Can varying the number of teams in a shift schedule constitute a preventive strategy?

OBJECTIVE: The study examines the implications for shiftworkers of applying different numbers of teams in the organization of shiftwork. METHODS: The participating operators came from five different companies applying continuous shift rotation systems. The companies shared the same product organization and a common corporate culture belonging to the same multinational company. Each company had a shift system consisting of four, five or six teams, with the proportion of shifts outside day work decreasing as the number of teams increased. Questionnaire and documentary data were used as data sources. RESULTS: Operators in systems with additional teams had more daywork but also more irregular working hours due to both overtime and schedule changes. Operators using six teams used fewer social compensation strategies. Operators in four teams were most satisfied with their work hours. Satisfaction with the time available for various social activities outside work varied inconsistently between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: In rotating systems the application of more teams reduces the number of shifts outside day work. This apparent improvement for shiftworkers was counteracted by a concomitant irregularity produced by greater organizational requirements for flexibility. The balance of this interaction was found to have a critical impact on employees.

Conflicts between employee preferences and ergonomic recommendations in shift scheduling: regulation based on consent is not sufficient

OBJECTIVE: Contribution to the discussion of the role of participation/consent of employees in working hours regulation. METHODS: Exploratory analysis of conflicts between preferences of employees and ergonomic recommendations in shift scheduling by analysing a large number of participative shift scheduling projects. RESULTS: The analysis showed that very often the pursuit of higher income played the major role in the decision making process of employees and employees preferred working hours in conflict with health and safety principles. CONCLUSIONS: First, the consent of employees or the works council alone does not ensure ergonomically sound schedules. Besides consent, risk assessment procedures seem to be a promising but difficult approach. Secondly, more research is necessary to check the applicability of recommendations under various settings, to support the risk assessment processes and to improve regulatory approaches to working hours.

Linking better shiftwork arrangements with safety and health management systems

OBJECTIVE: Various support measures useful for promoting joint change approaches to the improvement of both shiftworking arrangements and safety and health management systems were reviewed. A particular focus was placed on enterprise-level risk reduction measures linking working hours and management systems. METHODS: Voluntary industry-based guidelines on night and shift work for department stores and the chemical, automobile and electrical equipment industries were examined. Survey results that had led to the compilation of practicable measures to be included in these guidelines were also examined. The common support measures were then compared with ergonomic checkpoints for plant maintenance work involving irregular nightshifts. On the basis of this analysis, a new night and shift work checklist was designed. RESULTS: Both the guidelines and the plant maintenance work checkpoints were found to commonly cover multiple issues including work schedules and various job-related risks. This close link between shiftwork arrangements and risk management was important as shiftworkers in these industries considered teamwork and welfare services to be essential for managing risks associated with night and shift work. Four areas found suitable for participatory improvement by managers and workers were work schedules, ergonomic work tasks, work environment and training. The checklist designed to facilitate participatory change processes covered all these areas. CONCLUSIONS: The checklist developed to describe feasible workplace actions was suitable for integration with comprehensive safety and health management systems and offered valuable opportunities for improving working time arrangements and job content together.

Diversity and equity: dealing with biological and social differences

In the context of the design of working hours inequities in health associated with biological, psychological, social, and socioeconomic diversities can be observed. The paper first tries to set up a frame of reference for a discussion of this topic, relating to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and some recent discussions on equity in health and then goes into some factors that produce inequities in health in the context of the design of working hours, dealing with sex or gender, age and job age, personality traits, marital status, social support, diversities in values, and socio-economic differences; the discussion deals with approaches on how to deal with these differences and inequities.

Multidimensional aspects related to shiftworkers' health and well-being

The impact of shift and night work on health shows a high inter- and intra-individual variability, both in terms of kind of troubles and temporal occurrence, related to various intervening factors dealing with individual characteristics, lifestyles, work demands, company organisation, family relations and social conditions. The way we define "health" and "well-being" can significantly influence appraisals, outcomes and interventions. As the goal is the optimisation of shiftworkers' health, it is necessary to go beyond the health protection and to act for health promotion. In this perspective, not only people related to medical sciences, but many other actors (ergonomists, psychologists, sociologists, educators, legislators), as well as shiftworkers themselves. Many models have been proposed aimed at describing the intervening variables mediating and/or moderating the effects; they try to define the interactions and the pathways connecting risk factors and outcomes through several human dimensions, which refer to physiology, psychology, pathology, sociology, ergonomics, economics, politics, and ethics. So, different criteria can be used to evaluate shiftworkers' health and well-being, starting from biological rhythms and ending in severe health disorders, passing through psychological strain, job dissatisfaction, family perturbation and social dis-adaptation, both in the short- and long-term. Consequently, it appears rather arbitrary to focus the problem of shiftworkers' health and tolerance only on specific aspects (e.g. individual characteristics), but a systemic approach appears more appropriate, able to match as many variables as possible, and aimed at defining which factors are the most relevant for those specific work and social conditions. This can support a more effective and profitable (for individuals, companies, and society) adoption of preventive and compensative measures, that must refer more to "countervalues" rather than to "counterweights".

