The Employment Precariousness Scale (EPRES): psychometric properties of a new tool for epidemiological studies among waged and salaried workers

Background: Despite the fact that labour market flexibility has resulted in an expansion of precarious employment in industrialized countries, to date there is limited empirical evidence about its health consequences. The Employment Precariousness Scale (EPRES) is a newly developed, theory-based, multidimensional questionnaire specifically devised for epidemiological studies among waged and salaried workers. Objective: To assess acceptability, reliability and construct validity of EPRES in a sample of waged and salaried workers in Spain. Methods: Cross-sectional study, using a sub-sample of 6.968 temporary and permanent workers from a population-based survey carried out in 2004-2005. The survey questionnaire was interviewer administered and included the six EPRES subscales, measures of the psychosocial work environment (COPSOQ ISTAS21), and perceived general and mental health (SF-36). Results: A high response rate to all EPRES items indicated good acceptability; Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, over 0.70 for all subscales and the global score, demonstrated good internal consistency reliability; exploratory factor analysis using principal axis analysis and varimax rotation confirmed the six-subscale structure and the theoretical allocation of all items. Patterns across known groups and correlation coefficients with psychosocial work environment measures and perceived health demonstrated the expected relations, providing evidence of construct validity. Conclusions: Our results provide evidence in support of the psychometric properties of EPRES, which appears to be a promising tool for the measurement of employment precariousness in public health research.

Invisible work, unseen hazards: the health of women immigrant household service workers in Spain

Backgroud: Household service work has been largely absent from occupational health studies. We examine the occupational hazards and health effects identified by immigrant women household service workers. Methods: Exploratory, descriptive study of 46 documented and undocumented immigrant women in household services in Spain, using a phenomenological approach. Data were collected between September 2006 and May 2007 through focus groups and semi-structured individual interviews. Data were separated for analysis by documentation status and sorted using a mixed-generation process. In a second phase of analysis, data on psychosocial hazards were organized using the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire as a guide. Results: Informants reported a number of environmental, ergonomic and psychosocial hazards and corresponding health effects. Psychosocial hazards were especially strongly present in data. Data on reported hazards were similar by documentation status and varied by several emerging categories: whether participants were primarily cleaners or carers and whether they lived in or outside of the homes of their employers. Documentation status was relevant in terms of empowerment and bargaining, but did not appear to influence work tasks or exposure to hazards directly. Conclusions:Female immigrant household service workers are exposed to a variety of health hazards that could be acted upon by improved legislation, enforcement, and preventive workplace measures, which are discussed.

A qualitative study about immigrant workers��� perceptions of their working conditions in Spain

Background: Spain has recently become an inward migration country. Little is known about the occupational health of immigrant workers. This study aimed to explore the perceptions that immigrant workers in Spain had of their working conditions.Methods: Qualitative, exploratory, descriptive study. Criterion sampling. Data collected between September 2006 and May 2007 through semi-structured focus groups and individual interviews, with a topic guide. One hundred and fifty-eight immigrant workers (90 men/68 women) from Colombia (n = 21), Morocco (n = 39), sub-Saharan Africa (n = 29), Romania (n = 44) and Ecuador (n = 25), who were authorised (documented) or unauthorised (undocumented) residents in five medium to large cities in Spain.Results: Participants described poor working conditions, low pay and health hazards. Perception of hazards appeared to be related to gender and job sector. Informants were highly segregated into jobs by sex, however, so this issue will need further exploration. Undocumented workers described poorer conditions than documented workers, which they attributed to their documentation status. Documented participants also felt vulnerable because of their immigrant status. Informants believed that deficient language skills, non-transferability of their education and training and, most of all, their immigrant status and economic need left them with little choice but to work under poor conditions.Conclusions: The occupational health needs of immigrant workers must be addressed at the job level, while improving the enforcement of existing health and safety regulations. The roles that documentation status and economic need played in these informants' work experiences should be considered and how these may influence health outcomes.

