Introduction. Eldercare organizations face high sickness absence rates and staff turnover and rely heavily on temporary workers to fill staffing gaps. Temporary workers may experience differences in job demands and resources compared to permanent workers, but this has been largely understudied.

Aim. To compare perceived job demands and resources between permanent and temporary Swedish eldercare workers.

Methods. Permanent and temporary eldercare workers in a Swedish municipality were invited to answer a digital survey on work environment conditions. Differences between permanent and temporary workers in job demands and resources were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance adjusted for age, sex, place of birth, and percent of full-time work and univariate analyses were conducted to consider differences in specific factors.

Results. 1076 permanent and 675 temporary workers received the survey and the final study sample included 451 permanent and 151 temporary workers. Multivariate analyses revealed that temporary workers reported statistically significant lower job demands compared to permanent workers, but no statistically significant differences in resources were found between the groups. Univariate analyses showed that temporary workers reported lower quantitative demands, perceived exertion, and time spent bending forward, than permanent workers. These data suggest comparable support across groups, but a higher workload among permanent workers.

Conclusion. Our findings indicate that temporary workers experienced lower job demands than permanent workers, but that no notable difference was found in resources. Interventions aimed at distributing job demands more evenly among eldercare workers with different employment forms may be necessary.

Objectives The study investigated the association between occupational biomechanical risk factors and the occurrence of thumb carpometacarpal joint osteoarthritis (CMC1 OA) in construction workers.

Methods Male construction workers (n=237 525), participating in a Swedish occupational surveillance programme between 1971 and 1993, were followed between 1997 and 2019. CMC1 OA diagnoses were identified through linkage with national medical registries. Job title, smoking status, height, weight and age were collected from the surveillance programme. A job exposure matrix (JEM) was developed with exposure estimates on biomechanical risk factors for each occupational group. Relative risk (RR) of CMC1 OA diagnosis was calculated using a Poisson regression model.

Results There was an increased risk of CMC1 OA for all biomechanical risk factors (RR range 1.3–1.5). Exposure-response patterns were seen for repetitive wrist flexion and extension (low: RR 1.30 (95% CI 1.07 to 1.59), moderate: 1.32 (95% CI 1.07 to 1.62), high: 1.45 (95% CI 1.19 to 1.75)), wrist extension (low: 1.31 (95% CI 1.09 to 1.59), moderate: 1.41 (95% CI 1.17 to 1.70) and heavy lifting (low: 1.13 (95% CI 0.92 to 1.38), moderate: 1.45 (95% CI 1.18 to 1.77), high: 1.50 (95% CI 1.24 to 1.82). Electricians (1.29 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.89)), concrete workers (1.31 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.67)), plumbers (1.37 (95% CI 1.07 to 1.76)), sheet-metal workers (1.58 (95% CI 1.18 to 2.10)), wood workers (1.66 (95% CI 1.36 to 2.03)), repairers (1.75 (95% CI 1.06 to 2.90)) and glass workers (2.21 (95% CI 1.42 to 3.44) had an increased risk of CMC1 OA compared with the reference group.

Conclusion Wrist movements and hand loading were associated with CMC1 OA.

We evaluated differences in work environment conditions and health by gender and place of birth in a commercial laundromat prior to (baseline) and at the end of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (follow-up). Using survey data, including dimensions from the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire, from forty-one workers, we assessed work environment conditions and health at baseline, follow-up and in change scores between baseline and follow-up. At baseline, men and women reported similar scores, while foreign-born (FB) workers reported better work environment conditions than Swedish-born (SB) workers. During the pandemic, conditions generally declined for all workers, but FB reported smaller declines than SB. A consistent inequality hierarchy across the 4 groups was not clear at baseline, follow-up or in change scores between time points. The study suggests potential cultural differences may exist in how work environment conditions are experienced. This should be considered in future studies and when managing future crises

This systematic review summarizes the evidence on associations between physical and psychosocial work-related exposures and the development of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Relevant databases were searched up to January 2020 for cohort studies reporting associations between work-related physical or psychosocial risk factors and the incidence of CTS. Two independent reviewers selected eligible studies, extracted relevant data, and assessed risk of bias (RoB). We identified fourteen articles for inclusion which reported data from nine cohort studies. Eight reported associations between physical exposure and the incidence of CTS and five reported associations between psychosocial exposures and the incidence of CTS. Quality items were generally rated as unclear or low RoB. Work-related physical exposure factors including high levels of repetition, velocity, and a combination of multiple physical exposures were associated with an increased risk of developing CTS. No other consistent associations were observed for physical or psychosocial exposures at work and CTS incidence.

This review is an update of a previous systematic review and assesses the evidence for the association of work-related physical and psychosocial risk factors and specific disorders of the shoulders. Medline, Embase, Web of Science Core Collection, Cochrane Central and PsycINFO were searched and study eligibility and risk of bias assessment was performed by two independent reviewers. A total of 14 new articles were added with the majority focusing on rotator cuff syndrome (RCS) with seven studies. Nine articles reported psychosocial exposures in addition to physical exposures. The strongest evidence was found for the association between elevation, repetition, force and vibration and the occurrence of SIS and tendinosis/tendonitis. Evidence also suggests that psychosocial exposures are associated with the occurrence of RCS and tendinosis/tendonitis. Other findings were inconsistent which prevents drawing strong conclusions.

