International research indicates that internal health and safety organizations (HSO) and health and safety committees (HSC) do not have the intended impact on companies' safety performance. The aim ...of this case study at an industrial plant was to test whether the HSO can improve company safety culture by creating more and better safety-related interactions both within the HSO and between HSO members and the shop-floor.
A quasi-experimental single case study design based on action research with both quantitative and qualitative measures was used.
Based on baseline mapping of safety culture and the efficiency of the HSO three developmental processes were started aimed at the HSC, the whole HSO, and the safety representatives, respectively.
Results at follow-up indicated a marked improvement in HSO performance, interaction patterns concerning safety, safety culture indicators, and a changed trend in injury rates. These improvements are interpreted as cultural change because an organizational double-loop learning process leading to modification of the basic assumptions could be identified.
The study provides evidence that the HSO can improve company safety culture by focusing on safety-related interactions.
•A quasi-experimental case study testing a safety culture intervention•The intervention aimed at creating more and better safety-related interactions.•The safety organizations performance was improved.•Results indicated a changed trend in injury rates and improvement in safety culture.
Little is known about how electrical current passes through the human body except that it follows the physical rule of least resistance. Whether organs remote from the shortest route of the current ...can be affected is unknown, as different types of tissue vary in resistance. This may explain why some people exposed to electrical injury report symptoms from the central nervous system (CNS). In this study, we examined the association between exposure to cross-body electrical current and immediate CNS symptoms.
In a prospective cohort study, we followed 6960 members of the Danish Union of Electricians for 26 weeks using weekly questionnaires. We identified 2356 electrical shocks, and for each shock we asked whether the exposure was cross-body or same-side. We excluded those who reported exposure to the head as well as those who could not report the entry and exit points of the current. We examined two outcomes: becoming unconscious or having amnesia of the event. We use percentages to describe the data and logistic regression to analyze the results.
We found that unconsciousness and amnesia following electric shocks were rare events (0.6% and 2.2%, respectively). We found an increased risk of reporting unconsciousness and amnesia in those exposed to cross-body electrical shock exposure compared to those with same-side exposure (Odds Ratio 2.600.62 to 10.96 and Odds Ratio 2.180.87 to 5.48).
Although the outcomes investigated are rare, we cannot rule out a possible effect on the CNS when persons are exposed to cross-body electrical current even though it does not pass through the head.
Electric shocks may have neurological consequences for the victims. Although the literature on the neurological consequences of electric shocks is limited by retrospective designs, case studies and ...studies of selected patient groups, previous research provides some evidence of a link between electric shocks, and diseases and symptoms of the central nervous system (CNS)(e.g. epilepsy, migraine and vertigo) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS)(e.g. loss of sensation, neuropathy and muscle weakness). This study aims to employ a register-based, matched cohort study, to investigate whether individuals demonstrate a greater risk of neurological diseases and symptoms of the CNS or PNS in the years following an electrical injury.
We identified 14,112 electrical injuries over a period of 19 years in two Danish registries, and matched these with three different groups of persons in a prospective matched cohort study: (1) patients with dislocation/sprain injuries, (2) patients with eye injuries and (3) persons employed in the same occupation. Year of injury, sex and age were used as matching variables. The outcomes we identified comprised neurological disorders and central or peripheral nervous system symptoms that covered a range of diagnoses in the Danish National Patient Register. The associations were analysed using conditional logistic regression for a range of time periods (six months to five years) and conditional Cox regression for analyses of the complete follow-up period (up to 20 years).
For victims of electric shock, the CNS sequelae we identified included an increased risk of epilepsy, convulsions, abnormal involuntary movements, headache, migraine and vertigo. We also identified an uncertain, increased risk of spinal muscular atrophy and dystonia, whereas we identified no increased risk of Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, multiple sclerosis or other degenerative diseases of the nervous system. For victims of electric shock, the PNS sequelae we identified included an increased risk of disturbances of skin sensation, mononeuropathy in the arm or leg and nerve root and plexus disorders. We also identified an uncertain, increased risk of facial nerve disorders, other mononeuropathy, and polyneuropathy.
