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

BackgroundThe implementation of risk management for occupational health and safety is a fundamental requirement in all sectors. The occupational hazards and associated health consequences experienced by drivers in the public transport sector necessitate the implementation of proactive measures.ObjectiveThe objective of this paper is to propose a novel hybrid risk assessment model, based on spherical fuzzy sets, for the prioritization of prevalent occupational hazards among public transport drivers.MethodsThis study proposes the implementation of an integrated Fine-Kinney-based fuzzy occupational risk assessment model. This model incorporates the Alternative Ranking Technique based on Adaptive Standardized Intervals (ARTASI) approach and the Logarithmic Decomposition of Criteria Importance (LODECI) method. These are employed within the context of a spherical fuzzy environment. The integration of spherical fuzzy sets and the spherical fuzzy-Yager weighted arithmetic mean aggregation operator signifies a substantial advancement in the domain of occupational risk assessment. The amalgamation of these methodologies, in combination with the utilization of spherical fuzzy sets, culminates in the formulation of the proposed SFLOAR-Fine-Kinney hybrid model.ResultsThe results obtained from the proposed model indicates that the potential occupational hazard PTH12 (Work stress) is the most significant hazard, with the highest utility function value of 97.69061, and PTH15 (Income/salary policies) is the least serious hazard, with the lowest utility function value of 76.40069.ConclusionsThe present study offers theoretical and managerial implications for researchers, professionals and policymakers working in the public transport sector by harmoniously integrating quantitative and qualitative perspectives and employing robust assessment techniques.

BackgroundMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a prevalent, frequently progressive condition of the central nervous system that can significantly affect employment and career participation. Although researchers have extensively catalogued the factors that people with MS face in maintaining employment, the priorities of people working with MS in terms of career resources and information needs have not been extensively evaluated.ObjectiveWe sought (a) to identify the types of career information and resources that employed or recently-employed people with MS prioritize, and (b) to assess the extent to which the need for these career resources may vary among identifiable subgroups.MethodDescriptive statistics and latent profile analysis (LPA) were applied to the responses of 376 iConquerMS members who were either employed (n = 279) or had been employed in the past 5 years (n = 97). Participants completed a web-based survey delivered through the iConquerMS web-based platform.Resultsamong seven career resource/information topics, the participants prioritized resources on the work and physical health relationship, employment rights and benefits, the work environment and employment communication, and mental health. The LPA failed to identify meaningful subgroups based on the types of career information and resources.ConclusionThis study provides important information on the career resource needs and priorities of individuals with MS. It contributes to the goal of providing timely and personally relevant information to ensure that working people with MS can make informed decisions about their employment and career future, maintain work when desired, and avoid premature employment termination or discontinuation.

BackgroundWorkplace Safety Risk Assessment (WSRA) is a fundamental tool for identifying hazards and preventing accidents in the workplace. Despite its widespread use, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding the current state and potential pitfalls of WSRA methodologies in the Iranian context.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to analyze the current state of semi-quantitative WSRA practices in Iran, highlighting potential pitfalls and areas for improvement.MethodsAn online data-gathering form was designed and distributed to a diverse sample of Iranian safety professionals involved in the WSRA process (n = 412). Descriptive statistics were employed to interpret the findings.ResultsThe study findings revealed that a majority of organizations in Iran rely on semi-quantitative approaches for conducting WSRA. The study also highlighted significant variations in WSRA practices, both in terms of completeness and quality of implementation. In addition, the study identified and prioritized 24 barriers and pitfalls to successful WSRA implementation. These factors contribute to ineffective risk assessment outcomes and jeopardize workplace safety.ConclusionsThe findings of this study highlight the need for greater attention to be paid to WSRA in Iran and suggest several areas where improvements can be made to enhance the effectiveness of this important safety tool. The insights gained from this research can inform policymakers, safety professionals, and organizational managers in Iran about the pitfalls and challenges associated with existing WSRA methods, contributing to the development of more effective and robust workplace safety strategies.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the adoption of work from home (WFH) practices, raising concerns about their potential impact on sedentary behavior (SB). Although one previous study has suggested an association between WFH frequency and prolonged SB, the causal relationship and whether the findings hold true in situations where COVID-19 infection control measures have been mitigated remain unclear.ObjectiveTo investigate whether frequent WFH is associated with prolonged SB and to explore whether the strength of this association differs according to individual characteristics.MethodsProlonged SB was defined as sitting for ≥8 h per day, and WFH frequency was categorized into low (none or one to three times per month), middle (one to three times per week), and high (four times per week or almost every day) groups. Multivariate logistic regression was adopted to analyze the association between WFH frequency and prolonged SB.ResultsParticipants in the middle and high frequency WFH groups were 1.69 and 1.88 times more likely to experience prolonged SB, respectively than those in the low frequency group. The subgroup analysis showed that this association was particularly strong among full-time employees in non-managerial positions, males, and employees working 40 h or more per week, meaning that the odds ratio was higher than in other subgroups.ConclusionsThis study shows a longitudinal association between frequent WFH and prolonged SB among Japanese desk workers. Furthermore, interventions aimed at reducing SB should focus on high-risk groups to mitigate potential health risks in the post-pandemic work environment.

