Work - Volume 28, issue 4

Article Type: Other

Citation: Work, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 285-285, 2007

Authors: Menéndez, Cammie Chaumont | Amick III, Benjamin C. | Jenkins, Mark | Janowitz, Ira | Rempel, David M. | Robertson, Michelle | Dennerlein, Jack T. | Chang, Che-Hsu (Joe) | Katz, Jeffrey N.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Purpose: To characterize undergraduate computer use using different data collection methods, emphasizing computing-related postures, use patterns and upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms. Subjects and methods: In Spring, 2004, undergraduate students from a single dormitory at a private university agreed to complete a College Computing & Health Survey. For three separate data collection periods each lasting a week, we observed postures during computer once per period and continuously measured computer input device …usage. During these three periods, students self-reported computer usage and symptoms 3–5 times daily. Results: Thirty students participated and all completed the study. Eighty-six percent reported ever experiencing symptoms after computer work. There were no time-related trends across data collection periods for posture, symptoms, and computing activities and patterns. Typed work and communicating (when compared with playing games) were usually the predominant computing activities throughout the semester. There was significantly greater self-reported computer use than that directly measured (p<0.05). Conclusion: This is the first study that utilized several methods of exposure assessment to describe computing postures, use patterns and upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms among a college student cohort. Epidemiological studies need to explore time-related changes such as time of day, weekday, and days into the semester to further understand symptoms, posture, and computer use changes. Show more

Keywords: Computer use, posture, musculoskeletal symptoms, multiple methods

Citation: Work, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 287-297, 2007

Authors: Legge, Jennifer | Burgess-Limerick, Robin

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Functional capacity testing in the pre-employment or post-offer phase of recruitment is increasing in popularity as a preventative tool for controlling sprains and strains in the workplace. The purpose of this study is to determine the reliability of the JobFit System Pre-Employment Functional Assessment (PEFA) as a whole, or in parts, as a precursor for a validity study investigating the relationship between PEFA results and workplace injury rates and severity. A group of 28 …healthy male coal mine employees were videotaped whilst they participated in a generic JobFit System Pre-Employment Functional Assessment (PEFA) including tests of aerobic physical fitness, balance, postural tolerances and material handling tolerances. Twenty participants performed a second trial. The test component scores and overall PEFA scores were compared between trials (test-retest, intra-rater) and assessors (inter-rater) to determine their reliability expressed in terms of ICC. Using an ICC score of > 0.75 as good and > 0.90 as excellent, in conjunction with percentage agreement a good to excellent reliability rating was allocated to the overall PEFA score, floor to bench lift, bench to overhead lift, bilateral carry and climbing. A moderate to good rating was recorded for bench to shoulder lifts, reaching forward, reaching overhead and stooping. A poor to moderate rating was recorded for squatting, balance and fitness tests. Test-retest scores were typically lower than intra-tester and inter-tester scores. ICC scores should be interpreted with consideration of their limitations and in conjunction with the actual test results. Show more

Keywords: Reliability, pre-employment functional assessment, work-related assessment, functional capacity evaluation, pre-placement assessment

Citation: Work, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 299-312, 2007

Authors: Grooten, Wilhelmus Johannes Andreas | Mulder, Marie | Wiktorin, Christina

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of two types of ergonomic intervention on pain and pain-related disability in the neck/shoulder and low back regions. A cohort of 492 subjects of various occupations with non-specific neck/shoulder or low back pain was followed over a five to six year period. The study subjects were classified into four intervention groups: no ergonomic intervention, educational worksite intervention, workplace intervention, and combined workplace and educational worksite intervention. …The group with no ergonomic intervention was used as the reference group. The changes in pain intensity and pain-related disability from baseline to follow-up in each of the three groups with intervention were compared to the changes in the reference group. During the follow-up, 39% of the subjects had received ergonomic intervention. The average change in pain intensity and pain-related disability was smaller in the educational worksite intervention group than in the reference group. The average reduction of pain intensity and pain-related disability did not differ between the two other intervention groups and the reference group. Thus, for subjects still at work, ergonomic intervention seemed to be ineffective for reducing neck/shoulder and low back pain and pain-related disability. Show more

Keywords: Disability, epidemiology, ergonomics, low back pain, neck pain, occupational medicine

Citation: Work, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 313-323, 2007

