Individual changes in working and health conditions: A longitudinal study of 8,000 employees between 2010 and 2017 in France.

BACKGROUND: The diverse and complex variations in the possible forms of health-work interactions are constantly reconfigured over the course of a person's career. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were: 1) assess the scope of the individual changes in working conditions; 2) examine conjoint changes in working conditions; 3) examine the links between these changes and back pain and fatigue. METHOD: Analyses were conducted using data from the French observatory EVREST. The variations for each individual (close to 8,000 in total) were studied by comparing data for each individual obtained at two dates at least four years apart within the period between 2010 and 2017. RESULTS: The frequency of the studied constraints was often similar at two dates (T1 and T2), but significantly higher for repetitive movements, working additional hours and interruptions which disrupt the work. The variations in physical constraints, intensity of work and lack of agency scores between the two timepoints are two-by-two positively correlated. Finally, respondents in the higher tertiles for any of these working condition scores at T2 had a higher probability of back pain or fatigue, compared to individuals in the lower tertiles at both timepoints. Being in a higher tertile at both dates corresponded to the highest odds-ratios for health complaints. CONCLUSION: From a "sustainability" perspective, these findings support treating this diversity of seniority in a profession and past experience at the same time as major decisions on production are made, rather than dealing with it as an afterthought.

Méthodologie de redressement des données nationales de l'enquête Évrest.

OBJECTIVES: The main objective was to describe the weighting methodology used for the national EVREST (Evolution and Relations in Health at Work) survey data. The secondary objectives were on the one hand to assess the extent of the differences between crude and weighted estimates, on the other hand to verify that the two-year gap in the availability of the reference data used does substantially not impact the estimates. METHODS: The study was based on data collected in 2013 and 2014 (N = 26,227). The weighting included 2 steps: 1) a first weighing to take into account the probability of participation of each employee; and 2) a calibration on margins to correct the potential distortions of the sample in comparison with the scope of the survey, the reference data used coming from the annual declarations of social data (DADS) of the years 2014 and 2012. The impact of the weighting method was studied using the differences between crude and weighted percentages for the 60 variables of the questionnaire. RESULTS: 90% of the differences between crude and weighted estimates were between - 2.0% and + 2.0% using the 2014 DADS, and 83% using the 2012 DADS. The most overestimated crude estimate concerned full-time work and the most underestimated was contact with the public. The impact of the two-year gap in the availability of the reference data used was weak. CONCLUSION: A weighting methodology for EVREST survey was define and implement, allowing results to be extrapolated to the scope of the survey.

[Weighting methodology for the national EVREST survey data]. / Méthodologie de redressement des données nationales de l'enquête Évrest.

OBJECTIVES: The main objective was to describe the weighting methodology used for the national EVREST (Evolution and Relations in Health at Work) survey data. The secondary objectives were on the one hand to assess the extent of the differences between crude and weighted estimates, on the other hand to verify that the two-year gap in the availability of the reference data used does substantially not impact the estimates. METHODS: The study was based on data collected in 2013 and 2014 (N = 26,227). The weighting included 2 steps: 1) a first weighing to take into account the probability of participation of each employee; and 2) a calibration on margins to correct the potential distortions of the sample in comparison with the scope of the survey, the reference data used coming from the annual declarations of social data (DADS) of the years 2014 and 2012. The impact of the weighting method was studied using the differences between crude and weighted percentages for the 60 variables of the questionnaire. RESULTS: 90% of the differences between crude and weighted estimates were between - 2.0% and + 2.0% using the 2014 DADS, and 83% using the 2012 DADS. The most overestimated crude estimate concerned full-time work and the most underestimated was contact with the public. The impact of the two-year gap in the availability of the reference data used was weak. CONCLUSION: A weighting methodology for EVREST survey was define and implement, allowing results to be extrapolated to the scope of the survey.

Transmission of vocational skills between experienced and new hospital workers.

OBJECTIVES: This article presents the results of a study currently underway looking at the transmission of vocational skills between health care workers in a French hospital. The aim was to show that health care workers, in addition to their work with patients, also have to incorporate the transmission of vocational skills into their daily activities. METHODS: Thirteen transmission situations were observed and analyzed by means of an activity-focused ergonomic work analysis, with the aim of reporting on this "invisible work". PARTICIPANTS: The population studied was composed of nurses and the nursing assistants from three different units in one hospital. RESULTS: The results show that the work required to integrate and supervise new staff members is left to the discretion of health care workers. This means they are constantly required to arbitrate on both an individual and collective basis between providing health care for patients and supporting new members of staff. The content of the transmission goes beyond the prescribed tasks and technical knowledge, as staff members also pass on their professional strategies (individual and collective), rules of practice and ethical considerations. Supervising students also offers experienced workers the opportunity to share their professional practices. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the issues arising from this transmission activity for the experienced workers, new workers, patients and the hospital.

The role of experience in night work: Lessons from two ergonomic studies.

The purpose of this article is to analyze some connections between experience, health and work, especially in the field of night work. As a result of the baby boom, the proportion of elderly workers is steadily increasing, while at the same time many workers are reaching retirement age and being replaced by younger people. And, in the same time, there is an overall gradual increase in shift work and night work. To our knowledge, worker experience has not been extensively studied in this context. This was our focus in studying work activity in two very different situations, in a hospital and in a steel industry. In these two studies we observed that the experienced workers endeavor to plan ahead, especially at night. They do this to limit fatigue and to avoid emergencies and ensure that work is stress-free and as far as possible under control. But experience not only brings workers to plan ahead, it also enables them to do so, thanks to the resources it confers: gaining familiarity with tasks and acquiring the ability to identify critical situations, gaining knowledge about themselves and awareness of situations that cause difficulty; and gaining a better overview of the collective aspects of their work and of ways to share tasks or obtain assistance. They are able to undertake these strategies thanks to specific skills and capacities they have built along their professional career, which notably leads them to find the best trade-off between several goals, possibly contradictory. Such experience is especially valuable at night, when the worker is tired, and when there are fewer supervisors present. This experience can only be gained, however, if the work environment fosters its acquisition and provides an opportunity to make use of it, especially during the night shift and especially with respect to planning tasks ahead of time.

[The EVREST plan: establishing an observatory through an occupational health questionnaire]. / Mise en place d'un observatoire par questionnaire en santé au travail: le dispositif EVREST.

The constant evolution of working conditions requires occupational health and exposure indicators in order to highlight problems at the collective level with the aim of carrying out research to explore and find equally collective solutions. The monitoring system Evrest is an observatory via questionnaire. Using a prevention lens, its aim is the dynamic study of different aspects of the work and health of wage earners, based on quantitative indicators developed from data gathered during the occupational health medical examinations. After its use for several years in a large industrial corporation and a test phase in the Nord-Pas de Calais region by voluntary occupational health teams, this monitoring system is being expanded and applied to other French regions.