BackgroundWith the development of eye movement and voice control, multimodal interaction has become a leading trend for future aircraft cockpits. Yet, most studies either demonstrate its effectiveness broadly or focus on single channels, especially the visual channel. A comprehensive ergonomic evaluation method is still lacking.ObjectiveThis study proposes and validates a model for evaluating multimodal interaction in aircraft cockpits, addressing workload distribution, channel occupancy, and resource demand.MethodsOur research proposes an evaluation model for multimodal interaction in aircraft cockpits, based on the analysis of pilots' information cognitive processing. The model sequentially evaluates the workload of multimodal interaction technology in aircraft cockpit scenarios from the perspectives of task level, channel occupancy, and channel resource demand. Validation experiments were conducted using route planning tasks, assessing the workload for tactile interaction modes and multimodal interaction modes.ResultsResults demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed ergonomics evaluation model, as correlation analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between the model outcomes and subjective workload scores under both tactile and multimodal conditions. While multimodal interaction incurred significantly higher task time and subjective workload compared to tactile interaction, it also enabled more balanced workload distribution across channels, suggesting potential advantages for managing complex multi-channel tasks in future cockpit operations.ConclusionsThe validation experiments confirmed the effectiveness of our ergonomics evaluation model for multimodal interaction in airplane cockpit. It offers a practical tool for early cockpit design by identifying channel conflicts and workload distribution issues before prototype development, thus supporting safer and more efficient multimodal systems.

BackgroundNurses working in palliative units are repeatedly exposed to death, complex symptom management and emotionally intense interactions with patients and families. These conditions may lead to emotional exhaustion and physical strain, which in turn can compromise care processes and outcomes.ObjectiveThis study aims to explore the challenges and lived experiences of palliative care nurses through a descriptive qualitative approach.MethodsA qualitative research design employing a descriptive qualitative method was utilized. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 palliative care nurses working in state hospitals in a province in northern Turkey. The sample was selected using criterion sampling, a purposive method. Data collection continued until saturation was reached. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed thematically following the COREQ checklist.ResultsThe thematic analysis revealed two major themes and five sub-themes, highlighting the burdens of palliative nursing and the reflections of this profession on both individuals and care quality. Emotional, physical, and psychosocial strains were frequently mentioned, along with issues of burnout and the overall impact on care quality.ConclusionThe results indicate that palliative care nurses experience emotional and physical burdens due to caring for palliative patients, and these situations cause burnout in individuals from time to time. In addition, it was determined that psychosocial difficulties can affect the quality of care in palliative units.

BackgroundQuiet quitting (QQ), characterized by reduced psychological engagement and minimal job effort, has become increasingly prevalent among healthcare workers. The quality of work life (QWL), compassion fatigue (CF), and psychological resilience (PR) are critical factors that may influence this phenomenon, especially within high-stress healthcare environments.ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine the interrelationships between quality of work life, quiet quitting, compassion fatigue, and psychological resilience among healthcare workers and to assess the mediating role of CF and the moderating role of PR in these associations.MethodsA quantitative research design was employed. Standardized scales were used to measure quality of work life, quiet quitting, compassion fatigue, and psychological resilience. Data were collected from healthcare workers and analyzed using SPSS version 25, AMOS 25, and the PROCESS macro plug-in to perform mediation and moderation analyses.ResultsFindings indicated that poor work environment and work conditions significantly increased levels of compassion resilience and quiet quitting. Compassion resilience was found to mediate the relationship between quality of work life and quiet quitting. Moreover, psychological resilience moderated the relationship between QWL and CF, with higher PR buffering the negative effects. The role type of healthcare workers also influenced the CF-QQ link, with direct care providers experiencing stronger effects.ConclusionsEnhancing QWL is crucial in reducing the risk of CF and preventing QQ. Promoting psychological resilience among healthcare workers may serve as a protective factor, particularly for those in direct care roles, to mitigate the adverse effects of challenging work environments.