Job control, job demands, social support at work and health among adolescent workers

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate physical and psychological dimensions of adolescent labor (such as job demands, job control, and social support in the work environment), and their relation to reported body pain, work injuries, sleep duration and daily working hours. METHODS: A total of 354 adolescents attending evening classes at a public school in São Paulo, Brazil, answered questionnaires regarding their living and working conditions (Karasek's Job Content Questionnaire, 1998), and their health status. Data collection took place in April and May 2001. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine relations among variables. RESULTS: Psychological job demands were related to body pain (OR=3.3), higher risk of work injuries (OR=3.0) and reduced sleep duration in weekdays (Monday to Thursday) (p<0.01). Lower decision authority in the workplace (p=0.03) and higher job security (p=0.02) were related to longer daily working hours. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that besides physical stressors, psychological factors are to be taken into account when studying adolescent working conditions, as they may be associated with negative job conditions and health effects.

Self-managing agents for dynamic scheduling in manufacturing

The main purpose of this paper is to propose a Multi-Agent Autonomic and Bio-Inspired based framework with selfmanaging capabilities to solve complex scheduling problems using cooperative negotiation. Scheduling resolution requires the intervention of highly skilled human problem-solvers. This is a very hard and challenging domain because current systems are becoming more and more complex, distributed, interconnected and subject to rapidly changing. A natural Autonomic Computing (AC) evolution in relation to Current Computing is to provide systems with Self-Managing ability with a minimum human interference.

Exposure to particles in Portuguese swine production

Several studies have shown that human exposures to airbome dust and microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, can cause respiratory diseases. Agricultural workers have been found to be at high risk of exposures to airborne particles. From a human health perspective dust exposure in pig farming is the most important risk because of the large number of workers needed in pig production and the increasing number of working hours inside enclosed buildings. In the pig buildings, particulate matters like dust play a role in not only deteriorating indoor air quality but also can cause an adverse health effect on workers. Generally, dust is recognized to adsorb and transport odorous compounds and biological agents. The aim of this study was to determine particles contamination in 7 swine farms located in Lisbon district, Portugal.

Health, sleep and lack of time: relations to domestic and paid work in nurses

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether reported morbidity and complaints of lack of time and sleep are associated with the burden of professional work and housework among nurses. METHODS: A cross-sectional exploratory study was carried out among female nurses and nurse assistants (N=206) of a public hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire. The prevalence ratio and 95% confidence intervals were estimated. RESULTS: Mean duration of professional work and housework time was 40.4 and 31.6 hours/week, respectively. Long professional working time (over 44 hours/week) were associated with mild emotional disorders (PR=1.37; 95% CI: 1.05-1.80), complaints of lack of time for resting/leisure (PR=1.61; 95% CI: 1.31-1.97), housework (PR=1.48; 95% CI: 1.12-1.97), and childcare (PR=1.99; 95% CI: 1.51-2.63). Long housework time (over 28 hours/week) was associated with lower prevalence of lack of time for childcare (PR=0.62; 95% CI: 0.46-0.84). High housework load was associated with lack of personal time and complaints of varicose veins (PR=1.31; 95% CI: 1.14-1.50 and PR=1.31; 95% CI: 1.08-1.58, respectively). Complaints of varicose veins were also frequent among female nurses with a total work load above 84 hours (PR=1.30; 95% CI: 1.05-1.61), though this group has shown a lower prevalence of arterial hypertension and recurrent headaches (PR=0.35; 95% CI: 0.15-0.83 and PR=0.53; 95% CI: 0.32-0.89, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that both professional and home environments are relevant in the evaluation of work overload on nurses' health and their family and social life. It is stressed the need for instruments for analyzing total workload among female populations.

Pesticides and respiratory symptoms among farmers

OBJECTIVE: Despite the intensive use of pesticides in agriculture there are few studies assessing the risk of respiratory conditions from this exposure. The study aimed at quantifying the prevalence of respiratory symptoms among farmers and evaluating its relationship with occupational use of pesticides and the prevalence of respiratory symptoms. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,379 farmers from two municipalities of Southern Brazil in 1996. Frequency and type of chemical exposure and pesticide poisoning were recorded for both sexes. All subjects aged 15 years or older with at least 15 weekly hours of agricultural activity were interviewed. An adapted questionnaire developed by the American Thoracic Society was used for the assessment of respiratory symptoms. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was carried out. RESULTS: More than half (55%) of interviewees were male. The prevalence of asthma symptoms was 12% and chronic respiratory disease symptoms was 22%. Higher odds ratios for both asthma (OR=1.51; 95% CI: 1.07-2.14) and chronic respiratory disease (OR=1.34; 95% CI 1.00-1.81) symptoms were found in women. Logistic regression analysis identified associations between many forms of exposure to pesticides and increased respiratory symptoms. Occurrence of pesticide poisoning was associated with higher prevalence of asthma symptoms (OR=1.54; 95% CI: 1.04-2.58) and chronic respiratory disease symptoms (OR=1.57; 95% CI: 1.08-2.28). CONCLUSIONS: In spite of causality limitations, the study results provide evidence that farming exposure to pesticides is associated with higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms, especially when the exposure is above two days per month.

