Large Workplaces Research Articles

Association between Neck/Shoulder Pain and Trapezius Muscle Tenderness in Office Workers.

Background. Neck/shoulder pain is a common musculoskeletal disorder among adults. The pain is often assumed to be related to muscular tenderness rather than serious chronic disease. Aim. To determine the association between neck/shoulder pain intensity and trapezius muscle tenderness in office workers. Methods. 653 employees from two large office workplaces in Copenhagen, Denmark, replied to a questionnaire on health and working conditions (mean: age 43 years, body mass index 24 kg·m−2, computer use 90% of work time, 73% women). Respondents rated intensity of neck/shoulder pain during the previous three months on a scale of 0–10 and palpable tenderness of the upper trapezius muscle on a scale of “no tenderness,” “some tenderness,” or “severe tenderness.” Odds ratios for tenderness as a function of neck/shoulder pain intensity were determined using cumulative logistic regression controlled for age, gender, and chronic disease. Results. The prevalence of “no,” “some,” and “severe” tenderness of the trapezius muscle was 18%, 59%, and 23% in women and 51%, 42%, and 7% in men, respectively (chi-square, P < 0.0001). Participants with “no,” “some,” and “severe” tenderness of the trapezius muscle, respectively, rated their neck/shoulder pain intensity to 1.5 (SD 1.6), 3.8 (SD 2.0), and 5.7 (SD 1.9) for women and 1.4 (SD 1.4), 3.1 (SD 2.2), and 5.1 (SD 1.7) for men. For every unit increase in neck/shoulder pain intensity, the OR for one unit increase in trapezius tenderness was 1.86 (95% confidence interval 1.70 to 2.04). Conclusion. In office workers, a strong association between perceived neck/shoulder pain intensity and trapezius muscle tenderness exists. The present study provides reference values of pain intensity among office workers with no, some, and severe tenderness of the trapezius muscle.

실내건축 종사자의 직무환경 및 직무만족도에 관한 연구

It is the purpose of the this study to use preliminary data to improve job environment, after looking job satisfaction and environment of interior construction workers. The following were the method of study. First, Through the literature, concept and the main theory on job satisfaction are examined. And It draws elements affecting job environment and satisfaction of interior construction workers. Based on this, we analyze job environment and satisfaction, and find what the satisfaction level is low, after a survey of interior construction workers. According to the survey, the result of the job environment is poor that people are working a lot more than a standard 10-hour day, not paid for it and absence of the education system for future. The larger workplace was in poor job conditions. the result of the job satisfaction is higher in case of smaller workplace or workers with less than 1 year or more than 8 year. As job satisfaction for interior construction score 3.30, it showed relatively higher satisfaction than job environment and satisfaction elements.

Augmented reality in medical education?

Learning in the medical domain is to a large extent workplace learning and involves mastery of complex skills that require performance up to professional standards in the work environment. Since training in this real-life context is not always possible for reasons of safety, costs, or didactics, alternative ways are needed to achieve clinical excellence. Educational technology and more specifically augmented reality (AR) has the potential to offer a highly realistic situated learning experience supportive of complex medical learning and transfer. AR is a technology that adds virtual content to the physical real world, thereby augmenting the perception of reality. Three examples of dedicated AR learning environments for the medical domain are described. Five types of research questions are identified that may guide empirical research into the effects of these learning environments. Up to now, empirical research mainly appears to focus on the development, usability and initial implementation of AR for learning. Limited review results reflect the motivational value of AR, its potential for training psychomotor skills and the capacity to visualize the invisible, possibly leading to enhanced conceptual understanding of complex causality.

Health promotion in smaller workplaces in the United States.

Most American workplaces are smaller, with fewer than 1,000 employees. Many of these employees are low-wage earners and at increased risk for chronic diseases. Owing to the challenges smaller workplaces face to offering health-promotion programs, their employees often lack access to health-promotion opportunities available at larger workplaces. Many smaller employers do not offer health insurance, which is currently the major funding vehicle for health-promotion services. They also have few health-promotion vendors to serve them and low internal capacity for, and commitment to, delivery of on-site programs. The programs they offer, whether aimed at health promotion alone or integrated with health protection, are rarely comprehensive and are understudied. Research priorities for health promotion in smaller workplaces include developing programs feasible for the smallest workplaces with fewer than 20 employees. Policy priorities include incentives for smaller workplaces to implement comprehensive programs and an ongoing system for monitoring and evaluation.

