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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
111

Predicting work-related flow in the chemical industry / Erika Maree

Maree, Erika January 2008 (has links)
In a new world of work characterised by competitiveness, benchmarking, technological innovation and efficiency, the South African chemical industry needs to function at an optimal level to meet the demands of its stakeholders and employees. The industry needs leadership of the highest standard and an efficient, productive workforce. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between leader empowering behaviour, self-efficacy, job resources and work-related flow for employees in the chemical industry. More specifically, it was examined whether personal and organisational resources facilitated flow at work, and whether employees who experienced flow mobilised more resources over time. The research method consisted of a literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect the data. An availability sample (N= 213) from employees in the chemical industry was taken. A biographical questionnaire and a self-constructed instrument (JDRS) were used to measure the unique job demands and job resources in the chemical industry. Along with the JDRS, the WOrk-reLated Flow Scale (WOLF), the Leader Empowering Behaviour Questionnaire (LEBQ) and General Perceived Self-efficacy Questionnaire (GPSQ) were used as measuring instruments. The statistical analysis was conducted with the help of the SPSS program. The results of the research indicate that the availability of leader empowering behaviour (i.e. delegation of authority, self-directed decision making, information sharing, and coaching for innovative performance), self-efficacy and job resources (i.e. supervision, availability of resources and autonomy) can result in higher levels of work-related flow in the workplace. Recommendations were made for future research. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.
112

Underemployment and Health-related Quality of Life

Raykov, Milosh M. 25 February 2010 (has links)
Considering the increasing levels of unemployment and underemployment, and the limited evidence concerning the impact of underemployment on health, my study examines the relations between subjective, objective, and time-related underemployment and employees’ health-related quality of life, as manifested through self-rated health, activity limitations and work-related stress. The study compares an expanded model of work-health relations that, along with the factors addressed by control-demand, and social capital theories, includes characteristics of the physical work environment, and employees’ economic class. In addition to the commonly examined factors related to employment and health (control-demand and social capital), my study explores the impact of the work environment (hazards, discomfort and physical demands) and economic class to determine the specific effects of underemployment on an employee’s health-related quality of life. My main argument is that underemployment, in conjunction with lower economic class, higher exposure to a harmful work environment, lack of control over work, and lower social capital, contributes to increased work-related stress and diminishes health-related quality of life. The study applies a mixed methodological approach based on data from the Canadian Work and Lifelong Learning Survey and the US General Social Survey, and qualitative analysis of interviews from the Ontario Survey on Education-Job Requirements Matching. Evidence based on cross-sectional and qualitative data analysis provides consistent findings and confirms the main assumption that high levels of underemployment have a significant effect on employees’ health-related quality of life. The study shows that employees’ economic class, characteristics of work environment and control over work carry the highest associations with health-related quality of life, while underemployment has a significant additive association with health-related quality of life, most importantly with work-related stress.
113

