Organizational influences on the work life conflict and health of shiftworkers

This study examined organizational factors affecting the impact of shiftwork on work life conflict and subjective health. A model was proposed in which support from supervisors, support from colleagues, and team identity influence time-based work life conflict through two mediating variables: team climate and control over the working environment. Reduced conflict, in turn, produces enhanced psychological well-being and diminished physical symptoms. A structural equation model based on survey data from 530 nurses supported the proposed model. It also identified unpredicted direct links between team identity and physical symptoms, and between supervisor support and both control over the work environment and psychological well-being. The results indicate that organizational interventions focused on social support, team identity, team climate, and control can diminish the negative effects of shiftwork on work life conflict and health in shiftworkers.     

The prevalence and causation of tennis elbow (lateral humeral epicondylitis) in a population of workers in an engineering industry

Lateral humeral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) is often considered to be work related but the incidence and prevalence among industrial workers has not previously been studied

In this study the prevalence of this condition and its relationship to some work factors was investigated in 540 workers in a modern engineering industry

The prevalence was 7-4% (40/540). Work was found to be the probable cause in 35%, tennis in 8% and other leisure activities in 27% of the patients. No cause was found in the remaining 30%. There was no correlation with sex, while a significant correlation was found with age, the incidence increasing with advancing age

On the basis of job classification according to their elbow stress, it was found that these workers with work-related epicondylitis had higher elbow stress jobs compared to other sufferers and to the workforce as a whole.     

Associations between work ability, health-related quality of life, physical activity and fitness among middle-aged men

The Work ability of ageing work force is a matter of major concern in many countries. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived work ability and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and to investigate their associations with age, physical activity and physical fitness in middle-aged men working in blue-collar occupations. The study population consisted of 196 middle-aged (aged 40-60 years) men (construction and industrial work) attending occupationally orientated early medical rehabilitation. They were mostly healthy having only symptoms of musculoskeletal or psychological strain. Perceived work ability was assessed with the work ability index (WAI) and HRQoL with the Rand, 36-item health survey (Rand-36). Information on physical activity was obtained with a structured questionnaire. Cardiorespiratory fitness was estimated with a submaximal exercise test on a cycle-ergometer. The WAI was significantly (p<0.001) associated with the total score of Rand-36, and with all its domains. Age, physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness were neither associated with the WAI, nor did physical activity predict any of the dimensions of Rand-36. Cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with the physical functioning dimension of the Rand-36 whilst age was positively associated with the dimensions of the energy, emotional well being and social functioning of the Rand-36. The present study on middle-aged men showed a close relationship between perceived work ability and the HRQoL. It is suggested that the promotion of work ability may have beneficial effects on quality of life.     

Responses of the autonomic nervous system during periods of perceived high and low work stress in younger and older female teachers

The aim of this study was to examine the response of the autonomic nervous system in younger (mean age 31 yrs, n=14) and older (mean age 54 yrs, n=14) healthy female teachers during work periods of perceived high and low stress. In the younger participants, heart rate, cortisol excretion rate and psychosomatic symptoms were significantly higher during the high work stress period. The older participants experienced no decrease in their heart rate and cortisol excretion during the low stress period and they exhibited no significant decrease in blood pressure after the work in the evening during both periods. It may be concluded that the recovery from the stress in the older teachers was insufficient particularly in view of their elevated diastolic blood pressure during the low work stress period. Ergonomic and individually tailored measures in terms of work time control, specific relaxation techniques, and a part-time retirement may improve the stress management of older teachers.     

