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We have evaluated the consequences of work organization on musculoskeletal health. Using a postal questionnaire, answered by 1600 female grocery store workers, their main work tasks were identified and four work groups were defined (cashier, picking, and delicatessen work, and a mixed group, who performed a mix of these tasks). The crude odds ratios (ORs) for neck/shoulder complaints were 1.5 (95% CI 1.0-2.2), 1.1 (0.7-1.5) and 1.6 (1.1-2.3), respectively, compared to mixed work. Adjusting for individual and psychosocial factors had no effect on these ORs. For elbows/hands, no significant differences were found. Technical measurements of the workload showed large differences between the work groups. Picking work was the most strenuous, while cashier work showed low loads. Quantitative measures of variation revealed for mixed work high between minutes variation and the highest between/within minutes variation. Combining work tasks with different physical exposure levels increases the variation and may reduce the risk of musculoskeletal complaints.

For measuring the physical exposure/workload in studies of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, direct measurements are valuable. However, the between-days and between-subjects variability, as well as the precision of the method per se, are not well known. In a laboratory, six women performed three standardised assembly tasks, all of them repeated on three different days. Triaxial inclinometers were applied to the head, upper back and upper arms. Between-days (within subjects) and between-subjects (within tasks) variance components were derived for the 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles of the angular and the angular velocity distributions, and for the proportion of time spent in predefined angular sectors. For percentiles of the angular distributions, the average between-days variability was 3.4 degrees , and the between-subjects variability 4.0 degrees . For proportion of time spent in angular sectors, the variability depended on the percentage of time spent in the sector; the relative variability was scattered and large, on average 103% between days and 56% between subjects. For the angular velocity percentiles, the average between-days variability was 7.9%, and the average between-subjects variability was 22%. The contribution of the measurement procedure per se to the between-days variability, i.e., the imprecision of the method, was small: less than 2 degrees for angles and 3% for angular velocity.

The present study examined the capability of a real-time assessment routine to sort out the individual impact of three production systems on psychological activation as measured by the Stress-/Energy Inventory, Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, Borg's CR-10 Perceived Exertion scale, and the Swedish Occupational Fatigue Inventory. Sixteen women between the ages of 26 and 57 years (mean 43 years) rotated in a counterbalanced order between three production systems: A, B and C. The systems produced the same goods but clearly differed in degree of automation and ergonomic demands. The results show that work at the most automated production system, C, on average generated lower energy index scores and higher sleepiness scores compared to the oldest system, A. Clear weekly and diurnal patterns were found for most rating measures. To conclude, the increasing automation of the production systems is reflected in psychological activation by dampening feelings of positively valued high activity states and increased sleepiness. The expressions of a weekly and diurnal psychological activation, indicates that the subjects are able to unwind both during the weekend and after work, and suggest that the present method is suitable for studying the immediate psychological adaptation to the social and physical work environment.

The aim of the present study was to investigate physiological effects of highly similar production systems with different degrees of automation by use of urinary catecholamines and cortisol as well as salivary cortisol. Furthermore, it was determined whether the physiological response was related to real-time self-reports in terms of feelings of Positive and negative arousal, physical exertion, and sleepiness. Sixteen healthy women sorting wooden slats participated in the study. The work was highly repetitive and demanded intense concentration and rapid qualified decisions. The women rotated between three production systems with varying degrees of automation. Real-time logbooks were completed and urine was collected five times and saliva seven times on four work-days and on one day off. When working at the most automated production system urinary concentrations of adrenaline and noradrenaline were 14 per cent lower compared to those obtained when working at the other production systems. For salivary cortisol, the profile over the day differed between production systems. The type of production system did not affect urinary cortisol. Feelings of positive and negative arousal were associated with increased concentrations of urinary adrenaline, while sleepiness was associated with lower salivary cortisol. These associations were independent of the relationship between production systems and biomarkers. In conclusion, decreased physiological arousal was observed in response to increased automation and real-time self-reports appeared to be related to specific physiological systems.

QCR 20210615