Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 41 in total

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  1. Psychological well-being among government pharmacy staff in Sarawak and the associating factors
    Loo SC, Ting CY, Said LN, Mohamad NB, Abd Jabar AHAB
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2024 Mar 26.
    PMID: 38528840 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2024.2327221
    Objectives. Studies have highlighted that healthcare workers are exposed to various forms of psychological distress. This study aimed to assess the psychological well-being of pharmacy staff during the COVID-19 pandemic and the associating factors. Methods. The cross-sectional study explored the psychological well-being of pharmacy staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. An adopted questionnaire was employed to collect quantitative data from January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021. Results. A total of 515 respondents were recruited. Those who perceived good health status were 1.9 times more likely to have normal depression scores (relative risk ratio [RRR] = 0.53; B = -0.64), and 2.4 times (RRR = 0.41; B = -0.88) more likely to have normal stress scores. Those who were greatly affected by COVID-19 in their work were found to be 1.2 times (RRR = 1.20; B = 0.18) more likely to have moderate anxiety scores and 1.44 times (RRR = 1.44; B = 0.36) more likely to have severe depression scores. Respondents with higher work characteristic scores were more likely to have normal depression, stress and anxiety scores. Conclusions. Good health status perception and work characteristics appeared to be the factors affecting respondents' scores in all dimensions of psychological well-being. Hence, improving both domains will be key in improving overall psychological well-being.
  2. Prediction of work productivity outcomes by identifying critical risk factors among garment industry workers
    Javed I, Md Dawal SZ, Nukman Y, Ahmad A
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2022 Dec;28(4):2238-2249.
    PMID: 34556003 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2021.1984673
    Work productivity is one of the most important economic measures in the manufacturing industry. However, the physical, psychosocial and individual risk factors of an industrial work environment affect workers' physical or mental health, resulting in work productivity loss, absenteeism and presenteeism. Therefore, this study aims to identify the most critical risk factors and develop statistical models for predicting work productivity loss, absenteeism and presenteeism of garment industry workers. A sample of 224 sewing machine operators was taken for data collection through observation and self-reported studies. The results indicated that the average work productivity loss, absenteeism and presenteeism was 38.21, 2.35 and 37.23%, respectively. Finally, the statistical models of work productivity loss, absenteeism and presenteeism was developed using multiple linear regression with precision of 69.9, 53.7 and 84.0%, respectively. Hence, this study will help garment industries to improve their work productivity by taking initiatives based on the developed models.
  3. Development of a predictive model for work-relatedness of MSDs among semiconductor back-end workers
    Ling CF, Radin Umar RZ, Ahmad N
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2020 Dec 29.
    PMID: 33096963 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2020.1840116
    Objective. Limited models are available to predict work-relatedness of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among semiconductor back-end workers. This study aims to develop a model to predict the MSDs development among back-end workers. Method. Potential MSD risk factors were extracted from 277 work compensation investigation reports conducted between 2011-2019. Binary logistic regression approach was used to determine significant predictors. Results. Significant predictors (p 
  4. Hand-arm vibration disorder among grass-cutter workers in Malaysia
    Azmir NA, Ghazali MI, Yahya MN, Ali MH
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2016 Apr 6.
    PMID: 27050159
    Prolonged exposure to hand-transmitted vibration from grass-cutting machines has been associated with increasing occurrences of symptoms and signs of occupational diseases related to hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS).
  5. Lifetime vibration dose correlates with severity of the neurological component of hand-arm vibration syndrome among tyre shop workers in Kelantan, Malaysia
    Qamruddin AA, Husain NRN, Sidek MY, Hanafi MH, Ripin ZM, Ali N
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2021 Jun;27(2):410-415.
    PMID: 30940001 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2019.1600872
    Introduction. Cumulative lifetime exposure to vibration is believed to contribute to more severe complications of hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Objectives. To determine prevalence of the neurological component of HAVS and the correlation between lifetime vibration dose (LVD) and neurological severity of HAVS among tyre shop workers in Kelantan. Methods. The cross-sectional study involved 200 tyre shop workers from two districts in Kelantan. Part one data were collected in the field using a questionnaire and hand-arm vibration was measured. Part two involved a set of hand clinical examinations (Purdue pegboard, Semmes-Weinstein monofilament and two-point discrimination tests) carried out for neurological component severity staging. LVD for each worker was calculated from data gathered in part one. For workers who had neurological symptoms, staging according to Stockholm workshop scales was done according to part two data. The strength of correlation between LVD and neurological stages was then determined using Spearman correlation. Results. Prevalence of neurological component was 37%. Spearman correlation between LVD and the neurological stages showed a moderate positive correlation. Conclusion. Cumulative lifetime exposure to hand-transmitted vibration is likely to be related to neurological severity of HAVS and therefore must be considered when assessing workers' exposure to hand-arm vibration.
