Search Results (34)

Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to autonomous or semi-autonomous systems capable of interpreting data, generating inferences, and guiding decisions, thereby reshaping the foundations of work and organizational processes. Its rapid integration into productive settings gives rise to emerging risks, understood as new or evolving hazards that stem from human–machine interaction, algorithmic decision-making, and shifting sociotechnical conditions. Within occupational safety and health (OSH), these risks encompass novel cognitive, psychosocial, organizational, and ethical challenges, making it necessary to develop preventive frameworks that align technological innovation with human well-being, transparency, and responsible governance. Full article

Despite increasing attention to gender disparities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, little is known about how these dynamics manifest within interdisciplinary public health domains such as Occupational Safety and Health (OSH). This study presents a bibliometric analysis of 144 empirical publications on work-related stress management interventions published between 1977 and 2023. Drawing from five major academic databases, we examine gender differences in authorship patterns, scientific productivity, citation impact, and collaboration patterns, with a focus on first, corresponding, and last authorship as indicators of contribution and leadership. Our findings reveal a significant increase in women’s participation over time, particularly in first authorship roles, while a persistent gender gap in senior and supervisory positions favors male researchers, in line with the leaky pipeline framework. Productivity, citation rates, and cooperation patterns suggest positive trends toward gender equity, though subtle structural disparities remain. We discuss implications for inclusive research environments, equitable authorship recognition, and the design of gender-sensitive science policy in occupational health. This study contributes to understanding the gendered contours of scientific influence within OSH and highlights the need for more inclusive academic ecosystems. Full article

Compliance with occupational safety and health (OSH) standards and safe employee behaviour largely depend on the level of management’s commitment to respecting occupational safety and health laws and regulations. A safe work environment is one that is consistent with the idea of sustainability and supports the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including in particular: SDG3 Good health and well-being, SDG8 Decent work and economic growth. and SDG16 Peace and justice. The purpose of this article is to provide an employee assessment of mine leaders commitment to creating safe working conditions as one element in shaping an OSH culture. The analysis is based on the results of a survey conducted in 21 rock quarries in Poland, which collected 444 questionnaires completed by employees at various organizational levels—from workers, managers, administrative and engineering employees. The questionnaire included basic socio-demographic characteristics and statements concerning the level of involvement of mine management in workers compliance with safety and health rules and regulations. The results of the survey indicate that in the analysed rock mines, the leaders fulfil their duties in accordance with OSH rules and regulations and organise the work of all employees at a high level of safety. Despite this, many survey participants do not see managers responding to unsafe behaviour by employees. Respondents indicate that the existence of OSH regulations and their enforcement by leaders is necessary to maintain a high level of safety in mines. This study has helped to characterise the state of rock mining in the context of creating a safety culture and can provide important information in the search for solutions to increase safety levels in Polish rock mining making it more sustainable. Full article

The European Union Council’s zero vision aims to eliminate workplace fatalities, while Industry 4.0 presents new challenges for occupational safety. Despite HR professionals assessing managers’ and employees’ competencies, no system currently exists to evaluate the competencies of workers’ representatives in occupational safety and health (OSH). It is crucial to establish the necessary competencies for these representatives to avoid their selection based on personal bias, ambition, or coercion. The main objective of the study is to identify the competencies and their components required for workers’ representatives in the field of occupational safety and health by following the steps of the DACUM method with the assistance of OSH professionals. First, tasks were identified through semi-structured interviews conducted with eight occupational safety experts. In the second step, a focus group consisting of 34 OSH professionals (2 invited guests and 32 volunteers) determined the competencies and their components necessary to perform those tasks. Finally, the results were validated through an online questionnaire sent to the 32 volunteer participants of the focus group, from which 11 responses (34%) were received. The research categorized the competencies into the following three groups: core competencies (occupational safety and professional knowledge) and distinguishing competencies (personal attributes). Within occupational safety knowledge, 10 components were defined; for professional expertise, 7 components; and for personal attributes, 16 components. Based on the results, it was confirmed that all participants of the tripartite system have an important role in the training and development of workers’ representatives in the field of occupational safety and health. The results indicate that although OSH representation is not yet a priority in Hungary, there is a willingness to collaborate with competent, well-prepared representatives. The study emphasizes the importance of clearly defining and assessing the required competencies. Full article

