Sylvie Montreuil

Telework and occupational health: a Quebec empirical study and regulatory implications

This article addresses occupational health issues associated with home based telework. Relying on a literature review, an overview of empirical research and the results of six case studies conducted within Canadian-based organisations, the authors present findings from an interdisciplinary perspective that takes into account the social, ergonomic and regulatory issues relevant to health and safety of teleworkers. The case studies as well as the literature review showed that home based telework is generally seen by workers as having a positive effect on their health, although potential problems arising from work station design, long hours and isolation were identified. The analysis of the legal framework governing OHS of teleworkers in Quebec showed that most legislation theoretically applied to teleworkers, but there was some concern as to whether protective provisions governing prevention and compensation for injury were effectively applied to home based telework.

Agreement between a self-administered questionnaire on musculoskeletal disorders of the neck-shoulder region and a physical examination

BackgroundIn epidemiological studies on neck-shoulder disorders, physical examination by health professionals, although more expensive, is usually considered a better method of data collection than self-administered questionnaires on symptoms. However, little is known on the comparison of these two methods of data collection. The agreement between self-administered questionnaires and the physical examination on the presence of neck-shoulders disorders was assessed in the present study.MethodsThis study was conducted among clerical workers using video display units. Prevalent cases were workers for whom neck-shoulder symptoms were present for at least 3 days during the previous 7 days and for whom pain intensity was greater than 50 mm on a 100 mm visual analogue scale. All 85 workers meeting this definition and a random sample of 102 workers who did not meet this definition were selected. Physical examination included measures of active range of motion and musculoskeletal strength. Cohens kappa and global percent agreement were calculated to compare the two methods of data collection. The effect on the agreement of different question and physical examination definitions and the importance of the time interval elapsed between the administrations of the tests were also evaluated.ResultsKappa coefficients ranged from 0.19 to 0.54 depending on the definitions used to ascertain disorders. The agreement was highest when the two instruments were administered 21 days apart or less (Kappa = 0.54, global agreement = 77%). It was not substantially improved by the addition of criteria related to functional limitations or when comparisons were made with alternative physical examination definitions. Pain intensity recorded during physical examination maneuvers was an important element of the agreement between questionnaire and physical examination findings.ConclusionThese results suggest a fair to good agreement between the presence of musculoskeletal disorders ascertained by self-administered questionnaire and physical examination that may reflect differences in the constructs measured. Shorter time lags result in better agreement. Investigators should consider these results before choosing a method to measure the presence of musculoskeletal disorders in the neck-shoulder region.

The foundations and contributions of ergonomics work analysis in training programmes

This first article examines the foundations, questions and context of the themes discussed in this issue of Safety Science. A short history of the evolution of the place held by ergonomics work analysis in training is presented and some key concepts are explained. Training is considered by ergonomics to be a means of action, action that applies not only to operators but also to actors who play a role in defending, promoting or making decisions about the definition and transformation of work situations. The relationship between this type of training and occupational training is examined. This is followed by a discussion about interdisciplinary cooperation, which it would seem appropriate to strengthen or even initiate with respect to the various questions currently being debated.

Effort-reward imbalance and video display unit postural risk factors interact in women on the incidence of musculoskeletal symptoms

OBJECTIVE This study investigated gender-specific interaction between effort-reward imbalance and video display unit (VDU) postural risk factors at work on the incidence of self-reported musculoskeletal symptoms in the shoulder-neck, lower back and upper limbs regions. PARTICIPANTS A cohort of 2,431 VDU users - consisting of white-collar workers in three Canadian public service organizations - was assessed on postural risk factors and effort-reward imbalance at work. METHODS After a mean follow-up time of three years, the six-month incidence proportion of musculoskeletal symptoms in each body region was measured. Interaction was estimated with the attributable proportion of cases due to interaction. RESULTS For women, two significant attributable proportions due to interaction between effort-reward imbalance and postural risk factors were observed in the shoulder-neck (64%) and upper limbs (57%) regions, while an interaction of 25%, although not significant, was observed in the lower back. No interaction was observed for men. CONCLUSIONS This interaction means that, among women, when effort-reward imbalance and postural risk factors are simultaneously present, the incidence of musculoskeletal symptoms is greater than the sum of effects of the individual factors. Successful interventions on either one of these exposures would thus have the supplemental benefit of preventing cases due to interaction.

