Organizational and personal factors in occupational traffic injuries at work in Spain.

Objective Traffic crashes are one of the major causes of deaths at work. However, most of the literature on traffic crashes did not study the influence of worker and organization conditions. The current paper analyses the influence of the personal and organizational factors associated with the severity of occupational traffic crashes. Methods A total of 724,596 occupational traffic crashes that occurred in Spain from 2009 to 2019 were analyzed. Men suffered 59% of crashes registered, while workers younger than 30 represented 31.3% of crashes studied. Variables included in the Official Occupational Accident Report were analyzed using logistic regression calculating odds ratios. Results Results showed that a foreign, professional male driver from a small company who is older than 55 years was more likely to suffer a fatal crash. In contrast, a Spanish, nonprofessional female driver from a medium or big company who is younger than 30 years is more likely to suffer light consequences. Conclusions Findings from the current research could help to improve the safety training programmes in companies considering their personal and business variables such as age, gender, or company staff, especially in small companies. Future research should collect and analyze additional variables combining different data sources.The authors would like to acknowledge the Spanish Ministry of Labour and Social Economy for the anonymized data supplied for the current research

Gender differences in teachers' occupational accidents.

The authors stated that the main objective of the current research is to analyze the relationship between the gender of injured teachers and independent variables, such as age, place of the accident, absence days, and severity of the injury, to improve women’s occupational health and safety. Teachers’ accidents recorded in Spain (N = 136,702) from 2003 through 2018 were analyzed by calculating their incidence rates, using statistical tools for independent samples. Gender differences were found in some of the variables studied. Women were more likely to suffer an occupational accident. Compensation per lost working day was found to be statistically lower for women, but no differences based on gender were found in the absence days due to occupational accidents suffered by teachers. The salary gap should be addressed to avoid gender economic discrimination among injured teachers. Preventive strategies should be developed to mitigate the negative difference caused by gender variable

Injury analysis of teachers’ occupational accidents.

BACKGROUND: Occupational accidents among teachers are a cause of concern because of their consequences regarding several parts of the body, such as the neck, back, or extremities; however, the number of studies on this issue is limited. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the possible effects of different variables (gender, age, nationality, experience, sector, day of the week, traffic accidents) associated with occupational injuries suffered by teachers. METHODS: All teachers’ accidents recorded in Spain (136,702) from 2003 to 2018 were analyzed. Odds ratios with a 95% confidence interval were calculated. RESULTS: For injured female workers, being younger than 45, in her first month of experience, in a public school, without risk assessment, and in a traffic accident are the most important factors related to suffering a neck injury. In the case of injured male workers, to be older than 45, in a private school, and no traffic accidents are the factors detected influence suffering an injury in lower extremities. CONCLUSIONS: Institutions and schools should pay special attention to the highest-risk profiles. Results obtained can be a very useful tool for the design and implementation of specific occupational health and safety strategies adapted to the more vulnerable workers in each kind of injury

Prevention of Falls from Heights in Construction Using an IoT System Based on Fuzzy Markup Language and JFML

The main cause of fatal accidents in the construction sector are falls from height (FFH) and the inappropriate use of a harness is commonly associated with these fatalities. Traditional methods, such as onsite inspections, safety communication, or safety training, are not enough to mitigate accidents caused by FFH associated with a poor management in the use of a harness. Although some technological solutions for the automated monitoring of workers could improve safety conditions, their use is not frequent due to the particularities of construction sites: complexity, dynamic environments, outdoor workplaces, etc. Then, the integration of expert knowledge with technology is a key issue. Fuzzy logic systems (FLS) and Internet of Things (IoT) present many potential benefits, such as real-time decisions being made based on FLS and data from sensors. In the current research, the development and test of an IoT system integrated with the Java Fuzzy Markup Language Library for FLS, to support experts’ decision making in FFH, is proposed. The proposal was checked in four construction scenarios based on working conditions with different levels of risk of FFH and obtained promising results.Universidad de Malaga Plan Propio-Universidad de MalagaSpanish GovernmentEuropean Commission RTI2018-098371-B-I0

Carpooling systems for commuting among teachers: an expert panel analysis of their barriers and incentives

Sustainable mobility is a current challenge in our society. Research shows that carpooling systems are potential solutions that could mitigate environmental pollution and urban congestion and provide cost savings for their users. Despite their potential benefits, the levels of carpooling practices among some occupations could be improved. Teachers are suitable for carpooling experiences due to their specific working conditions (e.g., timetables, destinations changes, path matches); however, there is no research solely focused on teachers. Thus, the current research aimed to analyze the barriers and incentives for teachers using carpooling systems for commuting. A panel member was selected following the staticized group technique. Panelists were surveyed to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of carpooling. Results showed that fuel savings were considered by the expert panel as the most important incentive for carpooling. For short distances, carpooling was not considered the best commuting option. Additionally, the increase in travel time and loss of personal independence were identified as relevant barriers. Based on the opinions of experts, it can be concluded that carpooling barriers outweigh the incentives for the commuting of teachers. To promote carpooling practices, institutional mobility plans with advantages for carpoolers could improve the teachers’ perceptions about carpooling. Future carpooling strategies should consider these results to promote incentives and address the identified barriers.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Prevention of Falls from Heights in Construction Using an IoT System Based on Fuzzy Markup Language and JFML

