Workers In Denmark Research Articles

SexWork.DK: a comparative study of citizenship and working hours among sex workers in Denmark

ABSTRACT Sex workers in Europe are increasingly of nonnational origin. The Schengen cooperation allows internal migration within the European Union, but many migrant sex workers originate from outside the EU. While sex workers are already in precarious positions, nonnationals risk deportation, dependent on their citizenship status, and may have debts to smugglers. Consequently, they may be more likely to work longer hours to increase short-term profits. Using a dataset of sex work advertisements from one Danish website (n = 2,594), we estimate the association between inferred citizenship status and a) advertised hours on shift using ordinary least squares regression, and b) the probability of advertising 24/7 availability using a linear probability model. Compared to Danish sex workers, we find migrants advertise almost twice as many hours on shift and are more likely to advertise 24/7 availability. These results shed light on the inequalities that persist between national and nonnational sex workers.

An Effective protection against unemployment for self-employed and platform workers? The intriguing case of Denmark

This article discusses whether self-employed and platform workers in Denmark have effective access to the unemployment insurance scheme. The Danish case is intriguing in a comparative context. Unlike other European States, it has been possible in Denmark for the self-employed to formally access the unemployment scheme since 1976. The system is also interesting as it is rather flexible, and was recently adapted to meet the challenges of changing work patterns and an increase in atypical forms of work, such as platform work. Yet, it is argued that important barriers to effective coverage remain. Some barriers, such as the voluntary character of the insurance and its eligibility criteria, are common to all persons with low and irregular work. Other barriers are specific to the self-employed and relate to the conditions for proving the closing down of business, and to waiting periods.

Attentive to learning? Supporting social workers’ monitoring of learning skills in children placed in foster care

BackgroundThere is a high and increasing awareness in the Nordic countries of the disadvantaged educational positions of children placed in out-of-home care. Accompanied by a political quest for solutions, this has had an impact on social workers’ responsibilities, widening their primary focus on wellbeing to include learning. However, social workers in Denmark do not have a strong tradition of monitoring learning for children placed in out-of-home care, nor are they trained in methods of assessing educational performance. ObjectiveIn this article we evaluate the practical use of an academic screening tool introduced as part of social workers’ routine follow-up of children placed in foster care, examining the extent to which the screening is beneficial for their task of monitoring learning. As part of this we evaluate what the screening tool tells us about the children’s academic challenges and to what extent the screening seems to impact subsequent choice of action. MethodThe combined use of screening for wellbeing and learning was tested in a large feasibility study involving 72 social workers in eight Danish municipalities. To evaluate the use of screening in routine follow-ups we gathered quantitative data on screening results and actions taken after follow-up meetings, conducted semi structured interviews with social workers and foster families, and observed social workers’ meetings. Mixed-method analysis from a pragmatic perspective followed and shed light on the implications of screening for social work practice while mirroring the findings in Dewey’s concept of intelligent action. ResultsChildren in foster care are a group at high risk of falling behind in learning and academic skills. Consequently, a tool is required that stimulates action, and screening for learning is valued for its usefulness in that respect by the foster parents and social workers in our study. Screening for learning makes children’s academic challenges a more explicit topic at school meetings, it supports a dialogue between foster parents and teachers on more equal terms as both parties have provided evaluation, and it tends to ‘push’ reluctant school systems as well as social workers to take action when a child is in need of further academic support. Many social workers in this study managed to integrate screening into their ordinary work, thereby making it a tool that supported them in turning their follow-up meetings into sessions characterizable as intelligent action.

Use, failure, and non-compliance of respiratory personal protective equipment and risk of upper respiratory tract infections-A longitudinal repeated measurement study during the COVID-19 pandemic among healthcare workers in Denmark.

Upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) are common and a common cause of sick-leave for healthcare workers, and furthermore pose a threat especially for patients susceptible to other diseases. Sufficient use of respiratory protective equipment (RPE) may protect both the workers and the patients. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to study the association between use of RPE and URTI in a real-life setting. The aim of this study was to examine if failure of RPE or non-compliance with RPE guidelines increases the risk of non-COVID-19 URTI symptoms among healthcare workers. In a longitudinal cohort study, we collected self-reported data daily on work tasks, use of RPE, and URTI symptoms among healthcare workers with patient contact in 2 Danish Regions in 2 time periods during the COVID-19 pandemic. The association between failure of RPE or non-compliance with RPE guidelines and URTI symptoms was analyzed separately by generalized linear models. Persons tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 were censored from the analyses. The 2 waves of data collection were analyzed separately, as there were differences in recommendations of RPE during the 2 waves. We found that for healthcare workers performing work tasks with a risk of transmission of viruses or bacteria, failure of RPE was associated with an increased risk of URTI symptoms, RR: 1.65[0.53-5.14] in wave 1 and RR: 1.30[0.56-3.03] in wave 2. Also non-compliance with RPE guidelines was associated with an increased risk of URTI symptoms compared to the use of RPE in wave 1, RR: 1.28[0.87-1.87] and wave 2, RR: 1.39[1.01-1.91]. Stratifying on high- versus low-risk tasks showed that the risk related to failure and non-compliance was primarily associated with high-risk tasks, although not statistically significant. The study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic and thus may be affected by other preventive measures in society. However, this gave the opportunity to study the use of RPE in a real-life setting, also in departments that did not previously use RPE. The circumstances in the 2 time periods of data collection differed and were analyzed separately and thus the sample size was limited and affected the precision of the estimates. Failures of RPE and non-compliance with RPE guidelines may increase the risk of URTI, compared to those who reported use of RPE as recommended. The implications of these findings are that the use of RPE to prevent URTI could be considered, especially while performing high-risk tasks where other prevention strategies are not achievable.

Cultural orientation, social support, and discrimination in regard to adjustment among foreign workers in Denmark

With contemporary acceleration of globalization, both majority and minority groups are experiencing increased intercultural contact. Globalization has motivated an expanding number of foreign workers, who are psychologically and socioculturally adjusting to new cultural contexts. Such adjustment, which represents a component of acculturation, centers on heritage cultural maintenance and destination cultural acquisition. During acculturation, foreign workers’ cultural orientation is modified through interaction with others and through the extent to which one feels included and supported within the local and national contexts of reception. In the present study, experiences of social support and discrimination were examined as mediating the associations of cultural orientation with both psychological and sociocultural adjustment difficulties among foreign workers in Denmark (N = 259). Results indicate that heritage cultural orientation was positively, and Danish cultural orientation negatively, associated with sociocultural difficulties. Furthermore, perceived discrimination was positively associated with perceived stress and with sociocultural difficulties. Danish cultural orientation was indirectly linked with lower levels of stress and sociocultural difficulties through social support from friends. The present study contributes to our understanding of the dynamic and complex interplay among individual and contextual factors shaping foreign workers’ intercultural adjustment. Results highlight how interpersonal conditions, in the form of social support and discrimination, can affect psychosocial adjustment and, consequently, the retention of foreign workers within a given country.

Organizational changes in the public sector and employee presenteeism: does (change) leadership matter?

ABSTRACT This study investigates the effect of organizational changes on public employees’ choice of going to work, despite feeling ill (presenteeism). By the lens of change management theory and leadership literature, we explain how leaders mitigate presenteeism among their employees in an organizational change context. We explore this relationship by using a quantitative two-wave panel survey from 2011 to 2014, with the same 689 childcare workers in Denmark. Results suggest that individuals exhibit higher presenteeism in the context of organizational change, but that both change leadership and leadership quality help to mitigate the effect.

Higher serum concentrations of PFAS among pesticide exposed female greenhouse workers

BackgroundLong-chained poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been used in pesticide formulations but their potential impact on human PFAS exposure has not been addressed. ObjectivesTo investigate if occupationally pesticide exposed female greenhouse workers in Denmark had higher serum concentrations of PFAS than a comparable background population. MethodsSerum samples collected between 1996 and 2001 from 181 pregnant greenhouse workers and a contemporary urban population of 48 pregnant women were analyzed for eight PFAS: perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), perfluorooctane sulfonamide (FOSA), N-methyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetic acid (N-MeFOSAA), and N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetic acid (N-EtFOSAA). ResultsThe concentrations of PFOA, PFOS, and the PFOS precursors N-MeFOSAA, N-EtFOSAA, and FOSA were higher, and PFHxS was lower, among greenhouse workers than the comparison population. After adjusting for age and parity, serum concentrations of N-MeFOSAA, N-EtFOSAA, and FOSA were 2-to-3-fold higher, and the major PFAS in serum, PFOS and PFOA, were 30–50 % higher among the greenhouse workers. ConclusionHigher serum concentrations of some legacy PFAS among female greenhouse workers indicate that exposure to pesticides is a potential pathway of exposure. Although PFAS use in pesticide applications may appear to be a minor source of exposure for the general population, this pathway deserves attention in risk assessment.

