How owners determine if the social and behavioral needs of their horses are being met: Findings from an Australian online survey

Thompson, KR ORCiD: 0000-0002-2758-6537Horse owners and carers are responsible for judging the health and welfare status of animals in their care, deciding if and when professional advice should be sought and following any recommendations for treatment. However, little is known about how horse owners perceive and determine the well-being of horses in their care, or the themes that inform their beliefs about the social and behavioural requirements of horses. In this article, we present findings of an online survey of horse owners in Australia to consider if horse owners and carers believe the horses in their care have their social and behavioural needs met, how they know, and what improvements they would like to see. Most participants believed that their horses had their social and behavioural needs met, mostly because they had company from another horse, lived in a paddock situation, and/or had contact with another horse. When discussing the improvements they would like to make, participants noted more company, increased paddock time and size, and more/improved training. The extended free-text responses suggest that four themes impact the beliefs and decision-making of horse owners/carers: work, outings, interaction, and nature. We discuss these in relation to the potential for anthropomorphism to have a positive impact on horses’ well-being, when integrated into a sophisticated behaviour change and social marketing strategy that communicates the ways in which horses and humans are different and the ways in which they are alike. © 2018 Elsevier Inc

Alcohol in the lives of Australian Rules football fans: Social meanings and public health implications

Thompson, KR ORCiD: 0000-0002-2758-6537This research project, Alcohol in ttie lives of Australian Rules football fans: Social meanings and public health implications, set out to explore the place of alcohol in the lives of football fans in South Australia and to provide recommendations for the football community to reduce harms and maximise benefits associated with alcohol. It used interviews, focus groups, and participant observation during the 2005 South Australian National Football League (SANFL) season

Tarzan travellers : Australian rail passenger perspectives of the design of handholds in carriages

Thompson, KR ORCiD: 0000-0002-2758-6537Background: The efficiency of running a metropolitan railway in part relates to the number of people that can be accommodated on trains and platforms and the time taken for boarding and alighting. However, the crowd density tolerance and experience of rail-users is not well understood, especially in an Australian context. In particular, there has been little consideration of the impact of small features, such as handholds within the larger scope of carriage design on passenger tolerance and engagement within the physical carriage environment during peak periods. Aims: This paper provides an understanding of the ways in which passengers experience crowding and make crowding-related choices with regards to the design and location of handholds as a cheap, yet effective way of upgrading rolling stock. Method: A mixed methods study of platform and carriage crowding was undertaken across five Australian capital cities between 2009- 2010. A qualitative phase used participant-observation and focus groups to gain an understanding of passenger experiences and travel opinions. In total 179 people participated in the focus groups. A quantitative phase followed the qualitative research. There were 1,800 respondents who participated in an online stated preference choice experiment. This paper draws from the results from the qualitative phase. Results and conclusions: We found that handholds had a significant impact on passenger experience and tolerance of crowding. In particular, passengers preferred secure, hygienic and evenly distributed holds within the carriage. It was found that these features maximised both their physical and emotional safety

Perceptions of safety information in nurses' understanding of manual handling: Preliminary findings

Thompson, KR ORCiD: 0000-0002-2758-6537This paper aims to describe how nurses use safety information to inform their manual handling practices

Putting safety in the frame nurses' sensemaking at work /

Current patient safety policy focuses nursing on patient care goals, often overriding nurses’ safety. Without understanding how nurses construct work health and safety (WHS), patient and nurse safety cannot be reconciled. Using ethnography, we examine social contexts of safety, studying 72 nurses across five Australian hospitals making decisions during patient encounters. In enacting safe practice, nurses used “frames” built from their contextual experiences to guide their behavior. Frames are produced by nurses, and they structure how nurses make sense of their work. Using thematic analysis, we identify four frames that inform nurses’ decisions about WHS: (a) communicating builds knowledge, (b) experiencing situations guides decisions, (c) adapting procedures streamlines work, and (d) team working promotes safe working. Nurses’ frames question current policy and practice by challenging how nurses’ safety is positioned relative to patient safety. Recognizing these frames can assist the design and implementation of effective WHS management

Fatigue proofing : the role of protective behaviours in mediating fatigue-related risk in a defence aviation environment