The effects of occupational health and safety management on work environment and health: a prospective study

According to Norway's Internal Control Regulation, all companies are required to have an occupational health and safety (H&S) management system. This study investigated the effects of implementing or improving occupational H&S management on the work environment, H&S-related behaviour and musculoskeletal health of workers in small and medium-sized companies. A one-year prospective cohort study, using self-administered questionnaires, was performed among the managers and blue-collar workers in 226 motor vehicle repair garages. Out of 1559 workers that responded at baseline 721 workers could be identified at follow-up. These 721 workers were included in the study. The workers in companies with improved H&S management from baseline to follow-up reported increased satisfaction with the H&S activities at the garage; improved support from management and colleagues; improved health-related support and control; and increased participation in H&S activities.     

Examining the relationship between job design and worker strain over time in a sample of office workers

This study examines relationships between job design variables and worker strain. Office workers from a public service organization participated in a three-year study. Once during each of the three years, the same questionnaire was handed out to the subjects to examine job design and worker strain. The results indicate that the bivariate relationships between job design and worker strain change over time. At round 1, quantitative workload, work pressure and supervisor social support were the most important predictors of the worker strain variables. At round 2, task clarity, supervisor social support, and job future ambiguity were the most important predictors of worker strain. At round 3, task clarity, attention, and job future ambiguity were the most consistent predictors of worker strain. The results of the canonical correlation analysis were relatively similar for rounds 1 and 3, but not for round 2. There appears to be some consistency in the overall underlying structure of the relationships between job design and worker strain, but there is also some inconsistency in terms of which specific job design factors are related to specific measures of worker strain.     

Work fatigue and physiological symptoms in different occupations of high-elevation construction workers

The objective of this study is to investigate whether work fatigue and physiological symptoms that high-elevation construction workers experience would be affected by the occupations. Questionnaires of demographic data and subjective fatigue symptoms as well as some physiological measurements were carried out, pre- and post-shift, on scaffolders, steel fixers, formworkers, electrician-plumbers, concreters and miscellaneous workers at a high-rise building construction site. This study found that some subjective fatigue symptoms coincide with the life style of some workers and that the extent of fatigue symptoms and physiological strains varies among different occupations of construction workers. Scaffolders, steel fixers and formworkers are categorized as physically demanding fatigue type of workers, while concreters, electrician-plumbers and miscellaneous workers as general type. The prevalence and occurrence of subjective fatigue symptoms indicate high-elevation workers have more complaints of “projection of physical impairment” than “drowsiness and dullness” and “difficulty in concentration”. Some unexpected changes (i.e., post-shift measurements are greater than pre-shift ones) in some strength tests in scaffolders and concreters were consistent with the observations of how they exercised their bodies during work shift. Considerable variation of average heart rate among occupations was found, with scaffolders the highest and concreters the lowest. This study concludes that questionnaires of subjective fatigue symptoms and some physiological measurements can be used as indicators to predict the extent of strains or hazards which construction workers encounter. In terms of management program of safety and health, more attention should be paid to those physically demanding workers, such as scaffolders, workers with lower sense of safety and health, such as miscellaneous workers, and workers with older age, such as concreters.     

The relationship between work ability and oxidative stress in Japanese workers

Work ability is based on the balance between personal resources and work demand. This study focused on the personal resources component of work ability. The aims of this study were to elucidate the association between work ability and cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, particularly oxidative stress, and to estimate the effect of a community-implemented lifestyle modification programme on work ability and CV risk factors. Urinary 8-iso-prostaglandin F_2α (PGF_2α), a biomarker of oxidative stress, was negatively correlated with psychological resources, as measured by the Work Ability Index (WAI). Overall WAI score was unchanged following the programme, while CV risk factors and antioxidative activity improved. A reduction in PGF_2α levels was correlated with an improvement in subjective work ability relative to job demands, as assessed by a WAI item. Taken together, the results suggest that lifestyle modification programmes enhance the personal resources component of work ability and are associated with a reduction in oxidative stress.     