Understanding Addiction

Based on qualitative interviews with adult children of alcoholics, this article analyzes three different ways of conceptualizing drinking problems: alcoholism as disease, alcoholism as volitional behavior, and alcoholism as a socially conditioned phenomenon. The interviewees (13 women, 12 men, average age 39 years) were recruited among employees at a large workplace who in a preceding survey had classified their parents as having “alcohol problems.” The analysis reveals a pattern in which adult children’s understandings of their parents’ drinking problems, in essence the ways they think alcoholism should be explained, are associated with the ways they describe their relationship to their parents and the hardships of their childhood. The article suggests that differences in childhood experiences may lead to different ways of understanding the phenomenon of alcoholism, just like differences in understandings of alcoholism may affect recollections of childhood experiences.

Smoking cessation in the workplace

The workplace is an important setting for reaching potentially large numbers of smokers. To review the evidence about smoking cessation in the workplace. Literature review including a synthesis of findings from recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses of workplace smoking cessation programmes, a separate review of the qualitative evidence, case studies and an expert panel assessment. We found advantages, identified or confirmed from the mixed methods used in this work to holding smoking cessation programmes in the workplace. These included: (i) easy access to large numbers of worker populations for large workplaces, (ii) the potential improved recruitment to such programmes given this, (iii) the opportunity to access young men, traditionally difficult to achieve, (iv) access to occupational health and other staff who can assist with support and delivery and (v) ability for workers to attend relatively easily. Evidence on the importance of developing peer support at work was mixed. The simple provision or availability of programmes and interventions was unlikely to provide any beneficial behaviour change. Interventions should target workers that actively want to stop smoking, use elements that workers have identified as useful or focus on altering beliefs about smoking and the need to stop. Smoking cessation programmes at work can provide useful support for workers wishing to stop smoking. They are only likely to be effective if participants have moved beyond the contemplation stage regarding smoking cessation, so that stopping smoking is a personal priority.

Enhanced data consistency of a portable gait measurement system

A gait measurement system is a useful tool for rehabilitation applications. Such a system is used to conduct gait experiments in large workplaces such as laboratories where gait measurement equipment can be permanently installed. However, a gait measurement system should be portable if it is to be used in clinics or community centers for aged people. In a portable gait measurement system, the workspace is limited and landmarks on a subject may not be visible to the cameras during experiments. Thus, we propose a virtual-marker function to obtain positions of unseen landmarks for maintaining data consistency. This work develops a portable clinical gait measurement system consisting of lightweight motion capture devices, force plates, and a walkway assembled from plywood boards. We evaluated the portable clinic gait system with 11 normal subjects in three consecutive days in a limited experimental space. Results of gait analysis based on the verification of within-day and between-day coefficients of multiple correlations show that the proposed portable gait system is reliable.

University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan: 2013 Alumni Physician Statistics

The University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan (UOEH) is a publically funded medical school for occupational health physician and researchers. All students are funded through six years of medical school and commit to a nine-year health services of occupational medicine after graduation. Between 1984 and 2013, the number of physicians graduating from UOEH was 2,875. Of these, 473 were medical residents in our postgraduate residency programs and 526 were occupational health physicians affiliated with different companies. A total of 252 graduates became UOEH research/teaching staff, 219 obtained employment as physicians at Rousai hospital (hospital operated by Japan Labour Health and Welfare Organization), and 84 entered industrial hygiene and health check organizations. UOEH alumni are distributed throughout Japan in large workplaces/ business establishments. Many physicians continued in their job after the nine-year obligation, thus contributing to the increasing number of occupational health physicians during recent decades. We suggest that funding and postgraduate residency programs contribute to the increasing numbers of physicians, but further analysis needs to be done.

Racial/ethnic differences in report of drug testing practices at the workplace level in the U.S.

