Comparison of management and workers' perception, attitudes and beliefs toward health and safety in the Ontario manufacturing sector.

INTRODUCTION: The Ontario manufacturing sector is over-represented when it comes to workers' compensation claims in the province. A previous study suggested that this may be the result of compliance gaps with respect to the province's occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation. These gaps may be, in part, due to differences in perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs toward OHS between workers and management. This is noteworthy as these two cohorts, when working well together, can foster a healthy and safe work environment. Therefore, this study sought to ascertain the perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs of workers and management with respect to OHS in the Ontario manufacturing sector and to identify differences between the groups, if any. METHODS: A survey was created and disseminated online to get the widest reach across the province as possible. Descriptive statistics were used to present the data and chi-square analyses were performed to determine if there were any statistically significant differences in responses between workers and managers. RESULTS: In total, 3,963 surveys were included in the analysis, which consisted of 2,401 (60.6%) workers and 1,562 (39.4%) managers. Overall, workers were more likely to state that their workplace was 'a bit unsafe' relative to managers and this difference was statistically significant. There were also statistically significant differences between the two cohorts with respect to health and safety communication matters, the perception of safety as a high priority, whether people work safely when unsupervised, and whether control measures are adequate. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, there were differences in perception, attitudes, and beliefs toward OHS between workers and managers in Ontario manufacturing and these differences must be addressed in order to improve the sector's health and safety performance. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Manufacturing workplaces can improve their health and safety performance by strengthening labor-management relationships, including having routine health and safety communication.

Noise exposure assessment of occupational health and safety (OHS) consultants: A preliminary study.

No published noise exposure assessment of occupational health and safety (OHS) consultants exists. An assessment was performed to quantify the noise level of OHS consultants while they were on site at a client's facility. OHS consultants wore a dosimeter set to A-weighting, slow response, 60 s log interval and a criterion level of 85dBA with a 3 dB exchange rate. Both the projected time-weighted average (TWA) and projected dose were recorded. Of the 32 noise assessments collected, three had projected TWAs that exceeded the occupational exposure limit of 85 dBA. Nearly 75% of the projected TWA measurements were equal or greater than the Action Level of 80 dBA. According to best practices, occupational noise levels greater than 80 dBA present a risk for noise-induced hearing loss and, therefore, a hearing loss prevention program should be implemented.

Exploratory study to determine if risk factors for occupational skin disease vary by type of food processing operation.

BACKGROUND: Occupational skin disease (OSD) is a common health issue in the food processing sector. However, risk factors for OSD are suspected to differ according to the nature of the operation. OBJECTIVE: To ascertain if the risk factors for OSD vary depending on the type of food processing operation, namely meat processing vs. a commercial bakery. METHODS: Participants were asked to answer questions regarding workplace exposures and the current skin condition of their hands. Bivariate analyses were conducted to identify differences between the two participating operations. RESULTS: The meat processing workers were more likely to have wet work exposure, used hand sanitizer more often and changed their gloves more frequently. These findings from meat processing represented a statistically significant difference compared to the commercial bakery workers. Also, workers from meat processing reported more severe skin symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Risk factors for OSD apparently differ between types of food processing operations. Differences in the nature of skin symptoms were also found between the two participating operations. It is therefore suggested that future studies examining OSD within the food processing sector should evaluate this health effect based on the nature of operations rather than the sector as a whole.

Case Study in a Working Environment Highlighting the Divergence between Noise Intensity and Workers' Perception towards Noise.

Excessive noise levels are a prevalent issue in food processing operations and, although there have been numerous studies on occupational noise, no single study has used a concurrent mixed-methods approach. Employing this study design allows for an understanding of the level of convergence (similarity) between measured noise levels and workers' attitudes and perceptions towards noise. This, in turn, allows for the identification of potential challenges with respect to the implementation of hearing conservation efforts. In this study, spot noise measurements were collected using a sound level meter. One-on-one interviews were conducted with workers to determine attitudes and perceptions towards noise in their workplaces. Subsequently, the results of the noise measurements (quantitative data) were integrated with the survey responses (qualitative data) to identify convergence. The majority of the noise measurements were found to exceed 85 dBA-the criterion mandated by the local occupational health and safety legislation. Although all study participants felt that it was noisy in the workplace, a large proportion of respondents indicated that the noise was not bothersome. With workers' perception being contradictory to the measured noise levels, it is a challenge to implement hearing conservation measures unless changes are made to raise the awareness of the risks associated with excessive noise exposure.