A framework for interactive work design based on motion tracking,simulation, and analysis

Because of the flexibility and adaptability of humans, manual handling work is still important in industry, especially in assembly and maintenance work. Well‐designed work operation can improve work efficiency and quality; enhance safety, and lower cost. Most traditional methods for work system analysis need physical mock‐ups and are time‐consuming. Digital mock‐up (DMU) and digital human modeling (DHM) techniques have been developed to assist ergonomic design and evaluation for a specific worker population (e.g., 95 percentile); however, the operation adaptability and adjustability for a specific individual are not considered enough. In this study, a new framework based on motion‐tracking technique and digital human simulation technique is proposed for motion–time analysis of manual operations. A motion‐tracking system is used to track a worker's operation while he/she is conducting a manual handling task. The motion data are transferred to a simulation computer for real‐time digital human simulation. The data are also used for motion type recognition and analysis either online or offline for objective work efficiency evaluation and subjective work task evaluation. Methods for automatic motion recognition and analysis are presented. Constraints and limitations of the proposed method are discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Job demands, physical fitness, work ability, and age of vehicle inspectors

The aim of this field, laboratory, and questionnaire study was to quantify and compare job demands, physical fitness, and work ability of aging (over 45 years) and young male vehicle inspectors. Dynamic and perceived job demands were moderately low, whereas static load on the neck-shoulder region was high due to bent and/or twisted head and neck postures which occurred at an average of 42% of working hours. Physical job demands were about equal for aging and young subjects. Aging subjects had lower aerobic and muscular fitness than young ones. A reduced work ability was detected in 14% of the aging inspectors. Technical and organizational measures are necessary to reduce static load and fixed repetitiveness of the job. Furthermore, individual physical training is recommended to maintain work ability of both the aging and young vehicle inspectors.     

Cardiovascular and electromyograph effects of low and high density work on an interactive information system

Sixteen males and 16 females solved 80 database queries presented on a visual display terminal (VDT). A solution required the correct selection of three successive hypertext indices hierarchically structured from the query to the data answer. Under a low density work condition, each selection of a hypertext index was followed by a 10-s delay before another database level, consisting of both indices and data, was presented. Under a high density work condition, each selection of a hypertext index was followed by a 1-s delay before another database level, consisting of both indices and data, was presented. To avoid a reduction in earnings, a solution criterion was 50 s for the low density condition, and 20 s for the high density condition. Forty successive queries were presented under each condition, and the order of conditions was counterbalanced across subjects. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial blood pressure, heart rate, and masseter electromyograph (EMG) responses showed elevations during task performance, in comparison to a resting baseline. Systolic blood pressure was higher during the high density condition in comparison to the low density condition, but masseter EMG activity was reliably higher only for females. Systolic blood pressure differences between the low and high density conditions were reliable over several successive performance sessions presented to two individual subjects. Subjects' scores on the Structured Interview (SI; Friedman & Powell, 1984) were found to relate to systolic blood pressure.     

Need for recovery from work: evaluating short-term effects of working hours,patterns and schedules

In this paper working hours, patterns and work schedules of employees were evaluated in terms of need for recovery from work. Self-administered questionnaire data from employees of the Maastricht Cohort Study on Fatigue at Work (n = 12,095) were used. Poisson regression analyses and multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that higher working hours a day and working hours a week generally went together with more need for recovery from work. Overtime work was particularly associated with higher need for recovery from work in both genders. Both male and female three-shift or irregular shift workers had higher odds of elevated need for recovery compared to day workers. When additionally controlling for work-related factors, need for recovery levels among shift workers substantially lowered. This study clearly showed that working hours and schedules are associated with need for recovery from work, with different associations for men and women. Especially the associations between work schedules and need for recovery from work were very interrelated with other work-related factors. Future studies could further investigate the possibility that shift work might function as a proxy of other work-related factors that explain the different levels in need for recovery from work, or that job demands are perceived higher among shift workers and may therefore lead to more need for recovery from work.     

