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ISSN 1051-9815 (P)
ISSN 1875-9270 (E)
Impact Factor 2024: 1.7
WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment & Rehabilitation is an interdisciplinary, international journal which publishes high quality peer-reviewed manuscripts covering the entire scope of the occupation of work. The journal's subtitle has been deliberately laid out: The first goal is the prevention of illness, injury, and disability. When this goal is not achievable, the attention focuses on assessment to design client-centered intervention, rehabilitation, treatment, or controls that use scientific evidence to support best practice.
WORK occasionally publishes thematic issues, but in general, issues cover a wide range of topics such as ergonomic considerations with children, youth and students, the challenges facing an aging workforce, workplace violence, injury management, performing artists, ergonomic product evaluations, and the awareness of the political, cultural, and environmental determinants of health related to work.
Dr. Karen Jacobs, the founding editor, and her editorial board especially encourage the publication of research studies, clinical practice, case study reports, as well as personal narratives and critical reflections of lived work experiences (autoethnographic/autobiographic scholarship),
Sounding Board commentaries and
Speaking of Research articles which provide the foundation for better understanding research to facilitate knowledge dissemination.
Narrative Reflections on Occupational Transitions, a new column, is for persons who have successfully transitioned into, between, or out of occupations to tell their stories in a narrative form. With an internationally renowned editorial board,
WORK maintains high standards in the evaluation and publication of manuscripts. All manuscripts are reviewed expeditiously and published in a timely manner.
WORK prides itself on being an author-friendly journal.
WORK celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2015.
*WORK is affiliated with the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT)* *WORK is endorsed by the International Ergonomics Association (IEA)* *WORK gives out the yearly Cheryl Bennett Best Paper Award*
Abstract: The concept of need for recovery from work (NFR) was deduced from the effort recuperation model. In this model work produces costs in terms of effort during the working day. When there is enough time and possibilities to recuperate, a worker will arrive at the next working day with no residual symptoms of previous effort. NFR evaluates work characteristics such as psychosocial demands, professional work hours or schedules. However, sleep may be an important part of the recovery process. The aim of the study was to test the association between sleep-related complaints and NFR. A cross-sectional study was carried out…at three hospitals. All females nursing professionals engaged in assistance to patients were invited to participate (N = 1,307). Participants answered a questionnaire that included four sleep-related complaints (insomnia, unsatisfactory sleep, sleepiness during work hours and insufficient sleep), work characteristics and NRF scale. Binomial logistic regression analysis showed that all sleep-related complaints are associated with a high need for recovery from work. Those who reported insufficient sleep showed a greater chance of high need for recovery; OR=2.730 (CI 95% 2.074 – 3.593). These results corroborate the hypothesis that sleep is an important aspect of the recovery process and, therefore, should be thoroughly investigated.
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Keywords: Need for recovery, Sleep complaints, Work, Nursing professionals
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0086-3726
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 3726-3731, 2012
Abstract: Introduction: Work organization patterns and working conditions experienced by nursing personnel in the hospital settings may be associated to increased morbidity among these health workers. Aim: To estimate the prevalence and factors associated with self-reported diseases among nursing personnel at the emergency hospital in Rio Branco/State of Acre, Brazil. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 272 participants who answered a questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics, working conditions, lifestyles, work ability, and a fatigue perception scale. The selfreported diseases in the 12 months prior to data collection were considered the dependent variable. Results: A total of 85.7% of the participants reported…one or more diseases in the past 12 months. Most prevalent diseases were: musculoskeletal diseases (37.1%), digestive diseases (28.7%), mental disorders (28.3%), work injuries (27.9%), and respiratory diseases (26.8%). The following significant variables remained in the final model: high work demands (OR 2.69), reported fatigue (OR 3.59), night work (OR 6.55) and being a technician or nursing assistant (OR 4.23). Conclusions: Variables related to working conditions and work organization were associated with the occurrence of reported diseases among nursing professionals. Health promotion measures at work require a comprehensive approach including the working conditions and the work organization.
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Keywords: Nursing personnel, hospital, morbidity, work conditions
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0087-3732
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 3732-3737, 2012
Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate factors associated with reported work-related musculoskeletal symptoms among aircraft assembly workers. Population consisted of 552 (491 men/61 women) workers who performed tasks related to the work of aircraft assembly. Participants completed a comprehensive questionnaire, including socio-demographic information, habits/lifestyles, working conditions, and work organization. Workers also answered the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire to obtain data on musculoskeletal symptoms. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to analyze factors associated with musculoskeletal reported symptoms. Results showed that body regions with the highest prevalence of reported musculoskeletal symptoms were similar when referred the past twelve months and the…past seven days. Significant factors associated with musculoskeletal symptoms included variables related to conflicts at work, sleep problems, mental fatigue, and lack of time for personal care and recovery. Working time in the industry was associated only with reports for the last seven days and regular physical activity off-work seems to be a positive factor in preventing musculoskeletal symptoms for the past twelve months. The results highlight the multi-factorial nature of the problem. Actions to prevent musculoskeletal diseases at the aircraft assembly work should consider multiple interventions that would promote better recovery between work shifts.
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Keywords: ergonomics, work analysis, shiftwork, health-related problems, work demands
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0088-3738
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 3738-3745, 2012
Abstract: The work of hospital food service is characterized by demands that can be associated with work ability - WA. The aim of this study was to evaluate factors associated with WA among hospital food service professionals and recommend intervention measures. This is a cross sectional study carried out in 2009, conducted in a hospital of São Paulo, Brazil. Participants were 76 (96.2%) of the eligible. They filled out a questionnaire including socio-demographic data, life styles, working conditions and WA. Multivariate linear regression analyses were performed. Factors associated with WA were age (p = 0.051), over commitment (p = 0.011), effort-reward…ratio (p = 0.002) and work injuries (p < 0.001). In spite was a young population, age was associated with WA. Association with work injuries is consistent with the theoretical model that demonstrated that health status is the basis to maintain the WA. The association of effort-reward imbalance shows that issues related with work organization are relevant for these workers. The association of overcommittment suggests that workers recognize their responsibility with the therapeutic processes of patients. Results showed a number of features of different nature that should be taken into account when implementing measures to improve the WA, to be applied at different levels: individual, task and institutional.
