Work-A Journal of Prevention Assessment & Rehabilitation最新文献

Background: Research demonstrates that work interruptions are considered one of the most common work stressors. Understanding the mechanisms of work interruptions is therefore vital to reducing worker stress and maintaining performance.

Objective: The aim of this research is to investigate the influence of the frequency of work interruptions on subjective workload in the context of office work. Specifically, the mediating influence of interruption perception as well as the moderating influence of the complexity of the primary task are examined.

Method: The work interruptions of 492 office workers in Germany were collected by means of a one-day diary study. A mediation model and a conditional indirect effect model were calculated to examine the influence of interruption frequency on subjective workload, mediated by the individual perception of these interruptions as well as moderated by the complexity of the primary work tasks.

Results: The analyses indicated a significant mediation and moderation. This implies that, on the one hand, the perception of work interruptions significantly mediates the relationship between the frequency of work interruptions and subjective workload. On the other hand, more complex primary work tasks seem to strengthen the positive relationship between interruption frequency and perceived interruption overload.

Conclusion: The study underlines that work interruptions need to be considered in a much more differentiated way than is currently the case. Both in research and in terms of intervention measures in the work context, the various influencing factors need to be identified for an assessment of the effects on the working person to be possible.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a change of pedagogical strategies from on-campus to "online" modality (synchronous and asynchronous learning) and may influence the health of university students, including their mental workload.

Objective: To identify the association between mental workload, perception of musculoskeletal discomfort (MSD), and the level of physical activity of Masters's students' online learning due to the pandemic.

Method: This was a pilot descriptive study with a cross-sectional, quantitative, non-experimental study design. The sample consisted of 20 students. To collect the data, the participants answered a sociodemographic questionnaire, NASA-Task Load Index, International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire.

Results: The students presented mental workload at medium (45%) and high (55%) levels, with time demands as the most prevalent dimension. In addition, 80% of the students reported experiencing MSD in the last seven days, with the most frequent areas being the neck and lower back. Regarding the level of physical activity, five students had a low level (25%), five students had a medium level (25%), and ten students had a high level (50%) of activity.

Conclusion: Most of the students (95%) conduct their master's degree along with maintaining a full-time job. Therefore, the adaptive requirements according to "time demands" is a negative factor because of its contribution to mental workload. Especially in addition to students' perception of musculoskeletal discomfort, organizational aspects would be fundamental to prevent physical and mental health risks.

Background: Within the extensive literature on precarious working conditions in the gig economy, remarkably little attention has been paid to how we can formally assess precarity. The few existing measurement instruments that seek to capture precarity in the gig economy assess the characteristics of platforms as job providers, but do not consider the situation of individual gig workers. Moreover, these approaches do not account for the different employment statuses of gig workers.

Objective: This research's objective was to adapt, test and validate the Employment Precariousness Scale (EPRES) to the context of food couriers in Belgium.

Methods: Fieldwork observations were combined with primary survey-data (N = 123). The scale was validated by testing reliability and external validity.

Results: Although the small sample size requires caution, the EPRES-gw (i.e., our adaptation for 'gig work') indicated sound reliability through sufficiently high internal consistency. The scale also showed good external validity through a significant positive correlation with poor well-being.

Conclusion: The scale's characteristics in empirical analyses compare to previous research using the EPRES among employees. The EPRES-gw is therefore a promising instrument for studying employment precariousness in gig jobs.

Background: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal law that protects individuals with disabilities from discrimination in all areas of public life. The ADA contributes to equal opportunity across policy areas, including the interconnected domains of higher education and employment. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, emerging research has begun to document the disparities in impact on people with disabilities, among other marginalized groups. However, no research to date has reviewed and synthesized literature that addresses disability discrimination related to COVID-19 that has implications for application of the ADA.

Objective: This rapid evidence review aims to increase understanding about how COVID-19 has resulted in challenges for people with disabilities in the domains of employment and higher education that may be resolved through application of the ADA.

