Work - Volume 67, issue 4

Authors: Kowalska, Joanna | Pawik, Malwina | Wójtowicz, Dorota | Szczepańska-Gieracha, Joanna

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Researchers suggest that physiotherapists are highly exposed to both the physical and the mental strains. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess mood and the level of stress as well as a sense of coherence among future physiotherapists studying at the Department of Physiotherapy. METHODS: The study included 249 students, 181 women and 68 men. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (SOC-29) and the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) were used. RESULTS: The examined group had an average level of sense of coherence and a low level of …stress. One out of four students exhibited mood disorders. The factors associated with the prevalence of mood disorders among studied students were as follows: female (gender), lack of regular physical activity, poor financial situation, lack of friend to talk to in case of problems, dissatisfaction with the chosen field of study, and being inadequately prepared to work as a physiotherapist. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study indicate an increased prevalence of mood disorders among students of physiotherapy. It is suggested that this situation may require the implementation of effective psychoprophylactic activities during the course of studies and broadly understood education about the psychophysical wellbeing of students, especially as they will work in an environment that requires high resistance to stress and support for other people in a crisis situation. Show more

Keywords: Depression, level of coherence, perceived stress, students of physiotherapy, medical professions

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-203344

Citation: Work, vol. 67, no. 4, pp. 939-947, 2020

Authors: Hayati, Abdollah | Marzban, Afshin

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Despite mechanization development, leafy vegetable cultivation (LVC), as a labor-intensive activity in both developed and developing countries, still suffers from heavy physical activities. OBJECTIVE: The present study evaluated the human physiological strains of LVC’s workers to identify relationships among contributing factors affecting human physiological strains. METHODS: Thirty male workers were included in this study. Working heart rate (HR) was measured using a heart rate sensor during various operations. The time taken to treat a known area was measured using a stopwatch to calculate work speed (or field capacity (FC)) for each operation. Pearson correlation coefficient …and linear regression were used to investigate the relationships among HR, heart rate ratio, FC and mechanization status (MS), and human energy expenditure rate and total energy expenditure per unit area. RESULTS: The highest HR was at seedbed preparing (120.1 beats/min) and lowest at manual harvesting (87.8 beats/min). Manual hoe-used operations (seedbed preparing, manure application and irrigating) were demonstrated as the critical operations concerning physiological strains. The operations performed by machine power corresponded to a high FC. CONCLUSIONS: Variables influencing the area treating speed (i.e. MS and FC) are negatively linked to the human energy consumed per unit area and variable changed in time unit (i.e. HR) was positively linked to the human energy expenditure speed. Show more

Keywords: Agricultural mechanization, leafy vegetable cultivation, field capacity, worker, human energy expenditure

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-203345

Citation: Work, vol. 67, no. 4, pp. 949-957, 2020

Authors: Falahati, Mohsen | Karimi, Ali | Mohammadfam, Iraj | Mazloumi, Adel | Reza Khanteymoori, Ali | Yaseri, Mehdi

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Health and safety performance measurements aimed to provide information on the progress and current situation of organizational strategies and activities. OBJECTIVES: We developed a model to determine and select safety key performance indicators in order to assess safety management systems. METHODS: This study has been designed in six steps aiming at defining a model of leading performance indicators (LPIs) and selecting key performance indicators (KPIs) using the AHP method. RESULTS: According to the results analysis, 116 structural and operational indicators were defined based on the components of the OHSAS 18001 management system. For …this purpose, 19 structural, 27 operational and 33 active KPIs were selected by AHP and BN techniques. CONCLUSION: Development of LPIs is influenced by various organizational, managerial, and operational factors. LPIs extracted from the components of the OHS-MS deployed in an organization are often passive and cannot show the changes in the safety status of a workplace in a short period. The model presented in this study was designed with an emphasis on extraction of active and operational indicators, as they were capable of detecting performance changes in construction industries. Show more

Keywords: Leading indicator, safety performance, Bayesian network, AHP, oil industries

