外文文献内容Word文件下载.docx

外文文献内容Word文件下载.docx

《外文文献内容Word文件下载.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《外文文献内容Word文件下载.docx（12页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

regulation.Focusgroupsandinterviewswithmorethanseventykeysafetyemployeesfromten

oftheelevenlargestprincipalcontractorsinAustraliaindicatethat,althoughselfregulationisa

cornerstoneofperformancebasedregulation,noneoftheenactmentsprovideindetailwhatis

specificallyrequiredtoconformotherthaninthebroadestgenericterms.Anothercommon

concernraisedisthatoftenwhenregulatorsareapproachedtoprovidespecificdetailofhowto

conformtheyrefusetoprovideitbecausetheymaybeheldaccountableintheeventofresulting

injuriesorfatalities.Notfurnishingtheappropriateinformationandresourcesiscontradictory

andincontraventionofthestatededucationalobjectivesespousedbythemajorityofthe

enactments.

Keywords:

SafetyCulture,BehaviourBasedSafety,Regulation,Enforcement,Education

1.0INTRODUCTION

Thesheet-anchoroftheprojectonwhichthispaperisbasedholdsthat,owingtothe

unacceptablenumbersofinjuriesanddeathsintheconstructionindustry,achangeofsafety

cultureintheAustralianconstructionindustryislongoverdue（videforexample,Parliamentof

AustraliaDepartmentoftheParliamentaryLibrary2005;

Johnstone,2003）.Consequently,this

paperunequivocallyassumesanadvocacypositionbysuggestingwaysinwhichtheindustry

canimproveitssafetyperformancethroughimprovingitssafetyculture.Asthetitleofthepaper

suggests,eitherenforcementoreducationmaybetheprimarymotivatorsofsafetyculture.

Morecrudelyput,thesecouldbecharacterizedasthestickorthecarrot.However,tosuggest

thateithersinglydrivesthedesiredsafetycultureiscontentiousandwrong-headedasinall

probability,bothareequallynecessaryandco-dependentasweintendtoestablishinthis

paper.Complicatingfactorsarethatlittleconclusiveindustryspecificresearchhasbeen

conductedontheefficacyofsafetycultureandthattherearevariouscompetingand,attimes,

contradictoryapproachestosafetyculture:

Inthemaintherearetwomajorapproachesof

whichonereliesonchangingorganizationalsafetyculturebyachangeprocessthatoveralong

timealtersthenorms,valuesandattitudesleadingtothedesiredbehaviouralchange:

The

other,competing,model,behaviourbasedsafety（BBS）,reliesoninfluencingbehaviourswhich

reduce‘atriskbehaviours’therebycreatingthedesiredsafetyculture.Aswediscussbelow,

bothhavemeritanddisincentives;

howeverquiteclearlyiftheperiodforcompletecultural

turnaroundespousedinsomesafetycultureliteratureissevenyearsitisnotsurprisingthatthe

formerapproachhasnotbeenembracedintheAustralianconstructionindustryRather,the

latterhasmetwithgreateracceptance,becauseitappearstoproduceresultsquickly,however

aswediscussbelowtheunderpinningprinciplesmaybecounterproductivetocreatingan

enduringpositivesafetyculture.

Inaddition,wecontendthatthespecificwayinwhichOHSprincipalactsinAustraliaare

constructedalsohasaprofoundinfluenceonsafetyculture;

theyarepenalcodesandnoncompliancemayresultinlargefinesandin,extremecircumstances,gaol.However,thistypeofpersuasiondoesnotnecessarilyproduceadesirablesafetyculture:

Rathertheinstrumentalist

typeofsafetyculture/behavioursthatresultsispredicatedonbasiccompliancewithlegislative

requirementanditdoesnotproducethevisionandvaluesthatapro-activeandvibrantsafety

culturerequiresinordertogeneratedesirablesafetybehaviours.Further,minimalist

compliance,withoutstrivingtocontinuallyimproveperformance,isprobablythemajorfactor

contributingtotheAustralianconstructionindustry’spoorsafetyrecordwhichtheexcerptfrom

NOHSCbelowshows.

