[Ability to work--new approach to evaluation methods]. / Zdolnosc do pracy--nowe podejscie do sposobu oceny.

In Poland, the assessment of work ability has thus far been almost entirely objective, which means that it was based on the evaluation of the individual's health state. That is why a subjective method of work ability assessment with work ability index (WAI), developed by the Occupational Health Institute in Helsinki, was used in our present study. This method allows to indicate other possible factors which modify work ability. The study covered 189 men employed in five metallurgical plants, located in the region of Lódz. In the study population, WAI and work load on the basis of the expenditure of energy were measured, the health condition was evaluated, and information on life styles and non-occupational responsibilities was gathered. It was found that WAI values were inversely proportional to age and work load. They were also modified by individual characteristics, such as life style, body mass, and activities at leisure. It was found that the correlation between the general index of work ability and the objective health indicators was low with the concomitant considerably higher correlation with the values of the components which reflect subjective work abilities. In view of the results obtained, WAI can be recommended as a tool for assessing work ability. Due to this method it is possible to present conclusively all elements of individual characteristics and to identify at the same time links with working conditions.

Can nurses be employed in 12-hour shift systems?

Nurses are often obliged to work in a 12-hr shift work system. We have decided to check whether such a working system constitutes an excessive load for nurses. On the basis of a questionnaire survey among nurses working in an 8-hr daytime shift system (169 nurses) and in a 12-hr shift (536 nurses), the amount of physical workload, work stress, and after-work activities were compared. Data analysis has shown that a 12-hr shift system is characterized by less significant physical workload but greater mental load. The nurses working in a 2-shift system were more tired after work, but they could spend more time on leisure activities and do housework. The data suggest that there are no significant contraindications for nurses to work in a 2-shift system.

The Family APGAR Index: study on relationship between family function, social support, global stress and mental health perception in women.

The aim of the study was to evaluate how far women are satisfied with their family function to compare the obtained results with the perception of a global stress (S. Cohen PSS) by the women under study and their mental health (D. Goldberg GHQ-28). The study was aided by the Family APGAR Index (designed by G. Smilkstein) used for the first time in Poland. A group of women (n = 98; mean age = 38) with different levels of education and subdivided into four occupational categories was selected for the study. About 75% of women were married and 80% of them had children. The results obtained differ significantly as far as general assessment and individual indicators are concerned. In 16% of women, the results suggest a serious dysfunction of their families. There are distinct differences between individual occupational groups. The general assessment of family function was significantly correlated with the estimate of the global stress (-31), with the total estimate (-26), as well as with the individual indicators of mental health--especially anxiety and sleeplessness (-33) and depression (-29). Women's satisfaction from the function of their families has, therefore, proved to be a significant factor contributing to lower level of the global stress and constituting a barrier against the occurrence of mental health disturbances.

The influence of occupational and non-occupational factors on chronic fatigue in women.

The aim of the present study was to assess the significance of different types of loads to which working women are subjected in relation to reported chronic fatigue. The investigation involved 255 women workers from two different occupational groups. The first group was employed at knitting and the second at assembly lines. Their level of chronic fatigue was assessed. We also analysed the influence of 30 variables on fatigue level. These variables concerned: a) physical and psychological workload, b) organizational (social) climate of work, and c) demographic and family factors. It was found that the most important factor influencing chronic fatigue was "experiencing emotional tension" resulting from family problems. Other factors, having substantial significance for the development of increased fatigue level were also associated with emotional tension and resulted from the social climate in the workplace.

[The effect of social support on women's perception of global stress and health status]. / Wplyw wsparcia spolecznego na postrzeganie przez kobiety stresu globalnego oraz stanu zdrowia.

Social support is considered to be an essential factor in the perception of global stress, as it reduces the impact of the stressors (and thereby protects against excessive stress), a well as reduces the detrimental effects of stress. The purpose of the study was to determine the level of social support received by women in two essential areas: family life and occupational work, and to estimate the relationships between the support level and stress perception by women and the condition of their health (estimated with the use of the Goldberg General Health Questionnaire). The APGAR questionnaire designed by G. Smilkstein was used to estimate the support. This was the first instance of the application of the method in a Polish study--with prior written consent of the author of the method. The study involved 98 women in four occupational groups (physicians, nurses, spinning machine operators, and employees of financial department of an industrial plant). The results of the study indicate that the situation of the women in respect of the received social support differs, to a statistically significant degree depending on the occupational group to which they belong. The evaluations of the support are also, significant correlated with the evaluations of global stress in the whole population test--higher results with respect to the support are correlated with the lower degree of stress. The support from the family shows higher degree of correlation with the level of the perceived stress than the support received at the place of employment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Fatigue in women conducting work with predominantly dynamic effort. I. Work demands and type of signs of fatigue]. / Zmeczenie kobiet wykonujacych prace z przewaga wysilku dynamicznego. I. Wymagania pracy a rodzaj objawów zmeczenia.

In evaluation of fatigue by the working day and evaluation of chronic fatigue subjective methods have been applied. The fatigue due to the working day was tested twice during a work shift--in the 2nd and 8th working hour. Two professional groups of women were covered by the investigation: knitters (94) and sorters (44). It was a sufficient sample. The fatigue was found to be relatively low--it did not surpass the value of 2 points. Only some symptoms occurred with greater intensity, e.g. tiredness of legs and whole body. This results from the type of work performed by the women. The correlation between the type of fatigue symptoms and type of work is also confirmed by differences in evaluation of knitters and sorters. The evaluation of fatigue in both professional groups did not differ from the results of studies of the fatigue after the working day. Only somatic disturbances were evaluated higher; the differences between sorters and knitters in this group of symptoms possibly being affected by the differences in the workers' age. The obtained results indicate that despite the differences in the type of work, the type and magnitude of fatigue were similar at both workplaces.

[Effect of the type of work on the correlation between the subjective and objective evaluation of the workload]. / Wplyw rodzaju pracy na zwiazek miedzy subiektywna i obiektywna ocena obciazenia praca.

This paper is aimed at the determination of the relationship between the heart rate and results of subjective rating of the workload in women working in the forming and sewing workrooms of the hosiery plant. The work in these workrooms differed in respect of organization, degree of motorial activity, type of activities performed, and working conditions. The subjective rating involved 22 symptoms evaluated three times during a working day, by a 5 -- degree scale. During the same periods heart rate was determined telemetrically. In forming women, heart rate was higher by approx. 11%, and average rating by around 7%, as compared to sewing women. In both groups a positive correlation was found between the heart rate and symptoms typical of general fatigue and working conditions. On the other hand, the correlation between symptoms of monotony sensation and rating of hands efficiency was negative. The correlation between the heart rate and average rating was positive in forming women and negative in sewing women, which indicates that the similar total rating of the workload resulted form different causes (general fatigue and working conditions in forming women and monotony sensation and a great number of hands movements in sewing women.)