Occupational Exposure to Wood Dust

Alwis, Kuruppuge Udeni January 1998 (has links)
ABSTRACT Occupational exposure to wood dust and biohazards associated with wood dust (endotoxins, (1->3)-b-D-glucans, Gram (-)ve bacteria and fungi), their correlation to respiratory function, and symptoms among woodworkers have been investigated in the present study. Wood dust, endotoxins, and allergenic fungi are the main hazards found in woodworking environments. Relatively very few studies have been done on wood dust exposure. The present study was designed to comprehensively investigate the health effects of wood dust exposure, and in particular provide new information regarding: Exposure to (1->3)-b-D-glucans in an occupational environment; Levels of exposure to wood dust and biohazards associated with wood dust in different woodworking environments; Correlations among personal exposures, especially correlations between (1->3)-b-D-glucans and fungi exposures, and endotoxins and Gram (-)ve bacteria exposures; Effects of personal exposure to biohazards on lung function; Effects of personal exposure to biohazards on work-related symptoms; and Determinants of inhalable exposures (provide which factors in the environment influence the personal inhalable exposures). Workers at four different woodworking processes; two logging sites, four sawmills, one major woodchipping operation and five joineries situated in the state of New South Wales in Australia were studied for personal exposure to inhalable dust (n=182) and respirable dust (n=81), fungi (n=120), Gram (-)ve bacteria (n=120), inhalable endotoxin (n=160), respirable endotoxin (n=79), inhalable (1->3)-b-D-glucan (n=105), and respirable (1->3)-b-D-glucan (n=62). The workers (n=168) were also tested for lung function. A questionnaire study (n=195) was carried out to determine the prevalence of work-related symptoms. The geometric mean inhalable exposure at logging sites was 0.56 mg/m3 (n=7), sawmills 1.59 mg/m3 (n=93), the woodchipping mill 1.86 mg/m3 (n=9) and joineries 3.68 mg/m3 (n=66). Overall, sixty two percent of the exposures exceeded the current standards. Among joineries, 95% of the hardwood exposures and 35% of the softwood exposures were above the relevant standards. Compared with green mills, the percentage of samples, which exceeded the hardwood standard was high for dry mills (70% in dry mills, 50% in green mills). The respirable dust exposures were high at the joineries compared with the other worksites. Exposure levels to fungi at logging sites and sawmills were in the range 103-104 cfu/m3, woodchipping 103-105 cfu/m3 and joineries 102-104 cfu/m3. The predominant fungi found at sawmills were Penicillium spp. High exposure levels of Aureobasidium pullulans were also found at two sawmills. At the woodchipping mill the predominant species were Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium spp., and Paecilomyces spp. The sawmills, which employed kiln drying processes, had lower exposure levels of fungi compared with the green mills. Those workplaces which had efficient dust control systems showed less exposure to fungi and bacteria. Although mean endotoxin levels were lower than the suggested threshold value of 20 ng/m3, some personal exposures at sawmills and joineries exceeded the threshold limit value. The mean inhalable (1->3)-b-D-glucan level at the woodchipping mill was 2.32 ng/m3, at sawmills 1.37 ng/m3, at logging sites 2.02 ng/m3, and at joineries 0.43 ng/m3. For the respirable size fraction, mean endotoxin and mean (1->3)-b-D-glucan concentrations were much lower, being similar to observed dust concentrations. Significant correlations were found between mean inhalable endotoxin and Gram (-)ve bacteria levels (p<0.0001), and mean airborne inhalable (1->3)-b-D-glucan and fungi levels (p=0.0003). The correlations between mean respirable endotoxin levels vs Gram (-)ve bacteria exposure levels (p=0.005), and respirable (1->3)-b-D-glucan exposure levels vs total fungi levels (p=0.005) were also significant. Significant correlations were found between lung function and personal exposures. Multivariate analyses showed that the effect of all the personal exposures on cross-shift decrements in lung function was more prominent among sawmill and chip mill workers compared with joinery workers. Woodworkers had markedly high prevalence of cough, phlegm, chronic bronchitis, frequent headaches, throat and eye irritations, and nasal symptoms compared with controls. Among the woodworkers, smokers had a high prevalence of chronic bronchitis (20%) compared with non-smokers (10%). Some workers also reported a variety of allergy problems due to exposure to various types of wood dust. Both joinery workers and sawmill and chip mill workers revealed significant correlations between work-related symptoms and personal exposures. Chronic bronchitis was significantly correlated with personal exposure to wood dust, endotoxin, (1->3)-b-D-glucan, fungi, and Gram (-)ve bacteria among joinery workers. Whereas among sawmill workers chronic bronchitis was significantly correlated with personal exposure to endotoxin, (1->3)-b-D-glucan, and fungi. Woodworkers showed significant positive correlations between percentage cross-shift change (decrease) in lung function and respiratory symptoms. Significant inverse correlations were also found among percentage predicted lung function and respiratory symptoms. The elevated inhalable dust exposures observed in this study can be explained by a combination of factors, including: lack of awareness of potential health effects of wood dust exposure among both management and workers, aging equipment, inadequate and ineffective dust extraction systems or usually none especially for hand held tools, poor maintenance of the ventilation system in some, non-segregation of dusty processes, dry sweeping, and the use of compressed air jets. The determinant-of-exposure analysis confirmed the field observations. The significant determinants of personal inhalable dust exposures (n=163) were found to be: local exhaust ventilation, job title, use of hand-held tools, cleaning method used, use of compressed air, and green or dry wood processed. Type of wood processed was not found to be statistically significant. A majority of workers (~90%) did not wear appropriate respirators approved for wood dust, while the workers who did wear them, used them on average less than 50% of the time. Workers should be protected by controlling dust at its source. When exposure to wood dust cannot be avoided, engineering controls should be supplemented with the use of appropriate personal protective equipment.
114

