Issue 34 (May 2015)

SPOTLIGHT

28 April is World Day for Safety and Health at Work(SafeDay)

2015 Theme: Join in Building a Culture ofPrevention

Singapore thanks the International Labour Organisation (ILO)for the honour to speak at the launch of SafeDay, represented bythe Executive Director of WSH Institute, Dr Gan Siok Lin.

Recommended reading from theWSH Institute Collection* at thepublic libraries 70 e-Books are available for loan

Check it out here.

Recommended Reading

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TITLE:Constructive Ergonomics

Find out more about how Singapore is supporting this event atWSH Institute website and WSH Council website.

AUTHOR:Pierre Falzon AREA OF INTEREST:Human Engineering - Industrial Health &Safety

For more information, please click here.

* The WSH Institute Collection is a compilation of WSH-related resources that ismade accessible to the public through WSH Institute's collaboration with the NationalLibrary Board (NLB).

1 Summary: Second European survey onnew and emerging risks (ESENER-2)

Date of publication: 2015

Source: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

This summary report provides an overview of the key findings from the second edition of theEU-OSHA European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER-2) whichis an extension of ”The First Findings” report published in February 2015. ESENER-2 wasadministered to workers from nearly 50,000 establishments via telephone interview. Thesurvey’s objective was to help establishments manage health and safety at work andemployees’ well-being better by looking into occupational safety and health (OSH)management and emerging workplace risks, particularly psychosocial risks. Some keyfindings of the survey showed that legal requirements can both be a motivator and deterrentin OSH management. Dealing with difficult customers, patients, students, etc. and tightdeadlines were the two most commonly reported psychosocial risk factors and reluctance todiscuss openly on psychosocial-related issues was a hurdle in tackling them effectively.

To read more, click here.

2 A comparison of subgroup constructionworkers’ perceptions of a safety program

Date of publication: April 2015

Author: Chen, Q., & Jin, R.

Source: Safety Science

In the study, a safety program was developed by a General Contractor (GC) to improveworkers’ safety awareness, attitude, accountability, involvement in safety management toreduce injuries and workers’ exposure to 4 key workplace hazards. A questionnaire wasadministered face-to-face to 350 workers from trades with different risk levels in the GC’s

worksites. The findings showed that there were more positive perceptions of the safetyprogramme (i.e., the overall perception, awareness and acceptance dimensions) among theGC’s workers than those of the subcontractors. However, there was no difference inperceptions between high- and low-risk trades. The results suggested that it was necessaryto provide subcontractors with enhanced and continuous training on the safety programmethrough combined classroom training and visuals. In addition, hiring subcontractors that hadrepeatedly worked for the same GC helped to achieve good safety performance.

To read more, click here.

3 Effect of workplace- versus home-basedphysical exercise on musculoskeletal painamong healthcare workers: A cluster ofrandomized controlled trial

Date of publication: 2015

Source: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health

Healthcare workers often perform patient handling, which involves known risk factors formusculoskeletal disorder (MSD) such as awkward postures and high biomechanical loadingof the back. With the rising global shortage in the healthcare workforce, it is increasinglyimportant to sustain good musculoskeletal health among healthcare workers. Various studieshave indicated that musculoskeletal pain could be reduced through regular physical exercise.This research sought to examine the effect of workplace versus home-based physicalexercise on musculoskeletal pain among healthcare workers via a randomised controlled trialinvolving 200 female healthcare workers. The results showed that physical exercise at theworkplace together with colleagues was more effective than home-based exercise inreducing musculoskeletal pain, increasing muscle strength and reducing the use ofanalgesics among healthcare workers.

To read more, click here.

4 Workplace wellness trends: 2015 surveyresults

Date of publication: 2015

Source: International Foundation of employee Benefit Plans

This report presented the findings of an in-depth survey on the various wellness initiativesimplemented in organisations, how their return of investment (ROI) was tracked and what theROI revealed. The survey, conducted in October 2014, involved 479 organisations from theU.S. and Canada. General differences between the two countries were likely due to thecontrast in their health care systems and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the U.S. It wasrevealed that while U.S. organisations tend to provide wellness initiatives to control health-related costs, Canadian organisations were likely to focus on improving employee health andengagement. Notably, some organisations did not introduce health-contingent incentivesmainly due to “potential negative impact on employee culture/ stress” (31.5%) and concernthat “application of incentive could be considered unfair or discriminatory” (23.1%). Beyondincentives, this survey also looked at the many other strategies used to boost wellnessefforts.

To read more, click here.

Other Useful Resources

• Mental health and work: Netherlands (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) • Trends in incidence of occupational asthma, contact dermatitis, noise-induced hearing loss, carpal tunnel

syndrome and upper limb musculoskeletal disorders in European countries from 2000 to 2012 (Occupational &Environment Medicine)

• Disability insurance plans: Trends in employee access and employer costs (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

OWLinks is brought to you by Workplace Safety and Health Institute, Singapore. OWLinks enables leaders andprofessionals to keep abreast of the latest WSH development and trends from around the world.

For enquiries or feedback, please email us at contact@wshi.gov.sg Visit the WSH Institute website for updates on WSH-related matters, information and events.

Vision: A leading Institute for WSH knowledge and innovations. Mission: Enhancing WSH through knowledge, innovations and solutions.

The information provided here is based on information available at the time when this issue of OWLinks was compiled. The information provided here isnot to be construed as implying any liability to any party nor should it be taken to encapsulate all the responsibilities and obligations of the reader of

OWLinks under the law. Please note that Workplace Safety and Health Institute will be unable to provide full-text of articles listed in this OWLinks if itcontravenes the copyright regulation.

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The Observatory for WSH Landscape (OWL) is a function of Workplace Safety and Health Institute. OWL aims toobserve, analyse and communicate changes in the workforce, workplace and working life to researchers, policymakers and industries in Singapore and Asia.