Introduction: Poorly designed safety job descriptions may have a negative impact on occupational safety and health (OSH) performance. Firstly, they limit the chances of hiring highly qualified safety professionals who are vital to the success of OSH management systems in organizations. Secondly, the relationship between the presence of qualified safety professionals and the safety culture (and performance) in an organization is reciprocal. Thirdly, the low quality of job descriptions limits exploring the proper competencies needed by safety professionals before they are hired. The safety professional is thus uncertain of what level of education or training and which skills they should attain. Objectives: The main goal of the study is to integrate the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) with importance–performance analysis (IPA) to evaluate job descriptions in multiple sectors. Results: The results of the study indicate that it is vital to clearly define job levels, the overall mission, key responsibilities, time-consuming tasks, required education/certifications, and necessary personal abilities in safety job descriptions. This clarity enhances recruitment, fairness, performance management, and succession planning. The organization can then attract and retain top talent, improve performance, foster a strong safety culture, create realistic job expectations, increase employee satisfaction and productivity, and ensure that competent individuals are hired, ultimately leading to a safer and more productive workplace. Conclusion: The outcomes of this study provide a robust framework that can and should be used as a guideline to professionalize job description development and enhance talent acquisition strategies. Full article

People in laboratories often use paper or digital formats for incident reporting. These methods make it difficult to group events, check follow-up actions, or use the data to improve safety. This article presents a conceptual model for digital incident reporting in laboratories, designed to improve occupational safety and health (OSH) by addressing the lack of standardized reporting structures. The model was developed based on a review of safety standards, laboratory procedures, and relevant studies published between 2010 and 2024. The review identified five basic functions required for an effective digital incident reporting system: structured data input, event classification, alerting, access to reports, and follow-up tracking. These five functions were used to create a modular structure that shows how incident reporting works in laboratories. The model can be used with simple tools, and it does not require specialist software. It can be adjusted to local workflows and settings. While ISO 45001:2018 describes the goals of incident management, it does not offer a structure for reporting. This model responds to that gap. It supports consistent documentation and can help laboratories review incidents. This makes it easier to track responses, especially when no formal system exists. Full article

Categorization of enterprises by size provides a fundamental understanding of the composition of the business environment. Small, medium-sized, and large enterprises play a significant role in the national economy through the execution of specific business activities. In their pursuit of enhancing the efficiency of individual business processes and mitigating the risks associated with these activities, enterprises may implement various ISO standards, including quality management, environmental management, occupational health and safety (OSH), or corporate social responsibility (CSR) systems. The sources published to date do not clearly explain the mutual relationship that arises when implementing multiple ISO standards that prioritize different activities within a single enterprise. This gap is particularly evident in the context of small enterprises, which often do not have the obligation or capacity to implement ISO standards. This study addresses this research gap by identifying the relationship between implemented ISO standards, priority activities in the risk management process, and the person responsible for these activities. The objective of this article is to examine the relationship of dependency between specific ISO standards and the priority activity in risk management. Furthermore, the study seeks to determine whether the degree of implementation of ISO standards influences the selection of the person responsible for risk management. Additionally, it examines whether dependence exists between the priority activity in risk management and the specific person responsible for risk management. The authors provide statistical hypothesis testing based on data from a nationwide survey conducted across all enterprise size categories. The results obtained from this study confirm the presence of a dependency between the degree of ISO standards implementation and the priority activity in risk management across all enterprise size categories. However, a statistically significant dependency between the degree of implementation of ISO standards and the person responsible for risk management was not confirmed in large companies. The dependency between the selection of the person responsible for risk management and the priority activity in risk management was confirmed only in small enterprises. Full article