Effect of temperature and prey in the biology of Scymnus subvillosus (Goeze) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Dissertação de Mestrado, Biotecnologia em Controlo Biológico, 18 de Dezembro de 2013, Universidade dos Açores.

Motivations which influence volunteers' satisfaction

In this paper we attempt to find out which motivations influence volunteers satisfaction. So, in a first moment, we categorize satisfaction through a factor analysis and then use linear regression models to find out the relations previously mentioned. Furthermore we analyse the existence of correlations between some demographic attributes and the other variables. In this research the population under study includes volunteers that work in the health area, more precisely volunteers that work in hospital and have direct contact with patients and their families. We obtained a total of 327 questionnaires and after excluding incomplete answers we get 304 questionnaires which embody a response rate of 36%. The outcomes of our analysis reveal that we can categorize satisfaction into intrinsic and extrinsic categories and show that motivations related to belonging and protection and career recognition are the ones influencing extrinsic satisfaction; motivations associated to development and learning and altruism are the ones with higher effect in intrinsic satisfaction. There are some negative correlations between age and extrinsic satisfaction, between years of participation and extrinsic satisfaction, between education and the motivation related to belonging and protection and between age and the motivation related to career recognition. There is only one positive correlation between hours per week and intrinsic satisfaction. The results offer new insights for research about volunteers’ motivations, motive fulfillment and volunteer satisfaction. Furthermore the outcomes advocate that to ensure satisfied volunteers, their motivations must be identified in a timely and appropriate moment, meaning that should happened as early as possible.

Comportamentos interactivos das educadoras de infância em salas de creche em função do tipo de actividades e das características estruturais do contexto

O presente artigo pretende examinar a quantidade, qualidade e adequação dos comportamentos interactivos das educadoras em salas de creche, em actividades livres e estruturadas, investigando a sua relação com aspectos de estrutura destes contextos. Participaram neste estudo 30 responsáveis por salas de creche da Área Metropolitana do Porto (incluindo 5 auxiliares de acção educativa). Os comportamentos interactivos das educadoras foram avaliados com a Escala de Interacção Educador-Criança (Farran, & Collins 1995). Os resultados obtidos sugerem que as educadoras exibem maior quantidade de comportamentos interactivos no decurso de actividades estruturadas (r = .65) e que a adequação destes comportamentos é superior quando estes profissionais têm bacharelato ou licenciatura (rь=.57), quando auferem salários superiores (r = .42) e quando despendem menos horas de trabalho directo com as crianças (r = -.37). A qualidade dos comportamentos interactivos está relacionada com o salário auferido (r = .43). As implicações práticas dos resultados obtidos são discutidas com o objectivo de analisar formas possíveis de alcançar níveis de excelência em contextos de educação de infância.

Reliability of nasal auscultation and their relation to middle ear condition – a clinical interest to pediatrics respiratory physiotherapy

Background: Acute respiratory infections are usual in children under three years old occurring in upper respiratory tract, having an impact on child and caregiver’s quality of life predisposing to otitis media or bronchiolitis. There are few valid and reliable measures to determine the child’s respiratory condition and to guide the physiotherapy intervention. Aim: To assess the intra and inter rater reliability of nasal auscultation, to analyze the relation between sounds’ classification and middle ear’s pressure and compliance as well as with the Clinical Severity Score. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was composed by 125 nursery children aged up to three years old. Tympanometry, pulmonary and nasal auscultation and application of Clinical Severity Score were performed to each child. Nasal auscultation sounds’ were recorded and sent to 3 blinded experts, that classified, as “obstructed” and “unobstructed”, with a 48 hours interval, in order to analyze inter and intra rater reliability. Results: Nasal auscultation revealed a substantial inter and intra rater reliability (=0,749 and evaluator A - K= 0,691; evaluator B - K= 0,605 and evaluator C - K= 0,724, respectively). Both ears’ pressure was significantly lower in children with an "unobstructed" nasal sound when compared with an “obstructed” nasal sound (t=-3,599, p<0,001 in left ear; t=-2,258, p=0,026 in right ear). Compliance in both ears was significantly lower in children with an "obstructed" nasal sound when compared with “unobstructed” nasal sound (t=-2,728, p=0,007 in left ear; t=-3,830, p<0,001 in right ear). There was a statistically significant association between sounds’ classification and tympanograms types in both ear’s (=11,437, p=0,003 in left ear; =13,535, p=0,001 in right ear). There was a trend to children with an "unobstructed" nasal sound that had a lower clinical severity score when compared with “obstructed” children. Conclusion: It was observed a good intra and substantial inter reliability for nasal auscultation. Nasal auscultation sounds’ classification was related to middle ears’ pressure and compliance.

Avaliação dos comportamentos de pastejo e suas relações com caracteres individuais dos bovinos de corte

Pós-graduação em Zootecnia - FCAV