Risk of breast cancer in daughters of agricultural workers in Denmark

ObjectivesAgricultural workers face unique occupational hazards such as pesticide exposure, which has been associated with breast cancer. However, research considering the association between parental agricultural work and breast cancer in female offspring is lacking. Therefore, the aim of the present nested case-control study was to explore this association. MethodsThe Danish Cancer Registry was utilized to identify women diagnosed with primary breast cancer. A total of 5587 cases were included in the study, and for each case, 20 cancer-free female controls were selected, matched on year of birth. It was a requisition that both cases and controls were born in Denmark and that either maternal or paternal employment history was available. ResultsAdverse associations were consistently noted for different time windows of maternal employment in “Horticulture” and breast cancer. Inverse associations were observed for paternal employment in most of the examined agricultural industries, although a small increased risk was indicated for perinatal employment in “Horticulture”.Furthermore, maternal preconceptional employment in “Horticulture” was observed to increase the risk of ER positive tumors (odds ratio [OR] = 1.79, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13–2.85, whereas parental perinatal employment was linked to an elevated risk of ER negative tumors (maternal employment: OR = 2.48, 95% CI: 1.18–5.21; paternal employment: OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 0.70–3.77). ConclusionsThe present study indicates that maternal horticultural employment in different potential susceptible time windows may elevate the risk of breast cancer subtypes in daughters. These findings need to be reproduced in future prospective cohort studies, including information on e.g., pesticide exposure withing agricultural job categories and lifestyle factors.

Organophosphate ester (OPE) exposure among waste recycling and administrative workers in Denmark using silicone wristbands

In a recent estimate, 96 million tons of hazardous waste were produced in the European Union, most of which were handled among the member states. Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are applied as flame retardants and plasticizers and are present in many products, e.g., electronics, which end up in the hazardous waste stream upon disposal. Given the growing body of information suggesting potential adverse health effects of OPEs, waste recycling workers who handle hazardous waste could potentially be at risk of elevated exposure to these chemicals. Using silicone wristbands, we evaluated OPE exposure among waste recycling workers who handled hazardous waste and compared their exposure to that of administrative workers from the same waste companies. Wristbands were extracted and analyzed for six OPEs, which were all detected in >75% of wristbands. Overall, the sum of tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (∑TCIPP) isomers was the most abundant OPE across all wristbands collected within the study. In general, the sum of tri(methyl phenyl) phosphate isomers (∑TMPP) was elevated for all waste workers (10β = 7.9), whereas tri-n-butyl phosphate (TnBP), tris(1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TDCIPP), and ∑TMPP were 3–12 times higher among those specifically handling electronic and hazardous waste compared to the administrative workers (p < 0.05). Repeated wristband measurements from the same worker had fair to good consistency in OPE concentrations (intraclass correlation coefficients = 0.54–0.77), except for the two most volatile chlorinated OPEs. Taken together, our results suggest that waste recycling workers who handle electronic and hazardous waste have significantly elevated exposure to OPEs, and efforts to reduce these exposures should be considered.

Night shift work characteristics and risk of incident coronary heart disease among health care workers: national cohort study.