It is unknown whether racial/ethnic differences in report of workplace drug testing persist when analyzed within and across various occupations. We sought to examine the association between worker demographics, workplace characteristics, and report of employment in a workplace that performs drug testing. We performed a cross-sectional study of the 2008-2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health examining the relationship between race/ethnicity and report of workplace drug testing among employed, white, black, or Hispanic respondents ≥18 years old. In logistic regression analysis, we adjusted for demographic, occupational, and other relevant variables and performed stratified analyses among three specific occupations. Among 69,163 respondents, 48.2% reported employment in a workplace that performs drug testing. On multivariable analysis, younger age, male sex, black race, income greater than $20,000, completion of high school and non-urban residence were associated with report of drug testing at one's workplace among the full sample as were non-white collar occupation, work in medium or large workplace, and absence of other substance abuse/dependence. In stratified analyses, black race was associated with report of workplace level drug testing among executive/administrative/managerial/financial workers and technicians/related support occupations; Hispanic ethnicity was associated with the outcome among technicians/related support occupations. Racial/ethnic differences in report of workplace drug testing exist within and across various occupations. These differences have important public health implications deserving further study. Increased report of drug testing where racial/ethnic minorities work highlights the potential bias that can be introduced when drug testing policies are not implemented in a universal fashion.

Five-year workplace wellness intervention in the NHS

Poor health and well-being has been observed among NHS staff and has become a key focus in current public health policy. The objective of this study was to deliver and evaluate a five-year employee wellness programme aimed at improving the health and well-being of employees in a large NHS workplace. A theory-driven multi-level ecological workplace wellness intervention was delivered including health campaigns, provision of facilities and health-promotion activities to encourage employees to make healthy lifestyle choices and sustained behaviour changes. An employee questionnaire survey was distributed at baseline (n = 1,452) and at five years (n = 1,134), including measures of physical activity, BMI, diet, self-efficacy, social support, perceived general health and mood, smoking behaviours, self-reported sickness absence, perceived work performance and job satisfaction. Samples were comparable at baseline and follow-up. At five years, significantly more respondents actively travelled (by walking or cycling both to work and for non-work trips) and more were active while at work. Significantly more respondents met current recommendations for physical activity at five years than at baseline. Fewer employers reported 'lack of time' as a barrier to being physically active following the intervention. Significantly lower sickness absence, greater job satisfaction and greater organisational commitment was reported at five years than at baseline. Improvements in health behaviours, reductions in sickness absence and improvements in job satisfaction and organisational commitment were observed following five years of a workplace wellness intervention for NHS employees. These findings suggest that health-promoting programmes should be embedded within NHS infrastructure.

The Prevalence of Alcohol Prevention Efforts in Swedish Workplaces

This article presents results from a survey aimed at identifying the extent of alcohol prevention efforts in Swedish workplaces focusing on the dissemination of a model for secondary prevention — the ‘Risk Drinking model’. From a random sample of 929 human resource managers at Swedish workplaces, 374 answered a web-based questionnaire (response rate = 40%). Results showed that about 70% had an alcohol policy at their workplace, 51% were engaged in alcohol prevention efforts and about 19% used the Risk Drinking model. Regression analyses showed that large workplaces, workplaces where employees received training on alcohol, public sector and female-dominated workplaces were significantly associated with alcohol prevention activities. We conclude that training is important for the implementation of alcohol prevention at Swedish workplaces, and is of particular importance in small enterprises.

The food choice at work study: effectiveness of complex workplace dietary interventions on dietary behaviours and diet-related disease risk - study protocol for a clustered controlled trial

BackgroundDietary behaviour interventions have the potential to reduce diet-related disease. Ample opportunity exists to implement these interventions in the workplace. The overall aim is to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of complex dietary interventions focused on environmental dietary modification alone or in combination with nutrition education in large manufacturing workplace settings.Methods/designA clustered controlled trial involving four large multinational manufacturing workplaces in Cork will be conducted. The complex intervention design has been developed using the Medical Research Council’s framework and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines and will be reported using the TREND statement for the transparent reporting of evaluations with non-randomized designs. It will draw on a soft paternalistic “nudge” theoretical perspective. Nutrition education will include three elements: group presentations, individual nutrition consultations and detailed nutrition information. Environmental dietary modification will consist of five elements: (a) restriction of fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt, (b) increase in fibre, fruit and vegetables, (c) price discounts for whole fresh fruit, (d) strategic positioning of healthier alternatives and (e) portion size control. No intervention will be offered in workplace A (control). Workplace B will receive nutrition education. Workplace C will receive nutrition education and environmental dietary modification. Workplace D will receive environmental dietary modification alone. A total of 448 participants aged 18 to 64 years will be selected randomly. All permanent, full-time employees, purchasing at least one main meal in the workplace daily, will be eligible. Changes in dietary behaviours, nutrition knowledge, health status with measurements obtained at baseline and at intervals of 3 to 4 months, 7 to 9 months and 13 to 16 months will be recorded. A process evaluation and cost-effectiveness economic evaluation will be undertaken.DiscussionA 'Food Choice at Work’ toolbox (concise teaching kit to replicate the intervention) will be developed to inform and guide future researchers, workplace stakeholders, policy makers and the food industry.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials, ISRCTN35108237

