SafetyInsights.org

This systematic review & meta-analysis evaluated the evidence between occupational physical activity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. 31 articles met the criteria from 3345 articles. This topic is said to be important because evidence is conflicting about beneficial effects of physical activity, since it has mostly been derived from leisure-time research and not in occupational… Continue reading Physical activity at work may not be health enhancing. A systematic review with meta-analysis on the association between occupational physical activity and cardiovascular disease mortality covering 23 studies with 655 892 participants

This conference paper explored the impact that fatigue (physical & mental) has on productivity of a construction crew in a dam construction project in Queensland. The calculated economic impact of the lost productivity was also calculated. A sample of concrete crew members were monitored over a working week. This involved: 1. Psychomotor vigilance task (PVT)… Continue reading The impact of fatigue on labour productivity: Case study of dam construction project in Queensland

Abstract In ten years from 2004 to 2013, 359 workers died in the Australian construction industry because of work related causes. This paper investigates crane-related fatalities in order to find the upstream causation of such accidents. The National Coroners’ Information System (NCIS) database was searched to identify fatal accidents in the construction industry involving the… Continue reading Causes of Fatal Accidents Involving Cranes in the Australian Construction Industry

This conference paper co-authored by the son of the late Geert Hofstede re-evaluated findings from a report covering the BP Deep Water Horizon accident, using in their words a sociotechnical safety questionnaire. This questionnaire included items relating to cultural and behavioural items in addition to safety system items – see image below. The authors then… Continue reading Safety culture misbehaving – time for change

This was really interesting. It explored the effects of time-on-task fatigue on hazard recognition and visual attention/gaze characteristics during a simulated excavator activity with experienced operators. Time-on-task fatigue describes the effects (typically negative) from prolonged and often monotonous tasks, like cognitive performance decrements and/or drowsiness. 12 participants were included in the study in a lab… Continue reading Evaluating the impact of mental fatigue on construction equipment operators’ ability to detect hazards using wearable eye-tracking technology

Abstract BACKGROUND: We investigated how night shift duration and sleep problems were jointly associated with disabling low back pain (LBP) among workers in different occupations. METHODS: An online-survey was conducted regarding work schedules, disabling LBP, sleep problems, and other relevant factors in 5,008 workers who were randomly selected from a market research panel. Multiple logistic… Continue reading Disabling low back pain associated with night shift duration: Sleep problems as a potentiator

This looked at the impact of organisational justice on the non-reporting of health information technology (HIT) failures related to patient safety. HIT systems include a range of technologies and electronic systems that store, share and analyse an individual’s health data. The failures include a HIT system malfunction or defect that could or did unnecessarily result… Continue reading Reporting of health information technology system-related patient safety incidents: The effects of organizational justice

This meta-analysis assessed the current state of evidence on the relationship between psychosocial hazards and mental health in the construction industry. 48 studies were included covering 14 identified psychosocial hazards (PSH). Before moving into the findings, the authors provided a quick summary of some existing research findings: ·        Workload, job control and family-related concerns ranked in… Continue reading The relationship between psychosocial hazards and mental health in the construction industry: A meta-analysis

Abstract This paper presents the findings of qualitative research which examined how manufacturers addressed safety matters in the course of designing and constructing machinery, and the factors shaping their responses. This topic was investigated in 66 Australian firms that supplied machinery into local and international markets. Based on in-depth interviews, observation of machinery and review… Continue reading Safety in machinery design and construction: Performance for substantive safety outcomes

This brief conference paper explored the unintended consequences of a safety performance metric. This metric is/was apparently common in offshore oil & gas. It’s a semi-quantitative metric used to classify and track the strength of corrective actions. [Note: I’ve never heard of this metric, so did my best to describe it based on what I… Continue reading Unintended Consequences of a Promising Safety Management Leading Indicator