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• Published: 25 November 2022

A study on occupational health and safety

• Lídia Maria Costa Araújo Magalhães 1 ,
• Ketyllem Tayanne da Silva Costa   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0304-2639 2 ,
• Gustavo Nepomuceno Capistrano 2 ,
• Maryanna Damasceno Leal 3 &
• Fábia Barbosa de Andrade 4  

BMC Public Health volume  22 , Article number:  2186 ( 2022 ) Cite this article

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This study aimed to evaluate and describe the indicators of occupational health, with a focus on the medical expertise and periodic medical examination.

This is exploratory-descriptive, cross-sectional, documentary, quantitative, and retrospective research, in the historical series: 2011 to 2015.

The number of lost days of work per worker and the frequency of licenses increased despite the decrease in the Absenteeism Duration Index and stabilization of the Frequency of Medical Workers. As for the adhesion of the workers to the Periodic Medical Examinations, it was decreasing, with a higher percentage in the year 2012 (35.3%). During the analyzed period, 5,186 workers performed the Periodic Medical Examination, and the majority (60.6%) presented non-ideal weight, 41.1% were sedentary, 33.2% had dyslipidemia, 29.0% were alcoholic, 3.2% were smokers, 5.9% had diabetics, and 16.4% reported high noise in the workplace, 27.8% inadequate lighting and 35.9% inadequate work furniture.

Conclusions

The results highlight the need to maintain and strengthen the Worker Health and Safety Policy with emphasis on surveillance, aiming at the promotion and protection of the health of the workers, based on the elaboration of the epidemiological profile of health and, consequently, the implementation of positive impact strategies.

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Introduction

Historically, in Brazil, Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is strongly associated with the political-social and economic evolution of the country and is presented as the achievement of rights resulting from claims and struggles of the workers. Work is one of the determinants that most impact man’s conditions, quality of life, and health.

Working is essential for human beings since it is the way in which respect, integration, sociability, recognition, and bonds of friendship are obtained. On the other hand, the living conditions of Brazilian workers are aggravated by the alternation of stages of growth and accelerated industrialization with moments of recession, resulting in the government’s adoption of adjustment measures and financial cuts in social policies, such as education, health, safety, transportation, housing, and work, among others [ 1 , 2 ].

Nowadays, the epidemiological profile of workers' morbidity and mortality in Brazil is characterized by the coexistence of diseases that have an intrinsic relationship with working conditions: diseases related to work and typical work accidents, which have their frequency, appearance, and severity modified by the activity. Added to this reality are diseases common to the population as a whole, which have no etiological relationship with work [ 3 ].

Health Promotion and Surveillance refer to the pillar of the Occupational Safety and Health Care Policy (PASS, in Portuguese) that encompasses quality of life and vigilance actions in the environmental and work processes. Standing out among these are the institution of guidelines and programs in the area of mental health and occupational diseases of higher prevalence; the mandatory provision of Periodic Medical Examinations (PME) for all employees; the training in health and safety at work; the creation of an Internal Committee on Health and Safety at Work and a survey of environmental risks, with a stimulus to the active participation of employees in processes involving their health [ 4 , 5 ].

The PME aims, mainly, the prevention, enabling the health surveillance of the employees of a certain company or institution, contributing to the early identification of diseases related or not to work. It is carried out by an occupational doctor and employers must provide examinations for employees at specific times such as dismissal, admission, leaves of absence or change of function, in addition to periodic examinations, which will vary in frequency according to the workers' age (every two years for those between 18 and 45 years old and annually for those outside this age group) [ 6 ].

The PME is performed through clinical examinations, anamnesis, general and specific laboratory tests, according to the function developed by each worker. In addition, the occupational physician must adapt the exams to the particularities of each case, for example, people with disabilities or people who work with noise and may experience deafness caused by this fact. The result of the PME is not given by score or a question of approve or disapprove workers, it is related to the early diagnosis of health problems [ 6 ].

It is noteworthy that the information generated during the expertise act are important indicators of worker's health, privileged instruments for the construction of the morbidity and mortality profile of public servants, which will help to conduct the development of health promotion actions, since the expert databases issue a variety of data on the most prevalent diseases and the professionals who get sick [ 7 ].

It is of great importance to deepen the study in relation to the health of the federal public servant, considering the need to research, know and analyze the determining and conditioning factors of health problems related to processes and work environments. In this way, it is important to analyze workers' health indicators, which are reflections of the real health conditions of the server, with the objective of guiding managers in the planning and control of activities, in addition to allowing deductions regarding the effects of decisions and their results.

From this perspective, this study aimed to evaluate and describe occupational health indicators focusing on the Official Health Expertise and PME of federal public servants, including professors from the institution and administrative technicians from the education sector of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte.

Materials and methods

This is a cross-sectional, retrospective study with a quantitative approach, where secondary data were obtained regarding PME and official health expertise, specifically the SIAPE HEALTH module of federal public servants of a public institution of higher education in Brazil.

The information contained in this system is federal level and is entered by the experts who perform the exams, uploading them directly into the system, enabling access to the information by users. For the study, secondary and aggregated data from the SIAPE SAÚDE system database were evaluated, as well as management reports made available by the SIASS Unit (Subsistema Integrado de Atenção à Saúde do Servidor) from UFRN, responsible for storing such data.

The study was carried out at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Central Campus, especially at the Directorate of Attention to Servant Health (DAS), where the SIASS Unit is located, the latter being responsible for coordinating actions in attention to the health of the institution's servants, specifically, the performance of the Periodic Medical Examination and the Official Health Survey, objects of this study.

