Auswahl der wissenschaftlichen Literatur zum Thema „Workplace Control“

Background: Infectious illness in the workplace places a substantial cost burden on employers due to productivity losses from employee absenteeism and presenteeism. Aim: Given the clear impacts of infectious illness on workplaces, this review aimed to investigate the international literature on the effectiveness and cost-benefit of the strategies non-healthcare workplaces use to prevent and control infectious illnesses in these workplaces. Methods: MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus with Fulltext and Business Source Complete were searched concurrently using EBSCO Host 1995–2016. Findings: Infection prevention and control strategies to reduce workplace infectious illness and absenteeism evaluated in the literature include influenza vaccination programs, use of alcohol-based hand sanitiser and paid sick days. While the reported studies have various methodological flaws, there is good evidence of the effectiveness of influenza vaccination in preventing workplace infectious illness and absences and moderate evidence to support hand hygiene programs. Discussion: Some studies used more than one intervention concurrently, making it difficult to determine the relative benefit of each individual strategy. Workplace strategies to prevent and control infectious illness transmission may reduce costs and productivity losses experienced by businesses and organisations related to infectious illness absenteeism and presenteeism.

This study investigated methods to characterise nanoparticle emission and transport associated with the operation of laser printers and selected nanotechnology processes in workplace settings. Results showed particle number and mass concentration emission varied by orders of magnitude amongst the different processes, from submicrometre to supermicrometre size. Therefore, a multi-metric particle assessment method must be utilised. Analysis of both real-time particle measurement instrumentation and off-line particle analysis, temporal and spatial particle number and mass concentration, surface area, size, morphology and chemical composition of airborne particles was utilised to develop and validate a three-tiered assessment method designed to assess and control worker exposure.

Organizations are increasingly devoting interest towards understanding the causes of workplace deviance behaviors, which include interpersonal aggression, theft, violence, vandalism and sabotage. These behaviors are particularly relevant to organizations, in that the yearly losses due to theft are estimated at over 40 billion dollars for U.S. businesses (Coffin, 2003), and acts of workplace deviance could cost as much as 200 billion dollars annually (Murphy, 1993).In this research, I integrated theoretical perspectives from psychology and organizational behavior with neurocognitive evidence in order to examine the effects of sleep deprivation on workplace deviance behavior. In particular, I argue that cognitive resource theories offer explanatory power for the proposed linkage between sleep loss and deviant behaviors. Specifically, sleep deprivation was expected to reduce cognitive capacity and self-regulatory ability, and as a result decrease individuals' self-control, increase hostility, and impair moral decisions, which would in turn increase workplace deviance. Finally, proposed methods are presented for two studies. The first study utilized a field sample of shiftworkers with irregular sleep schedules (i.e., nurses). The second study utilized a lab sample of university students who were subjected to sleep deprivation conditions in a controlled environment.Results largely supported the model in both samples, with the exception of moral reasoning, which was unrelated to sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation affected self-control and hostility, which were in turn related to deviance, with the exception of self-control and interpersonal deviance in Study 2.

