Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
| Women's health and work, 4-6 march 2015 - Brussels
Women’s work environment, health and ergonomics 2012 - 2014
Minke Wersäll
Swedish Work Environment Authority
2015-03-04 1
| Women's health and work, 4-6 march 2015 - Brussels 2
Experience
• The assignment
• State of knowledge reports
• Development of methods
• Gender perspective on systematic work environment management
2015-03-04
|
The assignment from the Swedish Government
Preventing the exclusion of women from working life due to factors in the work environment
• State of knowledge
• Information
• Development of methods
• Training of inspectors
• Performance of inspections
• Cooperation with other actors
Women's health and work, 4-6 march 2015 - Brussels 2015-03-04 3
|
Background
• Women have a higher registered absence due to illness than men.
• Women report more injuries than men.
• Musculoskeletal disorders are the most common cause of reported occupational diseases.
• More women than men leave the workforce prematurely.
2015-02-18Mirja Johansson - Urlika Söderman-Wramsby - Minke Wersäll 4
|
State of knowledge reports
• “Ergonomic studies from a production and system perspective”, Professor Jörgen Eklund, Dept of Ergonomics, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
• Physical work, gender and health in working life, PhD Charlotte Lewis and Professor Svend Erik Mathiassen, Center for Musculoskeletal Research at the University in Gävle
• “Under the magnifying glass”. Work environment and organisation from a gender theoretical perspective, PhD Annika Vänje, Dept of Ergonomics, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
2015-03-04Women's health and work, 4-6 march 2015 - Brussels 5
| Women's health and work, 4-6 march 2015 - Brussels 6
Ergonomics for health as well as for performance
• A strong correlation between ergonomics and quality
• Multifactorial ergonomic interventions are more effective in comparison with more limited interventions
• In gender-segregated workplaces, ergonomic improvements tend to fail due to "order is restored" if no work is taking place with the attitudes at organisational level(Lena Abrahamsson)
2015-03-04
| Women's health and work, 4-6 march 2015 - Brussels
State of knowledge reports
• Ergonomic interventions and measures in a systems perspective, Professor Jörgen Eklund, Dept of Ergonomics, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
• ”Physical work, gender and health in working life”, PhD Charlotte Lewis and Professor Svend Erik Matthiassen, Center for Musculoskeletal Research at the University in Gävle
• “Under the magnifying glass”. Work environment and organisation from a gender theoretical perspective, PhD Annika Vänje, Dept of Ergonomics, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
2015-03-04 7
|
Fa
ctors (e
xem
ples)
Society
Organisation
Individual
Segregated labor marketDifferent jobs
Gender roles, traditions in occupations
jobs tasks loads effectsSame physiological effect,different effects
Workplace design, muscle strengthjobs tasks Same task,
different loads
Employer attitudes inherent gender
rolesjobs
Same job,different tasks
Attitudes in health and among authorities
jobs tasks loads effects Beha-viours
Same behaviour,different treatments
Hormone profile, muscle endurancejobs loads
Same loads,different physiological effects
tasks
2015-03-04Women's health and work, 4-6 march 2015 - Brussels 8
|
• Men and women have different tasks in the same occupations. This is an essential explanation for differences in work related musculoskeletal disorders between men and women.
• Men and women have different workloads on the same task.This is an important explanation for differences in work related musculoskeletal disorders between men and women.
• Men and women have different physiological responses despite the same work load. But this can not in any particular extent explain differences in prevalence of work related musculoskeletal disorders between men and women.
Work organization; Allocation of work Working tools;
Individual
Individual;Biology
Summary of research
2015-03-04Women's health and work, 4-6 march 2015 - Brussels 9
| Women's health and work, 4-6 march 2015 - Brussels
State of knowledge reports
• Physical work, gender and health in working life, PhD Charlotte Lewis and Professor Svend Erik Matthiassen, Center for Musculoskeletal Research at the University in Gävle
• Ergonomic interventions and measures in a systems perspective, Professor Jörgen Eklund, Dept of Ergonomics, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
• “Under the magnifying glass”. Work environment and organisation from a gender theoretical perspective, PhD Annika Vänje, Dept of Ergonomics, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
2015-03-04 10
| Women's health and work, 4-6 march 2015 - Brussels 11
“Under the magnifying glass"
• Traditional beliefs and expectations about how women and men should be inhibit continuous improvements and innovations in the work environment.
• The employer needs to have special knowledge about the role gender has in organisations in order to pursue an active work environment.
• Management support is crucial, since the improvement process may require investment and influence the prevailing structures.
2015-03-04
| Women's health and work, 4-6 march 2015 - Brussels 12
Prevention - development of methods
• Identifying risks of WRMSDaccording to the provisionson ergonomics (AFS 2012:02)
• Introduction of new methods- duration- frequency
- intensity
2015-03-04
|
Gender reflections
• Women work more with repetitive work and with emotionally demanding work than men
• Myths like: …”nimble fingers” for females and ”clumsy fingers” in men…have to be identified and counteracted
• How are knowledge requirements handled in male and female dominated businesses respectively?
2015-03-04Women's health and work, 4-6 march 2015 - Brussels 13
|
Good practice
• Karlskoga hospital, prized for ”Swedish quality 2012” and ”Swedish Team Excellence Award 2014”
• Teaching patient transfers with a minimum of effort saves both backs and money
• Through structured work with a committed leadership they have succeeded in preventing pressure sores among patients as well as creating a safe working environment for staff.
2015-03-04Women's health and work, 4-6 march 2015 - Brussels 14
|
….and lessons learned
• A gender dialogue based on three questions to be asked at each visit:
• How many of the employees are women and men?
• Do women and men perform the same tasks - do they have the possibility to influence the work environment to the same extent?
• Ask for gender disaggregated statistics on absence due to illness
2015-03-04Women's health and work, 4-6 march 2015 - Brussels 15
| Women's health and work, 4-6 march 2015 - Brussels
Crucial factors explaining differences
• Gender patterns in society also at work: women's work is valued less - occupational risks are not made visible enough and therefore not addressed sufficiently.
• The gender-segregated labor market contributes significantly to the fact that women are at greater risk of strain injuries
• Women and men in the same profession often work with different tasks and load thus differently. Women work more closely with unilateral and repetitive tasks or patient transfers.
• Women work more closely with meetings and contacts with people which often involves a psychosocial stress
• When women and men work on the same things in the same work place, the strain is still different because the tools, protective equipment and workstations are often not suitable for women.
• Many employers and workers lack sufficient knowledge to prevent musculoskeletal injuries in their operations
2015-03-04 16
|
Challenges…
• Management commitment
• Increased skills in assessing the risk of WRMSDs provide safer workplaces for women and men
• System perspective on ergonomics
• Improvement of methods needed
• A gender-sensitive approach a necessity in order to create a better understanding of women's health and safety
2015-03-04Women's health and work, 4-6 march 2015 - Brussels 17
| Women's health and work, 4-6 march 2015 - Brussels
Sustainable work environment by gender equality and a balanced
work [email protected]
2015-03-04 18
