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Aim: To investigate concurrent changes in short shift intervals (< 11 h) and workload among hospital employees. Design and Data Sources: This cohort study of 1904 employees in one hospital district in Finland utilised data on employees' working hours for short shift intervals and workload based on the patient classifications aggregated to a 3‐week period level across 2 years, 2018–2019. The data was analysed by group‐based trajectory modelling and multinominal regression models. Results: The seven trajectories model had the best fit to the data—Group 1: very few short shift intervals that are decreasing and low workload (15.0%); Group 2: a low amount of short shift intervals that are decreasing and stable low workload (14.2%); Group 3: moderate amount of short shift intervals that are slightly increasing and low workload (25.1%); Group 4: a low amount of short shift intervals that are slightly decreasing and stable low workload that is slightly increasing (12.1%): Group 5: a moderate amount of both short shift intervals and workload (19.8%): Group 6: short shift intervals that are clearly decreasing, with higher than the average workload decreasing (5.6%); Group 7: moderate amount of short shift intervals and very high workload (8.3%). Conclusions: Only a minority of hospital employees were found to have both high workloads and insufficient recovery possibilities, but the time‐related increases in objective workload were not compensated by better recovery possibilities in working hours. For shift scheduling, it is noteworthy that older employees might seek to work at units in which the workload is lower, which could be considered to support workability. Reporting Method: Record. Patient or Public Contribution: No Patient or Public Contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focussed on harmful exposures and mental and musculoskeletal symptoms in organic and conventional farming using interview data of Finnish farmers over the winter of 2014–2015. The data consisted of 2,169 full-time farmers, out of whom 231 (11%) practiced organic farming and 1,938 (89%) conventional farming. Exposure to poisonous and irritating substances was less frequent while exposures to vibration and mould ('smell of root cellar') were more frequent on organic farms. Mental and musculoskeletal symptoms were slightly more common among organic farmers, but the associations were not statistically significant in regression modelling. Risk factors for mental symptoms included animal production, hired labour, female gender, constant hurry, working alone, economic uncertainty, and inadequate recovery from workdays. Risk factors for musculoskeletal symptoms included older age, female gender, constant hurry, economic uncertainty, difficult working postures, heavy lifting and carrying, and inadequate recovery. Workload and recovery, managing the transition period and better follow-up of the occupational well-being were identified as concerns among organic farmers. Practitioner summary: Converting from conventional to organic farming has become increasingly common. Farmer interviews indicated that exposure to poisonous and irritating substances was less frequent while exposures to vibration and mould were more frequent on organic farms. Mental and musculoskeletal symptoms and risk factors were similar in both types of farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forklift drivers in in-house logistics are at a high risk of occupational injuries. This study piloted a video-based learning game for forklift drivers, designed to increase their safety awareness in their highly dynamic operating environment. The game consisted of video clips filmed from the driver's perspective. Each video clip was stopped and masked at a point where a safety-relevant item or hazard appeared. Two locations were marked on the screen, one with the hazard and the other with no hazard. The players had to choose the location with the hazard while the screen was masked and received feedback on their choice. Eighty-one professional forklift drivers played the game at their workplaces during the 3–4 month intervention. In addition, forklift registered hard shocks were recorded and compared to the game performance of 20 participants. Higher accuracy in the game correlated with a lower shock rate, suggesting that real-world forklift driving skills transferred to the game. However, accuracy improvement in the game did not decrease the vehicle registered hard shocks. During the intervention, 40% of the participants reported that they began to pay more attention to the hazards of their work environment. Overall, the results suggest that a gamified approach could be useful for demonstrating safety-relevant features at the workplace and supporting drivers' safety-related self-reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic farming is increasing in Finland, and organic farms have become larger than conventional farms, on average. As the structural change has been rapid, farmers need a broad range of new competencies to manage their farms, ranging from agronomic skills to advanced technology, labor management, and marketing skills. In this study, the characteristics of organic and conventional farms and farmers were assessed, with special focus on management practices and future development plans on organic farms. The study was based on telephone interviews of a sample of active farmers who applied for agricultural subsidies in 2014. The data consisted of 3045 farmers; 312 of them practiced organic farming and 2733 conventional farming. The data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. Having beef production as the main production line, having plans to develop farm production in the next 5 years, considering farm management as very important, and frequently experiencing mental strain because of farm management were significant predictors for being an organic farmer. Dairy production was less frequently organic compared to crop production. Nearly half (42%) of organic farmers planned to make changes in their farming, most commonly expanding their production. Thus, competence for managing the farm operation becomes more crucial, which increases the need for training and management consulting services. Organic farming may increase with both farm successions and new entrants joining the farming sector. Special attention should be paid to supporting these new entrants without farm-family background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: It is claimed that haste has increased in modern work life. Only a few studies on professional drivers show that haste increases the risk of occupational injury. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between haste and occupational injury in a large, representative sample of Finnish employees. METHODS: The material comes from the Finnish National Work and Health, which have been carried every three years since 1977. The final study group included 12 926 currently working employees, aged 25 to 64. The data were collected through computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI). RESULTS: Employees who worked in haste rather or very often (25%) were involved in occupational injuries significantly more often than those working in haste less often (8%, p < 0.001). Constant interruptions increased the risk of occupational injury (OR = 12.06, 95% CI 8.48 to 17.16). Experiencing very much stress at work was also connected to occupational injury (OR = 2.80, 95% CI 1.13 to 6.95). Feeling negative emotions at work was related to haste (OR = 3.53, 95% CI 1.54 to 8.11). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed a correlation between haste and occupational injuries. It focused on the participants' need to hurry in order to get their job finished. However, the way in which different individuals experienced haste varied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to present Finnish employees' opinions on continuing work until retirement pension and after the age of 63, and to find out if physical workload is related to these opinions. Altogether 39% of men and 40% of women had never had thoughts of early retirement, and 59% claimed (both men and women) that they would consider working beyond the age of 63. Own health (20%); financial gain such as salary and better pension (19%); meaningful, interesting and challenging work (15%); flexible working hours or part-time work (13%); lighter work load (13%); good work community (8%); and good work environment (6%) were stated as factors affecting the decision to continue working after the age of 63. Employees whose work involved low physical workload had less thoughts of early retirement and had considered continuing work after the age of 63 more often than those whose work involved high physical loads. Own health in particular was stated as a reason to consider continuing work by employees whose work was physically demanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]