The epidemiology of work-related fatalities in Australia

Driscoll, Timothy Robert January 2002 (has links)
Doctor of Philosophy(PhD) / Background: There is no on-going information on the number, rate or circumstances of work-related fatal injury in Australia. This thesis reports on a study aimed to identify and describe all work-related fatalities that occurred in Australia during the four-year period 1989 to 1992, in order to make a significant contribution to the effectiveness of activity designed to prevent work-related traumatic death. Methods: A broad definition of work was used, with particular focus on workers and bystanders. The study also included the injury-related deaths of volunteers, students, persons performing home duties and persons fatally injured on farms but not due to obvious farm work. The data were obtained primarily from coronial files. Files were found for 99.7% of the deaths of interest. Detailed results are presented on the work-related deaths of workers, bystanders and persons fatally injured while engaged in home duties. The results for workers are also compared with those from an earlier study of work-related fatalities in Australia, which covered the years 1982 to 1984 inclusive. Other aspects of work-related deaths are considered in detail, including the effect of employment arrangements; their coverage by occupational health and safety and compensation agencies; their handling by the coronial system; the role of External Cause codes in identifying and monitoring work-related injury deaths; and the reliability and validity of the definitions used to classify work-related injury deaths. Results: There were 2,413 persons fatally injured while working or commuting during the study period (1,787 working; 626 commuting), with a rate of death for working persons of 5.5 per 100,000 persons per year. This compared to the rate of 6.7 for working deaths during 1982 to 1984, with just under half of the decline probably due to changes in the industry distribution of the workforce. Another 802 persons were fatally injured as a result of someone else’s work activity, and 296 persons aged 15 years and over were fatally injured while undertaking active tasks in an unpaid and informal capacity in their own home or in someone else’s home. Thirty-four percent of working deaths were not covered by either occupational health and safety (OHS) or compensation agencies. A consideration of External Cause codes for the period 1979 to 1997 inclusive suggested there was a yearly decrease in the rate of workplace deaths of 2.6% per year, with less than half of this change due to industry changes in the workforce. Deaths occurring in a small number of particular circumstances were found to pose classification problems. Conclusion: Fatal work-related trauma remains an important problem for the Australian community. By understanding how and why these deaths occur, appropriate steps can be taken to prevent similar incidents recurring. It is expected that the results reported here, and other information that has arisen from the study, will make an important contribution to developing this understanding and preventing the occurrence of work- related traumatic death in Australia.
115

Självskattad aktivitetsbalans och arbetsrelaterad stress : hos universitetslärare / Self-perceived occupational balance and work-related stress : among university lectures

Eliasson, Karolin, Sörensen, Lena January 2018 (has links)
SAMMANFATTNING Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att beskriva skattad förekomst av arbetsrelaterad stress och aktivitetsbalans hos universitetslärare. Metod: Uppsatsen hade en kvantitativ ansats och baserades på insamlat datamaterial från en enkätundersökning med självskattningsinstrumenten Work Stress Questionnaire (WSQ) och Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ). Undersökningsgruppen var ett totalurval av all undervisande personal vid en institution på ett universitet i Sverige och totalt svarade 41 universitetslärare. Data analyserades explorativt och presenterades med deskriptiv statistik. Resultat: Deltagarna i studien skattade generellt en låg förekomst av arbetsrelaterad stress (utifrån WSQ) samt låg grad av aktivitetsbalans (utifrån OBQ). Vidare visade resultaten, gällande relation mellan arbetsrelaterad stress och aktivitetsbalans, att deltagare som skattat låg grad av aktivitetsbalans även skattat högre förekomst av arbetsrelaterad stress. Slutsats: Studien visade att deltagare som skattat en lägre aktivitetsbalans även skattat högre arbetsrelaterad stress inom kategorierna Konflikt mellan arbete och fritid, Upplevd stress pga. otydlig organisation och konflikter samt Upplevd stress pga. höga egna krav och engagemang vilket eventuellt indikerar att det kan finnas ett samband mellan låg aktivitetsbalans och hög arbetsrelaterad stress. / ABSTRACT Aim: The aim of this study was to describe self-perceived incidence of work-related stress and occupational balance among university lectures. Method: The essay had a quantitative approach and was based on data collected from a survey of the Work Stress Questionnaire (WSQ) and Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ) self-assessment tools. The study group was a total selection of all teaching staff at an institution at a university in Sweden and 41 lectures responded. The data was explored exploratively and presented with descriptive statistics. Results: The participants in the study generally estimated a low incidence of work-related stress (based on WSQ) and low occupational balance (based on OBQ). Furthermore, the results, current relationship between work-related stress and occupational balance showed that participants who estimated a low level of occupational balance also estimated higher incidence of work-related stress. Conclusion: The study showed that participants who estimated a lower occupational balance also estimated higher work-related stress in the categories of Conflict between work and leisure, Experienced stress due to unclear organization and conflicts and Experienced stress due to high self-esteem and commitment which may indicate that there may be a correlation between low occupational balance and high work-related stress.
116