The period chosen for the study was from 2011 to 2015. The preference for this time interval was justified by the fact that the year 2011 marks the beginning of the PME through the computerized system SIAPE HEALTH, and the end of the study period in 2015 characterizes five complete years and the historical nature of epidemiological studies.

The population chosen for the study can be divided into levels of education, the teachers, technical-administrative in education, higher level positions are level E, while the technical-administrative in education, middle and basic level positions are levels C and D.

The official health expertise and the PME were used as a dependent variable. For each indicator, independent variables were selected: a) Official Health Expertise: gender, age, position, number of active statutory employees away, number of days of leave and number of days away; and b) PME: Gender, age, position, ethnicity, smoking, physical activity, BMI, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, spinal pain, inadequate furniture, inadequate lighting, likes what you do, good relationship with the boss, good relationship with colleagues and fast pace. In addition, the following indicators were observed: Absence Severity Index (IGA), Medical Frequency Leave (FML), Frequency of Workers on Sick Leave (FWML) and Absenteeism Duration Index (IDA), as recommended by the Permanent Commission and International Association on Occupational Health [ 8 ] and the authors Hensing et al. [ 9 ].

The information was obtained from Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, being possible to organize and sort the variables into categories. Then, the data were exported and analyzed in the software Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS). Relative and absolute frequency distribution was used for categorical variables, as well as measures of central tendency (average), measures of dispersion (standard deviation), and student's t-test for quantitative variables.

For data analysis, the chi-square test and the calculation of the odds ratio were used for correlation of the indicators, adopting a confidence interval of 95% and a significance level of 5% ( p  < 0.05) for all tests.

Concerning the ethical aspects, the project was submitted to the Research Ethics Committee of Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte where it was appraised and subsequently approved under opinion no. 1.707.691, from the principles of ethical and legal aspects that govern scientific research on human beings, as recommended by Resolution no. 466/12 [ 10 ], and the principles expressed in the Declaration of Helsinki.

The results showed that there were 4,293 (35%) departures from administrative records and 7,946 (65%) absences from work granted by expert examination.

This expert examination is a procedure carried out by a medical expert, whose function is to identify if there is the presence of an illness or to identify if there has been an accident that has made you totally or partially, temporarily, or permanently unable to perform your professional activities [ 11 ]. The magnitude of these absences can be portrayed when we calculate the sum of lost work time over the five years, which generated 179,916 days of absenteeism due to illness.

Data regarding the sociodemographic characteristics of the studied population revealed that 67.9% (8,312) of the departures occurred in female workers and, for males, 32.1% (3,927). Regarding the age group, 34.6% (4,234) of the licenses were approved for workers between 51 and 60 years old, 24.0% (2,934) from 41 to 50 years, 19.2% (2,355) from 31 to 40 years, 11.8% (1,449) from 18 to 30 years, and 10.4% (1,267) over 60 years.

In relation to the post variable, the number of workers occupying the position of administrative technician in education levels C and D predominated, with a prevalence of 62.2% (4,941), while 23.8% (1,889) workers were in higher-level positions.

Figure  1 shows the absence of workers at work due to health care in the period from 2011 to 2015. It is noteworthy that there is an increase between 2011 and 2013, when there is a peak of 7.1 days not worked. The following years show an oscillation, but with a tendency for growth.

Source: Elaborated by the Authors

Indicators of absenteeism, 2011–2015. Natal/RN, Brazel, 2017. Legend IGA = Absenteeism Severity Index; FLM = Frequency of Medical Licence; IDA = Absenteeism Duration Index; FTLM = Frequency of Workers on Medical Licence.

In this sense, it is also relevant to present the individual absence duration, according to the cause of illness, in order to facilitate the adoption of specific measures focused on the pathologies with the greatest impact on lost days of work. Figure  2 shows the IDA according to each International Classification of Diseases (ICD), 10 chapter, and the highest indexes refer to neoplasms (45.64), mental disorders (32.40), congenital malformations (27.00), and diseases of the circulatory system (23.96), respectively. These findings reveal that absences of longer duration were caused by pathologies of a chronic non-transmissible nature, except for causes of absences in chapter XVII of ICD-10.

Source: Elaborated by the author

Distribution of IDA, 2011–2015. Natal/RN, Brazil, 2017. Legend: C = ICD.10 chapter.

Figure  3 presents the results of this study regarding the adherence of the workers to the Periodic Medical Exam (PME), considering the historical series from 2011 to 2015, when an average of 4,362 workers were called.

Source: Elaborated by the authors

Distribution of call, adhesion, non-adhesion, and coverage ratio to PME, 2011–2015. Natal/RN, Brazil, 2017.

The Periodic Medical Exam consists of the periodic clinical and laboratorial evaluation of the worker, due to the existing risks in the work environment and occupational or professional diseases. The PME foresees the adoption of prevention, tracking, and early diagnosis measures for work-related diseases, besides those more prevalent in the general population, such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, neoplasms, dyslipidemias, and ophthalmologic diseases. Also, the PME will be carried out during working hours, without any burden or need for compensating schedules on the part of the employees. It is important to point out that absenteeism is taken into consideration only due to the worker's personal illness, and this diagnosis cannot be related to someone in the employee's care.

Regarding the operationalization for the PME, it is important to mention that at the moment the server is called for the evaluation of occupational health, through personal e-mail, he/she must fill out the consent form as a way to prove the agreement to participate in periodic medical examinations. Thus, going from the situation "INVITED" to "CONFIRMED". It is worth pointing out the importance and potential of the PME, once it allows the early identification of risk factors for getting sick, as well as the construction of collective diagnoses in the Worker's Health area, which makes this action a health management instrument, for monitoring the health situation and work conditions, and the subsidies for interventions to improve the quality of life of the workers.

