Overview of the relationship between organizational and workplace factors and injury rates

“Making it work in the frontline” explains female home care workers’ defining, recognizing, communicating and reporting of occupational disorders

“…However, macro-socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors explained only 12Á19% of the variation of occupational disorders (Dellve et al, 2003b) and 33Á34% of long-term sick leave or disability pension (Dellve et al, 2006). Age structures of HCWs and the unemployment level were related to the incidence rate, in this study and in other studies (Brooker, Frank & Tarasuk, 1997;Shannon, Mayr & Haines, 1997). Sparsely populated areas had lower incidence of occupational disorders and metropolitan areas higher, but the explaining factors showed an inverse direction for these areas (Dellve et al, 2003b).…”

Does safety climate moderate the influence of staffing adequacy and work conditions on nurse injuries?

“…First, nurses who are accustomed to greater job autonomy may be more willing to participate voluntarily in safe work practices when the decision to do so is left to their own discretion. Second, positive work conditions in terms of greater autonomy and participation in decision-making have been linked in previous studies to fewer work-related injuries (DeJoy, Gershon et al, 2004;Parker et al, 2001;Shannon et al, 1997), leading researchers to argue that such work conditions enhance the ability of employees to appropriately respond to situations that might result in injury (Parker et al, 2001). Therefore, it is possible that nurses who work on units where autonomy is encouraged are better able to anticipate patients problems and, thus, avoid situations in which failure to adhere to safe work practices is thought to be justified.…”

“…Positive work conditions characterized by greater autonomy and participation in decision-making have been linked to better employee safety outcomes (DeJoy, Gershon et al, 2004;Shannon et al, 1997). These findings indicate that positive work conditions may enhance the ability of employees to appropriately respond to work exceptions and unanticipated situations that often are the harbinger of injuries (Parker et al, 2001).…”

“…While numerous dimensions of safety climate have been described in the organizational literature, four have received consistent support as critical to the development of a strong safety climate. First, employee perceptions about the importance of safety depend on managerial behaviors that convey a commitment to safety and actively promote employee involvement in safety issues (Hofmann & Stetzer, 1996;Shannon et al, 1997). Second, the balance that is maintained between work production and worker safety is critical to employee perceptions about the value of safety to the organization (DeJoy, Gershon, & Schaffer, 2004).…”

“…Because these approaches have been of only modest benefit in reducing injuries (DeJoy, Gershon, & Schaffer, 2004), there is an emerging consensus that successful safety initiatives will depend on a theoretically sound understanding of the interrelationships among individual, environmental, and organizational factors that affect safe job performance (Katz-Navon, Naveh, & Stern, 2005;Lundstrom, Pugliese, Bartley, Cox, & Guither, 2002;Shannon, Mayr, & Haines, 1997).…”