The development of anti-heat stress clothing for construction workers in hot and humid weather

The purpose of this study was to develop anti-heat stress clothing for construction workers in hot and humid weather. Following DeJonge’s functional clothing design process, the design situation was explored, including clothing fabric heat/moisture transporting properties and UV protection and the aspects of clothing ergonomic design (mobility, convenience, and safety). The problem structure was derived from the results of the surveys in three local construction sites, which agreed well with the task requirements and observations. Specifications were consequently described and 30 commercially available fabrics were identified and tested. Fabric testing data and design considerations were inputted in S-smart system to predict the thermal functional performance of the clothing. A new uniform prototype was developed and evaluated. The results of all measurements suggest that the new uniform which incorporated fabrics with superior heat/moisture transporting properties and loose-fitting design could reduce the workers’ heat stress and improve their comfort and work performance.

Practitioner Summary:

The construction workers’ uniform currently used in Hong Kong during summer was unsatisfactory. Following DeJonge’s functional clothing design process, an anti-heat stress uniform was developed by testing 30 fabrics and predicting clothing thermal functional performance using S-smart system. The new uniform could reduce the workers’ heat stress and improve their comfort and work performance.     

Driving in an urban environment,the stress response and effects of exercise

Driving may be detrimental to health, with one hypothesis suggesting that driving may elicit an acute stress response and, with repeated exposures, may become a chronic stressor. The present study examined the stress response to driving and the effectiveness of a prior exercise bout in dampening this response. Twenty healthy adults performed three tasks: control, driving and exercise plus driving. Heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure (BP) and cortisol were measured to quantify the acute stress response to each condition. Data indicated a stress response to driving: HR was elevated and HRV was reduced during the driving task compared with control. HR was elevated and HRV was reduced comparing the exercise plus driving with the driving condition. BP and cortisol were not different among conditions. The potential of interventions, such as exercise, to counter daily stressors should be evaluated to safeguard long-term health.

Practitioner Summary: this study confirms that driving induces a stress response, with the exercise intervention providing mixed results (an increase in cardiovascular measures and a decrease in cortisol measure trending significance). Given the known consequences of stress and evidence that exercise can mitigate acute stress, further evaluation of exercise interventions is recommended.     

Resource allocation efficiency as an indicator of boredom,work performance and absence

Boredom has been implicated in a range of unfortunate behaviours from absenteeism to substance abuse. Here resource allocation efficiency is proposed as a proximal indicator of both boredom and work behaviour. Clerical volunteers (N = 89) completed a series of computer-based tasks in which puzzle-solving speed was taken as an indicator of resource allocation efficiency. Individual variability in puzzle-solving speed correlated, as predicted, with accuracy of work (r =-0.35, p< 0.01) and days absence (r = + 0.26, p< 0.05) as recorded in annual staff appraisals. Both these behaviours are considered boredom sensitive. These experiments suggest a direct way of predicting the consistency of key work-related behaviours.     

Activity-rest schedules in physically demanding work and the variation of responses with age

Workers in physically demanding occupations require work breaks to recover from exertion. In a laboratory setting, we investigated the impact of ergometer cycling for 7 h in two conditions with an identical total break time but with two different activity-rest schedules. We hypothesised that more frequent but shorter breaks lead to less psychophysical strain and its effects than do less frequent but longer breaks, particularly for older workers. Twenty-nine participants representing three different age groups were tested in both conditions. Heart rate, perceived exertion/tension and feelings of fatigue were assessed and used as dependent variables. Results indicate no general activity-rest differences as well as no age-related differences of break effects under the condition of subjectively equal straining load. However, heart rate was found to be lower at some measurement points in the frequent-short-break condition and perceived exertion was lower in the infrequent-long-break condition. PRACTITIONER SUMMARY: Design of activity-rest schedules in physically demanding occupations is a key issue in the prevention of strain and hence of interest to ergonomists. Our study suggests that breaks during physically demanding work have the same effect if they are frequent and short or infrequent and long, regardless of age.     

