Academic literature on the topic 'Women employees – Great Britain'

The article discusses the book Forgotten Personnel. Female labor on the railways of the Russian Empire, written by V. A. Serdiuk. This book belongs to the popular scholarly trend of “gender history,” but it is not only a work on the history of women on the railways and an analysis of their work experience. The book is equally a study of the history of Russian railways in general: the author, using new data, presents a fresh look at the development of Russian railways from 1838 to 1917. The strength of the work is the presence in each of chapter of a separate paragraph on the development of the same “gender” processes on foreign railroads, especially in the USA, Great Britain, France, and Germany. This allows us to better understand Russian problems. The monograph shows that “in terms of the number of female employees and the degree of their involvement in railway activities”, Russia was second only to France. At the same time, the article presents some comments. First of all, there is insufficient analysis of the period of Nicholas II, especially the First World War. Although general trends are shown, such as the increase in the number of women employed in the railways, nevertheless, a number of aspects require further and more detailed study. This is especially important for the railways located in the theater of military operations. However, the monograph by V. A. Serdiuk is largely a pioneering work that significantly expands our understanding of the problem.

BackgroundEconomic recessions are characterized by job insecurity and rising unemployment. The relationship between job insecurity and poor mental health is known. However, we do not know how this relationship is affected by individual socio-economic circumstances.MethodA random probability sample comprising 3581 respondents (1746 men and 1835 women) were selected from the third national survey of psychiatric morbidity in Great Britain. Fieldwork was carried out throughout 2007. Depression was assessed using the revised Clinical Interview Schedule and ICD-10 research diagnostic criteria administered by well-trained lay interviewers.ResultsOne-fifth of all working men and women aged 16–64 years felt that their job security was poor. From a multivariate analysis of several job stressors, there was an increased likelihood of depression among those agreeing that their job security was poor [odds ratio (OR) 1.58, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.22–2.06, p<0.001]. After controlling for age and sex, job insecurity (OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.47–2.35, p<0.001) and being in debt (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.58–2.98, p<0.001) were independently associated with depression.ConclusionsJob insecurity has a strong association with feelings of depression even after controlling for biographic characteristics (age and sex), economic factors (personal debt) and work characteristics (type of work and level of responsibility). Despite the organizational changes needed to cope with a recession, employers should also take note of the additional distress experienced by workers at a time of great uncertainty, particularly those in less skilled jobs and in financial straits.

Goal. Analysis of the peculiarities of family policy in European countries, such as France, Sweden, Germany, Great Britain. Method. The study is based on general scientific methods, namely, analysis and synthesis, descriptive, analytical. And also socio-geographical - comparative-geographical. Results. Family policy in European countries focuses on the life position of young people, promotes gender equality, creates opportunities to combine work, education and family activities through a well-developed infrastructure. The establishment of the modern family model in which both parents work and the expansion of public education and services for children and families reduce relatively high child poverty, create new jobs in services, and reduce social inequality. Although European countries pursue a common family-gender strategy, they also have their own traditional model of family protection. The Scandinavian model is characterized by comprehensive support for working parents with young children (under the age of three) through a combination of material mechanisms, holidays and wide access to childcare facilities. An important aspect is the policy of gender equality and women's integration in the labor market. The main source of funding for family policy - taxes. Anglo-Saxon - is characterized by deliberately less financial support from families by the state, giving priority to low-income families. The main idea is the non-interference of the state in family and marriage processes and ensuring the well-being of families through the general development of the welfare of society. "Napoleonic" - use intangible forms of support: tax benefits, targeted loans. France has the highest level of state support for families with children and support for working women. The principle of subsidiary security is professed. Taxes and financial contributions are used. The German fiscal system does not encourage couples to work equally, as the tax burden on domestic work is much higher for two full-time employees. Parental leave allows mothers to leave the labor market for up to three years for one child. Scientific novelty. Analysis and comparison of family policy features in European countries. Practical significance. Implementation of family policy measures in domestic practice based on the experience of European countries, choosing the most successful option. The best option is to improve the demographic situation in the country.