Our results confirm that electrical injuries increase the risk of several neurological diseases and symptoms of the CNS or PNS in the years following the injury. Most often the diseases and symptoms are diagnosed within the first six months of the injury, but delayed onset of up to 5 years cannot be ruled out for some symptoms and diagnoses. Some of the conditions were rare in our population, which limited our ability to identify associations, and this warrants cautious interpretation. Therefore, further studies are needed to confirm our findings, as are studies that examine the mechanisms underlying these associations.
Denmark and Sweden are societally and regulatory similar countries with large differences in occupational injury rates. Denmark has consistently had twice the rate of reported injuries compared to ...Sweden and a 45% higher rate of fatal injuries in the construction industry. The current study aims to further investigate the perceived underlying factors responsible for the difference in injury rate between Denmark and Sweden by examining the possible impact on safety climate and safety behaviour of cooperation, perceived organizational support, organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB), planning, safety motivation, and long-term orientation. The paper is based on a questionnaire study completed by 346 construction workers from 48 Swedish construction sites and 465 construction workers from 37 Danish construction sites. The results show that all six predictors were positively related with safety climate and/or safety behaviour in both countries. However, the level of the predictors was generally higher in Sweden, and there was a stronger positive relationship with the outcomes in Sweden than Denmark. Specifically, the valuation of cooperation and OCB, planning and long-term orientation were more dominant in Sweden. These differences illuminate some of the possible factors underlying the difference in injury rate between the Danish and Swedish construction industry.
Electrical injuries happen every day in homes and workplaces. Not only may these injuries cause physical damage and disability, they may also cause mental disorders. The aim of this study was to ...investigate if persons with an electrical injury suffer from mental disorders in the following years.
In a prospective matched cohort design, we identified 14.112 electrical injuries in two Danish registries and matched these with persons with dislocation/sprain injuries or eye injuries, respectively, as well as with persons from the workforce from the same occupation, using year of injury, sex and age as matching variables. We identified possible outcomes in terms of mental diagnoses in the Danish National Patient registry, based on literature, including reviews, original studies and case-reports as well as experiences from clinical praxis. The associations were analyzed using conditional cox- and logistic regression.
We found that the following of the examined outcomes were associated with exposure to an electrical injury compared to the matched controls. Some of the outcomes showed the strongest associations shortly after the injury, namely 'mental disorders due to known physiological condition', 'anxiety and adjustment disorders', and especially the 'Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)' subgroup. The same pattern was seen for 'Depression' although the associations were weaker. Other conditions took time to develop ('Somatoform disorders'), or were only present in the time to event analysis ('other non-psychotic mental disorders' and 'sleep disorders'). The findings were consistent in all three matches, with the highest risk estimates in the occupation match.
Electrical injuries may result in mental disorders, both acute and several years after. However, the absolute risk is limited as most of the outcomes are rare.
Ice accretion causes damage on power generation infrastructure, leading to mechanical failure. Icephobic materials are being researched so that ice buildup on these surfaces will be shed before the ...weight of the ice causes catastrophic damage. Lubricated materials have imposed the lowest-recorded forces of ice adhesion, and therefore lubricated materials are considered the state-of-the-art in this area. Slippery lubricant-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) are one type of such materials. SLIPS are initially very effective at repelling ice, but the trapped fluid layer that affords their icephobic properties is easily depleted by repeated icing/deicing cycles, even after one deicing event. UV-cured siloxane resins were infused into SLIPS to observe effects on icephobicity and durability. These UV-cured polymer networks enhanced both the icephobicity and longevity of the SLIPS; values of ice adhesion below 10 kPa were recorded, and appreciable icephobicity was maintained up to 10 icing/deicing cycles.