Physical demands of work and health complaints among women working late in pregnancy

Health complaints before, during and after pregnancy were collected from 2251 women in Montreal who had been in paid employment beyond the twenty-seventh week of their first or second pregnancy. Complaints of breathlessness, fatigue, back pain, varicose veins and haemorrhoids increased during pregnancy, the proportion of women reporting these symptoms being greatest in the third trimester. Complaints at this stage were found to be systematically related to job postures and other physical work demands, prolonged periods of standing, particularly with the back bent forward, twisting the trunk and lifting weights all being found troublesome by workers late in their pregnancy. Three months after delivery the level of health complaints had generally returned to that before pregnancy. This was so for all symptoms except varicose veins and haemorrhoids. No relation was found between trouble with haemorroids and the physical demands of work in pregnancy. Problems with varicose veins three months after delivery were however, more frequent than expected in those whose job had required them to stand during pregnancy for more than 2h at a stretch. There was also some indication that women in physically demanding jobs took longer to recover from their confinement.     

Flexible workspace design and ergonomics training: impacts on the psychosocial work environment, musculoskeletal health, and work effectiveness among knowledge workers

A macroergonomics intervention consisting of flexible workspace design and ergonomics training was conducted to examine the effects on psychosocial work environment, musculoskeletal health, and work effectiveness in a computer-based office setting. Knowledge workers were assigned to one of four conditions: flexible workspace (n=121), ergonomics training (n=92), flexible workspace+ergonomics training (n=31), and a no-intervention control (n=45). Outcome measures were collected 2 months prior to the intervention and 3 and 6 months post-intervention. Overall, the study results indicated positive, significant effects on the outcome variables for the two intervention groups compared to the control group, including work-related musculoskeletal discomfort, job control, environmental satisfaction, sense of community, ergonomic climate, communication and collaboration, and business process efficiency (time and costs). However, attrition of workers in the ergonomics training condition precluded an evaluation of the effects of this intervention. This study suggests that a macroergonomics intervention is effective among knowledge workers in office settings.     

Examining the effects of social influence in pre-adoption phase and initial post-adoption phase in the healthcare context

Despite the widespread adoption of healthcare information technology (HIT) in hospitals, fostering physicians’ acceptance of this system is a challenging task. This study focuses on and compares two critical phases for user acceptance of HIT, namely, pre-adoption phase and initial post-adoption phase. Based on the psychological attachment theory, we propose that social influence factors exert differentiated effects on physician acceptance of HIT in these two phases. Survey results show that reward, sanction, and informational influence affect physicians’ HIT acceptance in the pre-adoption phase, whereas reward and image are significantly associated with HIT acceptance in the initial post-adoption phase.     

Psychosocial work characteristics,need for recovery and musculoskeletal problems predict psychological distress in a sample of British workers

From an original sample of 2454 participants free of self-reported psychological distress, 1463 workers completed a 15-month follow-up. Baseline measures included exposure to job demands, decision latitude, social support and need for recovery. Psychological distress was assessed using the General Health Questionnaire at baseline and at follow-up. The findings showed that medium and high exposure to job demands and social support increased the risk of reporting psychological distress at 15-months (relative risk (RR) = 1.65, 1.45). The highest adjusted RR was observed for workers reporting a high need for recovery after work (RR 2.12, 1.90) and this finding was independent of the effects of job demands, decision latitude and social support. Neither decision latitude, nor low back problems increased the risk of reporting future psychological distress, although neck problems (RR = 1.66) and hand/wrist problems (RR = 1.45) did. It was concluded that need for recovery appears to be an important indicator of individual workers who are at risk of developing psychological distress long term.

Statement of Relevance: This paper reports the findings of a longitudinal study showing that need for recovery from work was the strongest predictor, relative to psychosocial work characteristics (job demands, decision latitude and social support), and musculoskeletal problems, of psychological distress 15 months later in individuals initially free from distress.