<p>The aim of this study was to investigate how a workplace should be formed to promote health according to the employees. The study was made in IKEA handla hemma in Älmhult, Sweden. The aim of the study was to find out why people experience health at their workplace environment, from a salutogenetic point of view. The study is based on 12 strategically selected interviews and where analysed according to Grounded Theory. This resulted in a model where the core category was “The prevailing spirit of the organisation” and the five main categories was “That the organisation creates favourable conditions to promote health”, “That there is a god atmosphere amongst the colleagues and the bosses”, “The personal point of view about health”, “The relationship to goals and responsibility” and “The personal point of view about their surroundings”. The result shows that it’s important to look upon health in its entirety. Health isn’t stronger than its weakest point. The findings should work as a guide in the on going work with the employees at IKEA handla hemma. For the future it would be interesting to do a study in a workplace with worse health and then compare them with each other.</p>

Ett högt ohälsotal i arbetslivet innebär stora kostnader för samhället, arbetsgivare och även för de anställda. Forskningen inom detta område har flyttat fokus från att studera ohälsa till att istället studera hälsa och vilka faktorer som befrämjar hälsa i arbetslivet, de så kallade friskfaktorerna. Föreliggande studies övergripande syfte var att studera om upplevelsen av organisationsrättvisa och personlighets¬faktorn work locus of control predicerar upplevd hälsa hos kollektivanställda män och kvinnor. Studien genomfördes utifrån ett kvantitativt perspektiv med 103 deltagare som besvarade en enkät. Svarsfrekvensen var 22,5 % och resultatet visade att work locus of control predicerar upplevd hälsa för männen och procedural rättvisa predicerar upplevd hälsa för kvinnorna. Studien fann i övrigt inte några könsskillnader i undersökta variabler. Keywords: occupational health, organizational justice, work locus of control, gender.

The aim of this study was to investigate how a workplace should be formed to promote health according to the employees. The study was made in IKEA handla hemma in Älmhult, Sweden. The aim of the study was to find out why people experience health at their workplace environment, from a salutogenetic point of view. The study is based on 12 strategically selected interviews and where analysed according to Grounded Theory. This resulted in a model where the core category was “The prevailing spirit of the organisation” and the five main categories was “That the organisation creates favourable conditions to promote health”, “That there is a god atmosphere amongst the colleagues and the bosses”, “The personal point of view about health”, “The relationship to goals and responsibility” and “The personal point of view about their surroundings”. The result shows that it’s important to look upon health in its entirety. Health isn’t stronger than its weakest point. The findings should work as a guide in the on going work with the employees at IKEA handla hemma. For the future it would be interesting to do a study in a workplace with worse health and then compare them with each other.

With rapidly rising health care expenditures, health care cost containment has become a major issue facing this nation. A phenomenal growth in worksite health promotion has occurred with the recognition that these programs have the potential to reduce these costs. However, to be effective as a cost containment strategy, health promotion programs must successfully attract participants, particularly those whose health is most at-risk. Due to limited research on issues of participation, there is a need to investigate the characteristics of individuals attracted to worksite health promotion programs and the factors that influence their participation. The purpose of this study was to explore the characterization of participants and nonparticipants and to examine the factors that influence participation in health promotion programs. A self-selected participant group (n=173) was compared to a nonparticipant group (n =146) with respect to sociodemographic characteristics, health care costs, health status, and health risk behaviors. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from the employer's records and from a questionnaire designed to address specific components of the program. Results indicated that management/administrative staff were more likely to participate in the health promotion program than were classified or faculty staff. For the period of the survey, participants were also more likely to be nonsmokers and were less likely to be injured on-the-job during one of the survey years. The workers' compensation claims costs for nonparticipants were significantly higher in one survey year and over the two-year average period considered. However, the nonparticipant claims were strongly influenced by one costly claim in 1988. The two groups did not differ when the absenteeism data from the employer's records were analyzed. In addition, it was found that subjects with the highest levels of participation also had the fewest number of children living in the household. Time constraints as a result of job schedule, work/activity load, and meeting times of the activities were the most important factors limiting participation in the program. Further research is needed to assess program effectiveness and program impact upon employee health and health care costs. The analysis should be conducted over a longer period of time and comparisons should be made within as well as between groups. / Graduation date: 1992

