Learning to adapt health and safety initiatives from mega projects: an Olympic case study

Finding new ways to improve health and safety management in construction continues to generate much interest. Despite a reduction in deaths, injuries and ill health in recent years, UK construction still has high rates of fatal and major injuries compared to other industries. One of the key concerns is the difficulty of organisational learning in construction manifested as reactive responses to health and safety issues. The Olympic Delivery Authority launched a learning legacy programme in conjunction with industry, government and academia to capture important lessons learnt in a number of areas, including health and safety. Communication has long been considered an important factor in the implementation of health and safety initiatives. Previous research has typically focused on programmes run by single organisations. The London 2012 Olympic Park construction project offered a unique opportunity to investigate the impact of safety initiatives and communication across a range of organisations working side by side. It also offered an exciting opportunity to track health and safety messages as they are communicated to the workforce. The main aim of this research project was to evaluate the range of health and safety initiatives used at the Olympic Park in terms of messages communicated to workers, workers’ awareness, attitude and behaviour, and the transfer of knowledge within and outside the Park. A semistructured inventory was used to survey the workforce (managers, supervisors and workers) using interviews and focus groups on seven Park sites. A follow-up survey was conducted after three months, at which time interviews and focus groups were also held at non-Olympic comparison sites. Data were also collected through the observation of meetings and document review. The data were analysed using template analysis in line with the communication–human information processing (C–HIP) model. The transfer of knowledge into and out of the Olympic Park, and the impact of the communication processes on workers, were key issues identified from the analysis. The results were used to produce industry recommendations that are applicable beyond the realm of a mega project. Important recommendations include, but are not limited to, the important role of the client, the need for planning and the focus on workers’ comprehension and safety behaviour. The most important recommendation was that methods used at the Olympic Park should be used on more traditional projects

Toward a Biocommunicable Cartography of Health Decision-Making in the Amazon Basin of Ecuador

This paper comprises a critical, ethnographic study of health communication in a rural community of Amazonian Ecuador. By synthesizing approaches from anthropology, discourse studies, and public health, the study explores how conversations influence health decisions, how communities understand health systems, and how macrostructural discourse changes the political economy of healthcare in Ecuador. My work draws on the recent theoretical development of ‘biocommunicability’ in anthropology as well as earlier sociological research on knowledge construction. Most importantly, this paper offers a critique of current interventions by NGOs in the region

Education on climate risks and their implications for health

The paper presents a descriptive study that analyzes the relationship between science and common culture in the social representations of problems arising from climate change, stressing the importance of promoting adequate communication and education on climate risks and their implications for health. The global climate change on Earth due to natural and anthropogenic causes that occurs at different time scales is a matter of controversy among scientists, policy makers and especially among ordinary citizens who are informed, generally, for the most common means of communication, creating a common culture in relation to this aspect that reveals very interesting facts about what is meant and is known for Climate Change and the consequences that such knowledge can lead to mitigate or otherwise increase. The construction of the common culture on climate change and the problems that entails is comprised of different construction way scientific element; so that knowledge of the common culture on Climate Change can improve education and communication about the threat of it to health. The study was conducted from the selection of a significant sample of 512 university students taking as independent variables the branch of knowledge and the course. Has been used as a tool for data collection a questionnaire with 45 questions of closed type, of which the first 32 questions are made with the intention of assessing students' knowledge regarding Climate Change and the remaining 13 questions are related personal and subjective aspectsThis paper is part of the research RESCLIMA project supported by the Ministry of Economy & Competitiveness, Government of Spain (EDU2015-63572-P)S

Developing a worker engagement maturity model for improving occupational safety and health (OSH) in construction

Research on worker engagement (WE) has identified the increased importance of meaningful discussion, communication, knowledge sharing, and shared decision-making regarding occupational safety and health (OSH) practices within the construction industry. This paper reports on initial findings on the development of a meaningful discussion framework for improving OSH and engagement of the construction workforce. The main purpose of the framework is to rank levels of discussion amongst construction operatives and supervisors related to positive performance at work and enhancement of OSH. This reflects the legal and ethical requirements for management to collaborate with the construction workforce for the improvement of OSH. For effective WE in OSH to become the norm, the effectiveness of corporate OSH engagement programmes needs to be assessed using a valid and reliable tool. Also, there is a need for a practice-driven and -validated worker engagement maturity model (meaningful discussion framework) that not only identifies and aligns with existing organisational capabilities, as shown in the HSE leadership and worker involvement research, but also addresses a set of dimensions specifically targeted at construction workers. The methods used to develop the framework discussed here involved qualitative interviews to gain accounts of episodes of worker engagement, which were categorised using NVivo and ranked based on feedback from expert focus groups. The meaningful discussion framework highlights the link that higher levels of worker and organisational maturity can have with higher levels of construction OSH performance. This is based on a number of logically progressive worker maturity levels, where higher levels build on the requirements of already existing levels, from discussing issues affecting individual workers to issues that affect other workers, and ultimately to issues “beyond the site gate”, such as design processes. Final validation testing of the model will be reported on at a later date

