Browsing by Author "Maart, S"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    How Compliant are Beverage Employees to Occupational Health and Safety Regulations
    (2009) Chetty, L; Jelsma, J; Maart, S
    This observational study was undertaken to identify thehealth and safety violations of employees at a specific beverage manufac-turing company. A site inspection and observation of all employees employedat this specific beverage company was conducted by the researcher over 2 days. Employees were observed for 12 hours per day with the morningshift on Day 1 and the afternoon shift on Day 2. A sample of conveniencewas used in that every employee who was present on those days was included. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data set. There were a total of 212 employees and 332 behaviours observed during thisstudy period. Unsafe handling and behaviour was observed in 55% of observations. Incorrect manual lifting techniques was the most frequent health and safety violation observed. In the 48 manual lifting behaviours observed, correct practice was observed in only three cases. It is clear thatmore healthcare education and practical training is required in the area of manual lifting techniques. It is clear that more practical training is required in the area of manual handling.
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    Injury profile of employees at a specific beverage manufacturing company: A retrospective study
    (2007) Chetty, L; Jelsma, J M; Maart, S
    This article reports on important information pertaining to the prevalence of occupational injuries. At present very little data exists on the prevalence of occupational injuries in South Africa. A retrospective study was undertaken to detail the occupational injuries sustained by employees at a specific beverage manufacturing company. The aim of this study was to determine the mechanisms, type, classification, anatomical site, frequency and time of injuries at this beverage company. The sample consisted of all employees that reported to the occupational health clinic with occupational injuries during the six-month review period i.e. July 2004-December 2004. Results of this review were computed in a self-complied injury data spreadsheet. The data was presented descriptively and the level of significance was set at 0.05. Incorrect lifting of manual materials was reported as the most common mechanism of injury. Repetitive strain injuries were the most common type of injury. The spine/trunk was the site of 48 (66.7% of regions) injuries with the most frequently injured regions being the back (43.1%) and neck (22.2%). Most of the injuries were sustained during the month of December (27.8%). It is recommended that aggressive health promotion and injury prevention strategies be implemented to reduce the burden of occupational injuries at this specific beverage manufacturing company.
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    Widening Access to undergraduate physiotherapy education in South Africa: Pointers from students records
    (2012) Amosun, S L; Maart, S; Ferguson, G; Manie, S
    In response to the state mandate to improve access and equity in higher education, the admission policy of universities in South Africa (SA) currently employs measures for the redress of past inequalities and racial injustices. As there is no information on the processes to widen access to undergraduate physiotherapy education program in SA, the aim of this reported study was to search for pointers from students’ records in one local university, situated in the Western Province of SA, that would inform the development of strategies that will widen the access for previously disadvantaged population groups and ensure successful academic outcomes. The records of six cohorts of students who earlier applied for and later enrolled in the undergraduate physiotherapy program between the years 2000 and 2005 were retrospectively reviewed. Information pertaining to access, student characteristics, and academic persistence was extracted, reviewed and analysed descriptively. During the period reviewed, approximately equal numbers of Black and non-Black students applied for admission to the program. The proportion of Black applicants meeting minimum admission requirements was less than half of the White/Asian applicants. Less than 50% (105/212) of the offers made to Black applicants were accepted. Forty one percent (43/105) of the enrolled Black students successfully completed the program within the minimum 4 years compared to 75.5% (145/192) of the White/Asian students. Strategies should be implemented to increase awareness and recruitment, improve enrolment rates, and improve retention and throughput for Black students in the undergraduate physiotherapy program of a historically “white” SA university.