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- Macroergonomic aspects in the design of development programs in IDCsPublication . Coelho, Denis; Ferrara, Patrícia R.; Couvinhas, Ana F.; Lima, Tânia M.; Walter, Jake K.This paper revisits three reports on ergonomic aspects of development initiatives taking place in Industrially Developing Countries (IDCs). These include a macro-ergonomics intervention in a habitation community in Cape Verde (aimed at designing solutions contributing to sustainable development), the evolution of poultry growers’ control strategies as an integrative broiler operation is introduced in Mozambique, and a set of macro-ergonomic considerations related to the Agro Forestry Village Project in Mozambique. The paper seeks to set the reviewed development endeavors against the backdrop of the goals of ergonomics interventions. This reflection may inform development agents in future processes of design and implementation of integrated community and work systems transformation.
- Working conditions under multiple exposures: A cross-sectional study of private sector administrative workersPublication . Coelho, Denis; Tavares, Carla; Lourenço, Luís Miguel; Lima, Tânia M.BACKGROUND: Office workers are increasingly exposed to physical and psychosocial risk factors. OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between environmental, physical and organizational working conditions and the physical and psychosocial well-being of a sample of private sector office workers. METHODS: Musculoskeletal pain was collected from a body map and the Disabilities of the Arms, Shoulders and Hands questionnaire. The short version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire enabled collecting information on six job related satisfaction and dissatisfaction subscales. A checklist for ergonomics in computer work guided the analysis of ergonomic factors and measurements were taken to characterize environmental conditions. Association between exposures and outcomes was calculated using IBM SPSS Statistics 20 software. RESULTS: Significant moderate positive association was found between dissatisfaction with job psychological demands and musculoskeletal pain in the upper body (0.40; p = 0.05), as well as between postural ergonomic mismatches and dissatisfaction with job insecurity towards the future (0.42; p = 0.04). A significant moderate negative association (−0,47; p = 0.02) was found as well between satisfaction with job social support and with leadership quality and location of the work station in an open-plan office as opposed to smaller office rooms. CONCLUSIONS: The results show how raising awareness of the risk factors encountered in contemporary office work is still necessary to promote widespread improvement of working conditions, from both a physical and a psychosocial perspective.
- A participatory ergonomics approach to prevention of musculoskeletal disorders in Portuguese small and medium enterprises: Ergo@OfficePublication . Lima, Tânia M.; Coelho, DenisA participatory ergonomics program enables a company to engage employees in its preventive strategy. This paper presents Ergo@Office, an integrated methodology devised for promoting continuous implementation of preventive measures while monitoring their effectiveness over time in a participatory manner. It consists of a straightforward and cost-effective resource which is primarily aimed at supporting the identification of the need for implementation of interventions for strategic prevention of musculoskeletal disorders. As a practitioner tool, Ergo@Office guides the deployment of a participatory approach to ergonomics in both the analysis as well as in the intervention phase. The implementation of the measures envisaged in this planning support framework result from teamwork between the OSHS (Occupational Health and Safety Services) and the employee whose work is under focus. The implemented measures should then be monitored, which will enable assessing their effectiveness and their adjustment to the labour setting in an up-to-date manner.