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The development and testing of a tool to assess joint health and safety committee functioning and effectiveness
Author(s) -
Nichol Kathryn,
Kudla Irena,
Robson Lynda,
Hon ChunYip,
Eriksson Jonas,
Holness D. Linn
Publication year - 2017
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.22703
Subject(s) - medicine , usability , health care , occupational safety and health , rating scale , scale (ratio) , nursing , family medicine , psychology , developmental psychology , physics , pathology , human–computer interaction , quantum mechanics , computer science , economics , economic growth
Background Concern regarding functioning and effectiveness of joint health and safety committees (JHSCs) in Ontario hospitals was raised following the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak in 2003. A subsequent literature review revealed a lack of studies focused within the healthcare sector. Methods A tool to measure JHSC effectiveness was developed by a panel of occupational health and safety experts based on a framework from the healthcare sector. Usability testing was conducted in two phases with members of five hospital JHSCs before, during and after a committee meeting. Results Usability of the tool was scored high overall with an average of > 4 on a 5 point scale across twelve items. Downward adjustment of self‐assessment scores was reported following JHSC meetings. Conclusion Findings demonstrated that the tool was easy to use, effective in supporting discussion and in assisting participants in reaching consensus on rating a large number of JHSC characteristics. Am. J. Ind. Med. 60:368–376, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.