Work Organization Factors Research Articles

The contribution from psychological, social, and organizational work factors to risk of disability retirement: a systematic review with meta-analyses

BackgroundPrevious studies indicate that psychological, social, and organizational factors at work contribute to health, motivation, absence from work, and functional ability.The objective of the study was to assess the current state of knowledge of the contribution of psychological, social, and organizational factors to disability retirement by a systematic review and meta-analyses.MethodsData sources: A systematic literature search for studies of retirement due to disability in Medline, Embase, and PsychINFO was performed. Reference lists of relevant articles were hand-searched for additional studies. Data extraction: Internal validity was assessed independently by two referees with a detailed checklist for sources of bias. Conclusions were drawn based on studies with acceptable quality. Data synthesis: We calculated combined effect estimates by means of averaged associations (Risk ratios) across samples, weighting observed associations by the study’s sample size. Thirty-nine studies of accepted quality were found, 37 of which from the Nordic countries.ResultsThere was moderate evidence for the role of low control (supported by weighted average RR = 1.40; 95% CI = 1.21-1.61) and moderate evidence for the combination of high demands and low control (although weighted average was RR = 1.45; 95% CI = 0.96-2.19) as predictors of disability retirement. There were no major systematic differences in findings between the highest rated and the lowest rated studies that passed the criterion for adequate quality. There was limited evidence for downsizing, organizational change, lack of employee development and supplementary training, repetitive work tasks, effort-reward imbalance to increase risk of disability pension. Very limited evidence was found for job demands, evening or night work, and low social support from ones superior.ConclusionsPsychological and organizational factors at work contribute to disability retirement with the most robust evidence for the role of work control. We recommend the measurement of specific exposure factors in future studies.

Usability of the Upper Limb Risk Assessment (UPLIRA) Method for Assessing the Risk Factors of Upper Limb Disorders

It is important to design ergonomic methods or assessment with a high usability and good ergonomic features, so the method is easily adaptable to the task and the workplace environment. Usability is a measurement on how well the user can use that functionality. The study converged on testing the usability of the new tools for assessing ULDs namely as Upper Limb Risk Assessment (UPLIRA). The UPLIRA method was evaluated by 6 students (3 undergraduate students and 3 postgraduates students) from University Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) who are conducting research in ergonomic. From the feedback survey of UPLIRA method, the observers agree that the prototype of UPLIRA tool was applicable to workplace assessment for the wide range of jobs/task (mean 4.00, SD:0.632) with 83% percentage of agreement . They also indicate that UPLIRA method is quick to use (mean 3.67, SD:1.033) with percentage agreement of 67%. The scoring system and action level was rated as easy to understand (mean 3.67, SD:1.211) and (mean 4.17, SD:0.408). Conclusively, the UPLIRA method was rated as straightforward to use, applicable to wide range of tasks, and time saving as assessment can be completed within 10 minutes. In addition, the UPLIRA assessment covers an extensive range of physical, psychosocial, work organizational, and individual risk factors.

Work, sleep, and cholesterol levels of U.S. long-haul truck drivers.

Long-haul truck drivers in the United States experience elevated cardiovascular health risks, possibly due to hypercholesterolemia. The current study has two objectives: 1) to generate a cholesterol profile for U.S. long-haul truck drivers; and 2) to determine the influence of work organization characteristics and sleep quality and duration on cholesterol levels of long-haul truck drivers. Survey and biometric data were collected from 262 long-haul truck drivers. Descriptive analyses were performed for demographic, work organization, sleep, and cholesterol measures. Linear regression and ordinal logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine for possible predictive relationships between demographic, work organization, and sleep variables, and cholesterol outcomes. The majority (66.4%) of drivers had a low HDL (<40 mg/dL), and nearly 42% of drivers had a high-risk total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio. Sleep quality was associated with HDL, LDL, and total cholesterol, and daily work hours were associated with LDL cholesterol. Workday sleep duration was associated with non-HDL cholesterol, and driving experience and sleep quality were associated with cholesterol ratio. Long-haul truck drivers have a high risk cholesterol profile, and sleep quality and work organization factors may induce these cholesterol outcomes. Targeted worksite health promotion programs are needed to curb these atherosclerotic risks.

Are organisational factors affecting the emotional withdrawal of community nurses?

Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of work organisation on the emotional labour withdrawal behaviour of Australian community nurses. Methods Using a paper-based survey, a sample of 312 Australian community nurses reported on their emotional dissonance, withdrawal behaviours (i.e. job neglect, job dissatisfaction, stress-related presenteeism) and work organisation. A model to determine the partial mediation effect of work organisation was developed based on a literature review. The fit of the proposed model was assessed via structural equation modelling using Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS; IMB). Results Community nurses with higher levels of emotional dissonance were less likely to be satisfied with their job and work organisation and had a higher tendency to exhibit withdrawal behaviours. Work organisational factors mediated this relationship. Conclusion Emotional dissonance can be a potential stressor for community nurses that can trigger withdrawal behaviours. Improving work organisational factors may help reduce emotional conflict and its effect on withdrawal behaviours. What is known about the topic? Although emotional labour has been broadly investigated in the literature, very few studies have addressed the effect of the quality of work organisation on nurses' withdrawal behaviours in a nursing setting. What does this paper add? This paper provides evidence that work organisation affects levels of emotional dissonance and has an effect on job neglect through stress-related presenteeism. What are the implications for practitioners? In order to minimise stress-related presenteeism and job neglect, healthcare organisations need to establish a positive working environment, designed to improve the quality of relationships with management, provide appropriate rewards, recognition and effective workload management and support high-quality relationships with colleagues.

Child welfare workers’ experiences of obstacles in care order preparation: a cross-country comparison

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the significant obstacles that child protection workers in four countries, England, Finland, Norway and the USA (CA), believe they would face at their workplace, in a case of a child removal decision. There are many potential barriers employees may experience in their work practice, either external factors, organizational factors or individual factors, or combinations of these. Presented with the same situation, we ask workers what they perceive as significant obstacles, if any, for preparing a care order at their work place. The findings show that roughly two out of three workers say they would experience obstacles, and the main obstacle by far is related to time and/or large caseloads. Lack of organizational structures or poor management is the second major obstacle, followed by collaborative problems with external partners and challenges related to providing evidence. Only a few workers mention individual factors. The workers’ perspectives show that the obstacles they experience may have a negative influence on the quality of their decision-making. The study indicates that improvements do not firstly require more leadership or structural changes, but more time and resources to limit caseloads. There are country differences showing that perceptions of what is sufficient time and resources are highly relative, as the caseloads and actual time available for workers vary significantly across countries.

Prevalence and associated risk factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among road construction workers in a Nigerian community

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs) represent a significant occupational problem among road construction workers. This study conducted a prevalence and symptom survey of WRMDs among road construction workers in a Nigerian community and its relationship with risk factors over a twelve month period. The study involved 100 consecutively sampled respondents from construction workers in a Nigerian community. The short version of the Dutch Musculoskeletal questionnaire was used to collect data on demographics, 12 months' prevalence, risk factor and health seeking behavior of respondents. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while spearman rank correlation was used to test correlation at 0.05 α level. A high WRMDs prevalence of 66% rate was reported, with low back (55%) being the most frequently reported body part for symptoms, followed by neck at 45%, while the least prevalent was the left hip/thigh (8%). Significant correlations existed between WRMDs and BMI (p = 0.003), work hours per week (p = 0.018), work exertion (p = 0.004), risk factors (p = 0.001). Logistics regression analysis showed that work organizational factors were significant predictors of WRMDs report of symptoms. Meanwhile, self-medication was the major means adopted by the respondents to alleviate musculoskeletal pain. It is recommended that preventive strategies be adopted to minimize occurrence of WRMDs among these workers in Nigeria.

Perceived Nurse-Physician Communication in Patient Care and Associated Factors in Public Hospitals of Jimma Zone, South West Ethiopia: Cross Sectional Study.