SummaryThe relationship between female labour force participation, and other socioeconomic factors, and the probability of having a third birth is examined, using British data collected in the 1980 Women and Employment Survey, by hazard regression modelling with time-varying covariates. The results demonstrate the strong association between demographic factors, e.g. age at first birth and birth interval and subsequent fertility behaviour. Education appears to have little effect. Surprisingly, women who have spent a higher proportion of time as housewives have a lower risk of having a third birth. This finding is in sharp disagreement with the conventional expectation that cumulative labour force participation supports lower fertility. These findings are briefly compared with similar research carried out in Sweden.

The article presents the activity of Poles in Great Britain in the 20th century, beginning with the end of World War II, when a large group of Polish refugees and veterans settled in the UK. In 1947, the Federation of Poles was established to represent Polish community in Great Britain. The Association of Polish Women (1946) and the Relief Society for Poles (1946) were also formed at the same time. The article shows the involvement of the Polish community in Great Britain in the context of Polish history. This involvement included the organisation of anti-communist protests, carrying out various actions to inform people about the situation in Poland, organising material aid, supporting Poland at the time of the system transformation, and supporting Poland’s accession to the European Union. Over the decades, the Polish community in Great Britain has managed to set up numerous veterans’ and social organisations, Polish schools, it also built churches in order to preserve Polish culture abroad.

Studies on prostitution have typically focused on the experiences, problems, and histories of prostitutes, rather than examining men who seek to purchase sex. Race has also been overlooked as a central factor in shaping the sex industry and the motivations of men who seek to purchase sex. This study utilizes online reviews of prostitutes to examine the way men who purchase sex discuss Asian prostitutes in comparison to White prostitutes. This paper traces the history of colonialism and ideas of the exotic Orient to modern stereotypes of Asian women. These stereotypes are then used to frame a quantitative and qualitative analysis of online reviews of prostitutes and compare the ways in which Asian prostitutes and white prostitutes are discussed. Further, the reviews are used to examine more broadly what services, traits, and behaviors are considered desirable by men who use prostitutes. The study finds that there are significant quantitative and qualitative differences in how men discuss Asian and White prostitutes within their reviews, and that these differences appear to be shaped by racially fetishizing stereotypes of Asian women. Prostitution also appears to reinforce male dominance and patriarchy in the form of masculine control and the feminine servicing of male sexual and emotional needs.

The thesis focuses on the impact of the EU Directive (2002/14/EC), which was incorporated into UK employment law, with its phased implementation starting on 6th April 2005. The empirical evidence is based on a survey and predominantly on case-study research that involved interviews with: managers, employees and trade union representatives, together with the collection of relevant documentary evidence. The empirical findings, especially for the non-unionised sector, indicate that the reflexive nature of the Information and Consultation of Employees (ICE) Regulations has mainly stimulated the development of organisation-specific or tailor-made information and consultation arrangements, which minimally comply with the legislative provisions. Moreover, the development of such arrangements is primarily based on the ad hoc momentum that is generated by business pressures (i.e. collective redundancies, transfer of undertakings etc) and can be viewed as reflecting the conceptual framework of legislatively prompted voluntarism. The ICE Directive is aimed at bringing a consistency to the establishment of basic and standard information and consultation arrangements across the workplaces in Great Britain. Subsequently, it should promote the harmonisation of employee participation practices amongst the UK and other EU countries, as it has the goal of ensuring that there is a minimum floor of rights in relation to information sharing and consultation with employees. Nevertheless, the Europeanisation of British industrial relations cannot instantly take place through the adoption of such EU directives. With regard to this research endeavour, it emerges that the extant national idiosyncrasies cannot be substantially altered, whilst business pressures and employers’ goodwill continue to be key drivers in the development of employee participation and consultation arrangements in Great Britain, albeit within the newly adopted legislative and statutory framework.

This thesis examines the entry of women, during World War I, into industrial employment that men had previously dominated. It attempts to determine if women's wartime activities significantly changed the roles women played in industry and society. Major sources consulted include microfilm of the British Cabinet Minutes and British Cabinet Papers; Parliamentary Debates; memoirs of contemporaries like David Lloyd George, Beatrice Webb, Sylvia Pankhurst, and Monica Cosens; and contemporary newspapers. The examination begins with the early debates concerning the pressing need for labor in war industries, women's recruitment into industry, women's work and plans, the government's arrangements for demobilization, and women's roles in postwar industry. The thesis concludes that women were treated as a transient commodity by the government and the trade unions.

