Exposure to wet-work in working Australians

Background. The Australian National Hazard Exposure Worker Surveillance (NHEWS) Survey 2008 was a cross-sectional survey undertaken by Safe Work Australia to inform the development of exposure prevention initiatives for occupational disease. This is a descriptive study of workplace exposures. Objectives. To assess the occupational and demographic characteristics of workers reporting exposure to wet work. Methods. Computer-assisted telephone interviews were conducted with 4500 workers. Two wet work exposure outcomes (frequent washing of hands and duration of time spent at work with the hands immersed in liquids) were analysed. Results. The response rate for the study was 42.3%. For hand-washing, 9.8% [95% confidence interval (CI) 8.9–10.7] reported washing their hands more than 20 times per day. For immersion of hands in liquids, 4.5% (95% CI 3.9–5.1) reported immersion for more than 2 hr per day. Females were more likely to report exposure to frequent hand-washing than males [odds ratio (OR) 1.97, 95% CI 1.49–2.61]. Workers in the lowest occupational skill level jobs were more likely to report increased exposure to hands immersed in liquids than those in the highest (OR 6.41, 95% CI 3.78–10.88). Workers reporting skin exposure to chemicals were more likely to report exposure to hand-washing (OR 3.68, 95% CI 2.91–4.66) and immersion of the hands in liquids (OR 4.09, 95% CI 2.92–5.74). Conclusions. Specific groups of workers reported high levels of exposure to wet work. There were differences between the profiles of workers reporting frequent hand-washing and workers reporting increased duration of exposure to hands immersed in liquids. We also found a high correlation between wet work and chemical exposure

Moments of speaking and silencing: Nurses share their experiences of manual handling in healthcare

Nursing care involves complex patient handling tasks, resulting in high musculoskeletal injury rates. Epidemiological studies from the 1980s estimated a lifetime prevalence of lower back injuries for nurses between 35 and 80%. National and international studies continue to mirror these findings. Despite the development of programs intended to reduce manual handling injuries, sustainable solutions remain elusive. This paper reports on a study of nurses speaking about their perspectives on current manual handling practices. Qualitative research conducted in 2012 investigated nurses’ perceptions and experiences relating to manual handling in the healthcare context and their participation in injury prevention programs. There were two research methods: semi-structured interviews and researcher reflective journaling. The research was framed in critical emancipatory methodology. Thirteen nurses from two Australian states participated in the study. Thematic analysis revealed an overarching theme of ‘power relations’ with a subcategory of ‘(mis)power’ that comprised two subthemes, these being ‘how to practice’ and ‘voicing practice issues’. Specifically, this paper explores nurses verbalising their views in the workplace and responses which left them feeling silenced, punished and disillusioned. The findings suggest that the socio-political context within which nurses practice impacts upon their ability to voice concerns or ideas related to manual handling. Inclusion of nurses in the manual handling dialogue may generate an expanded understanding of, and the potential to transform, manual handling practices in healthcare environments

Gender balance in Scottish Local Authority councils

Women make up over 40 per cent of community councillors in Scotland, however, evidence suggests that they are less likely to progress to local authority councils. This article investigates the barriers to wider engagement of women in participative democracy, and based on the analysis of empirical data suggests some ways of promoting a more equitable gender representation in Scottish local authority councils. The barriers identified by respondents include male incumbency, traditional perceptions of gender roles and the bad reputation of local politicians. The adversarial nature of politics, ‘political infighting’ and ‘backstabbing’ as well as a considerable level of misogyny were perceived as barriers against women’s participation, as well as a lack of confidence and lack of understanding of the role of the local councillor. Greater representation of women in public life is crucial in ensuring that women’s interests are represented in decision-making. Despite some views against positive action, the strategies to increase the number of women being selected and standing for local elections are seen as the most effective solution to the problem of under-representation of women on local councils. The presence of women in representative institutions may create role models and this is perceived to potentially lead to an increase of women’s participation. Women’s networks, within political parties or independent of them, are effective in sharing experience, skills and knowledge, so are mentoring and shadowing as well as other forms of informal learning. A number of practical solutions were identified throughout the project: an increase of the councillors’ allowance, availability of childcare facilities in local councils and family-friendly hours of council meetings are seen as potential incentives for women candidates

Psychosocial safety climate as a precursor to conducive work environments, psychological health problems, and employee engagement

We constructed a model of workplace psychosocial safety climate (PSC) to explain the origins of job demands and resources, worker psychological health, and employee engagement. PSC refers to policies, practices, and procedures for the protection of worker psychological health and safety. Using the job demands-resources framework, we hypothesized that PSC as an upstream organizational resource influenced largely by senior management, would precede the work context (i.e., job demands and resources) and would in turn predict psychological health and work engagement via mediation and moderation pathways. We operationalized PSC at the school level and tested meso-mediational models using two-level (longitudinal) hierarchical linear modelling in a sample of Australian education workers (N = 209-288). Data were repeated measures separated by 12 months, nested within 18 schools. PSC predicted change in individual psychological health problems (psychological distress, emotional exhaustion) through its relationship with individual job demands (work pressure and emotional demands). PSC moderated the relationship between emotional demands and emotional exhaustion. PSC predicted change in employee engagement, through its relationship with skill discretion. The results show that the PSC construct is a key upstream component of work stress theory and a logical intervention site for work stress intervention