Arbetsrelaterad stress : En kvalitativ studie om arbetsrelaterad stress inom ett företag i förändring

Lindberg, Emil, Georges, Sulaiman January 2018 (has links)
The aim of this study is to qualitatively examine the individual's perspective of work-related stress. The research has been delimited to one of Postnord's offices. The study is based on Antonovsky (1979) Theory Sense of Coherence (SOC) to investigate the individual's experience of stress. With the help of Sense of Coherence (SOC), the study investigated how postmen express their experience of work-related stress with the key components of comprehension, manageability and meaningfulness. In response to the goal of the study, semistructured interviews were conducted on eight participants from Postnord. The results of the study showed that high work demands were one of the reasons behind the stress they felt. The lack of support from colleagues due to the structure of the work was another reason that affected the individual's experience of stress. Finally, the results also revealed that the participants perceived that they were unable to decide on their own work, which affected the experience of a lack of opinion in the workplace.
117

Adaptação transcultural do questionário \"cultural study of musculo-skeletal and other symptoms and associated disability\" CUPID Questionnaire / Transcultural adaptation of the questionnaire cultural study of muscular-skeletal and other symptoms and associated disability CUPID Questionnaire

Andrea Lepos Ferrari 14 May 2009 (has links)
Este estudo objetivou a adaptação transcultural do questionário Cultural Study of Musculo-Skeletal and Other Symptoms and Associated Disability - CUPID Questionnaire, para a língua portuguesa falada no Brasil e a validação do seu conteúdo. O estudo é do tipo metodológico e foi realizado obedecendo aos procedimentos internacionais recomendados e aos procedimentos específicos indicados pelo autor do Questionário, uma vez que será aplicado em estudo multicêntrico por ele coordenado. A adaptação transcultural foi realizada seguindo as etapas de tradução, retrotradução, avaliação destas versões por um comitê de juízes e pré-teste da versão pré-final. O pré-teste foi realizado no Departamento de Enfermagem do Hospital Universitário da Universidade de São Paulo com 40 trabalhadores de enfermagem. Ajustes foram feitos após a análise das traduções pelo comitê de juízes quando o Índice de Validade de Conteúdo foi inferior a 80%. A versão resultante do questionário foi então pré-testada para verificar a capacidade compreensão e preenchimento pelos sujeitos e a possibilidade de ajustes, considerando o indicativo de ajustes quando 15% destes apresentassem dificuldades em relação ao preenchimento. Os resultados do pré-teste apontam um número significativo de trabalhadores de enfermagem com dores em região lombar, ombro, cotovelo, punho e/ou mão e joelho, associados a sintomas psicossociais e demais incapacidades. A análise das respostas dos sujeitos aos itens do Questionário não evidenciou dificuldades de compreensão e entendimento na totalidade dos itens, indicando a validade de seu conteúdo para a língua portuguesa falada no Brasil. Conclui-se que a versão Brasileira do CUPID Questionnaire é um instrumento adequado para identificar os sintomas musculoesqueléticos, indicados pelos trabalhadores de enfermagem, relacionados às atividades ocupacionais, aspectos psicossociais e outras incapacidades associadas / The objective of this study was to adapt the Transcultural Questionnaire Cultural Study of Muscular-Skeletal and Other Symptoms and Associated Disability CUPID Questionnaire, to the Portuguese language spoken in Brazil and to validate its contents. This methodological study was performed in accordance with internationally recommended procedures and the specific procedures indicated by the Questionnaires author since it will be applied in a multicenter study coordinated by the author. The transcultural adaptation was performed following the steps of translation, back-translation, evaluation of these versions by a committee of judges and pre-test version of the pre-final. The pre-test was performed in the Nursing Department of University Hospital at the University of Sao Paulo with 40 nursing workers. Adjustments were made after an analysis of the translations by a committee of judges when an index of content validation was less than 80%. The resulting version of the questionnaire was then pre-tested to verify the capacity of comprehension and form completion by the subjects and the possibility of adjustments considering an adjustment indicator when 15% of them presented difficulty related to form completion. The results of this pre-test showed that a significant number of Nursing workers complained of pain in the regions of lumbar, shoulder, elbow, wrist and or hand and knee, symptoms associated with psychosocial and other disabilities. Analysis of the subjects responses to items of the questionnaire revealed no difficulty in the comprehension and total understanding of the items indicating a validity of its contents for the Portuguese language spoken in Brazil. It can be concluded that the Brazilian Version of the CUPID Questionnaire is an adequate instrument for the identification of musculoskeletal symptoms indicated by nursing workers related to occupational activities, psychosocial aspects and other associated incapacities
118