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-203346

Citation: Work, vol. 67, no. 4, pp. 959-969, 2020

Authors: Beales, Darren | Fulco, Matthew | Gullhaugen, Eivor | Peden, Aaron | Ranford, Stephen | Mitchell, Tim

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Guidelines recommend early referral for exercise for hip pain. It is unclear if this occurs in the Australian workers’ compensation environment. OBJECTIVE: To investigate referral for exercise in workers with a compensable hip claim. METHODS: Retrospective audit of closed compensation files for workers with hip pain was performed. Exercise commencement was indicated by billing codes for physiotherapy or exercise specific consultations. Time to exercise commencement was calculated. Associations were analysed between time to exercise commencement with claim duration and diagnostic category. RESULTS: Exercise management occurred for 33/44 cases. Median time to commence exercise …for those cases that had exercise was 14 days post-injury, with 33% commencing beyond 4 weeks. Longer time to commence exercise was associated with a longer claim duration (Spearman’s rho = 0.70). Workers with a diagnosis of hip joint pain had a longer time to exercise commencement (median 49.5 days) compared to those with a diagnosis of lateral hip pain (median 14 days) or non-specific hip pain (median 4.5 days). CONCLUSION: Findings indicate practice behaviours in the workers’ compensation environment for the management of hip pain with exercise. Further investigation is warranted to see if improved adherence to guideline recommendations improves outcomes for people with compensable hip pain. Show more

Keywords: Physiotherapy, guidelines, musculoskeletal, work

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-203347

Citation: Work, vol. 67, no. 4, pp. 971-978, 2020

Authors: Harbin, Gary | Leyh, Christian | Harbin, Alexander

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Extremity strength testing is used to determine the ability of industrial employees to perform a physically demanding occupation safely, evaluate post-injury impairment, and monitor return to function after injury. There is an unmet clinical need for a robust and granular source of normative reference values to serve as a resource for baseline data on upper extremity isometric strength. OBJECTIVE: Develop normative reference data for upper extremity strength among industrial employees and investigate associations between strength and physical job demands. METHODS: Upper extremity strength data from 107,102 industrial employees were collected post-hire. In this study, isometric …tests for pinch; hand grip; wrist pronation and supination; and flexion of the wrist, elbow, and shoulder strength were retrospectively analyzed in relationship to sex, age, and job level. Associations between strength scores and five levels of work, defined the United States Department of Labor’s Dictionary of Occupational Titles by level of physical difficulty (1–5 ), were determined. RESULTS: Higher strength scores were positively associated with more physically demanding job levels (P  < 0.001), and there was a progressive increase in strength scores with increased physical job demands for both sexes (P  = 0.0002). All strength scores differed significantly by decade of age (P  < 0.001). All scores except for pinch strength demonstrated a moderate or high positive correlation with job level (r ≥0.50). CONCLUSIONS: The normative reference upper extremity strength data collected in this study for industrial employees may be useful for evaluating rehabilitation and recovery following injury or illness. In order to utilize normalized strength data as a post-injury reference, it is important to consider job level in addition to age and sex, as these variables are highly correlated with baseline upper extremity strength. Show more

Keywords: Strength testing, physical capacity, isometric lifting, fitness, grip strength, work injury

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-203348

Citation: Work, vol. 67, no. 4, pp. 979-991, 2020

Authors: Sahu, Mona | Gnanaraj Solomon, Darius | Vijay, Santhiyagu Joseph | Sudhahar, Jayaseelan Clement

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: In developing countries, the recent increase in computer-related work has considerably increased the occupational complaint of pain. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of workstation design, posture and ergonomic awareness on the prevalence of pain for a year in the upper part of the body (eyes, hands, arms, shoulders, lower back, and upper back) among IT professionals in India. METHOD: To investigate the association of risk factors with the prevalence of pain in different body parts, a newly designed online questionnaire titled “A Questionnaire based on ergonomics for IT Professionals” was developed. The psychometric properties of …this questionnaire were tested. 110 computer office workers were recruited from IT companies from major cities in India. RESULTS: The confirmation of reliability and lack of redundancy of items was provided by the calculation of internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha 0.804) and cross-validation. 60% of participants was male. Mean age was 29.73±6.09 years. The prevalence of pain for a year in the upper part of the body was 38.2%. The frequently reported pains were in the neck (22.7%), lower back area (22.7%), and eye strain (21.8%). CONCLUSION: It was identified that long working hours, excessive usage of smartphones, lack of exercise, incorrect workstation adjustments, and incorrect posture were the risk factors for the prevalence of pain. Show more

