Carpooling Systems for Commuting among Teachers: An Expert Panel Analysis of Their Barriers and Incentives.

Sustainable mobility is a current challenge in our society. Research shows that carpooling systems are potential solutions that could mitigate environmental pollution and urban congestion and provide cost savings for their users. Despite their potential benefits, the levels of carpooling practices among some occupations could be improved. Teachers are suitable for carpooling experiences due to their specific working conditions (e.g., timetables, destinations changes, path matches); however, there is no research solely focused on teachers. Thus, the current research aimed to analyze the barriers and incentives for teachers using carpooling systems for commuting. A panel member was selected following the staticized group technique. Panelists were surveyed to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of carpooling. Results showed that fuel savings were considered by the expert panel as the most important incentive for carpooling. For short distances, carpooling was not considered the best commuting option. Additionally, the increase in travel time and loss of personal independence were identified as relevant barriers. Based on the opinions of experts, it can be concluded that carpooling barriers outweigh the incentives for the commuting of teachers. To promote carpooling practices, institutional mobility plans with advantages for carpoolers could improve the teachers' perceptions about carpooling. Future carpooling strategies should consider these results to promote incentives and address the identified barriers.

Occupational Traffic Accidents among Teachers in Spain.

Occupational traffic accidents are a leading cause of injuries or deaths among workers. Teachers in Spain are especially concerned about the problem of commuting due to their particular labor conditions. Multiple work-related factors are associated with the risk and severity of occupational traffic-related motor vehicle crashes. The objective of this research is to analyze the influence of the variables associated with the severity of occupational traffic accidents among teachers in Spain. A logistic regression model was used for the current study. The odds ratio (OR) and confidence interval (CI) were calculated for the injured worker on a sample of 20,190 occupational traffic accidents suffered by teachers. The results showed that women, Spanish nationality, younger than 55 years, and those driving a car were more likely to suffer a light crash. In contrast, men, foreign nationalities, older than 55 years, and those riding a motorbike were more likely to suffer a serious crash. Based on these findings, motor vehicle safety training could be designed and adapted to the riskiest profiles. Additionally, effective mobility plans for commuting could help reduce work-related traffic accidents.

Characteristics of Occupational Injuries among Spanish Nursing Workers.

INTRODUCTION: Nursing professionals face a multitude of daily occupational hazards that can cause occupational accidents. AIM: The objective of this work is to analyze the personal variables included in official accident reports, to evaluate their influence on occupational accidents suffered by nursing and nursing assistant professionals. METHODOLOGY: A total of 187,821 occupational accidents recorded in Spain from 2011 to 2019 were analyzed in the sector using contingency tables, chi-square, and corrected standardized residuals. RESULTS: The results showed that the older the professional, the probability that once the accident had occurred, its severity would be more serious. Regarding gender, men are more likely to suffer more serious accidents compared to accidents registered by women. Results about the length of service and nationality did not reach statistical significance in the group of accidents analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: The planning of preventive measures must be adapted to the profiles of the workers in the most vulnerable sector.

Improving the prevention of fall from height on construction sites through the combination of technologies.

Fall from height is a cause of concern in the construction sector. Appropriate use of a harness can be the difference between an incident or a critical accident. Monitoring the proper use of a harness in the workplace using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices is a recent and effective approach. The aim of this article is to identify typical limitations in a BLE monitoring system in order to propose solutions according to the existing literature. Alternative solutions found in the literature showed that the integration of BLE with other technologies such as building information modeling, radio-frequency identification or the global positioning system can improve the effectiveness of current monitoring approaches based only on BLE and reduce rates of fall from height accidents. For correct integration, both technological factors (cost, compatibility, data transmission) and cultural factors (social acceptance, procedures, etc.) must be taken into account.

Injury analysis of teachers' occupational accidents.

BACKGROUND: Occupational accidents among teachers are a cause of concern because of their consequences regarding several parts of the body, such as the neck, back, or extremities; however, the number of studies on this issue is limited. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the possible effects of different variables (gender, age, nationality, experience, sector, day of the week, traffic accidents) associated with occupational injuries suffered by teachers. METHODS: All teachers' accidents recorded in Spain (136,702) from 2003 to 2018 were analyzed. Odds ratios with a 95% confidence interval were calculated. RESULTS: For injured female workers, being younger than 45, in her first month of experience, in a public school, without risk assessment, and in a traffic accident are the most important factors related to suffering a neck injury. In the case of injured male workers, to be older than 45, in a private school, and no traffic accidents are the factors detected influence suffering an injury in lower extremities. CONCLUSIONS: Institutions and schools should pay special attention to the highest-risk profiles. Results obtained can be a very useful tool for the design and implementation of specific occupational health and safety strategies adapted to the more vulnerable workers in each kind of injury.

