (University of British Columbia) and Christina Henninger (British Columbia Institute of Technology), will each be awarded $3,000. Additionally, their respective academic institutions will each receive $500.

The Dick Martin Scholarships are awarded to post-secondary students enrolled in either a full-time or part-time program leading to an occupational health and safety certificate, diploma, or degree from an accredited Canadian college or university. They are intended to support interest in and encourage the pursuit of careers in the field of occupational health and safety. Scholarship winners are selected by a panel of occupational health and safety technical specialists based on criteria that include submitting an essay on injury prevention or research on a specific hazard and risk.

Information about the Dick Martin Scholarship Award can be found on the CCOHS website: www.ccohs.ca/scholarships . 

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Jennifer Howse  Senior Communications Specialist  Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)  (289) 442-4057   [email protected]    www.ccohs.ca

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Workplace Health and Safety: The Protection of Employees’ Rights Essay

Workplace health and safety are critical to maintaining high productivity and effective performance. Therefore, it is important that employers ensure the provision of healthy and safe working conditions. The paper at hand examines the two legislative acts that grant the protection of employees’ rights and assist in promoting work-related health and safety: Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). The paper analyzes these acts within several dimensions: the scope of their application, the obligations they assign to employers, and the rights they guarantee to employees.

FMLA was enforced by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment Standards Administration, Wage and Hour Division on August 5, 1993. FMLA applies to private, local government, and state employees. Additionally, the major part of federal employees and some congressional employees are likewise covered by the Act. There is a series of requirements imposed on an employee to be eligible for the Act coverage. Hence, his or her employer is supposed to be covered.

The employee must have worked for the stated employer for at least a year with the minimal sum of 1,250 of working hours. The relevant organization should be situated within the US territory and have a workforce of fifty employees minimum (Society for Human Resource Management, 2016a).

In the frame of FMLA, an employee bears a series of responsibilities. Hence, FMLA obliges employers to provide an eligible employee with twelve workweeks of unpaid leave within a one-year or longer period. The leave is provided under several conditions including the care of a newborn, adoption and foster care, care of a relative with a critical health condition, or an employee’s inability to fulfill the work-related functions due to a critical health condition.

Employers are likewise obliged to provide a six-month unpaid leave for the relatives of a present member of the Armed Forces. Under any circumstances, an employee is guaranteed to be restored to the original position when the leave period expires. Additionally, an employer is expected to maintain the coverage of a group health insurance for an employee that takes an unpaid leave (Society for Human Resource Management, 2016a).

Apart from the guaranteed job restoration that is the main protection that employees receive in the frame of FMLA, they are likewise guaranteed to have their health-related expenses covered by the insurance. Moreover, employees are not obliged to take the entire twelve-week period of the unpaid leave; instead, they might use the option intermittently, whenever the circumstances meet those stated in FMLA scope. Hence, FMLA provides for attaching the right to health and welfare to employees within a legislative frame (Society for Human Resource Management, 2016a).

OSHA is a set of standards that is aimed at ensuring the provision of safe and healthy workplaces for employees. Apart from the standard setting function, OSHA is likewise assigned with a controlling role that is performed through conducting inspections. OSHA can be applied to any employees and employers within the US except for self-employed individuals. Additionally, it does not cover farms the workforce of which comprises only immediate family members. It is also essential to note that this Act cannot be applied to controlling those working conditions that are regulated by other federal agencies, such as those in nuclear weapon manufacturing or mining (Society for Human Resource Management, 2016b).

In the frame of the Act, employers are assigned with a series of responsibilities. Thus, they are in charge of ensuring that their employees receive the essential education in terms of safety rule and guidelines. Additionally, they are obliged to provide the employees with the working conditions that comply with the norms and standards approved by OSHA. OSHA standards mainly cover five work-related aspects: access to medical records, personal protective equipment, hazard communication, reporting, and recordkeeping. Within each dimension, employers are responsible for ensuring that the employees’ conduct complies with the relevant safety norms.

The failure to comply with the established standards might lead to the assignation of penalties and sanctions relevant to the type of the violation committed. It is also necessary to point out the initiatives proposed by OSHA to enhance workplace safety and health. Hence, there are voluntary protection, alliance, and strategic partnership programs to name but a few. Responsible employers can join the appropriate initiative to raise the quality of the working conditions in the organization (Society for Human Resource Management, 2016b).

From an employee perspective, OSHA provides for the guarantee of some important work-related rights. Thus, employees are enabled to complain to OSHA if the offered workplace conditions do not comply with the relevant standards of health and safety. In this case, their identities will not be revealed to employers. Private-sector workers are likewise enabled to complain to OSHA about the employers’ reprisal (Society for Human Resource Management, 2016b).

Therefore, both FMLA and OSHA help to protect the employees’ right to health and safety. While the former is mainly aimed to ensure the realization of this right beyond the workplace, the latter guarantees its realization on-site.

Reference List

Society for Human Resource Management. (2016a). Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 . Web.