It can be observed that the call-up ratio increased by 42.0% from 2011 (0.49) to 2012 (0.91). From the year 2013 (0.84), there were oscillations characterized by drop and growth in the calls.

As for non-adherence, in 2012, there was a decrease, and in 2013 (0.78), 2014 (0.8), and 2015 (0.86), there was an increase in the results, characterizing a relevant increase of 15. 0% between the years of 2011 (0.71) and 2015 (0.86).

About PME membership, it is clear that growth occurred only in 2012 (0.35). Then, the index decreased throughout the series, namely: 2013 (0.22), 2014 (0.2) and 2015 (0.14), which explains the non-adherence data, that comprehends the number of called servers that didn't do the PME in the analyzed year, having as reference the total number of UFRN's servers summoned in the evaluated year as being an unfavorable reality in relation to the PME recommendation. This may be related to factors such as excessive work activities of workers, periodic examinations performed through private health insurance, and to the lack of recognition of the importance of PME by workers.

The coverage ratio of the PME represents the servers that have concluded the PME and those that have an updated Occupational Health Certificate in the analyzed year, with the total number of servers at UFRN in the analyzed period as a reference. This coverage ratio increased significantly in the year 2012 (0.4), showing a growth of 26.0% in relation to 2011. Thereafter, the ratio decreased, with an average of 0.26 between the years of 2013 (0.33), 2014 (0.26) and 2015 (0.2), as shown in Fig.  3 .

In the list of risk factors, health indicators of different epidemiological natures were analyzed. Among them, those related to cardiovascular diseases and occupational risk factors, such as the existence of inadequate work furniture and accelerated work rhythm, are presented in Tables 1 and 2 .

In the list of chronic pathologies covering categories II and III of the Schilling classification, the most common causes of morbidity among workers are: Systemic Arterial Hypertension (SAH), chronic respiratory diseases, diseases of the locomotor system and mental disorders. These are pathologies of multiple etiology in which work is considered a risk factor associated with the increased probability of occurrence of these diseases [ 12 ]. Thus, the present study highlights cardiovascular diseases, especially SAH.

Table 1 shows the distribution of the aforementioned risk factors associated with SAH. It is pointed out that 60.6% (3,143) of the workers that performed the EMP presented non-ideal weight; 58.7% (3,044) practiced some type of physical activity; 70.8% (3,670) denied alcohol use; 96.5% (5.005) did not smoke; 93.9% (4,870) did not have diabetes mellitus (DM); and 66.6% (3,453) did not have dyslipidemia. The association between hypertension and all correlated variables was significant at p  < 0.001. As for the Odds Ratio calculation, we considered the hypertension disease in relation to the following variables: BMI, sedentary lifestyle, alcoholism, smoking, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. The OR calculation does not imply a cause-and-effect relationship, it only suggests that there is an association.

In Table 2 , it is possible to observe that 35.9% of the interviewed workers are not adequate for their activities. In addition, 16.4% report loud noise in the workplace and 27.8% do not have adequate lighting. Social factors were also obtained, noting that 3.7% of the workers surveyed say they do not have a good relationship with their co-workers, while 4.4% do not have a good relationship with their boss and 2.5% show dissatisfaction with what they are doing.

It should be noted that absenteeism is a term used to denote the employee's absence from work [ 13 ]. The International Organization of Work (OIT) defines it as the period of absence of work that is accepted as attributable to an incapacity of the individual, except for that derived from normal pregnancy or prison [ 14 ].

According to the report of the National Audit Office [ 15 ], in the city of Guernsey, United Kingdom, approximately 3.8% of working time was lost due to illness, and civil workers became sick for an average of 8.7 days in 2005. In Chile, health workers belong to the category that has the highest rates of disability due to illness, with 14.3 days of absence per worker per year; unlike the university workers, who present 6 days of work lost per year, similar to the results of this research [ 16 ]. These findings highlight the data shown in Fig.  1 .

Studies found an average of 7.5 lost days of work per year per worker in the nursing area of a university hospital in Brazil [ 17 ]. Santos and Mattos [ 18 ] observed 9.3 days of absenteeism due to disease for each municipal worker of the city of Porto Alegre in 2005. The studies reported 9.1 and 10.3 days of absence due to illness for each public worker of the municipalities of Goiânia and São Paulo, respectively [ 19 , 20 ].

The worker and financial conditions can cause work accidents and environmental conditions, increase work capacity and the market, which may exclude work and consumption capacity. The employee is also hit with productivity, lack of manpower, loss of manpower and/or equipment damage [ 21 ].

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates about 36 million annual deaths from Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), composed mainly of circulatory diseases, neoplasms, chronic respiratory diseases and Diabetes Mellitus (DM), which have risk factors.—smoking, alcohol, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and obesity—modifiable in common [ 22 , 23 ].

An important characteristic of epidemiological patterns in Brazil concerns the changes in the composition of morbidity and mortality by groups of causes. Thus, the high prevalence of deaths from infectious and parasitic diseases, present at the beginning of the twentieth century, gave way to NCDs and injuries related to accidents and violence [ 24 ].

In Brazil, according to the Ministry of Health [ 23 ], NCDs are among the main causes of hospital admissions, and the financial cost to the Unified Health System (SUS) represents a growing impact. Estimates for Brazil suggest that the loss of productivity at work and the decrease in family income resulting from chronic pathologies such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke involved spending of US$ 4.18 billion between 2006 and 2015 [ 25 ].