Inclusion Through Action: A Participatory Approach to Return-to-Work Policy Change Processes in Organisations

Many organisations strive to make disability management (DM) responses to prevent work disability and promote return-to-work (RTW). However, a deeper appreciation of methods that can ensure equitable worker participation in the development and change of RTW policy and practice is needed. Using an action research approach, this study expands the concept of participation in disability management (DM) creating new insights into the resources, dilemmas and aspirations of RTW policies in organisations. Empirical data was gathered from a development and change process conducted together with managers and workers at a large health care workplace. A series of workshops were conducted, studying the common history of RTW policy evolvement and configuration, and encouraging the creation of worker-driven proposals for alternative actions to current management. Action research protocols were used to document knowledge creation. Analysis of action research processes reveals how workers insisted on discussing their work environment as an important factor for maintenance of RTW, and how consistent participatory possibilities and team oriented RTW coordination among all levels of the organisation are perceived as critical features for supportive and sustained job retention. Participatory processes created relevant knowledge of the importance of work environments in coordination of stay at work, which may strengthen RTW capacity building and advance DM in organisations.

Whiteness in Scotland: shame, belonging and diversity management in a Glasgow workplace

This paper uses analysis of interview transcripts and notes from participant observation to explore white reactions to the introduction of diversity management in a large public sector workplace in Glasgow. The paper analyses white talk about racial equality in a social context where the shaming, exclusion and demonization of disadvantaged groups including migrants, asylum seekers and the poor have ensured that issues of entitlement and race are highly charged. It is suggested that in such contexts diversity management is being wielded as a new kind of civility by middle-class people invested in the objectification of poor whites. This represents a form of class conflict over belonging within the body of whiteness that risks reinforcing rather than redressing racial resentments.

Skin and respiratory symptoms among workers with suspected work-related disease

Many workers are exposed to chemicals that can cause both respiratory and skin responses. Although there has been much work on respiratory and skin outcomes individually, there are few published studies examining lung and skin outcomes together. To identify predictors of reporting concurrent skin and respiratory symptoms in a clinical population. Patients with possible work-related skin or respiratory disease were recruited. An interviewer- administered questionnaire collected data on skin and respiratory symptoms, health history, smoking habits, workplace characteristics and occupational exposures. Predictors of concurrent skin and respiratory symptoms were identified using multiple logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex and atopy. In total, 204 subjects participated; 46% of the subjects were female and the mean age was 45.4 years (SD = 10.5). Most subjects (n = 167, 82%) had possible work-related skin disease, compared with 37 (18%) subjects with possible work-related respiratory disease. Subjects with a history of eczema (OR 3.68, 95% CI 1.7-7.8), those from larger workplaces (OR 2.82, 95% CI 1.8-7.4) and those reporting respirator use at work (OR 2.44, 95% CI 1.2-4.8) had significantly greater odds of reporting both work-related skin and respiratory symptoms. Current smoking was also associated with reporting concurrent skin and respiratory symptoms (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.2-5.8). Workers reported symptoms in both systems, and this may be under-recognised both in the workplace and the clinic. The association between history of eczema and concurrent skin and respiratory symptoms suggests a role for impaired barrier function but needs further investigation.

The Facilities Plan and Project Management Based on the Optimize Correlation of Logistics and Production Construction

Construction of production facility is a modern large enterprise workplace, because of the layout of construction and projecting management are unreasonable, which result in low utilization rate of resources and low efficiency. Considering the logistics-related sufficiently, we use facility planning, design methods and fine management of the project through combining with a coherent design process to achieve the purpose of project facilities optimization, rational allocation of resources and improve production efficiency.