Society for Human Resource Management. (2016b). Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) of 1970 . Web.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2020, October 11). Workplace Health and Safety: The Protection of Employees’ Rights. https://ivypanda.com/essays/workplace-health-and-safety/

"Workplace Health and Safety: The Protection of Employees’ Rights." IvyPanda , 11 Oct. 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/workplace-health-and-safety/.

IvyPanda . (2020) 'Workplace Health and Safety: The Protection of Employees’ Rights'. 11 October.

IvyPanda . 2020. "Workplace Health and Safety: The Protection of Employees’ Rights." October 11, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/workplace-health-and-safety/.

1. IvyPanda . "Workplace Health and Safety: The Protection of Employees’ Rights." October 11, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/workplace-health-and-safety/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Workplace Health and Safety: The Protection of Employees’ Rights." October 11, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/workplace-health-and-safety/.

• The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
• A Critical Discussion of the Family Medical Leave Act
• Computer Tech Company’s Medical Leave Problem
• Family and Medical Leave Act in the Workplace
• Family and Medical Leave Act in Practice
• Family Medical Leave Act
• The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
• Unpaid Internships and Labor Policies
• OSHA recommendations regarding workplace safety
• OSHA Guidelines on Workplace Violence
• Strategic Program for the Employees Safety
• Hofstede's Dimensions Impact on the HR Program
• Apple and Samsung Companies: HR Practices
• The Influence of HR on Mergers and Acquisitions
• International Business and Domestic Culture

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• Frequently asked questions
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• Occupational Medicine Residency
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• Occupational Health at the Human-Animal Interface
• Work and Health Graduate Certificate
• Publications
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• Continuing Education

Real-world experiences from the OHS practice community & Mongolia

April 5, 2024

The Occupational Health and Safety Continuing Education Programs hosted 23 professionals from Mongolia for a special 4-day Road Construction Safety Training in early March.  Robin Smith, Interwest Construction LLC and Mallorie Davies, WA & Northern Idaho District Council of Laborers provided these professionals resources and training on best practices for making work zones safer.  In addition, Rocco Meraglia, Cashman Global (HSE & Security) Management LLC, discussed how to conduct incident investigations that focus on identifying root causes to prevent injuries and illnesses on job sites. Phil Larson and Brian Van at Atkinson Construction hosted a site visit where our visitors observed attenuator trucks, barricades, heavy machinery, and safe work zones involved in road construction. This event marks the third year collaborating with Bolormaa Tserendash, at the Evergreen Human Resource Institute, who has experience coordinating training for Mongolian workers in the United States along with Tserernpurev Batdelger, Federation of Mongolian Road Workers Trade Unions. Grace Price, an NWCOHS Industrial Hygiene trainee, participated in the site visit and wrote a self-reflection on her experience.

NWCOHS trainee reflects on participating in the site visit 

I was lucky to attend the site visit with the visiting delegation of policymakers, union representatives, and construction professionals from Mongolia. As a group, we heard insights into pre-activity planning, near-miss reporting, and maintaining worker safety on large-scale road construction projects from the safety managers at Atkinson Construction. We also toured the equipment lot to get a closer look at the cones and arrow boards used to direct traffic through a construction zone, and the TMAs (truck-mounted attenuators) that provide a crash cushion to protect workers from vehicle collisions. Our group also got to visit an overpass construction site in Fife, Washington, where workers were laying rebar and preparing the concrete bed for a road that will eventually connect the Port of Tacoma directly to the warehousing district, circumventing the downtown and residential streets that are currently being used to transport goods.

Unique road construction safety concerns

As an Occupational Hygiene student and NWCOHS trainee, this was an especially interesting site visit for me. I have visited many different types of workplaces where the primary concerns are elements such as machine guarding or hazardous chemicals that must be controlled to maintain worker safety. At the construction site, some of the biggest threats to worker wellbeing are distracted drivers passing by. This requires a different, more adaptable approach to protecting workers on the job. Workers and safety managers must be vigilant and prepared for ever-changing weather and traffic conditions to stay safe while completing crucial infrastructure projects. While outside elements, such as passing cars, cannot be controlled to the same degree as more predictable hazards, it is clear that the road construction industry has made major technological advances in safety since the original construction of the interstate system. While there was not a dedicated safety professional at the site we visited, our guides informed us that every worker on site is highly trained in safety, and it is a communal effort to ensure a safe worksite.

International knowledge sharing 

In conversation with the representatives from Mongolia, it was fascinating to learn there are only two major modern roads that cross their country. The remainder of car travel requires driving through unpaved grasslands. It is exciting that Mongolia is preparing to expand its road infrastructure connecting remote regions to urbanized areas, and inspiring that the construction leaders are taking the time to learn about established safety measures developed over the last several decades by the US construction industry. Talking with the delegates opened my mind to the unique perspectives and challenges faced by workers and safety professionals in countries that are rapidly urbanizing. I will take this experience with me into my professional career. The longstanding partnership between the Mongolian representatives and the Northwest Center demonstrates worker wellbeing and safety as an increasingly paramount consideration across cultures. I learned a lot from my participation!

Cover image: iSTock, Daniel Avram.

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