  6. Musculoskeletal complications of hand-arm vibration syndrome among tyre shop workers in Kelantan, Malaysia
    Qamruddin AA, Husain NRN, Sidek MY, Hanafi MH, Ripin ZM, Ali N
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2020 Dec 03.
    PMID: 33148113 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2020.1846924
    Objectives. Exposure to hand-arm vibration (HAV) is associated with hand-arm vascular syndrome (HAVS), which is characterized by musculoskeletal complications. However, evidence on this matter has been inconclusive. Therefore, this study aimed to determine and compare the prevalence of musculoskeletal complications of HAVS between a high-exposure (≥5 m·s-2) group and a low-moderate-exposure (<5 m·s-2) group and to explore the factors associated with the musculoskeletal complications of HAVS among tyre shop workers in Kelantan, Malaysia. Methods. A cross-sectional study involving 200 tyre shop workers was carried out. HAV was measured by a vibration meter. The workers were divided into two exposure groups - according to their 8-h time-weighted average, A(8), of vibration exposure - and compared. Results. Almost half of the workers reported musculoskeletal complications of the upper limbs and neck. Only the lifetime vibration dose (LVD) was significantly associated with the development of musculoskeletal complications. Conclusion. The high-exposure group had a higher prevalence of musculoskeletal complications. Only the LVD was significantly associated with complications. However, all factors of the work system, such as ergonomics, handgrip force and posture, might contribute to the development of musculoskeletal complications of HAVS and should be included in assessments.
  7. Health and safety improvement in construction projects: a lean construction approach
    Abu Aisheh YI, Tayeh BA, Alaloul WS, Almalki A
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2022 Dec;28(4):1981-1993.
    PMID: 34126867 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2021.1942648
    Objectives. Lean construction techniques have been considered an effective approach and strategy to reduce accidents in construction projects. This article aims to investigate the application of the lean construction principle and its impact on occupational health and safety. Methods. To achieve the aim, an analytical descriptive method was used. The data were collected through a questionnaire, with 70 respondents who were chosen using a random stratified sample method. The questionnaire evaluated the perception of contractors and consultants about the important lean construction factors and their impact on construction project safety. Results. There is an agreement that the application of lean construction techniques can be impeded by challenges like lack of lean construction knowledge, complexity, misconception about lean construction and difficulties in changing employees. Conclusions. The study identified strategies that could be used to address these challenges that will improve the safety of construction projects. These include enlightenment on benefits of the lean practice, publication of improvements realized from lean practice, training, workers' involvement and empowerment, persistence, robust planning and gradual implementation.
  8. Identifying key accident causation factors in the Malaysian construction industry
    Oni OZ, Olanrewaju A, Cheen KS
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2024 Jan 19.
    PMID: 38243387 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2024.2308376
    Objectives. Notwithstanding its economic importance, the construction industry is still facing challenges due to its high accident record. As a result, the goal of this study is to identify the key underlying causes of accidents in the Malaysian construction industry that construction stakeholders can focus on to reduce the menace of accidents in the industry. Methods. To achieve this goal, relevant literature was reviewed in order to identify the causes of accidents. The identified factors were used to develop the survey questionnaire for collecting primary data, and the collected data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results. The results of the EFA and CFA establish and confirm 11 clusters for the causes of accidents on construction sites: management problems; inadequate training; inadequate supervision; mental health problems; bad attitudes; inadequate funding; inadequate experience; material and equipment handling; poor safety practices; inadequate orientation; and work environment. Conclusion. The study concludes that addressing all 11 factors will drastically reduce the incessant accident occurrences in the construction industry. The result of this study will help construction stakeholders know where to direct their energy in an effort to reduce construction accidents.