Family friendly policies: accommodating end‐of‐life caregivers in workplaces

PurposeFamily friendly workplace policies (FFWPs) are designed to help employees co‐manage work and personal obligations. With the rising aging population and subsequent emphasis on informal caregiving in Canada, Canadian employees will have to maintain paid work while serving as caregivers for family members at end‐of‐life (EoL). Thus, workplaces need to be prepared to accommodate these workers' requests. The objective of this paper is to explore, qualitatively, the workplace and employee characteristics that are most helpful to employees in EoL caregiving situations from an employer/human resources (HR) perspective so as to inform the development of FFWPs targeting this group.Design/methodology/approachThe authors draw on the findings of five focus group discussions undertaken in 2008 with Canadian employers and HR professionals in the provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador.FindingsThere are clear differences in how large and small workplaces accommodate employees who are providing EoL care. For instance, larger workplaces are more likely to have set policies around employee EoL care leaves and are unable to accommodate employees' needs that fall outside the scope of these policies; smaller workplaces are less likely to have standard policies for caregiver leaves and are more able to customize responses to leave requests. Employee characteristics such as length of time working for the employer and employee skill level also have a bearing on accommodating employee EoL care leave requests. The presence of HR infrastructure, which is more characteristically found in large workplaces, is also related to the availability of formal FFWPs.Research limitations/implicationsThe fact that the data were derived from the employer/HR perspective and not those of actual employees is a limitation. The small sample size and convenience (non‐random) sampling limits the generalizability of the findings.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the limited literature on FFWPs and EoL caregiving accommodations. The findings of this study can directly inform workplace practice, both now and in the years to come, regarding how best to support workers who are also providing informal EoL care to family, friends, and others.

On the mobility policies of companies: What are the good practices? The Belgian case

Companies play an important role in the mobility debate as they can be considered as the primary ‘creators’ of commuting traffic. In recent years, companies have developed a variety of initiatives to improve the mobility of their employees, although their visions and actions are often neglected in the research literature. This paper aims at identifying the good practice in mobility policies of workplaces located in Belgium. To achieve this objective, existing research and two large-scale Belgian surveys of commuting are analysed. First, workplaces are clustered in order to identify those where the alternative modes of transport which are promoted by the policy are popular among employees. Then, quantitative analyses are performed to find out what are the good practices of mobility policies.The results show that the best way of promoting an alternative mode of transport depends on company's characteristics. The promotion of bicycles is most appropriate for small workplaces, while larger workplaces and those located in built-up areas or city centres are more suitable for the promotion of public transport. Financial incentives, provision of facilities, diffusion of information and parking management all play an important role in mobility management.

What determines carpooling to workplaces in Belgium: location, organisation, or promotion?

Home to work travel remains the prime focus of mobility management policies, in which the promotion of carpooling is one of the main strategies. Besides governments, employers are key players in this strive for a more sustainable commute. However, commuting research tends to focus on individual commuters and their place of residence, rather than on workplaces and company-induced measures. Therefore, this paper takes the workplace as research unit to analyse the popularity of carpooling in Belgium. After an exploratory (spatial) data analysis, we incorporate three groups of factors in a multilevel regression model which predicts the share of carpooling at large workplaces: location (accessibility), organisation (activity sector), and promotion (carpool-oriented mobility management measures). Higher levels of carpooling are found at less accessible locations, and in the activity sectors construction, manufacturing and transport. This analysis gives insight in the determinants of carpooling, and may thus contribute to the development of sustainable transport policies.

Light and Shadows of the Korean Healthcare System

This article reviewed achievements and challenges of the National Health Insurance of the Republic of Korea and shared thoughts on its future directions. Starting with large workplaces of 500 or more employees in 1977, Korea's National Health Insurance successfully achieved universal coverage within just 12 yr in 1989. This amazing pace of growth was possible due to a positive combination of strong political will and rapid economic growth. Key features of Korea's experience in achieving universal coverage include 1) gradual expansion of coverage, 2) careful consideration to maintain sound insurance finances, and 3) introducing multiple health insurance societies (multiple payer system) at the initial stage. Introduction of the health insurance has dramatically improved Korea's health indicators and has fueled the rapid growth of basic medical infrastructure including medical institutions and professionals. On the other hand, the successful expansion was not free from side-effects. Although coverage has gradually expanded, benefits are still relatively low. The current situation warrants concern because coverage expansion is driven by welfare populism asserted by irresponsible political slogans and lacks a social consensus on basic principles and philosophy regarding the expansion. Concentration of patients to a few large prestigious hospitals as well as the inefficiencies resulting from a colossal single-payer system should also be pointed out.