The researchers Moura, Carvalho and Silva (2007) [ 26 ] carried out a study on the repercussion of CNCDs in the granting of social security benefits by the National Institute of Social Security (INSS) and identified musculoskeletal and circulatory system diseases as the main causes for granting sick pay.

This reality is also revealed among public servants in several studies that present the main groups of causes of sick leave for this category of workers, with high rates of absenteeism due to diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue, mental and behavioral disorders, chronic respiratory diseases and circulatory system diseases [ 7 , 19 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ].

The implementation of strategies to reduce absenteeism is a great challenge for employers, and it is necessary to analyze the events in the workplace to delineate situational diagnoses and guarantee actions to promote worker health. For the authors, the change in the epidemiological profile of illness and the increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases, as shown in Fig.  2 , reveal concern for the global scenario regarding the impact of these diseases on workers' health, due to the growth in the number of lost workdays [ 21 ].

The epidemiological profile of morbidity and mortality in Brazilian workers is characterized by the coexistence of diseases that have an intrinsic relation with working conditions, and in addition, diseases common to the population are observed, which are not etiologically related to the work [ 3 ]. In this reality, it is important to emphasize the importance of the employees performing the Periodic Medical Examination (PME), for the prevention and/or possible early detection of the pathologies that generate the greatest impact on the lost days of work, highlighting the neoplasms [ 22 ].

The importance of performing the PME in the screening of risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases, such as dyslipidemia, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, alcoholism, and smoking is highlighted. In addition, through the PME, the workers will be guided and sent to participate in the various health promotion programs offered by the institution. Through these strategies, it is possible to reduce the prevalence of diseases of the circulatory system, another important cause of absenteeism, as shown in Fig.  2 .

As for Fig.  3 , which shows data on the PME, despite weaknesses, it is evident that the most satisfactory results of PME adherence occurred in the year 2012, a time when workers composed the Integrated Subsystem Unit (SIASS in Portuguese), as well as the constant discussion in forums, national meetings, and events related to the PASS, in a context of articulation in defense of the strengthening of the actions of attention to workers' health, which may have contributed to the results [ 23 , 24 , 25 ].

On the other hand, the situational diagnosis of low PME adherence throughout the historical series was possibly influenced by the recent history of PASS construction and the negative impact of the lack of structuring, planning, and evaluation of the actions. Plus, the largest investments and training, by the Ministry of Planning of Brazil, were related to the expert area which reflects as the main activity of the PASS [ 4 ].

The implementation of actions of health surveillance and promotion are major challenges for the consolidation of SIASS, since it is still a recent practice to promote health in public sector workplaces. It is necessary to elaborate indicators to support the actions and allow the evaluation of the results, considering that the information generated through indicators consolidates the control and planning of the organizational processes, as well as supports the decision making [ 25 , 26 ].

This is a prevention tool that has been implemented in Brazil with workers from federal agencies to identify risk factors associated with future illnesses. This approach in the federal public service has had an impact on the quality of preventive health, avoiding the removal of workers from their workplace for a cause classified as a possible prevention of this disease. Another aspect is the increasing number of absences that have been occurring in recent years, that is, the numbers of absenteeism due to physical and mental illnesses, a fact that occurs at increasingly younger workers' ages, which reveals the need for special attention and protector follow-up in their quality of life.

The results presented in this study deserve attention and can contribute to discussions between the professionals of the technical team and managers of the SIASS Unit and PROGESP/UFRN, as it is believed that the production of knowledge about the subject under study can provide the University with instruments, as well as other institutions at the federal public service level, through the PME as an indicator for planning and evaluating Occupational Health actions.

Thus, continuous investments in health policies aimed at public servants are suggested, which contributes to the reduction of illness and early retirement, resulting from disability. In this sense, investment in research that allows a better understanding of the relationship between health and work in the public service is also recommended.

It should be noted that this study had some limitations, as the use of self-reported data by employees who completed the PME may underestimate or overestimate the results presented.

In order to meet the proposed objective, there was the occurrence of neoplasms, mental disorders, and diseases of the circulatory system in terms of duration of absenteeism (IDA), which were the causes of the absences with a longer duration, which ratifies the epidemiological importance and the impact of non-communicable chronic diseases on workers' health. The gravity index of absenteeism revealed that the number of lost days of work per year per worker increased over the historical series, as well as the frequency of absences.

With regard to the epidemiological profile of the employees who underwent the PME throughout the historical series, it was possible to identify a significant prevalence of overweight in the population. The working conditions were considered satisfactory in the perception of the workers. It should be noted that this study presented some limitations, since the use of self-reported data by the workers may underestimate or overestimate the presented results.

Also observed through this study is the need to maintain and strengthen the PASS with emphasis on surveillance, aiming at the promotion and protection of the health of the workers, based on the elaboration of the epidemiological health profile and, consequently, the implementation of strategies of positive impact for OHS.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

International Classification of Diseases 

Diabetes mellitus

Frequency of Medical Licence

Frequency of Workers on Medical Licence

Occupational Health and Safety

Absenteeism Duration Index

Absence Severity Index

International Organization of Work

Occupational Safety and Health Care Policy

Periodic Medical Examinations

Systemic Arterial Hypertension

Integrated Subsystem Unit

Statistical Package for Social Science

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Acknowledgements

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This study was partially funded by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel—Brazil (CAPES)—Financial Code 001. Funders have no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, publication decision or preparation of the manuscript.

