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Although prior research has documented the harmful effects of shiftwork on health and well-being, the relationship between shiftwork and other workplace stressors remains unclear. The current study addresses this gap by using longitudinal data from three cycles of the National Population Health Survey to explore 1) the direct effects of shiftwork and JDCSM variables (job demands, job control, social support, and mastery) on health and well-being, 2) whether shiftwork moderates the effects of JDCSM variables, and 3) whether the effects of shiftwork are mediated by these variables. In addition, “reverse” causal relationships between four measures of strain and workplace stressors are investigated. The results suggest that shiftwork is associated with a reduction in job satisfaction over two cycles. However, there was no evidence of a relationship between shiftwork and changes in chronic health conditions, psychological distress, or health-related quality of life. Consistent with the JDCSM model, increased job demands predicted more distress and less job satisfaction, while greater mastery predicted less distress and more job satisfaction. In addition, job control and social support predicted improved health-related quality of life. The associations were more consistent with the thesis’s predictions across two cycles than across three. There was only weak support for the hypotheses that shiftwork moderates the effects of JDCSM variables. However, there was evidence that changes in job control and social support mediate the effects of shiftwork on job satisfaction. There was also support for reverse causal effects between various outcomes and workplace stressors. However, the prediction that shiftwork moderates these reverse effects received only weak and inconsistent support. Exploratory analyses found specific JDCSM and strain variables to predict an individual’s continuation in shiftwork over time. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Denna uppsats undersöker konsekvenserna av den svenska skolans kommunaliseringen under perioden tidigt 1990 - tal till början av 2012. Huvudsyftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka hur arbetsförhållandena har förändrats för lärarna samt ge förslag på hur rådande system kan förbättras. Tre olika områden har undersökts närmre; förändringen av lärarnas lönenivå, lärarnas arbetstid och lärarnas arbetsuppgifter. Den rent konkreta frågeställningen i uppsatsen är: Hur har den kommunala skolan utvecklats när det gäller lönenivå, arbetstid och arbetsuppgifter och vilka konsekvenser har det fått för lärarna under perioden början av 1990-talet fram till början av 2012? Material till detta arbete har hämtats ifrån intervjuer med två rektorer och två lärare som har arbetat i skolan före, under och efter kommunaliseringen, samt de kollektivavtal som slutits mellan den offentliga skolans arbetsgivare och de två största fackförbunden för lärare, Lärarförbundet och Lärarnas Riksförbund, under den undersökta tidsperioden. Fokus på undersökningen av avtalen har varit på de tre tidigare nämnda huvudområdena och resultaten av dessa undersökningar har sedan jämförts med de utsagor som framgått i intervjuerna med lärarna och rektorerna. Uppsatsen avslutas med en diskussion där det framgår att tre tydliga linjer kan skönjas när det gäller den svenska skolans kommunalisering. Till att börja med så har lärare haft en väldigt låg ökning av lönenivån i jämförelse med många andra yrkeskategorier med en likartad längd på utbildningen, vidare har lärarnas självständighet gällande kontroll av den egna arbetstiden minskat i omfattning och slutligen har lärarnas uppdrag ändrats från att handla om att "undervisa elever" till att "planera arbete tillsammans med elever och arbeta som en pedagogisk ledare". Författaren till uppsatsen argumenterar för att en ökning av antalet karriärsteg för lärare, ett förtydligande av hur och till vad arbetstiden ska användas, samt en återgång till det läraruppdrag som handlade om att "undervisa eleverna", skulle leda till högre lönenivåer och status samt en generell ökning av lärarnas arbetsvillkor i Sverige. / This paper examines the consequences of the decentralization of the Swedish school system since the early 1990’s until the beginning of 2012. The main purpose of this paper is to examine how the change influenced the working environment for the teachers. Focus has been on three specific areas regarding the teacher’s wage, working hours and task assignments. The main question for this paper is as follows: How has the decentralization since the early 1990’s to the early 2012 of the Swedish public school system, developed with regard to wages, working hours and task assignments – and what impact has it had on the teachers? Material for this paper has been gathered from interviews from two teachers and two headmasters who has been working in the school before and after it was decentralized and from collective bargaining contracts between the public school employers and the two main trade unions for teachers in Sweden, Lärarförbundet and Lärarnas Riksförbund. Every contract has been examined with regards to the three main areas to be examined and the results from these has been cross-referenced with the answers from the interviews to create what could be described as a chronicle of the decentralization of the Swedish school system. The paper concludes with a discussion that states that since the decentralization three visible trends are shown. First the teachers has had a very low wage increase in comparison with other fields of work with a similar length of education, second they have lost some of their former independence when it comes to the possibility to control their own working hours and third, their main purpose in school has moved from “teaching students” to “planning work together with the students and work as an educational leader”. The author argues that by creating more career steps for teachers, giving the teachers more clear directives on what they should do on their working hours and by changing back the teachers purpose to start teaching students again, would lead to both higher wages and status and a better working environment for the teachers in Sweden.