  9. The effects of perceived organizational support, perceived supervisor support and perceived co-worker support on safety and health compliance
    Puah LN, Ong LD, Chong WY
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2016 Sep;22(3):333-9.
    PMID: 27049935 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2016.1159390
    Although knowledge is cumulating, very little is known about the effects of various sources of support on safety and health compliance. This study goes beyond previous research by investigating the relationships among perceived support from organizations, supervisors and co-workers, and employees' safety and health compliance behaviour at chemical and petroleum process plants. The results of this study show that the support from organizations, supervisors and co-workers was significantly related to employees' safety and health compliance. Also, the findings reveal that perceived supervisor support has the strongest influence in ensuring employees' safety and health compliance behaviour.
  10. Effect of psychosocial safety climate on psychological distress via job resources, work engagement and workaholism: a multilevel longitudinal study
    Yulita Y, Idris MA, Dollard MF
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2020 Oct 15.
    PMID: 32912109 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2020.1822054
    Objective. Our innovation was to propose a multilevel model to explain how an organizational factor, psychosocial safety climate (PSC) - the climate for worker psychological health - related to work investment (work engagement and workaholism) and, in turn, psychological distress. Methods. Longitudinal data were collected in Peninsular Malaysia across 26 police departments from 392 police personnel, matched across 4 months, and were tested using hierarchical linear modeling. Results. The analysis revealed between-group effects linking PSC to job resources, to work engagement and to workaholism. When PSC operated by improving job resources, aside from increased work engagement, it could unwittingly boost workaholism. However, this only existed under low PSC conditions. The secondary function of PSC buffered the impact of job resources on workaholism and psychological distress. When PSC was high, job resources reduced both workaholism and psychological distress, suggesting that PSC enabled resources to do their job of mitigating unfavorable conditions. Conclusions. Results support a multilevel PSC-extended job demands-resources motivational path with cross-links, and PSC's moderation function, as an explanation of worker psychological health. Confirming PSC as a leading indicator and the importance of a motivational path, this article presents new evidence in support of targeting PSC to improve worker psychological health.
  11. Contributions of safety critical success factors and safety program elements to overall project success
    Buniya MK, Othman I, Sunindijo RY, Karakhan AA, Kineber AF, Durdyev S
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2023 Mar;29(1):129-140.
    PMID: 35125068 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2022.2038419
    Implementing a safety program is an essential step toward improving safety performance. This research aims to develop an overall project success (OPS) model for building projects through investigating the direct and indirect impact of safety critical success factors (CSFs) on OPS mediated by safety program elements. First, interviews were carried out with experts in the Iraqi construction industry, and then a questionnaire survey was utilized to obtain feedback from construction professionals. The results revealed that 20 elements are needed to confirm and improve effectiveness. These elements were categorized into four constructs: management commitment and employee involvement, worksite analysis, hazard and prevention control, and health and safety training. The analysis confirms that the relationship between safety CSFs and OPS are mediated by safety program elements. These findings offer a glimmer of hope for implementing safety programs in the Iraqi construction sector, and can also be used to enhance safety performance.
  12. Behavior-based safety program for process industries
    Rashid MI, Athar M, Noor F, Hussain A
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2023 Dec;29(4):1440-1450.
    PMID: 36221985 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2022.2135282
    Objectives. This article describes the reduction of unsafe behaviors observed at a fertilizer complex by implementation of a behavior-based safety (BBS) program via a behavior observation form developed by a multidisciplinary team. Methods. Six observation categories, i.e., position of people, reaction of people, personal protective equipment (PPE), tools used, operating procedures and housekeeping, are used to monitor safe and unsafe behaviors for a period of 18 months. Results. Safe behaviors increased from 57 to 70% and unsafe behaviors reduced from 40 to 26%. Behaviors of employees working in various sections of fertilizer complex such as ammonia, urea, utility, bagging/shipping and workshop were also observed. Non-compliance with PPE, housekeeping and standard operating procedures was also monitored in individual sections. Non-operational areas including the administration block, housing colony, maintenance workshop, warehouse, fire station and electrical substation were also observed. Among these, the maximum unsafe behaviors are for the housing colony and minimum for the electrical substation. Conclusion. It has been concluded that working on the housing colony, administration block and fire station areas will address 74% unsafe behaviors of non-operational areas. For practical applications, worldwide industries can implement this BBS program to enhance BBS, thus reducing unsafe behaviors and increasing employee morale.