Women represent around 30% of Great Britain's entrepreneurs. They constitute a dynamic and substantial force in the economy. Their rate of participation as entrepreneurs is significantly lower than that of men. Previous research has sought to understand the experiences of women entrepreneurs in order to explain this under representation. However, much of this work has consulted with women as entrepreneurs which own businesses across a variety of industries. Research into defined industries is limited and research on fashion designers specifically is virtually non-existent. This pioneering study bridges the academic fields of entrepreneurship and fashion design, exploring the experiences of British women entrepreneurs as designers in the fashion industry. The study pursued four important themes: development of the profiles of British women entrepreneurs as designers in the fashion industry; determination of their home and work past and current responsibilities; identification of the barriers encountered in childhood, education, professional and business development; and exploration of the impact of gender on their experiences as designers in the fashion industry. The methodology of the study employed in depth interviews with 30 women entrepreneurs of Great Britain who are/were fashion designers. The sample included those who were in early, mid, established and post business. The interviews were carried out face to face and over the telephone. Qualitative analysis of the data focused on exploring the differences and similarities of women entrepreneurs' experiences. The fmdings suggest that social, industrial and economic factors appear to marginalise British fashion designers from growing their business substantially and that they had encountered negative attitudes based on their gender. However, the entrepreneurs were found to turn such experiences into positive outcomes with many of them growing international labels playing important roles in a matrix of industries and the economy. Manufacturing and accessing fmance were the two main challenges faced. The research focus spanned the life course trajectory revealing how coping with adverse circumstances also increased an awareness of ethical business considerations. They possessed elements of social entrepreneurship that were paramount to business through design and/or philanthropic activities. On work and home responsibilities, 43% were childless the remainder revealed feelings of stress and grief due to separation from children. As children, they acted in non-traditional ways which were embraced by their fathers, whereas mothers tended to push their daughters into education. Paternal grandmothers were revealed to be entrepreneurs. Recommendations are made for individuals and organisations of ways in which the potential of British women fashion designer entrepreneurs could improve. The limitations of the study and implications for future research are also discussed.

This thesis examines the role of Muslim women in the implementation of ethno-religious minority policies in the UK from 2001-2014. Using Muslim women as a case study, I aim to understand how this relationship works in practice and whether the role played by Muslim women is symbolic or substantive. Also, I attempt to explore whether the engagement between the government and Muslim women has increased since 2010, with the change in the government from New Labour to the Coalition. Last but not least, the representative claims of the women involved in the policy process is examined to determine the legitimacy of the whole process. Specifying the ‘decentred’ theory of policy making, I employ a ‘hybrid’ approach to policy implementation and take further insight from ‘Saward’s (2006; 2009) ‘representation’ theory to answer the aforementioned questions. The theoretical framework helps me to justify the three level analysis, e.g. national, local and individual case studies. Using evidence from the documentary analysis and in-depth elite interviews, I highlight the positive role of non-elected Muslim women in the implementation of policies towards the Muslim community. The particular importance of the thesis lies in the way I apply the ‘decentred’ government’ approach and the ‘hybrid’ model of policy implementation to appreciate how Muslim women and local actors can ‘twist’ national policy to suit local needs. The empirical findings on how women approached engagement through Prevent, and how local actors negotiated a ‘grey space’ to pursue more locally appropriate approaches, are both significant interventions in the wider debate on Prevent and its implications for Muslim women’s and state-Muslim engagement.

British aristocratic women exerted political influence and power during the century beginning with the accession of George III. They expressed their political power through the four roles of social patron, patronage distributor, political advisor, and political patron/electioneer. British aristocratic women were able, trained, and expected to play these roles. Politics could not have existed without these women. The source of their political influence was the close interconnection of politics and society. In this small, inter-connected society, women could and did influence politics. Political decisions, especially for the Whigs, were not made in the halls of government with which we are so familiar, but in the halls of the homes of the social/political elite. However, this close interconnection can make women's political influence difficult to assess and understand for our twentieth century experience. Sources for this thesis are readily available. Contemporary, primary sources are abundant. This was the age of letter and diary writing. There is, however, a dearth of modern works concerning the political activities of aristocratic women. Most modern works rarely mention women. Other problems with sources include the inappropriate feminization of the time period and the filtering of this period through modern, not contemporary, points of view. Separate spheres is the most common and most inappropriate feminist issue raised by historians. This doctrine is not valid for aristocratic women of this time. The material I present in this thesis is not new. The sources, both contemporary and modern, have been available to historians for some time. By changing our rigid definition of politics by enlarging it to include the broader areas of political activities such as social patron, patronage distributor, political advisor, and political/electioneer, we can see British aristocratic women in a new light, revealing political power and influence.