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In 2004, 5,190 people were killed due to a traffic accident involving a commercial motor vehicle (CMV), up from 4,793 people killed in 2001 (Traffic Safety Facts, 2004; Traffic Safety Facts, 2001). Driver drowsiness is an important issue to consider when discussing CMVs. According to the FMCSA, over 750 people are killed and 20,000 people are injured each year due to drowsy CMV drivers (as cited in Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, 2001). Driver drowsiness is an important issue for CMV drivers for several reasons, including long work shifts, irregular schedules and driving long hours on interstates and highways with no scenic interruptions to help keep the driver alert. Because of these and other factors, including the high mileage exposure that CMV drivers face, drowsiness is an important issue in a CMV driver's occupation. There were two main goals to this research: 1) gain a better understanding of the time-related occurrences of drowsy-related critical incidents (i.e., crashes, near-crashes and crash-relevant conflicts), and 2) obtain drivers' opinions of the 2004 Revised Hours-of-Service regulations. To do this, recent data were used from a Field Operational Test conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in which 103 participants drove in an instrumented heavy vehicle for up to 16 weeks; video data, and sensor data were collected from each participant. In addition, actigraph data was collected from 96 of the 103 participants. Each vehicle was instrumented with four video cameras to capture images of the drivers face, the forward roadway, and the adjacent lanes on each side of the truck. In addition, multiple sensors were installed in the vehicle in order to collect data such as the driver's speed, braking patterns and steering wheel movement. These data were combined to provide a complete picture of each driver's environment and behavior while they drove their normal routes. Data analysts reviewed the data for critical incidents (crashes, near-crashes, and crash-relevant conflicts) and determined a drowsiness level for each incident; these downiness levels were compared to drowsiness levels of baseline incidents (i.e., normal driving periods). The results show that drivers were more likely to have a drowsy-related critical incident between 2:00 pm and 2:59 pm. In addition to the video and sensor data, each driver was asked to fill out a subjective questionnaire regarding the revised HOS regulations. Drivers preferred the revised HOS regulations over the old HOS regulations and the number one item that was preferred in the revised HOS regulations is the 34-hour restart which allows drivers to restart their work week by taking off 34 consecutive hours. / Master of Science

Syftet med föreliggande studie var att undersöka upplevelsen av den psykosociala arbetsmiljön beroende av anställningsform och kön. Datainsamlig genomfördes med ett nyutvecklat frågeformulär (EPA), som är baserat på de senaste föreskrifterna gällande organisatorisk och social arbetsmiljö. EPA bestod av sju moduler; arbetsbelastning, arbetsorganisation, handlingsutrymme, kunskap och utveckling, ledarskap, stöd samt återhämtning. I studien deltog 80 personer, 40 personer hade reglerad arbetstid som jämfördes med 38 personer som hade oreglerad arbetstid,  35 var män och 45 var kvinnor. Resultatet visade att de med oreglerad arbetstid upplevde den psykosociala arbetsmiljön något bättre men det var inte statistiskt signifikant. Männen upplevde den psykosociala arbetsmiljön bättre än kvinnorna men det fanns ingen statistisk signifikant skillnad.  För modul ledarskap fanns en statistiskt signifikant skillnad mellan könen, där männen upplevde ledarskapet bättre. Vidare förelåg inga skillnader i arbetsmiljön beroende på anställningsform eller kön. / The aim with the present study was to study the psychosocial work environment depending on employment and sex with a newly developed questionnaire (EPA), which was based on the latest regulations regarding organizational and social work environment. The questionnaire consisted of seven modules; workload, work organization, margin of action, leadership, support, knowledge and development and recuperation. In this study 80 persons participated, 40 of them had regulated working hours and 38 had unregulated working hours, 35 were men and 45 were women. The results of the study showed that persons with unregulated working hours experienced the work environment slightly better, but the result was not statistic significant. Men experienced the work environment better then women, but the result was not statistic significant. There was a statistic significant difference though, in module leadership, showing that men had a better experience of leadership. Further, the result showed that there was no diffrences in the workenvironment depending on employment and sex.

Utifrån ett historiskt perspektiv så har arbetsmarknaden blivit mer gränslös och flexibel. Gränslöshet har inneburit en förminskning av stabilitet och tydliga referensramar, exempelvis när arbetsdagen börjar och slutar. Arbetsmarknadens flexibilitetsförändring har bland annat inneburit introduktion av flextider, individuellt ansvar, nya och osäkrare arbetsförhållanden. För att komma underfund med dessa arbetsmarknadsförändringar har studien granskat arbetets och arbetstidens betydelse med utgångspunkt i tillgänglighet efter arbetstid. För att besvara syftet genomfördes 18 intervjuer med informanter från HRM-sektorn och analyserades med en tematisk analys. Studiens teoretiska referensram har utgjorts av Ulrich Becks och Zygmunt Baumans tankar om individualisering samt en förstudie om tillgänglighet efter arbetstid. Studiens resultat visar att det finns företeelser att beakta i arbetet och arbetstiden utifrån tillgänglighet efter arbetstid. De är ansvar, struktur- och flexibilitetsförändringar. Ansvaret handlar om en omfördelning av mer ansvar från organisation till person. Strukturförändringar som kan hämma flexibilitet, strypa produktiviteten eller avgränsa arbetet. Slutligen flexibilitetsförändringar som möjliggör nya arbetstider, arbetsplatser och arbetsförhållanden. / From a historical perspective, the labor market has become more boundless and more flexible. Boundlessness has thus led to a reduction of stability and clear reference frameworks, for example when the working day begins and ends. The labor market's flexibility change meant introducing flexible times, with individual responsibility, new and insecure working conditions. To undermine these labor market changes, the study has examined the importance of work and working time based on availability after working hours. In response to the purpose, 18 interviews were conducted with informants from the HRM-sector and analyzed by a thematic analysis. The theoretical reference frame of the study is based on Ulrich Beck's and Zygmunt Bauman's thoughts on individualization as well as a preliminary study on accessibility after working hours. The results of the study indicate that work and working hours have factors to consider. They are responsible, structural and flexible changes. Responsibility shows a redistribution of responsibility from organization to person. Structural changes that can hamper flexibility, iron out productivity or delimit work. Finally, flexibility changes that allow new working hours, workplaces and working conditions.