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HAAMAHA and Ergon-Axia 2007, Posen

Effectiveness in Health and Safety: Summary report on the SIFA Long-Term Study longitudinal online-survey with OH&S

professionals

Schmauder, M; Höhn, K. (Technische Universität Dresden)

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Safety System in Germany

Occupational safety and health (OHS) professionals (Safety engineers)in german: Sicherheitsfachkraft = SIFA

Labour Inspectors

§

Accident Insurance

+

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Legal framework Occupational Safety Act (ASiG, 1974) European Framework Directive on occupational health and safety 89/391/EEC Occupational Health and Safety Act (ArbSchG, 1996)

Operational Area Generally, each company (> 10 employees) has to be supervised by an OHS-

professional

Task In compliance with regulatory requirements the OHS-professional has to counsel

and support the employer in all questions belonging to safety and health

Qualification OHS-professionals receive their training through the statutory accident insurance

organisation. Change processes in the economy Broader qualifications required by OHS-professionals New qualification concept for OHS-professionals launched in 2001 Alteration between attendance courses (5 weeks) and computer-based self-learning 4 Central examinations

Background

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Research Questions (Summary)

What are the fields of activity where newly trained OHS professionals work?

In which activities do OHS professionals have high or low effectiveness?

How do personal characteristics and competence of the OHS professionals interact with their fields of activity and the effectiveness within their work?

What is the relation between the general corporate framework (management systems, the care for safety and health, the size of the company, sector) with the fields of activity and the assessment of the work of the OHS professionals?

What is the relation between social and economic changes, such as demographic change, globalization, deregulation, and the conditions in which an OHS professional works and with the kind of work and their effectiveness within those working tasks?

What type of support do OHS professionals need to work more effectively in their fields of activity?

pre

para

tion

/ te

st

an

aly

sis

/ d

ocu

men

tati

on2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

first surveybasic study

3rd follow-up survey

Short versions of the basic

study & the in-depth &

validation study

1st follow-up survey

basic study

2nd follow-up survey

basic study

in-depth & validation study

in-depth & validation

study

May 2007, N=2003

Timeline of the study

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Structure of the study

Person

Activity Effectiveness

External Factors

General Corporate Conditions

• online study• Questionnaire

with 268 questions• 1/3 of the

population take part (N=2003)

• representative sample

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Fields of acitivity

Exploratory Factor analysis (EFA) with varimax rotation. Explained variance: 48%

2,6

3,2

3,3

3,7

3,8

1 2 3 4 5

T5 Human-centered design ofwork systems

T4 Technical andorganisational design of work

systems

T3 Management ofoccupational health and safety

T2 Analysis of risk factors

T1 Behaviour-related organisational protective

measures

low intensity high intensityN = 2003

Influencing the behaviour of employees is supposed to avoid or terminate existing risks. The work comprises motivation of employees to wear protective clothing and use protectice equipment, and also instructions and emergency management

analysis of risks, employment of analytical methods and work-flow-oriented risk analyses

integration into corporate actions; for example, integration of industrial safety into management

activities or development of risk assessment concepts integration into corporate actions; for example, integration of industrial safety into management activities or development of risk assessment concepts

promotion of health, improving the design of work forms and working hours

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Fields of effectiveness

2,6

3,0

3,1

3,1

1 2 3 4 5

W4 Effectiveness relating tothe human-centered work

design

W3 Corporate benefit

W2 Effectiveness relating torisk reduction

W1 Occupational health andsafety organisation and safety

culture

low effective high effective

Exploratory Factor analysis (EFA) with varimax rotation. Explained variance: 48%

N = 2003

hierarchical structure, strategic industrial safety management, safety and health culture, reduction of interruptions of the work flow and downtimes caused by injuries or illnesses

reduction of hazards and risks

economic benefit for the company as a result of improved products and image and also higher industrial safety and safer transportation processes

physical (reduction of physical risks), mental (better reconciliation of job and family), and social (improving the conditions for elderly employees) design of working conditions

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acitivity

effectiveness

OHSP Typ - Portfolio

A Internal parttime OHSP with low intensity

B Internal parttime OHSP with low intensity

C Internal fulltime OHSP

D Company-external OHSP

E Internal part- or fulltime OHSP, which supervises as well the own company as at least one other company

2

3

4

3 4

A33%

B24%

C17%

D10%

E16%

N = 2003The internal part-time safety professionals, who works in all five fields of activity with a low intensity when compared with the average of the general population

The internal part-time safety professionals, who works in all five fields of activity with a higher intensity when compared with the average of the general population

External safety professionals who externally work for one or more companies: the work intensity of the safety professionals of this type is higher than average in all five fields

Internal full-time or part-time experts who work for their own company but also for at least one other company: safety professionals of this type report an average intensity in all fields of activity and an average effectiveness.

The internal full-time safety professionals: safety professionals of this type show an above-average intensity in all fields

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Effectiveness and goal orientation or identification

3,5

4,0

4,2

4,6

3,0

3,5

4,0

4,5

5,0

co-operative goal orientation identification

niedrig wirksameSifas

hoch wirksameSifas

partly identifiable effectiveness

3,5

4,0

4,2

4,6

3,0

3,5

4,0

4,5

5,0

lowly effective industrial safety experts

clearly identifiable effectiveness

highly effective industrial safety experts

3,5

4,0

4,2

4,6

3,0

3,5

4,0

4,5

5,0

co-operative goal orientation identification

niedrig wirksameSifas

hoch wirksameSifas

partly identifiable effectiveness

3,5

4,0

4,2

4,6

3,0

3,5

4,0

4,5

5,0

lowly effective industrial safety experts

clearly identifiable effectiveness

highly effective industrial safety experts

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Co-operation with the management

2,99

2,742,89

3,26

2,0

2,5

3,0

3,5

4,0

no direct communication with the management

at all

direct communication with the management

only by request

irregular direct communication

with the management

regular direct communication

with the management

partly identifiable effectiveness

clearly identifiableeffectiveness

hardly identifiableeffectiveness

2,99

2,742,89

3,26

2,0

2,5

3,0

3,5

4,0

2,99

2,742,89

3,26

2,0

2,5

3,0

3,5

4,0

no direct communication with the management

at all

direct communication with the management

only by request

irregular direct communication

with the management

regular direct communication

with the management

partly identifiable effectiveness

clearly identifiableeffectiveness

hardly identifiableeffectiveness

2,99

2,742,89

3,26

2,0

2,5

3,0

3,5

4,0

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Further Results

The more intensively OHS-professionals are concernd with an overall risk assessment concept of a company, the higher is the effectiveness they perceive in all fields!

Goal-oriented cooperation defines the quality of the effectiveness of the OHS-professionals. Very successful OHS-professionals use methods that can be circumscribed as methods of cooperative goal orientation (socially competent and cooperatively performed goal attainment). They also identify themselves very much with their role and work

Small enterprises. The effectiveness of the OHS-professionals depends not on the size of the supervised enterprise. In small enterprises, highly committed and motivated OHS-professionals may – given a favourable safety and health culture – produce a very high effectiveness which can compared with the work of OHS-professionals in large enterprises.

Cooperation with the management. The effectiveness is significantly higher in companies where cooperation with the management is realized directly and on a regular basis.

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Thank you for your attention!

These presentation, further information of the project and

an english summary report of the Sifa Long-Term Study:

www.sifa-langzeitstudie.de/download.html