Analysis of Falls from Height Variables in Occupational Accidents.

Fall-from-height accidents are linked to severe and fatal consequences for impacted workers. A better understanding of the related variables is necessary to improve worker safety. This study analyzed all fall-from-height occupational accidents recorded in Spain from 2009 to 2019, selected significant variables, and evaluated the influence concerning the seriousness of the falls from height. Based on a total of 290,583 fall-from-height accidents, the study shows that a male inexperienced worker in a small company working in a non-habitual workplace is more likely to suffer fatal consequences once the accident happens. An improved knowledge of fall-from-height accidents will improve safety conditions. The workers should be trained and informed about their specific risk depending on the variables analyzed. Safety training should consider more risky profiles. Results from the current study can help identify suitable fall prevention and risk mitigation actions in safety programs for companies.

Organizational and personal factors in occupational traffic injuries at work in Spain.

OBJECTIVE: Traffic crashes are one of the major causes of deaths at work. However, most of the literature on traffic crashes did not study the influence of worker and organization conditions. The current paper analyses the influence of the personal and organizational factors associated with the severity of occupational traffic crashes. METHODS: A total of 724,596 occupational traffic crashes that occurred in Spain from 2009 to 2019 were analyzed. Men suffered 59% of crashes registered, while workers younger than 30 represented 31.3% of crashes studied. Variables included in the Official Occupational Accident Report were analyzed using logistic regression calculating odds ratios. RESULTS: Results showed that a foreign, professional male driver from a small company who is older than 55 years was more likely to suffer a fatal crash. In contrast, a Spanish, nonprofessional female driver from a medium or big company who is younger than 30 years is more likely to suffer light consequences. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from the current research could help to improve the safety training programmes in companies considering their personal and business variables such as age, gender, or company staff, especially in small companies. Future research should collect and analyze additional variables combining different data sources.

Virtual Fence System Based on IoT Paradigm to Prevent Occupational Accidents in the Construction Sector.

Many occupational accidents in construction sites are caused by the intrusion of a worker into a hazardous area. Technological solutions based on RFID, BIM, or UWB can reduce accidents, but they still have some limitations.The aim of the current paper is to design and evaluate a new system of "virtual fences" based on Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) to avoid intrusions. First of all, the system was designed using a number of beacons, a Bayesian filter, a finite state machine, and an indicator. Secondly, its safety attributes were evaluated based on a scientific questionnaire by an expert panel following the staticized groups' methodology. Results showed that the proposal is inexpensive and easy to integrate and configure. The selected experts evaluated positively all the attributes of the system, and provided valuable insights for further improvements. From the experts' discussions, we concluded that successful adoption of this "virtual fence" system based on BLE beacons should consider the influence of factors such as cost savings, top management support, social acceptance, and compatibility and integration with existing systems, procedures, and company culture. In addition, legislation updates according to technical advances would help with successful adoption of any new safety system.

Estudio comparativo de los riesgos psicosociales laborales entre profesionales médicos / Comparative study of psychosocial occupational risks among medical professionals

Objetivos: Los profesionales médicos se encuentran expuestos diariamente a multitud de factores de riesgo psicosocial. El objetivo de este trabajo es identificar aquellas condiciones de trabajo, derivadas de la organización del mismo, que puedan representar un riesgo para la salud para profesionales médicos Material y Métodos: Se ha empleado la herramienta de investigación, evaluación y prevención de los riesgos psicosociales CoPsoQ-istas2, entrevistando a una veintena de médicos en activo. Resultados: Los resultados ponen de manifiesto la fuerte aparición de ciertas exposiciones inherentes al trabajo sanitario, las diferencias individuales a la hora de afrontar un mismo problema, la variabilidad en el grado de exposición en función del área que se esté estudiando. Conclusiones: Se deben de implementar medidas preventivas para mejorar las condiciones psicosociales tales como incrementar el control sobre los tiempos de trabajo, mejorar la distribución de los mismo, o eliminar el trabajo aislado entre otras (AU)

Objectives: Medical professionals are exposed daily to a multitude of psychosocial risk factors. The objective of this work is to identify those working conditions, derived from its organization, which may represent a health risk for medical professionals. Material and Methods: The research, evaluation and prevention tool for psychosocial risks CoPsoQ-istas2 has been used, interviewing twenty active doctors. Results: The results show the strong appearance of certain exposures inherent to health work, the individual differences when facing the same problem, the variability in the degree of exposure depending on the area being studied. Conclusions: Preventive measures must be implemented to improve psychosocial conditions such as increasing control over working times, improving their distribution, or eliminating isolated work, among others (AU)