BackgroundNurse–physician communication has been shown to have a significant impact on the job satisfaction and retention of staff. In areas where it has been studied, communication failure between nurses and physicians was found to be one of the leading causes of preventable patient injuries, complications, death and medical malpractice claims.ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to determine perception of nurses and physicians towards nurse-physician communication in patient care and associated factors in public hospitals of Jimma zone, southwest Ethiopia.MethodsInstitution based cross-sectional survey was conducted from March 10 to April 16, 2014 among 341 nurses and 168 physicians working in public hospitals in Jimma zone. Data was collected using a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire; entered into EpiData version 3.1 and exported to Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.0 for analysis. Factor analysis was carried out. Descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, linear regression and one way analysis of variance were used. Variables with P-value < 0.05 were considered as statistically significant.ResultsThe response rate of the study was 91.55%. The mean perceived nurse-physician communication scores were 50.88±19.7% for perceived professional respect and satisfaction, and 48.52±19.7% for perceived openness and sharing of patient information on nurse-physician communication. Age, salary and organizational factors were statistically significant predictors for perceived respect and satisfaction. Whereas sex, working hospital, work attitude individual factors and organizational factors were significant predictors of perceived openness and sharing of patient information in nurse-physician communication during patient care.ConclusionPerceived level of nurse-physician communication mean score was low among nurses than physicians and it is attention seeking gap. Hence, the finding of our study suggests the need for developing and implementing nurse-physician communication improvement strategies to solve communication mishaps in patient care.

Low Back Pain Prevalence and Related Workplace Psychosocial Risk Factors: A Study Using Data From the 2010 National Health Interview Survey

ObjectivesThe objectives of this study were to estimate prevalence of low back pain, to investigate associations between low back pain and a set of emerging workplace risk factors, and to identify worker groups with an increased vulnerability for low back pain in the United States. MethodsThe data used for this cross-sectional study came from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey, which was designed to collect data on health conditions and related risk factors from the US civilian population. The variance estimation method was used to compute weighted data for prevalence of low back pain. Multivariable logistic regression analyses stratified by sex and age were performed to determine the odds ratios (ORs) and the 95% confidence interval (CI) for low back pain. The examined work-related psychosocial risk factors included work-family imbalance, exposure to a hostile work environment, and job insecurity. Work hours, occupation, and other work organizational factors (nonstandard work arrangements and alternative shifts) were also examined. ResultsThe prevalence of self-reported low back pain in the previous 3 months among workers in the United States was 25.7% in 2010. Female or older workers were at increased risk of experiencing low back pain. We found significant associations between low back pain and a set of psychosocial factors, including work-family imbalance (OR 1.27, CI 1.15-1.41), exposure to hostile work (OR 1.39, CI 1.25-1.55), and job insecurity (OR 1.44, CI 1.24-1.67), while controlling for demographic characteristics and other health-related factors. Older workers who had nonstandard work arrangements were more likely to report low back pain. Women who worked 41 to 45 hours per week and younger workers who worked >60 hours per week had an increased risk for low back pain. Workers from several occupation groups, including male health care practitioners, female and younger health care support workers, and female farming, fishing, and forestry workers, had an increased risk of low back pain. ConclusionsThis study linked low back pain to work-family imbalance, exposure to a hostile work environment, job insecurity, long work hours, and certain occupation groups. These factors should be considered by employers, policymakers, and health care practitioners who are concerned about the impact of low back pain in workers.

The indirect association of job strain with long-term sickness absence through bullying: a mediation analysis using structural equation modeling.

BackgroundIn this longitudinal study the complex interplay between both job strain and bullying in relation to sickness absence was investigated. Following the “work environment hypothesis”, which establishes several work characteristics as antecedents of bullying, we assumed that job strain, conceptualized by the Job-Demand-Control model, has an indirect relation with long-term sickness absence through bullying.MethodsThe sample consisted of 2983 Belgian workers, aged 30 to 55 years, who participated in the Belstress III study. They completed a survey, including the Job Content Questionnaire and a bullying inventory, at baseline. Their sickness absence figures were registered during 1 year follow-up. Long-term sickness absence was defined as at least 15 consecutive days. A mediation analysis, using structural equation modeling, was performed to examine the indirect association of job strain through bullying with long-term sickness absence. The full structural model was adjusted for several possible confounders: age, gender, occupational group, educational level, company, smoking habits, alcohol use, body mass index, self-rated health, baseline long-term sickness absence and neuroticism.ResultsThe results support the hypothesis: a significant indirect association of job strain with long-term sickness absence through bullying was observed, suggesting that bullying is an intermediate variable between job strain and long-term sickness absence. No evidence for the reversed pathway of an indirect association of bullying through job strain was found.ConclusionsBullying was observed as a mediating variable in the relation between job strain and sickness absence. The results suggest that exposure to job strain may create circumstances in which a worker risks to become a target of bullying. Our findings are generally in line with the work environment hypothesis, which emphasizes the importance of organizational work factors in the origin of bullying.This study highlights that remodeling jobs to reduce job strain may be important in the prevention of bullying and subsequent sickness absence.