Night work has been associated with coronary heart disease. The present study examined exposure-response relations between quantitative night work characteristics and coronary heart disease (angina pectoris or myocardial infarction) with the aim to contribute to evidence-based recommendations for low-risk night work schedules. We followed 100 149 night workers (80% women) and 153 882 day workers (78% women), all health care workers in Denmark with day by day payroll information on night shifts from 2007 to 2015. We analysed data with Poisson regression stratified by sex and adjusted for age, calendar year, diabetes, family history of cardiovascular disease, educational level, occupation, indicators for obesity, hypercholesterolaemia, and hypertension. Female and male night workers worked on average 1.7 and 1.8 night shifts per month for an average duration of less than 4 years. During follow-up, 1198 night and 2128 day workers were hospitalized with first-time coronary heart disease. When compared with day workers, the overall incidence rate ratios for female and male night workers were 1.06 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.97, 1.17] and 1.22 (95% CI 1.07, 1.39). Highest risks were observed in top exposure categories for several night work characteristics. However, no consistent exposure-response relations by number of monthly night shifts, cumulative night shifts, years with rotating night shifts, years with any night shift and consecutive night shifts were observed among the night workers of either sex. This study of a population with low exposure to night work does not indicate that reducing extent of monthly night shifts, cumulative night shifts, years with rotating night shifts, years with any night shift and consecutive night shifts would reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

The Unequal Consequences of Job Loss across Countries

We document the consequences of losing a job across countries using a harmonized research design applied to seven matched employer-employee datasets. Workers in Denmark and Sweden experience the lowest earnings declines following job displacement, while workers in Italy, Spain, and Portugal experience losses three times as high. French and Austrian workers face earnings losses somewhere in between. Key to these differences is that southern European workers are less likely to find employment following displacement. Loss of employer-specific wage premiums explains a substantial portion of wage losses in all countries. (JEL J31, J63, J64)

Do tax subsidies for retirement saving affect total private saving? New evidence on middle‐income workers*

AbstractWe exploit exogenous variation from a pension reform in Denmark to estimate the effect of tax subsidies on total private saving. We present new evidence on individuals in the middle of the income distribution and show that a reduction in tax subsidies for retirement saving reduces total private saving. The reform changed the tax incentives for saving in the pension scheme that holds the highest tax advantage for middle‐income workers in Denmark. We find that for each unit of reduced saving in this pension scheme, only 64 percent is substituted to other types of saving.

Educational knowledge and politics of receiving migrant pupils. A contribution to Danish welfare state history during the late twentieth century

ABSTRACT The arrival of guest workers in Denmark from the late 1960s meant new political questions of how to receive their children in school. During the 1970s, the heyday of welfare state reforms, a new area of welfare state politics and policy emerged concerning these children: an education politics of migrant pupils accompanied by knowledge being produced in the intersection between the pedagogical professional field, the academic field and the political field. This politics, policy and knowledge area soon became contested among politicians, professionals and academics. The article explores a core discussion still taking place at present, namely how approaches for receiving newly arrived pupils in the Folkeskole (the primary and lower secondary school. Based on source material consisting of parliamentary debates from the official political field and the professional and research-based literature that developed in the period, the article sheds light on how educational knowledge on different approaches to reception was circulated between fields. Executing an analysis that combines concepts from sociology and history of education and knowledge and from theory on policy processes, the article shows how knowledge and politics interacted to make or reject policy junctures in the formative decades when the politics of migrant pupils in the Danish welfare state was established, namely from the early 1970s and up until the mid-1990s. We conclude that local developments and debates in the knowledge production field shaped early school integration policies in the Danish welfare state during the 1970s and 1980s, but had limited influence in the 1990.

Exposure levels of dust, endotoxin, and microorganisms in the Danish recycling industry.