Sjuksköterskors upplevelser av arbetsrelaterad stressoch faktorer som bidrar till arbetsrelaterad stress : en litteraturöversikt / Nurses’ experience of occupational stress and factors which contribute to occupational stress : a literature review

Eriksson, Carolina, Karlsson, Maria January 2014 (has links)
Background: Long-term stress can lead to reduced health among nurses which can result in impaired quality of care. Stress in nurses' work needs to be studied in order to prevent stress and impaired quality of care. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe nurses' experience of occupational stress and factors that contribute to occupational stress. Method: The method used was a literature review. Results: The analysis resulted in five themes which describe nurses' experiences of occupational stress and factors that contribute to occupational stress. These themes are; The nursing profession's change, Experience and education, High workload, Organization and work environment and Practical nursing. The result in this study shows that the strongest factors contributing to occupational stress in the nursing profession was; administrative work, objectification of patients, nurses' work experience and level of education, understaffing, high workload, time pressure, lack of support from management, cost savings, patient safety and palliative care. The nurses' experienced that their profession is changing and that the management does not appreciate or listen to them. Nurses' experienced feelings of inadequacy and powerlessness when they could not give patients good care because of occupational stress. They were afraid to hurt patients because of the stressful work environment. Conclusion: This study gives a deeper understanding of how nurses experience occupational stress and found several factors contributing to occupational stress. These findings can be used by health management and others to prevent occupational stress for nurses.
119

Upplevelse av stress i arbetslivet hos fysioterapeuter inom primärvård : En kvalitativ intervjustudie

Hållén, Isabelle, Jansson, Fia January 2018 (has links)
Background: Physiotherapist is one health care profession with an increased exposedness for work-related burnout. Purpose: To investigate the experience of work-related stress in physiotherapists within primary health care in Sweden as well as coping strategies to manage stress at work.   Design and method: Qualitative design based on semi-structured interviews. Five physiotherapists from different workplaces in two different regions in Sweden attended in the study. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze and process collected data. Results: The physiotherapists experienced high workload, increased stress levels, working overtime, staff shortages as well as expectations and demands as stressors in the workplace. Poor quality at work and in meetings with patients were mentioned as consequences of work-related stress. Facilitating factors and coping strategies to abate stress were used in terms of good self-efficacy in the profession, having collegial support, physical activity as well as being content with the current life-situation outside of work. Conclusion: Social support in the workplace is an important factor to abate stress among physiotherapists in primary health care in Sweden. The result illustrates the importance of being observant on contributive factors for work-related stress. Coping strategies to counteract stress were also mentioned in the study. / Bakgrund: Fysioterapeuter är en av flera vårdprofessioner som har en ökad utsatthet för arbetsrelaterad utbrändhet. Syfte: Att undersöka upplevelse av stress i arbetslivet hos fysioterapeuter inom primärvård samt hur de hanterar den stress som kan uppstå. Metod: Kvalitativ design i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer användes. Fem fysioterapeuter, från olika arbetsplatser inom primärvården samt från två olika regioner i Sverige, intervjuades utifrån författarnas intervjuguide. Intervjuerna bearbetades och analyserades genom kvalitativ innehållsanalys.   Resultat: Fysioterapeuterna upplevde bidragande faktorer i form av bland annat ökad stressnivå, hög arbetsbelastning, övertidsarbete, låg bemanning samt krav inom arbetet. Underlättande faktorer som framkom var trygghet i arbetsrollen, kollegialt stöd på arbetsplatsen samt en god livssituation utanför arbetet. Nedsatt kvalité i arbetet och patientbemötandet var konsekvenser som uppkom till följd av arbetsrelaterad stress. Stresshanteringsstrategier såsom tydlighet i mötet med patienten och ta hjälp av kollegor nämndes. Utanför arbetstid användes även fysisk aktivitet samt att ”varva ned” som strategier. Konklusion: Stöd från kollegor och ledning är viktigt hos fysioterapeuter i primärvård för att minska risken för upplevd arbetsrelaterad stress. Studien uppmärksammar vikten av att vara observant på faktorer som tyder på upplevd arbetsrelaterad stress samt att använda individuella stresshanteringsstrategier hos fysioterapeuter inom primärvård.
120

