Development and Preliminary Validation of an Index for Indicating the Risks of the Design of Working Hours to Health and Wellbeing

Abstract

BASS 4, a computer program for the design and evaluation of workings hours, is an example of an ergonomics-based software tool that can be used by safety practitioners at the shop floor with regard to legal, ergonomic, and economic criteria. Based on experiences with this computer program, a less sophisticated Working-Hours-Risk Index for assessing the quality of work schedules (including flexible work hours) to indicate risks to health and wellbeing has been developed to provide a quick and easy applicable tool for legally required risk assessments. The results of a validation study show that this risk index seems to be a promising indicator for predicting risks of health complaints and wellbeing. The purpose of the Risk Index is to simplify the evaluation process at the shop floor and provide some more general information about the quality of a work schedule that can be used for triggering preventive interventions. Such a risk index complies with practitioners' expectations and requests for easy, useful, and valid instruments.

Consistency and Accuracy of the Medical Subject Headings® Thesaurus for Electronic Indexing and Retrieval of Chronobiologic References

“…The result did not change when the same heading was used as a text entry to search not only the MeSH headings but also the abstracts and titles of the references; again, only 12.3% of the chronobiologic articles were identified. The result was even worse with the use of the term chronobiology disorders for the search descriptor, as it was found to be associated only with one (2.4%) reference (Arendt, 2006) out of the 41 articles dealing with disruptions of cycles of bodily functions or activities (Arendt, 2006;Arraj & Lemmer, 2006;Berge et al, 2005;Borodkin et al, 2005;Cajochen et al, 2006;Chacon et al, 2005;Costa et al, 2006;de Pinho et al, 2006;Doljansky et al, 2005;Dorrian et al, 2006;Eriksen & Akerstedt, 2006;Haynes et al, 2005;Herwig et al, 2006;Jay et al, 2006;Koch & Fischer-Barnicol, 2005;Kocher et al, 2006;Lammers-van der Holst et al, 2006;Lamond et al, 2006;Lavie & Lavie, 2007;Lemmer et al, 2005;Mansour et al, 2005;Monk et al, 2006;Murray et al, 2005;Oginska & Pokorski, 2006;Paul & Lemmer, 2007;Petrilli et al, 2006;Raediker et al, 2006;Rosenwasser et al, 2005;Rupp et al, 2007;Schomann et al, 2006;Steele et al, 2005;Takahashi et al, 2006;Tucker et al, 2006;Van der Heijden et al, 2005;…”

Arbeits(zeit)schutz nach Art der BRD – am Beispiel der COVID-19-Arbeitszeitverordnung

“…B. Schomann et al 2006;Giebel et al 2009). Dennoch würde man sich in dem vorliegenden Fall der nahezu kompletten Aussetzung von Schutzvorschriften bei den theoretisch wie praktisch zu erwartenden Effekten schon aus ethischen Gründen keine spezifische Validierung der Prognose der aversiven Effekte wünschen -die mit der Verordnung legalisierten Arbeitszeitmodelle liegen schließlich außerhalb des arbeitswissenschaftlich vorstellbaren Denkraumes.…”

Vital Working Hour Schemes: The Dynamic Balance between Various Interests

“…The ergonomic knowledge of working hours is central and an extremely important theme of these proceedings (cf. Costa et al, 2006;Folkard et al, 2006;Knauth et al, 2006;Raediker et al, 2006;Schomann et al, 2006;Tucker et al, 2006). The bottom line is that inconvenient working hours pose, sometimes strongly, an increased risk for the well-being and health of employees.…”