Recycling of domestic waste and a number of employees in the recycling industry is expected to increase. This study aims to quantify current exposure levels of inhalable dust, endotoxin, and microorganisms and to identify determinants of exposure among recycling workers. This cross-sectional study included 170 full-shift measurements from 88 production workers and 14 administrative workers from 12 recycling companies in Denmark. The companies recycle domestic waste (sorting, shredding, and extracting materials from waste). We collected inhalable dust with personal samplers that were analysed for endotoxin (n = 170) and microorganisms (n = 101). Exposure levels of inhalable dust, endotoxin, and microorganisms and potential determinants of exposure were explored by mixed-effects models. The production workers were 7-fold or higher exposed to inhalable dust, endotoxin, bacteria, and fungi than the administrative workers. Among production workers recycling domestic waste, the geometric mean exposure level was 0.6 mg/m3 for inhalable dust, 10.7 endotoxin unit (EU)/m3 for endotoxin, 1.6 × 104 colony forming units (CFU)/m³ of bacteria, 4.4 × 104 CFU/m³ of fungi (25 °C), and 1.0 × 103 CFU/m³ of fungi (37 °C). Workers handling paper or cardboard had higher exposure levels than workers handling other waste fractions. The temperature did not affect exposure levels, although there was a tendency toward increased exposure to bacteria and fungi with higher temperatures. For inhalable dust and endotoxin, exposure levels during outdoor work were low compared to indoor work. For bacteria and fungi, indoor ventilation decreased exposure. The work task, waste fraction, temperature, location, mechanical ventilation, and the company size explained around half of the variance of levels of inhalable dust, endotoxin, bacteria, and fungi. The production workers of the Danish recycling industry participating in this study had higher exposure levels of inhalable dust, endotoxin, bacteria, and fungi than the administrative workers. Exposure levels of inhalable dust and endotoxin among recycling workers in Denmark were generally below established or suggested occupational exposure limits (OEL). However, 43% to 58% of the individual measurements of bacteria and fungi were above the suggested OEL. The waste fraction was the most influential determinant for exposure, and the highest exposure levels were seen during handling paper or cardboard. Future studies should examine the relationship between exposure levels and health effects among workers recycling domestic waste.

Associations between an international COVID-19 job exposure matrix and SARS-CoV-2 infection among 2 million workers in Denmark.

This study investigates the associations between the Danish version of a job exposure matrix for COVID-19 (COVID-19-JEM) and Danish register-based SARS-CoV-2 infection information across three waves of the pandemic. The COVID-19-JEM consists of four dimensions on transmission: two on mitigation measures, and two on precarious work characteristics. The study comprised 2 021 309 persons from the Danish working population between 26 February 2020 and 15 December 2021. Logistic regression models were applied to assess the associations between the JEM dimensions and overall score and SARS-CoV-2 infection across three infection waves, with peaks in March-April 2020, December-January 2021, and February-March 2022. Sex, age, household income, country of birth, wave, residential region and during wave 3 vaccination status were accounted for. Higher risk scores within the transmission and mitigation dimensions and the overall JEM score resulted in higher odds ratios (OR) of a SARS-CoV-2 infection. OR attenuated across the three waves with ranges of 1.08-5.09 in wave 1, 1.06-1.60 in wave 2, and 1.05-1.45 in those not (fully) vaccinated in wave 3. In wave 3, no associations were found for those fully vaccinated. In all waves, the two precarious work dimensions showed weaker or inversed associations. The COVID-19-JEM is a promising tool for assessing occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and other airborne infectious agents that mainly spread between people who are in close contact with each other. However, its usefulness depends on applied restrictions and the vaccination status in the population of interest.

Expected reasons for leaving the labour market and loss of paid employment among older workers: prospective cohort study

BackgroundSurveying expected reasons for retirement may be a useful strategy to maintain labor market affiliation. The aim was to investigate the prospective association between self-reported expected reasons for leaving the labour market and subsequent loss of paid employment before the state pension age among older workers.MethodsThe prospective risk of loss of paid employment before the official state pension age was estimated from expected reasons for leaving the labour market among 10,320 currently employed older workers (50–63 years) from the SeniorWorkingLife study. In 2018, participants replied to 15 randomly ordered questions about expected reasons for leaving the labour market and were in 2020 followed in a national register containing information on labour market participation.ResultsLoss of paid employment before state pension age was predicted by expected reasons related to ‘Health, work demands and occupational well-being’: ‘Poor physical health’ (RR 1.47, 95% CI 1.45–1.49), ‘Poor mental health’ (RR 1.36, 95% CI 1.32–1.40), ‘Not being capable of doing the job’ (RR 1.20, 95% CI 1.18–1.22), and ‘Not thriving at the workplace’ (RR 1.14, 95% CI 1.11–1.17). Expected reasons related to the possibility of receiving voluntary early retirement benefits also increased this risk. Expected reasons related to ‘Leisure’ (‘Wish for more self-determination’; ‘Wish for more time for hobbies’), ‘Economy’ (‘Economic considerations’; ‘Possibility of receiving pension’), and ‘Norms’ (‘Retirement norms’; ‘To make space for younger employees’) decreased the risk of loss of paid employment before state pension age. Age-stratified analyses revealed that expected reasons related to the domain of ‘Health, work demands and occupational well-being’ predicted risk of loss of paid employment to a greater extent among workers aged 50–55 compared to those aged 56–63.ConclusionsExpected reasons for leaving the labour market predicted actual labour market participation among older workers in Denmark. Expected reasons related to poor physical and mental health, and not being capable of doing the job seem to be stronger PUSH-factors among workers aged 50–55 compared to those aged 56–63. Preventing early labour market detachment should take the worker’s expected reasons for leaving into account.

