Occupational safety in homecare organizations: the design and implementation of a train-the-trainer program.

Homecare workers face significant occupational risks, necessitating effective safety training programs. This paper presents a comprehensive Train-the-Trainer (TTT) program developed to enhance occupational safety in homecare organizations. Through an analysis of 229 reported safety events, the frequency and type of incidents, such as injuries during handling, road crashes, slips, trips, and falls, were identified and primarily attributed to human errors and violations. Based on the results, a TTT program was designed and implemented. The TTT successfully engaged Health, Safety, and Environment managers, fostering collaborative activities, knowledge sharing, and resource discussions. The program modules address critical areas, including distractions and inattentions, fatigue, time pressure, frustration and aggressiveness, and safety behaviors. This innovative approach provides valuable insights for organizations seeking to improve homecare workers' safety. The findings add to the broader comprehension of occupational safety in the homecare sector, proposing a pragmatic framework for future interventions.

Development and Initial Validation of the Safety Training Engagement Scale (STE-S).

Safety training promotes safety at work, in particular through the use of engaging methods. This study introduces a newly developed measure of individual engagement in safety training, and aims to analyze the psychometric proprieties of the scale. The safety training engagement scale (STE) consists of five items pertaining to the trainee's dedication and absorption in a safety training session. Two studies are carried out to analyze the validity of the scale. The first study focuses on the construct (internal) validity, to examine the scale's internal consistency and dimensional structure. The second study seeks to provide further evidence for construct validity by testing the external validity of the scale. The sample consists of 913 (study 1) and 133 (study 2) participants in safety training programs in the field of the chemical industry who were invited to fill the STE scale after attending a safety training course. The results provide support to affirm the validity and reliability of the scale. The discussion describes the implication and the limitations of using the STE scale in practical safety training programs, and outlines recommendations for research to improve the scale's robustness.

Integrating Human Barriers in Human Reliability Analysis: A New Model for the Energy Sector.

Human reliability analysis (HRA) is a major concern for organizations. While various tools, methods, and instruments have been developed by the scientific community to assess human error probability, few of them actually consider human factors impact in their analysis. The active role that workers have in shaping their own performance should be taken into account in order to understand the causal factors that may lead to errors while performing a task and identifying which human factors may prevent errors from occurring. In line with this purpose, the aim of this study is to present a new methodology for the assessment of human reliability. The proposed model relies on well-known HRA methodologies (such as SPAR-H and HEART) and integrates them in a unified framework in which human factors assume the role of safety barriers against human error. A test case of the new method was carried out in a logistics hub of an energy company. Our results indicate that human factors play a significant role in preventing workers from making errors while performing tasks by reducing human error probability. The limits and implications of the study are discussed.

It takes more than agency: Linking support from teaching staff, career engagement, and movement capital among university students.

Introduction: Career self-management behaviours are key to overcoming the challenges of entry into the labour market. Combining the Conservation of Resources and Career Self-management theories, this study delves into the concept of Career Engagement among Italian University students by examining its relationship with Support from teaching Staff and Movement Capital. We hypothesised a mediation model in which Support from Teaching Staff predicts Career Engagement which, in turn, fosters Movement Capital. As the pandemic led to the adoption of online learning solutions, we also explored whether and how the interaction between teachers and students during online classes moderates the said mediation relationship. Methods and results: We collected data from 276 Italian University students through an online questionnaire. Results supported the mediation hypothesis, corroborating the mediating role of Career Engagement. We also observed that this relationship is stronger at medium and higher levels of online interaction between teachers and students. Discussion: Findings contribute to existing evidence about the role of Career Engagement in facilitating career resources' acquisition and extend the understanding of its contextual antecedents in Higher Education contexts. Results also align with the importance attributed to interaction in online learning environments. This work suggests ways to encourage career behaviours in Higher Education and equip prospective labour market entrants with career resources.

The Predictive Factors of New Technology Adoption, Workers' Well-Being and Absenteeism: The Case of a Public Maritime Company in Venice.

The main goal of this research was to investigate the psychosocial aspects that influence the acceptance of innovative technology in maritime transport and its impact on employees' work-related wellbeing and absenteeism. In particular, this study focused on a device that had been introduced to sailors working in water public transportation in Venice. The theoretical framework included two integrated models: the TAM model, concerning acceptance of the technology, and the JD-R model, related to workers' well-being. A two-wave study was conducted; at T1, a self-report questionnaire was administered to 122 sailors. Four months after its first administration (T2), objective data related to days of absenteeism were collected. The study showed that the perceived ease of use and the usefulness of the device influenced the workers' intentions to use the technology and their motivational processes of work engagement, which was also related to social support. Work engagement impacted on work satisfaction and predicted the level of absenteeism (measured at Time 2). The implementation of a new technology may fail if transportation companies do not consider psychosocial factors that assist in the acceptance of such technology and promote the involvement of workers in the technological system.

The Role of Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Gender between Job Satisfaction and Task Performance.