Med risk för långvarig stress bland anställda inom socialtjänsten, ställs höga krav på chefer i ett psykosocialt arbete. Då socialtjänst är ramstyrt, söker bistånd samt har svårigheter i prioritering av arbetet ställer detta frågan hur chefer upplever förutsättningen till det psykosociala arbetsmiljöarbetet. Sex chefer inom en socialförvaltning har intervjuats. Intervjuerna analyserades genom en innehållsanalys med ett manifest fokus. Resultaten visar en homogen upplevelse att med rätt inställning finns förutsättningar för ett arbete som gynnar den psykosociala arbetsmiljön. Det finns möjligheter som medvetenhet, interventioner för stress och visioner samt att den psykosociala arbetsmiljön diskuteras i olika forum och har kontinuerlig uppföljning.  Dock fanns hinder som sociala aktiviteter, arbetsbelastning, rekrytering och lokaler. Bristande resurser och bristande stöd från kommunalt styre motverkar interventioner på organisationsnivå för att förebygga stress och ohälsa på arbetsplatserna.  Resultaten tyder på att det behövs mer forskning för bättre vägledning och prioritering av den psykosociala arbetsmiljön inom socialtjänsten.

This study aims to investigate potential B2B customer segments in Umeå concerning company-wellness and rehabilitation services. We will investigate the market, identify a prospect target market and evaluate this target market on commission from Svenska-Re. The company Svenska-Re offers a service where customers travel to Gran Canaria, Spain, for a three week rehabilitation program. They offer various programs and are specialized in work-related injuries. By evaluating the target market we will investigate if there is an interest and need of the services provided by Svenska-Re in Umeå.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of California, San Francisco, 2009. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-06, Section: B, page: 3427. Adviser: OiSaeng Hong.

Donning protective clothing for mitigation of hazard from chemical agents poses a problem in the form of heat stress. When choosing protective clothing, many factors must be taken into account including insulative properties and evaporative resistance. This study calculated and compared Re,T,a for three clothing ensembles at levels of heat stress past the level of compensation for heat gain to determine if Re,T,a values varied or remained the same with changes in heat stress level. A three-way mixed model analysis of variance demonstrated significant differences for estimated Re,T,a values among ensembles, heat stress levels and interactions among ensembles and heat stress levels (p < 0.0001). A significant interaction between heat stress levels and ensembles was identified (p<0.05). The results of the study indicated that Re,T,a values are affected by levels of heat stress such that increasing levels were associated with lower values of Re,T,a. The study also helped to illustrate that Re,T,a values are not a constant associated with clothing, walking speed, and air speed.

The effects of cure time, cure temperature, and air circulation on the release of 4-phenylcyclohexene (4-PCH) in tufted carpet backed with carboxylated styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) latex were examined in this research project. 4-PCH is a suspect cause of certain "building-related" illnesses such as headache, upper respiratory and eye irritation, and fatigue. A standardized method for preparing carpet backed with SBR latex and analyzing its 4-PCH content was developed. The cure parameters investigated included three cure temperatures (225, 250 and 275°F), six cure times (0, 5, 10, 20, 40 and 60 minutes), and three air circulation rates (zero, three air exchanges per minute, and ten air exchanges per minute with 1500 linear feet per minute airflow). Increased airflow (1500 linear feet per minute) over the carpet surface produced the greatest impact on 4-PCH release from carpet. Increasing the cure temperature and cure time also significantly increased the release of 4-PCH.

Företagshälsovården är en expertresurs som kan anlitas vid hjälp med frågor och insatser inom arbetsmiljö och rehabilitering. Företagshälsovården skall enligt arbetsmiljölagen särskilt arbeta för att förebygga hälsorisker på arbetsplatser. Rapporter inom området pekar dock på att företagshälsovården i huvudsak anlitas för att arbeta med efterhjälpande insatser. Studiens syfte var således att undersöka företagshälsovårdsanställdas arbetsinnehåll och hur de upplever att innehållet påverkar deras arbetstillfredsställelse. Åtta personer ifrån en region i Mellansverige deltog i studien. Data samlades in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer som spelades in och transkriberades ordagrant. Materialet analyserades utifrån en tematisk analys där teman som besvarade studiens frågeställningar identifierades. De anställda visade sig arbeta mest med tertiära och sekundära preventionsinsatser. Mängden förebyggande arbete sågs som tillfredsställande. Arbetsinnehållet upplevdes som positivt och ansågs vara viktigt för arbetstillfredsställelsen. Återkoppling på det utförda arbetet ansågs dock vara en viktigare faktor. Slutsatsen dras att företagshälsovårdsanställdas nuvarande arbetssituation är stabil men bör inte tas för given.