How Does Occupational Lifting Affect Ambulatory Blood Pressure, Relative Aerobic Workload and Level of Physical Activity?

Occupational physical activity (OPA), including occupational lifting (OL), seems to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Knowledge about the association between OL and risk of CVD is sparse, but repeated OL is assumed to result in prolonged raised blood pressure and heart rate (HR) eventually augmenting the risk of CVD. To disentangle parts of the mechanisms behind the raised 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure measurement (24h-ABPM), by exposure to OL, this study aimed to explore the acute differences in 24h-ABPM, relative aerobic workload (RAW) and OPA across workdays with and without OL, and secondary to assess the feasibility and rater agreement of direct field observations of the frequency and load of occupational lifting. This controlled cross-over study investigates associations between moderate to high OL and 24h-ABPM, RAW in per cent of heart rate reserve (%HRR) and level of OPA. This included 2x24h monitoring of 24h-ABPM (Spacelabs 90217), PA (Axivity) and HR (Actiheart), comprising a workday containing OL and a workday without. The frequency and burden of OL were directly observed in field. The data were time synchronized and processed in the Acti4 software. Differences across workdays with and without OL in 24h-ABPM, RAW and OPA were evaluated using repeated 2 × 2 mixed-models among 60 blue-collar workers in Denmark.. Exposure to OL was estimated by direct manual field observation, registering burden and frequency of OL. Interrater reliability tests were performed across 15 participants representing 7 occupational groups. Interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) estimates of total burden lifted and frequency of lifts were calculated, based on a mean-rating (k = 2), absolute-agreement, 2 way mixed-effects model, indicating the raters as fixed effects. OL led to non-significant increases in ABPM during work-time (systolic Δ1.79 mmHg, 95%CI -4.49-8.08, diastolic Δ0.43 mmHg, 95%CI -0.80-1.65), and on 24-hours basis (systolic Δ1.96 mmHg, 95%CI -3.80-7.72, diastolic Δ0.53 mmHg, 95%CI -3.12-4.18), significant increases in RAW during work (Δ7.74 %HRR, 95%CI 3.57-11.91) as well as a raised level of OPA (Δ4156.88 steps, 95%CI 1898.83-6414.93, Δ-0.67 hours of sitting time, 95%CI -1.25-0.10, Δ-0.52 hours of standing time, 95%CI -1.03-0.01, Δ0.48 hours of walking time, 95%CI 0.18-0.78). ICC estimates were 0.998 (95% CI 0.995-0.999) for total burden lifted and 0.992 (95% CI 0.975-0.997) for frequency of lift. OL increased both intensity and volume of OPA among blue-collar workers, which supposedly to contributes to an augmented risk of CVD. Although this study finds hazardous acute effects, further investigations are needed to evaluate the long-term effects of OL on ABPM, HR and volume of OPA, also effects of cumulative exposure to OL would be relevant to investigate. OL significantly raised the intensity and volume of OPA. Direct field observation of occupational lifting showed an excellent interrater reliability.

From Female Migrant Sex Workers to Migrant Workers: When the Danish Labor Market Encounters the Policy Field of Anti-Trafficking

Abstract This article explores how the policy field of anti-trafficking has been further complicated by a shift of focus from female migrant sex workers to migrant workers in Denmark. As a discursive terrain established through various discourses produced by articulations, practices, and interests, Danish anti-trafficking is an excellent example of how highly regulated and different state institutions together with trade unions establish regimes of prostitution, migration, crime, and labor market. Together, these regimes create the complex policy field of anti-trafficking. The article demonstrates how a trade union, as a part of the labor market regime, is a new player. Despite this new player in the anti-trafficking policy field, the article argues that the figure of “the migrant worker” becomes invisible as logics and categories of “labor exploitation” and “labor rights” collide with the ideas of rescuing poor migrant women selling sex.