Dawson, D ORCiD: 0000-0001-7385-5630; Thomas, MJ ORCiD: 0000-0002-5553-5825; Thompson, KR ORCiD: 0000-0002-2758-6537In the military or emergency services, operational requirements and/or community expectations often preclude formal prescriptive working time arrangements as a practical means of reducing fatigue-related risk. In these environments, workers sometimes employ adaptive or protective behaviours informally to reduce the risk (i.e. likelihood or consequence) associated with a fatigue-related error. These informal behaviours enable employees to reduce risk while continuing to work while fatigued. In this study, we documented the use of informal protective behaviours in a group of defence aviation personnel including flight crews. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to determine whether and which protective behaviours were used to mitigate fatigue-related error. The 18 participants were from aviation-specific trades and included aircrew (pilots and air-crewman) and aviation maintenance personnel (aeronautical engineers and maintenance personnel). Participants identified 147 ways in which they and/or others act to reduce the likelihood or consequence of a fatigue-related error. These formed seven categories of fatigue-reduction strategies. The two most novel categories are discussed in this paper: task-related and behaviour-based strategies. Broadly speaking, these results indicate that fatigued military flight and maintenance crews use protective ‘fatigue-proofing’ behaviours to reduce the likelihood and/or consequence of fatigue-related error and were aware of the potential benefits. It is also important to note that these behaviours are not typically part of the formal safety management system. Rather, they have evolved spontaneously as part of the culture around protecting team performance under adverse operating conditions. When compared with previous similar studies, aviation personnel were more readily able to understand the idea of fatigue proofing than those from a fire-fighting background. These differences were thought to reflect different cultural attitudes toward error and formal training using principles of Crew Resource Management and Threat and Error Management

A Survey-Based Analysis of Injuries to Horses Associated with Transport by Road in New Zealand

Negative outcomes associated with the road transport of horses are a significant welfare issue. This study aimed to describe the injuries sustained by horses during road transport in New Zealand and factors associated with trauma while in transit. New Zealand horse industry participants were surveyed on their horse transport experiences and equine industry involvement. Participants were solicited through horse organisations. The data were tabulated, and a logistic regression was performed to identify significant (p < 0.05) factors associated with transport-related injury. In total, 201/1133 (17.7%/2 years) eligible surveys reported at least one horse injured during road transport. Most incidents occurred in transit (137/169; 81%), or when transported with one (76/193; 39.4%) or more (41/193; 21.2%) other horses. Most commonly, the hindlimbs, the head, or the forelimbs were injured (59.1%; 110/186 horses), ranging in severity from bruises to catastrophic orthopaedic trauma necessitating euthanasia. Eventing, not always checking horses’ fitness for transport, using a tail guard or bandage, a stallion guard in the vehicle, bedding type on the floor, and behavioural problems were associated with injuries. This survey identified a significant incidence of injury and related death when horses are transported by road in New Zealand, and the key risk factors associated with the odds of injury

The ethics of food charity

Societal struggles for food security are not new (Allen 1999). Throughout history, ancient civilizations frequently rose to power and collapsed based on their capacity to produce and sustain a secure and stable food supply (Busch and Lacy 1984). As Hopkins and Puchala note, “securing adequate food is one of the oldest problems confronting political institutions” (1978, pp. 3–4). In almost every “industrialized” country, the state has been increasingly shedding its responsibilities for social welfare. In five such countries – the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand – governments have been changing welfare systems while neglecting the growing issues of hunger and food insecurity (Allen 1999; Riches 1989, 1997). The gaps have been filled instead by emergency food relief programs, such as food banks as well as soup kitchens and food pantries

The challenges of managing animals and their owners in disasters : perspectives of Australian response organisations and stakeholders

This paper documents the findings of a comprehensive national survey of Australian response organisations and other relevant stakeholders involved in the management of animals and their owners in emergencies and disasters. The aim of the study was to identify and prioritise the challenges encountered by these organisations in the management of animals and animal owners. In addition, attitudes towards organisational responsibility for the management of animals in emergencies and awareness of relevant emergency response and recovery arrangements were sought. A sample of 98 respondents representing 68 organisations from all Australian states and territories were surveyed. The main challenges identified in the management of animals and their owners were in the logistics of animal management (personnel and equipment), the physical management and rescue of animals, interactions with owners during emergency response, and post-emergency impacts on the management of animals and their owners (distress and emotional issues). As would be expected, different categories of organisations and stakeholders experienced different challenges. Issues were reported across all categories irrespective of their formally-assigned roles and responsibilities in this area

Fluctuation and Motivation System in the Selected Company

Diplomová práce se zabývá tématikou identifikace motivačních a demotivačních faktorů a s tím spojené vysoké fluktuace ve vybrané společnosti. Práce je rozdělena na tři části a to teoretickou, analytickou a návrhovou. Teoretická část se věnuje vysvětlení pojmům motivace, fluktuace, spokojenosti zaměstnanců a odměňování. Analytická část je zaměřena nejprve na popis vybrané společnosti a jeho současný motivační a odměňovaní systém. Dále je zde interpretovaný výzkum vybrané problematiky. V závěrečné části jsou prezentovány návrhy na zlepšení aktuální situace na základě výsledků výzkumu mezi aktuálními a již bývalými zaměstnanci.This diploma thesis deals with the topis of the motivation and demotivation factors and associated high fluctuations in selected company. The thesis is divided into three parts: theoretical, analytical and own proposal. The theoretical part is devoted to explaining the concepts of motivation, fluctuation, employee satisfaction and remuneration. Analytical part focuses first on the description of the selected company and its current incentive and compensation system. There is also an interpreted research on selected issues. The final part presents proposals for improving the current situation based on the results of research among current and former employees.