  13. Evaluation of safety climate differences among employees' demographic variables: a cross-sectional study in two different-sized manufacturing industries in Malaysia
    Saedi AM, Majid AA, Isa Z
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2021 Sep;27(3):714-727.
    PMID: 31131712 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2019.1623454
    Introduction. Demographic information is one of the key parameters that organizations utilize to modify their practices in order to respond to the existing risk within work environments. The present article aims to assess the level of safety climate factors as well as to evaluate the influence of personal factors on safety climate in two different-sized industries. Methods. A total of 216 employees in two large and three small and medium-sized chemical manufacturing industries responded to a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to measure the safety climate level; a two-independent-sample Mann-Whitney U test and a Kruskal-Wallis test were run to compare the difference in safety climate scores among different demographic variables. Results. The lower level of safety climate in small and medium-sized industries revealed lower understanding and performance of management and non-management with regard to safety climate compared to the large industries. Additionally, significant mean differences on some safety climate factors among demographic variables were detected in both sizes of industries, emphasizing the important role of the employees' demographic variables on the plants' safety climate. Conclusion. Improving organization-level and group-level safety climates is recommended to improve employees' level of safety climate and control their personal factors.
  14. Postural assessment in pen-and-paper-based observational methods and their associated health effects: a review
    Sukadarin EH, Deros BM, Ghani JA, Mohd Nawi NS, Ismail AR
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2016 Sep;22(3):389-98.
    PMID: 27173135 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2016.1156924
    INTRODUCTION: This review describes standardized ergonomics assessment based on pen-and-paper observational methods for assessing ergonomics risk factors.

    OBJECTIVE: The three main objectives are to analyze published pen-and-paper observational methods, to extract and understand the risk levels of each method and to identify their associated health effects.

    METHODOLOGY: The authors searched scientific databases and the Internet for materials from 1970 to 2013 using the following keywords: ergo, posture, method, observational, postural angle, health effects, pain and diseases. Postural assessments of upper arms, lower arms, wrists, neck, back and legs in six pen-and-paper-based observational methods are highlighted, extracted in groups and linked with associated adverse health effects.

    RESULTS: The literature reviewed showed strengths and limitations of published pen-and-paper-based observational methods in determining the work activities, risk levels and related postural angles to adverse health effects. This provided a better understanding of unsafe work postures and how to improve these postures.

    CONCLUSION: Many pen-and-paper-based observational methods have been developed. However, there are still many limitations of these methods. There is, therefore, a need to develop a new pen-and-paper-based observational method for assessing postural problems.

  15. Occupational health and safety practice in infrastructure projects
    Alhammadi SA, Tayeh BA, Alaloul WS, Jouda AF
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2022 Dec;28(4):2631-2644.
    PMID: 34965852 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2021.2013034
    Objectives. This research intends to investigate the responsibilities of the parties engaged in the implementation phase of the infrastructure projects in occupational health and safety, i.e., the consultant and contractor. Methods. A questionnaire was developed through the selection and modification of the responsibilities from the literature review. Results. The statistical analysis results show that the consultants and contractors both ranked the item 'The owner requires the contractor to implement the occupational safety standards within the bid' first in the owner responsibilities, having 0.67 relative importance index (RII). In the responsibilities of the consultant, the first ranked item was 'The consultant has a role in adopting occupational safety plans and contingency plans', having 0.66 RII. In the responsibilities of the contractor, the first ranked item was 'The contractor shall provide the insurance cover for all project crews', having 0.71 RII. In the responsibilities of the workers, the first ranked item was 'Workers know the handling of tools and equipment within the project', having 0.59 RII. Conclusion. Overall, there was general agreement between consultants and contractors to classify and arrange items because both face the same conditions and have the same working environment.
  16. Synergetic effect of safety culture and safety climate on safety performance in SMEs: does transformation leadership have a moderating role?
    Asad M, Kashif M, Sheikh UA, Asif MU, George S, Khan GUH
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2021 Sep 07.