The aim of this research is to reveal the relationship between job stress and burnout of service sector employees. The study consists of three parts. In the first part, the concept of service is examined. The concept of service emerged in the 17th century and expanded in developed and developing countries from the second half of the 20th century, surpassing the two important sectors of agriculture and industry, and gained great importance in the economy. The increase in people's free time, the increasing number of women in the workforce, and the increase in people's incomes have caused the service sector to gain importance in the economy. In the second part, the concept of stress and burnout is examined. Over time, all sectors have modernized and made people's daily lives easier, and at the same time, this modernization has increased the level of stress in people, and a feeling of burnout has emerged in people due to increased stress. The symptoms and characteristics of stress, which people cannot completely remove from their lives, also differ. Thus, people have coped with the resulting stress and burnout caused by stress by using different methods and have continued their lives. In the third part of the study, the relationships between work stress and burnout were discussed and research was conducted. As a result of the research, a significant and positively charged relationship was determined between job stress and the feeling of burnout. A meaningless and negatively charged relationship was found between work stress and lifestyle. A significant and negatively charged relationship was found between the feeling of burnout and lifestyle.

"Throughout the second half of the seventeen and the eighteenth centuries, tea remained an expensive exotic drink for Britain that “preserved” its overseas nature. It was only in the Victorian era (1837-1903) that tea became the English national drink. The process attracts the attention of academics from various humanities. Despite an impressive amount of research in the UK, in Russia for a long time (in the Soviet years) the English tradition of tea drinking was considered a philistine curiosity unworthy of academic analysis. Accordingly, the English tea party in Russia has become a leader in the number of stereotypes. The issue became important for academics only at the turn of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Currently, we can observe significant growth of interest in this area in Russia and an expansion of research into tea drinking with regard to the history of society, philosophy and culture. Despite this fact, there are still serious lacunas in the research of English tea parties in the Victorian era. One of them is related to the analysis of visualization of this practice in Victorian painting. It is a proven fact that tea parties are one of the most popular topics in English arts of the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries. No other art school in the world referred to the topic so frequently: painting formed the visual image of the English tea party, consolidated, propagandized and spread ideas of the national tea tradition. However, this aspect has been reflected neither in British nor Russian studies. Being descriptive and analytical, the present research refers to the principles of historicism, academic reliability and objectivity, helping to determine the principal trends and social and cultural features and models in Britain during the period. The present research is based on the analysis of more than one hundred genre paintings by British artists of the period. The paintings reflect the process of creating a special “truly English” material and visual context of tea drinking, which displaced all “oriental allusions” from this ceremony, to create a specific entourage and etiquette of tea consumption, and set nationally determined patterns of behavior at the tea table. The analysis shows the presence of English traditions of tea drinking visualization. The canvases of British artists, unlike the Russian ones, never reflect social problems: tea parties take place against the background of either well-furnished interiors or beautiful landscapes, being a visual embodiment of Great Britain as a “paradise of the prosperous bourgeoisie”, manifesting the bourgeois virtues. Special attention is paid to the role of the women in this ritual, the theme of the relationship between mothers and children. A unique English painting theme, which has not been manifested in any other art school in the world, is a children’s tea party. Victorian paintings reflect the processes of democratization of society: representatives of the lower classes appear on canvases. Paintings do not only reflect the norms and ideals that existed in the society, but also provide the set patterns for it."