RIASSUNTO Introduzione Il fenomeno del mobbing, la cui frequenza si stima essere di circa il 15% a livello mondiale, è ampiamente riconosciuto come uno dei maggiori fattori di stress nelle organizzazioni di lavoro. Il mobbing comporta una serie di conseguenze negative per chi ne è vittima ma anche per i testimoni ed i colleghi, con costi rilevanti per le organizzazioni lavorative e la societa’ nel complesso. Alla luce della “work environment hypothesis” del mobbing - un approccio teorico che enfatizza lo stretto legame tra la presenza di un ambiente di lavoro psicosociale sfavorevole e l’emergere del mobbing -diversi studi hanno identificato una serie di antecedenti lavorativi del fenomeno quali ad esempio il carico di lavoro eccessivo, lo scarso livello di autonomia, il conflitto e l'ambiguità di ruolo e la qualita’ della leadership. In particolare, il ruolo di quest’ultima quale fattore antecedente il mobbing costituisce un' area di indagine molto recente, sebbene Leymann - il precursore nello studio del mobbing - gia’ ne avesse riconosciuta l'importanza fin dagli albori della ricerca sul fenomeno. Nonostante il substrato teorico alla base della relazione leadership-mobbing sia solido, tutti gli studi empirici condotti sinora si sono basati su un disegno di studio cross-sectional, limitando in tal modo la possibilita’ di effettuare inferenze causali. Inoltre un importante gap nella letteratura corrente è costituito da una scarsa conoscenza dei possibili meccanismi (moderatori o mediatori) alla base della relazione tra ambiente di lavoro psicosociale e mobbing. Obiettivo Alla luce dello stato attuale della ricerca sul mobbing, l'obiettivo di questa tesi è duplice. Il primo obiettivo è quello di studiare la relazione tra alcune caratteristiche rilevanti dell’ambiente psicosociale di lavoro, ossia pressione lavorativa e mancanza di autonomia (primo articolo) e scarsa qualita’ della leadership (secondo articolo), e presenza di mobbing sul posto di lavoro. Il secondo obiettivo è quello di indagare la presenza di moderatori o mediatori nella relazione tra ambiente psicosociale di lavoro e mobbing, al fine di individuare alcuni possibili meccanismi alla base di questo fenomeno. In particolare, viene esaminato il senso di coerenza - una caratteristica individuale - come potenziale moderatore (primo articolo) e il senso di comunità sociale sul posto di lavoro - una caratterstica del contesto lavorativo - come potenziale mediatore (secondo articolo). Metodi La tesi si basa su dati raccolti nell’ambito di uno studio prospettico a due tempi di misura (2006-2008) denominato Workplace Bullying and Harassment Cohort (WBH), condotto tramite questionario autosoministrato su un campione di lavoratori impiegati in diverse organizzazioni di lavoro in Danimarca. Il campione utilizzato e' costituito da 3363 lavoratori nel 2006 (primo articolo) e da 1664 lavoratori nel 2008 (secondo articolo). Il campione e' composto per lo più da donne (67,2%), con un'età media di 45,7 (SD = 10.11) e una anzianità media nel posto di lavoro attuale di 11,1 anni (SD = 10.1). Circa due terzi del campione risulta impiegato in organizzazioni pubbliche come ospedali (22%), istruzione superiore (13,8%), settore assistenza agli anziani (8,6%), pubblica amministrazione e servizi (7,2%), scuole pubbliche (4,3%), scuole superiori (3,8%), ecc.; circa un terzo risulta invece impiegato in ambienti di lavoro privati, quali trasporti (11,6%), industria (10,8%), edilizia (3%), finanza e servizi alle imprese (2,3%); all’incirca il 2,5% lavora infine come medico, dentista o veterinario. Risultati Nel primo articolo, basato su un disegno di studio cross-sectional, regressioni lineari gerarchiche hanno rivelato che le due dimensioni del modello job demand-control, ossia elevata pressione lavorativa e scarsa autonomia decisionale, sono significativamente associate ad una maggiore presenza di mobbing. Sebbene dal punto di vista statistico livelli piu’ elevati di senso di coerenza siano risultati ridurre significativamente la relazione tra ambiente psicosociale di lavoro sfavorevole (elevata pressione lavorativa e scarsa autonomia sul lavoro) e mobbing, tale effetto di moderazione si e’ rivelato di scarso impatto a livello pratico. Cio’ suggerisce che condizioni psicosociali negative sul posto di lavoro possano essere associate al mobbing indipendentemente dalle caratteristiche personali dei soggetti target, almeno in termini di senso di coerenza. Nel secondo articolo, basato su un disegno di studio longitudinale, i risultati delle regressioni lineari gerarchiche mostrano che la scarsa qualità della leadership svolge un ruolo significativo nella creazione di condizioni di lavoro favorenti il mobbing. Inoltre, l’analisi di mediazione ha mostrato che il senso di comunita' sociale sul posto di lavoro opera come mediatore totale dell'effetto esercitato dalla scarsa qualità della leadership sul mobbing. Conclusioni/implicazioni pratiche Una prima conclusione è che condizioni di lavoro psicosociale sfavorevoli portano ad un maggiore rischio di mobbing sul posto di lavoro. Il primo studio sottolinea in particolare l'importanza di progettare posti di lavoro in modo tale che ai lavoratori siano assegnati carichi di lavoro ragionevoli e un adeguato grado di autonomia nello svolgimento dei compiti lavorativi. Il secondo studio, confermando il ruolo di una scarsa qualita’ della leadership nel creare condizioni di lavoro favorenti il mobbing, indica l'importanza di pianificare programmi di formazione per i leader in modo da aumentare in questi la consapevolezza di come i loro comportamenti possano avere influenza sui subordinati. Inoltre, la mediazione totale del senso di comunita’ sociale sul posto di lavoro rilevata in questo studio nella relazione tra scarsa qualità di leadership sul mobbing, suggerisce che le organizzazioni di lavoro dovrebbero operare forti investimenti nel miglioramento delle relazioni sociali sul posto di lavoro allo scopo di promuovere un ambiente di lavoro a ridotto rischio mobbing. Originalità dello studio Il primo articolo contribuisce in maniera originale alla ricerca sul mobbing in quanto non esistono studi precedenti sul ruolo del senso di coerenza come moderatore della relazione tra ambiente psicosociale di lavoro e mobbing. Inoltre, il problema metodologico relativo alla significativita' statistica vs valore pratico dell’effetto di moderazione è stato raramente affrontato e discusso in letteratura. Il secondo studio, essendo di natura longitudinale, porta un sostanziale contributo alla letteratura sul mobbing in quanto conferma, mediante un disegno di studio robusto, precedenti studi cross-sectional sul ruolo sostanziale svolto dai leader nel processo di mobbing. Inoltre, nella relazione tra leadership e mobbing, il senso di comunità sociale sul posto di lavoro agisce come mediatore totale, risultato che contribuisce significativamente al dibattito scientifico attuale sui meccanismi - a tutt’oggi poco noti - coinvolti nel processo di generazione del mobbing.