Accidents and injuries at work are unavoidable. Promoting corporate sustainability requires strategies concerning employees’ health and a safe work environment in light of social, environmental, and economic development. The purpose of this paper is to examine the significant association between Occupational Safety and Health Management (OSHM) and Corporate Sustainability (CS) in the context of West Bank industries in Palestine, bolstering the mediating role of Affective Commitment (AC) and Emotional Intelligence (EI). We sampled 126 executive and knowledgeable Palestinian employees in the region using a questionnaire for data collection. We used Smart PLS 4 to evaluate the study model and hypotheses. This study bridges the gap by investigating the relationship of the study constructs in Palestinian industries in the West Bank. This study contributes to the literature by demonstrating how OSH practices can improve CS by encouraging social engagement, economic performance, and environmental conservation. The study’s findings are consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 3, which establishes policies to enhance public health and improve well-being for people at any age, and SDG 8, which advocates for sustainable progress in the economy, prolific employment, and decent job for everyone. The findings highlight how important it is for West Bank businesses to implement training in emotional intelligence and encourage affective commitment to improving safety and health strategies, ultimately resulting in increased corporate sustainability by considering social and environmental policies. Full article

This study of risk assessment of gasoline station workers was performed by using the following three models: the occupational safety and health (OSH) risk assessment aligned with ISO 45001, the biomatrix of health risk, and the benzene risk matrix assessment for gasoline station workers. Levels of inhaled air benzene and urine tt-muconic acid (tt-MA) were measured using samples collected from 151 gasoline station workers. Opportunity levels of benzene exposure were obtained by multiplying the frequency of benzene exposure by the levels of tt-MA, the inhaled benzene concentration levels, or the likelihood levels from contributing risk factors at gasoline stations. The final risk scores were calculated by multiplying the opportunity levels by the severity based on the adverse symptoms of benzene toxicity experienced by workers. A checklist regarding risk factors contributing to benzene exposure was used to collect data on occupational safety performance. The potential health risk was at an unacceptable level for 66.23%, 75.50%, and 60.26% of workers according to the OSH risk, the biomatrix of health risk, and the benzene risk matrix model, respectively. There was a significant linear relationship between the risk levels indicated by the three matrix models (r > 0.6, p < 0.001). These findings demonstrate that alternative risk assessments can be provided and simply used for preventive action against health hazards from benzene exposure in risk management programs. Full article

The study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on occupational safety and health (OSH) experts in Latvia, focusing on their work demands, evolving responsibilities, and the broader implications for sustainable workforce management. Through focus group discussions with 17 OSH experts in 2022, findings reveal that pandemic-induced responsibilities, such as implementing new health protocols and adapting to remote work, increased OSH experts’ workloads and the complexity of their roles. This shift raised concerns over potential burnout and reduced capacity to address traditional workplace hazards, which are essential for a safe and resilient work environment. The study underscores the critical role of OSH in promoting sustainable workplaces by safeguarding worker health and supporting adaptable, equitable labor practices that align with socio-economic sustainability goals. Recommendations include strengthening team-based approaches and enhancing mental health resources within OSH systems to foster sustainable development in occupational health. These insights are vital for developing policies and practices that not only respond to current OSH challenges but also contribute to the long-term sustainability of workforce health and safety systems and prepare these systems for possible future critical conditions. Full article

This study analyses the opinion of 200 employees who participated in the first online training in the field of occupational health and safety systems (OSHs) from Romania, for which an online platform was used, with the records on electronic files with a qualified electronic signature. The usefulness of this online training was analyzed based on the voluntary answers of the participants to a questionnaire related to 14 questionnaire items (QIs). In order to correctly interpret the results of the applied test, a statistical processing of the answers was carried out, and the following were calculated (using SPSS 23.0 software): the factor analysis, the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) test, the Bartlett’s test, the extraction method, the Principal Component Analysis (PCA), the Cronbach alpha test and the Kruskal–Wallis H-test. The calculations highlighted two essential strategies: “Availability for online training” (S1) and “Challenges of online training” (S2). The conclusion of this study provides an overview of the importance of online training strategies in OSH activity and can help researchers and practitioners to improve this activity, reducing the rejection of its use among managers and authorities, thus providing a new reference for future research. Full article