The construction industry has one of the highest frequencies of work-related accidents. We examined whether construction workers predominantly identify themselves in terms of their workgroup or in ...terms of the construction site. In addition, we examined the associations between social identity and safety climate, and how these constructs are associated with work-related accidents. The analyses were based on questionnaire responses from 478 construction workers from two large construction sites, and the methods involved structural equation modeling. Results showed that the workers identified themselves primarily with their workgroup, and to a lesser degree with the construction site. Social identity and safety climate were related both at the workgroup and construction site levels, meaning that social identity may be an antecedent for safety climate. The association between social identity and safety climate was stronger at the workgroup level than at the construction site level. Finally, safety climate at both levels was inversely associated with self-reported accidents, with the strongest association at the workgroup level. A focus on improving safety climate, particularly by integrating initiatives at both the workgroup and management level, may have the potential to improve safety performance and thus decrease the risk of accidents and injuries on construction sites.
•A golden standard for good and safe training companies was developed.•The intervention included active work environment factors and motivational factors.•A high level of participation and a ...satisfactory implementation was obtained.•The effect of the pilot test showed minor primarily non-significant improvements.•Targeting owner-managers may be a feasible approach to prevent apprentice injuries.
Apprentices within construction have an increased risk of occupational injuries. In Denmark apprentices alternate between periods at school and extensive periods at training companies where they are employed during their education. Owner-managers are pivotal in securing safe working conditions for apprentices in training companies.
A tailored intervention aimed at creating safe training companies by targeting owner-managers was developed through an iterative process. The intervention included both active work environment factors (a checklist approach based on a gold standard aided by specific tools) and motivational factors (assistance with mandatory systematic health and safety obligations, access to promotional materials and an option to get a free visit from a health and safety advisor) designed to motivate companies to participate. The intervention was pilot tested in a non-randomized controlled design to examine recruitment, implementation and effect.
67% of the training companies that were invited to participate accepted and 58% completed the intervention. At least one tool was used by 71% of the companies and there was a significant increase in the safety level of the training companies from baseline to follow-up. The intervention group reported non-significantly fewer injuries during the intervention period than the control group. Minor improvements were measured in safety climate in the intervention group and significant differences between the intervention and control group were found for 2 out of 7 safety climate measures at follow-up.
It may be feasible to prevent apprentice injuries by targeting owner-managers and the existing norms and practices in training companies.
Purpose
Over the years, many cases of electric cataract related to severe electrical injuries have been reported. Most have been cases where the entrance or exit point of the current was on the skull ...or near the eyes. Still, cases of cataract have been reported where an electric current has passed through the body between two contact points remote from the eyes. This study investigates whether persons exposed to an electric current develop cataracts in the subsequent years.
Methods
We identified 14 112 persons who had received electrical injuries in two Danish registries. We matched these with patients partly with dislocation/sprain injuries and partly with persons from the workforce from the same occupation using year of accident, sex and age as matching variables in a prospective, matched‐cohort design. We identified cataract as outcome (DH25, DH26 and DH28) in the Danish National Patient Registry. The associations were analysed using conditional Cox and logistic regression.
Results
We did not identify an increased risk of cataract following electrical injury compared to matched controls.
Conclusion
A review of the literature clearly substantiates the occurrence of electric cataract as a consequence of electric current coming in contact with a point on the skull or near the eye. However, our results indicate that electric cataract is not a delayed‐onset effect of electrical injury, in general, and do not suggest a need for cataract screening in all cases of electrical injury.
To examine whether demographic and health factors are associated with risk of electrical shocks and compared mental and physical health before and after an electrical shock.
A 6-month cohort study of ...6960 electricians involved weekly questionnaires regarding exposure to electrical shocks, and health. We examined the association between health and demographic factors and the risk of eventual electrical shocks and health before and after a shock.
Youth and poor health were associated with risk of shocks. Reporting of numbness, cramps/spasms, tremors, tinnitus, dizziness, and flashbacks increased in the week of the shock, but only tinnitus and flashbacks persisted, as other symptoms receded. Severity, high voltage, cross-body exposure, wet entry/exit points, and direct current as well as health worries and/or neuroticism increased some estimates.
Electrical shocks are common, but rarely result in health effects.
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