SUMMARY Background Broadly recognized to be one of the major stressors in organizations, with a global estimate of about 15%, workplace bullying has detrimental consequences for victims, witnesses, organizations, and the society at large. Within the work environment hypothesis of bullying, which emphasizes the important link between a stressful and poorly organized work environment and bullying, a large number of antecedents have been identified, such as workload, low level of autonomy, role conflict, role ambiguity, and leadership. In particular, the role of leadership as antecedent of bullying is a relatively recent research area, although Leymann - the pioneer in the study of bullying - has recognized its importance since the origins of research on the phenomenon. Despite the existence of a solid theoretical basis for the relationship between leadership and workplace bullying, almost all empirical studies conducted so far are based on a cross-sectional study design, thereby limiting the possibility to draw causal inferences. In addition, to date there is scarce evidence concerning the possible mechanisms (moderators and mediators) involved in the relationship between the psychosocial work environment and workplace bullying. Aims In light of the current state of the art in the research on workplace bullying, the aim of this thesis is twofold. The first objective is to investigate the relationship between some important characteristics of the psychosocial work, such as work pressure and lack of autonomy (Paper I) and poor quality of leadership (Paper II), and the occurrence of bullying at work. The second objective is to examine moderators and mediators of the relationship between the psychosocial work environment and workplace bullying and identify possible mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. In particular, my thesis examines sense of coherence - an individual feature - as a potential moderator (Paper I), and social community at work - a characteristic of the work environment - as a potential mediator (Paper II). Methods The thesis is based on the Workplace Bullying and Harassment Cohort (WBH). This cohort consists of 3,363 employees at baseline (2006) (Paper I and Paper II) and 1,664 employees at follow-up (2008) (Paper II). At baseline, the sample was composed mostly of female employees (67.2%); the mean age was 45.7 years (SD = 10.11) and the mean job seniority in the current workplace 11.1 years (SD = 10.1). Approximately two thirds of the sample were employed in public organizations such as hospitals (22%), high education (13.8%), the eldercare sector (8.6%), public administration and services (7.2%), public schools (4.3%), high schools (3.8%), etc.; approximately one third were employed in private workplaces such as transportation (11.6%), industries (10.8%), construction (3%), finance, and business service (2.3%) or as doctors, dentists, vets (2.5%) etc. Results In Paper I, based on a cross-sectional study design, hierarchical linear regressions revealed that the two dimensions of the job demand-control model, i.e. high work pressure and low decision latitude, are significantly associated with an increased presence of bullying at work. Moreover, a higher sense of coherence was found to significantly moderate the relationship between higher job demands and higher work-related bullying, and that between lower job control and higher person-related bullying. However, the effect size of these interactions was very low. This suggests that negative psychosocial conditions in the workplace are likely to be associated with bullying regardless of the personal characteristics of the targets, at least in terms of sense of coherence. In Paper II, based on a longitudinal study design, the results of hierarchical linear regressions showed that poor quality of leadership plays a significant role in the creation of conditions favouring bullying. Furthermore, the mediation analysis showed that social of community at work operates as a full mediator of the effect exerted by poor quality of leadership on workplace bullying. Conclusions/practical implications My first conclusion is that adverse psychosocial working conditions may lead to an increased risk of bullying at work. Paper I highlights in particular the importance of designing jobs so that workers are assigned reasonable workloads and an appropriate degree of autonomy in their work tasks. Paper II, confirming the role of poor quality of leadership in creating working conditions that favour bullying, indicates the importance of planning training programs for leaders so as to increase their awareness of how their behaviours may affect subordinates. In addition, the full mediation of social community at work in the relationship between poor quality of leadership and workplace bullying suggests that organizations should improve social relations at work in order to promote work environments with a low risk of workplace bullying. Originality of the study Paper I gives an original contribution to the existing literature on workplace bullying since there are no previous studies on the role of sense of coherence as a moderator of the relationship between the psychosocial work environment and bullying. Moreover, the methodological problem concerning the statistical vs practical value of the moderating effect has been rarely addressed and discussed in the literature. Paper II, based on a longitudinal study, gives a substantial new contribution by supporting, through the adoption of a robust design, previous cross-sectional studies on the important role played by leaders in the process of workplace bullying. Moreover, the finding that social community at work acts as full mediator of the relationship between quality of leadership and workplace bullying contributes significantly to the scientific debate over the poorly known mechanisms involved in the generation of bullying.