European and International sustainable development agendas aim to reduce inequalities in working conditions and work-related health, yet disparate occupational health outcomes are evident between both men and women and domestic- and foreign-born workers. In Sweden, major growth in online retail warehousing has increased occupational opportunities for foreign-born workers. The rapid change has left research lagging on working conditions, i.e., employment conditions, facility design, work organisation, physical and psychosocial work environment conditions, and their effects on worker health. Further, no known studies have considered patterns of inequality related to these factors. The overall aim of this study is to describe working conditions and musculoskeletal health in online retail warehousing, determine the extent to which differences exist related to sex/gender and place of birth (as a proxy for race/ethnicity), and examine factors at the organisational and individual levels to understand why any differences exist.

Three online retail warehouses, each employing 50-150 operations workers performing receiving, order picking, order packing and dispatching tasks will be recruited. Warehouses will, to the extent possible, differ in their extent of digital technology use. Employment conditions, facility design (including digital tool use), work organisation, physical and psychosocial work environment conditions and worker health will be assessed by survey, interview and technical measurements. Analysis of quantitative data stratified by sex and place of birth will consider the extent to which inequalities exist. Focus group interviews with operations employees and in-depth interviews with managers, union and health and safety representatives will be conducted to assess how employee working conditions and musculoskeletal health are related to inequality regimes of sex/gender and/or race/ethnicity in organisational processes and practices in online retail warehousing. The study is pre-registered with the Open Science Framework.

This study will describe working conditions and health in online retail warehouse workers and consider the extent to which patterns of inequality exist based on sex/gender and place of birth.

Objectives. Studies in the goods supply chain in areas outside of warehousing show evidence of gender and racial/ethnic inequalities in working conditions (i.e., in work organization, work environment and employment conditions). This review aimed to identify, summarize, and discuss research focused on inequality in warehousing and its effects on warehouse working conditions. In the review, racial/ethnic inequality includes inequality related to country of birth and (im)migration status.

Methods. We performed a systematic search in the Scopus and Web of Science databases to identify warehouse studies that addressed working conditions and (in)equality at a workplace level. Screening of records was performed using the Rayyan systematic review tool. Risk of bias was assessed according to established methods and checklists. 

Results. Database searches yielded 4910 articles. After title-abstract-keyword and full-text screenings, 21articles were included. Results showed inequality based on gender and race/ethnicity in both work organization (different tasks were performed by different groups of employees), work environment conditions (physical and psychosocial aspects differed) and employment conditions (disparate employment types and incomes between groups of employees). Health differences, as a possible result of unequal working conditions, were evident between different racial/ethnic groups of employees. A hierarchy that included both gender and race/ethnicity was found, with (im)migrant and racialized women positioned at the bottom.

Conclusions. We found evidence that gender and race/ethnicity influenced work organization, work environment conditions, and employment conditions. Evidence was found for an intersection between gender and race/ethnicity. To improve working conditions, and subsequently occupational health, we encourage researchers to simultaneously consider gender and race/ethnicity factors at work, and to consider both why inequality is present and how it impacts working conditions in future studies of warehousing, particularly in online retailing.

Introduction: Job rotation is a work organization strategy used to reduce work‐related exposures and musculoskeletal complaints, yet evidence for the efficacy of the approach is weak. Mismatch between job rotation and company needs, lack of full implementation, lack of exposure variation in included tasks, and failure to assess variation may underlie inconclusive research findings to date. The study aims to develop a job rotation with company stakeholders, perform a process evaluation of the implementation, and determine the extent to which the intervention improves the physical and psychosocial work environment, indicators of health, gender and social equality among workers, and production quality and resilience.

Methods and analysis: Approximately 60 production workers at a Swedish commercial laundromat will be recruited. Physical and psychosocial work environment conditions, health, productivity and gender and social equality will be assessed pre‐ and post‐ intervention using surveys, accelerometers, heart rate, electromyography and focus groups. A task‐based exposure matrix will be constructed, and exposure variation estimated at the level of the individual worker pre‐ and post‐ intervention. An implementation process evaluation will be conducted. Job rotation efficacy will be assessed in terms of improvement in work environment conditions, health, gender and social inequality, and production quality and resilience. This study will provide novel information on the effects of the job rotation on physical and psychosocial work environment conditions, production quality and rate, health, and gender and social inequality among blue‐collar workers in a highly multicultural workplace.

Ethics and dissemination: The study received approval from the Swedish Ethical Review Authority. Results of the project will be shared directly with the employees, managers and union representatives from the participating company, other relevant labour market stakeholders, and with researchers at national and international conferences and via scientific publication.

Trial registration: The study is pre‐registered with the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/zmdc8/).

This study provides an overview on the relationships between exposure to work-related, hand-arm vibration and the occurrence of pre-defined disorders of the hands. We searched Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Central, and PsycINFO for cross-sectional and longitudinal studies on the association between work-related vibration exposure and the occurrence of hand-arm vibration syndrome (including vibration-induced white finger), Dupuytren’s contracture, or hypothenar hammer syndrome. We used a 16-item checklist for assessing risk of bias. We present results narratively, and we conducted random effects meta-analyses if possible. We included 10 studies with more than 24,381 participants. Our results showed statistically significant associations between the exposure to hand-arm vibrations and the occurrence of the selected disorders, with pooled odds ratios ranging between 1.35 (95% CI: 1.28 to 2.80) and 3.43 (95% CI: 2.10 to 5.59). Considerable between-study hetereogeneity was observed. Our analyses show that exposure to vibrating tools at work is associated with an increased risk for the occurrence of selected disorders of the hands. Due to the majority of studies being cross-sectional, no firm conclusion is possible regarding causal relationships between vibration exposure and disorder occurrence. Future research should specifically address whether reducing the exposure to hand-held vibrating tools at work reduces the incidence of the disorders of the hands investigated in this systematic review.