Lately we have been witnessing a very intense form of promoting education, learning and training called distance learning. This phenomenon requires clarifications at both conceptual and practical levels, especially since the methods seem to be approved by a large number of participants in the educational process, therefore we’ll try to approach things from a global perspective. This paper reviews the evolution and impact of all types of distance learning. Distance learning is not a new phenomenon, there was at least 100 years ago, representing a form of teaching and learning through printed educational material was distributed by mail. Due to increased interest in training electronic or "e-learning", in recent years, rapid progress of electronic learning programs, developing Internet and e-mail. This report analyzes the media of information. Except for a few leading companies, the adoption of e-learning in Europe occurred in a much slower rate than in the U.S., one of the main reasons being the different types of training systems in Europe. Also, each European country has a different educational system on access to education, the financing of it, and participating students (as individuals, supported by employers or public systems). Such systems have been developed following discussions between employers, government agencies, educational institutions, accreditation authorities and trade unions. For example, in Germany, these systems are very well organized. Students can participate in distance learning, developing his skills, but not required to work in a field requiring professional mobility. Distance learning courses are also designed a number of contextual issues. Many employees are satisfied with their professional performance and we need much persuasion for them to understand that such courses can improve the existing system. This summary’s meaning is to be a review of the professional development of distance education, particularly in the agricultural and biological sciences in Great Britain and Germany, seeking as well the recommendations for future actions in Romania, Slovenia and Bulgaria.