BackgroundThe prevalence of low back pain among office-workers is associated with prolonged sedentary behavior and improper postures. In addition to poor ergonomics, often overlooked issues such as psychological factors, sleep, fatigue, and pain can further exacerbate low back pain.ObjectiveThis study purposes to show whether there are differences in low back pain disability, anxiety, depression, quality of sleep, fatigue, and pain based on years of work experience among office-workers and to investigate determinants of low back pain disability.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 212 office-workers. Office workers were divided into <10 years, 10-19 years, and ≥20 years based on work experience. Low back pain, anxiety and depression, sleep quality, fatigue, and pain were assessed.ResultsThere were significant differences in low back pain complaints among office-workers based on the frequency of rest breaks (p = 0.001), the adequacy of rest areas (p < 0.001), and ergonomic education(p < 0.001). The low back pain disability score showed poor to moderate correlations with anxiety-depression (r = 0.492, p < 0.001), sleep (r = 0.427, p < 0.001), fatigue (r = 0.44, p < 0.001), and pain at various times (rest, activity, and night) (r = 0.532, r = 0.567, r = 0.567, respectively; all p < 0.001) among office workers. A multiple linear regression model found that fatigue and pain-night were determinants of low back pain disability, accounting for 42.2% of the variance (F = 18.104, p < 0.001).ConclusionFatigue and night pain were found to be key predictors of low back pain disability among office-workers. These findings highlight the role of ergonomic modifications, appropriate rest breaks, and targeted strategies to manage fatigue and nighttime pain to reduce low back pain disability in this population.

BackgroundAlthough existing research has fully demonstrated that employe safety citizenship behavior is crucial for workplace safety, there is relatively little research on how psychosocial safety climate affects safety citizenship behavior.ObjectiveThis study aims to verify the impact of psychosocial safety climate on safety citizenship behavior among construction workers and examine the mediating role of job resources and harmonious safety passion.MethodsA hierarchical linear model analysis was used with data from 879 frontline workers from 50 construction companies in China.ResultsThe results showed that psychosocial safety climate significantly and positively predicted safety citizenship behavior. Job resources and harmonious safety passion play a multilevel mediating role between psychosocial safety climate and safety citizenship behavior. Moreover, the psychosocial safety climate influences safety citizenship behavior through the multilevel chain mediating effect of job resources and harmonious safety passion.ConclusionLeaders at all levels of construction companies should actively participate in safety management practices and conduct safety communication to create a robust psychosocial safety climate. In this way, employes feel that the organization provides them with sufficient work resources and stimulates their work enthusiasm and subjective initiative, thus improving safety citizenship behavior.

BackgroundWorkers' unsafe behaviors primarily cause accidents in workplaces. Despite extensive research on the antecedents of unsafe behaviors, understanding workers' dynamic decision-making under the influence of safety cognition, group interactions, management, site conditions, and behavioral outcomes as a holistic system remains limited.ObjectiveThis study aims to explore workers' safety performance across different site risk environments and various intervention measures, including the effects of intervention frequency, punishment strictness, and interaction intensity on dynamic safety performance in low, medium, and high-risk environments.MethodsAn agent-based simulation model considering multiple factors of individual safety cognition and behavioral decision-making was conducted. It examined the complex roles of workers' cognitive decision-making processes within workgroup interactions, management strategies, and environmental contexts.ResultsThe results reveal that: (a) management interventions effectively reduce unsafe behaviors across all risk environments; (b) punishment strictness significantly inhibits unsafe behaviors, with moderate punishment being most effective in low-risk environments; (c) the impact of worker interactions varies significantly by risk level-limiting interactions in low-risk environments, promoting interactions in medium-risk environments, and additional measures are needed in high-risk environments to reduce unsafe behaviors.ConclusionThis research lays a new foundation for the causes of workers' unsafe behaviors when corresponding with effective management strategies. It also provides valuable insights for project managers in cognitive management and policy analysis.