Impact of Work Organizational Factors on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Epicondylitis.

The aim of this study was to identify relationships between work organizational variables (job rotation, overtime work, having a second job, and work pacing) (These work organizational variables and their relationships with biomechanical and psychosocial exposures were studied previously and published in a separate paper.) and health outcome measures [carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), lateral and medial epicondylitis (LEPI/MEPI)]. Using a pooled baseline cohort of 1834 subjects, the relationships were studied using logistic regression models. Varied degrees of associations between the work organizational and outcomes variables were found. Job rotation was significantly associated with being a CTS case [odds ratio (OR) = 1.23, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.00 to 1.50]. Overtime work was significantly associated with lower LEPI prevalence (OR = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.28 to 0.84). No statistically significant associations were found between having a second job and different work pacing and any of the three health outcome measures. Work organizational variables were only partially associated with the studied health outcomes.

The new workplace II: protocol for a prospective full-panel registry study of work factors, sickness absence, and exit from working life among Norwegian employees.

Background Previous studies on the effects of work factors on absence and disability retirement have only addressed a limited set of factors and little is known about the mechanisms that govern relationships between work exposures and sickness absence/disability retirement. The main aims of the present project are (1) to examine the impact of a comprehensive set of psychological, social, organizational, and mechanical work factors work factors on sickness absence and disability retirement, and (2) to identify moderating and mediating variables that determine how and when exposures at the workplace are related to sickness absence and disability retirement.Methods The study design is prospective and based on longitudinal survey data linked to registry data on sickness absence and disability. Altogether 14,501 respondents have given their permission to the linking of their survey questionnaire data to registry data. The project has been approved by the Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics and has permission from The Norwegian Data Protection Authority. The questionnaire instruments contain psychometrically validated items and inventories on demographic background factors, work exposures, individual dispositions and attitudes, somatic health, mental distress, well-being, lifestyle factors, and work ability.DiscussionThe findings will have relevance for, and benefit working life and the larger society in a number of ways. Firstly, it will lead to a more knowledge about which work factors that contribute to health, sickness absence, and participation in/exit from the labour force. Secondly, a better understanding of which mediators and moderators that modify and govern these relationships. Both are central to the development of laws and regulations and to any political decision on measures to tackle sickness absence and early retirement.

Operator work-related musculoskeletal disorders during forwarding operations in South Africa: an ergonomic assessment

Forest machine operators are still experiencing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) despite extensive mechanisation and modernisation of harvesting systems. However, paucity of local ergonomics research and technology transfer problems may affect the use of mechanised systems in South Africa. Consequently, this study was a field-based ergonomic assessment of local forwarding operations. PG Bison's North East Cape Forests (NECF) Eastern Cape operations and Komatiland Forests (KLF) Mpumalanga operations were studied. The main aim of the study was to carry out an ergonomic assessment on local forwarder operator tasks, using Tigercat 1055 forwarders. The study specifically assessed WMSD prevalence and risk factors, investigated the frequency of awkward head postures and evaluated work organisation. A modified Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire was used to survey WMSD prevalence and work organisation factors. Operators reported hourly, localised work-related musculoskeletal discomfort experienced during the shift. A video camera mounted in the cab was used to capture footage of awkward head postures. The video footage was also used for the WMSD risk assessment using the Health and Safety Executive (HSG60) upper limb disorder assessment worksheets. Operators reported having experienced WMSDs during the last 12 months mainly in the lower back, neck, shoulders and upper back. The studied operators reported lower repetition strain symptoms and higher lower-back disorders than in previous studies. Twenty-three percent of the awkward head postures adopted were extreme. The study results support the assertion that causal pathways of WMSDs are complex and multifactorial. Repetition, awkward head posture, duration of exposure, vibration, psychological factors and individual differences were identified as the main WMSD risk factors.

