Organizational conditions for Occupational Health and Safety Management practices in homecare and nursing homes, pre-pandemic and in pandemic

• Challenges of safe work environment are recognized in female low-status jobs with a high proportion of migrant workers (SDG Indicator 8.8.1), such as eldercare. Objective: To identify important conditions for OHSM in practice in home care and nursing homes, in general and regarding the prevention of spread of contagion. Methodology: A mixed method design was used. Operative managers from 33 municipalities answered a questionnaire, pre-pandemic and 16 months in pandemic (n=284 and 189). Analysis with linear regression models. Focus-groups (n=11, 52 individuals) with employees and stakeholder in home care was conducted. Interviews and documents of standard operational procedures was analyzed regarding how OHSM are understood, communicated and managed in practice. Results: During the pandemic, routines and standardized procedures of OHSM was introduced and improved in most organizations. Team communication of risks, work adjustments – and equality climate and the available resources in homecare - had importance. In pandemic, the routines and standardized procedures also had importance for OHSM and COVID-specific OHSM, especially in homecare (r2: 0,86) but also in nursing homes (r2: 0,39). The OHSM work in homecare was understood as Rooms for re-constructing standardized guidelines to un-standardized settings. The practice of safety work was formed by room for elders’ independent decisions of forming their homes and by room for group-think shaped by employees’ earlier knowledge, experiences and norms. Conclusion: Supportive conditions with equal climate, explicable routines, visual instructions and reflections of OHSM have stronger importance where work environments are less unstandardized. To better bridge the gap between work as imagine and done in unstandardized contexts, instructions must be formed and reflected upon in the team to be applied.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Arbetslivsstudier (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Work Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

OHSM

standard operational procedures

work environment

norms

equality climate

eldercare

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)