Job satisfaction (JS) is an indicator of individual psychosocial health. Consistent evidence showed that voluntary extra-role behavior in organizations, namely organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), can also contribute to individual psychological health. JS has been found to positively influence employees' OCB, and both JS and OCB have been found to predict employees' task performance (TP). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether employees' OCB mediates the relationship of JS with TP, taking into consideration gender as a potential moderator, and other sociodemographic and work-related characteristics as confounding variables. A total of 518 employees, 54.6% women, aged 19-66 years with a mean age of about 36 years, completed measures of JS, OCB, and TP. Results showed a partial mediation of OCB in the JS-TP relationship, which was invariant across gender. A potential practical implication of findings is that human resource managers and practitioners might ultimately benefit male and female employees' well-being as well as the organizations' productivity by developing targeted individual- and group-level trainings and interventions to enhance JS and OCB.

Non-Technical Skills in Social Networks: The Spread of Safety Communication and Teamwork in a Warehouse.

Safety at work should be considered as the result of the daily interaction of operators. The present research wants to analyze which factors are involved in the development of social networks about safety at work. We assumed that two relational non-technical skills, such as safety communication and safety team member support, affect the in-degree and out-degree bonds of workers in social networks. One hundred and eight workers of a warehouse were the participants of the research, in which they were asked to fill out a self-reported questionnaire. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Results confirmed that safety communication and safety support skills play a role in determining the quantity and the quality of social bonds that workers can create at the workplace. To be specific, while safety communication was found to be associated with out-degree centrality (b = 0.24; p = 0.01), a nonsignificant relationship was found for in-degree centrality. In contrast, safety team member support was found to be associated with in-degree centrality (b = 0.28; p = 0.04). In other words, on the one hand, it was found that high levels of safety communication skills are associated with the tendency of workers to proactively search for colleagues with whom they can share information about safety. On the other hand, workers with high levels of safety support skills tend to be considered as reference points in terms of safety by colleagues, who are more prone to look for their help. Implications for both scientists and practitioners are discussed.

Improving Safety through Non-Technical Skills in Chemical Plants: The Validity of a Questionnaire for the Self-Assessment of Workers.

This research is aimed at developing a questionnaire for the self-assessment of non-technical skills (NTS) leading to safety in the chemical sector and at analysing the properties of its scales in terms of construct validity. The research involved 269 Italian employees from three chemical plants of an international company, who occupied low⁻medium levels in the organizational hierarchy. Results showed a good level of validity and reliability of the instrument and suggested that communication, situational awareness, decision-making, and fatigue/stress management are the four most important NTS for safety in the chemical sector.

[Safety in shipping: the role of the human factor.] / Sicurezza nella navigazione: il ruolo del fattore umano.

OBJECTIVES: The main aim of this paper is to examine the role of human factors in the safety of ship transport (shipping). METHODS: Particularly, we analyzed the personal, psychosocial and organizational factor that intervene in this context and the consequences on the safety performance and workers' well-being. RESULTS: In this review, some shipping accidents and their causes are presented and a particular attention will be paid to human error, fatigue and stress, non-technical skills and perception of safety. CONCLUSIONS: In the final part of the paper the safety performance and its antecedents in the context of shipping will be extensively examined.

Workplace Phobic Anxiety as a Mental Health Phenomenon in the Job Demands-Resources Model.

PURPOSE: Anxiety-related problems at work are a serious problem in the occupational context, as they come along with sick leave and problems in work participation. The aim of this study is to analyse workplace phobic anxiety in nonclinical context using the Job Demands-Resources model. METHODS: The study involved a sample of 739 workers from a retail company, mostly with permanent contracts. Structural equation modelling analyses were performed using AMOS software. RESULTS: Both the health impairment and motivational variables in the JD-R model were significantly related to workplace phobic anxiety and subsequently to absenteeism, specifically, exhaustion mediated between perceived job demands and workplace phobic anxiety and work engagement mediated between perceived job resources and workplace phobic anxiety. Moreover, workplace phobic anxiety was significantly positively related to absenteeism. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that workplace phobic anxiety is a specific concept and an important issue in organizations for both workers' health and the organizational costs linked to absenteeism. Supervisors and occupational physicians should be aware of workplace phobic anxiety, especially when workers are on sick leave often or for long periods.

[Proactive orientation toward work safety: a qualitative study on motivational antecedent]. / Orientamento proattivo alla sicurezza nel lavoro: studio qualitativo degli antecedenti motivazionali.

OBJECTIVES: Meta-analyses and research have highlighted the importance of employees' participation in workplace safety. METHODS: The present research designs an original model of proactive safety orientation which considers existing constructs of proactivity, adapted to organizational safety issues in the workplace. Qualitative data was obtained through semi-interviews with 18 expert of safety and analysed using content analysis. RESULTS: Findings shows six dimensions of proactivity that can be attributed to three managerial areas of Reason, competence, cognizance and commitment.