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Keywords: work ability evaluation, work stressors, psychosocial factors at work, working conditions, hospital food services
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0089-3746
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 3746-3752, 2012
Abstract: Abstract Construction work consists of numerous factors that influence workers’ occupational health and that load the musculoskeletal system in particular. Musculoskeletal disorders are responsible for over a third of all sick leaves lasting over nine days in the construction industry. Occupational health services (OHS) were organized for 85% of the construction workers in our study. The proportion of construction workers who had suffered from chronic or repetitive neck and shoulder, shoulder or arm, or low-back disorders was 55.6%, 44.8% and 42.1%, respectively. Those who felt that they had received enough information, advice or guidance from OHS concerning work posture, work…performance or work tools were more often those who had not suffered from shoulder or arm disorders (60.9% vs. 39.1%, p=.024, respectively) or low-back disorders (63.6% vs. 36.4%, p=.034, respectively) during the last month than those who had. Those who had received enough support from OHS concerning maintenance of work ability were more often workers who had not suffered from low-back disorders during the last month than those who had (63.3% vs. 36.7%, p=.004, respectively). OHS should focus more on workers who would really benefit from their activities at a particular time and in a particular situation (primary, secondary or tertiary prevention) and who are themselves devoted to improving their health.
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Keywords: construction worker, musculoskeletal disorder, occupational health service
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0676-3753
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 3753-3756, 2012
Abstract: The current study reanalyzed 250 electrical fatalities in the construction industry from 1996 to 2002 into seven patterns based on source of electricity (power line, energized equipment, improperly installed or damaged equipment), direct contact or indirect contact through some source of injury (boom vehicle, metal bar or pipe, and other conductive material). Each fatality was coded in terms of age, company size, experience, performing tasks, source of injury, accident cause and hazard pattern. The Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) was applied to the coded data of the fatal electrocution to find a subset of predictors that might derive meaningful classifications…or accidents scenarios. A series of Flow Diagrams was constructed based on CHAID result to illustrate the flow of electricity travelling from electrical source to human body. Each of the flow diagrams can be directly linked with feasible prevention strategies by cutting the flow of electricity.
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Abstract: In this study we examine whether the Work Ability Index (WAI) has additional value in predicting long-term absenteeism in construction industry. Results of the study show that the WAI has additional value in predicting absenteeism, but that the amount of explained variance is low. This is partly due to the definition of absenteeism in The Netherlands, where this study took place.
Keywords: Construction industry, work ability, absenteeism
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0002-3765
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 3765-3770, 2012
Abstract: Lifting and carrying heavy loads occur frequently among ironworkers and result in high prevalence and incidence rates of low back complaints, injuries and work-disability. From a health perspective, little information is available on the effect of team lifting on work demands and workload. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare the effects of team lifting of maximally 50 kg by two ironworkers (T50) with team lifting of maximally 100 kg by four ironworkers (T100). This study combined a field and laboratory study with the following outcome measures: duration and frequency of tasks and activities, energetic workload, perceived discomfort…and maximal compression forces (Fc peak) on the low back. The physical work demands and workload of an individual iron worker during manual handling of rebar materials of 100 kg with four workers did not differ from the manual handling of rebar materials of 50 kg with two workers, with the exception of low back discomfort and Fc peak. The biomechanical workload of the low back exceeded for both T50 and T100 the NIOSH threshold limit of 3400N. Therefore, mechanical transport or other effective design solutions should be considered to reduce the biomechanical workload of the low back and the accompanying health risks among iron workers.
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Keywords: Team lifting, Physical work demands, Workload, Prevention, Construction work
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0003-3771
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 3771-3773, 2012
Abstract: The enforcement of accessibility today has faced several difficulties, such as intervention in historic buildings that now house public services and cultural activities, such as town halls, museums and theaters and should allow access, on equal terms to all people. The paper presents the application of a method for evaluating the spatial accessibility conditions and their results. For this, we sought to support the theoretical foundation about the main issue involved and legislation. From the method used - guided walks - it was possible to identify the main barriers to accessibility in historic buildings. From the identified barriers, possible solutions…are presented according to the four components of accessibility: spatial orientation, displacement, use and communication. It is hoped also that the knowledge gained in this research contributes to an improvement of accessibility legislation in relation to the listed items.
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Keywords: spatial accessibility, impaired people, method, public buildings, historic heritage
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0675-3774
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 3774-3780, 2012
Abstract: The open-plan office is a layout used in government offices in Brazil aimed at saving on space occupied and integrating employees. However, the design of these work-stations must follow the characteristics of tasks and their interrelationships, since adverse physical and organizational conditions may have a negative impact on work productivity. From this perspective, this study sought to identify, from the viewpoint of the ergonomics of the built environment, the adequacy of the open-plan government offices for financial auditing accounts and analyzing documents. Use was made of the Ergonomic Methodology for Evaluating the Built Environment - MEAC (in Portuguese) which systematically…analyzes the physical space, by using a mix of physical-spatial assessments and tools for identifying how the environment is perceived. The MEAC was employed in three analytical phases of the physical aspects, namely: an analytical phase of the user’s perception; a diagnostic phase; and a final phase of propositions.
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Keywords: built environment, organizational culture, environmental perception
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0678-3781
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 3781-3787, 2012
