Evaluation of the Quality of Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems Based on Key Performance Indicators in Certified Organizations

BACKGROUND: Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems are becoming more widespread in organizations. Consequently, their effectiveness has become a core topic for researchers. This paper evaluates the performance of the Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series 18001 specification in certified companies in Iran. METHODS: The evaluation is based on a comparison of specific criteria and indictors related to occupational health and safety management practices in three certified and three noncertified companies. RESULTS: Findings indicate that the performance of certified companies with respect to occupational health and safety management practices is significantly better than that of noncertified companies. CONCLUSION: Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series 18001-certified companies have a better level of occupational health and safety; this supports the argument that Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems play an important strategic role in health and safety in the workplace.

Relationship between managerial skills and employees job stress in health centers

Job stress is one of the important issues in the health sector and its high effect on workers' productivity. Managerial skills can help organizations to improve employees' effectiveness and reduce job stress. The present study investigated the relationship between employees' job stress and managers' professional skills. This cross-sectional and correlation study was conducted in 2010.We selected 90 health workers of 13 Health and Treatment Centers in Razan Health Center, western Iran. All data were gathered using self-administered questionnaires. Employees' job stress levels were measured using the Eliot Stress Questionnaire and managers' professional skills were assessed using the standard Questionnaire with 40- items in Likert format. Data were analyzed u SPSS software and Pearson correlation coefficient and Kendall correlation tests. 87.7% of employees had mid- level of job stress. The professional skills level was high in 36.7% of health managers; moderate in 56.6%, and low in 6.7%. In addition the human skill was highest level among all managers' professional skills. A significant and negative correlation was found between job stress and managers' human, conceptual and design skills [P <0.005]. The level of managers' professional skills was significantly related with employees' job stress, thus training and developing managerial skills especially human, conceptual and design skills in supervisors and managers of health centers can reduce job stress and enhance effective performance.

Communication skills of heads of departments: verbal, listening, and feedback skills

Managers' communication skills are one of the most important topics in educational sector of universities of medical sciences and may have considerable effect on faculty members and employees. This study was performed to determine the level of communication skills [verbal, listening, feedback] of the heads of department of faculties and its relation with some demographic variables. This cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2009 to January 2010. We enrolled all of the heads of departments [N=60] in Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, western Iran. The participants received a self-administered 24-item questionnaire in Likert format [six general items and 18 items related to communication skills]. Data were analyzed with SPSS software using Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. The average scores of verbal, listening and feedback communication were 22.5, 16.1 and 21.1, respectively. Accordingly, 78.3% of participants in verbal communication, 16.7% in listening communication and 73.3% in feedback communication had high status. There were significant differences between the average score of listening skills and age [P=0.013] as well as gender [P=0.042]. In addition, there was a significant statistical difference between verbal skills and gender [P=0.021]. The overall communication skills of more than half of the heads of departments were moderate. These needs designing some pro-grams for improving department managers' communication skills