Methods: Keyword searches were conducted in five electronic databases. Title, abstract, and full text screening was conducted followed by a thematic analysis of key ADA themes.

Results: Twelve final articles were included in this review, eight categorized within higher education and four within employment. In relation to the ADA and COVID-19, five studies revealed findings related to web accessibility, eight related to effective communication, and four related to reasonable accommodations.

Conclusion: The findings provide a broad overview of the current research on how COVID-19 has affected accessibility, communications and accommodations in employment and higher education and identify gaps in the literature within these policy domains.

Background: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are among the most commonly reported occupational diseases worldwide. Healthcare workers, such as medical radiation staff, are susceptible to WMSDs.

Objective: To analyze the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) and their influencing factors among professionals working in medical radiation institutions.

Methods: This study employed cluster random sampling and included 1669 medical radiation staff members from medical units and institutions in Guangdong Province, China. The modified Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was used to analyze musculoskeletal symptoms in nine body regions over the previous 12 months. The chi-square test was used to analyze the association between WMSDs and these factors. Logistic regression was used to identify potential influencing factors.

Results: This study collected 1669 complete and valid questionnaires. The overall self-reported prevalence of WMSDs among medical radiation staff was 15.3%. Multivariate logistic regression showed that gender, alcohol consumption, senior rank hospital, repetitive motions at work, overtime work, and prolonged maintenance of the same posture increased the risk of WMSDs (P < 0.05). Adjustable work chairs and comfortable workplace temperatures were protective factors against WMSDs (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Being female, alcohol consumption, higher hospital level, repetitive motions, working overtime, and maintaining a single posture contributed to the risk of neck, shoulder, and lower back WMSDs among medical radiation staff. Prevention and management strategies to facilitate reduction in adverse health effects on the occupational health of the medical radiation staff should be considered.

Background: Backpack syndrome (BS) is a term used to describe symptoms such as shoulder and back pain that are believed to be caused by carrying a backpack. Few studies have investigated the changes in walking and running parameters with and without backpacks.

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the differences in walking and running parameters with and without backpacks in primary school children with and without BS.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 51 children (average age 9.3 years, 6- 12 years). Two questions were asked beforehand: whether the respondents had shoulder or back pain when going to school and present; those who answered that they had pain in both cases were defined as the BS group, while the others were the control group. Walking and running at comfortable speeds and walking and running with a 6 kg backpack on their backs were measured.

Results: During walking, there were main effects for speed, cadence, and strike angle with and without the backpack, but no interactions were identified for any of the parameters. In running, however, there were main effects for speed, stride length, strike angle, and lift-off angle, and an interaction effect was observed for speed and stride length.

Conclusions: During walking, carrying a 6 kg backpack increased cadence and walking speed. During running, carrying a backpack caused a decrease in stride length and running speed in the BS group, whereas there was no change in the control group, suggesting that the control and BS groups may respond differently.

Background: The FMCG manufacturing industry in industrially developing countries operates in a manual or semi-automatic setup, employing a vast labor force. Several non-standardized work activities prevail on the FMCG shop floor and remain prone to safety-related risks involving repetitive motions, forceful exertions, and awkward postures. Among those, the rework of defective pouches/sachets is an unsafe activity of prime concern. It is prone to minor nicks, cuts, and injuries due to inadequate tools being used. It involves sharp cutters/blades and extensive forceful manual hand squeezing, which leads to drudgery and safety concerns. There lies the lack of standardized tools/apparatus for rework activity, and efforts towards its mitigation are required.

Objective: Current research aims to address occupational safety-related issues in non-standardized rework activity in small-scale FMCG units through an innovative product design approach.

Methods: An ergo-audit was conducted in eight small-scale FMCG units to identify the prevailing ergonomic stressors and safety concerns. The most critical area of concern, i.e., rework activity, was chosen through card-sorting sessions and discussions held with the stakeholders. An appropriate context-specific apparatus was designed/developed to ensure better safety and occupational health utilizing a systematic product design method involving three phases: initial field survey, design and development, and field trials.