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Lídia Maria Costa Araújo Magalhães

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Ketyllem Tayanne da Silva Costa & Gustavo Nepomuceno Capistrano

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L.M.C.A.M. was the principal investigator of the project and responsible for administration, coordination, and funding acquisition. L.M.C.A.M. and F.B.A. were involved in conceptualization and in the study design. L.M.C.A.M. carried out the investigation. L.M.C.A.M., K.T.S.C., G.N.C. and M.D.L. were involved in formal analysis and data curation and wrote the main manuscript text. F.B.A. reviewed and edited the manuscript. All authors reviewed the manuscript. The author(s) read and approved the final manuscript.

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Magalhães, L.M.C.A., Silva Costa, K.T., Capistrano, G.N. et al. A study on occupational health and safety. BMC Public Health 22 , 2186 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14584-w

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Home » Blog » Dissertation » Topics » Occupational Health and Safety » 80 Occupational Health and Safety Research Topics

80 Occupational Health and Safety Research Topics

FacebookXEmailWhatsAppRedditPinterestLinkedInWelcome to the world of Occupational Health and Safety research, where the well-being and safety of workers take centre stage. As a student seeking engaging research topics in occupational health and protection for your undergraduate, master’s, or doctoral-level studies, you’ve come to the right place. Occupational Health and Safety is as critical as it is […]

Welcome to the world of Occupational Health and Safety research, where the well-being and safety of workers take centre stage. As a student seeking engaging research topics in occupational health and protection for your undergraduate, master’s, or doctoral-level studies, you’ve come to the right place.

Occupational Health and Safety is as critical as it is diverse, encompassing various issues impacting individuals and organizations. In this blog post, we embark on a journey through the rich landscape of research opportunities in this field. Whether you’re intrigued by workplace safety strategies, employee well-being, technological advancements, or the intricate interplay between human factors and safety outcomes, these research topics will ignite your curiosity and provide a solid foundation for your academic exploration. Your insights and discoveries have the potential to shape safer and healthier workplaces, making a profound impact on the lives of workers worldwide.

A List Of Potential Research Topics In Occupational Health and Safety:

• Guiding resilience: investigating how organizations navigate safety challenges.
• Principles of resilience: guiding organizations in navigating evolving safety challenges.
• Exploring the link between occupational health and safety and employee productivity
• Investigating the effectiveness of safety leadership development programs
• The influence of occupational stress on decision-making and safety performance
• Tech talk: assessing the interplay between technology and traditional safety practices.
• Is employee empowerment crucial for fostering a culture of safety, and how is it achieved? A comprehensive study.
• Can the principles of resilience guide organizations in adapting to changing safety challenges? A comprehensive examination.
• The role of occupational health and safety in enhancing employee resilience
• Virtual horizons: assessing the efficacy of virtual reality in safety training.
• Investigating the impact of automation and robotics on occupational health and safety
• Behind the mask: understanding the impact of remote work on employee safety.
• The psychological and physiological impacts of occupational burnout on employee safety
• Striking a balance: the intersection of human-centric and technology-driven safety approaches.
• Enhancing safety culture in construction projects: best practices and challenges
• Can occupational health and safety programs align with environmental sustainability efforts? An exploratory inquiry.
• Building bridges: exploring the synergy between safety Incentive programs and employee behaviour.
• Tech-tonic shift: evaluating the role of technology in enhancing or hindering occupational health and safety.
• Can technology-driven safety monitoring systems enhance organizational safety culture? A thought-provoking study.
• Can safety incentive programs drive a culture of continuous safety improvement? A comprehensive analysis.
• Analyzing the role of leadership in navigating occupational health and safety during crises
• Is there a connection between mental health support and employee engagement in safety practices? A thought-provoking analysis.
• Game on: assessing the efficacy of gamification in enhancing safety awareness among employees.
• Is mental health support adequately integrated into occupational health and safety frameworks? An exploratory study.
• Does the use of technology in safety training effectively engage and educate employees? A comprehensive analysis.
• Can technology-driven safety monitoring systems enhance employee well-being? A critical examination.
• Promoting psychological safety in the workplace: strategies and implementation
• Cultivating safety: the dynamic relationship between leadership styles and safety culture.
• Can leadership communication effectively promote safety as a shared value? An exploratory study.
• Exploring the integration of health promotion programs with occupational safety
• Is there a link between employee empowerment and a culture of safety innovation? An exploratory study.
• Does occupational health and safety intersect with corporate social responsibility initiatives? An exploratory inquiry.
• Safety beyond borders: analyzing the link between occupational health and safety and corporate social responsibility.
• Are organizational crisis management strategies aligned with occupational health and safety requirements? A critical review.
• Communicating safety: navigating how leadership communication shapes safety practices.
• Does the use of wearable technology enhance employee safety and well-being? A critical examination.
• Is the fear of repercussions hindering employees from reporting safety concerns? A comprehensive analysis.
• Psychological safety and reporting: unpacking the dynamics of speaking up for safety.
• Is there a connection between diversity and inclusion efforts and occupational health and safety outcomes? An in-depth analysis.
• Analyzing the relationship between occupational health and safety and employee engagement
• Safety through empowerment: investigating the connection between employee empowerment and safety behaviour.
• Can psychological safety at work significantly impact employee willingness to report safety concerns? A thought-provoking study.
• Embracing mental health: analyzing how mental health support programs impact safety outcomes.
• A matter of trust: investigating how safety training bridges the gap between compliance and behaviour.
• Does technology enhance or hinder occupational health and safety efforts? A comprehensive exploration.
• Assessing the effectiveness of personal protective equipment in hazard mitigation
• Investigating the effectiveness of safety training programs in reducing workplace accidents
• Exploring the Link between job insecurity and Safety Performance
• Are personal protective equipment (PPE) and safety gear effective in mitigating workplace hazards? A meticulous analysis.
• Is strict compliance with safety protocols enough, or should a safety-conscious mindset be emphasized? An investigation.
• Virtual boundaries: analyzing the role of wearable technology in safety enhancement.
• Analyzing the impact of work-from-home arrangements on employee well-being and safety
• Is employee engagement linked to a heightened commitment to occupational health and safety? A critical inquiry.
• Addressing mental health challenges in high-pressure work environments.
• Assessing the mental health implications of high-stress occupations and safety measures.
• Mental well-being and safety: unpacking the intricate relationship.
• Analyzing the role of safety climate in preventing occupational injuries
• Is the role of safety committees undervalued, and how do they contribute to a safer workplace? An exploratory analysis.
• Can gamification effectively promote safety awareness and compliance among employees? A comparative study.
• The role of leadership styles in shaping occupational health and safety culture
• Is the integration of human psychology critical in designing effective safety programs? A critical examination.
• The influence of leadership communication on occupational health and safety culture
• Can leadership communication positively influence the adoption of safety practices? A comprehensive analysis.
• Is the role of leadership styles in shaping safety behaviour underemphasized? A critical exploration.
• Beyond wearable tech: assessing the impact of wearable technology on employee safety and well-being.
• Does mental health stigma impede the reporting of safety concerns in the workplace? An in-depth analysis.
• Does the normalization of remote work hinder the implementation of traditional safety practices? A thought-provoking study.
• Is there a tension between human-centric and technology-driven safety practices? A thought-provoking analysis.
• Leading through adversity: exploring how leadership styles guide safety behaviour in challenging times.
• Can the integration of health promotion programs foster a safer work environment? A thorough examination.
• Lighting the path: assessing how leadership communication drives a culture of safety.
• The role of employee empowerment in enhancing safety awareness and compliance
• Evaluating the efficacy of safety communication strategies in enhancing workplace safety
• Bridging the gap: investigating the link between leadership styles and occupational health and safety practices.
• Well-being and wisdom: exploring the relationship between employee well-being and safety practices.
• Can promoting work-life integration enhance overall employee health and safety outcomes? A holistic analysis.
• Empowering resilience: how organizations embrace change to enhance safety practices.
• Is there a connection between perceived job security and employee commitment to safety? A thought-provoking analysis.
• Does the use of virtual reality enhance safety training effectiveness? A critical examination.
• Safety on the line: investigating the relationship between employee engagement and safety adherence.

