Agriculture in transition: New strategies for the promotion of occupational health and safety.

It is well documented that farming is a high-risk industry in terms of fatalities and injuries, and with numerous risk factors associated with operating the farm. It has also proved difficult to find evidence for the effectiveness of interventions. Moreover, farming is in transition, with ongoing technological transformations as well as becoming increasingly more globalized. Thus, new perspectives that allow for more systemic understandings in the management and promotion of occupational health and safety (OHS) are needed. Our main objective is to present an integrated theoretical understanding of the farm as an enterprise and an integrated element in the political-economic agricultural system. The main question is how can farmers organize and manage the farm, in order to simultaneously improve efficiency, quality and OHS based on systemic models for OHS and a systemic understanding of the political-economical system of Norwegian agriculture? The framework is adapted to the Norwegian agricultural context, with ongoing transformations both technologically and organizationally, including visions and plans set by Norwegian agriculture itself. However, the framework can be applied irrespective of national context.submittedVersio

Agriculture in transition: New strategies for the promotion of occupational health and safety.

It is well documented that farming is a high-risk industry in terms of fatalities and injuries, and with numerous risk factors associated with operating the farm. It has also proved difficult to find evidence for the effectiveness of interventions. Moreover, farming is in transition, with ongoing technological transformations as well as becoming increasingly more globalized. Thus, new perspectives that allow for more systemic understandings in the management and promotion of occupational health and safety (OHS) are needed. Our main objective is to present an integrated theoretical understanding of the farm as an enterprise and an integrated element in the political-economic agricultural system. The main question is how can farmers organize and manage the farm, in order to simultaneously improve efficiency, quality and OHS based on systemic models for OHS and a systemic understanding of the political-economical system of Norwegian agriculture? The framework is adapted to the Norwegian agricultural context, with ongoing transformations both technologically and organizationally, including visions and plans set by Norwegian agriculture itself. However, the framework can be applied irrespective of national context.submittedVersio

Incorporating epistemic uncertainty into the safety assurance of socio-technical systems

In system development, epistemic uncertainty is an ever-present possibility when reasoning about the causal factors during hazard analysis. Such uncertainty is common when complicated systems interact with one another, and it is dangerous because it impairs hazard analysis and thus increases the chance of overlooking unsafe situations. Uncertainty around causation thus needs to be managed well. Unfortunately, existing hazard analysis techniques tend to ignore unknown uncertainties, and system stakeholders rarely track known uncertainties well through the system lifecycle. In this paper, we outline an approach to managing epistemic uncertainty in existing hazard analysis techniques by focusing on known and unknown uncertainty. We have created a reference populated with a wide range of safety-critical causal relationships to recognise unknown uncertainty, and we have developed a model to systematically capture and track known uncertainty around such factors. We have also defined a process for using the reference and model to assess possible causal factors that are suspected during hazard analysis. To assess the applicability of our approach, we have analysed the widely-used MoDAF architectural model and determined that there is potential for our approach to identify additional causal factors that are not apparent from individual MoDAF views. We have also reviewed an existing safety assessment example (the ARP4761 Aircraft System analysis) and determined that our approach could indeed be incorporated into that process. We have also integrated our approach into the STPA hazard analysis technique to demonstrate its feasibility to incorporate into existing techniques. It is therefore plausible that our approach can increase safety assurance provided by hazard analysis in the face of epistemic uncertainty

How do health service professionals consider human factors when purchasing interactive medical devices? A qualitative interview study

We present findings of a UK study into how those involved in purchasing interactive medical devices go about evaluating usability, the challenges that arise, and opportunities for improvement. The study focused on procurement of infusion devices because these are used by various professionals across healthcare. A semi-structured interview study was carried out involving a range of stakeholders (20 in total) involved in or impacted by medical device procurement. Data was analysed using thematic analysis, a qualitative method designed to support the identification, analysis and reporting of patterns. In principle, health service purchasing was found to accommodate consideration of equipment usability. In practice, the evaluation process was driven primarily by engineering standards; assessment of local needs did not accommodate substantive assessment of usability; and choice was limited by the availability of equipment on the marketplace. We discuss ways in which purchasing could be improved through techniques that account for social circumstances

Tahap kepuasan staf terhadap persekitaran dan sistem kerja di fakulti kejuruteraan awam UiTM Cawangan Pahang / Rohaya Alias, Nor Maslina Mohsan and Siti Hawa Rosli

