Roland Iosif Moraru’s research while affiliated with University of Petroșani and other places

This study explores the link between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the process of identifying and assessing occupational risks in industrial and organizational environments, highlighting the importance of these goals in promoting a safe, healthy, and sustainable work environment. In the center of this analysis are SDG 3 (“Good Health and Well-Being”) and SDG 8 (“Decent Work and Economic Growth”), which highlight the need to create working conditions that prioritize the safety of workers. The study analyzes the correlation between the implementation of these global objectives and occupational risk management processes. Research results indicate that linking the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to these processes reduces the incidence of accidents and occupational diseases and also contributes to the achievement of global sustainability goals. An integrated approach improves the resilience of organizations, promotes equity in the professional environment, and supports sustainable economic development. The findings of the study offer important insights for policymakers, managers, and researchers, indicating that adopting a common framework for sustainability and occupational safety can bring significant benefits at local and global levels. Thus, the research encourages the widespread application of this integrative model in organizational policies and practices.

Safety culture is a topic that has been debated for too little time in Romania. Especially in multinational companies, there are numerous programs implemented in order to develop the safety culture among employees. Since in Romania a framework, a culture, which favors the full understanding of the concept of safety at work is not developed, still, in most companies, the term safety at work is assimilated to the set of cumbersome laws and government decisions, instructions and procedures, inspections, helmet and boots. Romania is at the bottom of the list of countries in terms of the number of occupational accidents with incapacity for work, but it is at the top of the list of countries with the most fatal accidents. A paradox, a reality concealed by economic operators by not reporting work accidents with work incapacity, which means that an investigation of the root causes is not carried out, thus leading to accidents that result in death. Accident reporting shows the maturity of the safety culture. The following article discusses the steps taken by Port Operator CHIMPEX to make the transition from a company based on indicators, systems and profit to a company based on people, in this case during implementing and developing an organizational culture based on leadership.

In recent decades, in addition to numerous work accidents in which tens of thousands of deaths, disabilities and millions of days of temporary inability to work have been recorded, we have unfortunately witnessed some major disasters and accidents due to human errors. Indeed, one of the main identified contributors to the occurrence of these undesirable events stems from latent/active human errors. In this article, we try to develop a selective synthesis of some approaches to human error, different characteristic types, models and methodologies that have been developed to support the minimization of these errors. Relevant aspects of human error are systematized, including applicable systems for effective risk management in order to provide Romanian OSH specialists with tools for deepening/understanding a decisive and - at the same time - insufficiently studied aspect at the national level.

The modernization and expansion of telecommunications networks in Romania led to the explosive growth of the number of workers engaged in these activities. A determined role in the performance of these activities belongs to workers employed in the occupation of utility climber who face a risk with often fatal consequences, namely the risk of falling from a height. Carrying out work at height in safe and healthy conditions by using utilitarian climbing techniques in the field of telecommunications requires its internal regulation according to OSH, through the elaboration of OSH's own instructions. Unfortunately, the main operators in the field of telecommunications in Romania, who have the legal obligation to draw up these instructions, are currently facing multiple legislative and methodological gaps, as well as a lack of knowledge and information. In this context, this paper aims to contribute to the improvement of the safety and health of workers in the field of telecommunications in Romania, by elaborating a framework structure of the own OSH instructions for the activity of working at height by using utilitarian climbing techniques. The proposed framework structure is based on an exhaustive bibliographic documentation at the national level and has a modern and innovative character, while its content can be adapted to the particularities of the activities carried out by all operators in the field of telecommunications in Romania. With rigorous adaptations, its applicability can be successfully extended to all economic operators who carry out work activities at height by using utility climbing techniques.

After 18 years since the legislative changes in the field of safety and health at work introduced the obligation to assess occupational risks at all workplaces, we note that the indigenous method of the National Research and Development Institute for Labor Protection in Bucharest was quasi-generalized in applicability. Starting from this practical reality, this paper aims to offer a more synthetic and pragmatic version of the application of the method for more complex jobs/activities, in which several socio-professional categories of workers are involved, by structural optimization of the procedure for the implementation of the specific stages and tools, in order to increase the effectiveness of the assessment of occupational injury and illness risks. This finality is achieved through a case study applied to a construction activity carried out within an important hydro-technical project. The main advantages of the approach proposed by the authors are summarized.

The digitalization of the economy and society opens up an unsuspected field of possibilities for the occupational health and safety domain. By digitalization, we should understand not only digital technologies as such, but the uses they allow and their possible uses on individuals, organizations and businesses. Going digital improves the efficiency of the company's operational processes, so we must seek to digitalize to be competitive. The interaction between humans and machines, the resort to Big Data, control and interface tasks, and the resolution of network problems, are now part of the working conditions. The importance of digitalization was even more felt following the “COVID-19” pandemic of 2020. One of the biggest impacts for companies was that employees could no longer go at their place of work, or in a greatly reduced way. This meant that they now had to work online from home and independently, which was made possible thanks to digitalization. The World Health Organization has defined occupational health as being the overall physical/mental and/or social state of well-being of employees taken into consideration by employers, and not just the absence of illness or disability. Safety, on the other hand, is characterized by a work environment fairly protected from certain or potential risks that can injure workers. There is an occupational health and safety risk management process that takes place in three phases. First the workplace hazards are identified. Then, those underlying the risk are defined and assessed. Finally, there are appropriate controls for hazards. Risk management is partially but essentially based on the analysis of several declarative elements which must conduct towards the implementation of improvement/prevention/protection strategies and measures. The multiple origins of the contributing factors make the analysis complex and needs to be structured to be effective. This is a basic reason for which digital technology becomes a valuable supporting tool. Moving to a digital age and integrating digital technology within a company represents a challenge from which advantages can arise, improving the quality of employment and work, or disadvantages that can lead to psychosocial risks. In this evolutionary and dynamic context, the chapter aims to detect and systematize both the current challenges of the world of work, from a safety perspective, and the answers that the acceleration of digitization processes can provide in order to adapt solutions to minimize occupational risks to the new trends that manifests themselves globally.