In closing, the provided Occupational Health and Safety research topics encapsulate the vital realm of workplace well-being. As you explore these areas through your undergraduate, master’s, or doctoral dissertations, remember the lasting influence your contributions can have on workplace safety and employee welfare. Your research is a decisive step toward building safer, healthier work environments and shaping the future of occupational health practices.

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Health and safety refers to the study of various aspects of maintaining health and securing the safety of the people. Health and safety are crucial duties of the state. Doctors keep people healthy and soldiers provide security. Research in this field is important for people's well-being. Thus, students must choose quality health and safety dissertation topics for their research modules.

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• SwRI’s Herron named 2024 ASSP Safety Professional of the Year
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May 6, 2024 — The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has named Southwest Research Institute’s Matthew Herron, M.S., P.E., CSP, CPE, its 2024 Safety Professional of the Year. The award is presented annually to an ASSP member who demonstrates outstanding achievement in the occupational safety and health (OSH) field while also advancing the OSH profession overall.

“It’s a great honor to be recognized by the ASSP as Safety Professional of the Year,” said Herron, a lead safety engineer in SwRI’s Mechanical Engineering Division. “I firmly believe it’s our duty as safety professionals to protect and empower those around us and continuously strive for excellence in fostering a culture of safety. It’s tremendously rewarding to be able to implement programs and practices that protect others.”

Herron has been an ASSP member since 2011 and is an advisory board member for the ASSP’s Engineering Practice Specialty and the Ergonomics Practice Specialty. He serves as the ASSP Regional Vice President for Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. In this role, he oversees 13 ASSP chapters and 12 student sections. Herron is also involved in organizing the region’s annual Student Leadership Conference.

“I’m very proud to see Matt receive this well-deserved honor,” said Shane Siebenaler, director of SwRI’s Fluids Engineering Department and manager of the Mechanical Engineering Division’s Safety Team. “He has had a vital role in reinforcing and improving the safety culture of our division. Our work environment includes hazards that range from explosives to high-pressure hydrogen to radioactive sources, and Matt has developed many of our daily safety procedures. His dedication to safety has had a tremendous impact on all of us.”

Herron earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of West Georgia in 2006. He was a product test and calibration technician before discovering his calling as a safety engineer. He earned a master’s degree in industrial and operations engineering, with a concentration in occupational safety engineering and ergonomics, from the University of Michigan in 2011. He joined SwRI in 2016.

At SwRI, Herron developed the Safety 360 Program, which empowers employees to proactively identify and report unsafe conditions and at-risk behaviors in the workplace and provides suggestions to correct these issues. He implemented the 6S Methodology, based on Toyota’s 5S program, emphasizing organization to maximize efficiency and minimize risk.

In 2023, Herron was named the ASSP Council on Practices and Standards’ 2023 Safety Professional of the Year in recognition of his outstanding achievements and contributions to ASSP’s practice specialty and common interest group communities. He received the ASSP Emerging Professional Award in 2020, recognizing his leadership, volunteerism and desire to impact workplace safety. In 2019, he received the National Safety Council Rising Stars of Safety award, which honors individuals under the age of 40 who play a significant role to positively influence and promote their company’s safety culture and leadership.

