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A comparison of the perceptions and beliefs of workers and owners with regard to workplace safety in small metal fabrication businesses
Author(s) -
Parker David,
Brosseau Lisa,
Samant Yogindra,
Pan, PhD Wei,
Xi Min,
Haugan Dave
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.20508
Subject(s) - occupational safety and health , audit , medicine , psychological intervention , effective safety training , work (physics) , workplace safety , perception , balanced scorecard , small business , marketing , business , nursing , accounting , occupational health nursing , public health , health policy , psychology , mechanical engineering , pathology , neuroscience , engineering
Abstract Background Problems of improving safety in small business establishments may include a lack of resources, limited unionization, and an informal management structure. Methods We evaluated worker and manager perceptions of worksite health and safety using Social Cognitive Theory. We used a business safety scorecard to audit the safety conditions, policies and programs, and work practices. Comparisons were made between the different measures. Results Businesses with safety committees had 1.7–2.1 times higher proportion of positive safety scorecard items than businesses without committees. Union status and business size were not associated with business safety audit results. Non‐English‐speaking and less educated employees reported higher levels of knowledge about safety than did their more educated and/or English‐speaking peers. Conclusions The presence of a safety committee is the single most important indicator of workplace safety. Self‐reported understanding of workplace safety is greater among employees who do not speak English or have lower levels of formal education. Future worksite interventions should consider the need for participatory worksite safety committees. Multilingual training programs would help reach a greater proportion of workers. Am. J. Ind. Med. 50:999–1009, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.