Developing an Effective Construction Training Program for Hispanic Supervisors and Craft Workers, January 2004

Hispanics make up a growing percentage of the craft workers entering the construction industry, and this has created several challenges for American construction companies. This study addresses the situation by investigating training needs for Hispanic construction craft workers and developing a training program for them within the industry. In order to evaluate current craft workers��� conditions within the construction industry, Iowa State University researchers conducted a survey, with 98 Hispanic craft workers as respondents from 10 construction companies, to determine current working conditions. The results confirm that the language barrier is an obstacle for both the Hispanic workers and the English-speaking employees involved in construction projects. As a part of this research, two training courses were designed to help both American construction companies and their Hispanic labor force to overcome the barriers that keep them from succeeding safely and productively. A training course titled English as a Second Language Survival Course was developed to facilitate basic communication between Hispanic workers and their American supervisors using construction-focused terminology. This course was delivered once as a trial run for a two-hour duration and twice for a full-length duration of eight hours. Important feedback was obtained from participants as part of the evaluations of the course. “How much of the course contents will be useful in your working environment” was asked; 40% of workers said “all of it” and 60% said “most of it.” Another question was “Was it worth taking the time to attend the course?” to which 94% answered “definitely” and 6% answered “yes.” A second training course titled Stepping Up to Supervisor Course for Hispanic Construction Workers was also developed to provide an effective tool to help companies promote those Hispanic craft workers whose willingness and skills meet the requirements to advance to a supervisory position in an American construction company. This course will be offered in the spring of 2004.

Enlgish and Spanish Terms for Concrete Paving Workers, November 2004

Proper storage practices are critical to protect materials from intermingling, contamination, or degradation, and to maintain consistent aggregate gradation throughout a project. Concrete Paving Workforce Reference no.4. Spanish version.

Multilateral Trade and Agricultural Policy Reforms in Sugar Markets, September 2005

We analyze the impact of trade liberalization, removal of production subsidies, and elimination of consumption distortions in world sugar markets using a partial-equilibrium international sugar model calibrated on 2002 market data and current policies. The removal of trade distortions alone induces a 27% price increase while the removal of all trade and production distortions induces a 48% increase by 2011/12 relative to the baseline. Aggregate trade expands moderately, but location of production and trade patterns change substantially. Protectionist OECD countries (the EU, Japan, the US) experience an import expansion or export reduction and significant contraction in production in unfettered markets. Competitive producers in both OECD countries (Australia) and non-OECD countries (Brazil, Cuba), and even some protected producers (Indonesia, Turkey), expand production when all distortions are removed. Consumption distortions have marginal impacts on world markets and location of production. We discuss the significance of these results in the context of mounting pressures to increase market access in highly protected OECD countries and the impact on non-OECD countries.

Why do workers leave unions? - group differences in a Spanish Union Federation

This study analyses the characteristics of members leaving a Spanishunion federation – Catalonia branch of Workers��� Commissions(CCOO-Catalonia), together with their reasons for leaving using avariety of data sources. Our findings indicate that higher union attritionamong members in instable employment (i.e. casual employment andlow seniority). In general, union leavers confirm that their job situationis an important reason for leaving the union. We therefore concludethat efforts made by the union to retain members in vulnerable labormarket positions are important in reducing high rates of union attritionin Spain.

Leaving the labour market: event-history analysis of the female workers' transition to housework in Denmark, Germany, Great Britain and Spain

This paper is aimed at exploring the determinants of female activity from a dynamic perspective. An event-history analysis of the transition form employment to housework has been made resorting to data from the European Household Panel Survey. Four countries representing different welfare regimes and, more specifically, different family policies, have been selected for the analysis: Britain, Denmark, Germany and Spain. The results confirm the importance of individual-level factors, which is consistent with an economic approach to female labour supply. Nonetheless, there are significant cross-national differences in how these factors act over the risk of abandoning the labour market. First, the number of trnasitions is much lower among Danish working women than among British, German or Spanish ones, revealing the relative importance of universal provision of childcare services, vis-à-vis other elements of the family policy, as time or money.

Iowa Workers��� Compensation Manual, July 1, 2005 - June 30, 2006

This booklet has been prepared by the Division of Workers��� Compensation to provide information and guidelines in handling Iowa workers��� compensation claims. For more detailed information, reference should be made to Iowa Code chapters 85 through 87, 17A and chapter 876 of the Iowa Administrative Code.