Implementation Evaluation of a Participatory Ergonomics Program

This paper presents the results of an implementation evaluation for a participatory ergonomics project, in two plants run by a company involved in primary aluminium processing. The logbooks kept by the ergonomists, together with observations of project meetings and post-intervention interviews with Ergo group members, were the basic materials used in analyzing the implementation. The analysis includes a comparison between the projected and actual outcomes of the project, examines the contextual factors that explain the gaps observed, and questions the principles underlying the intervention. The results point to the need for ergonomists to have a dynamic vision of implementation evaluations, which will allow them to adjust and refine their intervention theory.

Profile of the musculoskeletal pain suffered by textile tufting workers handling thread cones according to work, age and employment duration

This paper studies the relationship between some socio-professional characteristics of workers (e.g. age, actual work done, experience in the job, overall time on job market, height) carrying out thread-cone handling tasks and their musculoskeletal pain profiles. Interviews were carried out with foremen and workers, and task analysis was performed. Self-administered questionnaires on work-related pain were filled out by 114 machine operators and creelers in four carpet-manufacturing companies. Statistics on nine individual and 25 pain-symptom characteristics were compiled. For data treatment, two statistical methods complemented one another: the Factorial Analysis of Correspondence (FAC) and the Hierarchical Ascendant Classification (HAC). Four classes of workers showing large differences one to another regarding time of employment on the job market, age, seniority in the company, and job experience were portrayed. No remarkable differences were found between the classes in relation to the proportion of workers showing body pain symptoms; it is greater than 50% in all classes (12 months). Moreover, in all classes, for several workers, the first region of pain (out of three possible) was reported as one persisting over the weekend. The group of workers from 25 to 35 years of age appears to be the one most seriously affected by musculoskeletal pain.

Allowing for MSD Prevention During Facilities Planning for a Public Service: An a Posteriori Analysis of 10 Library Design Projects

Research was conducted to identify an ergonomics-based intervention model designed to factor in musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) prevention when library projects are being designed. The first stage of the research involved an a posteriori analysis of 10 recent redesign projects. The purpose of the analysis was to document perceptions about the attention given to MSD prevention measures over the course of a project on the part of 2 categories of employees: librarians responsible for such projects and personnel working in the libraries before and after changes. Subjects were interviewed in focus groups. Outcomes of the analysis can guide our ergonomic assessment of current situations and contribute to a better understanding of the way inclusion or improvement of prevention measures can support the workplace design process.

Apprenticeship in a work setting: the contribution and limits of operational resources constructed by workers

Abstract This ergonomic comparative study of apprenticeship situations in a work setting was conducted in two types of occupations that differ in terms of work requirements and learning. Our objective was to gain an understanding of aspects in the environment that promote or hinder the construction of occupational knowledge and the strategies implemented to solve problems that arise. Our results show that the “operational resources” constructed by workers play a role in fostering or allowing learning. We also identified several organizational factors that hinder the development of occupational knowledge, as well as their ensuing human costs. An ergonomic analysis allowed us to determine the global strategies and types of resources used in both industries. These results should be validated in other work environments in order to develop diagnostic tools for apprenticeship situations, changes to them and improvements in occupational training programs.

Ergonomic Work Analysis, Training and Action: New Paths Opened by the Interconnection of Approaches

The work presented since 1991 (Paris) at the Symposiums of the IEA Congresses specialized in the theme “ Ergonomic work analysis and training” has demonstrated the main development lines of the place of training in and by work analysis in the practices and theoretical problematics of ergonomists and other work professionals. There is a progressive integration of concepts, objectives and intervention fields (training of work actors, professional training) which were distinguished in the past. New paths are opening up. In a participatory approach, these new paths are being used to organize training and action in work environments as well as individual and collective development. In particular, interdisciplinarity is helping this development while enabling ergonomists to obtain a clearer identification of their originality. The risks of the failure of an action and the conditions for its success are also being more clearly defined.

From Training in Ergonomic Diagnosis to Finding Solutions: Assessment of Ergo Groups that Used Participatory Ergonomics

The goal of this article is to present the training given to ergonomic groups to teach them how to transform work situations in a company producing primary aluminium. It presents the transition from the ergonomic diagnosis (9) conducted by the groups (7) to the solutions they considered during a brainstorming session, the weighing of the solutions and, finally to the ideas retained for industrial transformation projects. The results show that the most numerous ideas and those that were most often retained concerned equipment-tools category. Of the ideas expressed, 50.5% and 40.5% were retained for transformation projects in the “equipment-tools” and “layout” categories, respectively. In this study, the ability of the ergonomics-trained groups to find relevant solutions for the prevention of work related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) seems undeniable to us.