‘娩’ 与 ‘通’: Migrant Ethnic Chinese Mothers’ Intercultural Communication Experiences with Their Maternity-Care and Health Providers in New Zealand

In the transition to motherhood after migration, ethnic Chinese mothers in New Zealand experience different health and support systems compared to the ones they have knowledge of in China. At the same time, New Zealand maternity-care and health providers find communicating with Chinese mothers a challenge as their knowledge of childbirth, culture, and communication is different to that of Chinese mothers. In examining the contested discourses of maternity care in New Zealand, and the lopsided dimensions of power embedded in them, this thesis focuses on culture and communication as crucial components of the processes and practices of childbirth. As a migrant ethnic Chinese mother in New Zealand, I weave my experiences with those of others to understand how Chinese mothers go through childbirth. In parallel, I speak to maternity-care and health providers in the country and observe how they deliver services to this group of women, their children and their families. In doing so, I unravel the communicative processes of socialising Chinese mothers and the role of culture in influencing Chinese mothers’ understanding and reactions towards ‘娩’ [childbirth] and ‘通’ [communication] with their maternity-care and health providers in New Zealand. The key research questions underpinning my study on understanding and interpreting the intercultural communication experiences between Chinese mothers and their maternity-care and health providers include: • What are the cultural values of Chinese mothers towards childbirth and communication, and how do these values affect their responses to New Zealand’s mainstream discourses in the larger health context; • What are the perceptions and experiences of Chinese mothers during health communication; • What is the role of power in influencing their health communication; • How do Chinese mothers (re)negotiate and (re)construct their values and knowledge of childbirth and communication in interactions with maternity-care and health providers and other groups; and • What is the role of health management structures and practices in facilitating the childbirth process for Chinese mothers and their families? I develop a theoretical framework – a matrix of difference – which encapsulates key tenets of social constructionism, postcolonialism, and Third World feminism. The matrix guides me to go beyond interpreting the superficial layers of intercultural communication experiences into exploring the complexities and tensions of these experiences within socio-cultural, gendered, and postcolonial contexts. Conceptions of language, values, agency, and identity emphasised in the matrix help map my research analysis. I use the snowball technique (Patton, 2002) to invite participants, including ethnic Chinese mothers-to-be and maternity-care and health providers. I interview them, observe communication interactions among them and keep a reflexive journal of my journey to record the participants’ and my own stories of the cultural and communicative dimensions of pregnancy, childbirth, and maternity health care. To describe, explain and critique how dominant discourses influence socially shared knowledge (van Dijk, 1998), I use the critical discourse analysis (CDA) approach to analyse texts, discourses, and discursive construction (Fairclough, 1995; 2003). The research findings demonstrate that values in the discourses of Chinese maternity and health care systems are considerably different from those of New Zealand’s maternity and health care systems. Whereas Chinese discourses appear to advance medicalisation, safety of childbirth and directive communication between doctors and patients, New Zealand discourses tend to promote natural childbirth, consumer culture, and partnership-based communication between health customers and facilitators. Meanwhile, different languages and cultures express subjective realities and different expectations towards a trusting relationship. As a result of these differences, many Chinese mothers experience challenges of fitting in with mainstream New Zealand discourses. These mothers struggle with accessing information and participating in decision making and many feel ‘othered’ due to language barriers, different values of childbirth and communication, and different cultural expectations. Dominant discourses in contemporary New Zealand maternity and health care systems tend to marginalise and suppress ‘other’ structures of knowledge production. In critiquing these taken-for-granted mainstream discourses, my thesis makes a case for a more diverse communication climate in the maternity health care sector that incorporates multiple and subjective worldviews, languages, values, knowledge, and identities. By integrating strands of social constructionist, postcolonial, and Third World feminist approaches, this research makes theoretical, methodological, and practical contributions to the study of health communication and intercultural communication. These contributions are valid not only in the health sector but can also be transferred to other relevant sectors in which people and institutions have to deal with intercultural communication challenges

Flying with the Storks: Communication, Culture, and Dialoguing Knowledge(s) in Prenatal Care

Approximately 6 million women in the U.S. become pregnant every year. Over 4 million give birth. Over 1 million babies annually are born with low birth weights or prematurely - phenomena, statistically linked to both lack of adequate prenatal care and to worsened health outcomes (www.americanpregnancy.org). Additionally, maternity care in the U.S. has been called a human rights failure (Bingham, Strauss, Coeytaux, 2011, p. 189), referring to the trend of increasing maternal mortality, despite the fact that child-birth related expenses in the U.S. are the highest healthcare expense in the country and are also much higher compared to other industrialized countries. In this context, the dissertation presented here looks at the construction and negotiation of pregnancy and prenatal care knowledge. Fusing performative, narrative, autoethnographic, and dialogic methodologies, the text looks at and performs interpersonal interactions occurring in varying contexts of pregnancy. The dissertation puts different voices and cultural knowledges in dialogue with one another in order to explore the communicative construction of dominant/authoritative knowledge (Jordan, 1997) and the subjugation of other knowledge streams. I look at health and health care as everyday phenomena, not limited to clinical contexts. Finally, based on this consideration, I propose a relational model of health communication