A sequential model for older workers' labor transitions after a health shock

In this work we study older workers'(50-64) labor force transitions after a health/disability shock. We find that the probability of keeping working decreases with both age and severity of the shock. Moreover, we find strong interactions between age and severity in the 50-64 age range and none in the 30-49 age range. Regarding demographics we find that being female and married reduce the probability of keeping work. On the contrary, being main breadwinner, education and skill levels increase it. Interestingly, the effect of some demographics changes its sign when we look at transitions from inactivity to work. This is the case of being married or having a working spouse. Undoubtedly, leisure complementarities should play a role in the latter case. Since the data we use contains a very detailed information on disabilities, we are able to evaluate the marginal effect of each type of disability either in the probability of keeping working or in returning back to work. Some of these results may have strong policy implications.

Identifying and Implementing Effective Training for Hispanic Craft Workers, American Supervisors, and DOT Inspectors: Phase III of the Hispanic Workforce Research Project, May 2006

The number of Hispanic workers in the U.S. construction industry has been steadily increasing, and language and cultural barriers have sometimes arisen on the jobsite. Due in part to these barriers, the number of fatalities among Hispanics at construction sites in 2001 jumped 24%, while construction fatalities overall dropped 3%. This study, which constitutes Phase III of the Hispanic Workforce Research Project, addresses these language and cultural barriers by investigating the most effective way to deliver training material developed in Phases I and II to Hispanic workers, American supervisors, and department of transportation (DOT) inspectors. The research methodology consisted of assessing the needs and interests of potential and current course participants in terms of exploring innovative ways to deliver the training. The training courses were then adapted and delivered to fit the specific needs of each audience. During Phase III of this project, the research team delivered the courses described in the Phase I and II reports to eight highway construction companies and two DOT groups. The courses developed in Phases I and II consist of four construction-focused language training courses that can be part of an effective training program to facilitate integration among U.S. and Hispanic workers, increase productivity and motivation at the jobsite, and decrease the existing high mortality rate for Hispanic workers. Moreover, the research team developed a course for the construction season called Toolbox Integration Course for Hispanic workers and American supervisors (TICHA), which consists of nine 45-minute modules delivered to one construction company over 11 weeks in the summer of 2005.

Local Roads Maintenance Workers��� Manual, June 2006

This manual describes best roadway maintenance practices for Iowa's local roads and streets, from the center line to shoulders, ditches, and drainage, with chapters on public relations, bridge maintenance, and snow and ice control. Each chapter contains safety tips, information(as appropriate) on managing quality control, and a list of references for further information.

Work-related stress according to the demand-control model and minor psychic disorders in nursing workers

This was a cross-sectional study that aimed to assess the association between work-related stress according to the Demand-Control Model, and the occurrence of Minor Psychic Disorder (MPD) in nursing workers. The participants were 335 professionals, out of which 245 were nursing technicians, aged predominantly between 20 and 40 years. Data were collected using the Job Stress Scale and the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20. The analysis was performed using descriptive and analytical statistics. The prevalence of suspected MPD was 20.6%. Workers classified in the quadrants active job and high strain of the Demand-Control Model presented higher potential for developing MPD compared with those classified in the quadrant low strain. In conclusion, stress affects the mental health of workers and the aspects related to high psychological demands and high control still require further insight in order to understand their influence on the disease processes of nursing workers.

Home Care Workers Wage and Benefit Survey

Study to determine the wage and benefit status of Iowa's Home Care Workers.

Occupational low back pain in nursing workers: massage versus pain

Objective: To assess the efficacy of massage for decreasing occupational low back pain in workers of a Nursing team in an Emergency Room. Method: A randomized controlled trial, using a socio-demographic/morbidity questionnaire and a Pain Numeric Scale. Forty-five subjects were randomly allocated for intervention (G1 – Massage by acupressure), placebo group (G2 – application of Garlium Arseneid Laser 904nm turned off) and control (G3 – no intervention). Results: The main triggering factor, as well as the worsening of pain, was the patient manipulation, both with a prevalence of 34.9%. The main treatment for low back pain before this research was the use of medication, with a prevalence of 44.2%. In accordance with a variance analysis, only G1 presented a significant statistical difference, with a better result after 12 sessions. Massage presented an enormous effect (d = 4.59), corresponding to 86% of reduction in the pain level. Conclusion: Massage was effective to decrease occupational low back pain of those Nursing workers.