Results: The apparatus, which was developed and factory-trialed, was evaluated for productivity improvement and ensuring user compatibility from various human factors' perspectives.

Conclusion: In field trials, the developed apparatus was found effective in mitigating safety concerns and various ergonomic stressors associated with FMCG rework.

Background: Adopting an effective leadership style is of critical importance in increasing healthcare efficiency and therefore determining patient satisfaction. For example, although there are many new and effective leadership types today, the paternalistic leadership approach can still play an effective role in developing countries.

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the moderating role of paternalistic leadership in the relationship between job satisfaction and job stress.

Methods: A total of 466 healthcare workers completed measures of perceived paternalistic leadership, job stress, and job satisfaction. The research was conducted in the center of Gaziantep, one of the largest cities in Turkey. Regression analysis was used to evaluate the moderate variable. Dawson slope were used to visualize the results.

Results: A negative relationship was found between job satisfaction and job stress. Additionally, it has been determined that the perception of paternalistic leadership has a moderating role. It has been observed that as the perception of paternalistic leadership increases, the negative relationship between job satisfaction and job stress decreases.

Conclusion: It has been concluded that the paternalistic leadership approach can play a critical role in increasing the productivity of healthcare workers and reducing the negative effect of stress on satisfaction. It has been suggested that policies be developed to develop appropriate strategies for creating work environments that will increase employees' perceptions of paternalistic leadership.

Background: The social position, perceived prestige and image of a profession are often of interest to members of that profession, and physiotherapy is no exception.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the perceived occupational prestige and image of physiotherapists and physiotherapy students in Turkey.

Methods: 235 physiotherapy students and 465 physiotherapists were included in the study. A survey questioning occupational image, job satisfaction and prestige of the profession according to eight occupations was completed by the participants online.

Results: In terms of prestige, physiotherapy students ranked their profession fourth among eight undergraduate professions, while physiotherapists ranked their profession fifth. Compared to physiotherapists, physiotherapy students had more positive perceptions about their children becoming physiotherapists, the image of the profession in the eyes of the society, and job satisfaction (p < 0.05). Professional expectations of physiotherapists were higher than students. In addition, physiotherapists working for more than ten years had more positive perceptions about their children becoming physiotherapists, the public image of the profession, income level, and social standing, although perceived job satisfaction and need status were lower compared to physiotherapists with less than ten years of experience (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: While physiotherapy students in Turkey perceived the prestige of the physiotherapist profession at a moderate level compared to other undergraduate professions, physiotherapists had a slightly lower perception of professional prestige compared to students. More comprehensive studies are needed on this subject.

Background: Job analysis is one of the most important and widely used processes to determine job duties, identify and reduce potential risks, and specify the skills and facilities required for each job at the highest level of occupational safety and health.

Objective: This study aimed to perform psychometric analyses of the Persian version of the Fleishman Job Analysis Survey (FJAS).

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 31 drivers. Participants were selected by random sampling. Ten occupational health and ergonomics experts confirmed the validity of the survey. First, we calculated the survey's CVR and CVI. Then, we used ICC and Cronbach's alpha coefficients to evaluate the survey's reliability. Data analysis utilized SPSS 21.

Results: 78% of the participants were male and 22% were female. The mean age±SD of the participants was 39.1±11.82 years. The reliability and validity of the short version survey showed that the value of ICC and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.96, and CVR was 0.75. Moreover, the values of CVI for simplicity, clarity, and relevance were 0.87, 1, and 0.73, respectively. The long version's ICC and CVR were 0.96 and 0.97, respectively. Simplicity, clarity, and relevance CVI scores were 0.9, 0.94, and 0.95.

Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the Persian version of the Fleischman Job Analysis Survey has the necessary validity and reliability for job analysis, so it can be used for driving professional or research purposes. Moreover, this survey is an effective tool for obtaining accurate and complete knowledge of job tasks and requirements.