Authors: Scanlan, Justin Newton | Beltran, Ruth O.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: This review explores the literature on the concept of work in unemployment and its relationship to health. A range of literature about the activities of unemployed people is reviewed and discussed with reference to three questions: What do unemployed people do?, What activities are associated with the health of unemployed people? and Do unemployed people work? From the literature, two groups of unemployed people are described: those who are characterised by active patterns of activity …and those characterised by passive patterns. It is argued that the active group is psychologically healthier than the passive group. Concepts of work in both groups of unemployed individuals are presented, arguing that the active group seeks to replace employment with other work activities and that the passive group are engaged in work also, but that this presents as fret and preoccupation about their situation. These concepts of work are presented in the context of three major theoretical models of the personal impact of unemployment. Finally, implications for practice and directions for future research are suggested. Show more

Keywords: Work, activity, unemployment, unpaid work, occupational science

Citation: Work, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 325-334, 2007

Authors: Nilsson, Ines | Fitinghoff, Hélène | Lilja, Margareta

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The aim of this qualitative study was to explore and describe what have made it possible for a group of people with rheumatoid arthritis to remain in work. There were ten participants, six women and four men, aged from 32 to 59. They were working either full time or part-time, at the time the study was conducted. Data was gathered using focus group interviews. The transcribed interviews were analysed in accordance with the constant comparative method. …The result showed that the assets the individuals possessed and the character of the environment in which they worked were important reasons why they were able to remain in employment. Four main categories were identified: the constructive value of work, the characteristics of work, physical health and well-being and the understanding and support of colleagues. The findings support a client-centred occupational therapy and rehabilitation, where the experiences of the person provide the reason for the intervention. Show more

Keywords: Adaptation, focus group, occupational therapy, rheumatoid arthritis, work

Citation: Work, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 335-342, 2007

Authors: Ahlgren, Åsa | Bergroth, Alf | Ekholm, Jan | Schüldt, Kristina

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: A short-term evaluation of vocational rehabilitation (VR) may give conclusions not automatically applicable over a longer term. The present study follows up alterations in work resumption or in social insurance benefits from the time of completed VR and during the following two years. Aim: The primary objective was to evaluate work resumption among previous sick-leavers granted vocational rehabilitation. The aim of the follow-up was to assess the stability of the outcome of VR over …time and to analyse factors of importance for clients that remained at work. Method: A register investigation was based on 815 cases where the clients had taken part in vocational rehabilitation and were served by one of six local social insurance offices of a Swedish county. Results: Of the clients studied, 52.4% had attained full working capacity The proportion had decreased to 37.4% two years later. One factor that differed between those who resumed work and those who returned to sick leave was the duration of the previous sick-leave period. Those who returned to work had had shorter sick leave, had jobs to return to and had received job training as a vocational rehabilitation measure. Conclusions: The clients with the best chances of being in work two years after completed vocational rehabilitation were those with short sickness absence, who had been selected for job training as a vocational rehabilitation, were aged 16–29 years and were employed in industry. Show more

Keywords: Disability pension, vocational rehabilitation, work resumption, social insurance, chronic pain, psychiatric disorders, sickness absence, outcome

Citation: Work, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 343-354, 2007

Authors: González-Muñoz, Elvia Luz | Gutiérrez-Martínez, Rodolfo E.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: This study's central objective is to determine how several individual, organizational and ergonomic factors influence the relationship between job stress and mental workload for workers in an electronics company. A cross-sectional study was made as a test of hypotheses regarding that relationship. The sample is composed of 95 workers, of both sexes, from the electronics industry in the metropolitan zone of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Ergonomic conditions were evaluated with the Ergonomic Evaluation List, stress …was evaluated by administering the SWS-Survey to groups of subjects, and mental workload was evaluated with the NASA-TLX Workload Index. Using Cochran's and Mantel-Haenzsel statistics, the odds ratio for each of the independent variables was {e}stimated as a risk factor for job stress, and analysis was later conducted by means of logistic regression for those risks found to be significant. Of the 95 worker participants, 26.3% presented a high level of job stress and 17.9% of the workers were found to present high levels of mental workload. The results show that working hours, mental demand, temporal demand, and frustration when faced with a given task may be considered risk factors for job stress. Show more

Keywords: Mental workload, ergonomics, working hours, risk factors

Citation: Work, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 355-361, 2007

