Preventing and Responding to Workplace Bullying: Best Practices Guidelines

BULLYING IS A WORKPLACE HAZARD Workplace bullying is a significant hazard in New Zealand. It affects people physically and mentally, resulting in increased stress levels, decreased emotional well-being, reduced coping strategies and lower work performance. Employers who don’t deal with it risk breaching the: Employment Relations Act 2000 (ERA), Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 (HSE Act), Human Rights Act 1993 (HRA), Harassment Act 1997 (HA). BULLYING IS BAD FOR BUSINESS Its effects can reduce productivity and disrupt workplaces through: impaired performance, increased absence, low morale, more mistakes and accidents, loss of company reputation, resignations and difficulty recruiting, poor customer service and/or product quality. Factors associated with workplace bullying include a lack of organisational strategies for managing psychosocial hazards including: ineffective leadership, low levels of resourcing, poor work organisation, poor human resources practices. This guideline was developed by WorkSafe New Zealand (WorkSafe NZ) and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to assist workplaces, employers and employees to address the issue of workplace bullying. It also aims to reduce the risk for employers and employees of failing to comply with the duties of the HSE Act and other relevant legislation. This guidance shows how to: identify, assess and manage behaviors that cause distress to an individual or group (whether intended or not), stop the unreasonable behavior and reestablish healthy work relationships. Six stakeholder focus groups facilitated by MBIE reinforced the need to include advice on how to develop positive and healthy workplaces. The guideline also includes several tools to help employees and employers improve their workplace culture and develop positive environments where bullying behavior can’t thrive. The guideline is supported by a suite of online tools. For more information, refer to the Preventing and responding to bullying page at http://www.worksafe.govt.nz

Preventing and Responding to Workplace Bullying: Best Practices Guidelines

BULLYING IS A WORKPLACE HAZARD Workplace bullying is a significant hazard in New Zealand. It affects people physically and mentally, resulting in increased stress levels, decreased emotional well-being, reduced coping strategies and lower work performance. Employers who don’t deal with it risk breaching the: Employment Relations Act 2000 (ERA), Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 (HSE Act), Human Rights Act 1993 (HRA), Harassment Act 1997 (HA). BULLYING IS BAD FOR BUSINESS Its effects can reduce productivity and disrupt workplaces through: impaired performance, increased absence, low morale, more mistakes and accidents, loss of company reputation, resignations and difficulty recruiting, poor customer service and/or product quality. Factors associated with workplace bullying include a lack of organisational strategies for managing psychosocial hazards including: ineffective leadership, low levels of resourcing, poor work organisation, poor human resources practices. This guideline was developed by WorkSafe New Zealand (WorkSafe NZ) and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to assist workplaces, employers and employees to address the issue of workplace bullying. It also aims to reduce the risk for employers and employees of failing to comply with the duties of the HSE Act and other relevant legislation. This guidance shows how to: identify, assess and manage behaviors that cause distress to an individual or group (whether intended or not), stop the unreasonable behavior and reestablish healthy work relationships. Six stakeholder focus groups facilitated by MBIE reinforced the need to include advice on how to develop positive and healthy workplaces. The guideline also includes several tools to help employees and employers improve their workplace culture and develop positive environments where bullying behavior can’t thrive. The guideline is supported by a suite of online tools. For more information, refer to the Preventing and responding to bullying page at http://www.worksafe.govt.nz

Bullying: An ecological approach to intervention in schools

Bullying is a major concern in education worldwide, particularly in countries such as New Zealand that are reported to have high rates of bullying in schools. In this article it is proposed that, in order to effectively prevent or substantially reduce bullying in schools, a systemic approach needs to be adopted, with interventions organized at various levels. An ecological model for bullying prevention is presented that suggests strategies and interventions at the levels of teachers, schools, communities, and society. Examples of interventions that have been found in the literature to have evidence supporting their effectiveness have been outlined at each of these levels. Guidelines are presented for schools adopting such an ecological model for addressing bullying and for bringing about the changes needed to implement it successfully

A comparative analysis of process safety management (PSM) systems in the process industry

The root cause of most accidents in the process industry has been attributed to process safety issues ranging from poor safety culture, lack of communication, asset integrity issues, lack of management leadership and human factors. These accidents could have been prevented with adequate implementation of a robust process safety management (PSM) system. Therefore, the aim of this research is to develop a comparative framework which could aid in selecting an appropriate and suitable PSM system for specific industry sectors within the process industry. A total of 21 PSM systems are selected for this study and their theoretical frameworks, industry of application and deficiencies are explored. Next, a comparative framework is developed using eleven key factors that are applicable to the process industry such as framework and room for continuous improvement, design specification, industry adaptability and applicability, human factors, scope of application, usability in complex systems, safety culture, primary or secondary mode of application, regulatory enforcement, competency level, as well as inductive or deductive approach. After conducting the comparative analysis using these factors, the Integrated Process Safety Management System (IPSMS) model seems to be the most robust PSM system as it addressed almost every key area regarding process safety. However, inferences drawn from study findings suggest that there is still no one-size-fits-all PSM system for all sectors of the process industry

Mobilising research ethics: Two examples from Aotearoa New Zealand

(Im)mobilities are considered to encapsulate a broad range of projects that establish a ‘moment-driven’ social science. I argue that moment driven research needs to be in conversation with an ethical document. It is how the ethical landscape responds to this increasingly dynamic and radically open interaction, while avoiding the excess dangers of institutionalised review that warrants more attention. Through the lens of two research projects, one based around relocated populations from post-disaster Christchurch and the other on sharemilkers in the Waikato, mobilities and ethics are discussed. In short, the mobilities of participants altered the ethical dynamics of research

Review and analysis of fire and explosion accidents in maritime transportation

The globally expanding shipping industry has several hazards such as collision, capsizing, foundering, grounding, stranding, fire, and explosion. Accidents are often caused by more than one contributing factor through complex interaction. It is crucial to identify root causes and their interactions to prevent and understand such accidents. This study presents a detailed review and analysis of fire and explosion accidents that occurred in the maritimetransportation industry during 1990–2015. The underlying causes of fire and explosion accidents are identified and analysed. This study also reviewed potential preventative measures to prevent such accidents. Additionally, this study compares properties of alternative fuels and analyses their effectiveness in mitigating fire and explosionhazards. It is observed that Cryogenic Natural Gas (CrNG), Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and methanol have properties more suitable than traditional fuels in mitigating fire risk and appropriate management of their hazards could make them a safer option to traditional fuels. However, for commercial use at this stage, there exist several uncertainties due to inadequate studies, and technological immaturity. This study provides an insight into fire and explosion accident causation and prevention, including the prospect of using alternative fuels for mitigating fire and explosion risks in maritime transportation

For Workers' Compensation Clients: Facts About Other Benefits in California

Written for injured workers seeking advice from legal aid offices, this factsheet discusses the interplay between workers’ compensation benefits and state disability insurance, state unemployment insurance, U.S. Social Security benefits, and Medicare and Medi-Cal benefits.This report was published by the Work & Health Initiative (WHI). WHI was established to improve the health and wellbeing of California workers and their families and was sponsored by the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH) in northern California. COEH, which is based at the Berkeley, San Francisco, and Davis campuses of the University of California, conducts research, multi-disciplinary graduate-level training, professional continuing education, and community service, including training workshops, conferences, educational materials, clinical services, and assistance with specific problems. The Work & Health Initiative worked in close collaboration with the Labor Occupational Health Program, a community outreach program of COEH