A Case Study in Forensics, Macroergonomics, and Work-Related Musculoskeletal Injuries in Call Center Work

Author(s):  
Joseph Cohen ◽  
H. Harvey Cohen

This case study describes a personal injury case and expert opinions expressed by a HF/E expert concerning work-related musculoskeletal injuries sustained by a 43 year-old female call center service representative. The circumstances surrounding this case are unusual as it involves a suit brought against an employer by an employee in the State of California, a physically adequate workstation design, and a cumulative rather than acute injury. The HE/E expert examined the deposition testimony, interview data and reviewed the literature as part of his analysis and concluded that the scientific literature establishes a link between the known organizational stress factors existing at the defendant's workplace and symptoms of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Furthermore, the defendant's ergonomics safety program was deficient in proactively dealing with the plaintiff's injuries. The HF/E expert's analysis and testimony ultimately proved important in establishing liability on the part of the defendant.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 336
Author(s):  
Jelena Maric ◽  
Djukic Aleksandra ◽  
Branislav Antonic ◽  
Danilo Furundzic ◽  
Vladimir Parezanin

Working people spend around 54% of their waking hours at a workplace, according to recent statistics. Work-related stress is unavoidable, and it can damage the health of employees and affect business performance. In this paper, we argue that open space inside the workplace environment can have a positive influence on reducing overall stress levels in all the categories of users. To our knowledge, there is a significant lack of research considering specific business districts and the gated complexes called business parks, especially in post-socialist Eastern European cities, where there they are still a novelty. Empirical research in this study is on the single case study of Business Park “Airport city” in Belgrade, Serbia. Its main focus is on the survey conducted with 235 participants based on a questionnaire, which examines the relation between workplace stress and workplace environments. The findings from the questionnaire show that the frequency, duration, and activity of open space usage influence the stress levels of employees in this specific workplace, while it is not visible relating to their age and gender. Additionally, final implications suggest that improved open space, such as well-expected greenery, but also the urban design non-associative to workspace and the socialization and exercise amenities customized for frequent and short work breaks, can facilitate the overall well-being of employees. They are innovative elements in relatively underdeveloped research on stress measures with open space usage characteristics in the specific (gated) workplace setting.


2016 ◽  
Vol 65 (8) ◽  
pp. 346-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hye-Jin Kim ◽  
Jina Choo

Little evidence links emotional labor to either psychological or physical health. This study determined whether the two types of emotional labor (i.e., surface vs. deep acting) were significantly associated with depressive symptoms and work-related musculoskeletal disorders in call center workers. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 274 workers recruited from a call center in Seoul, South Korea. In adjusted regression models, levels of surface, but not deep, acting were significantly and positively associated with depressive symptoms. Higher surface acting levels were significantly and positively associated with low back pain; higher deep acting levels were significantly and inversely associated with low back pain. Study findings could inform occupational health nurses as they delineate differentiated strategies, according to the nature of surface and deep acting, to promote psychological and physical health in call center workers.


2013 ◽  
Vol 70 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. A23.3-A24
Author(s):  
H M W Marucci-Wellman ◽  
Wegman ◽  
Leamon ◽  
Binh ◽  
Diep ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 225 (4) ◽  
pp. e158
Author(s):  
Sherise Epstein ◽  
Bao Ngoc N. Tran ◽  
Qing Z. Ruan ◽  
Dhruv Singhal ◽  
Bernard T. Lee

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7109
Author(s):  
Gabriela Dima ◽  
Luiza Meseșan Schmitz ◽  
Marinela-Cristina Șimon

This paper aimed to explore the changes posed by the new COVID-19 pandemic to the field of social work and its impact on social workers in terms of job stress and burnout in Romania. Two conceptual models were used to frame the discussion: the theoretical framework of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) to discuss the challenges that the unprecedented context of the COVID-19 pandemic has created for social workers; and the Job Demands and Resources model (JD-R) to understand job demands perceived as stressors and burnout. Based on convergent mixed methods, the study sample consisted of 83 social workers employed in statutory and private social services in Romania, from different areas of intervention. Results showed that social workers perceived a high level of job stress related to work during the pandemic, which was associated with higher levels of burnout in the areas of personal burnout (average score 55.9) and work-related burnout (average score 52.5). Client-related burnout was lower (average score 38.4), indicating that stress was generated mainly by organisational factors and work-related factors (workload, aligning to new legislative rules and decisions, inconsistency, instability, ambiguity of managerial decisions, and lack of clarity of working procedures) and less by client-related stressors (lack of direct contact with clients, risk of contamination, managing beneficiaries’ fears, and difficulties related to technology). High job demands and limited job resources (managerial and supervisory support, financial resources, and recognition and reward) led to a high to very high level of work-related burnout for 15.7% and an upper-medium level for 44.2% of respondents. A group of 27.7% reported lower to medium levels of work-related burnout, while 14.5% had very low levels, managing to handle stress factors in a healthy manner. Study results pointed to the importance of organisational support and the development of a self-care plan that help to protect against job stress and burnout. Recommendations were made, putting forward the voice of fieldworkers and managers fostering initiatives and the application of sustainability-based measures and activities designed to deal with the challenges of the VUCA environment.


2020 ◽  
pp. 131-139
Author(s):  
Charles V. Breakfield ◽  
Roxanne E. Burkey
Keyword(s):  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esma Kilinc ◽  
Sumeyra Akkaya ◽  
Metin Kapidere

This study was conducted to reveal the aspect of distance education studies on teaching of mathematics with the evaluation by class teachers during the Covid-19 Pandemic period. 24 primary school teachers from Onikisubat district of Kahramanmaras province have participated in the research. The semi-structured interview form developed in line with the expert opinions was applied to the primary school teachers separately. This study was required in order to evaluate the events experienced in the distance education process due to the coronavirus pandemic and the effects of the pandemic on the field of education in the direction of the opinions of the class teachers. Qualitative research was carried out to interpret any situation from a different perspective in the study, and a case study has been conducted to reach the depth of the situation. As a data collection tool, a semi-structured interview form was prepared with the approval of expert opinions. After the data were brought together, content analysis was carried out by giving similar descriptions and describing them in a way that the reader could comprehend. The sample of the study consisted of teachers who personally experienced the process in the nearby environment, which consists of easily accessible situation sampling in order to accelerate the study. It is thought that it will be important to work properly execution of the processes that may occur in such times by determining the causes and consequences of the situations experienced in the field of education due to reasons such as the suspension of face-to-face education and the cessation of schools after the pandemic in the world. As a result of the research, suggestions will be made for the studies that can be done about teaching mathematics in distance education.


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