Herron will receive a commemorative engraved award and a $2,000 honorarium at the ASSP Safety 2024 Conference and Expo in August.

For more information, visit Mechanical Engineering or contact Joanna Quintanilla , +1 210 522 2073 , Communications Department, Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238-5166.

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The battle to save net zero is being played out in the courts

Litigation, along with electoral politics and popular protest, is becoming a key tool in the fight against climate change.

By Nick Ferris

On 10 April, a group of around 2,000 elderly Swiss women – the so-called Swiss Grannies – won the first ever climate case victory in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Having launched their case nine years ago, the judgement states that Switzerland is violating the human rights of the older women by not taking the necessary steps to combat climate change. The case will not only force a reaction from the Swiss government, but will also establishes a binding legal precedent for courts in all 46 countries that are signatories to the European Convention on Human Rights, including the UK.

Meanwhile, politicians in the UK are determinedly moving the country in the opposite direction. Last September, the Prime Minister revealed a major U-turn on the government’s climate commitments, pushing back deadlines for both the selling of new petrol and diesel cars and the phasing out of gas boilers. The Green Alliance think tank has determined that there is no policy to account for 16 per cent of emission reductions required for the UK to meet the carbon budget for 2028-32 (a legally binding ambition under the 2008 Climate Change Act), with a further 32 per cent of planned emission reductions subject to as-yet-unconfirmed sets of policies.

Enterprising charities and individuals are now increasingly focusing on litigation carried out in UK courts as a means of forcing through meaningful climate action, even as the government digs in its heals.

“Climate litigation is a vital tool,” said Sam Hunter Jones, a senior lawyer at the London-based environmental legal charity ClientEarth. “If there are obligations under key climate laws that are not being met, then this is how you can get them enforced… Litigation also allows us to take a sober look at what’s happening, and crystalise the facts in a landscape where there can be a gap between what governments and companies are saying, and their actions.”

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ClientEarth, alongside Friends of the Earth and the Good Law Project, recently found out that the High Court had ruled in favour of their legal challenge by ruling that the government’s net zero plan would breach our emissions obligations and was unlawful.

A previous successful challenge in 2022 saw the court rule that the government’s climate action plan had breached the 2008 Climate Change Act, which led to the government releasing a revised strategy in spring 2023. This revised strategy has now also been proved inadequate by the judiciary.

“Our arguments in both cases have focused on crucial information being held back, from the minister who signed off on the plan, and also parliament, public experts, and journalists,” said Friends of the Earth’s senior lawyer Niall Toru. “Our view is that the government’s overall approach seems high-risk because it says trust in the market and emerging technology, without trying to change consumer behaviour.”

Hunter Jones added: “We’re getting closer to the heart of the issue: in the first case we didn’t have all the information. And now that we have the information, we are ascertaining whether it is a reasonable approach to managing risk and delivering the carbon budgets.”

Tiffanie Chan, policy analyst at the Grantham Institute’s Climate Change Laws of the World project at the London School of Economics, agreed that litigation is a “powerful tool” to hold governments to account. She pointed to the fact that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the leading climate-science authority globally) recognised that litigation is affecting “the outcome and ambition of climate governance” in a 2022 document approved by representatives of every UN member state.

Beyond the recent Swiss Grannies case, major global successes include Milieudefensie vs Royal Dutch Shell , which in 2021 saw the district court of The Hague order the oil major Shell to reduce its global carbon emissions from its 2019 levels by 45 per cent by 2030, as well as Neubauer vs Germany , which saw Germany’s supreme constitutional court rule the government’s climate protection measures are insufficient to protect future generations, and led to Germany moving its net zero target from 2050 to 2045.

There have now been more than 2,300 climate litigations filed globally, with the total number of climate change court cases more than doubling compared with the total recorded in 2017, according to a United Nations Environment Programme report . That same report indicates there are a growing number of cases in developing countries, which make up 17 per cent of the global total.

Back in the UK, ClientEarth’s latest case actually predates the net zero rollbacks announced by Rishi Sunak in September. A separate case, led by the TV environmentalist Chris Packham, was filed in December to directly respond to those changes, specifying that the government has breached its obligation to meet the latest national carbon budget by not outlining how it intends to meet its carbon reduction requirements after loosening the vehicle and boiler deadlines.

“As our case shows, the situation was already unlawful in our opinion before those rollbacks,” said Hunter Jones. “The rollbacks make an already-dire situation only worse.”

Litigation is also being targeted to address other knotty climate issues that government policy is failing to address. For example, a decision is currently being awaited by the UK Supreme Court in Sarah Finch vs Surrey County Council , which is a challenge against the decision to grant planning permission for new oil wells in Surrey without considering the climate impact of burning the oil that would be extracted. The decision could have major ramifications over future approvals for other fossil fuel projects, such as new fields in the North Sea.

“We have a global fossil-fuel market that operates regardless of the territorial emissions that policymakers focus on in national decarbonisation strategies,” said one barrister specialising in environmental law, who is involved in current climate litigation worldwide. “And we now have a network of national courts who are trying to get to grips with this reality, and actually hold relevant authorities responsible.”

The barrister pointed to a recent Norwegian legal decision holding the country accountable for emissions produced from Norwegian oil and gas, which has led to some licences being suspended.

Legal experts interviewed by New Statesman Spotlight all stressed that litigation is no panacea. It is expensive, time-consuming and there is no guarantee that the decision will go the right way. But for Niall Toru at Friends of the Earth, litigation is one of three key strands – alongside changes to government and popular pressure – that can be used to drive more ambitious climate policy.

