BACKGROUND Persisting neck pain is common in society. It has been reported that the prevalence of neck pain in office workers is much higher than in the general population. The costs to the worker, employer and society associated with work-related neck pain are known to be considerable and are escalating. The factors that place office workers at greater risk of developing neck pain are not unde...

OBJECTIVE To identify dimensions of health associated with work ability and to verify whether such relationships are influenced by demographic or occupational characteristics. METHODS A cross-sectional study was carried out, including 224 employees of an employee health insurance and retirement savings company in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, in 2001. Subjects responded to self-administered ...

OBJECTIVE To assess respiratory symptoms among hairdressers in Norway. METHODS The study was based on a questionnaire sent to 100 hairdressers (91% responding) and 95 office workers (84% responding). The questionnaire sought information about allergy, respiratory symptoms in the past year, and symptoms after exposures to different types of pollutants, working conditions, and smoking habits. A...

BACKGROUND The pursuit of efficiency and the permeation of communication technologies in modern workplace have increased prolonged sitting and physical inactivity among the white-collar workforce. Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for developing various chronic diseases and obesity. OBJECTIVE This study intends to understand the impact of physical environment on both voluntary and im...

Objectives This study evaluated the effects on work-related neck and upper-limb disorders among computer workers stimulated (by a software program) to take regular breaks and perform physical exercises. Possible effects on sick leave and productivity were studied as well. Methods A randomized controlled design was used with cluster randomization. Altogether 268 computer workers with complaints ...

BACKGROUND Because of reported associations of psychosocial factors and computer related musculoskeletal symptoms, we investigated the effects of a workplace psychosocial factor, reward, in the presence of over-commitment, on trapezius muscle activity and shoulder, head, neck, and torso postures during computer use. METHODS We measured 120 office workers across four groups (lowest/highest rew...

The article discusses the legal basis for use of digital technologies in labor relations. Digital can be used both performance work, example, work remote workers, and control employees. When monitoring employees, including public information telecommunications networks by employer comes first. Moreover, when workers is only means control. author examines regulation implementation such over empl...

A large-scale field intervention study was undertaken to examine the effects of office ergonomics training coupled with a highly adjustable chair on office workers' knowledge and musculoskeletal risks. Office workers were assigned to one of three study groups: a group receiving the training and adjustable chair (n=96), a training-only group (n=63), and a control group (n=57). The office ergonom...

BACKGROUND The CUPID (Cultural and Psychosocial Influences on Disability) study was established to explore the hypothesis that common musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and associated disability are importantly influenced by culturally determined health beliefs and expectations. This paper describes the methods of data collection and various characteristics of the study sample. METHODS/PRINCIPA...