Occupational safety risk assessment is always the basic stage of the systematic approach of reducing the impact of undesired events (work injuries and occupational illnesses), by decreasing both their likelihood of occurrence and the gravity/severity of the generated impact. Eighteen years ago, when, as a consequence of the regulatory changes induced by our country’s accession into the European Union, the risk assessment became mandatory/compulsory. Since then some progress was factually realized in the spirit of applying different risk analysis techniques in all Romanian organizations. Even if there are many aspects that are requiring further improvement, an effectively validated and nationally accepted indigenous tool is nowadays available. This method was put in practice in this research paper, in order to analyse, evaluate and assess the safety risks related to several of the main activities/jobs in a diabase open pit mine exploiting construction stone in a certain province of the country. Based on the results obtained, it has become feasible to propose realistic measures aimed at preventing the identified and quantified risks located in the field of unacceptable risks and protecting exposed workers to their effects. The case study developed and synthesized in this article confirms the capability of the risk assessment process to facilitate the substantiation of the decisions regarding the allocation of resources towards the minimization of the risks encountered in the work processes by different categories of workers in the mining companies.

The manufacturing and application in various production and service areas of chemical substances is ever increasing and is likely to maintain such a trend, following the development of technological advance in a fast pace. The worldwide output of chemical agents raised about 14 times in the last five decades. Besides the many advantages that result from this evolution, there is also several negative consequences, mostly related to the burden of occupational illnesses associated with exposure to hazardous chemicals in the workplace. The need for clear and practical regulations, as well as effective tools for assessing applicable chemical risks by non-experts, is increasingly becoming a basic requirement on which the process of proactive control and management of this category of hazards can be based. The problem is even more acute in small and medium-sized enterprises in the European Union, which generally complies that the number of accidents and damage to workers’ health is double the level of multinational companies operating in the European economy. Part of an extensive research dedicated to working conditions in small and medium enterprises in Romania, this paper presents the results of the systematic and structured application of a well-established tool of a qualitative nature, designed to assess the risks induced by chemicals used in technological processes on health. And the safety of human operators who, through their workload, transport, store, handle and use chemicals that are hazardous to human health. The results obtained served to substantiate a feasible, realistic, pragmatic prevention and protection plan, which proved its effectiveness in the investigated company.

This comprehensive handbook delves into the essence of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), exploring the dynamic interplay between regulations, practical methodologies, and the broader impact of OHS on organizations. The goal of the book is to help readers understand OHS practices in the workplace and how to implement a plan. Chapter 1 establishes the conceptual framework of OHS and provides a foundational understanding of the subject. Moving forward, Chapters 2 and 3 dive into the international and national legal requirements, giving a comparative overview of OHS legislation in the EU and specific regulations in Romania, Italy, and Spain. Chapter 4 introduces readers to risk assessment tools and the OHS management process, while Chapter 5 emphasizes the importance of performance monitoring and measuring. Chapter 6 presents a step-by-step risk assessment methodology. Finally, Chapter 7 explores the significant impact of OHS on overall company performance, integrating ergonomics and organizational resilience. Key Features: Combines theoretical insights with practical applications for academics and OHS professionals. Offers an up-to-date analysis of OHS regulations, with a focus on EU guidelines and specific regulations for Romania, Italy, and Spain. Provides knowledge on risk assessment tools and performance monitoring methods for effective safety measures. Highlights the essential relationship between OHS and company performance with real-world examples and a systems approach. The book is ideal for a wide range of readers, including OHS trainees, professional safety managers, policymakers, researchers and students studying OHS practices, safety regulations and its organizational impact.

Until the present, addressing the behavioral aspects of work-related accidents and occupational diseases in Romania has been very sporadic. Most companies have adopted various programs and initiatives to enhance compliance with Occupational Safety and Health procedures. All these procedures are important for a successful safety process. Done correctly, they contribute to good safety performance. But today, these elements define the average safety effort, representing what everyone else is doing. If a company performs them well, it will achieve an average level of safety for their industry. While the injury rate will be affected by the consistency of these efforts, the result will basically be a normal variation above and below the industry average: some years better than average, some years worse. In this context, the paper presents some tools developed worldwide to improve consistently the safety and health of the employees. The basic objective of this study is to explore the human dynamics of occupational health and safety and to show how these can be managed to significantly improve performance. The principles and practical procedures are not based on common sense or intuition, but rather on reliable scientific investigations. Many recommendations seem different from traditional approaches to occupational safety.