He added that when a country has a government like the UK's, which is seeking to maximise short-term political gains with a quite narrow base of voters by deliberately resisting pressure on climate change and targeting the right to protest, then litigation becomes an even more vital force.

“Litigation is very important to hold the government to their word and highlight its hypocrisy right now,” said Toru. “There is a lack of openness from the government right now, and a failure to appreciate the fact we are in a climate emergency. Litigation is able to slowly squeeze the government to act in a way it should have done from the start.”

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How the nursing shortage is affecting the Canadian health care system, patients and nurses themselves

by Lisa McKendrick Calder, Leanne Topola and Tanya Heuver, The Conversation

If you worry that there are not enough health care providers to meet health needs, you are not alone. Seventy percent of Canadians worry about access to care. One factor affecting health-care access is a global nursing shortage .

The increasing demand for nursing services in Canada far exceeds the current supply. Statistics Canada reported in 2021-22 nursing had higher job vacancies than any other occupation, and nurses worked over 26 million hours of overtime.

In honor of National Nursing Week 2024 (May 6–12), we ask all Canadians to consider asking a nurse they know about the realities of the nurses' working lives.

A short-staffed health system

Forecasting models predicted a shortage of 60,000 nurses nationwide by 2022, and further predicted that would almost double to more than 117,000 by 2030.

Responding to shortages has led to changes in staffing models , with fewer registered nurses, more licensed practical nurses and substantially more health-care aides. But even with these, there is a significant shortage, making it essential to retain existing nurses who have the required education and expertise.

In 2024 the Canadian Federation of Nursing Unions (CFNU), conducted a survey of 5,595 nurses. Thirty percent reported dissatisfaction with their career and 40 percent intend to leave nursing or retire.

Early career nurses were even more unhappy with 35 percent reporting dissatisfaction. This is due to occupational disappointment , which is a feeling of disheartenment with career choice.

Job dissatisfaction in nursing

The majority of CFNU survey respondents attributed this disappointment to high workload and insufficient staffing. One cause of increased workload is caring for more patients than the bed capacity is funded or staffed for. Seventy percent of nurses reported their workplace regularly operated over capacity.

Even when care areas are understaffed, patient needs do not change and fewer nurses must meet these needs. Nurses are also influenced by shortages in other health professions such as physiotherapy by picking up extra duties to meet patient needs.

Insufficient staffing increases nurse workload to above normal demands and can threaten patient safety. When there is insufficient staff, nurses from other areas may be displaced to cover. For example, a nurse scheduled on an orthopedic unit might be displaced to neurology.

Forty two percent of nurses in the CFNU survey were displaced within the last year and 40 percent of them felt inadequately trained for the care area they were sent to.

Insufficient staffing can also lead to missed care where patient needs are unmet. Common examples include delay or failure to answer patient call bells or assist with personal care. Recently neonatal intensive care units highlighted they were functioning at 102 percent capacity and babies were not able to be fed as frequently.

Nurses' concerns with substandard care impact job retention as they may experience moral distress . Moral distress is highly correlated with increased intent to leave a job , or the profession .

Safety and safeguards

When short staffed, nurses can be mandated to work beyond their eight- or 12-hour scheduled shifts. Under the Registered Nurse Code of Ethics, the nurse has a duty to provide care to assigned patients until they are transferred to another appropriate care provider. Failure to do so is considered abandonment.

While off duty, nurses can be called in for mandatory overtime. The CFNU policy statement advocates against the use of mandatory overtime except in exceptional circumstances such as disasters. Despite this, in 2023 Manitoba nurses worked over one million hours of mandatory overtime. This is shocking, especially considering Manitoba has legislation limiting mandatory overtime usage.

From a safety perspective however, restricting overtime is not a solution, as it could leave patients at risk and nurses even more overburdened.

Not all overtime is mandatory. Many nurses receive frequent calls to pick up extra hours , which leaves them unable to properly recover between shifts . Declining overtime can cause guilt or a sense of letting colleagues down. In the CNFU survey, 62 percent of respondents worked overtime in the last month out of obligation.

The impact of the nurse shortage

Work hour factors impact patient safety . The CFNU study "Safe hours saves lives" reported extended shifts led to deficits in patient care with nurses reporting decreased physical strength, focus, and ability to be compassionate. Fatigue contributes to medication errors.

Fatigue is correlated with drowsiness and difficulty staying awake both on shift and when driving home . This presents a danger to patients, nurses, and all Canadians on the roads.

Persistent fatigue has been found to impact nurses health. This influences work attendance which further worsens the shortage. Canadian nurses missed an average of 19 days of work for illness or leave in 2022, up from 14.7 days in 2021. This is more than double the sick time taken by government and private sector employees.

Many factors identified in this article contribute to nurse burnout. Canadian nurses have increasing rates of burnout. Ninety three percent of CFNU survey respondents reported symptoms of burnout . Burnout has been linked with depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Why a shortage of nurses matters

All Canadians ought to worry about the nursing shortage. Without addressing it, Canadian's ability to access safe, compassionate care will be compromised. When looking at the complex ways that the shortage impacts nurses and their work demands, it is no wonder why they experience occupational disappointment.

Work is underway by nurses alongside Canada's Chief Nursing Officer . The Nurse Retention Toolbox provides guidance. The work to address nursing retention cannot be done by nurses alone. All Canadians need to advocate for conditions that support the well-being of nurses and other health care providers. This is essential for a safe, sustainable health system for us all.

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