The main cause of fatal accidents in the construction sector are falls from height (FFH) and the inappropriate use of a harness is commonly associated with these fatalities. Traditional methods, such as onsite inspections, safety communication, or safety training, are not enough to mitigate accidents caused by FFH associated with a poor management in the use of a harness. Although some technological solutions for the automated monitoring of workers could improve safety conditions, their use is not frequent due to the particularities of construction sites: complexity, dynamic environments, outdoor workplaces, etc. Then, the integration of expert knowledge with technology is a key issue. Fuzzy logic systems (FLS) and Internet of Things (IoT) present many potential benefits, such as real-time decisions being made based on FLS and data from sensors. In the current research, the development and test of an IoT system integrated with the Java Fuzzy Markup Language Library for FLS, to support experts’ decision making in FFH, is proposed. The proposal was checked in four construction scenarios based on working conditions with different levels of risk of FFH and obtained promising results

Occupational Traffic Accidents among Teachers in Spain

Occupational traffic accidents are a leading cause of injuries or deaths among workers. Teachers in Spain are especially concerned about the problem of commuting due to their particular labor conditions. Multiple work-related factors are associated with the risk and severity of occupational traffic-related motor vehicle crashes. The objective of this research is to analyze the influence of the variables associated with the severity of occupational traffic accidents among teachers in Spain. A logistic regression model was used for the current study. The odds ratio (OR) and confidence interval (CI) were calculated for the injured worker on a sample of 20,190 occupational traffic accidents suffered by teachers. The results showed that women, Spanish nationality, younger than 55 years, and those driving a car were more likely to suffer a light crash. In contrast, men, foreign nationalities, older than 55 years, and those riding a motorbike were more likely to suffer a serious crash. Based on these findings, motor vehicle safety training could be designed and adapted to the riskiest profiles. Additionally, effective mobility plans for commuting could help reduce work-related traffic accidents.This research received funding from the project referenced as “UMA20-FEDERJA-078” and titled Diseño de un sistema smart carpooling para la mejora de la movilidad, y la reducción de la siniestralidad laboral and from “Plan Propio-Universidad de Málaga”. Partial funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málag

Proposal for an Institutional Carpooling System among workers from the public-education sector

Car journeys to work represent a high percentage of daily mobility. Carpooling can be an efficient alternative for managing this transport demand. Carpooling benefits are not limited to reducing emissions and energy consumption: users can also benefit in the reduction in travel costs and travel time using high-occupancy vehicle lanes, as well as reducing commuting stress. The organization of such a system is not easy to carry out individually. Institutions and companies with a high number of employees are suitable for carpooling initiatives, and the education sector holds a high number of workers. Considering the large number of teachers and the fact that many of them are regular drivers, the sector presents an opportunity to design a formal carpooling transport system. This paper presents the design of a proposal for a carpooling system among workers from the education sector in the region of Andalusia, Spain. The system yielded relevant benefits such as cost savings, emissions reductions, and a high number of potential users. The designed system can potentially improve transport conditions for workers in commuting displacements and reduce occupational traffic accidents.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Occupational injuries among male construction workers in Spain

Occupational injuries are a cause of concern in our society. They are associated with absence at work and early retirement, especially among male workers employed in dangerous sectors such as construction and mining. The aim of the current study is to analyse factors of usual consideration in the sector and assess its influence on accidents from a statistical study. A logistic regression model was used in a sample of 814,775 occupational accidents suffered by male construction workers between 2009 and 2019. This model was based on the calculation of the odds ratio (OR). Results show that among these construction workers, those who were Spanish, under 45 years old, and with more than one year of service were more likely to suffer a neck injury in a light traffic accident. In contrast, workers older than 45 years old and with more than one year of experience were less likely to suffer a head injury. No variable was detected that offered the same protective or risk effect through the different parts of the injured body. For workers in this sector, safety training, and the adaptation of this training to risky profiles and injuries should improve working conditions and injury rates

Improving the prevention of fall from height on construction sites through the combination of technologies

Fall from height is a cause of concern in the construction sector. Appropriate use of a harness can be the difference between an incident or a critical accident. Monitoring the proper use of a harness in the workplace using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices is a recent and effective approach. The aim of this article is to identify typical limitations in a BLE monitoring system in order to propose solutions according to the existing literature. Alternative solutions found in the literature showed that the integration of BLE with other technologies such as building information modeling, radio-frequency identification or the global positioning system can improve the effectiveness of current monitoring approaches based only on BLE and reduce rates of fall from height accidents. For correct integration, both technological factors (cost, compatibility, data transmission) and cultural factors (social acceptance, procedures, etc.) must be taken into account