Eventhoughthattypically,compositenationalstatisticssuchastheseobfuscatesomeaspects

offatalitiessuchasthosecharacterisedobtuselyas‘longtermcontactwithchemicalsor

substances’probablyforthelattermeaningdeathduetoasbestosisormesotheliomawhichhave

longlatency‘incubation’periodsandindicatecontactwiththehazardoussubstanceperhaps

thirtyyearspriortothedeath:

Thesedeathsarereportedandconflatedwiththosedueto

electrocutioneuphemisticallyreferredtoas‘contactwithelectricity‘whichoccuronarecurring

basiscausingimmediatedeath.Further,thisdatasetomitsdeathduetofallsfromheightsin

constructionspecificallywhichprobablyaccountsfor40percentofallofthetraumaticfatalities

inconstruction（calculatedfromNOHSCCompendiumofWorkers’CompensationStatistics

Australia,2001-02,pp.24,27）.Also,recordsofcompensatedinjuriesanddeathsgrossly

underestimatetheactualratesasthereisagreatdealofunder-reportingofinjuriesinthe

constructionindustry,andanunknownnumberofworkrelateddeathsarenotreportedassuch

astheymayoccuralongtimeaftertheemployeehaslefttheparticularemploymentorhas

retired.Yetanotherissuerelatestothelagbetweenthepublicationandthetimeofoccurrence.

Evensowemustrelyonthemostaccessibleandthemostrecentlyavailablestatisticswhich,

notwithstandingtheconcernsexpressedabove,quiteclearlyshowthatsafetyperformancein

theconstructionindustryrequiresmajorimprovement.

In2002–03,theConstructionindustryemployedapproximately5%oftheAustralianworkforcebutaccountedfor9%oftheacceptedworkers’compensationclaimsinvolvingoneormoreweeksoffworkthatwerelodgedinthatyear.TheincidenceofworkplaceinjuryanddiseasefortheConstructionindustryin2002–03was27claimsper1000employeesequatingtoaround34claimsperday.Thiswasadecreasefromtheincidencerateof34claimsper1000employeesrecordedin1998–99butremainsmuchhigherthanthecurrentnationalaverageof16claimsper1000employees.

Theincidenceofworkplacefatalitiesinthisindustrywas9.2fatalitiesper100000employeesin2002–03whichwasthreetimeshigherthanthenationalaverageof3.1fatalitiesper100000

employees.Overthepastfiveyearsthenumberofcompensatedfatalitieshasdecreasedfrom51

deathsin1998–99to42in2002–03,butstillremainsthesecondhighestofallindustries.

Themostcommontypeofinjury/diseasewassprainsandstrainsaccountingfor43%ofallclaims.Themostcommoncausesofcompensatedinjuryanddiseaseinthisindustryin2002–03were:

•bodystressing（muscularstressduetomanualhandlingorrepetitivemovement）whichaccountedfor36%ofallclaims;

•falls,tripsandslipsofapersonwhichaccountedfor26%ofallclaims;

and

•beinghitbymovingobjectswhichaccountedfor16%ofallclaims.

In2002–03themostcommoncausesofcompensatedfatalityinthisindustrywerelongtermcontactwithchemicalsorsubstances,whichaccountedfor30%offatalitiesandcontactwith

electricitywhichaccountedforafurther17%offatalities（NOHSC,2004）.

Theabsolutenecessityofleadershipbyseniormanagementtocreateaproactiveandbeneficialsafetycultureortochangeanegativesafetyculturewehaveexaminedandproclaimed

elsewhere.Consequentlywedonotdiscussthesenecessaryelementsofachievingadesirablesafetycultureherebecausethisisnottheobjectiveofthispaper.Rather,wesuggestthataswellastheprimacyofexecutivemanagement’sleadershipinpromotingsafetyculturethelegislative‘stick’isessential,forwithoutthenecessarycompliancethatpenalcodesgenerate,constructionindustrysafetyperformancewouldbeevenworsethantheabovestatisticssuggest.Contradictorytoourpositionthatminimalistcomplianceisnotdesirableitisoftenthecasethatwhenanorganizationhassufferedamajorinjuryormultipleinjuriesorafatalitythatsubsequenttoprosecutionorlesserpenalprovisionsitisgalvanizedintochangingsafetybehavioursforthebetterand‘turningthesafetyculturearound.’Itmaywellbeconstruedthatsuchaneventprovidesapathwaytoeducation.

AnothercomplicatingfactoristhatthereisverylittleformalsafetyandhealtheducationforOHSofficersand,ofgreaterconcern,forkeypersonnelchargedlegallywiththeobservanceandenforcementofsafetyintheconstructionindustry.OHSlegislationgenericallydesignatesthe

employer,i.e.thegeneralmanager,theMDor‘personsincontrolofpremises’a