Keywords: Computer workers, ergonomics, risk-factors, work postures, computer workstation

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-203349

Citation: Work, vol. 67, no. 4, pp. 993-1005, 2020

Authors: Gholami, Abdollah | Yalameh, Jalaluddin Tamaddon | Fouladi-Dehaghi, Behzad | Eskandari, Davood | Teimori-Boghsani, Gholamheidar

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: In developing countries, construction is a largely manual job that imposes awkward postures on workers, thus facilitating a variety of musculoskeletal disorders. Ergonomic training is known as an effective way to reduce these disorders. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ergonomic training intervention in reducing the ergonomic risk of concrete form workers. METHODS: This quasi-experimental study was carried out on 144 concrete form workers employed in the construction projects of Gonbad-e Kāvus, Iran, Iran. Data was collected using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (at the pre-intervention stage) and the Rapid Entire Body Assessment …(REBA) worksheet (at the pre- and post-intervention stages). Ergonomic training was provided via face-to-face educational meetings along with presenting informative pamphlets, which took place over 45 days duration of time. Data were analyzed by the use of SPSS software version 21, t -test and Wilcoxon test. Significant level was considered at P -value less than 0.05. RESULTS: Musculoskeletal disorders were observed in all limbs of the studied workers. The most prevalent disorders were the pain in the shoulder region of lift operators (86.1%) and the pain in the back area of mixer operators (77.8%). About 99.3% of all concrete form workers were exposed to a moderate level of ergonomic risk and needed posture correction. Pre- and post-training REBA scores showed a statistically significant difference (P  < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Although the ergonomic training did reduce the ergonomic risk of workers, because of its short duration, it failed to reduce this risk to an acceptable level. It is recommended to hold both theoretical and practical training sessions over longer periods of time. Show more

Keywords: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders, ergonomic training, rapid entire body assessment, construction

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-203350

Citation: Work, vol. 67, no. 4, pp. 1007-1013, 2020

Authors: Lizana, Pablo A. | Aballay, Jocelyn | Vicente-Rodríguez, German | Gómez-Bruton, Alejandro

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated the causes of physical inactivity in rural teachers from South America. Determining the causes and effects of physical inactivity in rural teachers could be the base for future intervention studies aiming to improve physical activity (PA) engagement in this population. OBJECTIVES: To examine the levels of PA in rural teachers and evaluate the associations between their jobs, interest in PA, body composition and practice of PA. METHODS: Body mass index (BMI) and body fat % (BF) of rural teachers from the Valparaiso Region in Chile were measured; interviews regarding PA habits, …interests and PA practice were conducted. The relationship between BF% and interest in PA and the practice of sports was analysed stratifying by sex. RESULTS: Around 71% were overweight/obese and 80% of the teachers reported not practicing any PA. These figures are higher than the Chilean national average for adults (64.5% overweight/obese). Moreover, females presented a higher BF% than male teachers (35.98% vs. 26.44%, p  < 0.05). The main causes of not performing PA were: firstly, the lack of time (51.8%), and secondly, fatigue after work and/or finishing work late. In addition, rural teachers claim that in their free time they continue to finish tasks that they were not able to complete during their working hours. CONCLUSIONS: Rural Chilean teachers show a high prevalence of obesity and low PA levels. Moreover, rural teachers have a work overload stemming from their jobs, and this could be an important link to an overall sedentary lifestyle. Further studies should focus on the relationship between teacher obesity, physical activity, nutrition and work overload. Show more

Keywords: Body composition, schools, teachers, sedentary lifestyle

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-203351

Citation: Work, vol. 67, no. 4, pp. 1015-1022, 2020