Attention to safety and health are of ever-increasing priority to industrial organizations. Good Safety is demanded by stockholders, employees, and the community while increasing injury costs provide additional motivation for safety and health excellence. Safety has always been a strong corporate value of DuPont and a vital part of its culture. As a result, DuPont has become a benchmark in safety and health performance. Since 1990, DuPont has re-engineered itself to meet global competition and address future vision. In the new re-engineered organizational structures, DuPont has also had to re-engineer its safety management systems. A special Discovery Team was chartered by DuPont senior management to determine the “best practices’ for safety and health being used in DuPont best-performing sites. A summary of the findings is presented, and five of the practices are discussed. Excellence in safety and health management is more important today than ever. Public awareness, federal and state regulations, and enlightened management have resulted in a widespread conviction that all employees have the right to work in an environment that will not adversely affect their safety and health. In DuPont, we believe that excellence in safety and health is necessary to achieve global competitiveness, maintain employee loyalty, and be an accepted member of the communities in which we make, handle, use, and transport products. Safety can also be the “catalyst” to achieving excellence in other important business parameters. The organizational and communication skills developed by management, individuals, and teams in safety can be directly applied to other company initiatives. As we look into the 21st Century, we must also recognize that new organizational structures (flatter with empowered teams) will require new safety management techniques and systems in order to maintain continuous improvement in safety performance. Injury costs, which have risen dramatically in the past twenty years, provide another incentive for safety and health excellence. Shown in the Figure 1, injury costs have increased even after correcting for inflation. Many companies have found these costs to be an “invisible drain” on earnings and profitability. In some organizations, significant initiatives have been launched to better manage the workers’ compensation systems. We have found that the ultimate solution is to prevent injuries and incidents before they occur. A globally-respected company, DuPont is regarded as a well-managed, extremely ethical firm that is the benchmark in industrial safety performance. Like many other companies, DuPont has re-engineered itself and downsized its operations since 1985. Through these changes, we have maintained dedication to our principles and developed new techniques to manage in these organizational environments. As a diversified company, our operations involve chemical process facilities, production line operations, field activities, and sales and distribution of materials. Our customer base is almost entirely industrial and yet we still maintain a high level of consumer awareness and positive perception. The DuPont concern for safety dates back to the early 1800s and the first days of the company. In 1802 E.I. DuPont, a Frenchman, began manufacturing quality grade explosives to fill America’s growing need to build roads, clear fields, increase mining output, and protect its recently won independence. Because explosives production is such a hazardous industry, DuPont recognized and accepted the need for an effective safety effort. The building walls of the first powder mill near Wilmington, Delaware, were built three stones thick on three sides. The back remained open to the Brandywine River to direct any explosive forces away from other buildings and employees. To set the safety example, DuPont also built his home and the homes of his managers next to the powder yard. An effective safety program was a necessity. It represented the first defense against instant corporate liquidation. Safety needs more than a well-designed plant, however. In 1811, work rules were posted in the mill to guide employee work habits. Though not nearly as sophisticated as the safety standards of today, they did introduce an important basic concept — that safety must be a line management responsibility. Later, DuPont introduced an employee health program and hired a company doctor. An early step taken in 1912 was the keeping of safety statistics, approximately 60 years before the federal requirement to do so. We had a visible measure of our safety performance and were determined that we were going to improve it. When the nation entered World War I, the DuPont Company supplied 40 percent of the explosives used by the Allied Forces, more than 1.5 billion pounds. To accomplish this task, over 30,000 new employees were hired and trained to build and operate many plants. Among these facilities was the largest smokeless powder plant the world had ever seen. The new plant was producing granulated powder in a record 116 days after ground breaking. The trends on the safety performance chart reflect the problems that a large new work force can pose until the employees fully accept the company’s safety philosophy. The first arrow reflects the World War I scale-up, and the second arrow represents rapid diversification into new businesses during the 1920s. These instances of significant deterioration in safety performance reinforced DuPont’s commitment to reduce the unsafe acts that were causing 96 percent of our injuries. Only 4 percent of injuries result from unsafe conditions or equipment — the remainder result from the unsafe acts of people. This is an important concept if we are to focus our attention on reducing injuries and incidents within the work environment. World War II brought on a similar set of demands. The story was similar to World War I but the numbers were even more astonishing: one billion dollars in capital expenditures, 54 new plants, 75,000 additional employees, and 4.5 billion pounds of explosives produced — 20 percent of the volume used by the Allied Forces. Yet, the performance during the war years showed no significant deviation from the pre-war years. In 1941, the DuPont Company was 10 times safer than all industry and 9 times safer than the Chemical Industry. Management and the line organization were finally working as they should to control the real causes of injuries. Today, DuPont is about 50 times safer than US industrial safety performance averages. Comparing performance to other industries, it is interesting to note that seemingly “hazard-free” industries seem to have extraordinarily high injury rates. This is because, as DuPont has found out, performance is a function of injury prevention and safety management systems, not hazard exposure. Our success in safety results from a sound safety management philosophy. Each of the 125 DuPont facilities is responsible for its own safety program, progress, and performance. However, management at each of these facilities approaches safety from the same fundamental and sound philosophy. This philosophy can be expressed in eleven straightforward principles. The first principle is that all injuries can be prevented. That statement may seem a bit optimistic. In fact, we believe that this is a realistic goal and not just a theoretical objective. Our safety performance proves that the objective is achievable. We have plants with over 2,000 employees that have operated for over 10 years without a lost time injury. As injuries and incidents are investigated, we can always identify actions that could have prevented that incident. If we manage safety in a proactive — rather than reactive — manner, we will eliminate injuries by reducing the acts and conditions that cause them. The second principle is that management, which includes all levels through first-line supervisors, is responsible and accountable for preventing injuries. Only when senior management exerts sustained and consistent leadership in establishing safety goals, demanding accountability for safety performance and providing the necessary