Developing modified equipment and work practices to reduce the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders from conservation treatment

Conservation treatments often involve the use of awkward static postures and intensive periods of fine detail work, which can lead to injury. Conservators at Artlab Australia have worked collaboratively with an Occupational Health Physiotherapist/Ergonomist, over the past 10 years and have systematically considered a range of injury risk factors, including movements and postures, load, work organisation, working environment and personal factors. These factors were then evaluated according to a risk-rating matrix that is embedded in the risk assessment process. Using this matrix, the risk rating for musculoskeletal disorders of the neck, upper back, shoulders, elbows and wrists was identified as high. Various innovative engineering solutions were developed that involved redesigning standard equipment including electric, height-adjustable, multi-component tables and adjustable sloped work surfaces for carrying out conservation treatments. This example of a multi-faceted, participative ergonomics approach, combining innovative engineering controls, with changes to the work practices and improved awareness of risk for injury has been highly successful in reducing the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders from conservation treatments at Artlab Australia.

The influence of task design on upper limb muscles fatigue during low-load repetitive work: A systematic review

Ergonomic interventions such as increased scheduled breaks or job rotation have been proposed to reduce upper limb muscle fatigue in repetitive low-load work. This review was performed to summarize and analyze the studies investigating the effect of job rotation and work-rest schemes, as well as, work pace, cycle time and duty cycle, on upper limb muscle fatigue. The effects of these work organization factors on subjective fatigue or discomfort were also analyzed. This review was based on relevant articles published in PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. The studies included in this review were performed in humans and assessed muscle fatigue in upper limbs. 14 articles were included in the systematic review. Few studies were performed in a real work environment and the most common methods used to assess muscle fatigue were surface electromyography (EMG). No consistent results were found related to the effects of job rotation on muscle activity and subjective measurements of fatigue. Rest breaks had some positive effects, particularly in perceived discomfort. The increase in work pace reveals a higher muscular load in specific muscles. The duration of experiments and characteristics of participants appear to be the factors that most have influenced the results. Future research should be focused on the improvement of the experimental protocols and instrumentation, in order to the outcomes represent adequately the actual working conditions. Relevance to industryIntroducing more physical workload variation in low-load repetitive work is considered an effective ergonomic intervention against muscle fatigue and musculoskeletal disorders in industry. Results will be useful to identify the need of future research, which will eventually lead to the adoption of best industrial work practices according to the workers capabilities.

Relationships between job organisational factors, biomechanical and psychosocial exposures

The relationships between work organisational, biomechanical and psychosocial factors were studied using cross-sectional data from a pooled dataset of 1834 participants. The work organisational factors included: job rotation, overtime work, having second jobs and work pace. Task and job level biomechanical variables were obtained through sub-task data collected in the field or analysed in the laboratory. Psychosocial variables were collected based on responses to 10 questions. The results showed that job rotations had significant effects on all biomechanical and most psychosocial measures. Those with job rotations generally had higher job biomechanical stressors, and lower job satisfaction. Overtime work was associated with higher job biomechanical stressors, and possibly self-reported physical exhaustion. Those having second jobs reported getting along with co-workers well. Work pace had significant influences on all biomechanical stressors, but its impact on job biomechanical stressors and psychosocial effects are complicated.Practitioner Summary: The findings are based on a large number of subjects collected by three research teams in diverse US workplaces. Job rotation practices used in many workplaces may not be effective in reducing job biomechanical stressors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Overtime work is also associated with higher biomechanical stressors.

Is work organisation associated with work status 3 months after injury? Results from a case-control study of New Zealand workers.

Little empirical examination of the relationship between work organisational factors and return to work following injury has been undertaken despite the growing recognition of examining broader multi-dimensional contexts for recovery following injury. To explore relationships between pre-injury work organisational factors and work status (working/work absent) 3-month after injury among people employed prior to injury. Cases (work absent) and controls (working), selected from a larger study of injury outcomes according to reported work status 3-month after injury, completed a postal questionnaire. Work organisational factors were compared between cases and controls using univariate and multivariable analyses. One hundred and twelve participants completed the questionnaire (44 cases; 68 controls). Of 11 work organisation factors examined, organisational size was the only explanatory variable significantly associated with work status in the multivariable model. Higher odds of work absence were found in small (< 50 employees) (OR 5.6) and large (> 500 employees) (OR 7.2) workplaces, compared with medium-sized (50-500 employees) organisations. Variations in post-injury work patterns among those working pre-injury may be partly explained by organisation size. Future research examining work status following injury should examine the influence of work organisational factors in larger studies.