    PMID: 34126869 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2021.1942657
    Objectives. In developing countries, health and safety is not given importance especially in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Incidents in health and safety are continuously increasing. The major reason is a lack of workplace safety culture. Secondly, enterprises lack resources, therefore it becomes hard for them to provide safety climate. Along with safety climate and safety culture, the behavior of leadership plays a significant role toward safety performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the moderating role of leadership for gaining safety performance through safety culture and safety climate. Methods. For the said purpose, the authors collected data from laborers and managers. A structured questionnaire was adopted and, after ensuring the reliability, structural equation modeling was applied. Results. The findings revealed that safety culture and safety climate both have a significant impact over safety performance; however, transformational leadership only moderates the relationship between safety culture and safety performance. Conclusions. Identification of the moderating role of transformational leadership is a significant contribution in social cognitive theory. Future researchers are also guided to identify the same link for large industries of developing countries.
  17. Designing a neurofeedback device to quantify attention levels using coffee as a reward system
    Cheng KS, Lee JX, Lee PF
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2021 Mar;27(1):258-266.
    PMID: 29658406 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2018.1459348
    Purpose. Work performance is closely related to one's attention level. In this study, a brain-computer interface (BCI) device suitable for office usage was chosen to quantify the individual's attention levels. Methods. A BCI system was adopted to interface brainwave signals to a coffee maker via three ascending levels of laser detectors. The preliminary test with this prototype was to characterize the attention level through the collected coffee amount. Here, the preliminary testing was comparing the correlation between the attention level and the participants' cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and scores from the 21-item depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS-21) and the attentional control scale (ACS) using ordinal regression. It was assumed that a greater CGPA would generate a greater attention level. Result. The generated coffee amount from the BCI system had a significant positive correlation with the CGPA (p = 0.004), mild depression (p = 0.019) and mild and extremely severe anxiety (p = 0.044 and p = 0.019, respectively) and a negative correlation with the ACS score (p = 0.042). Conclusion. This simple and cost-effective prototype has the potential to enable everyone to know their immediate attention level and predict the possible correlation to their mental state.
  18. Accidents in Malaysian construction industry: statistical data and court cases
    Chong HY, Low TS
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2014;20(3):503-13.
    PMID: 25189753
    Safety and health issues remain critical to the construction industry due to its working environment and the complexity of working practises. This research attempts to adopt 2 research approaches using statistical data and court cases to address and identify the causes and behavior underlying construction safety and health issues in Malaysia. Factual data on the period of 2000-2009 were retrieved to identify the causes and agents that contributed to health issues. Moreover, court cases were tabulated and analyzed to identify legal patterns of parties involved in construction site accidents. Approaches of this research produced consistent results and highlighted a significant reduction in the rate of accidents per construction project in Malaysia.
  19. Evaluation and optimization of handle design parameters of a grass trimming machine
    Mallick Z
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2008;14(3):343-9.
    PMID: 18954544
    The grass trimming machine is a widely used agricultural machine for cutting grass by the roadside and in other areas in Malaysia. Hand-arm vibration (HAV) syndrome is very common among workers operating power tools and performing similar work for extended periods. Grass trimming involves the use of a motorized cutter spinning at high speed, resulting in high levels of HAV among its operators. The existing D-shape handle causes HAV-related stress and operational load in operators. This research proposes a new design of a handle of the grass trimming machine. When this new design was compared with the old one, it was found that the new handle resulted in 18% lower HAV. To find the lowest HAV, 3 critical parameters of the new handle (length, angle and material of the cap of the handle) were optimized using the Taguchi quality tool. Appropriately selected parameters of the new handle significantly reduced the occurrence of HAV among grass trimmers.
  20. Investigating data entry task performance on a laptop under the impact of vibration: the effect of color
    Mallick Z
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2007;13(3):291-303.
    PMID: 17888238
    The last 20 years have seen a tremendous growth in mobile computing and wireless communications and services. An experimental study was conducted to explore the effect of text/background color on a laptop computing system along with variable environmental vibration on operators' data entry task performance in moving automobiles. The operators' performance was measured in terms of the number of characters entered per minute without spaces (NCEPMWS) on a laptop computing system. The subjects were divided into 3 categories, namely, Novices, Intermediates and Experts. Findings suggest a re-evaluation of existing laptop designs taking ergonomics into consideration. It appears that proper selection of text/background color on the laptop coupled with controlled vehicular speed could result in a better quality of interaction between human and laptops and it could also resolve the problem of poor data entry task performance.
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