Authors: Holtedahl, Robin | Veiersted, Kaj Bo

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The aim of this study was to analyse social and functional consequences of work accidents in a group of workers' compensation claimants who had been referred from the National Insurance Administration for a medicolegal assessment. The injured workers were evaluated on average 3 years after their accidents. Their medical records were analysed, and each injury was scored according to the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS). Participants completed the Short Form Questionnaire (SF-36). Factors relating to outcome on …SF-36 were analysed using univariate and multivariate methods. 191 claimants returned the SF-36 (62%), 83% of the respondents had an AIS score of less than two, 33% reported working full time. Compared to population-based norms, the respondents reported significantly reduced health on all eight scales of SF-36. Better health and function was mainly associated with a higher level of education and more serious injuries. The extent of social support in the workplace after the accident was only partly related to outcome. The importance of psychosocial factors when making injury assessments in a medicolegal setting is highlighted. Show more

Keywords: Workers' compensation, occupational musculoskeletal injuries, psychosocial factors

Citation: Work, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 363-370, 2007

Authors: Konrad, Shelley Cohen

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Relationships between family caregivers and professional health care providers typically begin during an intensely painful and stressful time. This article examines the literature on professional attitude and response to suffering with particular emphasis on how exposure to hard stories affects the development and quality of alliances with family caregivers. First person accounts from a qualitative, phenomenological study conducted with mothers of children with acquired physical disabilities are used to illustrate the perspectives …of caregivers and the qualities they identify as contributing to competent, meaningful, and mutual relationships that allow for bearing witness to hard stories. Show more

Keywords: Suffering, disability, chronic illness, caregivers

Citation: Work, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 371-378, 2007

Authors: Lin, Chia-Yu A. | Williams, Renee M. | Shannon, Harry S. | Wilkins, Seanne

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Work organization consists of three contexts: (a) the external context/factors, (b) the organizational context/practices, and, (c) the work context/process. The investigation of work organization may lead to more effective prevention and intervention for work-related injury and illness. Studies have suggested that workers with limited English proficiency may be more prone to work-related injury and illness. The purposes of this qualitative phenomenological study were to gain a better understanding of the meaning of …work organization to Chinese workers with English as a second language (ESL) and to explore their lived experiences on how work organization affects their health. Ten in-depth face to face interviews were conducted with Chinese ESL workers (5 males and 5 females; ages ranged from 22 to 41 years) who were employed in English-speaking workplaces in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. Interviews were translated and transcribed before importing them into NUD*IST, a qualitative data management software program. The transcripts were then coded, and categories were developed based on the codes. Subsequently, eight themes were identified from the categories. Work organization was perceived by Chinese ESL workers to be at an impersonal and distant level. Workers also identified work organization related issues (i.e., employers' priority, communication, work culture, job autonomy, recognition, and individual characteristics) as factors affecting their health at workplaces. However, these workers commonly expressed resignation towards their own health. Workplaces, especially those with Chinese ESL workers, need to place greater emphasis on implementing effective health and safety approaches to maximize the health of these workers. Show more

Keywords: Chinese ESL workers, work and health, worker's perception, workplace health

Citation: Work, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 379-390, 2007

Authors: Vierstra, Courtney V. | Rumrill, Phillip D. | Koch, Lynn C. | McMahon, Brian T.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Information from the Integrated Mission System of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was used to investigate the employment discrimination experiences of Americans with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) in comparison to Americans in a general disability group with allergies, asthma, HIV, gastrointestinal impairment, cumulative trauma disorder and tuberculosis. Specifically, the researchers examined demographic characteristics of the charging parties; the industry designation, location, and size of employers against whom allegations were …filed; the nature of discrimination (i.e., type of adverse action) alleged to occur; and the legal outcomes or resolutions of these allegations. Findings indicate that persons with MCS were, on average, older than the comparison group and comparatively overrepresented by Caucasians and women. People with MCS were proportionally more likely than the comparison group to allege discrimination related to reasonable accommodations. People with MCS were proportionally more likely than the comparison group to file allegations against employers in the manufacturing and public administration industries, employers with 201–500 workers, and employers in the Western Census region. People with MCS were proportionally more likely than the comparison group to receive non-merit resolutions as a result of the EEOC's Americans with Disabilities Act Title I investigatory process. Implications for policy and advocacy are addressed. Show more

Citation: Work, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 391-402, 2007