resources, can a safety program be effective in an industrial environment. The third principle states that, while recognizing management responsibility, it takes the combined energy of the entire organization to reach sustained, continuous improvement in safety and health performance. Creating an environment in which employees feel ownership for the safety effort and make significant contributions is an essential task for management, and one that needs deliberate and ongoing attention. The fourth principle is a corollary to the first principle that all injuries are preventable. It holds that all operating exposures that may result in injuries or illnesses can be controlled. No matter what the exposure, an effective safeguard can be provided. It is preferable, of course, to eliminate sources of danger, but when this is not reasonable or practical, supervision must specify measures such as special training, safety devices, and protective clothing. Our fifth safety principle states that safety is a condition of employment. Conscientious assumption of safety responsibility is required from all employees from their first day on the job. Each employee must be convinced that he or she has a responsibility for working safely. The sixth safety principle: Employees must be trained to work safely. We have found that an awareness for safety does not come naturally and that people have to be trained to work safely. With effective training programs to teach, motivate, and sustain safety knowledge, all injuries and illnesses can be eliminated. Our seventh principle holds that management must audit performance on the workplace to assess safety program success. Comprehensive inspections of both facilities and programs not only confirm their effectiveness in achieving the desired performance, but also detect specific problems and help to identify weaknesses in the safety effort. The Company’s eighth principle states that all deficiencies must be corrected promptly. Without prompt action, risk of injuries will increase and, even more important, the credibility of management’s safety efforts will suffer. Our ninth principle is a statement that off-the-job safety is an important part of the overall safety effort. We do not expect nor want employees to “turn safety on” as they come to work and “turn it off” when they go home. The company safety culture truly becomes of the individual employee’s way of thinking. The tenth principle recognizes that it’s good business to prevent injuries. Injuries cost money. However, hidden or indirect costs usually exceed the direct cost. Our last principle is the most important. Safety must be integrated as core business and personal value. There are two reasons for this. First, we’ve learned from almost 200 years of experience that 96 percent of safety incidents are directly caused by the action of people, not by faulty equipment or inadequate safety standards. But conversely, it is our people who provide the solutions to our safety problems. They are the one essential ingredient in the recipe for a safe workplace. Intelligent, trained, and motivated employees are any company’s greatest resource. Our success in safety depends upon the men and women in our plants following procedures, participating actively in training, and identifying and alerting each other and management to potential hazards. By demonstrating a real concern for each employee, management helps establish a mutual respect, and the foundation is laid for a solid safety program. This, of course, is also the foundation for good employee relations. An important lesson learned in DuPont is that the majority of injuries are caused by unsafe acts and at-risk behaviors rather than unsafe equipment or conditions. In fact, in several DuPont studies it was estimated that 96 percent of injuries are caused by unsafe acts. This was particularly revealing when considering safety audits — if audits were only focused on conditions, at best we could only prevent four percent of our injuries. By establishing management systems for safety auditing that focus on people, including audit training, techniques, and plans, all incidents are preventable. Of course, employee contribution and involvement in auditing leads to sustainability through stakeholdership in the system. Management safety audits help to make manage the “behavioral balance.” Every job and task performed at a site can do be done at-risk or safely. The essence of a good safety system ensures that safe behavior is the accepted norm amongst employees, and that it is the expected and respected way of doing things. Shifting employees norms contributes mightily to changing culture. The management safety audit provides a way to quantify these norms. DuPont safety performance has continued to improve since we began keeping records in 1911 until about 1990. In the 1990–1994 time frame, performance deteriorated as shown in the chart that follows: This increase in injuries caused great concern to senior DuPont management as well as employees. It occurred while the corporation was undergoing changes in organization. In order to sustain our technological, competitive, and business leadership positions, DuPont began re-engineering itself beginning in about 1990. New streamlined organizational structures and collaborative work processes eliminated many positions and levels of management and supervision. The total employment of the company was reduced about 25 percent during these four years. In our traditional hierarchical organization structures, every level of supervision and management knew exactly what they were expected to do with safety, and all had important roles. As many of these levels were eliminated, new systems needed to be identified for these new organizations. In early 1995, Edgar S. Woolard, DuPont Chairman, chartered a Corporate Discovery Team to look for processes that will put DuPont on a consistent path toward a goal of zero injuries and occupational illnesses. The cross-functional team used a mode of “discovery through learning” from as many DuPont employees and sites around the world. The Discovery Team fostered the rapid sharing and leveraging of “best practices” and innovative approaches being pursued at DuPont’s plants, field sites, laboratories, and office locations. In short, the team examined the company’s current state, described the future state, identified barriers between the two, and recommended key ways to overcome these barriers. After reporting back to executive management in April, 1995, the Discovery Team was realigned to help organizations implement their recommendations. The Discovery Team reconfirmed key values in DuPont — in short, that all injuries, incidents, and occupational illnesses are preventable and that safety is a source of competitive advantage. As such, the steps taken to improve safety performance also improve overall competitiveness. Senior management made this belief clear: “We will strengthen our business by making safety excellence an integral part of all business activities.” One of the key findings of the Discovery Team was the identification of the best practices used within the company, which are listed below: ▪ Felt Leadership – Management Commitment ▪ Business Integration ▪ Responsibility and Accountability ▪ Individual/Team Involvement and Influence ▪ Contractor Safety ▪ Metrics and Measurements ▪ Communications ▪ Rewards and Recognition ▪ Caring Interdependent Culture; Team-Based Work Process and Systems ▪ Performance Standards and Operating Discipline ▪ Training/Capability ▪ Technology ▪ Safety and Health Resources ▪ Management and Team Audits ▪ Deviation Investigation ▪ Risk Management and Emergency Response ▪ Process Safety ▪ Off-the-Job Safety and Health Education Attention to each of these best practices is essential to achieve sustained improvements in safety and health. The Discovery Implementation in conjunction with DuPont Safety and Environmental Management Services has developed a Safety Self-Assessment around these systems. In this presentation, we will discuss a few of these practices and learn what they mean. Paper published with permission.