Assessment of Strategic Messages Communicated for Sustainable Solid Waste Management: A Study of Migori County, Kenya

Solid waste management has become great concern for governments and cities due to its effects on health, environment and climate change. The aim of sustainable solid waste management (SSWM) is to achieve circular economy and realize sustainable development goals. Communication plays a significant role in empowering communities with knowledge, influencing behaviour and promoting collaboration on waste management between governments and communities. Past research shows indiscriminate dumping of waste and inadequate knowledge on how to manage solid waste including reduce, reuse and recycle waste among communities in Africa. However, there is limited focus in research on messages communicated for SSWM. This study sought to assess strategic messages communicated for SSWM and media used in the communication. The study conducted in Migori county Kenya, using a mixed methods approach involved a total of 399 town residents sampled using purposive, stratified, and simple random sampling techniques. The study found lack of focus on strategic messages for SSWM in the communication by Migori county government. Communication is uncoordinated, conducted in public meetings, local radio, and by waste management supervisors. Most community members lack knowledge on SSWM practices. The study recommends communication of strategic messages for SSWM to improve community knowledge of SSWM; communication using participatory media accessible to the community; and inclusion of community knowledge in the construction of strategic messages for SSWM. Keywords:Strategic, Message, Sustainable Solid Waste Management, Community, Participatory Communication. DOI: 10.7176/NMMC/97-02 Publication date:August 31st 202

“Everywhere we go, people seem to know” : mad students and Knowledge construction of mental illness in higher education

Psychological wellbeing has received attention from academics and policymakers worldwide. Initiatives to improve psychoeducation, campaigns to raise awareness, and charity projects have been established as part of efforts to change public attitudes and behaviors toward mental health problems. The common goal of these initiatives is the prevention of mental health problems in order to reduce the global burden of mental health disease. Some target groups have benefited from such initiatives. However, little attention has been paid to side effects—including harm—of widespread knowledge sharing that is not accompanied by appropriate action. Young adults may be less afraid than older adults to disclose mental health illness and share their lived experiences of mental health. Like older adults, students try to protect their autonomy and privacy in disclosing mental health problems and associated diagnoses. However, many young adults view self-disclosure as a request for help. Confronted with rising demand to support students’ psychological well-being, many higher education providers have launched initiatives to improve students’ knowledge about mental illness. Instead of making assumptions about what students need to know in order to improve their overall psychological wellbeing, we asked ‘Mad students’ (that is, students who identify as mentally ill) about their knowledge construction and management of mental illness. Analyzing this process highlights that mental health promotion is more complicated than sharing appropriate information or applying effective strategies. Knowledge sharing has improved public knowledge of mental illness. However, mental health promotion that omits simple communication about expectations and needs around mental health, to co-produce a shared knowledge base, may lead to misunderstanding and failure in meeting the needs of target groups

EDUCATIONAL COMMUNICATION IN MEDICAL SCIENCES STUDENTS

Introduction: Taking into account the importance of communication in the school environment for the acquisition of knowledge by the subject, an investigation was developed based on the search for aspects related to educational communication in students of the Faculty of Medical Sciences 10 de Octubre that serve as material for teachers and students in their work with patients, relatives, and their interpersonal relationships,  identifying the conditioning factors in an adequate communicative/educational relationship. Procedure: The study was carried out with a qualitative approach, theoretical methods such as documentary analysis, systematization, and historical-logical analysis are used, which will lead to the Objective: to propose educational communication in health in medical science students. Results: The fundamentals of the Communication and Pedagogical Sciences, made it possible to understand that it is necessary to envision learning as a process of interaction and dialogue that allows the construction of knowledge by the subject from his active and reflective intervention.   Global Considerations: The relationship between communication and education, is a system of influences that aims to achieve the socialization of the individual from the interests and values ​​of a society, in a given context

Comparing safety intelligence in air traffic management and construction: A conceptual comparison

Although safety interventions targeted at managers or supervisors are believed to be the most effective leverage for change, the mechanisms involved in developing and propagating a positive safety culture are poorly understood. “Safety Intelligence” was first proposed by Kirwan in 2008 as a response to growing disillusionment with safety culture, focusing on recruiting and equipping leaders with the personal attributes, skills, and knowledge required to positively influence safety in their organizations. So far Safety Intelligence has only been studied within air traffic management, but opening up the construct and exploring its relevance to managing complex and hazardous construction projects offers new theoretical directions for occupational safety and health research in the sector. Existing studies of safety-related leadership competences in the US, UK, Australian, and Danish construction industries were reviewed in light of the Safety Intelligence model. These studies have explored specific competences including knowledge; communication; leadership style; emotional intelligence; and emotional expression. By comparing these competences with those of Safety Intelligent leaders within the ultra-safe, highly reliable environment of air traffic management, the differences between the leadership styles required to cope with the differing priorities of the two sectors were highlighted. Safety Intelligent supervisors promote a just culture, empowerment and collaboration with members, proactivity, and communication – aspects of leadership which are difficult to achieve, but have nonetheless been shown to contribute to safe construction. Safety intelligence therefore holds considerable promise for improving safety in construction projects