A Survey of perceived disability and contributing risk factors to work-related low back pain amongst nurses in Rwanda

Ndagijimana, Pierre Claver January 2011 (has links)
Masters of Science (Physiotherapy) / Nursing is worldwide regarded as a high risk occupation for the development of work-related low back pain (WRLBP). LBP is one of the most common causes of disability, creating an important socio-economic problem in modern society. Studies report that more than 80% of workers suffer from WRLBP once in their occupational lives. Among nurses, the lifetime prevalence has been found to be higher, varying up to 90% of a nursing population. The current study aimed at determining the prevalence, perceived disability and contributing/risk factors to WRLBP among nurses in Rwanda, identifying the perceived contributing risk factors of WRLBP and intervention strategies received by those nurses. A descriptive quantitative cross-sectional survey using convenience sampling was used to gather data with a self-administered questionnaire on a sample of 226 nurses. The study population included all registered nurses of Kabgayi District Hospital and Nyanza District Hospitals and their respective health centers. To be included, the nurses had to have suffered from WRLBP during the previous 6 months before data collection. The Nordic Back Pain Questionnaire, the Oswestry Disability Index and an open-ended questionnaire regarding perceived risk factors have been used. Descriptive statistics to summarize data and inferential statistics such as chisquare test to test the relationship between different variables of the study have been studied at 5% levels. Correlation coefficients in terms of cross-tabulation were also studied at 1% level of significance. The current study highlights one-month prevalent rates of 70.4%, and one-week prevalent rates of 54.4%. WRLBP among nurses has been found to be significantly associated with gender according to the p-value of 0.007 among the studied variables, and good correlation coefficients between disability scores, together with the length of WRLBP and BMI with 0.0001, 0.0030 respectively. Nurses in the current study reported WRLBP as a result of a wide range of factors related to their work, manual handling being the major physical work activity exposing them to WRLBP. The perceived risk factors for WRLBP reported in this study were classified into 4 categories. The first category included work positional factors such as standing, sitting, bending, and awkward work postures. The second group included work-related nursing tasks such as lifting patients and items at work, repositioning and transferring patients, bed making, washing patients, and many others. In the third group, psychosocial factors like poor relationship with colleagues, work pressure and reduced job satisfaction have been listed. Finally, some non-occupational factors such as aging, pregnancy, menstruation, history of back pain, being female and body built have also been perceived as contributing factors to WRLBP. The Oswestry Disability Index demonstrated a mild to moderate disability due to WRLBP in this group of nurses. WRLBP has a negative impact in health services due to activity limitation, lost time and lowered productivity. The study concludes that nurses must be protected from ergonomic work stressors, and improvement of awareness of urses with regards to ergonomic stressors seems to be crucial. However, an effort by different parties concerned with the problem at all levels in Rwanda is needed. The government of Rwanda, through the Ministry of Health in particular, will be recommended to put strategies in place for the management, reduction and prevention of WRLBP amongst health workers, especially in the nursing population. / South Africa

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