P05-15 Effects on heart rate, physical activity and ambulatory blood pressure from occupational physical activity with and without lifting among farmers in Denmark

BackgroundHigh levels of occupational physical activity associate to increased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, knowledge regarding the acute effects of different components of the occupational physical activity, such as lifting, on risk factors for cardiovascular disease remains uninvestigated during every day work. Thus, the aim was to investigate the acute effects from exposure to occupational physical activity with and without lifting on heart rate, physical activity and ambulatory blood pressure.MethodsA randomized cross-over study among 18 farming workers in Denmark, all working in the stables of pig- producing farms. Workday measurements of heart rate (Actiheart), physical activity (Axivity placed at front thigh and upper back) and ambulatory blood pressure (Spacelabs 90217, measuring every 20th minute) were collected at a workday with and a workday without occupational lifting. The wash out period between the measurements was 48 hours. Data were processed in the Acti4 software.ResultsDuring workdays with lifting compared to workdays without lifting we observed higher intensity of occupational physical activity (Δ 6.57% heart rate reserve, 95% CI -1.34 – 14.47), number of steps/workday (Δ 4,965 steps, 95% CI -0.01 – 0.01), standing/walking activities (Δ 83 min/workday, 95% CI 2.49 – 168.97), as well as higher heart rate (Δ 9.10 bpm, 95% CI -4.66 – 22.85) and higher ambulatory blood pressures, both systolic (Δ 3.77 mmHg, 95% CI -2.64 – 10.18) and diastolic (Δ 1.37 mmHg, 95% CI -2.52 – 5.26). The average burden of the occupational lifting were 2,425 kg/workday and amount of lifts/workday were 239 lifts.ConclusionsThis pilot project indicated that occupational lifting are adding strenuousness on top of the general occupational physical activity, and influence blood pressure and heart rate at clinically relevant magnitudes. Disentangling the potential relations between one component of occupational physical activity, such as lifting, and risk for cardiovascular disease is key in the development of initiatives for specific prevention, exposure recommendations and vocational rehabilitation.

Knowledge sharing challenges in hybrid knowledge work: Lessons from Denmark

During the COVID-19 pandemic, knowledge workers worked from home (WFH) and had to share knowledge mainly online. Studies show that remote work influence knowledge sharing. Beyond the pandemic, several studies report that companies expect more people to work partly or fully from home or anywhere. Therefore, we investigate how knowledge workers experience working from home (WFH), full or part-time, and how it affects their work and knowledge sharing.&#x0D; We conducted an online survey at six different time points between May 2020 and November 2021, allowing us to analyse different working from home situations for the first time. Our survey included 23 questions covering positive and negative experiences from WFH and demographics. Data was collected from 3406 knowledge workers in Denmark working fully or partly from home.&#x0D; The answers were analysed by fitting proportional odds logistic regressions. During the lockdown around February 2021, when Danish restrictions were high, knowledge workers reported that they could focus less on their work at home than at other points of time when they were allowed back in the office. Furthermore, they missed seeing their colleagues more during the lockdown period than at times when the society was completely open again, as they felt a lack of discussion and creative problem-solving. Despite using software solutions for collaboration and communication, knowledge workers missed opportunities for knowledge sharing when WFH. In general, during the whole period, female respondents reported that they got more time to focus on their work when WFH than males did. Finally, older respondents experienced more time to focus on work than the young respondents did when WFH.&#x0D; The results show the differences in the situation of knowledge workers, whether it is enforced or flexible/voluntary to work from home. Thus, this study contributes to a better understanding of the challenges when knowledge workers WFH, which groups of knowledge workers can gain from WFH regarding efficiency and knowledge sharing needs. Beyond the pandemic, when companies want to offer more flexibility to WFH, this study provides conclusions on which conditions to be aware of to ensure efficient knowledge sharing.