Forestry has many dangers, and much effort has been put into supporting accident prevention by developing legislation and certification systems. In Sweden, forestry contractors have an important role in developing and maintaining a good working environment for the employed forestry workers. The objectives of this study were to describe forestry contractors’ current practices regarding occupational safety and health (OSH) management and identify variations in relation to the contractors’ characteristics and finances, as well as to highlight areas that need improvement. In 2023, data were collected through a survey distributed to 1200 limited liability companies registered to perform logging or silvicultural services, with a response rate of 22%. Multi- and univariate analyses were performed to compare contractor groups, and the results show that larger companies had more well-developed and formalized routines and guidelines for their operations. Geographical differences were also identified; for example, employees in the north were more likely to have access to staff facilities when working in the forest. However, no clear connection between OSH management practices and the contractors’ finances could be demonstrated. The study concludes that there is a need for improvements in OSH work within the industry because many companies do not meet all of the formal requirements that exist today. Full article

Facing the threat of SARS-CoV-2, several countries implemented protective measures to annihilate the waves of the pandemic. Apart from quarantine, social distancing, frequent disinfection, and the use of a face mask, vaccination against COVID-19 soon became available. The measures taken in the workplace to inhibit the spread of the virus were important, as some controversial policies emerged regarding the vaccination status of employees. The “health pass” changed the workplace environment immensely, as in many job sectors vaccination became mandatory. Unvaccinated employees were required to undergo specific COVID-19 tests to access their workplace, while other specialized workers such as health workers were removed from their work altogether. Such measures would be justified if it was certain that vaccinated people cannot transmit the virus, but over the course of years this hypothesis seems to have faded. The main aim of this study is the confirmation (or the non-validation) of this hypothesis and of the specific applied measures through the elaboration and statistical analysis of vaccination data from 35 countries in relation to their daily announced infections over the time frame from the forty-fourth week of 2021 to the fourth week of 2022. This is examined from an occupational safety and health (OSH) perspective (taking into account the three pillars of sustainability) concerning risk management and safety assessment at the workplaces of sustainable engineering systems (SES). The findings imply that this hypothesis is contestable. Therefore, it is doubtful whether workplace segregation measures were socially and economically sustainable. It is deduced that (i) the complete freedom of vaccinated employees was a situation which intensified occupational risk, degraded the safety level at the workplaces of sustainable engineering systems, and increased the OSH risk management difficulties, and, on the other hand, (ii) the financial burden of mandatory unemployment and frequent testing was not justified and economically sustainable for the unvaccinated individuals in the middle of a worldwide economic crisis. Full article

Risk management (RM) as a management technique has developed significantly over the past 20 years globally to address risks. RM is often linked to financial, reputational, and quality risks. The purpose of this article is to shed light on how the extractive sector manages environmental and occupational safety and health (OSH) risks through a number of interviews with extractive industries. These interviews were held as part of the European Commission project “Elaboration of Guidelines for Best Risk Management Approaches in the Extractive Sector” in order to investigate synergies between the areas of the environment and OSH for an effective and integrated risk management approach that stimulates improved performance, leading to overall risk reduction. The interviews revealed how the sector addresses risks, which methodologies are most used, and how risk management is applied in each of the main stages of the extractive value chain. According to these interviews, companies seem to actively search to find corrective measures. On an operational level, most extractive companies use a combination of RM tools and custom-made risk management practices, predominantly for internal use and not for licensing. The extractive sector believes that society’s acceptance is a key element to being licensed to operate. Thus, the management of risks from the perspective of providing high OSH standards and, at the same time, achieving the lowest impact on the environment are key to a productive operation. Full article

Leaders that focus on preventing risks and promoting safe and healthy behaviors are essential to reducing workplace accidents and illnesses, particularly in a changing environment where technology and the complex interconnection of systems create emerging risks with unpredictable consequences for employee wellbeing and organizational productivity. In that sense, this multiple focus group study with 32 experts in occupational safety and health (OSH) aims at providing valuable insight into the most effective strategies for promoting health and productivity in a changing context. Results indicate that a safety and prevention culture is crucial for successful risk prevention and management, with commitment required from both top management and workers. Moreover, transformational leadership is identified as a key to achieving a safety and prevention culture. In addition, training is considered a pivotal mechanism to introduce appropriate safety practices into daily work routines. This requires an interdisciplinary, integrated, and collaborative perspective. Finally, integrating risk prevention into higher education prepares professionals to face current labor market challenges. These results can guide decision making for both training OSH professionals and introducing effective OSH practices in organizations. Full article