Machinery safety requirements are based on legislation and recommendations of harmonized standards (e.g. Directive 2006/42/EC, ISO 12100). A key aspect is the risk assessment, which considers the impact of hazardous situations and hazardous events on human lives and health. Risk analysis and assessment has traditionally been methodically supported by various tools, as Risk Matrix, Risk Graph, Failure Cause and Effect Analysis (FMEA), etc. A major problem in terms of meeting legal requirements is the assessment of exposure by factors such as noise, vibration and, in particular, the physical strain resulting from handling loads. Modern robotic workplaces are created by connecting several machines. On the positive side, high-risk hazardous situations (zones) are eliminated or minimized for the person working in such workplace. However, human activities are thus limited in particular to handling tasks, product quality control and withdrawal of finished products. Here, such influences arise that can affect human health in the long term, resulting from muscular load, which depends mainly on the design of the workplace, that means taking into account ergonomic principles already within workplace design. Measuring the physical load allows to "set up" the workplace so that the load is both immediate and long-term reduced by a suitable design solution, or by technical devices that reduce this load. Recently, research has focused on personalizing the reduction of musculoskeletal load not only by changing the workplace, but also by developing and testing special devices called exoskeletons. Exoskeleton’s interface is important to improve comfort, performance and of course personal health.

The paper examines the effects of nonpharmaceutical interventions on transmission of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as captured by its reproduction rate 𝑅t. Using cross-country panel data, the paper finds that while lockdown measures have strong effects on 𝑅t, gathering bans appear to be more effective than workplace and school closures. Ramping up the testing and tracing of COVID-19 cases is found to be especially effective in controlling the spread of the disease where there is greater coverage of paid sick leave benefits. Workplace and school closures are found to have large negative effects on gross domestic product compared with other measures, suggesting that a more targeted approach can be taken to keep the epidemic controlled at lower cost.

This method enables participants to create a visual map of the key resources and assets in their community, organisation, workplace etc, that are important for their wellbeing and thriving. It is designed to encourage marginalised groups to visually represent and reflect on these resources and the power relations that shape who accesses and controls resources. They map and rank the actors who have more/less power, control and access, and discuss the reasons behind these differences. Finally, a discussion of possible strategies and actions for change can be facilitated.

Even though there are existing codes and standards regarding daylighting and electric lighting controls, they have to be constantly reviewed and updated, as the technology is growing rapidly - and so do the users’ expectations. That is, in both efficiency of buildings in terms of sustainability and energy usage (utilizing advanced sensor-based systems), and also in the need for high quality of lighting at the workplaces.

This publication aims to increase awareness of the health risks associated with asbestos in the workplace and provides recommendations and checklists on avoiding and managing the risks of exposure. Occupational exposure to asbestos is estimated to lead to more than 230,000 deaths globally every year. This publication provides guidance on the duties of employers and contractors in minimizing risks from asbestos; training requirements; and the identification, containment, safe removal, and management of asbestos waste.