Kepuasan pekerja terhadap persekitaran dan sistem kerja merupakan elemen penting yang dapat memberi impak kepada prestasi dan produktiviti sesebuah organisasi. Justeru itu, amat penting bagi setiap organisasi mengetahui tahap kepuasan pekerjanya terhadap persekitaran dan sistem kerja agar semua matlamat dan objektif organisasi dapat dicapai. Kajian ini dijalankan bertujuan untuk menentukan tahap kepuasan staf di Fakulti Kejuruteraan Awam (FKA) UiTM cawangan Pahang terhadap persekitaran dan sistem kerja. Kajian ini menggunakan kaedah kuantitatif iaitu mendapatkan data dengan menggunakan soal selidik. Soal selidik diedarkan kepada semua staf FKA iaitu melibatkan seramai 45 responden. Seterusnya, data yang diperolehi dianalisa untuk mendapatkan keputusan. Hasil kajian mendapati responden berpuas hati dengan keseluruhan persekitaran dan sistem kerja (54%). Perkara yang paling ramai responden sangat berpuas hati adalah mengenai ruang dan perabot yang disediakan di pejabat. Manakala perkara yang paling ramai responden tidak berpuas hati adalah berkenaan dengan kelengkapan/mesin yang disediakan di pejabat. Terdapat beberapa cadangan turut dikemukakan oleh responden. Kesimpulannya, kelemahan dari segi persekitaran dan sistem kerja yang telah didapati melalui kajian ini boleh diketengahkan kepada pengurusan tertinggi UiTM cawangan Pahang untuk penambahbaikan. Dengan adanya tindakan penambahbaikan yang bakal dilakukan, prestasi kerja staf FKA akan dapat dipertingkatkan

Faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi prestasi kerja di syarikat xyz

The many successes and excellences that have been shown by this XYZ Company since its inception. Despite the many successes the company has earned, there are also problems that occur in the company as a result of their individual and organizational performance. In this regard, the purpose of the study is to evaluate the factors that contribute to the improvement and reduction of work performance among its employees and to see the demographic differences and the relationship with work performance. This study consists of quantitative research using survey method (questionnaire). Collecting data through questionnaires involved 216 samples among supervisory staff at XYZ Company. Data obtained in this study were then analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 23.0. The results show that the overall performance level among employees in XYZ Company is high. In relation to the differences between demographics and work performance shows that there is no significant difference. In contrast, the relationship between performance work and its factors shows that it has a significant relationship. Therefore, these new findings can be used as references to renewing or improving the policies, policies and charter of companies such as making planning training by making more structured training and as inputs to identify the needs or capacity of human resources will increase in the future

Sleep-Related Problems and Associations with Occupational Factors among Home Care Personnel

Recent demographic developments in Europe have increased the demand for home care. Working in other people’s home environment is challenging. Home care personnel’s musculoskeletal disorders are common, and care personnel overall often have sleep disturbances. In this study, associations between occupational physical and psychosocial factors and possible sleep-related problems among home care personnel were explored using a questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed to 19 workplaces in Stockholm County in 2017–2019, and 665 home care personnel answered. Several factors, including job contentment, physical burden of care, client-related burnout, quantitative demands, and pain, were significantly associated with sleep-related problems. The results highlight the need for implementing measures to improve psychosocial and organizational working conditions in home care service

Sociotechnical Factors Influencing Unsafe Use Of Hospital Information Systems:A Qualitative Study In Malaysian Government Hospitals

The objective of this study is to identify factors influencing unsafe use of hospital information systems in Malaysian government hospitals.Semi-structured interviews with 31 medical doctors in three Malaysian government hospitals implementing total hospital information systems were conducted between March and May 2015.A thematic qualitative analysis was performed on the resultant data to deduce the relevant themes.A total of five themes emerged as the factors influencing unsafe use of a hospital information system:(1)knowledge,(2)system quality,(3) task stressor,(4) organization resources,and (5) teamwork.These qualitative findings highlight that factors influencing unsafe use of a hospital information system originate from multidimensional sociotechnical aspects.Unsafe use of a hospital information system could possibly lead to the incidence of errors and thus raises safety risks to the patients.Hence,multiple interventions (e.g. technology systems and teamwork) are required in shaping high-quality hospital information system use