Human Factors in Visual Quality Control

Abstract Visual control (visual inspection) is often used in production because - in comparison to other kinds of control - it is relatively easy to conduct. It does not require any specialized technical equipment. Human senses, usually sight, are the measurement tool. Unfortunately, visual control does not guarantee a fully correct assessment. The reason is the limited human reliability. There are plenty of factors which influence ability of a human to assess the process or product quality properly. An important group of them are ergonomic factors. The goal of the paper is to identify and discuss their influence on the efficiency of the visual quality control in manufacturing processes. The research was carried out in manufacturing company from automotive industry. The paper presents the investigation of work organizational factors influence on visual control effectiveness. A controller can make two types of errors in the process of visual inspection: to assess a conforming product as “defective” or to assess a non-conforming product as “good”. Effectiveness of sequential visual controls in selected process was examined. As a measure of visual control effectiveness Control First Pass Yield index was defended. Three operations were analyzed: assembly of components, melting components and applying a protective coating.

Burnout among Nursing Professionals in Tertiary Care Hospitals of Delhi

Introduction: There has been growing evidence that stress and burnout at work have undesirable effects not only on the worker but also on the organizations (Aiken et al. 2002a, 2002b; Felton 1998). It is perceived more among nursing professionals because of the specific roles and responsibilities, increased workload, dealing with high-risk cases, emotional aspects of patient care and other factors inherent in the nature of work. Objective: This article is developed with the broad objective to determine the level of burnout among the nursing professionals with the following specific objectives: To determine the level of burnout and to determine the work-related factors associated with burnout among nursing professionals in selected tertiary care hospitals of Delhi. Methodology: This descriptive study was carried out on a total of 200 staff nurses. One hundred staff nurses from each of the two randomly selected tertiary care hospitals in New Delhi were taken, comprising 25 staff nurses from each of the four speciality wards (Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics &amp; Gynaecology and Paediatrics). Tools used were socio-demographic tool, work profile tool and standardized Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) tool to measure burnout. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17. Results: Overall, the nurses reported a low mean score for emotional exhaustion (14.39 ± 6.87) and depersonalization (4.84 ± 3.34), and an average score (34.72 ± 6.33) for personal accomplishment. Work profile variables found to be associated with burnout were ‘staff shortage with respect to nurse–patient ratio’, ‘number of night duties’, ‘demands of patient’ attendants’, ‘duty roster’, ‘death/critical condition of a patient’, ‘conflicts at work place’, study leave’ and ‘category of employment (regular/contractual)’. Conclusions and Recommendations: Though the nurses, in the present study, did not show very high levels of burnout, nonetheless, there was noted a significant association of burnout with certain work profile and organizational factors. On this ground, one can conclude that a lot of reforms are required at the organizational and work environmental levels. On the basis of these findings and conclusions formed, the authors suggest certain recommendations, in which reforms for human resource (HR) for health form a prominent part.

Theoretical assumptions in development the undergroud facilities in different geomechanical conditions

The aim of this paper is to achieve a rational rates in development the underground facilities at the lowest costs of construction and possible maximum quality (in this case, under the quality is implied the satisfactory stability of contour of developed room and excavation profile as close to the shape and size of designed). The applied research methods include analyzing development the underground facilities as a complex system with a significant number of maximum-dependent elements that are within this complex system, conditioned by the work environment, organization, mechanization, energy and other factors for achievement of this objective. The results of these studies indicate that the construction process of development the underground facilities is functionally linked and depends on a whole range of interrelated factors. As the result, it is obtained that the corresponding mathematical models can define an optimal technology and organization of work for construction the underground facilities.

Perceived risks for slipping and falling at work during wintertime and criteria for a slip-resistant winter shoe among Swedish outdoor workers

The leading cause of work related accidents in Sweden is falls. Many slips and falls occur on icy and snowy surfaces, but there is limited knowledge about how to prevent accidents during outdoor work in winter conditions.The purpose of this study was to describe risk factors of slips and falls and criteria for slip-resistant winter shoes from a user perspective. The result is based on focus group interviews with 20 men and women working in mail delivery, construction and home care in Sweden. The data was analyzed with qualitative content analysis.Risk factors described were related to physical work environment, risky work situations, individual and organizational factors. User criteria for winter work shoes focused on safety, adaptation to the environment, usability and own priorities.The mechanisms of slips and falls during outdoor work are complex. There is a need for more functional and user friendly work shoes than those available and user preferences should be considered by shoe designers. Future challenges include finding ways to make individually adapted shoes suitable for changing work environments, situations and tasks.